This weekend, I was shocked when I heard that Coach Petersen fired his Wide Receivers coach, Brent Pease. It is hardly ever done in college football–especially to a guy that has been on staff for a long period of time. Despite my shock, I believe the effect will be positive–and for reasons some may not see.
Coach Petersen recently put all of the coaches on his staff, on high alert. The message was that If you weren’t doing a great job, he would find someone else for the job. He is in pursuit of great results, and in order to get that he needs to find the best coaches out there. He also sends the message to coaches around the country that he is after the best for his team no matter what. Great coaches love that kind of boss that not only holds a high standard for everyone but will let his friends go that are not performing well. Great coaches love working with other great coaches so this will only help improve the staff.
As a result, he is gaining the respect of his players. In my experience, whenever we did not perform well in a College game, the players got the majority of the blame. To constantly blame the players, does not bring about better results. Coaches must also be held accountable for how they are coaching, and as a result, for the performance of their players. It lifts the stress from the players, and allows them to perform better. I can recall a former head coach blaming us players for the poor results on the field. I couldn’t help but think that he was the only one in the room being paid over a million dollars–why had all the blame been placed on us? We were just a group of 17 to 22 year old student athletes, that while talented, were impressionable and following the orders placed upon us.
Lastly, Coach Petersen has gained the respect and confidence from the alumni, booster club, and administration. Making such a bold move, signals to everyone that he will do whatever it takes to help the football team succeed. When a coach is willing to make such a bold move, it eliminates any room for second guessing and speculation of whether or not he will make a move on someone who is under performing. I for one, was already a big fan of Coach Peterson upon his hiring. However, my respect for him has now grown. I find myself excited for this upcoming season. We have the conference’s best defense, with an offense and quarterback that will only get better. I think next season we will be right in the mix to compete for a Pac 12 North Championship, and it’s thanks to the fact that we have the right man leading the team
Sincerely,
Donny Mateaki
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