David Cutcliffe: You can't give people confidence. You explain how they can earn it

Cutcliffe discusses WR Scott Bracey

Coach David Cutcliffe talked to the media about junior wide receiver Scott Bracey, who has battled injury in his Duke career, which eroded his confidence at times.

Now healthy, Bracey already has a career-high 106 receiving yards through three games this year, including a career-best 37-yard catch in the opener.

Cutcliffe credited WR coach Trooper Taylor with helping Bracey’s attitude this year.

“Trooper’s energy has made it fun for him,” he said. “We can’t forget as coaches that the game itself, football, you play it because it’s fun. You shouldn’t be playing it because you think you can get school paid for. You shouldn’t be playing it in college because you think you’re going to be a professional football player and make money. You have to ultimately, deeply play the game because you love it. I think Scott found that love for the game.”

Cutcliffe wasn’t sure Bracey would get his love back.

“I would say, based on conversations I had with Scott, yes (Cutcliffe wasn’t sure), because he wasn’t sure.”

Then came the Coach Cut-icism of the week:

“You can’t give people confidence,” he said. “You can explain to them how they can earn it,”

And how do they earn it?

“If you start focusing on your work, instead of what you want it to be, that’s a start,” he said. “If you start focusing on what you want your work to be—what you want your product to be—you stop living in the moment. That’s not where confidence lives.”