I had a chance to hear AC today on his weekly Tuesday segment on Mike and Big Grady (The Fan) and there were a couple of things I liked about his comments (95% of these segments are puff pieces but occasionally some good insight comes through).
1. When Big Joe was giving him strokes for how well he played in the 2nd half of this season and the PFF rankings, etc......without being a dick he refocused the conversation on needing to improve. When Big Joe asked him what / how he needed to improve he got very specific and very technical.....I don't know enough about Oline technique to judge whether his goal is the right goal or not but I do know enough about leadership and accomplishment to know that having a growth mindset where you are constantly challenging yourself to be better impacts not just yourself but the team around you. I was really pleased to hear him express dis-satisfaction with the status quo....it was the first time in these segments that I heard that from him.......Ballard effect, maybe????
2. When queried about Ballard's message to the team (after the firing of Pagano), he shared the message that was previously posted here re: accountability and that a culture of locker room accountability was as important as coach/team accountability. AC went on to say that they really leaned on Andrew in the past for that but acknowledged that other veteran leaders on their side of the ball (including himself) need to take on that role as well and not just let Andrew carry the burden........Again, i see that as the Ballard effect. When Ballard says this team can't just be about the QB I think he's talking about more than just putting everything on his arm....He is giving his team a message that they are all responsible for the success of the club and they all need to step it up.
I was pleased to see that Ballard's messaging seems to be resonating in these guys.....beyond the lack of talent and coaching in this club there has been a serious void in leadership. Perhaps that will be changing soon.
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