- Paul William "Bear" Bryant takes over Alabama in 1958. Truth be told, they were pretty terrible at the time. He runs brutal, grueling, lethal force training camps and practices. A bunch of guys quit. He attracts only the toughest, nastiest, most ambitious men with chips on their shoulders and something to prove. It takes him till 1961 to complete the turn around, but he wins 6 national championships over the next 20 years. During the 1960s, Alabama is the toughest team on your schedule. They were what Miami was in the 1980s and what USC has been in the 2000s.
- Glen Edward "Bo" Schembechler takes over Michigan in 1969. Michigan had a glorious past, and a dreadful present. He runs brutal, grueling, lethal force training camps and practices. A bunch of guys quit. Bo nails a big sign over the exit of the locker room. It says "Those who stay will be champions." It's still there. Nobody touches that sign. That is Bo's emblem and mark on the program. He attracts only the toughest, nastiest, most ambitious men with chips on their shoulders and something to prove. He wins 13 Big 10 conference championships. He should have had a couple of national championships.
- James William 'Jimmy' Johnson takes over the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. They are the worst team in the NFL. They are drafting first, and not because they made a trade. He runs brutal, grueling, lethal force training camps and practices. A bunch of guys quit. He cuts a bunch more. Jimmy flushes the toilet. Guys who don't love the sport and who are just collecting their large paychecks are thrown out on their faces. He attracts only the toughest, nastiest, most ambitious men with chips on their shoulders and something to prove. Jimmy's Cowboys win 3 Super Bowls, despite tremendous competition from the Redskins, 49ers, Giants, Packers and Bills. They win the 3rd one without Jimmy... in spite of pretty terrible coaching.
- Richard Albert 'Dick' Vermeil takes over the Rams in 1997. They were considered the worst team of the decade by many. The Bengals would eventually win that dreadful distinction because the Rams would win the Super Bowl in 1999. The Rams are drafting first, and not because they made a trade. He runs brutal, grueling, lethal force training camps and practices. A bunch of guys quit. He cuts a bunch more. Dick flushes the toilet. Guys who don't love the sport and who are just collecting their large paychecks are thrown out on their faces. He attracts only the toughest, nastiest, most ambitious men with chips on their shoulders and something to prove. It takes him two years to do it. Only 8 men from the 1997 roster are left on 1999 roster. Guys like Issac Bruce, Kevin Carter, DeMarco Farr, and Todd Lyght are in that crew. The 1999 Rams are voted the greatest turn-around story in NFL history by a distinguished panel of experts at NFL films. The show only runs between 1999 and 2003, but we are The Greatest Show on Turf. It could have been better, but we fucked up and got rid of Vermeil.
So, as I hope you can see from these stories, there is a clear-cut path to pay-dirt. There is a well established, proven methodology for turning a team around. It has been used by most the of great coaches who triggered great turn arounds. Vince Lombardi didn't exactly flush the toilet, but he ran lethal force practices. He just had more survivors and champions on the roster than he thought he did when he started.
To the best of my knowledge, Bill Walsh is the only guy ever to turn around a team without flushing the toilet. According to rumor, he did not crush the souls of the weak in training camp. He focused on teaching & preaching precision execution. He had many of the same bums he started with on the team when he won SB16 with the 1981 49ers. Don't follow the Walsh model, as compelling as it might be. Walsh is the exception, not the rule. Follow the rule, not the exception.
College or Pro, the story is fundamentally the same. You have to get rid of the posers. You have to get rid of the fashion models who like to look good in the uniform. You have to weed out the guys like Barry Foster, who once said that he liked football but would never play for free. This is like a hooker who says "I like sex but I would never fuck for free." You fuck for the sheer joy of sex, and you play football for the sheer joy and glory of it. Money is nice, but that can't be the reason why.
Many guys like me would have gladly played for free if we could have just played for an NFL team. It is extremely irksome and vexatious to see gifted men, with real ability, who have no heart to play the game. These guys also tend to be whining divas. They are team cancers. You have to get rid of these little fuckers. No duds.
For this reason, I was greatly heartened to learn that St. Louis Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo has issued warnings that he intends to kill everybody in training camp. Let the bodies hit the floor. His plan of action sounds a lot like the one Vermiel used, as documented on the America's Game 1999 Rams video.
This is good. It could take a couple of years, but Coach Spagnuolo should turn things around.
