Motivation -- My first thread!!

[Echoes]

Hey guys,

This is my first thread to actually start! Hurray! I know this topic has been discussed in other threads, but I couldn't really decide which thread to post this in and it will probably end up being rather lengthy, so I decided to try the new thread button :P

I wanted to bring up a hot idea on the boards recently, specifically the idea that our team lacks motivation because we are regarded as one of the best teams in the country. Now I have been reading these boards for 2+ years, and I don't think I have ever disagreed with a statement more. Normally I do not post, because usually someone has already posted my sentiments on a subject, so I just save the bandwith :)

Anyways, on to motivation... The general consesnus I have read seems to be that everyone here really thinks that a reason we lost is because our boys don't have the motivation, since we are a respected program? Really? Really? I just absolutely can not see it.

Our players have plenty motivation, I could name 20 reasons off the top of my head to be motivated to win a BCS bowl. National respect, a national spotlight on both your indivual play and your team play, make your fans proud, make your family and friends proud, the opportunity to win a game in a great stadium like the one they played in, to play great on the same field as the super bowl will be played on, to possibly obtain a #1 ranking next year.. the list goes on and on. How about being motivated to win simply because it makes you feel good inside?

Our boys wanted to win that night, and they wanted to win in the 3 bcs bowl games they lost before that. I just can't beleive our team was not motivated enough to go out and perform.

If our team plays lethargic, its because they are not prepared, not because they do not have the will to win. I have never understood that argument.

If Bob is worried about motivation, take a speech class and give a good one before the game. Motivation is not the problem, it's the least of our worries. Don't you think that if we needed more motivation, we would have it after we got annihilated three bcs bowl games in a row? I would think so. How does USC or LSU ever win then? If they are always favorities, wouldn't they lose to the more motivated team all the time? Motivation is a very small factor, and we have 450 times more problems to correct before we get to Bob giving us an awe inspired speech to help the team out.

If we want to win we need to prepare our players better and have adequate, adaptable game plans to the teams we are facing, on both offense and defense.


Sorry if that came off a little flametastic, it was not directed towards anyone.. I just got the drift that some of you think that we lost because we are unmotivated. Make no mistake, that deer-in-the-headlights that our team displays in the first half is not the unwillingness to win, its the confusion caused by being unprepared.

Any thoughts guys? And hopefully not too many neg speks :P

[OU-HSV]

I'm noticing a connection between your Soonerfans name and a double posted thread ;) :D

[ashley]

They were either tired form too much work and were too tired or had too much in the press about how easy the game would be. I lean toward the latter.
Way too much is made of motivation. Coach switzer himself said you can't use the motivation deal over twice a year.

[85sooners]

:O

[Blues1]

Here the way I see it -- We just got beat by a WV offense we were NOT ready for...And our Offense couldn't find it's Rhythm in the RED Zone - Field goals won't beat a team like West Virgina.They were Hot we were Not....

JMHO - but we NEED a FULLBACK who won't go down and get that 4th and one...Once again just JMHO.....(anyone remmeber a guy named Littrell) (sp?)

On to 2008 - Stay Soft Spoken and Just Win...!!!!

[KantoSooner]

Call it what you will, motivation, preparation, whatever. I was never an elite level athlete, but even I could see that some days you were just 'ready' to play. You had an extra bounce, extra focus, you were in synch with the game and no opponent could beat you.
From what I've seen of elite level athletes, this holds for them as well. With the physical ability level so high across the board already, this is the 'x' factor.
How do you get there? If I knew, I'd be very very rich. What is clear is that some teams seem to do it on a consistent basis. What is also clear is that OU was not consistently 'ready' this past season. And the one game we really were ready for (Mizzou B12 CCG), we utterly destroyed our opponent.

The players need to work it themselves, to some extent, but this is largely a coaching thing. In my humble opinion.

[OKC-SLC]

Littrell is one of the forgotten heroes in the rebirth of OU football in 1999. His dad played for OU, and Seth would have given his left arm to keep from playing anywhere else.

We need more Littrells and fewer Grangers, in my opinion.

[OU-HSV]

Littrell is one of the forgotten heroes in the rebirth of OU football in 1999. His dad played for OU, and Seth would have given his left arm to keep from playing anywhere else.

We need more Littrells and fewer Grangers, in my opinion.
word

[Soonerus]

Too long to read...sorry...

[A Sooner in Texas]

How do you motivate a player not to do something stupid, like try to steal a coat? Seems like staying out of jail/not embarassing your family or yourself/a host of other logical reasons would be plenty motivation.

As far as the team's motivation, I think Echoes (echoes, choes, cho) has it right. Pride's the top motivation, the glory of winning a bowl game and taking home the most vulgar trophy ever designed and then having sportswriters and other so-called experts say "Who's #1? LSU or OU?" should be plenty.
Maybe we "peaked" too soon in the CCG? Nope. If a team is really prepared, the team continues peaking emotionally and physically for as long as it takes.
The team wasn't ready, but isn't that the coaches' jobs?

[goingoneight]

I don't remember ANYONE on the 2000 team ****-talking like Larry Birdine did or doing stupid things like Granger and Bomar have done. In fact, I remember Denzel Washington standing right next to OUr team in the tunnel of the old Orange Bowl and not a one of OUr players giving him a second look.

I remember Torrance Marshall telling Chris Weinke he was there to prove his worth ("you got my boy's trophy, I WANT IT BACK!!!"), not talking about what he has already done or brushing his opponent of like they didn't matter.

I remember us giving up a 46-yarder on the first play of the game, and having the cojones to not let them have anything more special than that the rest of the night, completely shutting out a MUCH better offense than we saw from WVU or anyone else of late for that matter.

I remember we were a high snap away from finishing 13-0, by a final score of 13-0.

[Echoes]

Lol, the double post was awful for my first time... I felt like such a goon, and I have absolutely no clue how it happened!

[Redgiant2]

I couldn't agree more. Motivation has exactly dick to do with the losses.

[sanantoniosooner]

you know........2" really doesn't qualify as a "Red giant".

[Redgiant2]

you know........2" really doesn't qualify as a "Red giant".

Don't worry tiger, you'll be funny one day. Just keep after it!!!!

[KingDavid]

I'm noticing a connection between your Soonerfans name and a double posted thread ;) :D

:eek:

[sanantoniosooner]

Don't worry tiger, you'll be funny one day. Just keep after it!!!!
102 posts in and a Redgiant reputation bar and you think your opinion means squat. good luck with that.

[KingDavid]

Here are the six reasons why we lost that game:

Murray
Kelly
English
Granger
Smith
Holmes

Note that 5 of them were All Conference.

There's not a coach or a pep-rally or even a medication that gets you past those odds, no matter the program or the team.

If we go into the 2000 NC game against FSU missing 6 starters, and 5 all-conference, we lose. Save an act of God, we just lose. Period.

It's fun to prognosticate about all the other reasons; and WVA did have a heck of a game. But that's the story behind it - or at least 90% of the story. The team and the coaches are to be commended for not making public excuses. Shows a lot of class . . . because they sure as hell could have.

Try this, the next time someone (a fan from another team) jabs at you about your Sooners losing to WVA. Ask them how many of our starters were missing from the game. They'll just stand there looking stupid and say, "I don't know, how many?" Tell them: six. They'll look stupider. Then ask them: of those six, how many were all-conference? They'll know where you're headed but be too sheepish to venture a guess. Give them the answer.

Then you'll both have a fun conversation about why it didn't come up AT ALL on the national television broadcast!

[sanantoniosooner]

Ironically, they did allow us to play other people in their vacated positions though.

You don't have to understand a complicated scheme to grab the guy in the other jersey when he wakes you from your nap.

[sanantoniosooner]

Ironically, they did allow us to play other people in their vacated positions though.

You don't have to understand a complicated scheme to grab the guy in the other jersey when he wakes you from your nap.
So Edmond Sooner thinks this post qualifies me as a classless thug.

whatever nancy.

[Curly Bill]

Ironically, they did allow us to play other people in their vacated positions though.

That right there made me laugh. :D

[Edmond Sooner]

So Edmond Sooner thinks this post qualifies me as a classless thug.

whatever nancy.

Yeah, whatever, ct.

[Edmond Sooner]

What I think is that all the analysis aside (and much of it has been good; some not so good), I'd still rather have a 11-3 season than a break 500 season with only a bowl win and a rant about the joys of being 40 and A MAN on top.

[Redgiant2]

102 posts in and a Redgiant reputation bar and you think your opinion means squat. good luck with that.

Well it looks like my opinion means about as much to you as yours means to me. I'm glad you finally figured it out champ.

[TUSooner]

This thread begs the question of what is motivation. If it's game day rah-rah, then -- meh -- that's overrated.

If it means the will to prepare to win in the months, weeks, and days before game day, motivation is everything.
And just because there is a long list of reasons for motivation does not mean that a person actually is motivated.

[sanantoniosooner]

As I've said in several other threads, I think people are either mistaking motivation for focus, or thinking they mean the same thing.

[MamaMia]

As I've said in several other threads, I think people are either mistaking motivation for focus, or thinking they mean the same thing.Well then Stoops needs to motivate them to stay focused. :D

[TUSooner]

As I've said in several other threads, I think people are either mistaking motivation for focus, or thinking they mean the same thing.
I can't focus on this post, and I don't even want to.




:O

[TUSooner]

Well then Stoops needs to motivate them to stay focused. :D
He could do this by focusing on motivation. :twinkies:

[sanantoniosooner]

Focuvation Bob

Look into it.

[Vic n Tulsa]

Hey guys,

This is my first thread to actually start! Hurray! I know this topic has been discussed in other threads, but I couldn't really decide which thread to post this in and it will probably end up being rather lengthy, so I decided to try the new thread button :P

I wanted to bring up a hot idea on the boards recently, specifically the idea that our team lacks motivation because we are regarded as one of the best teams in the country. Now I have been reading these boards for 2+ years, and I don't think I have ever disagreed with a statement more. Normally I do not post, because usually someone has already posted my sentiments on a subject, so I just save the bandwith :)

Anyways, on to motivation... The general consesnus I have read seems to be that everyone here really thinks that a reason we lost is because our boys don't have the motivation, since we are a respected program? Really? Really? I just absolutely can not see it.

Our players have plenty motivation, I could name 20 reasons off the top of my head to be motivated to win a BCS bowl. National respect, a national spotlight on both your indivual play and your team play, make your fans proud, make your family and friends proud, the opportunity to win a game in a great stadium like the one they played in, to play great on the same field as the super bowl will be played on, to possibly obtain a #1 ranking next year.. the list goes on and on. How about being motivated to win simply because it makes you feel good inside?

Our boys wanted to win that night, and they wanted to win in the 3 bcs bowl games they lost before that. I just can't beleive our team was not motivated enough to go out and perform.

If our team plays lethargic, its because they are not prepared, not because they do not have the will to win. I have never understood that argument.

If Bob is worried about motivation, take a speech class and give a good one before the game. Motivation is not the problem, it's the least of our worries. Don't you think that if we needed more motivation, we would have it after we got annihilated three bcs bowl games in a row? I would think so. How does USC or LSU ever win then? If they are always favorities, wouldn't they lose to the more motivated team all the time? Motivation is a very small factor, and we have 450 times more problems to correct before we get to Bob giving us an awe inspired speech to help the team out.

If we want to win we need to prepare our players better and have adequate, adaptable game plans to the teams we are facing, on both offense and defense.


Sorry if that came off a little flametastic, it was not directed towards anyone.. I just got the drift that some of you think that we lost because we are unmotivated. Make no mistake, that deer-in-the-headlights that our team displays in the first half is not the unwillingness to win, its the confusion caused by being unprepared.

Any thoughts guys? And hopefully not too many neg speks :P

Sorry but haven't you heard Stoops mantra..."We Win Championships" The only reason OU exists is to win Championships. OU is all about winning championships. Therefore you've seen results in the BIG CG.

BCS bowl games are not taken seriously around here because........

other than that OU has a bunch a 5 star spoiled pansies aound bowl season and it all starts with Big Game Bob.:eek:

[sanantoniosooner]

Dumb Post Vic

there's a nickname for you.