Rock Gullickson, Locker Room Cancer

[denverYooper]

So says an ex-Ram Fullback:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/02/15/ex-ram-says-teams-strength-coaches-are-cancers-in-the-locker-room/

Didn't the Packers release him after a rash of injuries? I thought I recalled some here speculating that his weight program was responsible for Harrell's back injury.

[Joemailman]

MM dumped him because of what I believe he felt were morale issues in the training program. Gullickson had tried to suggest that Harrell's injury was due to being out of shape, which is not the way MM described it. My sense was that Gullickson blamed Harrell to cover up the fact that he probably had Harrell doing more lifting than Harrell should have been doing at that point in his rehab program.

[pbmax]

Yes, the year prior to his release in the Great Assistant Clearout of 2009 (GAC09), the team had a huge number of leg injuries, hips, quads, hamstrings and calves.

McGinn wrote a scathing Insider piece on Harrell at one point after his back became a problem. Between that piece and the reporting at the time of the injury (and subsequent rehab) it was clear someone inside the Packers was yakking out of turn and normal character for the franchise. The Packers, during ordinary business (ie., not Favre-a-palooza) don't tend to leak much to the local guys. Most local Packer stuff comes from players, agents and assistants/scouts on other teams.

But McGinn's stuff was obviously from inside, mainly in the weight room and off season conditioning. So it seems likely it was either Gullickson or his assistant(s).

The gist of McGinn's reports were that Harrell went home after his rookie season and got fat. Patler pointed out that between the end of the season and the offseason program, Harrell had less than seen weeks on his own. Not to mention that supposedly fat and lazy Harrell showed up on the first day of the voluntary workout.

McGinn also never mentioned that Gullickson's job would seem to include "prevent player who has been away for seven weeks from doing something stupid". KYPack mentioned that some strength coaches encourage a real competitive atmosphere in the weight room to encourage players. Sometimes they lose control of that atmosphere.

While Harrell must accept primary responsibility if his injury came from doing too much too soon, its Gullickson's job to protect that investment. If it was entirely up to the players, he wouldn't have a job.

However, there was never any reporting to the effect that Gullickson had a bad effect on the Packer locker room. Curious what the Twitter response from the beat guys will be.

[pbmax]

MM dumped him because of what I believe he felt were morale issues in the training program. Gullickson had tried to suggest that Harrell's injury was due to being out of shape, which is not the way MM described it. My sense was that Gullickson blamed Harrell to cover up the fact that he probably had Harrell doing more lifting than Harrell should have been doing at that point in his rehab program.

That's a good point, but I would expect McCarthy to give the player the benefit of the doubt publicly. The morale issue rings a bell, but its faint and it might just be ringing in my ears.

[Joemailman]

That's a good point, but I would expect McCarthy to give the player the benefit of the doubt publicly. The morale issue rings a bell, but its faint and it might just be ringing in my ears.


Redding will continue much of the same free-weight techniques that Gullickson employed, but McCarthy's hope is that he will create a more comfortable environment for the players. Sources have said that McCarthy's main reason for replacing Gullickson was that he did not think players were responding well to the program and needed to make a change.

Pretty sure MM made comments at his PC, which isn't available anymore.

[pbmax]

No bites from the Tweet I sent to the reporters. Not a word.

[Guiness]

The progression around that time was interesting. Gullickson was brought in, and a big deal was made out of moving away from the machines that the players were using at the time and using more free weights. The Packers enjoyed a year or two with relatively low injuries, and he won a coach of the year award for his work...then boom, he was gone the following year!

The Packers moved on from him, but seem to have stayed with his philosophy of free weights and few machines.

[KYPack]

Yeah, I did hear some of the stuff PB mentions in his post. The other word that filtered out of the team was Gullickson was not well liked by the boys. he was an uptight, well, weightlifter kind of dude. Dave Redding was the ultimate good 'ol boy type. MM felt Redman could get more players lifting on the strenght of his personality.

[bobblehead]

Yeah, I did hear some of the stuff PB mentions in his post. The other word that filtered out of the team was Gullickson was not well liked by the boys. he was an uptight, well, weightlifter kind of dude. Dave Redding was the ultimate good 'ol boy type. MM felt Redman could get more players lifting on the strenght of his personality.

I would expect the promise ofa multimillion dollar deal would inspire anyone worth a shit to lift. Thats just me though. If I felt I had to "make" him want to work hard I would cut him.

[KYPack]

I would expect the promise ofa multimillion dollar deal would inspire anyone worth a shit to lift. Thats just me though. If I felt I had to "make" him want to work hard I would cut him.

It's a generational deal, Bobble. Unfortunately, there are all kinds of guys on NFL rosters now that you have to "make' 'em do shit. The coaches that can do that stick around. The ones that don't get canned.

The days of cutting guys that won't work have long faded.

Now the trick is getting more of your lazy bastards to work than the opposition does.

[pbmax]

I would expect the promise ofa multimillion dollar deal would inspire anyone worth a shit to lift. Thats just me though. If I felt I had to "make" him want to work hard I would cut him.

You are also limiting your talent pool that way. Ironically, given that Redman was one of the first full time strength and conditioning guys in the NFL under Schottenheimer, you have teams that play like Schottenheimer's. All energy and enthusiasm and grit until faced with talent that just overwhelms them and their conservative no risk style.

It could be a generational thing, but I bet its more that teams have better learned how to motivate the motivation-less than before. Especially important now that the salaries allow them to be football full-time. Harder to ask guys to workout all offseason if they are working a second job.

[pbmax]

Also, not one of Wilde, Demovsky, McGinn, Silverstein or Doughtery commented on the report. Wilde acknowledged that someone sent him a link. But not a peep. For some reason, that seems to speak volumes.

[mission]

It's a generational deal, Bobble. Unfortunately, there are all kinds of guys on NFL rosters now that you have to "make' 'em do shit. The coaches that can do that stick around. The ones that don't get canned.

The days of cutting guys that won't work have long faded.

Now the trick is getting more of your lazy bastards to work than the opposition does.

Good stuff, Ky. Very true.

[Patler]

It's a generational deal, Bobble. Unfortunately, there are all kinds of guys on NFL rosters now that you have to "make' 'em do shit. The coaches that can do that stick around. The ones that don't get canned.

The days of cutting guys that won't work have long faded.

Now the trick is getting more of your lazy bastards to work than the opposition does.

That also explains why TT drafts so many guys who are passionate about the game. They are self-motivated.
Less motivated but more talented prospects end up being the Jamon Merediths of the league.

[Guiness]

That also explains why TT drafts so many guys who are passionate about the game. They are self-motivated.
Less motivated but more talented prospects end up being the Jamon Merediths of the league.

I fail to understand how you can make it onto a Div I team, get drafted to the NFL, make the team and not be motivated?

Seems to happen? Maybe it just seems that way? I know every time you move up to a new level, the challenges are greater, and it becomes harder to keep up. I remember the feeling when I got to uni and was, at best, in the middle of my class.

[MadScientist]

That also explains why TT drafts so many guys who are passionate about the game. They are self-motivated.
Less motivated but more talented prospects end up being the Jamon Merediths of the league.


I fail to understand how you can make it onto a Div I team, get drafted to the NFL, make the team and not be motivated?

Seems to happen? Maybe it just seems that way? I know every time you move up to a new level, the challenges are greater, and it becomes harder to keep up. I remember the feeling when I got to uni and was, at best, in the middle of my class.

You can have people with enough talent to get through Div 1 without full effort, and there are some who stop giving a damn after getting paid. Still, those are not all that common, even if they do get a large amount of attention. I suspect the real value of the strength and conditioning coach is not getting the players to work out, but getting them to change their workout routine to make themselves better. Think of it this way, guys come in with a routine that works well for them and keeps them performing well. The S&C coach needs be able to get them out of their comfort zone to possibly perform better. It takes being able to push the right buttons and a build up of respect from the players for them to buy into a coach knowing their bodies better than they do.

[KYPack]

One thing that always gets me is the different weight training philosophies. About of third of the teams have free weights. A third use weight machines. The rest of 'em throw around hay bales or something in between. All the strength coaches say their way makes you stronger and reduces the chance of injury. Until they get fired and they bring in a new guy. And then the new guy re-does the weight room.

[Cleft Crusty]

Clefty swears by this method. It won't help your sports game - certainly didn't help me in pick up basketball against the son-in-law, but my wife wanted me to be able to dance the Lambada, and this gave me the flexibility to make it happen. Of course, the Lambada becomes and entirely different dance when you're having a stroke at the same time, but the wife always gets what she wants, even if it she ends up dialing 911.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmfwduuSUaA

[Lurker64]

One thing that always gets me is the different weight training philosophies. About of third of the teams have free weights. A third use weight machines. The rest of 'em throw around hay bales or something in between. All the strength coaches say their way makes you stronger and reduces the chance of injury. Until they get fired and they bring in a new guy. And then the new guy re-does the weight room.

Almost makes more sense to have three weight rooms, and just keep two locked depending on what philosophy the strength coach has.

You may want to change out the hay bales, though.