Indiana football is just less than a week away from its annual Spring Football Game, and it seems like things are not going smoothly in Bloomington. With a whole new roster and coming off appearing in the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history, head coach Curt Cignetti knows he has to keep his team working hard, or else they may become a one-hit-wonder.
At the beginning of spring practices, Cignetti was happy with the way his team was showing up and putting in the work. The new players were taking time to learn the new system, but they were putting in the effort, and that was all Cignetti could ask from them. However, now it seems the Hoosiers have hit a snag in their practices.
Curt Cignetti called out his team over inconsistencies in front of the media
After the Hoosiers' 10th spring practice this year, Cignetti stood in front of the media yet again, but before taking any questions, he made his feelings about his team very well-known.
"I think today we squandered an opportunity to improve as much as possible,” Cignetti said in his press conference after practice. “We were inconsistent in too many areas, probably not mentally prepared to come out and do what it takes to have a successful practice and improve as much as possible."
Cignetti has not gotten as far as he has in his career by just letting his players do whatever they want, he demands the highest of standards from them. It was apparent last season in the fact that he turned Indiana's football program around in just his first season. That doesn't happen without structure and pushing players every single day.
Even though some might say the season is still a long way away, for college football, the teams only have so much time together before the season starts, and spring football is crucial. Coaches and players need to see how they play and practice together in order to make game plans for the next season. So feeling like any sort of practice time is a waste is not something coaches want.
Cignetti made sure to lay the frustration on thick as he ripped his team a new one before even taking a single question, and he made sure to let everyone know it was the whole team, not just a few players.
"Good players want to be coached, great players, you can’t coach them enough, you can’t give them enough, they want more," Cignetti said. "Inconsistent players want to be coached on their terms. And today we had too many inconsistent players."
If the players were listening, they probably sat a little straighter in their chairs today adn pushed a little harder in their drills. Cignetti knew exactly what he was doing, and what he was doing was calling his team out publicly, probably hoping to light a fire under them.