Jim McElwain is the type of coach who wants to see his players give 100 percent each time they go out on the football field.
It doesn’t matter if it’s on the practice field or during a game.
He wants his guys to give it their all.
And on Monday, McElwain was as animated as ever when discussing the Spring practice session.
In short, it wasn’t good, especially coming off a scrimmage on Saturday where McElwain said the team excelled.
"I’m not sure that we got better today," McElwain said. "I think today was the first day that we probably took a step back."
It wasn’t a single position that received the brunt of McElwain’s rant. It was the entire team’s effort during practice that really got McElwain going.
The players on the team might’ve gotten complacent after scrimmaging on Saturday, McElwain said.
He tries to get the best out of his players, but seeing them lack a prepared mentality set him off.
"The attention to detail and focus was not what we needed to be successful," McElwain said. "And it bothered me. That irritates me when we take a step back. … Our mindset was not to get better today. It was to endure the practice.
"It really bothered me. That’s unacceptable. You don’t do that and play championship football."
McElwain is looking to change a team that has been stuck in mediocrity the past two seasons.
The standards at the University of Florida are high, and after not competing for a Southeastern Conference title and a national title the last two years, it’s important for McElwain and the players to get on the same page.
McElwain said that most of the players didn’t have the "want" and the "need" to get better in practice on Monday.
"When you invest in yourself, we all make a choice how we’re going to approach that rep, how we’re going to approach that day, how we’re going to approach that practice, that meeting…It’s all choice and a decision," McElwain said.
"And today a lot of guys — and I’m not saying everybody — a lot of them came out with a choice and a decision not to get anything done, not to focus, and to endure rather to drain the tank and get better. That was irritating. It’s not acceptable. That’s the bottom line."
It was the first time that McElwain got after his players in the post-practice media session. Previously, he was quick to point out the positives of what he saw during the day.
Granted, it might be hard to get 18-to-22-year-olds motivated to practice three days a week. But McElwain doesn’t see that as an excuse, and directs some of the blame at himself.
"I take it that I didn’t get them ready today coming out of the team meeting, to practice with the intensity and focus we needed," McElwain said. "There shouldn’t be that excuse."
McElwain will be looking to see how the team responds in practice Wednesday, as there are only a handful of Spring practices and scrimmages remaining before the Orange & Blue debut game on April 11.
"We need to come back and have a better day on Wednesday," McElwain said. "We’ll learn from the film tomorrow and we’ll go up and get it graded and put the proper things in place and then show it to them. That’s all you can do at that point."
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Treon Harris drops back to pass during practice on Monday.
