Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
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Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
On a recent episode of Ted Lasso, the coaches gather to watch film of a humiliating soccer defeat. Ted tells his assistants, "Sometimes, every once in a blue moon, there's a game so awful... so..." "Dogsh**," interrupts Roy Kent. "Haunting," adds Nate. "Catastrophe of epic proportions," says Coach Beard. "That the only way to watch it," continues Ted, "is at ten times the speed, and with the Benny Hill theme music playing under it. Here we go." That was that game yesterday.
I only have one observation about it: and that is that Coach Lea is the right coach to help the team get through a loss as humiliating as that one was. No, I don't think he probably knows the Benny Hill theme song. Knowing him, I am pretty sure rather that the staff and players will watch through that film play by play, and work on correcting the mistakes that they made. And then they will move on to the next game. From day one, the Lea approach has been, "We are not going to let outside voices assign the value of this team. We are going to assign our own value to the program based on the work and level of sacrifice we're willing to put in for each other." And boy, do they need to take that approach this week because let me tell you, outside voices from within and outside the fan base are going to attempt to determine and assign the value of this team. It started happening about 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, and it's only going to get worse. The players need to tune all this out; they need to stay off Twitter and message boards and the ESPN Bottom Ten. They need the message Coach Lea has been hammering. They need to assign their own value, based on the work they're willing to put in. "Win the response," was the shorthand for it after the ETSU game, and it worked pretty well for them the next week. Here's hoping it will again.
I only have one observation about it: and that is that Coach Lea is the right coach to help the team get through a loss as humiliating as that one was. No, I don't think he probably knows the Benny Hill theme song. Knowing him, I am pretty sure rather that the staff and players will watch through that film play by play, and work on correcting the mistakes that they made. And then they will move on to the next game. From day one, the Lea approach has been, "We are not going to let outside voices assign the value of this team. We are going to assign our own value to the program based on the work and level of sacrifice we're willing to put in for each other." And boy, do they need to take that approach this week because let me tell you, outside voices from within and outside the fan base are going to attempt to determine and assign the value of this team. It started happening about 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, and it's only going to get worse. The players need to tune all this out; they need to stay off Twitter and message boards and the ESPN Bottom Ten. They need the message Coach Lea has been hammering. They need to assign their own value, based on the work they're willing to put in. "Win the response," was the shorthand for it after the ETSU game, and it worked pretty well for them the next week. Here's hoping it will again.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Good post, Brent. I do have to say that , after "trust the process" for so many years, I am tired of platitudes and hope to see at least some progress.
I really hope that ,when CCL does his evaluation /analysis at season's end, he looks objectively at coaching staff and makes some decisions based on competency and not friendships. Tough I know but his first obligation is to provide quality leadership and results to players and school.
I really hope that ,when CCL does his evaluation /analysis at season's end, he looks objectively at coaching staff and makes some decisions based on competency and not friendships. Tough I know but his first obligation is to provide quality leadership and results to players and school.
Last edited by OldDude on Sun Sep 26, 2021 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
It would be very difficult for anyone who is required to talk in public as much as a college football coach to avoid engaging in what some people label platitudes. I know I could not do it.OldDude wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:45 pm Good post, Brent. I do have to say that , after "trust the process" for so many years, I am tried of platitudes and hope to see at least some progress.
I really hope that ,when CCL does his evaluation /analysis at season's end, he looks objectively at coaching staff and makes some decisions based on competency and not friendships. Tough I know but his first obligation is to provide quality leadership and results to players and school.
'23 '27 '28 '32 '36 '37 '38 '39 '41
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'43 '47 '49 '50 '51 '52 '53 '56 '58
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Gosh, it seems Vandy has tried a bit of everything over the years and had a good sampling of what works and what doesn't work. I have no idea if CCL is the right guy or not as I understand he is trying to change the culture and the university appears to be contributing at an unprecedented level but wow, they are really behind the competition.
Short term fixes would be things like what Dinardo attempted in ball control so the defense isn't out there so much. The thought is if you control the clock and can get into the 4th quarter with a reasonable chance to win, anything can happen. I know there are many who hate the thought of looking like a service academy but to an extent, it is proven to keep the scores down.
We just have to see the gap decreasing between recruiting, facilities, football cultures, etc... Until that happens, this is an OVC level program competing in the best football conference in America that keeps getting better.
Short term fixes would be things like what Dinardo attempted in ball control so the defense isn't out there so much. The thought is if you control the clock and can get into the 4th quarter with a reasonable chance to win, anything can happen. I know there are many who hate the thought of looking like a service academy but to an extent, it is proven to keep the scores down.
We just have to see the gap decreasing between recruiting, facilities, football cultures, etc... Until that happens, this is an OVC level program competing in the best football conference in America that keeps getting better.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Sam Pittman, in his first stint as a HC, hired Kendall Briles at OC and Barry Odom as his DC. Look at the difference in talent and experience their coordinators have compared to our guys. I hope Lea realizes we need to upgrade the coaching talent on both sides of the ball.OldDude wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:45 pm Good post, Brent. I do have to say that , after "trust the process" for so many years, I am tried of platitudes and hope to see at least some progress.
I really hope that ,when CCL does his evaluation /analysis at season's end, he looks objectively at coaching staff and makes some decisions based on competency and not friendships. Tough I know but his first obligation is to provide quality leadership and results to players and school.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Right on, Brent. Only one minor disagreement. I may be all alone here, but I wouldn’t call this loss humiliating. Sure, the final score was almost as awful as the first quarter score, but our players didn’t quit. After falling behind 35-0, they stopped two second-quarter Georgia drives with an interception and a goal line stand (their second in as many weeks). They made some good tackles. The offense had a tough day, but they were up against an elite defense. If Clemson couldn’t score a TD against them, what did anybody expect us to do?
Everybody wearing black and gold got a close-up view of how a great team plays, and I suspect CCL will make the opportunity pay off. Better days are coming, and I for one am really going to enjoy spoiling Georgia’s Homecoming again someday.
Our next opponent, UConn, has been widely mocked and made the butt of jokes since the season got underway. Yet they got up off the mat and gave undefeated Wyoming all they could handle this week. So maybe we can learn a bit from them, too.
Everybody wearing black and gold got a close-up view of how a great team plays, and I suspect CCL will make the opportunity pay off. Better days are coming, and I for one am really going to enjoy spoiling Georgia’s Homecoming again someday.
Our next opponent, UConn, has been widely mocked and made the butt of jokes since the season got underway. Yet they got up off the mat and gave undefeated Wyoming all they could handle this week. So maybe we can learn a bit from them, too.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
So great to read calm, reasoned next-day analysis recognizing where we are.
So much better than the knee-jerk "He's the wrong guy!" declarations even before the Coach's first game as a Head Coach is over. And the third. And the fourth.
So much better than the knee-jerk "He's the wrong guy!" declarations even before the Coach's first game as a Head Coach is over. And the third. And the fourth.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Agree with the “this sucks but let’s give this some time” crowd. Good to hear from you guys. A win next week would really be great, nevertheless.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
What about a combination of ball control, a little of the old razzle dazzle and a little risk-taking?cc11316 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 1:19 pm Gosh, it seems Vandy has tried a bit of everything over the years and had a good sampling of what works and what doesn't work. ...
Short term fixes would be things like what Dinardo attempted in ball control so the defense isn't out there so much. The thought is if you control the clock and can get into the 4th quarter with a reasonable chance to win, anything can happen. I know there are many who hate the thought of looking like a service academy but to an extent, it is proven to keep the scores down. ...
Ball control to keep opponents' superior and explosive offenses off the field, which means we actually have to make first downs of course.
Which leads to taking sensible, calculated risks when needed -- like going for it on 4th and 1 or 2 more often, especially in the opponent's territory. CJF did this with success and I've wondered why other coaches don't in similar situations. It also means attempting the field goal on 4th and 7 in field-goal range when trailing 62-0 (but we all seem to agree on that).
It also makes sense for teams like Vanderbilt to run more trick plays -- not every set of downs but occasionally and with the focus on ball control. We've got smart players who ought to be able to execute them. When all else fails, why not?
Last edited by FayetteDore on Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
UConn almost won vs 31 point favorite: Wyoming. Granted, this year's Wyoming is the most pedestrian and underwhelming 4-0 team in history and will not deserve the bowl game they will be getting, but UConn outplayed them most of the game.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Not really - he is far more analytical and detailed in his approach not to mention forward thinking in some of his staff appointments. I think we have a very inexperienced, but fast learning head coach. He has already won a game and I expect more this season.
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Re: Observation (only one this week) on the Georgia game
Not sure I could have said it any better. I do think he needs to think more IN the box than out with his staff picks. Not getting it done. I see some awful basic mistakes by players and staff calls. I don't see any improvement in some players. We can't do the DiNardo ball control because we are so thin & weak at the running back position. The young guys are not there yet and Rocko is not gonna get you there. Davis was a legit SEC talent....OldDude wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 12:45 pm Good post, Brent. I do have to say that , after "trust the process" for so many years, I am tired of platitudes and hope to see at least some progress.
I really hope that ,when CCL does his evaluation /analysis at season's end, he looks objectively at coaching staff and makes some decisions based on competency and not friendships. Tough I know but his first obligation is to provide quality leadership and results to players and school.
"I have not yet begun to fight!" ....John Paul Jones