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Improvement?

BAMARICH said:
My conclusion is that you're incorrect. So many people want to look solely at this year... but it's the same coaching staff that was here last year... when our team wasn't "soft", at least not on the defensive side of the ball. IMO, too much stock is placed in that statement... teams are always a total reflection of their coach. May be the case a lot... but not always.
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If you want to use an abberation year in which the offense was still a liability and a senior-laden defense totally and completely carried the way while forgetting to mention that the team was probably more physical in 2003 (4-9) than this year, that is of course your business.

One of Shula's trademarks are that his teams get WORSE as the year goes on...not better. It was true in 2003, 2004, 2005 and after that strugle against arugably the WORST TEAM IN DIVISION ONE what exactly have you seen to disprove that this year?

I have lightyears more faith in our defensive coaches than I do our offensive coaches...sadly, the playcaller happens to be the head coach...who apparently cannot evaluate his own performance. DUKE pushed our offense around. DUKE. Not Notre Duke...DUKE.

I think Mike Shula is a weak head coach who simply does not have the ability to lift up, inspire or motivate his players. There has been absolutely nothing done in his tenure that has hinted at otherwise and, in fact, I can list more games his teams have look woefully unprepared than completely ready.
 
It seemed like CMS was the only one this past week that said this game could be scary, but none of us wanted to buy that. Im sorry but we are still rebuilding, call it sunshine pumping, or kool-aid sippin, whatever. Maybe everyone will be happy when a fly-by coach comes along and inherits what cms is building, and looks like a genius.:rolleyes: actually weve seen that before, but his name isnt worthy of typing. 12
 
I would like to see bama defense run a 3-4 and see if that helps against the spread. I would love to see us using 1 back sets like most team who use zone blocking use see most nfl. I would like to see more screens we get blitzed like crazy.I am not the coach I think Shula does do a good job I just wished we looked as good as I think we can look.
 
PlayerUA said:
I think Mike Shula is a weak head coach who simply does not have the ability to lift up, inspire or motivate his players. There has been absolutely nothing done in his tenure that has hinted at otherwise and, in fact, I can list more games his teams have look woefully unprepared than completely ready.
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you exagerate, but to support the motivation bit, the auburn game from last year comes to mind as well as stories of some team members not working hard in the weight rooms. of course, i can only base that on what i see on TV, so, if someone has actual knowledge to contradict i hope to read it. (i know one of the arguments is that coaches shouldn't have to get players up for the auburn game, but, after the huge letdown that LSU was...)

Cecil Hurt wrote after the Arkansas game that the future looked cloudy (I believe he left the scope of that comment intentionally ambiguous). You won't find me arguing against that.
 
PlayerUA said:
I think Mike Shula is a weak head coach who simply does not have the ability to lift up, inspire or motivate his players. There has been absolutely nothing done in his tenure that has hinted at otherwise and, in fact, I can list more games his teams have look woefully unprepared than completely ready.
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I've said this all along. I've hoped that he'd prove me wrong, but Shula is quite simply a poor gameday coach and motivator. I'm worried that a commitment to Shula is a commitment to mediocrity. I'll put it better: a commitment to a Shula-ran offense will not lead to titles. The Florida game encouraged me. Shula opened the offense up but bad breaks, penalties, and the caliber of defense we were playing kept us out of the endzone. The Duke game reverted to the same-old clueless Shula. A steady diet of screens and 3-step drop quick slants would have been a perfect remedy to the heat Duke was bringing. Yes, I may be just some 20 year-old Madden player...but by the same token, if a gameplan adjustment is so readily apparent to some "20 year old video gamer" and it wasn't made by your head coach...you kinda have to worry.

I'm kinda fuming right now. So I'm just not going to talk about this game anymore...cause otherwise I'll probably end up with a suspended account on this site. I suggest the same to all those who are frustrated like me.
 
12 rings said:
It seemed like CMS was the only one this past week that said this game could be scary, but none of us wanted to buy that. Im sorry but we are still rebuilding, call it sunshine pumping, or kool-aid sippin, whatever. Maybe everyone will be happy when a fly-by coach comes along and inherits what cms is building, and looks like a genius.:rolleyes: actually weve seen that before, but his name isnt worthy of typing. 12
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I for one am not calling for a new HC,but again as in 5 of our games the O was offensive. However,the most disturbing thing from this game was how poorly prepared was the D that starts 6 seniors,4 jr.,and 1 so.It just seems to me the 3-3-5 sceme does not work with our players and our LB's tackle too high or are out of position.I felt the D would be shaky at times not 3/4 of the game and giving up 200+ rushing to the last place in the ACC team that averages 37ypg is just sick! It's beginning to look as the 7 seniors last year made the D staff look much better and not the other way around.I'm very worried about a very bad Miss team at this time b/c I know our O can't carry the team!
 
rgw, I would not disagree with your post. However, I would say more than anything this is probably the hardest part of coaching to master. I think it used to be easier in the past because in general I think kids were more self motivated - their upbringing and way of life dictated it. I am sure you can ask many here who are teachers, coaches, or business owners here that it is incredibly hard to motivate young people now. Most of these kids dont really know what hard work is and unfortunately many have a misconception about what true focused effort is.

I thoroughly believe the standard of effort has been lowered substantially in the last few years. I think more often than not you see many adults and coaches alike apologizing for kids today rather than demanding or expecting a high level of effort and performance. Some kids whether well-behaved or not unfortunately should be casualties of building a winning team if their effort doesnt match up. This should be done to send a message to the rest of the team as to what is expected of them.

Also, to be a consistent and effective motivator you have to have an internal well to draw from to convey your message to the team. You have to feel the fire, passion, and hunger on the inside to rise above. Your drive has to be evident. Oftentimes, the best motivators are those who either early realized they had average ability and were going to have work extra hard to be succcessful or have some struggle in life that motivates you to overcome. Coach Bryant had Moro Bottom. Coach Kines picked cotton in Piedmont. Coach Harbison lost his wife a few years ago and so on. Coach Shula has to find that well to draw from if he is to be successful in motivating his players. You have to learn to tap into those emotions in your players and channel the resulting energy in the right way. Coach Bryant was a master at this.

In the pros there is not a lot of time spent motivating your players that is more a given since you are a professional. Also CMS probably has not had much opportunity to hone this skill due to the various subordinate roles he has had up til now. Lastly, from my opinion only I would say that CMS's life has probably had very little difficulty that most of us can identify with.

Unfortunately, from what I have seen so far is that collectively we have some very IMMATURE (not playing experience) players. These are the hardest players to motivate. Heck, it appears that CJK is having a hard time motivating these guys based on their play on the field and I feel confident he is a fabulous motivator. When you are truly driven you percieve your actions as life or death (in the quality of life sense) and I just dont see this on the field by many of our players. From my view in the stadium, some of them have the body language that this is playground ball.

I believe if we can somehow reach these kids and wake them up alot of the problems we have been discussing will become distant memories. Alot has been said lately about our performance being mental and I believe this to be correct centering around the issue of maturity and realizing sometimes that success is required and not just expected.
 
JDCrimson said:
r... From my view in the stadium, some of them have the body language that this is playground ball.

I believe if we can somehow reach these kids and wake them up alot of the problems we have been discussing will become distant memories. Alot has been said lately about our performance being mental and I believe this to be correct centering around the issue of maturity and realizing sometimes that success is required and not just expected.
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GREAT post, JDC...you hit on a lot of good points there...I must've been sitting near you, as I have had the same view as you...

I KNOW this team can get motivated, get that FIRE, that "I ain't gonna let you beat me" fire...it starts when each and EVERY MAN in Crimson says that on EACH and EVERY play, and LIVES by it 365 days a year--in the weight room, on the track, in skels, studying playbooks, out at bars having a good time, hanging out with friends---THAT's when it happens---that's when this team will come together...
 
Hire a proven OC. That's all there is to it folks. Hire a guy that can bring in a new attitude and totally change the culture on the offensive side of the ball at Alabama.

I remember a couple years ago Clemson was getting woefully soft. They were physically dominated by a subpar Texas A&M team and were absolutely trucked over by an out-manned Wake Forest team. Tommy Bowden was on the edge with the Clemson fanbase and the alums. They couldn't run the ball, Charlie Whitehurst was making a ton of mistakes, and they were just not a physical team offensively. They were very, very soft.

But they hired a guy by the name of Rob Spence at the end of the 2004 season. Spence came in there and implemented a one back zone blocking aggressive running scheme to go along with a lot of playaction and Clemson is now one of the most physical running teams in college football. Spence was a proven guy at I believe Toledo, and he turned around Clemson's offense, and probably saved Tommy Bowden's job at Clemson.
 
I don't know if CMS offense is either good or bad. I haven't seen it executed well enough to know if it will work or not.

Between penalties, missed assignments, O-line issues, Darby slipping down and JPW running for his life it is hard for me to tell how good the offense can be. JMHO.
 
I believe that with the pressure Shula is receiving or going to receive, he will be willing to compromise on his unwillingness to give up his playcalling duties. High paying boosters will let him know. If not now, in the future.
 
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