John Fassel hopes Rams players learn from the stonecutterBy Alden Gonzalez
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- More than a decade ago, back when he was coaching at small colleges, somebody introduced John Fassel to "The Stonecutter's Credo." It teaches about the importance of consistency and perseverance, even if the results are not immediately noticeable. On Wednesday morning, Fassel, now the Los Angeles Rams' interim coach, read the famous parable to his players, hoping it resonates leading into the final game of the 2016 season.
"What it means," Fassel said, "is that this game is important, because our futures depend on it."
Fassel handed a copy of the credo, written by Jacob Riis, to every player once he was finished, then read it to the media after practice. It goes as follows ...
When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before.
This was the motivational tactic Fassel referenced after Sunday's 22-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which gave his team 10 losses in a span of 11 games. As the days went on, his players began to ask him when he would reveal that secret speech, which made Fassel believe he may be "overblowing it." When he finally did, Fassel talked about how the credo applied to this group, and how "all of the blows that we’re delivering right now -- maybe next year it pays off, and maybe next year, the 101st blow is when we finally break though."
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