Yes, yes, we’ve all heard about the complaints from former Michigan lineman Justin Boren about the way the “family values have eroded in just a few months” under new coach Rich Rodriguez.

This is no newsflash, either: Rodriguez really, really tests kids and I recall that it was with a certain pride that he used to speak about how a dozen or so kids — maybe more? — simply quit after his first practice at WVU.

This is not to defend Rodriguez, or Boren, for that matter, but when a new coach comes in, he’s going for shock, fear and respect. Those who stay are there for the right reasons and the remnants grow tighter together as they continue as a team.

Rodriguez has always been that way and as his star rose, observers and analysts grew to admire the environment. He’s always been admired by his peers. 

“He’s a great individual to work for,” Jones said. “Very energetic. Very passionate. He does a great job of creating a hard edge — being able to get the most out of players. That’s most important. Then he’s a great teacher. The program was centered around a family atmosphere.”

In fairness, Boren was used to this kind of thing … and from his family, no less. He still left Michigan. So something’s up and it’s certainly not news to anyone who followed WVU, even if it is news in Rodriguez’s new stopming, screaming, hat-throwing grounds.

But I sniffed around and learned that Boren also did not appreciate how some of his new coaches berated and belittled not only him but some of his teammates, in front of the team.

Criticism is subjective. A verbal jab that hurts one player’s feelings might not faze another. But a coaching staff wearing my-way-or-the-highway holsters that bursts in with both guns blazing better be good at both tearing down and building back up. It will be interesting to watch how Rodriguez rewires the kids he rips apart.

The bigger question looms here as spring practice resumes today at WVU. Say what you will of his actions, but Rodriguez and his assistants molded players to the desired personality and competitiveness. The Mountaineers had and won with an edge. The ways and means used to attain that edge are mostly gone — Jeff Casteel and Bill Kirelawich will still get after players — and Bill Stewart is just a different person than Rodriguez. Leave it at that. Players aren’t yet used to the ways and means of the new assistants. The tactics and, more importantly, the reactions are entirely unknown.

One wonders if the edge goes dull. And is that a bad thing?