The first day of spring practice can be like the first day of school. A fresh start, a clean slate, the beginning of an opportunity to get back on the field, have fun with your teammates and get back to playing a game you love.
The first day of full pads is supposed to be that same feeling only magnified. Football is a physical game and the first four practices in shorts and shells don’t really let you play football, you’re mainly installing and going through the motions. That’s why Jim McElwain expected the Florida Gators to have a spirited practice on Wednesday when the pads came on but quite frankly, the team fell short of his expectations.
“I just think the overall attitude to come and attack each day the way that you need to I don’t think was there,” McElwain said on Friday “The responsibility as players to understand that they’re playing at the University of Florida, and with that comes a little responsibility, and part of that responsibility is to come to work and work your tail off in practice.”
The head football coach will always hold his team to the highest standards. The key for him as a coach and as a teacher is to move from a place where the coaching staff needs to guide the players step by step and into a place where the players are holding themselves accountable. There isn’t time for Florida to go through the motions and just survive spring camp. This is a team coming off a 10-win season that didn’t feel like a 10-win campaign due to the way it ended.
McElwain is looking for leadership and accountability. When the team has a bad practice he shouldn’t have to tell them. That message is sinking in with the players, who acknowledged a lackluster day on Wednesday.
“We kind of let things that we can’t control get the best of us, and that kind of made the decision for the rest of the day to kind of drag around a little bit,” offensive lineman Antonio Riles said. “We came out there a little slow, so we’ve definitely got to come out stronger on Friday.”
Riles is a veteran. He’s played sparingly and bounced around between offensive and defensive line but he’s been in Gainesville for four years, played for two coaching staffs and knows the ropes. Fellow 2013 signee Caleb Brantley is another player that the staff needs to lead by example. Brantley’s play speaks for itself, now he’s trying to do the littlest of things in hopes younger players take notice.
“I’m just trying to lead by example,” he said. “Do all the little stuff. Like having your shirt tucked in, just the little things.”
Florida has long-term goals. Last year the Gators returned to Atlanta for the first time since 2009. The goal this year is to get back there but December is a long way away. Florida needs short-term goals, benchmarks to boxes to check off if they want to get back to Atlanta. Wednesday Florida didn’t check off their box and get better as a team. A small setback, if you can consider it one. The coaching staff does and the team did; the latter being more important than the former.
“We need to come out and have more energy in practice. I feel like, there’s no excuse for it, but you know it’s [hot] but we just need to come out with a better mindset,” center Cam Dillard said. “I feel like we’re the defending SEC East Champs, like Coach Mac said [Wednesday] at the end of practice, we need to come out each day with that attitude. I feel like we have something to prove. We got to Atlanta. Why not let’s win it now.”
Gotta love Mac