our head coach.

Some of us never wanted Campbell to go...

 

This exactly the “flipping of the switch” I’ve been alluding to here. You can be as silly and goofy as you want as long as you’re able to flip a switch and become serious and driven and aggressive when the circumstances dictate. And that’s whether you’re an NFL football team or United States Marines in a war zone.

This team’s pattern of play this season was entirely consistent with the inability to flip that switch. And the most parsimonious explanation of that is that they are simply taking on the personality of their coach, who appears to have a silly and goofy demeanor with them and never, at least from what I’ve seen, a stern and aggressive one. And that doesn’t necessarily mean “yelling and screaming” or being a harsh disciplinarian.

Rehearsed end zone celebrations would be harmless if the team had the ability to flip that switch. In the absence of that ability, however, they are highly symbolic of the team’s culture problem whereby they cannot flip that switch.

 

Coming back to this just for a moment, I’m sure you’ve seen Heartbreak Ridge. That’s a great analogy for how this team functions. Obviously they aren’t a bunch of lazy slackers who are sitting around playing pool and smoking and listening to loud music. But analogously, they are silly and goofy and rehearsing end zone celebrations. The leader among them needs to get them to be able to flip a switch and switch that off and replace it with seriousness and aggression when the circumstances dictate.

 

Well, not to be a nitpicker, but Heartbreak Ridge is fiction...

 

Yeah, the "flip the switch" mantra is movie bullsh!t. You're either a professional or you're not a professional. You're either trained or untrained. You're either good at your job or you're not good at your job. As a man, I don't need a daddy to yell at me. I need someone with the knowledge and/or experience to help me get better.

When I was living in a hole eating MRE's I didn't need someone to yell and act tough when the bullets and bombs started to fly. If Dan Campbell was there and gave some tough guy speech I would have shoved his face in the sand. If before we went out, I had the choice between someone that talks tough or someone that gives me information to win I'd take the the latter every time.

 

There has never been a Marine RECON platoon in the history of the Marine Corps that even closely resembled that movie. lol

 

Barnes or Elias

 

Yeah, I never understood how the hell a Recon platoon would ever get that ate the f*** up.

 

You don’t sound like a guy who would be rehearsing end zone celebrations on your NFL football team either.

 

For the love of God, please get over the end zone celebrations already. It's a game.

 

Sorry, but the rehearsed end zone celebrations -- as opposed to the traditional spontaneous kind that are commonplace in the NFL -- were telltale with this team. And the game in which they were most telltale was the Tennessee game. Playoffs and #1 seed on the line, facing a physically inferior opponent at home and favored by a whopping 14 points (an outlier in the NFL), the Dolphins should've gotten down to business and drubbed the opponent, perhaps allowing their own starters to rest in the fourth quarter to help fuel the playoff push.

On the contrary the game unfolded such that the Dolphins played poorly and were largely gifted the lead by the Titans' unforced errors. Amidst that the rehearsed end zone celebrations were front and center. No team playing poorly against an inferior opponent with stakes that high should feel comfortable engaging in nonsense of that sort. On the contrary they should've been shutting down silliness and cracking each other's skulls to get serious. Then with four minutes left and 99.7% win probability they were completely unable to overcome the inferior opponent's charge -- at home -- to the tune of one of the most improbable losses in NFL history. Totally telling about this team's character.

Again that prompted this the following day by a former NFL player, somebody who's experienced the game far more than anybody here (myself included) or any prior military member:



Once again this team's culture was such that it couldn't shift gears from "fun and games" to "serious business" when the circumstances dictated, and the rehearsed end zone celebrations were telltale in that and symbolic of it for not only me but for a former player as well. Disagree if you'd like, and that's fine. The goal here is not unanimous agreement about anything as far as I know.

 

OMG. Enough of the military stuff too. Of all the dumb things in this thread, the attempt of trying to correlate the military and a football game is by far the dumbest.

 

I wouldn’t rehearse a TD celebration. If I was the HC and it raised morale or relieved stress of my players I’d have no problem with them doing it.

Check this out. How long do you think it took these SOF to rehearse this? Lol

 

It’s actually the opposite of correlating. My point is (and I’ve even said it a few times) if the Marines, who don’t play a child’s game, can be lead by someone with a sense of humor then a football player sure as hell can, too.

 

Now what if those guys couldn't get down to business and kick *** in true Marine fashion when the circumstances dictated? What then would that video signify for you?

My dad was a VN Marine BTW.

 

Please reassure me you are NOT saying Heartbreak Ridge is an accurate portrayal of military life.

PLEASE tell me that’s not what you’re saying.

 

The crux of the story was that it wasn't typical military life. It was an outlier platoon that needed traditional Marine leadership. And the interesting thing about it was that Gunny Highway mixed that with a sensitive and caring approach as well, when needed. But first he got the platoon's respect by being forceful and kicking people's asses. Had he started off sensitive he would've been walked on. In the end they followed him and bled for him in a war zone.

Now, that's Hollywood, but what makes Hollywood work is when it's believable, and that story was believable. It might not be identical to any one person's experience of the military, but it was indeed believable. My dad was a VN Marine -- back in the old days when you got your *** kicked by your DIs -- and he got quite a kick out of the movie. It was one of our favorites to watch together.

 

Watch the last minute or so of this. First part is mostly about the Seahawks coaching search but at about 4:50 he's talking about Fangio and general coaching styles. Insightful

 

My best friend did three tours in Iraq. He's the funniest dude I've ever met. It's just who he is. I'm not sure a "switch" was ever "flipped" when it was go time over there. He just went.

 

I suspect quite the switch was flipped from funny to something entirely different when the bullets started flying, however.

 

I'm going to put you on ignore I think. You have this intentional vexatious vibe about you. You're like the sniveling condescending co-worker that nobody likes but we're just all too polite to actually say it out loud. Everything you post on here is just devious bait by design. Props for doing it in a way that keeps the discussion going. It's very sneaky on your part. Don't forget to sign in to your other account and like the post. "Woodstrock" "Hook&Ladder" LOL!

 

At least someone else finally noticed something is off with this guy.

 

Is he really trying to be like them though, or are they like him because they’re following his lead? What about the players who are more businesslike and serious about what they’re doing? Is he trying to be like them as well?

I don’t think we can necessarily know definitive answers to these questions, but it’s interesting to ponder the possibilities.

 

That’s an interesting thought to consider, and if that’s indeed the case, then I think the question that prompts is whether that’s consistent with optimal leadership. Like if you’re living vicariously through a group of men, can you possibly also be in the position to lead them effectively?

 

Especially because how obvious it Is.

 

So obvious isn't it?

 

The Ravens just did a choreographed end zone celebration in the AFC Championship game. I hope Crash didn't see that one!

 

We aren’t sniffing a SB with Mahomes and Jackson in the AFC. Pure athletic talents on full display.

 

One of the things he needs to add to this offense is a good TE. Most of the great teams have one.

 

It's pretty stupid how they can just run around in circles behind the line of scrimmage with perfect blocking all the time.

 

No doubt that’s why they are losing right now. Lol

 

Obviously didn't take their preparation seriously this week!

https://www.tiktok.com/@cbssports/video/7326350104359636266

I mean look at this clown. Imagine if the Seal Team 6 leader was doing this the week before the Bin Laden compound raid?

 

This seems like a lot of hyperbole on your part.
This is Jackson’s first AFCCG. Mahomes is 3-2 in the AFCCG.

 

That celebration just led to Jackson getting the strip sack.

 

For real, Tua and the Dolphins can’t make it to the Super Bowl every year. What are those trolls thinking…

 

I don’t understand your post.