Air Force Academy – Air Force football coach Fisher DeBerry snapped back Monday when questioned about his team’s tenacity by saying he remains just as determined and aggressive in his 22nd year as head coach as he was in his first year.
“I’m the same guy that I was when I took this job in 1984,” DeBerry said. “The day I don’t feel that way and I don’t have all the things that I think it takes to keep things going in the same direction, then I will be man enough to walk up there and tell them to get somebody else. There isn’t anything wrong with Fisher DeBerry.”
The Falcons (3-5, 2-4 Mountain West Conference) were thrashed 48-10 by visiting Texas Christian on Saturday, their fifth loss in the past six games.
Asked about criticism of his struggling team, DeBerry said: “I could care less what other people say. I’m the head coach and responsible for it all. But go back and look where we’ve been in the last 10 years. I think we have a good football team and a very competitive team, and I’m not going to give up on them. I’ve been pleased with the effort. I thought our team was as prepared as well for TCU as we’ve ever been prepared to play a football game.”
However, DeBerry admitted the loss caused some soul searching. “I kept my staff here last night,” he said. “We’ve got to find players who can run.”
DeBerry bristled when asked if he has allowed a less intense atmosphere to enter into the team’s routine, though he did say the Falcons practice in pads less than in his early years as head coach.
“That doesn’t mean I’m getting old or I’m getting soft on them,” DeBerry said. “We’re trying to ensure that we have our players on Saturday, more than anything else. I’ll invite anyone to come in and compare the intensity of our practices. I know our coaching staff is working at it as hard as ever. I know we’re doing the things that are necessary to give us a chance to be competitive.”
Quarterback Shaun Carney defended the Falcons’ effort but pointed out the team has lacked intensity at times.
“We play hard in every game, and I don’t think anybody can question that,” Carney said. “But I don’t think we’ve come to play week in and week out to be a competitive team this year. That’s on our shoulders. I don’t think that we’re not competitive people. I don’t think we’ve had any fun. Losing games isn’t fun.
“We’re pretty frustrated by the way the season has gone. We don’t want to be an embarrassment to the program. But it’s not the most intense team I’ve ever been on. We haven’t had the fire we’ve needed, but we’ve had a great work ethic. We had a swagger early in the season, but we’ve lost that.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
