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Message: [QUOTE="Fjoinkay, post: 1184287, member: 604"] Just read this, and I probably should read it again before replying. I'll just say that I find a lot of this easy to agree with. In the final analysis for me I see HCSS learning how to be a head coach. I think he can succeed at SU, but time will tell. I have no idea why HCSS hired GMac, and I have no idea why he fired GMac especially during the season. When I heard the news of the change to Lester I was surprised, but then when I heard about T-Hunt being out I was instantly relieved that GMac wouldn't be the OC with the young QBs. GMac is talented, and I believe he will likely become a successful OC. When this offense was healthy early in the season they would often show a lot of potential in flashes, but these flashes emerged from what I saw as consistent confusion and lack of clarity on the field. I saw no signs of improvement, and I think inserting Lester with T-Hunt out and now with all of these injuries has made what could have been a disastrous situation into a merely frustrating and disappointing situation that is somewhat common when a starting QB goes down and the offensive line is battered. Maybe GMac would have handled this situation as well as or better than Lester, but I have serious doubts based on his 18 games as OC. Again, I have no idea why HCSS made the change or why he chose to make the change when he did, but if Lester turns out to be a successful OC then HCSS will deserve a lot of credit for making this change and sticking with it. If promoting Lester turns out to be a mistake we will all likely suffer. That's the unfortunate reality. To my eye this season is nothing like the GRob situation on either side of the ball at least so far. HCSS in 2009 under FHCDM immediately improved the SU defense. His defense in his second year as DC, 2010, was easily one of the best defenses SU has had in my lifetime, and without any real offense to help out other than hard running from DC3 and tough play from Nassib the defense was largely responsible for SU making a bowl game that year. FHCDM deserves all the credit for hiring HCSS, being a micro-manager on both sides of the ball because that is who he is even though some coaches may disagree with that style, and for winning the Pinstripe Bowl against Kansas State- really, for returning SU to respectability after the abysmal fall. I was surprised when Marrone left for the NFL, and I immediately feared a return to the GRob era level of play. FHCDM learned a lot about being a head coach during his 4 years at SU. He made a lot of mistakes, and he changed his approach along the way. He adapted and learned which is one of his strengths. I think HCSS is learning and making some mistakes as well. I think HCSS probably wishes that he had incorporated right away more of what he saw from FHCDM and others especially on offense. My sense has been that HCSS emphasized from day one that he wasn't a micro-manager. I felt like he was trying to differentiate himself from FHCDM in that regard almost as if they maybe had some friendly disagreements on that topic over the years working together. I think working with his friends may have been another factor for why he chose to give his coordinators a lot of freedom. Lately my sense is that HCSS is micro-managing more than he did previously. At the same time he's never going to manage the way Marrone did, and he shouldn't if it doesn't fit. I think Lester is more of a micro-manager than GMac, and I think that is helpful. Like everyone I fear a return to the GRob level of play on the offense almost like I would fear Ebola if I was exposed somehow. The GRob era offenses were abysmal up front. Mitch Browning came in at the end and made some improvements. However, the offensive line was so bad that it took Marrone a couple of years at least to get that unit to function at a competitive level. I would hate to see that improvement somehow squandered. It took Marrone until his final year to have a really successful offense at SU. This offense right now even with several crippling injuries is functioning better than any offense GRob had and also I'm guessing as well as or better than SU's offenses very early in the Marrone era. Even now I think Marrone deserves some of the credit because he laid the foundation especially up front. Marrone and Hackett's 2012 SU offense was the first really successful offense at SU going back probably maybe over a decade. So, offense is the clearly critical factor as hit has been since the defense became respectable again in 2009. We saw tremendous improvement with offense under Marrone, and right now the future is uncertain. Is it injuries, scheme, coaching, or all of that and more? HCSS appears to have made his decision with Lester. No matter what, going forward SU will need to find a way to be at least above average up front. My biggest disappointment so far was the way SU entered this season. Going into this season with this schedule SU really needed to start strong. They did not. The start was a mystery to me then, and it remains a mystery to me now. I just think HCSS is a different coach right now than he was 2.5 months ago, and I think he is improving. Time will tell. I also hope he can continue to improve the way he regulates his emotions during the game. I like the fire. The fire will always be there with him. I'd like to see him be more fluid sometimes in those heated moments, and rather than ride the waves of that reactive heat move sooner back to his grounded game mindset and move forward. [/QUOTE]

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