Freddy Soft has been quite the topic on Bay Area sports talk radio. Coaches have always yelled, "Don't be soft!" but it is interesting for a coach to develop a mythical character to embody being soft. If the coach is yelling at you to not be soft, it is your fault. If he is telling you to not listen to Freddy Soft, the act of being soft is not your fault, it just means you shouldn't be associating with a bad influence. It's kind of like your parents telling you to not hang out with the obvious stoners in high school. Guilt by association. ("It's not Jimmy's fault he smokes weed- he just hangs out with a bad element!")
This character has shifted the blame onto another entity which allows today's players to not give into their default attitude... which is, of course, soft. With all the egos and hurt feelings in today's professional sports (and all levels, I suppose), inventing a character to blame for mental mistakes and laziness is an interesting tactic that so far seems to be working quite well. Good for my man Jim Harbaugh! I'm glad to see he's already more successful than the last ex-Bears player to coach the 49ers.
So this weekend, while you are doing yard work, cleaning the house, or drinking, don't give in to Freddy Soft. Be tough and go all the way!
4 comments:
Does Lovie Smith need to invent Frankie False-Start? Or the more generalized Paulie Penalty? Stop hanging out with Paulie Penalty, Bears, and stay away from Wally "Weak" O-Line.
I think I'd be a great NFL coach.
I wish I had a comeback... but your critique of the Bears is depressingly accurate.
Lovie Smith is about to invent and hang out with Harry the Unemployed Hobo.
Stab a Raiders fan in the parking lot after a preseason game? Freddy Soft!
Lovie Smith does not talk except for when he wants to wisely spend challenges.
I'm pretty sure stabbing a Raiders fan would NOT be Freddy Soft- that is savage!
Lovie LOVES to waste timeouts/challenges. It may be his most consistent quality as a head coach.
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