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How we finish the season is important

CanesAreAble

CanesAreAble

All-ACC
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Nov 2, 2011
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If you still believe Al Golden is going to be fired after the season, STOP READING NOW.



Arguing cause for his termination is irrelevant at this point. I've resigned myself to the fact he's not going to get the axe this year.

The good news: Golden has built a team that was expected to go toe-to-toe with the defending national champions and the game wasn't a fluke at all. We didn't need a bunch of miracle plays to stay in the game. If anything, most of the game's big breaks went FSU's way. We belonged on the field and were arguably the better team. We have a lot of talent on the roster and we're very clearly improving. Unlike previous seasons, we're playing our best football at the end of the year. He has the team playing really hard.

The bad news: It took Golden 3.5 years to do what another coach might've been able to do in 2 or 3. He's conservative by nature, and only seemed to become more aggressive once the boosters lit a fire under his ***. That doesn't speak well to his ability to make adjustments on the fly. He's too linear in his thought process and approach.

So now what?

It looks like we have a special talent in Kaaya and we have him for at least 2 more years. We also have talent around him. The 2015 recruiting class is solid right now, but still has some holes. The 2016 class is loaded, but that's down the road. We need to finish the season strong to lock down a strong 2015 crop.

2015 studs
Dwayne Lawson
Jordan Scarlett
Dexter Williams
Mark Walton
Terrell Chatman
Bar Milo
Tyree St. Louis
Jerome Washington
Scott Patchan
Charles Perry
Richard McIntosh
Jaquan Johnson

The rest of the class is kinda meh (although Gordinier looks like a decent meat & potatoes ILB). I think we finish with Jalen Merrick and 3 CBs out of Tim Irvin, Marcus Lewis, Carlton Davis, and Davante Davis. Also wouldn't be surprised if we land Antonio Calloway. We could use another LB or two, and definitely need to locate another DT or two (I can haz Rasheem Green???).

I think we close the regular season with wins over UVA and Pitt. Neither team does anything scary. Right now we're projected to play Utah in the Sun Bowl, which is a good opponent. The bowl picture will likely get shaken up, though.


If we close with a strong 9-4 record (as opposed to limping across the finish line last year), I think we end the 2015 recruiting cycle with a good class and enter next season with a top 15-20 ranking.

QB Kaaya
RB Yearby, Gus, Scarlett/Williams/Walton
FB Tucker
WR Coley/Gray/Brady
WR Waters/Scott/Langham
WR Berrios/Lewis/Jones
TE Dobard, Washington, Herndon, Njoku
LT McDermott
LG Darling
C Linder
RG Isidora
RT Gadbois

DE Thomas, Kamalu
NT Jenkins, Wyche
DT Huertelou, Moten
DE McCord/AQM
SLB Owens
MLB Kirby
WLB Grace
CB Crawford/Howard
CB Burns/Elder
FS Bush
SS Carter


That team is pretty **** loaded.

If Golden can't win 11 with that, we need to stop paying money for banners, and start paying money for Carlos the Jackal-types.
 
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A number of other ****-poor teams went toe-to-toe with the defending national champs.

The problem remains the same. Golden is Folden.
 
everyones trying to come with the same indictments and excuses following this loss, and they are just hard to swallow because I dont feel it the way I did after Ville, Neb, GT.. I know what I saw with my own eyes Saturday and it didnt have the same feel as the past big games. yes, I woulda like for us to take a huge step forward, but in my eyes we took one. Point being I agree with OP 100%, the finish is HUGE this year. It would make for a completely different 9-4 than last year
 
I see Golden Job Rumors threads and immediately jump right in to gobble up any tiny morsel I can of hope for change.

This is where I am right now.
 
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caneaddict said:
everyones trying to come with the same indictments and excuses following this loss, and they are just hard to swallow because I dont feel it the way I did after Ville, Neb, GT.. I know what I saw with my own eyes Saturday and it didnt have the same feel as the past big games. yes, I woulda like for us to take a huge step forward, but in my eyes we took one. Point being I agree with OP 100%, the finish is HUGE this year. It would make for a completely different 9-4 than last year
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UL fans could have said the same exact thing. NCST was ahead at the half, I'm sure they're on the cusp too.

Had about 3 other teams not done what we did, I would be right there with you, but neither them nor us should pat ourselves on the back for hanging with an FSU team that is well known to play one half of football.
 
Look at that secondary next year.

They've been a spotty group but there's gonna be a whole lot of experience back there next year. And OPs list leaves Jenkins off.

Secondary should be a strength.
 
I totally agree with the fact that the improvements we have seen in the last 4 weeks should have, could have, happened last year, even without Kaaya. The sudden obvious turnaround in the product on the field is what we have been hoping for and expecting for years. It is as much puzzling as appreciated.
The roster is very encouraging for future success.

That being said, does the improved play of late continue to improve and does this coaching staff even know how the improvements happened. I am apprehensive.

The sudden progress is encouraging and disappointing at the same time.

I am not of the school of unrealistic and unreasonable bloggers here that totally expect an unbeaten, championship team every year. I do look forward to and expect a well coached competitive team every year. That takes the recruitment of high caliber, highly motivated athletes. It also requires an equally high caliber, knowledgable and experienced coaching staff.

We seem to have taken a quantum leap in the caliber of play and I am looking forward to continued improvement and am watching, as we all are, with a critical eye for the first setback before I hand out any compliments or anoint any coaches or players as stars.

GO CANES!!!!! always
 
nyibis said:
I totally agree with the fact that the improvements we have seen in the last 4 weeks should have, could have, happened last year, even without Kaaya. The sudden obvious turnaround in the product on the field is what we have been hoping for and expecting for years. It is as much puzzling as appreciated.
The roster is very encouraging for future success.

That being said, does the improved play of late continue to improve and does this coaching staff even know how the improvements happened. I am apprehensive.

The sudden progress is encouraging and disappointing at the same time.

I am not of the school of unrealistic and unreasonable bloggers here that totally expect an unbeaten, championship team every year. I do look forward to and expect a well coached competitive team every year. That takes the recruitment of high caliber, highly motivated athletes. It also requires an equally high caliber, knowledgable and experienced coaching staff.

We seem to have taken a quantum leap in the caliber of play and I am looking forward to continued improvement and am watching, as we all are, with a critical eye for the first setback before I hand out any compliments or anoint any coaches or players as stars.

GO CANES!!!!! always
Click to expand...


That's the thing. I'm worried this improvement isn't sustainable.
 
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