Learning how to win will be the players biggest hurdle to overcome and the staff's biggest challenge to instill in players. A culture change is determined by many things, but winning highly competitive games in the 4th quarter trumps all other culture changing evidence. It's easy to get caught up in thinking the team has changed due to a more aggressive defense and QB play, and perhaps it has. Time will tell. But the ultimate culture changer are wins. Fourth quarter wins in particular.
The off season conditioning theme specifically addressed this very issue, as it was determined that 9 or however many points was the difference between 6-6 and 8-4 or 9-3 last year. The point differential isn't going anywhere until they hammer a team to close out a game or eek out a win they shouldn't have won. That's what winning teams do.
I'm disappointed in tonight's loss because it would have provided the players a sense of removing the demons that continue to follow them until they do something about it. The demons of course,.are actually internal. A win would have jump-started team wide confidence of being able to close. The fine line between losing and winning is often defined by what your expectations are and what your past reality has been. With that said, one can't ignore the positive signs, tight ends involved in the passing game, defensive pressure (or at least trying to) Peterman, the 4th quarter drive. What matters though are the last 56 or so seconds. Pitt played the last minute the way teams that lose late in games often do. Wins aren't handed to you because you play well. You have to take them, whether they belong to you or not.
The off season conditioning theme specifically addressed this very issue, as it was determined that 9 or however many points was the difference between 6-6 and 8-4 or 9-3 last year. The point differential isn't going anywhere until they hammer a team to close out a game or eek out a win they shouldn't have won. That's what winning teams do.
I'm disappointed in tonight's loss because it would have provided the players a sense of removing the demons that continue to follow them until they do something about it. The demons of course,.are actually internal. A win would have jump-started team wide confidence of being able to close. The fine line between losing and winning is often defined by what your expectations are and what your past reality has been. With that said, one can't ignore the positive signs, tight ends involved in the passing game, defensive pressure (or at least trying to) Peterman, the 4th quarter drive. What matters though are the last 56 or so seconds. Pitt played the last minute the way teams that lose late in games often do. Wins aren't handed to you because you play well. You have to take them, whether they belong to you or not.
