Post GT Game Fallout

'06 Football General NCS Football47

We will post more during the day, but we thought we would get everyone started with Ned Barnett’s article.

RALEIGH – If N.C. State was playing horseshoes instead of football, it would be among the best in the nation.

This is a team that’s expert at landing close. Unfortunately, there are no points for leaners, no matter how far the Pack gets its fans to lean forward in their seats.

Saturday’s 31-23 loss was State’s fourth in a row by eight points or less, but there’s nothing close about the gap in the win column. The Pack is 3-6 and bound for Death Valley. One more loss and the season will be a losing one.

Also, it is funny that this article is the 3rd most popular article in the N&O the last 7 days.

'06 Football General NCS Football

47 Responses to Post GT Game Fallout

  1. class of 74 11/05/2006 at 10:51 AM #

    Examine the record of the past 7 seasons and you will see we do not beat anybody badly (except undermanned Non-Div I schools) and for the most part we don’t lose too badly either. Chuck can’t cover his coaching mistakes with his recruiting skills. It has gotten very old and tiresome these past four years. What will it take for the admin and WPC to say close just ain’t cutting it?

  2. choppack1 11/05/2006 at 10:54 AM #

    I like this quote:

    “But those wins are more damning than encouraging. Here is a team that can beat Boston College and Florida State, but falls to Akron, gets pummeled by Southern Miss, and can’t score more than seven points against a Virginia team that lost 33-0 to Florida State on Saturday.

    There’s plainly talent on the team, but there’s also a pattern of underachievement and self destruction. State has gotten close to winning, but it’s only getting the Pack closer to hitting bottom.”

  3. redfred2 11/05/2006 at 11:31 AM #

    “But those wins are more damning than encouraging.”

    Point blank and dead on.

    They cannot build upon. It’s like scratching a gameplan in the sand, and then rubbing it out and starting back at square one week after week after week. Not even in the same game, from one offense set to the next, no continuity anywhere.

  4. Wolfpack4ever 11/05/2006 at 11:55 AM #

    I have to a fault supported the coaches of our football team. I still support the players. Last night was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

    With a running game that was repeatedly stiffled, we ran the ball 3 straight times once we passed our way inside the 10 yd line. Hello?

    We throw to Ant Hill, who is known to be “working” on his ablility to catch the ball, in crucial situations, we run into the pile relying on power blocking that is not there, and IMNSHO our pass offence is poorly designed.

    We may have some good coaches, Steve Dunlap comes to mind, but the quality is missing overall.

  5. redfred2 11/05/2006 at 12:21 PM #

    4ever

    I hate it for everyone involved.

    But let’s look a possible bright scenario for everyone except the OC. Chuck Amato is valuable commodity at NCSU as a DC, and maybe even moreso as a GREAT recruiter. I hope he can look around at the overall, accept the facts, and stick around to see the momentum and foundation that he created headed in the right direction. There is still plenty of room for Chuck Amato at NCSU under the right circumstances. Whether he can accept the facts and move on in Raleigh, is the question.

  6. thebigwood 11/05/2006 at 12:53 PM #

    ^is it a reality to think that Amato would take a demotion? Man, my dream would be to pick off Norm Chow as our new head coach…

  7. StateFans 11/05/2006 at 12:59 PM #

    Can anyone explain why Marcus Stone needed to be on the field at WR so much in crucial situations? Do we not have any other recruited WRs?

    If I was a recruited WR and they put a former QB on the field in front of me after one week of practice, I would be on the first transfer train out of town.

  8. newswolf 11/05/2006 at 1:15 PM #

    How well would Geron James do in a real offense.

  9. Lock 11/05/2006 at 1:39 PM #

    One would argue this is just about the best proof you will ever get for the existence of karma. Not that I feel it’s 100% just, nor do I WANT it to be the case, but it makes for an interesting ponderance.

  10. Woof Wolf 11/05/2006 at 1:44 PM #

    “Where will Bill Cowher be next year, Pittsburgh, N C State or sitting somewhere with his fee up?” they just asked on the FOX pregame show.

  11. Woof Wolf 11/05/2006 at 1:44 PM #

    “feet” up

  12. tvp 11/05/2006 at 1:52 PM #

    Gutless playcalling.

    Baffling coaching decisions.

    Poor execution in do-or-die situations.

    Wasteful, stupid penalties.

    This is Chuck Amato football.

  13. packpigskinfan23 11/05/2006 at 2:28 PM #

    4Ever- welcome to our side of thinking.

    Amato as DC, Chow as OC, Cowher as HC…. then CF will turn into solid gold and the gates will all turn to pearl!!!!

  14. vtpackfan 11/05/2006 at 2:34 PM #

    I like the horseshoe analogy because just prior to reading this a thought came to my head regarding sports analagies, the Wolfpack and ACC football. Right now the ACC competitivly resembles a PGA tour event where Tiger Woods skips. From the top of the money list down to the bottom players are seperated by a few strokes for scoring average. If doing the finer things in football like not make silly mistakes like penalties and drop passes were equated to chipping and sand shots for a golfer then the four straight losses to ACC foes at 8 points or less makes complete sense. But lets face it, special teams touchdowns and the INT TD last night are like 40 ft. birdies that we’ve had to make to keep these games that competitive.
    Not looking forward to Clemson game one bit. They are pissed off and we havn’t woken up from one bus ride by halftime yet this season. It all sets up well for the Bunting Bowl, which I have to think unless something drastic hapeens between now and then will be in there favor coming into it. I could care less about Skippy and the Barney Pirates. Lets do some tweaking at OL and get ready for ’07 in that joke of a end of season game.

  15. tvp 11/05/2006 at 2:34 PM #

    Really, the only question now should be the one poised by SFN a few weeks ago – do we make a change after the season, or do we wait one more year to see what Cowher does this offseason?

  16. graywolf 11/05/2006 at 2:46 PM #

    I think Cowher takes a year off and we get him for 2008. CTC gets a year to make himself look good going out and everyone is happy.
    However, CTC is way too egotistical to become DC, maybe assistant AD in charge of fund raising or something but never DC.

  17. redfred2 11/05/2006 at 2:58 PM #

    thebigwood

    “is it a reality…”

    Ego is the only thing in the way of Chuck Amato not seeing his vision through to the end. He was right in the middle and molded as it all took shape. Everything is still here. This place can still explode onto the scene next season. I say that if Amato stays on board in a lesser capacity somehow, he’ll get the credit and be remembered fondly for his hard work on down the road.

    If it were offered and Amato walked away because he’s upset and thinks he deserves better, he’ll live to regret it. I’m not saying he is the linchpin, but his decision to leave if offered another position, would basically erase the memory of of his part in all of the great things he accomplished while here.

    I can see a crying Chuck Amato being called to the podium, after a Wolfpack squad that he is still a part of, wins the ACC title and gets the out right BCS bid. The guy started it all, and the once head coach, now defensive coordinator, would be sentimental favorite from there on out.

  18. Packaholic1 11/05/2006 at 3:35 PM #

    Think back to when Chuck was hired. Remember his conditions for taking the job. Remember what he has said consistently about the difficulty of building a championship-caliber program in Raleigh. Remember the quality of the ACC in 2000 and what it is now.

    Unfortunately, this building of a program is not quick, it’s not easy and its certainly not cheap.

  19. legacyman 11/05/2006 at 3:47 PM #

    I have said all along that rebuilding our football program or just building it beyond where it has been forever is not a short process for hardly any programs. It’s rare that a coach steps into a program similar to ours and raises it to lofty levels. We waited ten years for the former bball coach to do it and he left on his own terms. We really owe that much time to Chuck and then he will make the proper decision if he doesn’t succeed.

    We have invested the money into facilities as nice as most in this country, we have invested much hard work by volunteering to raise those funds and to expand the WPC membership and we have created a new aspiration among the faithful. Certainly we have not reached that lofty goal and maybe we never will but we don’t have to stop longing and pushing for it.

    In basketball we, some of us, knew what had been once upon a time and what could be some other day but I don’t think many felt over the last five years that we truly were going to achieve more than bare mediocrity and the majority voiced those concerns. Changes eventually came. Changes will come in the football program if that feeling of despair affects our football wishes.

  20. Woof Wolf 11/05/2006 at 4:42 PM #

    I don’t see how anyone could consider what’s been going on the last three years to be building or rebuilding.

    Recruiting has been Chuck’s strong point but this year doesn’t look good at this point. Rivals has us ranked 52nd in the country and 10th in the conference. The national ranking for the other teams in the ACC are: Clemson 5; UVA 8; VPI 10; Ga Tech 15; UNC 16; Miami 17; Maryland 24; BC 32; FSU 33, Wake 62; and Duke 67.

    We have 13 commitments, 0 four and five stars, and 6 three stars. In comparison, Clemson has 17 total commitments, 1 five star, 6 fours, & 10 threes. UNC has 16, 1, 4, & 6.

    Unless we pull out one of those miracle comebacks were going to drop even more behind.

  21. jwrenn29 11/05/2006 at 5:32 PM #

    What a great article! Now if only our coaches would be able to look at it so objectively.

  22. Wolfpack4ever 11/05/2006 at 6:00 PM #

    Interesting that Wake is rated 62 with the best showing in years. Grobe seems to find the Manny Lawsons and develop them. The ranking of recruiting classes is far more crucial in bb than fb IMO. The question is do we have the coaches to develop the 3s. right now I just don’t know.

    Chuck really has quite the dilemma: does he interupt the problems on Offence and be guilty of micro-management or stay hands off and keep getting what he’s been getting. I’d tell the OC to meet with his staff and come up with a plan for exciting, inovative and effective use of talent on hand. If that means scrapping the WCO, so be it.

  23. Wolfpack4ever 11/05/2006 at 6:23 PM #

    Redfred, What about replacing LF with Amato? Bring in Cowher to coach football and Kaye to coach wbb? Just kidding about Kaye Cowher.

  24. Wulfpack 11/05/2006 at 6:37 PM #

    ^Legacy, I’m not about to compare our current football program to the last guy’s basketball regime. We weren’t finishing in the bottom of the conference in basketball, quite the contrary. No changes were made. The last guy left on his own doing. He wasn’t going to be fired. Chuck has had plenty of time. The program is dropping, and dropping fast. I stand by my belief that we are no better off today than the MOC years. Just look at the #s, it isn’t pretty. As for your investment piece, I do believe those that have invested are wondering where in the hell their money went. Right down the drain.

  25. Woof Wolf 11/05/2006 at 6:42 PM #

    …4ever:

    I like it; even the Kaye part. All of the kids will be out of the nest.

    “If that means scrapping the WCO, so be it.”

    I couldn’t agree more. All coaches try to recruit players who can run their schemes. Good coaches modify their schemes to fit the talent they have.

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