Time for a long-winded, somewhat disjointed season in review/look ahead post for whatever it's worth.
What we Learned
Marrone's Honeymoon is Over
Listen, a 5-game losing streak for this program and a 5-7 season overall is really not the end of the world. I don't remember exactly what I predicted preseason, but I do remember thinking that getting to 6-6 would be pretty decent based on what we had lost/what we had coming back. But the overall picture for Marrone went from sunshiny with mostly blue skies (scattered grey clouds over the offense) to a lovely central new york pall. (or "paul" as I had renamed it at one point in honor of P -- relax P supporters, it was in jest. Please don't show up at my door.) What were a few nagging offense concerns and a lack of stars in the recruiting class but generally impressive improvement almost everywhere else, became a team with a struggling offense, questions at QB, questions on the staff, a defense that got absolutely steamrolled, special teams that were literally embarrassing. In short, a 5-game losing streak against five beatable teams leaves this program desperate for a reprieve. The offseason couldn't come soon enough. Is Marrone on the hot seat? Not yet, but it certainly sets up a very interesting Year 4.
Nassib is our Quarterback
OK, so I gather that this isn't commonly accepted on the board -- or at least a generally well-received sentiment. But honestly -- you have a kid that doesn't make a lot of egregious errors, doesn't get sacked much (saying something given this OL) and has the ability to make some plays (comp % north of 62 and 22 TDs isn't a horrible season). Is he limited? Yes. Will we go to the BCS with him as QB? No. Will he break out as a senior and be incredible? No. But he is a tough kid, who is smart. He doesn't lock onto receivers. He can throw the ball down the field better than people think (Yes, the deep ball is atrocious, but when he's allowed to throw down the seam he's accurate). He's not the complete package but the folks yearning for what's behind him, IMO, forget that basically being average is something our QBs have rarely achieved the last 10 years or so.
Being Short Doesn't Equal Being Injury-Prone or Soft
Remember how Bailey couldn't play b/c the staff didn't want him injured while backing up DC3? Then everyone on the board said we were doomed with him as a starter b/c he'd wear down? Well, he may be short, but the kid is tough and had a nice year. Greatest vision of any RB we've had? No. But not a bad player.
Experienced DEs Don't Equal Pass Rush
I suppose it's time for me to admit my man crush on Brandon Sharpe, which developed his frosh year, is probably unwarranted. We couldn't rush the passer with our DEs if we gave opponents Michael Hay.
I Owe Bob Casullo an Apology
This season proved that special teams could, in fact, be worse. Bob, you rub me the wrong way and you certainly didn't seem to bring much to the table, but I admit, leaving your coaching slot vacant wasn't a great idea. Who woulda thought a committee approach wouldn't work? Seems to work for the gov. Maybe Marrone should appoint a commission to figure out what went wrong on STs.
Keon Lyn Can Play. Kobena Thinks he Should Break Every Kickoff for a TD. Graham Emerged.
This is dedicated to the positive individual developments on the squad. Love Lyn at CB and think Kobena actually forms a decent KO return duo with Graham. Graham needs a lot of polish at WR but showed some flashes. Lemon played well. It was nice to see Provo healthy and productive. Thought Bromley had some nice moments. Jerome Smith is a little too upright for my tastes but certainly came on strong.
The BE sucks.
The worst thing about losing those 5 straight? The big east has proven to be pretty bad. Losing those five games in a row is much worse than GRob losing to RichRod, Petrino, Edsall and Brian Kelly/Mark Dantonio.
Looking ahead -- Storylines for 2012
No offense, DM, but we could use an offense
Here are the two main issues with the offense as I see them:
1) Talent is not really an excuse -- the point here is that if we don't have the talent to run his offense now, we won't next year and, chances are, may not in 2013. Can't wait that long to move the ball.
2) No one can explain what our offense is -- Well outside of slants and power running anyway. There is no identity here. And this isn't cliche, guy who actually knows nothing about football coaching from the sidelines stuff. It's just an honest, plain observation. I guess we try to power run the ball, but we're out recruiting 260 pound OL. So that's not it. We throw the ball a decent amount and, yes, we'd love a Mike Williams right about now. But I'm not sure anyone has any idea what the general passing game scheme is other than "avoid interceptions." (p.s. if someone posts something about "multiple" in a serious fashion I will throw my computer out the window and cry myself to sleep. So I beg of you -- please don't.)
So the bottom line is this: Something needs to change. Coaching personnel probably need to change (I'm not advocating just guessing that it is hard to entirely shift gears with the exact same coaches). But whatever it is -- we HAVE to move the football more consistently. And in 2012 -- not 2013 or later.
Is DM another in a long line of NFL coaches who will struggle with the college game?
I leave this as a question mark for the sole purpose of saying I'm not sure anyone could say for sure. He's done some excellent things on the hill and 11 months ago I couldn't have imagined I'd be writing that as a 2012 storyline. But, here's the evidence: Struggles to run NFL-style offense in college; recruiting doesn't appear to be his forte (and I'm not really down on DM's recruiting, merely pointing out he's not Ron Zook -- which can be a very good thing); seems to play to win in the fourth quarter; may undervalue special teams; is an abject disaster in clock management. Listen, I'm the first one to admit that maybe this headline at the end of 2012 is -- "When will DM win his first ACC title" or something like that. I like the guy and still generally like the direction of this program. But it's hard not to notice the warts that bubble to the surface when you lose five straight.
Nice to meet you, Mr. New Special Teams Coach
I'll be so excited when someone can utter these words. Such an ugly performance. I'm vomiting in my mouth just thinking about it. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!
2011 Awards
The Ryan LaCasse Award (For senior who had a good season in a tough year)
I'm going with Kevyn Scott. Sure, he may have set the record for most "he was there. he was in position. he just didn't ... make the play." moments. But this is a kid that overcame some pretty significant injuries, played hard, came up with two key INTs to help win games and, what the hell, I'll even give him credit for being smart and actually attending class.
The Overused Cliche Award
I was tempted to use "RB is too small, will get injured," "it's OK he transferrred b/c we have Player X and he wouldn't have played", but it's hard to beat "He's a Marrone Kind of Guy." We supposedly exiled all the troublemakers, yet dissension on team was a big part of this 5-game collapse. We also committed a school record 36,217 personal fouls. I don't blame Marrone, but let's all just hope that Marrone's Kind of Guy going forward is really talented.
The NFL Game Day Award
This award goes to the moment in the season when things get so bad they are actually funny. 2011's award goes to the three false starts in one series sequence in yesterday's game. That narrowly edged the three personal fouls, two turnovers, two holding penalties in the first seven minutes. Somewhere P was nodding in approval, recalling to close family friends the golden era of taking delay of game penalties after time outs. GRob was just marveling at the 5 wins.
The This Guy's Going to Be Pretty Good Award
I'll give this to a player who came out of nowhere, Dyshawn Davis. I really like him even though his numbers aren't terribly exciting. Spruill, Davis, Lynch and Vaughan are four players I think we can feel pretty good about heading into next season. Could give it to Lyn as well.
So, I guess that's it. Is anyone still reading?
What we Learned
Marrone's Honeymoon is Over
Listen, a 5-game losing streak for this program and a 5-7 season overall is really not the end of the world. I don't remember exactly what I predicted preseason, but I do remember thinking that getting to 6-6 would be pretty decent based on what we had lost/what we had coming back. But the overall picture for Marrone went from sunshiny with mostly blue skies (scattered grey clouds over the offense) to a lovely central new york pall. (or "paul" as I had renamed it at one point in honor of P -- relax P supporters, it was in jest. Please don't show up at my door.) What were a few nagging offense concerns and a lack of stars in the recruiting class but generally impressive improvement almost everywhere else, became a team with a struggling offense, questions at QB, questions on the staff, a defense that got absolutely steamrolled, special teams that were literally embarrassing. In short, a 5-game losing streak against five beatable teams leaves this program desperate for a reprieve. The offseason couldn't come soon enough. Is Marrone on the hot seat? Not yet, but it certainly sets up a very interesting Year 4.
Nassib is our Quarterback
OK, so I gather that this isn't commonly accepted on the board -- or at least a generally well-received sentiment. But honestly -- you have a kid that doesn't make a lot of egregious errors, doesn't get sacked much (saying something given this OL) and has the ability to make some plays (comp % north of 62 and 22 TDs isn't a horrible season). Is he limited? Yes. Will we go to the BCS with him as QB? No. Will he break out as a senior and be incredible? No. But he is a tough kid, who is smart. He doesn't lock onto receivers. He can throw the ball down the field better than people think (Yes, the deep ball is atrocious, but when he's allowed to throw down the seam he's accurate). He's not the complete package but the folks yearning for what's behind him, IMO, forget that basically being average is something our QBs have rarely achieved the last 10 years or so.
Being Short Doesn't Equal Being Injury-Prone or Soft
Remember how Bailey couldn't play b/c the staff didn't want him injured while backing up DC3? Then everyone on the board said we were doomed with him as a starter b/c he'd wear down? Well, he may be short, but the kid is tough and had a nice year. Greatest vision of any RB we've had? No. But not a bad player.
Experienced DEs Don't Equal Pass Rush
I suppose it's time for me to admit my man crush on Brandon Sharpe, which developed his frosh year, is probably unwarranted. We couldn't rush the passer with our DEs if we gave opponents Michael Hay.
I Owe Bob Casullo an Apology
This season proved that special teams could, in fact, be worse. Bob, you rub me the wrong way and you certainly didn't seem to bring much to the table, but I admit, leaving your coaching slot vacant wasn't a great idea. Who woulda thought a committee approach wouldn't work? Seems to work for the gov. Maybe Marrone should appoint a commission to figure out what went wrong on STs.
Keon Lyn Can Play. Kobena Thinks he Should Break Every Kickoff for a TD. Graham Emerged.
This is dedicated to the positive individual developments on the squad. Love Lyn at CB and think Kobena actually forms a decent KO return duo with Graham. Graham needs a lot of polish at WR but showed some flashes. Lemon played well. It was nice to see Provo healthy and productive. Thought Bromley had some nice moments. Jerome Smith is a little too upright for my tastes but certainly came on strong.
The BE sucks.
The worst thing about losing those 5 straight? The big east has proven to be pretty bad. Losing those five games in a row is much worse than GRob losing to RichRod, Petrino, Edsall and Brian Kelly/Mark Dantonio.
Looking ahead -- Storylines for 2012
No offense, DM, but we could use an offense
Here are the two main issues with the offense as I see them:
1) Talent is not really an excuse -- the point here is that if we don't have the talent to run his offense now, we won't next year and, chances are, may not in 2013. Can't wait that long to move the ball.
2) No one can explain what our offense is -- Well outside of slants and power running anyway. There is no identity here. And this isn't cliche, guy who actually knows nothing about football coaching from the sidelines stuff. It's just an honest, plain observation. I guess we try to power run the ball, but we're out recruiting 260 pound OL. So that's not it. We throw the ball a decent amount and, yes, we'd love a Mike Williams right about now. But I'm not sure anyone has any idea what the general passing game scheme is other than "avoid interceptions." (p.s. if someone posts something about "multiple" in a serious fashion I will throw my computer out the window and cry myself to sleep. So I beg of you -- please don't.)
So the bottom line is this: Something needs to change. Coaching personnel probably need to change (I'm not advocating just guessing that it is hard to entirely shift gears with the exact same coaches). But whatever it is -- we HAVE to move the football more consistently. And in 2012 -- not 2013 or later.
Is DM another in a long line of NFL coaches who will struggle with the college game?
I leave this as a question mark for the sole purpose of saying I'm not sure anyone could say for sure. He's done some excellent things on the hill and 11 months ago I couldn't have imagined I'd be writing that as a 2012 storyline. But, here's the evidence: Struggles to run NFL-style offense in college; recruiting doesn't appear to be his forte (and I'm not really down on DM's recruiting, merely pointing out he's not Ron Zook -- which can be a very good thing); seems to play to win in the fourth quarter; may undervalue special teams; is an abject disaster in clock management. Listen, I'm the first one to admit that maybe this headline at the end of 2012 is -- "When will DM win his first ACC title" or something like that. I like the guy and still generally like the direction of this program. But it's hard not to notice the warts that bubble to the surface when you lose five straight.
Nice to meet you, Mr. New Special Teams Coach
I'll be so excited when someone can utter these words. Such an ugly performance. I'm vomiting in my mouth just thinking about it. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP US!
2011 Awards
The Ryan LaCasse Award (For senior who had a good season in a tough year)
I'm going with Kevyn Scott. Sure, he may have set the record for most "he was there. he was in position. he just didn't ... make the play." moments. But this is a kid that overcame some pretty significant injuries, played hard, came up with two key INTs to help win games and, what the hell, I'll even give him credit for being smart and actually attending class.
The Overused Cliche Award
I was tempted to use "RB is too small, will get injured," "it's OK he transferrred b/c we have Player X and he wouldn't have played", but it's hard to beat "He's a Marrone Kind of Guy." We supposedly exiled all the troublemakers, yet dissension on team was a big part of this 5-game collapse. We also committed a school record 36,217 personal fouls. I don't blame Marrone, but let's all just hope that Marrone's Kind of Guy going forward is really talented.
The NFL Game Day Award
This award goes to the moment in the season when things get so bad they are actually funny. 2011's award goes to the three false starts in one series sequence in yesterday's game. That narrowly edged the three personal fouls, two turnovers, two holding penalties in the first seven minutes. Somewhere P was nodding in approval, recalling to close family friends the golden era of taking delay of game penalties after time outs. GRob was just marveling at the 5 wins.
The This Guy's Going to Be Pretty Good Award
I'll give this to a player who came out of nowhere, Dyshawn Davis. I really like him even though his numbers aren't terribly exciting. Spruill, Davis, Lynch and Vaughan are four players I think we can feel pretty good about heading into next season. Could give it to Lyn as well.
So, I guess that's it. Is anyone still reading?
