How will the team react?

[freddyg12]

This is one of those events that can swing drastically either way; it may unite the team to play hard for ST & give them a sense of purpose, or they could be overwhelmed & not at all ready to focus on their job.

It's not quite analogous, but Va. Tech's team was really slow out of the blocks this year & I think a lot had to do w/the aftermath of the April 16 shootings & all the support they got from other schools. The very nature of football makes it hard to compete w/full intensity after ceremonies in honor of the deceased. When the players know the deceased personally, I can only imagine that it's a huge "distraction" for lack of a better word.

The staff & the players are obviously going to have a tough time w/this. While it could spur an emotional burst of energy, I think it's more likely that they'll have a tough time staying in games. Maybe I'm just prepared to write the season off in light of ST's death. I almost feel that out of respect we should all just lower our expectations & not criticize the team for the rest of the year.