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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 68375, member: 40"] It IS easy to rebuild in this conference! And that is what we're witnessing. How do you think the coaching staff got such a depleted roster to a bowl last year and coaxed out a win? Christ almighty--you act like you don't have any perspective on where we came from a few years ago, which I know is not the case. The team Marrone inherited was the worst BCS conference team in college football--BAR NONE. Then, we had 20+ guys leave the team, and were capped by how many recruits we could bring in any given year to replace them. We've had huge depth / talent issues. We made a bowl last year, and still could make one this year. And in short order, we've replenished the roster and infused a bunch of good athletes into the pipeline. And 55 of the 80 guys on the roster are first and second year players. What drives me nuts is this notion that things can turn around on a dime. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. In hoops, it is easier for young talent to come in and make an immediate impact. That isn't the case with football recruits generally. Yes, there are some examples--guys like Quinton Spotwood or Mike Williams on offense and Dwight Freeney or Clifton Smith on defense were good enough to emerge as contributors early on. But those are exceptions, not rules. Most recruits really need 2-3 years to physically mature and figure things out--even ones that are good athletes. Having to rely on true frosh is generally NOT a formula for success. So let's talk about the year 3 thing for a second as it pertains to recruiting. Right now is when we should be expecting Marrone's first class of recruits--which had to be salvaged late in the game after he got the job--to be ascending into more prominent roles. Most if not all members of that class who've stuck around have emerged as important contributors [Peterman never made it here, Carter bailed, Torain Philips transferred, etc.]. But up and down that roster, nearly everyone else is making an impact. Even guys like Torrey Ball who I never expected much from has emerged as a key contributor after being with the program for two years. Charley Loeb might never see the field as a QB, but he's filling an important role as the PK holder. And the rest of the class are guys who are starters for the most part. And the second recruiting class was a bit better in terms of the players we brought in, and the third one seems even better. Recruiting is trending the right way. What's absurd is expecting true frosh to come in and play as well as veteran, more physically mature players. What's even more absurd is not recognizing that the majority of players on this team are very young, and that their best football is ahead of them. I don't disagree with some of your points. The offense sucks, we haven't done a great job recruiting skill players, ST continues to be a disaster, and we've lost two games this year that we shouldn't have. But I completely disagree with your conclusion about Marrone. [/QUOTE]

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