O’Brien: ‘There’s going to be better days’

“It wasn’t a one-year move,” O’Brien said. “It wasn’t a one-game move. It’s a five to 10-year move on my part. We got pretty beat up today but there’s going to be better days. We’re going to be a much better football team and we’re going to be a heckuva football program.”

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'07 Football General NCS Football Tom O'Brien

74 Responses to O’Brien: ‘There’s going to be better days’

  1. noah 09/08/2007 at 11:29 PM #

    He’s right. We’re having a phenomenal recruiting class (it really is a great one). We’ve got some good young talent on the team.

    We just are fatally flawed in some places where you can’t be bad. It’s like a hole below the waterline.

    This too shall pass.

  2. Cosmo96 09/09/2007 at 12:27 AM #

    I’m glad he said that. That notion is the only thing keeping me from kicking in the TV.

    Patience is the key……

  3. RochesterRedWolf 09/09/2007 at 12:43 AM #

    I was reading the other thread before this…i can’t believe anyone of you guys is upset that the OL is not playing well and on top of that blaming it on TOB. Also none of this is worth kicking a TV in or getting that upset.

    What was tough, and i’ll admit, was being up 10-7, with the ball after just marching all over the field two drives before that.

    Normally when you’re only down 17-10 at the half, with a tonnnn of turnovers and -15000 rushing yards, you’re doing something right. The problem of course was that the OL never could just get straightened out, nor should we expect it to i think, maybe in 2-3 weeks, maybe by week 8, maybe not until 2 years from now, i don’t know.

    The defense was ridiculous today and they came to play. Btw, if you guys want to watch the game, it was on 360…much better announcers than espn2.

    The defense consistently got a push into the backfield…the other thing that was very noticeable was how many balls over the middle that BC Receivers/Running Back dropped, the reason being because a few of them had gotten tagged early, and man, i can’t believe how many passes those guys dropped. But if they had caught them, it would have been lights out.

    There were also 3 passes that Pack CB/Safeties/LB’s caused them to be fumbled. The last two were clearly fumbles but never called, that was infuriating

    4 penalties for 32 yards, pretty damn good

    And I don’t know why some of you guys are on Beck’s balls. What he did today was exactly why he was NOT named the starter. He makes bad decisions. The stuff he did today was just F’ing stupid. I have seen so far EVERY pass that Beck has thrown and all the deep balls he throws are into 2x/3x coverage and he did it today all day. The announcer in the last game (UCF) kept saying “Kid we know you’ve got a big arm, but when you have guys running wide open (andre brown) underneath you have got to hit them.

    AB showed today after a VERY frustrating day for him, why he’s still a game breaker with that long TD run, stamina, drive, he’s got it. TOB was asked if he was ok and he said he was fine, so no injury.

    I saw Kuhn do a couple of nice things today, the whole front 4. Audi Augustin had some very nice plays rushing the QB, and don’t forget, BC has one of the best OL units in the country.

    Have patience and keep your heads up Wolfpack Fans.

  4. jwrenn29 09/09/2007 at 12:55 AM #

    So to sum up…our O line and QB situation stink, and there is likely no solution this season so they will be problems all year. Get used to it.

  5. Astral Rain2 09/09/2007 at 1:31 AM #

    This says one thing to me- recruit the best QB possible in the offseason. Then,get the best lineman possible. Might be more prudent to switch the order. Part of me has a bad feeling Beck will never get it.

  6. brown pelican 09/09/2007 at 1:50 AM #

    o’brien will get it done—changing thinking is required to change actions—the first takes time—the second happens post haste once the former occurs—go pack

  7. tractor57 09/09/2007 at 8:07 AM #

    We all knew the OL and QB situations well before the season so seeing the weakness show up in games should be expected.
    I was really excited by the defensive performance – especially with the personnel losses.
    And one thing I noticed was none of that “happy dance” crap after tackling a runner 15 yards down the field.
    What we have here is a team with some very solid areas and some glaring weaknesses (weaknesses that Chuck never could (or never would) address. I have confidence that TOB will attack those areas and we shall see improvements – will take some time and I think the improvements on the OL will be minor until the line is augmented with recruits.
    As for QB – Beck has almost 0 experience – much more raw talent than Evans but neither one will prosper without MUCH improved OL play.

    Just like the BB program we are looking at an upgrade and we aren’t talking about microwave popcorn so that will take some time.

  8. vtpackfan 09/09/2007 at 8:41 AM #

    Nice game by Darrel Davis at WR. Where was Bowens? Did he play at all?

  9. ncsslim 09/09/2007 at 8:59 AM #

    Justin Burke just may be the worst QB prospect in the world.

  10. BJD95 09/09/2007 at 9:12 AM #

    I believe Coach O’Brien. This is going to be a really long year, so we might as well get used to it!

    Starting Evans does nothing for the future, so I would stick with Beck. We need to see what we have with him.

    FWIW, Evans is always good against a base defense without pressure (see end of Southern Miss game last year). That’s nothing like real game situations, where the game just gets too fast for him, compounded by the fact that defenses don’t have to respect his arm on the deep ball. When Evans is under duress, he’s horrid, especially since his concussion.

  11. thebigwood 09/09/2007 at 9:15 AM #

    ^ Just curious, why do you say that, slim?

  12. vtpackfan 09/09/2007 at 9:36 AM #

    Ok, I see where Bowens had a catch. I like this receiving corps more then any we have had in years in terms of the up side potential.

    Stone is good in the passing game, and it’s great to gush about the unselfish attitude, but it kind of stops short there. I saw his get trounced most of the day trying to block real DE’s. Losing Hill, (then the subsequent scape goating of McCuller) stack’s the deck pretty high.

  13. vtpackfan 09/09/2007 at 10:42 AM #

    Anybody catch that we tried a new punter (I think?). It looked like he kicked it with his left foot. PK Hauska has been a pleasant surprise so far. Too bad he started Grad school and run out of eligibility after this one.

  14. redfred2 09/09/2007 at 10:42 AM #

    “and don’t forget, BC has one of the best OL units in the country.”

    With what he put together at BC, and what he’s dealing with now, I just think that line bares repeating for TOB’s sake, as well as our own. He is already well aware of what has to be done and how to do it. Future recruiting classes may not be loaded with flashy players that jump out at anyone, but TOB will go in the opposite direction from the previous by putting the necessary players in place first, then he’ll concentrate on the “skilled” areas.

  15. vtpackfan 09/09/2007 at 10:58 AM #

    One last thing before a make the most of the remains of a weekend. I noticed yesterday that the commentator thought TOB’s comment’s about BC being a 8 or 9 win team year after compared to NC State’s unlimited ceiling a bit nauseating.

    For one, he completly disagreed. Second, he spoke of are complete lack our success compared to what TOB just put together at BC. He was unable to put 1 and 1 together, that TOB planned to start from the bottom rung and work his way up the same way he did at BC. Therefor he took the qoute, IMO, out of context even further then the miserable, core) BC fan base (all 1200 of them).

    No one cares states the quote was in front of NC State boosters and local press, and that he also said we would beat UNX. “No, I completely disagree with his logic there. This team has been losing to the Tar Heels, so what is he thinking telling his new Boss and boosters that he is going to beat them. I don’t agree with that.”

    Also refreshing that football commentators will gleefully remind any onlooker that we have had little success over the long haul at NC State, but getting any one in the national media to comment on our past in basketball is nearly impossible.

  16. redfred2 09/09/2007 at 11:19 AM #

    vt, good stuff! It’s hard not sound like a whiner when talking about the media, but I do not understand their consistently negative stance or their flat out denial of the reality of NCSU’s basketball history. Some have said that NCSU’s admin. and maybe a past coach or so, have catered to the media even at the expense of their own fans. Sad thing is that they’ve even failed miserably at that. They are just a sad bunch of yes men and whipping boys for the press.

  17. red-enough 09/09/2007 at 11:53 AM #

    Harrison Beck gives us the best chance to win, period.
    Yes, he’s going to have some boneheaded plays where he plays like the ROOKIE he essentially is, but in the end, he can stand and deliver better than anyone else we have to offer at this point.
    You cannot teach arm strength, and he’s got a TON OF IT. He just needs to become mentally sharper, without losing his aggressiveness. That’s not an easy chore, but I’m confident that TOB and crew can make it happen, unless of course Beck is just a babbling idiot, but from what i’ve heard in his interviews and quotes, that’s not the case…. so I say let Dana and Tom continue to work with him, and they’ll get him to calm down a bit with the duck and chuck mentality.
    Our O-line will undoubtedly be better if and when McCullers is allowed to return, but I noticed marked improvement in game 2 vs. game 1, so we’re moving in the right direction.

    This season is all about growing comfortable with one another, and anyone expecting more than a couple of wins will likely be disappointed. This team has a ton of talent, but they don’t really know how to turn that talent into WINNING football games. We’ve lost our confidence and swagger that comes from winning, but once we find it, we will be able to salvage a few wins this year. I am truly happy with both our football and b-ball coaches currently, and am optimistic that the future for both programs is extremely bright.

    Be patient, and be true… SUPPORT THE PACK!!!! We’re coming back.

  18. Wulfpack 09/09/2007 at 12:01 PM #

    “Harrison Beck gives us the best chance to win, period.”

    I am not so certain. Our defense put us right where we wanted to be yesterday and Beck pretty much threw it away. I understand he is young. I understand he has some talent. But a QB HAS to protect the football. He did not even come close to doing that yesterday. I went back and watched the game again and he probably should have had EIGHT interceptions. I do not see TOB being the kind of coach to accept that type of play. That’s not what his teams are all about.

  19. Dr. BadgerPack 09/09/2007 at 12:09 PM #

    Watching Harrison Beck is a lot like watching past-his-prime Brett Favre. He’ll make some nice plays, but at this point he wants to make a play EVERY time he touches the ball. That’s bad news for a QB, since he touches the ball every time.

    Like the difference between Favre last season and two seasons ago, some extra talent around Beck will alleviate some of the pressure to make a play every time. Basically, until Beck has a lot of experience under his belt, the best way to help him is to give him less “opportunity for blunder”. Unfortunately, that comes from excelling in the other facets of the game and that seems to be something that will again take some time to develop.

  20. ncsslim 09/09/2007 at 12:16 PM #

    I made the statement about Burke because it would seem that the qb position is just begging for something, anything with even a remote possibility of success, given the two kids we’ve put on the field to date. They have both not only shown that they are not remotely ready to lead a D-1 offense at this point, but they seem to have the propensity to show their “dark” sides (Evans – weak arm/panic in pocket, Beck – too quick to select deep option/poor decision making) on virtually every series. At times, they have seem to be stereotypical cartoons that the N&O’s Grey Blackwell would have created (and we would have all been pissed, no doubt).

    At halftime yesterday, I heard Gary asking Tony (I generally don’t listen during the game due to the synch issues) was it time to go back to Daniel. At the time I thought it was a typical dumbass question from a dumbass (I believe Tony has to point out which team is State before every game), but the way it turned out, it was not only a legitimate observation, because things got even worse for Beck.

    In the meantime, there sits Mr Burke (who we were lead to believe during his recruitment to be a potential answer to the future) on the sideline, with the situation just begging for a, again something, anything, solution, and TOB would rather go back to Daniel (I would think no longer a player for the even immediate “longterm”) than to as much as give Justin a look under fire. It’s not like there’s anything to lose at this point, with the situation being virtually identical to the one that got Daniel (a non-recruited legacy scholarship) on the field a year ago, with, at the time short-term but surprising results. Which lead to my comment, which in reality, if we can’t take a chance on him at this point, my god, how bad (or ill prepared) can the kid be at this point?

  21. redfred2 09/09/2007 at 12:17 PM #

    Not saying anything about an actual comparison of their talent, but does Beck have a similar mentality akin to something like a young T Bradshaw? Or, is he just throwing into double teams, and getting rid of the ball because he panics? It’s great to believe that you can make things happen, and absolute confidence in your own abilities is a must at the QB position, but there also has to be some restraint to go along with it.

    In his defense, I think it must be very frustrating for these former high school standouts who want to continue their winning ways on this level, but are finding that they don’t have the fundamental players, ones that they may have taken for granted in the past, out there doing the job with them on the field now.

  22. packpower 09/09/2007 at 12:20 PM #

    I don’t care if the quarterback is Philip Gabriel, Roman Rivers, Erik Buckey or Dave Kramer. With the current state of the OL, it will be difficult for any quarterback to succeed. And please don’t be harsh on the current OL – they received very poor coaching until TOB appeared. They are working their butts off and I think you’ll see the results late this year or early next year.

  23. redfred2 09/09/2007 at 12:33 PM #

    When speaking of OL, let’s hope they can work their butts ON, not off.

  24. BJD95 09/09/2007 at 12:36 PM #

    One other thing to remember – this was Beck’s first start and first road game. It shouldn’t be a surprise that he struggled. He should get, in my view, 2 more starts to see if yesterday was an outlier or the true measure of his QB play.

  25. redfred2 09/09/2007 at 12:37 PM #

    ^^How about William F Buckey?

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