One of Jimbo Fisher's favorite phrases is, "your actions speak so loud I can't hear what you're saying." One of the Aggie fanbase's favorite lines of Fisher's is, "it ain't gonna be like it used to".

The two can sometimes be diametrically opposed to one another, leading to an eventual clash. That's what happened Thursday, and the Aggies got a shock to their system: their coach kicked them off the practice field.

"I didn't like the demeanor we had," he said. "We weren't creating good enough habits ... you either create a good habit or a bad habit, and we weren't gonna sit there and create a bad habit."

The timing of the bad practice was interesting, but perhaps not surprising. The Aggies had had a couple of very good practices and a good scrimmage, good enough that their coached praised their work. But Fisher was on them from the first drill Thursday, loudly pointing out a lack of hustle or poor reps.

It wouldn't be a surprise if the team was flat worn out. It's been extremely hot and afternoon thunderstorms have made it miserably humid. The Aggies have been in full pads and have had only two days off in the past 20, so it could be they were just mentally and physically fatigued.

Great teams, Fisher contended, find ways to work through those obstacles.

"That's what football's about. That's how you win tough games. You embrace the grind. You gotta love it. If you don't like the grind, you don't need to play football," he said.

For the better part of a decade, the Aggies had a reputation as a team that was soft, that wilted when the grind was at its hardest in November. Fisher and his staff changed that last year, remaking the team's mindset to the point where they won out in November, beat a team that had repeatedly crushed them in LSU and then overwhelmed N.C. State in the Gator Bowl. That got them to 9-4 on the season.

For Kevin Sumlin and Mike Sherman, 9-4 probably would have been good enough. Jimbo Fisher is not interested in good enough. He wants to make A&M into a national title contender, and he's aware of the death march of a schedule awaiting his team this year.

The Aggies are talented across the board. But other teams are just as talented, and some still more so. A&M will have to beat them not just with their talent, but with their approach as well.

In other words, loving the grind.

By shutting down practice, holding a team meeting Thursday night and then closing practice Saturday, Fisher did two important things: he embarrassed his team and made them re-evaluate what they're doing. It's a risky tactic, because you could lose a team if they don't respect you. To a man, the Aggies hold Fisher in the highest esteem, so he was able to pull it off.

It ain't like it used to be.

There's a clear message he's sending: to win, you've got to be at your best every day. There will be obstacles, but you have to be physically and mentally prepared to handle them. Today, it's 111 degree heat; in three weeks, it'll be an NFL-ready Clemson Tiger across from you. The only way you beat him is to prepare correctly every day, know what you're doing at an expert level and know how to adapt when things don't go your way.

Those are the actions Fisher wants to see talking.

Fisher believes this team is ready to excel. Now, he has to get the players to adapt the mindset that it's time to take it to the next level. There's a really good chance that's why he was on them from the word go Thursday, that he shut practice down early and then had real physical session yesterday. He wants the team to understand that excellent practices have to happen every day, not one or two a week, if the Aggies are to be elite. And that starts with every rep, every drill being done right. A shock to the system, like Fisher gave them Thursday, could be just the prodding to move them in that direction.

Fisher said he won't accept average work. Now, it's up to the team to decide the aren't going to give it. When they decide good enough isn't good enough, then it truly won't be like it used to.