Das Team » we can do. We control our own destiny

AUSTIN, Texas -- Rip your heart out. Give it to your coaches.Former Houston players remember that one fondly. Its a favorite saying of Tom Hermans -- one he passionately demanded while breaking down the Cougars and building them back up in his first year as head coach.If you do that, take hard coaching and give everything youve got, youre going to love this guy. But with Herman, this is absolutely a non-negotiable agreement.The way former Houston captain and offensive tackle Alex Cooper describes it, youre either all-in or you should get out. His warning for the Texas players who are about to find out what Herman is all about: Get ready to get humbled.He definitely came in and dominated the room and dominated the entire team at UH from day one, Cooper?said.This is the head-on collision Longhorns players are about to face in their first winter under Herman. Theyll have to fully embrace their new head coachs blueprint and his proven methods for winning if they want to survive this offseason. His methods are unique, but he proved in his 22-4 run at Houston that they pay off.This program is going to be really hard, Herman said. Winning is hard.The veteran leaders of Hermans 2015 Houston team absolutely love the man. They did not love what he and his staff put them through in their first offseason together, but they probably wouldnt have gone 13-1 with a conference title and Peach Bowl victory in that first season without it.The Herman era at Houston truly began with 4:30 a.m. winter workouts. Herman locked the locker room until his players earned it. He banned them from wearing UH apparel until they earned it. The workouts felt like pure grunt work, designed to weed out which players werent mentally tough enough to play for the new coaching staff. You did up-downs until you did them perfectly, and then until you did 30 perfectly.Players were constantly reminded that their program is based on meritocracy. Everything is earned. In Hermans world, youre either a champion or a loser. Champions get cool stuff. Losers get nothing. You better learn to hate losing.Ill be honest with you, it totally brainwashed me, former Houston fullback Luke Stice said. Winning is contagious. It makes you sick to your stomach to see things being done the wrong way.The champions in a morning of offseason drills got chicken and waffles and an omelet bar for breakfast. Safety Trevon Stewart said his group ended up with the losers breakfast one day: intentionally burnt biscuits and watered-down eggs.He made you feel real uncomfortable, Stewart said. You had to step outside your comfort zone.The identification of champions and losers didnt stop there. Herman sorted his team into distinct groups. Gold players were trusted leaders who handled their business like grown men. You didnt have to worry about them. Red players were still figuring it all out but on the right track. And blue players? You did not want to be a blue player.This wasnt just immature, young players -- some seniors were blue guys in Hermans first year. Blue players got daily 6 a.m. wake-up calls from their coaches. They got rigorous study hall schedules. Some were made to live on campus with a curfew. They had to be checked on at all times.It was nothing crazy. It was nothing we thought was ridiculous, said former Houston captain Kenneth Farrow, now a running back for the San Diego Chargers. Everything had a purpose, so it was no surprise we had the success we had.But there are good reasons for Hermans tactics. To stay hydrated, players must carry a gallon of water around at all times. Get busted without your bottle, and youre doing up-downs. But thats why they never get soft-tissue injuries. Herman is so devoted to detail, that he once paused practice and gathered his team to angrily rip a receiver (he was a blue guy, Cooper said) who was wearing the wrong cleats. It wasnt just a pair of shoes. It was insubordinate behavior.I would describe Coach Herman as a highly functioning addict. Hes addicted to winning, Cooper said. He knows nothing besides winning. Anything short of it is not acceptable.His abrasive approach was a shock to the system for many Houston players. There were times they got fed up early on in that first offseason. But then they figured out the true purpose of it all.He played these mind games with us, Cooper said. When he came in, he broke us down. He made us hate him. He took everything away from us. We joined together and we hated him. Nobody was happy. But from the hatred, we learned to bond.And you could almost see the light go on in our heads: Aw man, hes doing this on purpose. So that we can become closer. So that, when its fourth-and-1, I look at the guy next to me and say, Damn, he put in that work with me all summer, so I know hes got me. That hate, for whatever reason, it begins to turn into love.So much of Hermans head-coaching philosophy comes from working for Urban Meyer at Ohio State, but Rice coach David Bailiff saw these traits in him early on. During their four years working together at Texas State and Rice, Herman always knew how to strike the balance between playing good cop and bad cop.Hes one of those guys that really knows how to be demanding on people, but they still enjoy being around him, Bailiff said.How quickly he succeeds at Texas will depend on how quickly the Longhorns learn to love those demands. Three straight losing seasons is sufficient proof that the way theyve been operating does not work. As at Houston, Herman takes over a group of experienced players eager to finally get big results. They have no choice but to trust their new coachs plan.As Farrow pointed out about Houstons 2015 team: The players who were out on the field the year before didnt change. It was the same guys out there. The culture and standards he forced everybody to go by put us over the top.One concern that Hermans former players bring up: Their 2015 team was built on a strong senior class that embraced his methods and effected change. Texas might not have many senior starters next year. The programs best senior leader by far would have been All-American running back DOnta Foreman, who entered the NFL draft. Texas needs new gold guys to step up.Hermans system and style are not for everybody, and thats exactly the way he likes it. The veteran players who helped lead Hermans first Houston team did offer this advice for the Longhorns: Buy in.They cant be entitled, Stewart said. If you want to be successful and really turn your team, your program, your university and your city around, just buy in and listen to him. Cheap NFL Jerseys From China .com) - The Calgary Flames aim to bounce back from their first regulation home loss of the campaign on Friday night when they host a Detroit Red Wings club that they swept in three meetings a season ago. Cheap NFL Jerseys Store .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cheapchinawholesalenfljerseys.com/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Cheap NFL Jerseys . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Wholesale China Jerseys . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. ATLANTA -- The Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves have different motivations for their final meeting at Turner Field.The Marlins are clinging to hopes they can steal a wild-card spot and make the National League playoffs, while the cellar-bound Braves are trying to win enough games to avoid the teams first 100-loss season since 1988.The teams begin a three-game series Monday in the Braves soon-to-be-abandoned ballpark. Atlanta will send right-hander Mike Foltynewicz (8-5, 4.16 ERA) against Miami right-hander Andrew Cashner (5-11, 4.77 ERA).Miami won two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, including a 3-0 victory Sunday. However, the Marlins remain in a big hole after going 1-10 over a recent stretch. They are 70-71 and five games out of the second wild-card spot.The Braves lost five of their past six games, three at Washington and two of three at home against the Mets over the weekend. New York took the series finale 10-3 Sunday. Atlanta (55-88) needs to win eight of its final 19 games to avoid losing 100 games.Atlanta is 8-4 against the Marlins this year. The Braves are 4-3 in games played against Miami at Turner Field.Foltynewicz has started only once against the Marlins this season. That outing on June 30 was his first after a stint on the disabled list. He pitched only three innings that night, when the game was interrupted for 68 minutes by a rain delay. He gave up three runs, including a monstrous homer to Jason Bour.Foltynewiccz has made two career starts against the Marlin, going 1-0 with a 4.dddddddddddd.15 ERA. In 8 2/3 innings, he has struck out five and walked six.Foltynewicz received no decision in his most recent start on Wednesday against the Nationals. He allowed one run in six innings and struck out eight.In his past seven starts, he is 4-0 with a 3.40 ERA.Hes believing in his stuff and hes committed to it, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said. Hes just coming along exactly the way we thought he would.Cashner was acquired from the San Diego Padres in late July to bolster Miamis playoff run. He will be making his ninth appearance for the Marlins, his eighth start, and he is 1-4 with a 5.40 ERA for his new team.Cashner is coming off a strong appearance against Philadelphia on Wednsday that netted him his first win in a Miami uniform. He allowed four hits and struck out nine in 5 1/3 scoreless innings against the Phillies.Its kind of been a struggle since Ive been over here, Cashner said afterward. We still have a lot of baseball left. There is no telling what we can do. We control our own destiny.Cashner has not faced the Braves this season. In three career starts against Atlanta, Cashner is 1-0 with a 4.20 ERA. 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