"Now, I may be a mean cuss. But I'm the same mean cuss with everybody out there on that football field. The world don't give a damn how sensitive these kids are. You ain't doing these kids a favour by patronizing them. You're crippling them - you're crippling them for life."  - Herman Boone (Remember the Titans)

I received a couple text messages from two of my players who are now freshman down at some big-time programs in the US.

I can't believe I've been doing this for thirteen years, but every fall I get lots of messages like these, and they're always so rewarding.

I've never apologized for being extremely tough. Why? They are going to face it in college and they need to be ready. I am flat out doing them a disservice if I don't coach how I know how to do it. It is for them. I'm in their corner, and it's my job to lead them, love them - AND love them tough when required. Their goal is to succeed at the next level, and it's my job to prepare them for how hard it (and life at times later) can be.

That particular quote at the start of the post, from Remember the Titans, has always really resonated with me and has continued to guide me all these years later, just as it did when I started coaching eighteen year olds when I was just twenty-two.

Now, here's the key - and this morning I stumbled across this quote from UCLA coaching great John Wooden. His words are particularly poignant as the Oilers are set to break camp with new coach Mike Babcock ...  but I digress.

You don't just have to be a mean cuss, in my opinion - if you are, then go find another profession. If you've seen Remember the Titans, you can understand that the Herman Boone character cared deeply for his players and wasn't simply a dictator. If he was, he wouldn't have let them dance on the field to warm up!