In order to be great, you must first become consistently good..

[cofcgamecock9]

Everette Sands tweeted this today.

I am amazed at how many of you don't get this concept. I read a not so smart post on Cockytalk today that said "you are either a champion or you are nothing" when talking about our team.

What BS.

Some of you guys don't understand how REAL LIFE and REAL SUCCESS works. Do you think that you just wake up one day and all of a sudden you are winning championships?

One of the biggest fallacies in business is the idea of the "overnight success." Those overnight successes have almost always been working their ass of for decades. Especially the ones that last.

This team just went 6-2 in conference for two straight seasons. Before the last two seasons, SC had never even gone 6-2 in conference. We were 5-3 in the year we won the SEC East.

Up until three years ago we couldn't even get our all time winning percentage above .500. We would get there for one game and then lose most of the games at the end of the season and go back to being under .500. We are now 562-545 which is 17 games above .500. That may not seem like much, but it is considering we couldn't get above .500 for over 100 years.

Look, I am not settling for "mediocrity." That is ridiculous. I know that Spurrier's goal is to win the SEC and barring a health issue he will not leave until he has done it. But what I say is that you look at which way the program is headed. You look for improvement. If you see it, then you SUPPORT!!!!!

I would never go to a sales rep that was, at one time, one of the worst reps in the country and tell him that "if you aren't a champion you are nothing" if he was working towards the goal of becoming number 1 and he was showing consistent improvement ever year. If the guy or girl went from being the #80 rep in the country to being the #9 rep in the country, I wouldn't DEMOTIVATE that rep by telling him "well, if you aren't #1, you are nothing." That would be absolutely f!#$@# stupid.

And that is basically what SC has done in the past decade. We have gone from being about the #80 team in the country to being the #9 team in the country.

When we go from being #9 in the country and we start finishing seasons at #20 then I think the "we demand more" crowd has a right to talk. Until then, while our program is still showing signs of improvement each and every year, I think it is ridiculous and definitely doesn't help anything.

[GH]

Ray Tanner didn't win national titles in his first year here.

[cofcgamecock9]

One more point. If Kentucky hires a new coach and 8 years from today they are achieving EXACTLY what we are achieving now, going 6-2 in conference every year, going 11-2, 10-2, etc. and beating SC, UGA, Florida, etc. on a consistent basis, and everything that you see about them shows that things are STILL IMPROVING are you going to think that they are failing or not meeting expectations???????

[pantera17]

Pretty good post. But it could be without the name calling of another poster. I saw the post you are talking about.

[CockLurker]

[FilchCock]

As a person who was raised in a Georgia household before going to Carolina for school, I think this post is real important for our fan base to read. Georgia had a bunch of great teams over the last decade without any of them ever making it to a national championship game. It takes a lot of great teams to have a special one, so let's avoid jumping off any bridges.

[USCBatgirl21]

THANK YOU!!!

Now let's hope our fans get it.

[GamecockinBoulder]

I agree with everything you said. Although, the overall record from the media guide to start this season was 554-543-44. I think that would make us 562-545-44 now...17 games over .500. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Metalrush24]

Originally Posted by USCBatgirl21

THANK YOU!!!

Now let's hope our fans get it.

I doubt it


some of the "fans'" self-esteem is connected too strongly to the game..



and then some of them are just dumb

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by GamecockinBoulder

I agree with everything you said. Although, the overall record from the media guide to start this season was 554-543-44. I think that would make us 562-545-44 now...17 games over .500. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Got that number from wikipedia. You are probably correct, I will edit.

[AtlGAMECOCK]

it is amazing what some fans are crying about our first ever back to back possible 10 wins seasons. I guess if we don't win the sec or a national title then we should forfeit the rest of the season. I thought of all fan bases we wouldn't be the ones that would take success for granted and we have minimal success and we already are .

[ReadR00ster]

Originally Posted by GH

Ray Tanner didn't win national titles in his first year here.

Okay, we'll give Frank Martin a pass. Spurrier is not even close to being in his first year. And I think all anyone wants is to win the EAST is because we are the best team in the EAST. What Mr. Sands doesn't realize is that these fans are STARVED for a championship, and improvement is great, but that is not going to sustain us for long. The first 6-6 season we get, fans will see this as going back to ground zero. If you convince the fans they have a team good enough to play in Atlanta and they don't do it, Sorry, I see it as a failure. I think this team is still the best in our division for the second year in a row and they second year in a row we will be watch the SECCG game at home, and I am just not going to pretend to be cool with it. It bothers me. It should bother every Gamecock. Especially our players, and it also bothers me if they are not.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by ReadR00ster

Okay, we'll give Frank Martin a pass. Spurrier is not even close to being in his first year. What Mr. Sands doesn't realize is that these fans are STARVED for a championship, and improvement is great, but that is not going to sustain us for long. The first 6-6 season we get, fans will see this as going back to ground zero.

You really are part of the group I was talking about in my OP. It really is sad.
Do you know how many years Ray Tanner was here before he won a Championship??? Did you know that the baseball team had already achieved some success as a team before Tanner so it was easier to build upon?? What did Spurrier have to build on when he arrived?? 63-17 versus Clemson??

Then you make this statement "Improvement is great, but that is not going to sustain us for long." In all of my time on cockytalk, that in all honesty, has to be one of the most naive statements I have ever read.

Finally, when SC goes 6-6 again, then why don't you play the IFs and BUTs game and bitch and moan AT THAT TIME? But the last time I checked, SC had not gone 6-6 again. In fact, SC is showing consistent improvement and there has been nothing demonstrated to show that SC would go 6-6 again while Spurrier is the head coach.

[Metalrush24]

Originally Posted by ReadR00ster

Okay, we'll give Frank Martin a pass. Spurrier is not even close to being in his first year. And I think all anyone wants is to win the EAST is because we are the best team in the EAST. What Mr. Sands doesn't realize is that these fans are STARVED for a championship, and improvement is great, but that is not going to sustain us for long. The first 6-6 season we get, fans will see this as going back to ground zero. If you convince the fans they have a team good enough to play in Atlanta and they don't do it, Sorry, I see it as a failure. I think this team is still the best in our division for the second year in a row and they second year in a row we will be watch the SECCG game at home, and I am just not going to pretend to be cool with it. It bothers me. It should bother every Gamecock. Especially our players, and it also bothers me if they are not.

Of course nobody's "okay" with not being able to get to atlanta but sitting around and crying about it is frivolous.. and whining about it now that we KNOW we won't be there is garbage as well.. adjust your expectations and following the team will be much more fun..


and I assure you that it means 10x more to most of the players than it means to any of us.. however, they're taught to stay focused and adjust goals as the season goes..

[ReadR00ster]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

You really are part of the group I was talking about in my OP. It really is sad.
Do you know how many years Ray Tanner was here before he won a Championship??? Did you know that the baseball team had already achieved some success as a team before Tanner so it was easier to build upon?? What did Spurrier have to build on when he arrived?? 63-17 versus Clemson??

Then you make this statement "Improvement is great, but that is not going to sustain us for long." In all of my time on cockytalk, that in all honesty, has to be one of the most naive statements I have ever read.

Finally, when SC goes 6-6 again, then why don't you play the IFs and BUTs game and bitch and moan AT THAT TIME? But the last time I checked, SC had not gone 6-6 again. In fact, SC is showing consistent improvement and there has been nothing demonstrated to show that SC would go 6-6 again while Spurrier is the head coach.

Auburn won a National Championship ago and two years later, look at them. Thus is life in the SEC. It happens. No one is immune. We've had our best opportunity in years due to UGA, Florida, and UT all being down, and we couldn't capitalize. In my mind the team has long since made the improvement it needs to win the EAST division and possibly Conference champions. And THAT is what I want to celebrate. I'm past the point of celebrating improvment. I am ready to celebrate more right now.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by ReadR00ster

. And I think all anyone wants is to win the EAST is because we are the best team in the EAST. Sorry, I see it as a failure. I think this team is still the best in our division for the second year in a row and they second year in a row we will be watch the SECCG game at home, and I am just not going to pretend to be cool with it. It bothers me. It should bother every Gamecock. Especially our players, and it also bothers me if they are not.

You aren't getting it. It does bother me. Just like it would bother me if I felt like one of my reps was a better rep than someone who finished ahead of him in the rankings. But if that rep was one of the worst reps in the country just a few years ago and had consistently IMPROVED to get to the point that he even had a chance at the BIG PRIZE, I certainly wouldn't want to sit that rep down and say "well, you are a failure." Which is exactly what you are doing.

The team knows they could have won the East and they are disappointed, I am sure. Just like the hypothetical rep would know that he could have beaten the rep in front of him if "only this one account had closed." He is going to beat himself up and our players will too.

But you are a fan, not a player. And while the program is IMPROVING, it is your job to SUPPORT the team.

I don't have a problem with the fact that you are "bothered" by not going to Atlanta. But when you consider what our coaching staff has done at SC a FAILURE, I have a huge problem with that because you are just out in left field.

So do you consider what Spurrier has done in 8 years at SC a failure?? Would you consider a new coach at Kentucky not winning the SEC in 8 seasons a complete failure regardless of how much improvement they had shown?.

[ReadR00ster]

Originally Posted by Metalrush24

Of course nobody's "okay" with not being able to get to atlanta but sitting around and crying about it is frivolous.. and whining about it now that we KNOW we won't be there is garbage as well.. adjust your expectations and following the team will be much more fun..


and I assure you that it means 10x more to most of the players than it means to any of us.. however, they're taught to stay focused and adjust goals as the season goes..

It seems more like people are crying about people crying about it now, to me.

[cofcgamecock9]

Originally Posted by ReadR00ster

. I'm past the point of celebrating improvment. I am ready to celebrate more right now.

We should be celebrating. It is sad that you can't see that. We should continue to expect more, but why in the world would you not be celebrating what is going on at SC???

Again, if the new head coach at Kentucky doesn't win the SEC in 8 years, but shows the same improvement we have had in those eight years, would you consider his coaching tenure a complete failure??

[ReadR00ster]

Originally Posted by cofcgamecock9

You aren't getting it. It does bother me. Just like it would bother me if I felt like one of my reps was a better rep than someone who finished ahead of him in the rankings. But if that rep was one of the worst reps in the country just a few years ago and had consistently IMPROVED to get to the point that he even had a chance at the BIG PRIZE, I certainly wouldn't want to sit that rep down and say "well, you are a failure." Which is exactly what you are doing.

The team knows they could have won the East and they are disappointed, I am sure. Just like the hypothetical rep would know that he could have beaten the rep in front of him if "only this one account had closed." He is going to beat himself up and our players will too.

But you are a fan, not a player. And while the program is IMPROVING, it is your job to SUPPORT the team.

I don't have a problem with the fact that you are "bothered" by not going to Atlanta. But when you consider what our coaching staff has done at SC a FAILURE, I have a huge problem with that because you are just out in left field.

So do you consider what Spurrier has done in 8 years at SC a failure?? Would you consider a new coach at Kentucky not winning the SEC in 8 seasons a complete failure regardless of how much improvement they had shown?.

I continue to support the team just fine. I was at the Arkansas game and screamed my lungs out. I'll be at the Wofford game. But I am never going to be cool with us not closing the deal this year when I think we were good enough to. I've moved on.

[klempsux]

So I'm a bad fan for being upset that our team didn't play up to their potential this year? (Really only the Fla game though, can't hate on a hard fought loss to LSU) Is there not room for disappointment at the current year balanced with the realization that we are on the upswing in a big way? There's a whole lot of area between the two extremes that people put out there as the only ways people are capable of feeling. I'm extremely happy with the direction of the program, but I'm not going to hide disappointment that we could be in the national title picture now.