This year was supposed to be a rebuilding year. This is the year tha everyone pointed to as the year our sanctions would bite hard. Despite that, we were in a position to win a couple of games we should not have been in...and then we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. There was absolutely no excuse for losing to MSU.
Shula will be back next season. There is no way we will be blown out by LSU and the barn...I expect we will go 1-1 against them to be honest. Even 0-2 and respectable, and Shula has another year.
Shula will be forced to replace at least 2 coaches in the off season. I expect that CBC and Rader will be gone. In their place will be two tough as nails assistants. The OL will be vastly improved in 2007 and that, combined with experience and better playcalling will result in a good if not great season in 2007. Some have called for Ungerer's head as well. I don't see that happening. ST are not our weakness. They HAVE been weak at times, but it has mostly been players making plays, not coaching. CBU is one of the best ST coaches in the business.
CMS listens to folks like Mal Moore and Joe Kines. They will give him sage advice and he will likely follow it. If Shula makes the needed changes, we will return to greatness.
If Shula does not make changes and we are mediocre in 2007, you can bet your bottom dollar that we will go out and get one of the best coaches in the nation to replace him. It is not 2000 or May 2003. There will not be sanctions staring us in the face or a mid season coaching turnover. It will not be difficult to get a coach with our facilities, salary, commitment to excellence, and talent level. The pieces will be in place for a good coach to come in and have immediate success...much like Stallings did in his first 3 seasons. Aside from the 0-3 start, Stallings was 31-3 in his first 3 seasons. Those of you who remember the depth issues and injury bug that bit us in 1990 know why he started 0-3. It would be possible for a good coach to repeat that starting in 2008.
It would also be possible for Shula to make a few minor adjustments to philosophy and a few replacements on the coaching staff, and have the same results. Lets face it...the #1 problem we have right now is on the OL. A lack of talent plus poor coaching has us hurting up front. In 2007 we will have some fantastic redshirt freshmen who will be physically ahead of the curve. Unlike current OL, some of the RS Frosh OL are weightroom warriors. Combine that with an aggressive blocking scheme that can utilize the mean streaks that they have, and we will have an OL that will remind us of Fran's lines.
I am not sold on our S&C program. That concerns me. The S&C program in the foundation of what happens in the trenches. From what I hear though, the problem is not with the program so much as it is with the commitment of the current linemen. When the redshirts come off of Pharr, Ross, and Stadler, there will be an immediate impact...if we have a new OL coach and scheme.
The point is, even though things look dark, we really have a win/win situation. Either Shula will improve the team vastly in the next year (from what was supposed to be a mediocre season anyway), or the pieces will be in place for a new coach to have immediate success. Either way, we will be competing for championships very soon...sooner than our rivals would want or expect.
Look on the really bright side...at least we are not UGA. We DID beat Vandy.
Shula will be back next season. There is no way we will be blown out by LSU and the barn...I expect we will go 1-1 against them to be honest. Even 0-2 and respectable, and Shula has another year.
Shula will be forced to replace at least 2 coaches in the off season. I expect that CBC and Rader will be gone. In their place will be two tough as nails assistants. The OL will be vastly improved in 2007 and that, combined with experience and better playcalling will result in a good if not great season in 2007. Some have called for Ungerer's head as well. I don't see that happening. ST are not our weakness. They HAVE been weak at times, but it has mostly been players making plays, not coaching. CBU is one of the best ST coaches in the business.
CMS listens to folks like Mal Moore and Joe Kines. They will give him sage advice and he will likely follow it. If Shula makes the needed changes, we will return to greatness.
If Shula does not make changes and we are mediocre in 2007, you can bet your bottom dollar that we will go out and get one of the best coaches in the nation to replace him. It is not 2000 or May 2003. There will not be sanctions staring us in the face or a mid season coaching turnover. It will not be difficult to get a coach with our facilities, salary, commitment to excellence, and talent level. The pieces will be in place for a good coach to come in and have immediate success...much like Stallings did in his first 3 seasons. Aside from the 0-3 start, Stallings was 31-3 in his first 3 seasons. Those of you who remember the depth issues and injury bug that bit us in 1990 know why he started 0-3. It would be possible for a good coach to repeat that starting in 2008.
It would also be possible for Shula to make a few minor adjustments to philosophy and a few replacements on the coaching staff, and have the same results. Lets face it...the #1 problem we have right now is on the OL. A lack of talent plus poor coaching has us hurting up front. In 2007 we will have some fantastic redshirt freshmen who will be physically ahead of the curve. Unlike current OL, some of the RS Frosh OL are weightroom warriors. Combine that with an aggressive blocking scheme that can utilize the mean streaks that they have, and we will have an OL that will remind us of Fran's lines.
I am not sold on our S&C program. That concerns me. The S&C program in the foundation of what happens in the trenches. From what I hear though, the problem is not with the program so much as it is with the commitment of the current linemen. When the redshirts come off of Pharr, Ross, and Stadler, there will be an immediate impact...if we have a new OL coach and scheme.
The point is, even though things look dark, we really have a win/win situation. Either Shula will improve the team vastly in the next year (from what was supposed to be a mediocre season anyway), or the pieces will be in place for a new coach to have immediate success. Either way, we will be competing for championships very soon...sooner than our rivals would want or expect.
Look on the really bright side...at least we are not UGA. We DID beat Vandy.
:biggrin: :eek2: 
