Benjamin St-Juste sees a difference in leadership this year, a big difference.
The Team 980 afternoon show host Craig Hoffman asked St-Juste following practice Wednesday what a major difference there is from recent seasons, for example.
“We compete for everything, honestly. It’s crazy. The first week Coach Quinn came here, it was all about competing. Competing in the weight room, competing in drills, competing in the class meeting rooms. Who can learn it the fastest? Who knows all the plays in the first week?”
Of course that makes them better athletes, but some might wonder, how does it affect their psyche as players? St-Juste certainly thinks it does and already is.
“When we go to the field, there is no hierarchy of who should go out there, or politics of this player should play. Everybody is going to compete, everybody is going to get a fair chance, and the best players are going to play. I think that is what makes great teams great.”
“He (Dan Quinn) is giving everyone the chance to show how much do you want to make this team. How much do you want to impact this team? I love it. It has pushed me to be a better player, and that’s what I am here for.”
Martin Luther King said, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.” Early on, Dan Quinn shows he did not come to the Commanders to search for and find consensus. They were 4-13 last year!
No, Quinn has come to mold and shape this team in his image. If you don’t compete hard, you’re gone. Those who love it, like St-Juste, can see it will make them better players.