Sports Column

Pin blame on McMillan

On Sports

By dwight jaynes

The Portland Tribune, Apr 1, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (58 Reader comments)

Nate McMillan questioned whether his team gave up before the end of the season after Saturday’s loss to the Charlotte Bobcats.

SAM FORENCICH / GETTY IMAGES

Many years ago, I listened as a wise college football coach got up in front of his peers at a coaching clinic and told them what life as a professional coach is all about.

“Anything that happens on the field with your team is your fault,” he said. “Somebody drops a pass, somebody doesn’t run a play right, somebody fumbles – it’s your fault.

“There’s something you could have done – through practice or preparation – that could have kept that from happening. If the player didn’t have the ability to accomplish it, that’s your fault, too. Why wasn’t someone else playing? And why didn’t you recruit a better player?”

That’s stuck with me for years. I don’t see as many coaches today so willing to accept responsibility for the actions of their players, but I respect the ones who do.

At the same time, when I hear a coach completely divorce himself from the actions of his players, I cringe. When I hear a coach begin to use the word “they” when talking about his team instead of “us,” I worry that he’s using his players as an excuse for his own shortcomings.

That’s what Nate McMillan did Saturday night at home when his team lost to Charlotte. Basically, he accused his troops of quitting. Now seriously, after watching Martell Webster, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel Przybilla, Travis Outlaw, Steve Blake, et al., this season, do you buy that? You think these guys are quitters?

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