BV "the gift that keeps on giving" ππππ
Oklahoma's Brent Venables: Don't let people walk in your mind with dirty feet
There are moments of frustration and moments of humor almost weekly on the Southeastern Conference's coaches' Zoom.
Rarely, however, is there a window into the soul of coaching such as what Brent Venables peeled back Wednesday.
Initially discussing the difficulties in navigating the psyche of young players, especially at the quarterback position, Venables also offered a view into his holistic approach amidst a season of struggles at Oklahoma.
"Youβre relentless. You rehearse, you reemphasize and you reinforce, speak out loud in front of the team every single day, about our standards," said Venables, the heralded former Broyles Award winner as Clemson defensive coordinator now in his third season atop the Sooners program. "How to think the right way, how we compete, how we prepare, buying into the process and whether youβre having great success and victory or youβre in the mud, youβve got to handle it all the exact same.
"So, donβt find value and worth in other peoplesβ applause because youβll really suffer when theyβre throwing rocks at you. If people on the outside of frustrated, you can imagine the determination, the things that weβre going through inside the walls."
Oklahoma, which has bounced between opening day starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and backup Gentry Williams, suffered losses in its last three games to sit 4-4 with four games left on the slate.
"Nobody, again, feels more disappointment quote unquote than the guys in the locker room and the coaching staff when youβre not having the output or the performance that you desire," Venables said.
"Youβve got to be willing to chase what it requires every single day. No matter what happened yesterday, it doesnβt matter how many times youβve done it and what kind of success youβve had in the past, all that matters is what you do today and moving forward, because thatβs what you can control.
"Weβre always focused on our process and controlling the controllables, and Iβve always encouraged all my players, and social media is a very dangerous place. Again, not to find value in the opinion of other people, especially when itβs people you never go speak or go ask advice from. Thatβs just armoring up as a human being."
Consistency, Venables explained, must be hallmark.
"Being in a locker room for 30 years as a coach, youβre always reinforcing and reemphasizing how you win and what the process looks like, week in and week out," he said.
"What a Monday looks like. We try to provide as much structure and routine and protection from distractions, so whether the distractions are people praising you or distractions are people trying to pull at you, in regards to (saying), βHey man you need to go chase something. You need to go chase the bag (payday). Go chase another opportunity.β Or, when people are saying that youβre a bum and Iβm thankful to be at a place where people care."
Venables provided quite the visual as he wrapped up his comments: Don't let people inside your head with dirty feet.
"Armoring up and (you) donβt want to allow people to walk in your mind with their dirty feet. Thatβs real," Venables said. "But at the same time listen, buddy, thatβs just the way it is. And weβre in a performance-based profession, so letβs focus on us. Letβs focus on each other and letβs be great teammates and hunker down."
Nothing has caught the Sooners unprepared to handle the ups and downs of this season.
"We try to provide the security, the peacefulness of a routine, a structure well before the season started in talking about these things," Venables said. "We spend a lot of time throughout the year developing toughness, developing mindset, having leaders reinforce those things and no matter what, every single week, youβve got to start completely over with your process.
"Your ability to take inside the house, have great self-awareness, focus on that. When you have self-awareness, you know when you fall short and youβre willing to go right back at it. And you should always be under construction, I really believe that."
And ...
"Itβs always seeking improvement, and the best players, the best units, the best teams they focus on improving every single day," he said. "And know that if itβs done the right way itβs probably more incremental than not. Donβt lose focus. Donβt lose our vision no matter what."