Archie’s wry hook

With his unique blend of humor, storytelling and subtle belittlement of some of his players, head football coach Jerry Glanville commanded attention at his Monday press conference.

Remarking that if they were cutting players after their performance on the first day of camp, his roster would be 55 players lighter, Glanville quickly won over the gallery of sports reporters from the local television, radio and newspaper outlets.

After the disappointment that was the 2007 season, where the Vikings went 3-8, Glanville and his staff diligently labored to bolster their squad and improve their standing in the Big Sky Conference.

Much of that recruiting work would fall squarely on Glanville’s shoulders as he, in effect, sold the program, university and city to many of the 46 new players that slipped on green and white practice jerseys for the first time early Monday morning.

But if Monday’s festivities were any indication, Glanville’s biggest sell was not on the 30 handpicked freshmen that will thicken his depleted roster, nor on the media that scrupulously scribbled every word he spoke.

No, his toughest sell was instilling the confidence that his players proudly bore on the first day of camp. It’s one thing to convince delusional fans to get excited for the upcoming year after a dreary off-season without football, or to persuade fanatical season-ticket holders to continue attending games.

It’s one thing to proclaim the right things in front of the microphones and cameras on the first day of practice, as Glanville and offensive coordinator Darrell “Mouse” Davis did in their inelegant but effective manner.

But it is an entirely different sell to convince nearly 80 players that a successful season is possible, if not imminent.

Remember, these are young men that may only really understand one thing-football-but they understand it well.

They know, as do the other naysayers, that it is difficult to win when you are replacing four-fifths of your offensive line, have an injury-prone quarterback and have lost your top eight receivers from last season’s roster.

They know that most successful college football teams struggle if too many freshmen earn playing time.

And they also know how tough it is to rebound from a disappointing season where losing can cause dissent among teammates, like the one that much of the team witnessed last season.

Although none of the players from last year’s team would have admitted it, the injuries amassed early in the season coupled with the complications of learning a difficult new scheme on both sides of the ball doomed the Vikings.

Since arriving on campus, Glanville has explicitly said that his rebuilding process would likely take three years, and if dropped passes and confused players from Monday’s practice are any indication, the Vikings will need another year of growth and maturity.

But somehow Glanville has convinced this squad, many of whom have yet to learn each other’s names, that they can be successful this season. He has convinced them to disregard their youth and persuaded them to forget the downfalls of last year and start anew on Aug. 30, the date of the team’s season opener.

And while the heat of August confidence rarely lasts until the wintery months that decide the conference and national championships that Glanville’s players spoke of on Monday, his most important task may have already been accomplished: making them believe.

Now all he needs to do is convince himself.