THE FINAL SAY
By Zach McCrite
No Lamar,
No Problem?
34 EXTOL : AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018
LIFE IS ALL ABOUT expectations.
We all have expectations about certain aspects
in our lives. Whether it be who we marry (shout-
out to all the ladies and gents checking out this
sportsy column in the midst of this wedding issue),
how much money we make, how good we expect
to be at a certain trade, etc.
For instance – and I don’t know if this is the
smartest way to go – when I tell other people what
they should expect out of me when I write these
columns or when I do a segment on the radio, I
tell them to expect very little.
It’s not that I’m not confident in my abilities.
Most of the time, I am (and some people think
I’m a little too confident sometimes). It’s just that
when I keep expectations low, I end up pleasing
more people than I would have had I come in
with a bunch of bravado about my column or
radio appearance.
In other words: underpromise and overdeliver.
This is a practice used in many places. But it’s
seemingly never used in our sports.
Take Bobby Petrino, for example. The head
coach of the Louisville Cardinals seems as
confident in his 2018 football squad as a TV
weatherman is excited when tornado warnings
hit his viewing area.
“I expect us to be better,” Petrino told WDRB.com.
Wait. What?
Bobby, on offense, you just lost your Heisman
Trophy-winning quarterback. You remember
Lamar Jackson – the QB you could only help
muster one (one!) top-25 finish in his three years
on the field?
“I expect us to be more balanced, the ability
to get more guys involved, particularly in the
running game,” Petrino continued. “I really like
our receiving corps coming back. I really think it’s
one of the strongest corps coming back.”
Alrighty then. Fair enough.
Truly, I admire his confidence. That’s certainly
what you’d like from your head coach every season,
and I truly do believe Petrino when he says these
things. He likes his team.
But, I’m not sure it’s the right public relations
move for this season.
If Petrino expects his team, especially his
offense, to be better than last year while Lamar