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Talent level doesn’t pass the eye test in several areas. Incremental improvement isn’t enough in this day and age. You have to have positive results in the win column.
Imo, defense is the biggest issue. speed lacking in back 7. Scheme lacking. Looks very Big 10ish on defense.
I love this! Talking football.
What are the areas that don’t pass your eye test?
And don’t you think that we should wait to see what the win column tells us before we decide the improvement (or not) is incremental? You do realize you have judged this football team before the first kick-off?
I’m not all that familiar with Big-10 football but I do think that 4-3-4 was mostly played up there. We converted to 4-2-5 a couple of years ago I suppose because of the spread and 3 receivers sets we encounter in the ACC. A lot of those “big gains” we gave up were a result of mistakes made in a defense most HS don’t play. IMNSHO there is nothing wrong with the scheme we play, just execution. Like most sports high level technique and schemes are more difficult to learn but have the highest pay-off in the long term. Our fan point of view often fails to see past the mistakes made in the learning curve and thus believe we should drop back to lessor technique and scheme.
You may be right about speed being lacking in the back 7 but we are redshirting men who will more than make up for that lack of speed in 2017. I’m not say wait until next year, but I do think DD has a plan for it all to come together then. In the mean time I’m with JG in believing that 8-4 is possible this year. Granted 8-4 is not predictable looking in the rear view mirror, but is entirely possible looking out of the front of your face.
I like that we spent real money to go out and get an OC that other schools wanted and was likely in line to get an SEC job soon.
The real coup may have been getting Dwayne Ledford from App State. If you haven’t done so already, go to gopack.com and in the archived stories section check out the Band of Brothers videos especially No. 3. He’s got those O-linemen grooving. He would be a very fun guy to play for. They work hard, take pride in being the first ones on the field and the last ones off after practice. Ledford praises the work at the level he’s coached them and talks about raising the bar at the next practice. Always positive, always elevating the level of play. His corrections are done in such a way as to have the players want to do what he asked. It’s fun watching the players interact with each other. They truly are a Band of Brothers.
Anybody who thinks this is a bunch of rookies replacing 3 departing seniors is in for a shock. Joe Scelfo, the center, is the senior leadership this O-line needs. And he is the leader, a three year start, all-conference (non-P5) his junior year. The tackles will be just fine and of course Adams at right guard has experience. Bradbury, the soph left guard will be ready to rock by the time ND gets to town.
He did see some weakness in the staff (or was helped to see) and adjusted.
And just who do you think has the football acumen to see weakness in the staff? Ex-basketball coach, Debbie Yow? The head coach gets the blame when something goes wrong but we insinuate that he’s not smart enough to make decisions without help when something looks like it might go right.
IMO DD has established the culture for our football program. He is slowly but surely gathering assistant coaches and staff to follow his plan. (I don’t know his plan. I’ve not been shared with although I can guess.) We are recruiting high character young men and young men who seem to be willing to work to be all they can be. It’s not that we don’t have problems. Shad rode his moped on the sidewalk. Other players have been dismissed for violating team rules and there were those 7 who got in trouble for shooting a bee bee gun.
I’m liking what I’m seeing at the end of year 3/beginning of year 4. Progress not fast enough for you? Get a grip. Joe Giglio likes what he’s seeing and has predicted 8-4 for the season. But what the hell does he know, he’s not a board monkey.
Next thing we hear will be Ass Hat complaining about dirty recruiting — about him hiring his friend.
All I know is some “analyst” undergraduate on this site told me how good Fraiser was going to be after I questioned the FACT that he couldn’t get his high school team to the state championship at the 1A level.
Judging how good “Fraiser” is going to be before he’s played a down is almost as ludicrous as judging him NOT to be good before he plays his first down.
The only relevant FACT to do with Frasier is the FACT that he hasn’t played the first down of college ball.
The presser he gave the other day was also eye brow raising as they were bragging about the offense and how good it was the past 2 years without even acknowledging the elephant in the room.
I don’t think I would base a lot on pressers.
What team with a new OC and a new starting QB can expect to be a big winner? The holes of course. They have a new OC and new starting QB are picked by some on this board to be better than last year. But by some obscure logic the Pack is suspect with All American TE JaySam and a fleet of very good RBs back healthy. Our O-line is suspect with the addition of SR center Scelfo and new line coach who worked miracles at App State. Just saying… 😉
UNC Scoring defense – #7
UNC Total defense – #12This can’t be right. Troll said they were 4th in the ACC. And the Troll knows the Holes.
Just curious, how did that fantastic defense do against Baylor without a quarterback? And how did they do against FSU and L’ville? Oh, that’s right. They don’t have to play those teams.
An 11-2 team returning a boat load of starters from last year with a defense that should be more improved and experienced under a fantastic yet shady D-coord, the Chiz, in his 2nd year.
That fantastic coach while improving his defense, had one of the worst defenses in the Coastal Div. last year. Missing our top 2 RB’s we hung about 38 points on the holes.
Most of my post was intended to be taken tongue in cheek Grey. But yes, I do think we’re .500 at best. I’ll be more than happy to be proven wrong.
I can see how 6-6 would be a realistic expectation. Someone else on another board said that 6-6 is the base. Are we more likely to upset one of the teams above us or are we more likely to be upset by a team below us.
And I’m starting to remember why I never come here anymore. (no Grey…that’s not pointed at you…just the mood here)
I’m expect there are some here who do get upset with me. I rarely let snarky comments that put the Pack down go unchallenged. I value loyalty and give it without reservation.
I haven’t been around here much lately myself and I’ve always enjoyed the give and take with you, Wuf.
I think the staff needs to view ECU as a must win game.
I see this kind of statement a lot and I always wonder, what would the staff do differently to prepare for a must win game? Or maybe take a few days off before games that are not tagged must-win.
As a rank amateur I tried to prepare for every game the same way.
I did not realize we are predicting what would happen if every school but ours has injuries. My bad.
Take a look at what has happened to SFN on your watch, Rick, as a Keymaster insulting members and the athletic department.
That seems to be what the athletic department wants. Go to a bowl, make the tournament and celebrate. Everyone gets a trophy.
Jed’s not here anymore so you can lay off of the AD.
I remember some of the over optimistic predictions from the “experts” last year. I will wait and see what happens.
Hopefully one of the QBs combined with the new OC will blossom.In all fairness Rick, those optimistic predictions were before we lost our number one RB then our #2 and #3. Imagine what EweNC would have looked like without Hood and then losing Logan then their #3 RB, whoever that is. I don’t think they would have been 11-2 and I especially don’t think they would have had the huge 1st qtr against us.
A lot is being said about several positions being unknown. That’s better than in the past when too many positions were known — like Mitchell and Thomas. I still sometimes wonder if we would have been better off going with Josh Taylor. He wasn’t big and tall like the other 2 guys but he was a winner. Kinda like RW.
Highstick is still trying to figure how to put a gas station on the corner of a roundabout. Those big pickups we drive need gas, damn it.
hould we win at L’ville, I’d say we have a good chance to go 9-3. Lose at L’ville and we could be as bad as 6-6 and likely 7-5.
If we lose at ECU on 9/10, then this year will be one to forget.
If we lose at ECU, my confidence in the Pack is going to take a serious hit. No reason we lose there.
On the offensive side, QB is not our biggest weakness. Which should scare any of you who think we’ll be better than .500.
Don’t confuse unproven for weakness. BTW Board monkey assessments don’t usually scare me and this one doesn’t either.
With the possibility of some sort of come to Jesus upset to get us to .500 and some bowl that will drain all of us of even more self-respect.
Any bowl that drains you of your self-respect says more about your personal problems than the bowl or team. Bowls, any bowl, are an opportunity for an additional 20 practices. Looking at it as a drain on ones self-respect is just egotistical foolishness.
FYI we are undefeated at this point.
Bill & Mary – Yep
ECU – Yep
ODU – Yep
Wake- Yep
ND – Nope
Clemson – Nope
Louisville – Winnable
BC – Yep
SU – Yep
Miami- Winnable
UNX – WinnableFirm belief.
Mr. Dog,
Wanna share your FSU prediction? For now I’m taking that one as a ‘nope.’EDIT: Mr. Grey, FSU is most assuredly…Nope
We got 6 “Yeps,”
3 “Nopes” and
3 “Winnables.”By winnable I don’t think you mean toss-up so I’d say a “winnable” win is a momentum win while a loss would be… well, a loss. Should we win at L’ville, I’d say we have a good chance to go 9-3. Lose at L’ville and we could be as bad as 6-6 and likely 7-5.
Upset a “Nope” and get ready for the parade.
You and several other usually conservative, not pessimistic but conservative, people who know what they are talking about are suggesting we might surprise some people. Is this just DD’s 4th year? Do you Doubting Thomas folks still want to fire DD because he couldn’t win a conference game the first year he got here?
On vacation in England last year I got some directions: “Turn right at the roundabout.” Bad idea. Have you ever done a U-turn in a roundabout?
“…heck, even Starbucks and McDonalds shutdown on Hillsborough.”
First time I’ve seen Starbucks and McDonalds used in the same sentence. 😉
The real kicking problem that the Wolfpack is having is that everyone in the ACC is kicking their ass almost every season.
Got up to take a piss I see.
Louisville preview of NC State;“Not only does McClendon have to get experience as the full-time starter, but there isn’t really a proven playmaker.”
If Dayes — averaging 6.4 yards per carry — and JaySam aren’t proven playmakers who are? And they ain’t seen Frasier yet.
“The passing game is going to be a question mark in the upcoming season.” I’m reasonably sure if McClendon can’t get it done, we’ll know about it by the L’ville game. Perhaps Ryan Finley who started 3 games for Boise State before he was broke his ankle, or Jacobi Meyer can get it done.
No mention was made of our fumbling the long pass on the 5 yard line or that the 68 yd TD run by their freshman QB was the result of a blotched run blitz. Outside of the one play their QB averaged a little over 2 yards a carry.
I make as many jokes about the kicking game as anybody. Taken as a whole season the kicking game was bad, really bad. But taking an honest look at the second half of the season, while it wasn’t great, it wasn’t the disaster the first half was. We have some competition for the kicker job this year and I’m not worried about it.
Finally, if the homer who wrote that piece wants to give 2 TDs and is willing to put his money where his mouth is, take it. This ain’t Clemson or FSU.
Bill Dooley would love this team.
Good for Bill. He’d join the 20% of the Wolfpackers who love it. 😉
