Is Mel Tucker Going Full Tom Osborne?
Two weeks before his first game as a college head coach, Mel Tucker's coaching persona is coming into bloom.
We already knew Tucker was a defensive guy who placed a high value on running the pig and being tough. That only tells you so much. All coaches say that, at least a little. After Wednesday's practice, though, Tucker revealed there would be no trash talking done by the Buffaloes under his watch. And now we pretty much know what Tucker is going for here.
Tucker wants a Classy Old School Football Program. It's a familiar and safe choice. It's a very Midwestern choice. I'd go so far as to call it a Presbyterian choice.
Whatever Tom Osborne is, that's what kind of choice this is.
I know how aggravating that is for Colorado fans, to whom Osborne is a mortal enemy. And we'll see how hard Mel Tucker really wants to be about this. But it's probably safe to say we're not going to be seeing any "turnover chains" in Boulder for the next few years.
If this is truly Mel Tucker's personality -- and from what I can tell, it pretty much is -- then it's exactly what he should be doing as head coach. Teams become great when they take on their coach's personality, but it only works if that personality is authentic and human.
