It's amazing how much so many of you seem to know what is going on beyond the scenes, how much you can intuit personal dynamics, team dynamics, relationships between players and coaches, etc.
It is certainly our right as fans to do so, read all we want into what we see on the bench, during games, etc.
But, you know something? None of us know what is going on.
Yes, this team is in deep trouble right now and a losing team is, by definition, an unhappy team. For those of you who have worked in a team during your life, whether in sports, in business, in education, in the military, you know there is always a certain amount of grousing and complaining going on, even if your team is performing and efficient. You cannot tell me that even when this team was winning, that on the long car ride to practice from wherever the players were living, that players who car-pooled did not complain about the coaches or management. For all their physical gift, these guys are humans, no different than each of us.
A team is made up of 22 or 23 different personalities exhibiting the whole range of emotions and responses to situations.
Yes, there is something deeply wrong right now and the team seems downtrodden and beaten. Kudos to Trouba for trying, in his own way, to wake things up.
But, as they say, winning cures everything, hides all warts. This team is certainly due for some positive things to happen: I don't know, off hand, what their shooting percentage is, but it most be abysmal and that, just going by what is average, is bound to rectify itself. How many posts can you hit?
Easiest thing to do is blame the coach: I am not a big GG fan but the fact is that you don't go from genius to dunce in a few months. He might pay the price but I don't think this is the answer. I am certainly heartily tired of his lineup decisions and his in game management. I don't know what the answer is. If the team misses the playoffs, he will be fired and probably deservingly so.
One of the best, and most frustrating parts of being a fan, is playing amateur psychologist. As someone who has been a part of a team and has led teams, group dynamics fascinate me. The Rangers right now are a classic study is a group dynamic going bad.
But to say that any of us know what is going on, except to say the many are underproducing, the team is mentally fragile, and the coaching is questionable (I won't even get into the criticism of the front office), every mistake seems to lead to a goal, is not true. None of us know what is going on. We think we do, we like to imagine ourselves as the proverbial fly on the wall, we all think we have the answer, if only management would hear what we are saying.
It's certainly fun to think we know what is going on, but none of what any of us say, including me, should be considered the gospel truth. Hopefully this dreadful downward spiral will change, there is still a long season to go. I am as upset, angry, and frustrated as anyone here. I can imagine myself "in the room," at practice, on the plane, but I'm not and I don't have a clue as to what is actually being said or is transpiring behind the scenes.
…do tell?
