So the fact that Burkhead looked dinged up against Michigan, and that depth along the defensive line has been hit hard because of several injuries, means these are excuses? Not reasons or substantiated facts?
I'm sorry, but I don't agree. There are many things we can point to about this team that can explain why they're inconsistent, but there's no way you can sit there and tell me that our injury-ridden defensive line isn't a
reason we're struggling but instead an excuse. An excuse is "blah my mind wasn't in the right place". A reason is "I didn't play well because I have a torn muscle." There's vast differences between the two. I will never make excuses for the team, but I will substantiate opinions with what I believe factual information, in order to try and understand why a team played well or not.
PS, I never blame the players for the losses. They can only do what they are taught and expected to do.
At some point the players have to be held responsible for their performances on the field. Coaches can only do so much. The players need to hold one another accountable and make sure they're not letting the team down by playing poorly. As ladyhawke said, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.
That said, I think the coaches need to step up here and institute that kind of mindset into the players. If one player fails, the whole team fails. They need to teach the players to hold one another to high standards.