The first scrimmage of the Curt Cignetti era for Indiana football came and went this past weekend and the new head coach was not pleased with his team after the ninth practice of spring camp.
With players off on Monday for the eclipse, Cignetti knew that today’s practice would be a ‘challenge’. And, while he didn’t go into details about Tuesday’s practice, it was evident that he wasn’t pleased with the performance.
“Players had Monday off for the eclipse holiday,” Cignetti said during his opening statement. “[I] knew it was going to be a challenge this morning and it was.”
Cignetti hinted at how players spent the day off as the reason for a sluggish practice. He has emphasized the high standard he has for practice that he expects his team to meet all off-season.
Cignetti was not happy with the level his team practiced at and he made sure to let them know after.
“We can’t have practices like that and get done what we want to get done,” Cignetti said. “So had to send a pretty stern message afterward and we’ll keep plugging along.”
He has not shied away from criticizing his guys when he feels it is warranted. Tuesday was no different.
With a few days off between Saturday’s scrimmage and Tuesday’s practice, Cignetti emphasized the importance of maintaining the standard at practice.
“That’s part of my job to have the team ready day-in-day-out and maintain high standards,” Cignetti said. “They become us, we don’t become them. Can’t compromise your standards. When someone doesn’t meet the bar, players need to know it.”
While Cignetti was not pleased with the performance from Indiana on Tuesday, he still saw progress from some members of the team. He is still trying to move past the old era of Indiana Football and changing the culture is a part of that.
It’s been part of his priority and continued effort since he took the Indiana job in December.
“I think a lot of them were mature enough to come out with the right mindset and try to get better,” Cignetti said “But too many of them who follow Indiana think our players came out like the old Indiana. That’s what we need to eliminate, that kind of habit, decision, mindset.”
Moving away from the ‘old Indiana’ has been an emphasis for Cignetti since he took over. Avoiding complacency and setting a high standard for his players have been big parts of that emphasis.
Cignetti has emphasized the importance of improving each day of practice. While Tuesday’s practice did not meet the standard he expects from his team, it will serve as an important lesson for his program moving forward.
If they are not going to practice at the level he expects, he is going to make sure they know.
Despite the disappointing effort today, Cignetti said he has still seen progress since the beginning of the spring.
“I’ve definitely seen progress. Players understand how we practice. The way we practice will make us better,” Cignetti said. “I’ve seen improvement, we just want to make the most of every opportunity.”
With a few more practices before the Spring Game on April 18, Cignetti will be looking to see better effort and attention to detail from Indiana football in the coming weeks.
“That’s part of my job, it’s to have the team ready day in and day out, maintaining high standards,” Cignetti added. “They (the players) become us (the staff), we don’t become them. Can’t compromise your standards and when someone doesn’t meet the bar, players need to know it.”
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