jackedaround
Junior
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2015
- Messages
- 4,328
Last year we wasted the biggest talent at the school in a long time (decades). Our season went from 21-0 to Pop Tarts bowl in unremarkable fashion. We all saw it coming. Our defense, garbage. I figured that was it. We wouldn’t have another chance as good. I was wrong. But how it came about was probably the most shocking I could imagine. Beating all our rivals, losing to two mid teams, ripping off four straight and playing to our potential, over coming the national media narrative, getting picked by a committee over a National Title runner up and program backed by the Pope himself. If that isn't shocking I don't know what is.
After we lost to SMU I was dogging Mario and the staff. It was the same old stuff we have seen for Mario’s career both at Oregon and here. Losing to lesser teams, playing down to competition, bone headed penalties and head scratching coaching decisions. We also seemed to be coaching not to lose which was the most frustrating thing of all.
Since the SMU loss we have won 5 straight games and broke the following narratives:
When Mario was hired just 4 years ago, I was skeptical. I liked the hire, but the narrative was true. Elite recruiter but gameday coaching lacked.
A little over 4 years ago we lost to MTSU by 2 touch downs and got boat raced. It seems like light years ago.
All along Mario sang his song. Build out the trenches. We did so quickly but the return on investment? Not so much. 5-7, 7-5.
Cam Ward came along as a savior. But we had the wrong defensive hire. He just was not it.
Now we have two assistant coaches that I can confidently say I am happy with and are the right men for the job. Dawson and Heatherman. We went through Gattis, Steele and Guidry. He missed but he made changes. Those changes have reaped rewards. If there is one thing you can say about Mario he will change. It takes him some time but not an eternity or never like cough cough Dabo Swinney.
I don’t know how this season will end. But I was wrong about Mario. I forgot he didn’t have as much experience coaching at a real (not FIU) program as I thought. He is learning from his mistakes and I’ve noticed a change this year in the way he speaks, his thought process and his gameday coaching.
Trench play matters. It’s the difference, and it couldn’t be clearer.
Now we are in the quarter finals against a team that we hate. No one gives us a chance to win. Right where we want to be.
A&M was terrible at rush defense between the tackles. So what did we do? Exploit it. Look back at the tape. A lot of Mark’s runs were A gap. A gap for life? Not so fast. But when it is needed it was there, and it was there because Mario built it.
After we lost to SMU I was dogging Mario and the staff. It was the same old stuff we have seen for Mario’s career both at Oregon and here. Losing to lesser teams, playing down to competition, bone headed penalties and head scratching coaching decisions. We also seemed to be coaching not to lose which was the most frustrating thing of all.
Since the SMU loss we have won 5 straight games and broke the following narratives:
- Team folds in November (4-0) after the loss
- Can’t win in the cold (Pitt game)
- Beck sucks (12-1 TD to turnover ratio in the last 5 games)
- ACC sucks (dominated A&M in the trenches. 3 points allowed when they were averaging 34 a game, 7 sacks vs the 10 A&M had given up all year, 3 turnovers and 9 tackles for loss. Not to mention all of the big hits that occurred)
- Bone headed penalty reduction. I have noticed 0 in the last two games (although we should have had 1 against A&M).
When Mario was hired just 4 years ago, I was skeptical. I liked the hire, but the narrative was true. Elite recruiter but gameday coaching lacked.
A little over 4 years ago we lost to MTSU by 2 touch downs and got boat raced. It seems like light years ago.
All along Mario sang his song. Build out the trenches. We did so quickly but the return on investment? Not so much. 5-7, 7-5.
Cam Ward came along as a savior. But we had the wrong defensive hire. He just was not it.
Now we have two assistant coaches that I can confidently say I am happy with and are the right men for the job. Dawson and Heatherman. We went through Gattis, Steele and Guidry. He missed but he made changes. Those changes have reaped rewards. If there is one thing you can say about Mario he will change. It takes him some time but not an eternity or never like cough cough Dabo Swinney.
I don’t know how this season will end. But I was wrong about Mario. I forgot he didn’t have as much experience coaching at a real (not FIU) program as I thought. He is learning from his mistakes and I’ve noticed a change this year in the way he speaks, his thought process and his gameday coaching.
Trench play matters. It’s the difference, and it couldn’t be clearer.
Now we are in the quarter finals against a team that we hate. No one gives us a chance to win. Right where we want to be.
A&M was terrible at rush defense between the tackles. So what did we do? Exploit it. Look back at the tape. A lot of Mark’s runs were A gap. A gap for life? Not so fast. But when it is needed it was there, and it was there because Mario built it.
