FSU’s Jimbo Fisher understands the rage. He understands the frustration. He understands tough love.
Yeah, Fisher understands what Florida coach Jim McElwain was feeling Saturday night, too.
Fisher told the Palm Beach Post that it’s a fine line that coaches walk. Fisher himself has had intense moments, particularly with former quarterback Jameis Winston. But he hasn’t been caught having the type of meltdown that McElwain had.
“That’s called coaching every day,” Fisher said. “Sometimes, you’re harsh if you want to get a point across. Sometimes you’re not. Depends on the kid. Depends on the situation. Depends on the moment.”
McElwain has said he was embarrassed by how far he went in his tirade.
“I’m not proud about it and neither is my mother,” McElwain said Monday. “94 years old and I got an earful from her too. Rightfully so.
“I don’t feel good about it. As you know, this is a very public job. This is a public thing that we do. I understand that I have a long ways to go and I make mistakes.”
Fisher has felt anger, too.
Take FSU’s loss to Oregon last year, when Fisher was caught by the cameras as he mouthed: “If you don’t calm the (blank) down, you’re going to the bench.”
“I always do and if I feel like I do, I come back to a kid and say, ‘I probably got on you too hard.’ I have no problem saying that. And I tell them they can come talk to me anytime,” he said. “It’s like a parent. I’ve had my dad whip me and then come hug me 30 minutes later and say ‘I didn’t want to do that but I had to do that. This is why I did it.’ I tell them why I did it to (help them) understand the big picture.”
Take Saturday’s game against South Florida. FSU was ragged, and the game was tied 7-7, and his quarterback had completed one pass.
Instead, Fisher remained calm and encouraged his team to go out and have fun.
“You can be behind at halftime (and) I can go in and be mad,” he said. “You can be behind at halftime, I can go in and be happy. Depends on the situation. That’s called managing people. Whatever you think you need to do about getting your job done.”
