A Question of "Now"

“I mean, they’re real strict on discipline now as far as showing up to meetings (on time), they’re even making us check in for lunches and dinners now,” safety Tyvon Branch said, via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. “We know that our discipline is what got us in trouble in the past,” Branch said. “That stuff trickles down on the field, and we need to cut down on the penalties if we want to be the team we want to be.”

Now? They're real strict on discipline now?

There's sure a lot of talk already coming out of Napa, eh? In my last take, I noted how our defensive players are thrilled to finally be playing "real" defense.

Now they're talking retroactive smack about an institutional lack of discipline, even though promises of discipline and accountability have hardly been in short supply during preceding training camps.

I don't know what to think. On the one hand, the players sound liberated. In fact, they sound relieved. On the other hand, we've heard it all before, haven't we?

For years now, I've been shouting from the rooftops: no excuses. Well, we're finally and completely out of them. Our defensive "stars" are stepping up to the microphones and saying, "We're now exercising discipline. We're now playing real defense. We now have a defensive-minded head coach."

Good. Now we'll find out how good--or bad--they really are, right?