Here’s another article from the AJC, but this is Schultz and isn’t as positive as Sugura’s article.
Thanks, i hadn't seen that.. Here's an exerpt where the closing paragraph rings true.
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On Thursday, Collins took three straight questions about the coach and player exits.
Question: Do you believe the turnover qualifies as a statement of where things are in the program?
Answer: “The biggest thing is I’m excited about the people who have come in, the people who’ve joined the program.”
Question: The portal is a reality, but do you take it personally when so many players leave?
Answer: “There’s relationships that you build, and really, I talk about the love and the care that we have for the guys, the investment that we make. Even with the guys who’ve graduated, obviously, you hate to see them go, the guys who go to the NFL. You have such deep personal relationships with them. The same thing with guys who hop in the portal, you have love and care for them.”
Question: Do you take it as a rejection for the way you’ve done things?
Answer: “I do not. I just take it as, we love those guys, we care about those guys. If they feel there’s another situation they need to (explore), we counsel them, have conversations with them, but then you have to look to guys on your roster that you’re blessed every day to coach and focus on that and keep it moving.”
I understand a coach wanting to keep things positive in attitude and messaging. But Collins loses supporters when he’s
less than genuine with his public comments. Would it hurt to respond: “I understand why those people left. We have not achieved what I hoped to at this point in time, and that’s on me. But I’m going to work hard to fulfill the expectations I had when I came here?”