the 4th star

Rare is it that Doug Brown will find credit in this space. Usually his comments end up in the self-serving category around here, and I quickly dismiss them as pandering to the fans. This is not one of those days, however. Bubba’s remarks in the Sunshine today were spot on and either speak to an underlying frustration after a terrible season or a new found ‘I don’t care anymore’ mentality regarding his position. I mean, what player is going to say anything negative about the man who holds their future in the palm of his hand? Good question.

I’ve never seen a player interviewed before who said he wanted the coach gone. We all love the coaches we have, and when they’re gone we all love the new ones, too. It’s not my place to comment on people’s employment and their futures with this franchise. I’m just a guy trying to punch a clock. We leave that up to the decision-makers. You saw what happened last year, and we’ll see what happens this year.

That was some nice work by the usually sugary Brown, reminding everyone just how much salt to take with player comments praising the head coach. And he’s bang-on. Players aren’t dumb — they know whatever they say about anyone in the building, whether it’s a fellow teammate, a coach, or upper management, that those comments usually find their way back to the subject. Brown’s honest take also undercuts Mike Kelly’s assertion that the room is his and everyone is on the same page. At least that’s what I read into them.