’06 Pre-Season Football Mags

'06 Football General62

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago (Link), many of the 2006 pre-season football magazines have hit the stores and preseason football talk has begun in earnest! No more of this pre-mature stuff!

(Update 6/13): The Wolfpacker has done a super job of summarizing the Wolfpack’s presence in all of the preseason magazines in this link.

Our friends at the Red & White from State are perterbed that the Wolfpack is picked dead last in the Atlantic Division (Link) and they aren’t pulling any punches with their feelings about Wolfpack football:

NC State football was once on the lips of national football media as program on the rise. What happened to challenging for conference and national titles? What happened to nationally respected recruiting? Now, there is only sobering reality and questions of ‘where have our dreams gone’. Sadly, after achieving the “stellar” record of 7-5 in 2005, the Pack is going to be rebuilding this year. The Pack, however, has been rebuilding since Philip Rivers’ departure, and there is no reason to believe that Chuck Amato is building anything of note in west Raleigh. Amato certainly has not shown that he can…and that has brought the ire of Wolfpackers, who believed that millions of dollars were laying the foundations for football greatness.

Blue Ribbon has released some of their thoughts on the 2006 college football season, and Pack Pride has highlighted the NC State players selected for pre-season All-ACC honors at this URL. Although it is not up yet…ESPN.com often runs Blue Ribbon’s preseason team profiles as premium content.

Just this week, Wilmington’s Andrew Jones took a brief look ahead at NC State football in this blog entry.

East Carolina visits Carter-Finley on the final weekend of the regular season (Nov. 25) renewing an old rivalry between the schools on a day that should provide terrific tailgating.

ECU is clearly headed in the right direction under second-year coach Skip Holtz and may be playing for a bowl bid, as Conference USA has enough tie-ins to put any team with a .500 or better record in position to challenge for an invitation.

State’s mindset, however, could play a role in how the Wolfpack enters the contest. If State is also playing for a bowl it will likely win comfortably, if it’s had a bad season and Wolfpack supporters are howling about coach Chuck Amato the team could be flat, which would benefit ECU.

At this point, it seems fair to suggest State will go 3-1 outside of the ACC.

SFN has had some really good football entries and conversations as of late. Check out a couple of the following that will be of interest to you:

* Football Position Talk

* Rivals Gets it Right

* Focus on Football

* Carter-Finley’s Best, Part I

* SMQ’s Premature Assessment

* Kudos for ACC Football

* Wolfpackers in the Desert

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'06 Football General

62 Responses to ’06 Pre-Season Football Mags

  1. PBdafan 06/08/2006 at 4:51 PM #

    You have to have someone to throw the ball to. Amato is so desparate, he needs to convert a RB to a WR. So, basically we have no one who can throw the ball, but it doesn’t matter because we have no one to throw it to. All our strength is at the RB position. Gee, if I was getting ready for State next year, I wonder what my defensive strategy would be?

  2. ncsslim 06/08/2006 at 4:58 PM #

    Even at this point (supposedly relatively low talent), I would suspect we have Wake Forest out talented at virtually every positional spot (not sure of their o-line or backers), and for me, totally inconceivable that we would be picked behind them (and/or UMd, which has been a total trainwreck of late) at this stage of Chuck’s career. But we are, and I be damned if I going to put up much an argument. In fact, I would imagine our talent is at least average in the league. But our prognosis is “handicapped” due to the perception of being one of the most ill prepared teams in college football, which again, who of us can argue that point (other than on days when we happen to play the Noles, when we annually see what could have been)?

  3. choppack1 06/08/2006 at 6:02 PM #

    Va Wolf – I agree. However, isn’t poor QB play for 2 seasons when the staff has spent a scholy on a QB every year indicative of a more fundamental flaw?

    I think of the MOC and the Sheridan years – we went thru what – 10 QBs – from Kramer, Poag, Montgomery, Davenport, Jordan, Harvey, Bender, Laureano, and Barnette.

    Now of those guys only one or two of them were likely to lose you a game. And those one or two guys didn’t play too long. It amazes me that we stuck w/ offenses that didn’t utilize our guys skills as well until we played Southern Miss this year.

  4. whitefang 06/08/2006 at 6:11 PM #

    Our talent IS probably average in the league now at least. Should be better than our sister’s down in CH, since we have recruited better than they have for a while (except for last year). But there is no question in my mind at this point that WF is better coached all the way around than we are. And I never thought I would say this, but it seems that Bunting and his staff are doing a better job than Chuck and his. Worse still (especially since I live in western NC) I still say App State could easily beat us this year first game out of the gate AND I KNOW WE ARE MORE TALENTED THAN THEY ARE. Damn I remember the Sheridan days when we WEREN’T as talented, but you knew we would be disciplined and prepared. What would happen if we put the talent together with that kind of coaching staff?

  5. VaWolf82 06/08/2006 at 6:36 PM #

    However, isn’t poor QB play for 2 seasons when the staff has spent a scholy on a QB every year indicative of a more fundamental flaw?

    Not from where I sit. What exactly are you thinking about?

  6. marathonman 06/08/2006 at 8:31 PM #

    I believe that our football season will be defined by how long Amato sticks with Stone at QB. His weakness is his tendancy to hesitate before throwing the ball which usually leads to a busted play where he’s scrambling and trying to run with it, and he proved in the Spring game that nothing has changed. For some reason he lacks confidence in his passing ability and it costs us big plays. We’ve got to have at least a threat of a passing game to open things up for Brown and Baker.

    If Amato chooses to stick with Stone the way he did with Jay Davis, we’re in for a long, frustrating season. Hopefully, he’ll give Greco or Burke a shot early.

  7. RePo 06/08/2006 at 8:47 PM #

    I love NC State, but thank God I am living in the middle of “Sooner Nation” and can watch OU compete for national championships.
    The lack of a great QB or youthful one can bring even the “elite” programs down, I watched it first hand in Norman last year. Hopefully CTC can keep some continuity with his assistants , especially on offense, and get the offense rolling again. It seems to be a problem for him retaining his guys. Its one thing for assistants to leave for head coaching jobs, but it is troublesome when they all seem to make “lateral” moves. He can still recruits the sleepers at least. Hopefully we can put a complete team together and surprise some folks this year.

  8. choppack1 06/08/2006 at 9:11 PM #

    VaWolf – I’m saying that when you have a QB who has been in your “system” 3 or 4 years, if they are being properly coached and prepped, you won’t see the issues we saw in 2004 and the first half of 2005. Thankfully, it looked like we took some good strides the second of 2005 – where it looked like we had effectively matched our QB, his skillsets and a proper game-plan.

    I’m actually a pretty big Stone fan when it comes to his ability to execute a gameplan. I’ll be interested to see how we do this year when we’ll probably need to score more than 20 most games.

  9. JT 06/09/2006 at 7:58 AM #

    Amato really needs to show some heretofore unseen coaching chops the next two years. He seemed to realize that a flashy image will only get you so far last year. But the assistant coaching turnover has been crazy from early on. That has always troubled me. And some top notch talent has really gone wasted since Rivers’ senior year. It’s put up or shut up time, and I think Amato knows it. Two more years, and then it’s lame duck status if the program isn’t trending upwards.

  10. PBdafan 06/09/2006 at 9:14 AM #

    I hate to keep harping on it but here’s what’s going to happen:

    – we have very strong RBs so that will be the primary offensive focus;

    – our QB is mainly a running QB;

    – the top WR will be a converted RB, so any throws to him will be short-range, and essentially glorified running plays;

    I’m sure we will rack up the points in the 1st three games, but when we face real competition, the other teams will stack the line and dare State to throw. Suddenly our RBs won’t look so good

    Chuck will continue to say all the funny, witty, things that endears him with the media, and will continue to mask a horrible program by beating nobodies and pulling an occasional upset. If that’s okay with the administration fine, but I’ll be doing something else on Saturdays this fall.

  11. Mr O 06/09/2006 at 9:20 AM #

    “One year (Phillip’s last) we had one of the top rated offenses in the nation. The next year, we had the top rated defense in the nation. If the defense could have come through one year earlier, we would have contended. If we had a QB one year later, we would have contended. Those were the two years I was referring to.”

    You have to be able to play on both sides of the ball not to mention have strong special teams to win a national title. So you still have pointed out a single year where we realistically had a shot at a national title.

  12. Iam4NCSU 06/09/2006 at 9:24 AM #

    Chuck will never have more overall talent on the field than he had last year. I agree the QB position, was horrible. However, we had enough talent to win games and did not because of poor coaching. With the defense we had the last 2 years, and the lack of an offense, we should have used our defnese to win games by playing the field position battle. But instead, we let our shaky offense, make too many mistakes by not playing conservative enough. That is poor coaching. And I haven’t even touched on the undisciplined stupid penalties. Its all coaching. In 2004, we had the #1 defense in the nation, and had more total yards of offense than every one of our competitors. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? The answer, poor coaching. Plain and simple. I was high on Amato through the Phillip Rivers (aka The fooball Jesus) era. But have been very disapointed since.

  13. Iam4NCSU 06/09/2006 at 9:26 AM #

    ^ Losing record in ’04 with those stats

  14. PBdafan 06/09/2006 at 9:30 AM #

    Mr O, think about it. In Phillip’s last year, the only thing that separated us from a BCS berth was the defense. Going into that year, the defense looked like they were going to be great, and we knew the offense would be great. Don’t forget, the defense going into that year were essentially the same group of guys that ended up #1 the next year. Obviously as the season progressed it was evident the defense was going to hold us back. But when I say I felt we had a chance, that was going into the season, not after the season was over. And the next year, I really believe if Jay Davis turned out to be a decent QB, we could have contended with the defense we had. Remember, we beat VT in the opener, and Davis only needed a good 2nd half to make that happen. All games would have been winnable with a QB.

  15. Dan 06/09/2006 at 9:50 AM #

    That entry by RAWFS really blew me away for two reasons.

    1) Its a projection before any games are played. Anybody who allows a preseason projection to affect the way they view a coach, or uses said projection as evidence in an argument is a person who really does not have a full grasp of the sport. Who cares about projections? Projections are always wrong. Even when they right, they are wrong, because it is luck.

    2) The time to fire Amato was the year we got rid of Mazzone. That was rock bottom. Since then the program has been improving. Wins and losses do not always correspond to the strength of the program. We may have the worst season we’ve had in a while this year, but recruiting is better than it has been since Chuck first few seasons. The biggest problem in recent seasons, the OL, is looking to be better especially in ’07. The ’07 class is on track to be nationally ranked. And Chuck isnt Herb. The anti-Herb camp had solid ground to stand on when the argued the backers like me that Herb had not really proved he could coach 5-star recuits well enough for it to matter. Chuck has proved it.

    We stayed with Chuck after the Mazzone failure. Now he has an offensive staff that looks to be up to task. Not to mention that Chuck has a monument to what he has brought to NC State. Its called Carter-Finley Stadium. We cant give him the chance to retool the offensive staff and then let him go before they are given the time they need to show what they can do. Dunlap hasnt even had a chance to show what he can do yet. No one can say anything either way there yet. If the team goes south in ’07, and the ’08 recruiting class in a stinker, I won’t stand in anyone’s way. But this year, Chuck and Co. should have our support. He’s doing a good job this spring and he should be made to feel that his fans are smart enough to see that.

  16. Dan 06/09/2006 at 9:52 AM #

    Oh, and btw, the argument above isnt even the #1 reason to keep Amato.

    Lest you all forget, Lee Fowler is still our AD. There is absolutely NO REASON to believe he is up to the task of replacing Chuck.

  17. PBdafan 06/09/2006 at 10:19 AM #

    Anyway, Pack football is irrelevant for the near future. I’ll be pulling for the Panthers (and now the Chargers) on Sundays, but I refuse to waste my time at CF on Saturdays. If I were Lee Fowler, I would start doing my homework now.

  18. Wulfpack 06/09/2006 at 11:06 AM #

    “The time to fire Amato was the year we got rid of Mazzone. That was rock bottom. Since then the program has been improving.”

    I have seen no evidence whatsoever that this is the case. I am beginning to believe Chuck is quite the salesman, and that’s about it. Personally, it’s embarassing to hear him carry on about excuse after excuse. Chuck needs to put his money where his mouth is. If there is no improvement this year, what reason is there to believe that he is up to the task?

  19. redfred2 06/09/2006 at 11:13 AM #

    I’ll watch every game and be looking for improvement as the season progresses, that’s all. Same with basketball. There is one major roadblock left standing in the way of success for both programs now. But once again, the only thing heard coming out of Raleigh is the all too familiar dead silence of hesitation and indecision.

  20. primacyone 06/09/2006 at 11:23 AM #

    If we go 7 and 5 this year, it will be an good coaching job. I believe Amato has done the best job of any wolfpack coach at recruiting talent as far as quantity goes.

    He has missed on one position (QB) and has missed on coaches, but there is not a lot you can do about either one of those on game day. That has been the difference between 7 and 5 and 9 and 3 the last few years or even 10 and 2 last year.

    This current staff seems to have it together and the year after next looks promising. But if we go 7 and 5 this year, I would give credit to excellent coaching just as I blame the year before last on horrible coaching and some of the out of state talent not having enough heart/desire to whip up on UNC.

    But I have found it very difficult for me to blame Amato on single position failures. Almost as hard as watching those failures take place. But I am not going to be booing the team because one QB was not up for the challenge of the ACC and the challenge of walking in behind Philip Rivers. I hated it, but I just can not get myself to blame Amato for it, and I still think Amato has what it takes.

    As far as this thread goes and the Mag articles. I don’t think they know any better than me right now. And I can tell you, I don’t have a clue one way or another how good we will be this year. I know we’ll run the ball, but that’s about it.

    Oh yeah, I also know we will throw a lot less interceptions this year. There is no doubt about that.

  21. class of 74 06/09/2006 at 11:27 AM #

    Weak athletic admin. is and has been our problem for years. Without strong leadership from our AD we can expect our programs to just drift along aimlessly as they have for the past 15 years. I do not expect the football program to progress any further than it has. I think we’ve seen our highwater mark in football.

  22. VaWolf82 06/09/2006 at 11:55 AM #

    I’m saying that when you have a QB who has been in your “system� 3 or 4 years, if they are being properly coached and prepped, you won’t see the issues we saw in 2004 and the first half of 2005.

    How do you choose between a poor “teacher” and a poor “student”? At every level of FB, there are players that never produce at the “next” level. Are you saying that the coaching staffs of NFL teams are to blame when their first-round draft picks don’t work out?

    To date, State has had one QB that did not work out like we expected or hoped. I’ll admit that I am not optimistic about Stone, but he hasn’t started for a full season yet and has only worked with Trestman for one year. I think you need alot more info before you can indict the coaching staff for incompetence.

  23. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 06/09/2006 at 12:04 PM #

    Ever since V was named AD the program has had problem with the position. That is a 20 year problem that no one has been able to fix.

  24. johnny 06/09/2006 at 12:47 PM #

    IMHO going to be along year for pack fans in both major sports.
    Hope we keep CTC. After the BB coaching search, I would hate to see us replace the FB coach. Wonder if our OC schedule is week enough to get us to 6 wins?

  25. Iam4NCSU 06/09/2006 at 1:15 PM #

    “Herb had not really proved he could coach 5-star recuits well enough for it to matter. Chuck has proved it. ”

    The only thing Chuck has proved is NFL-talent doesn’t mean squat without a good coach.

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