Defense...
- Thread starter ttowncoug
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Not sure what I learned from Rolo over the last year .
We seem to have more walking wounded . Is that a byproduct of not using the sand as a workout ? Have they been able to workout because of covid . ?
People remarked our conditioning isn’t what it should be. Covid? Or lack of attention ? Dillard was interviewed and said for first time he could see lineman that were Pac 12 size and not projects . Good weight or bad or a misread on his behalf.
JG looks the part in a uni . But is seems our qb room is filled with qbs that lack touch and are throwers instead of passers.
Our Db’s seem to be around the ball. The corners in particular . Is that a product of knowing the routes and such familiarity with the system , slow wr’s who can’t get separation or db’s who can really cover .
Our offense seems like fits and starts . Is that because it is so complex that they haven’t had enough reps , is it because we don’t have qb’s to execute it , or wr that can’t make it work or a combination of things I mentioned.
T, like you it seemed the defense moved much quicker . We will find out in the fall if they are just better athletes, understand the game better or that the competition in the spring made them look better than they are .
I will say one thing I do like about rolo... recruiting is a daily if not hourly task
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I think the learning curve of mastering this offense, from the QB/WR perspective, is longer than we give it credit (or the coaches will admit)...which is why JDL was ahead last year (because he's been playing in that system).
The learning curve, is likely why programs opt for some more simpler concepts like the air raid, which that even took a few years to get "humming."
The learning curve, is likely why programs opt for some more simpler concepts like the air raid, which that even took a few years to get "humming."
I am not sure UW, Cal, etc have a huge advantage in the qb room right now.
The days of taking a long time to install and coach kids up are over. If it takes a massive learning curve to teach the kids how to play and then succeed, fire him and get someone else in now. Simply ridiculous that it takes so long to install plays. Coach better.
Biggs - not saying you are wrong, but the facts are the facts I fear. This offense IS all about the QB and the WR reading the same thing post snap. If they aren't on the same page, broken play. Curious on how many of Coopers runs were a result of the "play" not being there due to the WR not making the read.
It doesn't matter how good a play is when executed properly if you can't execute it reliably during crunch time.
Dickert seems to have done a good job of having everyone where they are supposed to be. I'm expecting to get as much out of the defense as we can. If he does a good job recruiting and developing talent, in a few years we could be a really good defense.
For what it's worth, Rolo got the Run and Shoot working in a single off-season at Hawaii. No reason it shouldnt be operating at a reasonably high level by this fall. If it's not, that's on coaching.
They have 2 RBs they can lean on for yards. That will take pressure off the QB and WRs. They could have a play action pass series too. That helps. They have a QB that can move the chains with his feet. They've got tools. They need reps. The virus has crushed Rolo's ability to install the offense and get things moving. There is no margin for error. Having JDL sit out spring ball is a colossal disaster. The kid has no idea how important his role in a MULTI MILLION DOLLAR organization is.
I agree. Two lockdown corners and more DLine depth than in quite some time. This defense has the potential IMO to be in the top 3rd of the conference. If the QB, whoever it may be, can just put some drives together, not give the ball away, and know when to give it to Borghi and McIntosh, they could grind out a lot of ugly wins.
Personally, I could get into a lot of ugly wins...
No, HAVING GUARANTANO GET INJURED AND MISS ALL OF THE SPRING GAME, EXCEPT FOR 1 PLAY, AND MAYBE MISS THE REST OF THE 2,3 DAYS OF PRACTICE, MIGHT BE A COMPLETE DISASTER, BECAUSE OF JDL RIGHTFULLY SITTING OUT, MISSING REPS, PRACTICE, ETC, BECAUSE ROLO RIGHTFULLY IS PUNISHING JDL'S STUPIDITY, IN WHAT JDL DID, AND BECAUSE COOPER MAY OR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE A RUN AND SHOOT QB, BECAUSE OF WHAT IS OR IS NOT BETWEEN HIS EARS.
Your right on the part that WSU has 2 RB's that can take pressure off of QB's, WR's, and a QB that can run it as well to take pressure off as well.
Well it only tool Leach three days to install it. Started to be consistent in Leach's 4th year where he was just reloading, but I see your point. There was a bball coach, first three years was 38-47...do you fire that coach in 2021 after their first three years?
If your referring to Dick Bennet, IF it was JUST Dick Bennet, and if his son Tony Bennet wasnt there, I absolutly would have fired Dick Bennet.
Dick Bennet wouldnt have had the success his son had, and likely would have had about a 15 win season scoring about 45 points per game.
Yeah Dick set the table for Tony, but other then that, he wasnt that good, and was kind of like another Doba, too old, and way past his prime, and peter principle.
So yeah I would have fired Dick, if there was no Tony to take over.
And before you say, compare that to Leach, and say that it took leach until his 4th year, it didnt take 4 years for Leach, as it only took Leach 2 years to get to 6-6, get to a BOWL game, and get his system fully installed, and recruited, and set the FOUNDATION for Year Number 4.
Well Dick Bennett really never has shown he was a final four coach ... so I see your point ...but it wasn’t dick Bennett .
It is more about time than coach . We are in digital age where there is no patience . Coaches get fired at a blink of an eye, have the alumni payoff the contract and start a new.
So based on simply time and not getting the system input within three years where a team is winning the question is asked again. Do you fire a coach if the are 38-47 the first three years .
Maybe. The time when it could take 4-5 years to build is over. You need to be moving forward asap. Get the talent you need in 2 classes. Get them coached up asap.
Easy question . Do you fire that coach after three years ? Did he get job done to your satisfaction ?
Is it trending up or down? Where is the team on the learning curve? How is recruiting going? Was the talent on the roster maximized? What did the losses look like? What did the wins look like?
There is more to it than just record. On record alone, fired. Other issues at play? Jury is out.
The program he took over was 27-7, 22-8, and 24-9 prior to him taking over. Is that enough information to go on?
Context is always hard to assess. That is the toughest part in any sort of performance evaluation. Metrics are the easy part...wins/losses, statistics vs the rest of the league, all sorts of measurables. Unfortunately, measurables tend to be like driving while spending most of your time looking in the rear view mirror. You can see where you have been, but but you don't get a complete story about where you are going. In addition to the things that Biggs noted, I'd add the attitude of the team. If the team believes, then that is a powerful indicator of where you are going....and if they don't believe, the indicator points just as powerfully in the wrong direction. At this point they seem to believe.
Oh so with pandemic and no teaching time really you have rolo (or any other coach) figured out ?
No. But there are some things that wont stop. Like weightlifting and conditioning. Having a culture of everyone working and no one quitting. Academic success. Etc.
He has spring ball and fall camp now. Let’s see what happens.
How anyone would evaluate any coach the last 3 months is beyond me. The only thing I can comment on simply ebcause the numbers of offers is that they appear to consistently recruit. And they are very resourceful.
If I may...kids who had some success at other places didn't "believe" or buy into what Leach was selling. They left, transferred and some cases were told better find another place. Anyway not sure what 19 year old kids "believe" is overly important. Recruit ones that will.
Took a year to get the offense working right. Offense wasn't a problem in 2013 and 2014. Defense was.
Ed, perhaps we use that term differently. I guess in my life I've found that when the team...whether that is sports, work, family, church, what ever....when the team believes that things are going in the right direction, the results are better. And if they believe that things are going in the right direction, usually that is an accurate assessment. I don't know how to recruit players that are going to believe something that is not happening. My senior year of HS football, our little B school coach went to Mead and we got a new coach. The new coach was an idiot and my class held it together, though we didn't win league that year (should have...beat the league champ on their field...but too sloppy in another game and it cost us). The next year the program went in the dumper, and stayed there for a decade even after they got rid of the coach. Those kids were playing for an idiot, they knew it, and they did not believe that things were on the right track. Eventually they got a good coach and went back to winning. Coaching matters, and belief in what you are doing depends significantly on the coaching. That was what I was trying to get across. I probably failed. It has been a tough couple of days at work.
This isn't a shot at or a comparison to Rolo, but the thing that has made Mike Leach successful throughout his coaching career is his discipline; particularly to the little things that drive a program. Strength and conditioning, training table, player and coaching accountability, practice structure, attention to detail. He has a system and a plan, and he executes that plan down to the most minute detail.
I'm hopeful that Rolo proves to be as well organized.
I'm hopeful that Rolo proves to be as well organized.
High, unwavering standards and expectations. Belichick, Saban, Holtz, Meyer, etc. The HC sets the standard and the kids meet it, exceed it or move on down the road. Leach does the same.
He also had a DC bail halfway through a season. And when leadership was lacking on the field things quickly went off the rails. I’m not knocking Leach either but just because a coach isn’t a hard disciplinarian doesn’t mean there won’t be success. Sometimes coaches and players respond better and perform better when there’s a loose atmosphere. I’d always come back to a guy like Carroll. He lets the players be themselves. Has it backfired a couple of times? Sure, but he’s gotten more out of certain guys than most coaches would. And the constant for him has been the on field leadership (Wilson, Cam, Wagner, etc). If Rolo has the right mix of on field leadership things will be just fine.
Depends. If coach had 1 good, great year, 1 .500 year, 1 bad year, and it equaled 38-47, then no I dont fire the coach.
If it is 2 bad years, and 1 below average,.500 year, qnd that equals 38-47, then yeah I fire the coach.
Also depends on what MITIGATING circumstances there are. If there is a lot of UNLUCKY injuries despite a good S&C, injury prevention program, and that causes 38-47, then no I dont fire.
Or if in the case of Rolo, if Covid cancels camps, scrimmages, games, and if that leads to 38-47, then I dont fire.
But if there are Wulf like incompetancies, and that leads to 38-47, like with Doba, Wulf, then Yeah I would fire them.
It really depends on the ENTIRE situation, and not just number of wins and losses, especially at WSU
It’s obvious the players are buying into the new coaching staff/system. I can’t predict how many wins this team will get, but I’ll be shocked if there will be mass transfers after the season. These kids are buying into the new program.
You guys talking hypothetically about whether or not you’re firing a coach after a borderline season/s are forgetting a pretty critical piece of the equation that is usually in play for us. Can you afford the buyout + the salary of a coach who’s going to raise the bar. We don’t exactly have blank checks lying around.
If Rolo cant get at least 5,6 wins, and gets 2,3,4 wins, there is likely a problem with Rolo's coaching
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