Manic Monday

'13 Football Non-Revenue40

Here’s a chance to discuss whatever you want now that the emotions of Saturday have subsided.

Just a few thoughts I had yesterday:

– I want to point out a couple of coaching decisions from yesterday that simply reinforces my frustration at most coaches.

1. The pooch punt by Thomas from the 36 on 4th and short. You have a kicker with a leg who can nail from that distance and he has the QB punt it?? I’m no football coach (but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express) and I know if you’re playing to win that’s a colossally stupid decision. Your choices are:

A) Go for it.
B) Kick a FG.
C) Use your punter to try and pin it in the 10 and play for field position. (Which is still the wrong decision since this isn’t playing to win)
D) A or B.

2. Wake just gave up the TD with less than a minute to go in the first half. How many times do we see coaches just kneel it and go into the locker room with their teams tails between their legs? Did Grobe? No. He took a chance, one with almost no downside, and ended up reversing the momentum they just lost and his team knew they were going to win heading into halftime. Wonder what was going through State players minds at halftime? Jinx is on again?

– I know we’re short on personnel due to injuries and the talent level is putrid thanks to TOB but is Wake Forest so much better in that department?

– The same terrible habits surfaced Saturday that have been there since Amato.

– It’s a long freaking way to a division title when you continue to play down to your opponents.

– Sure glad we don’t want to test ourselves on the road with a non-conference game in September.

Just a few thoughts I had so what are you thinking?

EXTRA:

Want to give everyone a heads up on the continued resurgence of the State volleyball program. Good job ladies.

GoPack.com
Volleyball Wins First ACC Meeting Against Syracuse, 3-1

The NC State women’s volleyball team collected its second ACC road win of the weekend with a 3-1 victory against Syracuse Sunday afternoon inside the Women’s Building. The Wolfpack dominated the first two sets, winning 25-11 and 25-17, respectively, before dropping the third set, 25-20. State responded to win the fourth set, 25-18.

The Wolfpack (12-4, 3-1 ACC) got off to a great start in the opening minutes of the match, jumping out to a 3-0 advantage before the Orange (5-11, 0-4 ACC) scored their first point. State led the entire set, but Syracuse tied the score at seven after a kill by Nicolette Serratore. Junior Alesha Wilson answered with a kill to give NC State the lead, 8-7.

[snip]

NC State will return to action at home on Friday, Oct. 11 when it hosts Wake Forest inside Reynolds Coliseum. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on GoPack.com.

About 1.21 Jigawatts

Class of '98, Mechanical Engineer, State fan since arriving on campus and it's been a painful ride ever since. I live by the Law of NC State Fandom, "For every Elation there is an equal and opposite Frustration."

'13 Football Non-Revenue

40 Responses to Manic Monday

  1. DC_wolf 10/07/2013 at 6:34 PM #

    “It’s a long freaking way to a division title when you continue to play down to your opponents”

    I’ll take the same quote, play devil’s advocate, & disagree: we have a transfer QB from Colorado State (not a shot – just the truth) our top 2 RBs are a sophomore and a true freshman & a VERY thin O-line (we can’t sustain ANY going down). On defense we’re a little more set but as has been pointed out above, no true leader has stepped up @ linebacker – a position that seems to be a weekly experiment.

    And I’ll mention an angle no one else has brought up: Wake was 0-2 in conference (2-3 overall); put us in the same position @ home – after a couple of humiliating conference losses – & we probably would have found (the onions) a way to win ourselves. Grobe is no debutante, he’s been down this road a few times more than our up-&-coming staff, and he coached like it. We learn from it. We carry on.

  2. TheCOWDOG 10/07/2013 at 6:49 PM #

    BahamaBowl for non-majors? Shitskies.

    In ’73, we were graced with Graceland. As ACC champs. Though it was a far better destination than befell the crew from ’79.

    Bahama? Oh my. Hell yes.

  3. vtpackfan 10/07/2013 at 7:19 PM #

    What we saw out there was a classic case of carryover from one regime to the next. Whether we were on the road or at home, whenever the opponent came out in all new sets and formations is was up to Tenuta to tweak his blitz packages and gamble on wreaking havoc by pressure.

    I never got the sense sitting near the sidelines or in front of the TV that basic fundamental getting off blocks and tackling was forced too much on these guys until Doeren arrived. Am I making this up or did others see it also? Folks, Ricky Dowdy-Doodie was our leading tackler!

    Wake came out in completely different splits and formations then they showed on film-something Clemson didn’t -and it rattled some of the players that the coaches weren’t going to “tweak” things Tenuta style.

  4. redcanine 10/07/2013 at 7:50 PM #

    Price made some pretty darn good throws, did he not? A fourth year starter should torch our secondary. Still, we held ’em under 30. I wonder what his back-up would have done?

    Our greatest disappointment, imo, is that we only scored 13 points on Wake’s D. I wonder what our starter would have done?

    We need ya against ‘Cuse, Pete. Just one more time.

  5. Greywolf 10/07/2013 at 7:58 PM #

    “Wake came out in completely different splits and formations then they showed on film”

    This is by observation.

    …and it rattled some of the players that the coaches weren’t going to “tweak” things Tenuta style.

    Huh? I’ve read a wide variety of player quotes and no where did I read anything close to this. Where do you get this information?

    Thomas was recruited as a pro-style QB. Watching him with Bible coaching him would have been interesting. I wonder how he would be doing with an OL in a pro-style offense?

  6. TheCOWDOG 10/07/2013 at 8:33 PM #

    Grey…Do you really want to go there? Even though you are absolutely correct.

    The Pro Set OL is still hiding in the grass.

    LOL.

    They’ll be awrite.

  7. Alpha Wolf 10/07/2013 at 9:58 PM #

    Hindsight is 20-20.

    It’s true in coaching and it’s true in writing about coaching decisions.

  8. ancsu87 10/07/2013 at 11:33 PM #

    “I want to point out a couple of coaching decisions from yesterday that simply reinforces my frustration at most coaches.”

    Every thing about being a coach then?

    I can understand what the thought was behind the quick kick at that point in the game. If it have worked out we would have them pinned deep early on giving our D a chance to make something happen. After the way they had played the last two weeks it kinda made sense.

  9. 1.21 Jigawatts 10/08/2013 at 7:31 AM #

    http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/10/07/3262694/injuries-not-the-only-problem.html

    “We didn’t play smart enough to win and we didn’t play sound enough to win,” Doeren said.

    “I’m disappointed in how the game went and how we played and obviously in how I coached,” Doeren said. “I believe our fans deserve better.”

    Damn, I wonder if Doeren knows it’s not okay to criticize a coach or players or decisions until 5 years after he’s had a job when he’s had a chance to get “his players” in? Especially when debating a coach’s, any coach’s, philosophy for game time situations. I guess they don’t sit down and review the game the next day to see what they did right and wrong either because that would be hindsight.

    ……………

    “You have a kicker with a leg who can nail from that distance…”

    Gee, I don’t see anywhere in that sentence the word “gimmie”.

    The entire first example is a coaching philosophy decision that is made prior to this situation coming up at any point in the game. I personally believe that unless it’s 4th and forever and it’s outside of your kicker’s range, then you never punt from inside your opponents 40. If you do feel like it’s okay then who would you rather have punting the ball to pin the opposition inside their 10, the punter or the QB?

    …………………

    “It’s a long freaking way to a division title when you continue to play down to your opponents.”

    Funny, don’t see anywhere in there saying that it was going to happen this year. Simply pointing out that most people, including the Head Coach, says we are playing for division/conference titles. This also ties back into the scheduling issue. Yes, yes, yes, Doeren didn’t create the schedule, it was before Yow, we had to fill in at the last minute due to a cancellation, blah, blah, blah. Let me ask you (you in the generic), if your goal is to play for division titles, not national titles, then why can’t you schedule a road game against a “quality” opponent? The easiest thing to do is schedule a road game against someone with no demands on them coming to your place at a later date. Don’t you think that testing a team on the road before conference play begins would help you towards being ready for said conference play? Again, it’s a philisophical difference of opinion.

  10. DC_wolf 10/08/2013 at 8:12 AM #

    “Funny, don’t see anywhere in there saying that it was going to happen this year. ”

    But if you’re going to use a couple of examples of bad coaching decisions from the 5th game of the year – you apparently aren’t talking about winning the division in the next 3-to-5 years. You also criticise “playing down to the opponent”, where I point out that with the makeshift collection of players we have, it’s not fair to disrespect an opponent that played quite competently on their home field.

  11. 1.21 Jigawatts 10/08/2013 at 8:51 AM #

    No, I gave one specific example of a coaching decision to punt the ball inside the opponents 40 yard line on 4th and short. Numerous coaches make this decision every weekend. I completely disagree with it and using the QB to punt the ball was stupid before he even kicked it. If you’re going to punt it then use your punter. I just happened to express this opinion using a play from our game as an example since it’s something everyone on here would have seen.

    There was no disrespecting of any opponent. I was calling it as both teams have shown through their play this year. Wake has been awful this season generating no offense at all and has a serious lack of talent on there team. That’s just pointing out the obvious. As for State, they played up for the lights against Clemson and played down for Richmond and Wake. This has been going on for years, before Doeren and even for 3/5 games this year. Saying you aren’t going to win divisions by continuing to play down to your opponents is simple logic. If you play your best and you still lose that’s one thing. If your play is dictated on who your playing against then you’ll continue to struggle against lower level teams.

  12. btownwolfpack 10/08/2013 at 9:51 AM #

    Seems like most of this comes down to playing at Wake with energy. Obviously, it is difficult to do. Maybe because there is ZERO energy from the crowd. Going to play in a “you against the world” atmosphere of a packed stadium has some energy at least. Grove is a graveyard; hard to bring any energy into that place. Also, did you hear the stat on Grobe’s record at home? Like it or lump it, he has been excellent at home against lots of folks.

  13. DC_wolf 10/08/2013 at 9:55 AM #

    I refuse to argue w/ our good friend Jigs, who brings us more Wolfpack sports news than we can digest in 1 sitting. However, for reference: “when you play down to your opponents” is the opposite of respect for your opponent. 😉

  14. TheCOWDOG 10/08/2013 at 6:46 PM #

    What Doeren said is what road flats are.

    That’s really all ya need to understand.

  15. 1.21 Jigawatts 10/08/2013 at 9:33 PM #

    Maybe “playing to the level of our competition” is a better phrase considering the results of the last game.

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