Fair enough. I think it's accurate to assess the season as approaching disastrous to this point but I think it's just too early to write off the coach. FWIW, McEntee shows obvious signs of progress, I see some things to like about the design of the offense if not the execution, and I think the BWW injury has been pretty telling. The biggest issue I have with coaching to this point is the apparent regression on specials.
I agree 100%. And I don't think that I need to prove anything that P was the right here. Time will prove it, because the hire was made for the right reasons. My only hope is that Coach P, D and B train some younger guys to do the same things they've done for decades - and that's recruit for a football program in the northeast.
The only thing I can add on specials is that we didn't have much consistency on special teams until a week or two after this point in the season last year either.
The things I see:
Recruiting for the program is more solid than I've seen it ever through 2011 and with 3 1/2 months to go before signing day. We're pulling players from high quality places, locally and abroad, and we've got more palyers coming in with the size and speed to contribute from day 1.
A very well respected AD once talked about hiring a head coach for a sports program, any sports program, and the criteria he looked at. #1 was familiarity with the recruiting territory. #2. Was a track record of success in the recruiting territory. #3. Was ability to recruit the territory. #4. Was the ability to establish your recruiting territory, know your recruiting territory, and pull players that can contribute to your program from your recruiting territory. #5, and least important, was previous head coaching experience.
We're 2-4, but still have a great opportunity to play a post season game for 2011, and I see a team that is giving everythign they've got week to week, and is ahving every bit of ability squeezed out of them, and I will never, ever talk bad about players that are giving every ounce of what they've got. Got to win at home tomorrow though, to keep those post season goals high up there.
Run defense is solid. Pass defense is more than suspect, and we're relying now on freshman back there. That has to improve.
Offense - we are woefully thin in the offensive backfield. Lyle McCombs, has already become one of my favorite backs ever. This kid is giving everythign he's got and he's simply not the physical kind kind of guy that you want in there pass protecting and running the ball on an every down basis. He's giving up his body for the game, there's nothing more you can ask of a player. Quarterbacks are developing, positively, learning lessons on the fly, during game situations. Same thing with receivers and lineman. We have a balanced offense out there, we're just hitting too many foul balls as te head caoch recently stated. Need to take advantage of the opportunities we've got better.
