Jackson's post game comments are usually fairly

Jackson's post game comments are usually fairly
by wearendhockey (2020-01-13 16:24:25)

predictable and generic. He rarely throws a player under the bus, and often will take a good share of the blame when things don't go well.

Having said that, he really does need to find a new song to sing, other than having inexperienced players.

Once again he commented on the team's "youth" on defense. And once again, it rings especially hollow when the other guys are just as inexperienced. Michigan played 2 freshmen and 2 sophomores on the blueline, to go along with 2 seniors. Is Notre Dame, playing no freshmen (although one of the sophomores barely played last year) and a junior and a senior really any more inexperienced? Michigan's defensemen were also playing in front of a netminded who had appeared in about half as many games as Cale Morris has played.

Following Saturday's loss he also said he couldn't coach confidence and he couldn't coach goal scoring. Really? Then what do you do on the bench during games, or in practices? If you are not finding ways to put your players in a position to succeed are you doing anything? A coach can clearly devise a game plan or line combinations that lead to goal scoring, which would lead to more confidence. Now if the players do not possess the requisite talent to score goals at this level, that's a different story. Maybe the level of talent on the current roster is below that of recent editions. If so, then so be it.

The upside of the program is still good and the sky is not falling, but I'm not impressed with the performance of the coaches this year. They've done just as poorly as some of the players.

Several years ago, I asked Lou Holtz how he liked working

at ESPN. He said it was the greatest job he's ever had. . . ."Ya just keep talking til ya think of something to say!"

. . . and that's kinda my sentiment with all these talking heads, journalist, and yes, even coaches.

I never assume that what a coach says to the media ...

reflects what he is saying to players, especially in college hockey. Do you honestly think he's saying "hey guys, don't worry, I know you're young"? That's different, by the way, from (1) whether he is delivering the right message to them - assuming that he is, we can agree it isn't showing up right now or (2) whether the staff is making adjustments in practice, etc. - assuming they are, it isn't showing up right now. But that's what I look at in order to evaluate where things are, not at generic stuff given to the media. I really doubt that going Tortorella at a post-game presser is going to help, especially if it's directed at players. If in fact he's stating his true beliefs at a presser about what's happening then he's a frigging idiot on two scores. That's a radically new development if accurate - which I reject. And to repeat, that in no way says that right now the staff is doing a great job.

When the coach repeats the same thing over and over

publicly, it can have an impact. I also think it is just bad form for him to repeat it whenever the team struggles when it is simply not true near to the extent he brings it up.

He's never going to channel Tortorella because that is not his personality, just like he never bag skates players following a lackluster effort because he doesn't believe that using the sport they love as punishment is effective. And I'm happy with that because he's a good enough coach he doesn't need to resort to those kinds of tactics. As good as he is, he isn't perfect though, and his best efforts might not result in salvaging this season. To the extent his track record is proven, that is basically OK.

The stuff to the press only has an impact ...

if he isn't doing something measurably different inside the dressing room and at practice. And as we know, even in the NHL different guys respond to different messages. I know personally of one case in the NHL a couple of years ago where a team was not playing up to expectations and the coach was taking heat in the media for constantly talking about injuries and multiple back to backs. The message he was giving inside the dressing room was "I've got your f'g backs - it's about f'g time you got mine." And they did turn it around. As should be obvious, we agree on what's happening on the ice and that whatever the staff is doing ain't working right now.