Should Max and Travis request more running plays?

One way that Coach Mendenhall has differentiated himself from other national programs is with the institution of a leadership council. (Don’t get me wrong I am sure there are other teams in the country, which have something similar.) I believe that this leadership council -which is comprised of players from each position group, voted on by their peers- got together early this week to discuss how they where going to improve before this weeks game.

Having been in these meetings I would expect that Coach Mendenhall gave a few suggestions and than asked for input from the different members. Coach Mendenahall uses these meetings to keep a finger on the pulse of the team. Because the players represent their collective groups they speak on the groups behalf. I would imagine that a new course of action was discussed that involved what the team could have done better when preparing for the TCU game and how they could of preformed better during that game. After that short discussion the group’s attention would have been directed towards the upcoming week of practice. Questions would have been asked such as: How could we as coaches prepare you better for the UNLV game? What needs to happen in our meetings and what do you think the team needs to hear?

Coach Mendenhall asks these questions to the leadership council members to gauge if what he has prepared for the team is on target or if he might need to address some other topics of concern. These meetings also help Coach Mendenhall keep in touch with the leadership of the team to insure that everyone is on the same page -working towards the common goal of improving the teams performance.

After reading about Max and Travis asking for more running plays in this weeks game. I thought maybe this meeting gave them the opportunity to discuss their feelings and frustrations with Coach Mendenhall, which might have lead them to also approach Coach Anae and Doman about the matter. I am not saying that this happened, but I know that open lines of communication are critical to the success of a football team. Players and Coaches need to be able to listen and understand one another to better prepare for upcoming opponents. In order for communication to be open Coaches need to insure that players don’t feel threatened to speak their mind. I honestly believe that Max and Travis are talking with one another and with the Coaches because they all want to be successful. I hope both the players and the Coaches respect each other enough to hear suggestions and constructive criticism, ponder the statements and than address them with each other before talking to the media.

The leadership council has fostered those open lines of communication. It allows the players to give input into where the program is headed and how they think the team is feeling and playing. Not every suggestion is put into action, but it is heard, discussed and either rejected or accepted; and as a player that’s all you can ask for.