Confidence always seems to be an issue in sports. When a pitcher can't get it over the plate, he's lost it, and when a wide receiver isn't producing, he's got too much of it.
This issue is particularly relevant with the re-arrival of the most confident athlete of our time: cornerback Deion Sanders. The other day in a "SportsCenter" interview, the 37-year-old claimed that his opponents should be on their guard.
"Don't let this car fool you, it may be dusty, but it's not rusty," Sanders said.
When displayed appropriately, confidence can be one the funniest aspects of sports. Deion isn't just confident, he's one of the funniest players in the league. Sure, it's nice when you see a player just shut up and play hard, but the confident, bordering on arrogant players give the game a certain flair. Washington Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot gave the world a science lesson full of self-confidence after being drafted.
"Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water," he said. "The other third is covered by Smoot."
Now sure, Smoot borrowed the sentence construction from New York Mets' broadcaster Ralph Kiner who said the same about former Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Gary Maddox, but I said he was confident, not original. By the way, Maddox, who I'd never heard of before looking up Smoot's quote, was nicknamed the "Secretary of Defense." Wonder what other cabinet positions could become great nicknames? I think Virginia catcher Scott Headd should be named the Secretary of Homeland Security and basketball center Elton Brown should take on the Secretary of the Interior, ironically of course.
Sometimes, confident players can fall flat on their faces. Matt Hasselbeck entrenched himself as a poster-child for this when he claimed at the overtime coin toss in last year's first round playoff game that "We'll take the ball, and we're gonna score!" He promptly threw an interception to Green Bay's Al Harris which was returned 52 yards for a touchdown and ended the Seahawks season.
Confidence is part of the spice of sports and will continue to produce memorable moments, like Hasselbeck's leap to judgment. Recently though, a different kind of confidence has become an intriguing part of the Virginia football program.
Since Al Groh arrived, his teams have grown progressively more assured of their own abilities, and Groh himself has shown a willingness to take risks throughout his tenure. You can put together a laundry list of his many gambles, including multiple fake kicks, the hook and ladder against Georgia Tech two years ago and Marques Hagans' touchdown toss from the wide-out spot at the first Tire Bowl.
But in a sport where arrogance seems to dominate, Groh's quiet, smug demeanor seems to only slightly betray a quiet confidence in his team's ability to perform. Against Temple, Groh went for and converted on two fourth downs in the second half, despite being up by 23 and 30 points on each attempt. With a punting situation that is obviously going to take game competition to settle, Groh goes for it while completely in control of the game. Maybe he thinks that he just won't be punting this year -- perhaps he is that confident in Hagans' ability to run the offense.
I think it shows Groh's desire to make Temple a statement game for the Cavaliers' upcoming opponents. Not only did he go for a couple of fourth downs, the Ahmad Brooks saga is also indicative of this quiet, growing confidence Last week he listed Brooks -- last year's leading tackler -- as a backup at linebacker, and then proceeded to start him at kick-returner on Saturday. Only a coach who is supremely confident in his players' abilities could afford to do whatever it is that Al Groh is doing.
In fact, Groh's terse nature and actions seem to show that he is sure he has something special in this year's team. I've resigned myself to not being able to understand exactly what he's doing, but to look forward to whatever he comes up with next. Heath Miller played quarterback in college, perhaps we'll see him in the shotgun throwing a deep out. Hughes has struggled, so maybe Chris Canty can line up for a field goal or two.
In a sport where confidence, not arrogance or brashness, is so crucial to performance, Groh may have found the secret. Only say what you have to, and let your game speak for itself. That and throw in the occasional kick return by a 249 pound linebacker.
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