Gentry Estes: At Clark Lea's VU football practice, a 'great team' can exist after Hawaii

[BrentVU]

Some football coaches might scream and holler and throw things. Lea isn’t like that. He’s far more cerebral in his approach. In team meetings like these, he uses an optimistic urgency and interesting examples to illustrate points.

He shows a portion of a documentary that delved into Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl-winning, goal-line interception for the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks. It detailed how Butler was able to jump the route. He’d recognized Seattle’s play in advance because – even as a substitute – he had been focused when shown that play in practice.

Butler, in that sense, was a magnifying glass. Another example from Lea: He’s asking Vanderbilt's players if they are a magnifying glass or a diamond.

See, a magnifying glass focuses light and energy on a specific point. A diamond refracts it and “splits the energy from the team mission,” he tells them. Lea wants magnifying glasses.

Tennessean: At Clark Lea's Vanderbilt football practice, a 'great team' can exist after Hawaii
(by Gentry Estes)

[BrentVU]

OK, I've cracked on the Tennessean for not having any player profiles, but Aria Gerson has a nice one today on walk-on receiver Richie Hoskins... more of these, please...

Tennessean: How Richie Hoskins' road from Division III to Vanderbilt football walk-on culminated in first catch
(by Aria Gerson)

[commadore]

Great article. Hope the best for him.

[BrentVU]

Another player profile, this from the VU athletics website, this one on LB Langston Patterson...

VUCommodores: Hard work, loud results
Hard work, internal competition found sophomore linebacker Langston Patterson a role on Vanderbilt’s defense