In Reply to: Fosters opening statement per Brent McMurphy. posted by SehornBlew on July 24, 2024 at 09:08:34
as a skill needed for most jobs. I'm not saying that it's not needed; just that people tend to make it more important that it really is.
For instance, we tend to elect politicians based on how good they are at public speaking because public speaking is a critical skill in running for elected office; but it's much less important when it comes to actually running a country, state, or municipality.
As far as football coaches are concerned, Rick Neuheisal was (and still is) a great public speaker, but that didn't compensate in the slightest for his failings in actually coaching football, at least not once the losses kept piling up.
And Coach Foster? Well, as someone who has competed in public speaking since high school, won contests, judged contests, and mentored others, it's clear to me the dynamics of the interview room are very differnt from those of a press conference, which are just a different as from a conference media day, especially one as big as the B1G.
I've watched Coach Foster improve his comfort, confidence, and conversation in press conferences since his introduction in February. He was definitely getting better, so today's pratfall is a major disappointment; but it won't take a single point off the scoreboard come fall.
As with all coaches, wins and losses will be the true measure.