The Struggle Upward

[Cockybusiness]

What exactly were you expecting from a program changing coaches and winning a grand total of 6 games the last 2 years?

To Be honest, I think because finances, we have taken the CHEAP way out in hiring coaches. I hope I am wrong.

Are these coaches recruiting players that would have been great players at their previous school (FBS).

But are the new players SEC talent.

And yes I know we have only won 6 games in two years. 

But in order to get better players we have to win more games. In order to win more games we have to have better players.

Iknow, I know, chicken or the egg.

I am usually so positive in the off season, I am always so sure that this is going to be our year.

But this year I can find nothing to be positive about.

HECK, MAYBE MY GARNET GLASSES ARE BROKEN.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

To Be honest, I think because finances, we have taken the CHEAP way out in hiring coaches. I hope I am wrong.

Are these coaches recruiting players that would have been great players at their previous school (FBS).

But are the new players SEC talent.

And yes I know we have only won 6 games in two years. 

But in order to get better players we have to win more games. In order to win more games we have to have better players.

Iknow, I know, chicken or the egg.

I am usually so positive in the off season, I am always so sure that this is going to be our year.

But this year I can find nothing to be positive about.

HECK, MAYBE MY GARNET GLASSES ARE BROKEN.

Perhaps this will make you feel better.

https://pathofex.com/rivals-com-grading-the-new-coaches-on-their-first-nsd/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rivals-com-grading-the-new-coaches-on-their-first-nsd&fbclid=IwAR18y0PZXJPLovpg8CodmN6G4Mf-l0VGT7DhoB-aJEETH52M1aRiMHINVmQ

 

[GregoryHouse]

To Be honest, I think because finances, we have taken the CHEAP way out in hiring coaches. I hope I am wrong.

Are these coaches recruiting players that would have been great players at their previous school (FBS).

But are the new players SEC talent.

And yes I know we have only won 6 games in two years. 

But in order to get better players we have to win more games. In order to win more games we have to have better players.

Iknow, I know, chicken or the egg.

I am usually so positive in the off season, I am always so sure that this is going to be our year.

But this year I can find nothing to be positive about.

HECK, MAYBE MY GARNET GLASSES ARE BROKEN.

Under our previous coaching staff we lost a lot of games because our coaches could not adjust to our opponents adjustments. 
 

i hope this coaching staff can consistently compete with the schedule teams with comparable talent. 

 

[Cockyandproud]

To Be honest, I think because finances, we have taken the CHEAP way out in hiring coaches. I hope I am wrong.

Are these coaches recruiting players that would have been great players at their previous school (FBS).

But are the new players SEC talent.

And yes I know we have only won 6 games in two years. 

But in order to get better players we have to win more games. In order to win more games we have to have better players.

Iknow, I know, chicken or the egg.

I am usually so positive in the off season, I am always so sure that this is going to be our year.

But this year I can find nothing to be positive about.

HECK, MAYBE MY GARNET GLASSES ARE BROKEN.

I think we have tried the “Hire a retread, and pay him a buttload of money” route, and that made it worse.  There is no guarantee that any coach will be successful.  Probably the closest to a guarantee would be if we could pull Saban away from Alabama.  However, our head coach has literally been studying and being groomed for this position since he was a kid. He seems to be an excellent judge of character, and he has hired coaches with good experience, who have excelled where they have been. They are hungry to show what they can do, and THEY WANT TO BE HERE!  Muschamp built a good infrastructure, and Beamer has improved upon it, greatly.  I don’t know if we will win, but I like our chances.

 

[JimG]

To Be honest, I think because finances, we have taken the CHEAP way out in hiring coaches. I hope I am wrong.

USC could have hired Nick Saban in Dec. and we'd be seeing similar results at this point. 

 

[FurmanCock]

At this point, something "different" is not only warranted, it's needed -- because trying the same old formulas isn't getting it done.  Has anyone seen Alabama's final signing class for this year?  7 five stars and 16 four stars out of a class of 27.  We will never beat them on straight up talent...we're either going to have to out-gimmick them, out-scheme them, or out-team them to ever be competitive.  Because lining up and hoping to beat them consistently in a one-on-one scenario doesn't seem realistic...something different is needed.  Maybe a bunch of "no name" coaches that can create a truly unified team, a team that plays for the pride of the Gamecocks and not to make it to the NFL (that becomes a byproduct of excellence on the field, not the objective) is the difference.  I'm willing to give them them a shot, because, what we have been doing is clearly not working.

 

[Swayin]

player develpment

This, to me, was the single biggest failure of the CWM era.

 

[The Bear]

At this point, something "different" is not only warranted, it's needed -- because trying the same old formulas isn't getting it done.  Has anyone seen Alabama's final signing class for this year?  7 five stars and 16 four stars out of a class of 27.  We will never beat them on straight up talent...we're either going to have to out-gimmick them, out-scheme them, or out-team them to ever be competitive.  Because lining up and hoping to beat them consistently in a one-on-one scenario doesn't seem realistic...something different is needed.  Maybe a bunch of "no name" coaches that can create a truly unified team, a team that plays for the pride of the Gamecocks and not to make it to the NFL (that becomes a byproduct of excellence on the field, not the objective) is the difference.  I'm willing to give them them a shot, because, what we have been doing is clearly not working.

I had written an couple of articles 'saying  basically the same thing , well said I agree  I think Shane Is an great hire he has all the tools needed to win, it's going to take just an little bit but the bus has left the station or train and I think for the first time in about 7 years we have what's in place to win at least 6 games this year  maybe 7 , I don't think that Carolina is that far away, just looks like an long way because we've had to keep stomping the fires out in the forest now that's gone, looks like what I see is new trees starting to be planted and then what happens is they grow up , I would like to send everyone crying towels but I just don't have that kind of monies go COCKS

 

[behindenemylines]

Our issues the last two years were not talent. Not that we should be tallying double digit wins, but we should be .500 or better - based on the talent level, as evidenced by team recruiting rankings (composite #21 ranking over the previous years).

So our issues were.......schemes, in-game coaching decisions, philosophy, player develpment - all of which was on Muschamp and the coaching staff. Then you have injuries, Covid, opt-outs, leaving early for the pros - which is (mostly) not on the coaching staff, but did contribute to the poor records.

Again, we gave Muschamp a second chance, at least in part, because we knew he dealt with a lot of injuries in his last year at UF. Then McElwain - an average coach - won back to back SEC East titles with Muschamp's recruits. The problem at UF was not recruiting or talent.

All that to say that we have more talent on the roster than people realize. And we have picked up some really valuable pieces - filled needs and even upgraded - through recruiting and the transfer portal.

If we got the right coach - and he has made the right hires - then we are not rebuilding, and a first year bowl game is very possible.

So talent that you've said was "equal to Clemson" the last few years would only get you .500 or better in the SEC East?  Mmmmm not sure about that

 

[behindenemylines]

We were 2-10 last year because we were playing an all SEC schedule with a lot of players opting out or hurt. Other teams had similar issues but not to the extent that we did.

Then you throw in coaching and QB changes - and you get 2020.

In 2021, we get the opt-outs and the injured players back, and add a bunch of solid transfers - giving us both a talent upgrade and instant experience. And the schedule is easier as we add OOC games against Eastern Illinois, East Carolina and Troy. Certainly not automatic Ws (East Carolina is a road game), but all winnable.

Plus, UT, Vandy and Aubrun (sic) are all going through coaching changes as well - taking away what would have been an advantage for them since we are making a change.

I would be disappointed if we did not win 5 or 6 games. That is not unreasonable.

Ace, has there ever been an offseason where you DIDN'T work hard to give us all the reasons how next year's team would be better than last year's team?

 

[STS]

If I actually said that, which I didn't - which makes you the worst type of troll.

But you do make a valid point about how ridiculously weak the All Cupcake Conference is. When there are no OOC games, the Cupcakes can pretend that they play real football - but Clemson and Notre Dame destroyed that myth in the playoffs.

not just Clemson and Notre Dame but the fact that the ACC went 0-6 in all bowls

 

[Longhaul]

Ace, has there ever been an offseason where you DIDN'T work hard to give us all the reasons how next year's team would be better than last year's team?

Tater go back to Tatertalk 

 

[gamecock88]

It comes down to talent and I seriously don't think we have near enough, even with some guys coming back.  They weren't that good before taking time off or the injuries.  The previous staff just missed on too many evaluations or failed to build quality depth at key areas.  DL comes to mind where we recruited a ton of edge guys and assumed they could fill positions on the interior.  We got some guys in the portal but were at the bottom in conf in recruiting this cycle.  The staff should do much better on the recruiting trail and as mentioned above, the ooc schedule coming back should make it somewhat easier.  It's still about the Jimmies and the Joes and we just don't have enough play makers.  How this staff will do is yet to be seen but I do expect them to do better than the previous one.

 

[Swayin]

It comes down to talent and I seriously don't think we have near enough, even with some guys coming back.  They weren't that good before taking time off or the injuries.  The previous staff just missed on too many evaluations or failed to build quality depth at key areas.  DL comes to mind where we recruited a ton of edge guys and assumed they could fill positions on the interior.  We got some guys in the portal but were at the bottom in conf in recruiting this cycle.  The staff should do much better on the recruiting trail and as mentioned above, the ooc schedule coming back should make it somewhat easier.  It's still about the Jimmies and the Joes and we just don't have enough play makers.  How this staff will do is yet to be seen but I do expect them to do better than the previous one.

I agree. A 2-8 team is losing 3 players to the NFL, and their replacements are largely unproven. I don't see huge gains coming soon, but I think the team will, as a whole, get better with improved coaching and reps.

 

[Swayin]

Ace has think we disagree on the short term and agree on the long term - and the latter is obviously the most important.

 

[Sporkgod50]

missing from this discussion is the fact that a high volume of injuries followed champ over a 8-9 year period. It is reasonable to assume that CWM is responsible some (but definitely not all) of those injuries. Thus, I expect our team will have the added benefit of not suffering through a much of injuries in practice.

 

[Sporkgod50]

Some injuries can be on the coach, if he puts his players through really physical practices or makes them play while banged up. And the choice of the Strength and Conditioning guy can be a factor - which ultimately falls on the head coach also.

But sometimes the injuries are just bad breaks (gee - I made a joke). Which leads to another coaching issue - not having guys ready and motivated to step in. That led Muschamp to stick with underperforming players too long because he had no other option.

I agree with all of this, but if CWM was the common factor in Florida teams that had a high number of injuries and in SC teams that had a high number of injuries. Bad luck doesn't follow someone consistently for nearly a decade until they are the cause of that bad "luck".

I fully believe that if CSB's plans don't work, he'll try something new. From the moment that he was hired, I did not think this was true for CWM and he proved me right. 

 

[Sporkgod50]

I knew a guy that was complaining about trouble with his third wife due to his own infidelity. He looked at me and said "Ya know, Bo, I'm beginning to think it's me".

I suspect that Muschamp would take the same approach if he got another Head Coach gig, and not have that moment of self-awareness. He turned out to be a lot more stubborn and resistant to change than I thought, Which is why he is our ex-coach.

It is also why I've pushed back against the idea the he's a good person. (I don't think he's evil, but I also don't think anyone should look to him for a role model.)

 

[Cockyandproud]

I knew a guy that was complaining about trouble with his third wife due to his own infidelity. He looked at me and said "Ya know, Bo, I'm beginning to think it's me".

I suspect that Muschamp would take the same approach if he got another Head Coach gig, and not have that moment of self-awareness. He turned out to be a lot more stubborn and resistant to change than I thought, Which is why he is our ex-coach.

I was a big Muschamp supporter for several years, because I thought that surely he would see what he did wrong at Florida, and correct it this time around.  So, I was really irritated and annoyed that I misjudged his character.  He is hard-headed and stubborn, and apparently not all that bright.  I think the whole "defensive genius" reputation he had, was just a result of being at schools that had really good recruiting, because they were more "blue blood" schools.  He did alright recruiting here, but certainly didn't develop worth a crap.

 

[duffcock]

I started off a big CWM supporter.  It seemed like his players really liked him and he supported them - all of that may still be true.  But, he is stubborn and conservative.  I thought some his coaching choices were questionable.  I have a good Aggie friend who warned me it would not end well four years ago when we hired him.  I dismissed it as an Aggie hating all things UT (Texas), even their ex DC.  He was right for all the reasons everyone is stating in this thread.  CWM is good guy, just not a good head coach, yet he is fabulously wealthy off mediocrity at best.