Disagree Completely with Those Who Think Dino Looks “Comfortable”

[OrangeinBoston]

During the post game interview. To me, he looks like a guy who has been told “win 6 games or else.” Keep in mind that it’s Wildhack’s butt on the line here as well. (Wildhack saying to himself - “It’s my butt or his, and I guarantee it’s not my butt!)

Furthermore, his comments suggest that he trusted his offensive & defensive coordinators to come up with suitable game plans and they didn’t. (Management 101 - delegate, but make sure they are actually doing what they are supposed to do.)

Doesn’t really matter, as it only gets harder from here. It will take a super human effort for this team to beat NC State or Pitt. Possible as it always is in college football, but unlikely.

That being said, I would guess Wildhack is delving into his address book as we speak.

 

[OrangeTarheel]

One thing that Dino seems to be good at is getting his players excited to play hard for sixty minutes. That takes zero management and almost no preparation. This team came out flat and looked for all the world like no one on the coaching staff cared about the result

 

[HRE Otto IV]

If we play 2 competitive games, I think he deserves to come back even at 5-7.

If he does come back I would love to see him get a new OC that fits a running QB, and schemes WRs open vs being heavy in option routes or asking the WRs to beat their man. That is what you need to run here at SU long term. And given our roster it fits short term as well.

I would also love to see him get an experienced quality STC. Too many teams lack STs focus. That is where we can have a competitive advantage. SU did that under P. Rutgers does it under Schiano. VA Tech built a program with it.

If both of these moves are made then I would have some faith that Dino could turn things around.

 

[Trueblue25]

Listening to Dino talk about byes softening the team all week really painted a nice picture of what to expect vs UL.

 

[Cuse181]

If we play 2 competitive games, I think he deserves to come back even at 5-7.

If he does come back I would love to see him get a new OC that fits a running QB, and schemes WRs open vs being heavy in option routes or asking the WRs to beat their man. That is what you need to run here at SU long term. And given our roster it fits short term as well.

I would also love to see him get an experienced quality STC. Too many teams lack STs focus. That is where we can have a competitive advantage. SU did that under P. Rutgers does it under Schiano. VA Tech built a program with it.

If both of these moves are made then I would have some faith that Dino could turn things around.

Special teams coach is a definite and I think that’ll be the first hire come the off-season

 

[Consigliere]

Special teams coach is a definite and I think that’ll be the first hire come the off-season

Frankly, I think the special teams coach is really overblown. A special teams coach will impact the return and kick coverage game. We have actually been pretty solid in both components.

Place kicking and punting are specialty skills that a traditional special teams coordinator won't impact much.

 

[Killdozer]

If Dino survives this season we as fans can expect the same results UNLESS he replaces Gilbert. Offensive stats don't lie and to put all the blame on Shrader's arm strength is ridiculous. We know that Dino hired Gilbert because they coached together before. However, he has had NO success as an OC anywhere else. Dino, please bring someone in that has THEIR own scheme that fits GS skill sets.

 

[billorange44]

Listening to Dino talk about byes softening the team all week really painted a nice picture of what to expect vs UL.

In his press conference after Louisville, did he actually say that in the two weeks between BC and Louisville they only practiced three times?

 

[qdawgg]

One thing that Dino seems to be good at is getting his players excited to play hard for sixty minutes. That takes zero management and almost no preparation. This team came out flat and looked for all the world like no one on the coaching staff cared about the result

I don’t agree with this. There’s been plenty of games in his losing record here where the effort looked flat and half _____ from the players and coaches.

 

[kcsu]

During the post game interview. To me, he looks like a guy who has been told “win 6 games or else.” Keep in mind that it’s Wildhack’s butt on the line here as well. (Wildhack saying to himself - “It’s my butt or his, and I guarantee it’s not my butt!)

Furthermore, his comments suggest that he trusted his offensive & defensive coordinators to come up with suitable game plans and they didn’t. (Management 101 - delegate, but make sure they are actually doing what they are supposed to do.)

Doesn’t really matter, as it only gets harder from here. It will take a super human effort for this team to beat NC State or Pitt. Possible as it always is in college football, but unlikely.

That being said, I would guess Wildhack is delving into his address book as we speak.

I hope you are correct. It will take a complete change of direction from the Administration.

 

[RandomGuy]

In his press conference after Louisville, did he actually say that in the two weeks between BC and Louisville they only practiced three times?

No. Said they practiced a couple times on their week off. Although, I didn't care to hear the pc after lville.

 

[qdawgg]

If we play 2 competitive games, I think he deserves to come back even at 5-7.

In a normal ACC year, isn’t 5-7 more like 3-4 wins. This was the year to easily win 6 and hope to win 7-8. We can make excuses that we should have won all but 1 game this year but it’s the same reasoning we’ve used almost every season the last 6, including the 1 win season. After awhile it’s just coaching.

 

[billorange44]

No. Said they practiced a couple times on their week off. Although, I didn't care to hear the pc after lville.

Yes, then he mentioned the days. something like Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Besides, a couple is only two!

 

[Cuse181]

Frankly, I think the special teams coach is really overblown. A special teams coach will impact the return and kick coverage game. We have actually been pretty solid in both components.

Place kicking and punting are specialty skills that a traditional special teams coordinator won't impact much.

Well they’ve been decently consistent in place kicking the last few years, then coordinator leaves and they’re trash? Seems pretty coincidental.

 

[David332]

I just wish he would cut it out with the family talk. It feels like a buzzword that a middle management type would use when they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. They’re not a family, they’re a football team. If the results aren’t there, the transfer portal and unemployment line will prove so (eventually). The buzzwords and coach speech stuff are fine when we’re winning, but ring hollow after getting blown out.

 

[Consigliere]

Well they’ve been decently consistent in place kicking the last few years, then coordinator leaves and they’re trash? Seems pretty coincidental.

Also replaced the holder with an inexperienced player new to the function. I would guess that had more of an impact than Szmyt forgetting everything Lustig taught him from Justin’s intense experience with mechanics as a kicker.

 

[NKR1978]

If Dino survives this season we as fans can expect the same results UNLESS he replaces Gilbert. Offensive stats don't lie and to put all the blame on Shrader's arm strength is ridiculous. We know that Dino hired Gilbert because they coached together before. However, he has had NO success as an OC anywhere else. Dino, please bring someone in that has THEIR own scheme that fits GS skill sets.

Shrader was a decent passer in his time at MSU. I don't buy that he can't throw the ball.

 

[kcsu]

I just wish he would cut it out with the family talk. It feels like a buzzword that a middle management type would use when they don’t actually know what they’re talking about. They’re not a family, they’re a football team. If the results aren’t there, the transfer portal and unemployment line will prove so (eventually). The buzzwords and coach speech stuff are fine when we’re winning, but ring hollow after getting blown out.

Agreed. Although everything i hear is the kids really respect him. I pray he gets the 6th win as its critical for the health of the program.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

If we play 2 competitive games, I think he deserves to come back even at 5-7.

If he does come back I would love to see him get a new OC that fits a running QB, and schemes WRs open vs being heavy in option routes or asking the WRs to beat their man. That is what you need to run here at SU long term. And given our roster it fits short term as well.

I would also love to see him get an experienced quality STC. Too many teams lack STs focus. That is where we can have a competitive advantage. SU did that under P. Rutgers does it under Schiano. VA Tech built a program with it.

If both of these moves are made then I would have some faith that Dino could turn things around.

Why wed ourselves to a running QB. I would rather have a throwing QB who can run when asked. If you commit to a running QB you limit recruiting for the whole offense.

 

[David332]

Agreed. Although everything i hear is the kids really respect him. I pray he gets the 6th win as its critical for the health of the program.

They probably simply like him and confuse it for respect. He’s a players coach, doesn’t seem like the type to truly chastise a player privately. Of course this is just conjecture, but that’s the feeling I get from him.

 

[sutomcat]

Frankly, I think the special teams coach is really overblown. A special teams coach will impact the return and kick coverage game. We have actually been pretty solid in both components.

Place kicking and punting are specialty skills that a traditional special teams coordinator won't impact much.

Agree with this.

Williams and Szymt both got nailed early in the season on cheap hits. I am not sure either ever fully recovered from those hits. James getting the flu just added fire to a bad year. And maybe he just wasn't ready to play at this level this season.

Andre's performance has been slowly degrading from his frosh season. I have no idea what is going on with him but it looks like he is not kicking this year with the height and power (or accuracy) he did in previous seasons. I assume he is still not 100%.

We got a promising walk on to back up Williams in the lacrosse player from OSU but it looks like he was a dead end. And the other walk ons were not top notch like Cooney. Cooney was with the program for year though before he finally got a chance to punt. All that practice and experience tends to pay off.

@Consigiere is right. Even if you get a guy who specializes in special teams, he isn't going to be a guru in punting and place kicking technique. He might be expert at teaching formations and handing coverage teams and blocking teams. Which as @Consig says, have been fine.

IMHO, the most important thing you need to get great punting and placekicking is to recruit players with top notch raw skills and give them the time and resources to continue to develop. Maybe we made a mistake with James. Maybe not. There have been many good punters here who were not very good their first year in the program.

I hope we have some young, promising walk on punters and placekickers fighting it out for scholarships this spring and fall.

One more thing. The director kept showing Dino on the sidelines late in the game, looking for him to drop an F bomb or do something that was good TV.

He didn't do that but it looks like he was really unhappy with whoever he was talking to on his headset. SU had the ball. It looked like we were having problems getting plays in on a timely basis. And of course, none of the plays called were working. That was the first time I have seen him look visibly unhappy in that setting. I am assuming he was talking to Sterlin. Thoughts on that?

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Why wed ourselves to a running QB. I would rather have a throwing QB who can run when asked. If you commit to a running QB you limit recruiting for the whole offense.

Better programs than us have struggled to consistently get passing QBs. IMO it is way easier to consistently get a dual threat guy than a pocket passer. I think there are more Terrel Hunts out there than Ryan Nassibs. It is what we traditional did here.

Our top WRs in Dino's 1st 2 season had 94/90 and 105/89 catches. That attracted 0.0 high schools WR recruits. We struggle to get quality WRs. It is easier to find 1 guy to be the main man than having 3-4 quality guys. It is what we traditional did here.

Pass blocking has traditionally been poor here. Even under Coach P. We are going to need a QB who can avoid sacks.

Our recruiting is limited anyway given the many disadvantages we have. Shouldn't we tailor the O to the types of kids we actually have success recruiting?

 

[SUDadx2]

Our recruiting is limited anyway given the many disadvantages we have. Shouldn't we tailor the O to the types of kids we actually have success recruiting?

What types of kids do we actually have success recruiting?

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Agree with this.

Williams and Szymt both got nailed early in the season on cheap hits. I am not sure either ever fully recovered from those hits. James getting the flu just added fire to a bad year. And maybe he just wasn't ready to play at this level this season.

Andre's performance has been slowly degrading from his frosh season. I have no idea what is going on with him but it looks like he is not kicking this year with the height and power (or accuracy) he did in previous seasons. I assume he is still not 100%.

We got a promising walk on to back up Williams in the lacrosse player from OSU but it looks like he was a dead end. And the other walk ons were not top notch like Cooney. Cooney was with the program for year though before he finally got a chance to punt. All that practice and experience tends to pay off.

@Consigiere is right. Even if you get a guy who specializes in special teams, he isn't going to be a guru in punting and place kicking technique. He might be expert at teaching formations and handing coverage teams and blocking teams. Which as @Consig says, have been fine.

IMHO, the most important thing you need to get great punting and placekicking is to recruit players with top notch raw skills and give them the time and resources to continue to develop. Maybe we made a mistake with James. Maybe not. There have been many good punters here who were not very good their first year in the program.

I hope we have some young, promising walk on punters and placekickers fighting it out for scholarships this spring and fall.

I do not think it is overblown at all. Like you both say the kicking and punting is more on the players than coaching. But there are many issues with STs outside of that.

We have had both a punt and a kick blocked this year.

We have had a ton of penalties. Pretty sure we have lined up incorrectly on punts 5x this year. How does that happen once?

The decision to not have a holder who is an athlete (QB or even WR which we have plenty of) seems odd. Even for handling the snap, let alone removing any chance of a fake. At the very least it shows a lack of importance form the coaches.

A good STC will increase the chances of you blocking kicks and returning kicks.

Do you really think VA Tech all those years, or Schiano's Rutgers teams didn't have a competitive advantage? Most teams do not emphasize STs. We need every advantage we can get. So we should be emphasizing them. Not having a STC who specializes in it seems odd.

 

[sutomcat]

I do not think it is overblown at all. Like you both say the kicking and punting is more on the players than coaching. But there are many issues with STs outside of that.

We have had both a punt and a kick blocked this year.

We have had a ton of penalties. Pretty sure we have lined up incorrectly on punts 5x this year. How does that happen once?

The decision to not have a holder who is an athlete (QB or even WR which we have plenty of) seems odd. Even for handling the snap, let alone removing any chance of a fake. At the very least it shows a lack of importance form the coaches.

A good STC will increase the chances of you blocking kicks and returning kicks.

Do you really think VA Tech all those years, or Schiano's Rutgers teams didn't have a competitive advantage? Most teams do not emphasize STs. We need every advantage we can get. So we should be emphasizing them. Not having a STC who specializes in it seems odd.

We have had a punt blocked and a kick blocked when Lustig was here, and when we had the best or near the best special teams in the country.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying special teams are not important. I definitely want to see our best athletes on the special teams units, I definitely want to have great coverage and return teams. I am pretty sure even punters who have kicked an alarming number of low, short punts designed to be returned for TDs, we are doing well with punt coverage. The same applies for KO return coverage. We don't have a guy who can boom it through the end zone every time but we are doing well with our KO coverage.

I believe if Lustig had stayed, we would see little or no difference in our special teams performance this year. Maybe a few less penalties, but we have had issues with our special teams making too many penalties for years.

I would rather focus on getting more production out of our WRs (maybe evaluating them better too). Or getting our offense straightened out. Or figuring out how to stop the run without having to put our CBs on an island every play.

Those are few bigger issues that will make a far bigger impact on the bottom line. IMHO.