Addazio: Owls won't enjoy offseason

TEMPLE COACH Steve Addazio wants it known that offseason boot camp is officially open for business. And he's playing the role of bad cop.

That's what happens when you don't make it to a bowl game, even in a year when logic suggested you probably weren't supposed to. The Owls, after being picked to finish last in their first season back in the Big East since 2004, went 4-7. They lost five of their last six. The end came Friday, at home against Syracuse.

Next season has already started, even though the opener at Notre Dame is 9 months away.

"It's 2013 in my mind right now," Addazio said Tuesday at his final weekly news conference. "Myself, I'm not used to this. We need seasoning, work, an offseason program, spring [practice], a [training] camp. All of the above. That's where it is.

"I like our youth. I know the talent here. It's a matter of bringing that around. [But] there's no guarantees."

Except that the upcoming months at 11th and Diamond promise to be, well, intense.

Because he's going to make it that way.

"The No. 1 thing in my mind is, I want this team to have tremendous pain and sacrifice in the offseason," Addazio said. "I feel it's really important we become a hungry football team, a very invested team. How do you become that? You sacrifice. You put so much into it. That's hard sometimes. We had some dynamics this year, with really young guys. They want it, but they kind of roll in and all of a sudden it's here we go and zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Then we had a group of seniors, it's not their fault, but they won nine games their first season [2009]. A year ago we had those guys who went through some really hard times. It's all part of it.

"I want everything about it to be hard. And they're going to go through it together, where nobody's happy. I don't want them feeling good about being home right now. That's not what they came here for. It should burn, and hurt. We're in workouts [already]. That's the way it's going to be, a very unforgiving deal. Some of the beautiful things we have, we have to go back and understand just how lucky we are to have them. There has to be that accountability factor. I don't want to feel this way next year . . .

"It's kind of like the old story when you come up with nothing and you work nights, you sacrifice, you find a few dollars and maybe buy that first car. Maybe it's not the nicest car in the world. But you love it, you shine it, you wash it. You take care of it. Then some other kid just gets a car. They don't appreciate it. There's garbage on the seats. I want this program to be built on young guys who have a sense of investment, and accountability and pride. That goes a long way.

"In my opinion," he went on, "we weren't that far away from [getting] two more wins. What do we do to get that? That's my job. I've got to figure that out. There's something else in there. We need to go get that. We're going to work like hell."

Apparently, any less of a commitment is not an option. There was no mincing of words.

"I put them all on notice," Addazio said. "I challenged them. I told them, 'Look, don't have any smiles around [here].' Let's get that straight. There's no time off. It's going to be one rough place this winter and spring. No box of chocolates.

"I know what the positives are. If I have the kids I think I have, they'll embrace that. It's great that we talk about the future. We've got to make it a reality. The grind is going to be incredible. That's what it's about. If you sit there and talk too many flowery things, all of a sudden [they think] it's just going to happen. No, no. It'll happen, if you do the right things to make it happen."

Consider the message delivered.

It said here on Tuesday that Temple was still looking to add a nonconference game for next season. Since the Owls will have eight conference games instead of seven, they needed only four more. And the Owls already have them. They'll go to Notre Dame and Idaho, and play at home against Army and Fordham.