The Worst Era In Gamecock Sports History

[kingofnerf]

I fundamentally agree with the title of this thread.

Mizzou was on the ropes yesterday like we were against the Gators and they also prevailed like we did.

We got them the week after they got shelled by UGA.  They were either going to be up for redemption or in the emotional toilet.  Drinkwitz found a way to get them up for our game and we lost.

Everybody had a little swagger in them after the UF win and there's nothing wrong with that because we needed it and still do.

Spurrier had the chance to make this a destination job, but the wheels came off and he walked away from it in mid-season rather than try to salvage the program he helped build.

Even Chadwell's staff would have struggled to compete and win in the SEC the first year had we hired him instead of Shane.  It just is what it is.

 

[Swayin]

This is "I Told You Season," when disgruntled fans love to pile on with their "I said back in the August that we wouldn't make a bowl" or "I knew Satterfield was in over his head, and told you so back last winter," etc etc etc, like somehow it's more important for them to have been "right" than the team to have proved them wrong.

 

[FeatheredCock]

This is "I Told You Season," when disgruntled fans love to pile on with their "I said back in the August that we wouldn't make a bowl" or "I knew Satterfield was in over his head, and told you so back last winter," etc etc etc, like somehow it's more important for them to have been "right" than the team to have proved them wrong.

I think the fan cycle correlates to the team cycle. Keeps on breaking hopefully one day one season we can be all on the same page. Only one team a year gets it called a natty. 

 

[kingofnerf]

Players-only meetings.  They had a second one earlier in the week.  These things can be good, but there is also no quality control over the messages and the things that are said by people who are not coaching professionals.

Maybe things got said in the last one in the wrong way that pissed too many people off.

Jason Brown commented on the arguments that broke out during the bye-week practices.  Shane is pushing these guys to a different level and stuff just happens.  It is both good and bad.

There are still two games left to play and we still have a chance to have a winning season and become bowl-eligible.  The big picture discussions are also natural and need to happen, too.

 

[picknroll]

Everyone laughed when I suggested we go after Lane Kiffen.

Brother, you were RIGHT ON!

 

[picknroll]

I am not here to please anybody. If you agree with me then you'resick and tired of getting cleated in the face year after year by this program.

There's no excuse for the overall shape it's in. We have money. We can hire whomever we want to hire IF WE ARE WILLING. The fact is, the leadership at the top is NOT COMMITTED TO WINNING. They refuse to commit the resources necessary to even get us in the conversation. Anyone who disagrees with that has probably got his/her cranium lodged way too deeply up his rectal cavity. That is the source of why we suck at everything and it's getting worse and worse. I'm a life long Gamecock fan but I simply can'tkeep deluding myself and ignoring the truth. 

Look, what do you think ANY LSU fan would say if they hired a guy like Beamer? There would be a God damn EARTHQUAKE in that entire state. You people have to know this. What are we doing in the SEC if we aren't even trying to win it? Again, don't tell me we cant afford to hire a real coach and staff - that is a BS EXCUSE. Clemson does it - are we NOT SUPPOSED TO COMPETE WITH THEM?

The way this place is being run is disgusting. We are in fact a national laughing stock. The Gamecock brand is almost symous with losing.

And I don't care AT ALL if any of you don'tlike my view of womens basketball. If we really have limited resources then WTF are we doing paying the womens basketball coach - a nonrevenue sport - more than we pay our HEAD FOOTBALL COACH? Football pays for everything else for the most part! What kind of prioritization is that? If you want to stare right into the face of stupidity, there it is.

.

 

[FeatheredCock]

Tell you if I said what I feel like at times would have to banned myself. I understand where you are coming from pick.

 

[picknroll]

Stopped reading at this quote. 

Boo hoo hoo. Waaaaahhhh

 

[Swayin]

I am not here to please anybody.

And we're not here to tell you how right you are.

The Gamecock brand

Let's unpack that a bit - because what "the brand" means to you and what it really means as a whole are two different things. The brand to you is success in football, and to a lesser extent men's basketball and I'm assuming baseball. However, taken as a whole, and putting aside statements like "women's basketball isn't a sport," the Gamecock brand is based on the overall success all its teams, whether you like them or not, and how well that brand is performing in terms of revenue generation and competitive success. And choosing to eliminate from the discussion the single biggest year-in-and-year-out success story in our athletics department because of your take on whether or not it is a sport basically renders any idea that you are talking from a set of facts, instead of a random opinion, a moot point.

We all know how how humiliating it has become to watch us in any sport.

We're 5-5 in football and not yet where we want to be. But I don't feel humiliated. Men's basketball is a shitshow but I don't feel "humiliated" when I watch it, especially because I know Frank is more than likely in his last days as coach. In baseball we made the regionals and I see no reason why we won't improve. If you feel humiliated by the results of any sporting event, back away from the TV and and find something else to do. When I get furious watching our football team, which is a lot lately, that's what I do. And FWIW I get a ton of satisfaction watching Coach Dawn and her crew go to work and dominate with the word "Carolina" right across the front of their jerseys, and I know plenty of other Carolina fans do as well. Their commitment to excellence makes me feel proud, not humiliated. Too bad you are missing out.

WTF are we doing paying the womens basketball coach - a nonrevenue sport - more than we pay our HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

Because that's how much a Hall of Fame coach who wins national championships, has the #1 team in the nation (sorry, because not only is it a sport, it's the third-most viewed collegiate sport in the nation after football and men's bb) and who is 34-1 in her last 35 games, gets paid -- based on market rates.

If you want to stare right into the face of stupidity, there it is.

Shane's a first-time head coach, with 5 career victories. Dawn is arguably one of the top two coaches in her field. CWM made more than her, which is laughable. Market scale for good coaches is what it is, whether you agree with it or not. FWIW, I don't disagree with you that if the coach you feel is best for this football program is worth X, you pay him X, or don't try to hire him. I never got the feeling during the search that Ray was looking for the best cheap coach, but I'm sure he has a budget like everyone else.

Look, what do you think ANY LSU fan would say if they hired a guy like Beamer? There would be a God damn EARTHQUAKE in that entire state.

The idea that the same coaches would be interested in the LSU job and the Carolina job is where your point once again goes off the rails. Not apples to apples, and not EVEN close to being so. You are living in a mythical world where money is the only reason coaches take jobs. It isn't. They also take it because it will either feed them (with success ) into their NEXT job, or it is their destination job. Carolina, for all it has going for it, and unlike LSU, doesn't have a baseline of success and recent championships like LSU does, and it's not a destination job for 99% of coaches or coaching candidates. Or Clemson does. Or Alabama. Or even the tradition that can take the place of recent natties, like Texas A&M. If the A&M job and this job were open at the same time with the same salary, why would any coach like Jimbo take this one? This job is HARDER than most jobs, because their is no history or easy path (hello ACC) to success. 

Now, if you wanted to make an argument that Hugh Freeze or Lane Kiffen were available last winter to an AD with either vision or huge cajones, I might agree with you.

 

[Spur's Addiction]

Again, don't tell me we cant afford to hire a real coach and staff - that is a BS EXCUSE. Clemson does it - are we NOT SUPPOSED TO COMPETE WITH THEM?

Climpson promoted their wide receiver coach, who was an insurance salesman a few year prior, and struck gold (somehow). Many blueblood programs have hired the 'hottest coach of the year' and have fallen flat. Texas - Harman being the prime example, there are others. The fact is, it's crapshoot, unless you are Bama and have Saban on the radar. And even they struggled to find the right coach for 20 year prior to Saban.

 

[Spur's Addiction]

Boo hoo hoo. Waaaaahhhh

grow up. 

 

[kingofnerf]

LK was all talk and no results until Saban took him under his wing and matured him.

Easily one of Saban's best success stories.

 

[GregoryHouse]

Hi folks - esp Feathered Cock! I am 65 years old, a lifelong suffering Gamecock loser like so many of you. All the veneer of any kind of pride in this program has been stripped off me. It's at it's lowest point ever across the board, unless you consider womens basketball a sport, which I do not.

I don't see how anyone could say that we are even trying to compete in the Southeastern Conference. In fact. I think we are the Washington Generals of the SEC - there only to lose. The Generals btw are the team that travels around losing to the Harlem Globetrotters every night.

I am so disgusted with the Board of Trustees, the President of USC, and the Aththletics Director, who have let us slide so deeply into the sludge that we're the laughing stock of college sports. It's worth no ones time for me to detail all the many mistakes and the complete incompetence of this cast of clowns, so I won't. We all know how how humiliating it has become to watch us in any sport.

Firing or removing the people responsible almost isn't good enough for them. I won't even say what I think should happen. 

If you watched the Mizzou game or the Princeton game and disagree with me, good for you. Keep those garnet colored glasses on and go put on your beamerball tshirt. Have a ball.

I long for the Richard Bell and the Darren Horn periods over what we have today. This is the sorriest  coaching ever and I'd like for anyone to tell me how we're going to recruit our way out of this mess.

 Don't know what happened to F Martin but he is DONE although we'll probably hire some junior high school coach to replace him. Beamer is golly...really really a like total goofball, too. 

This reads like self pity and desperation. I get it though. You are angry and scared by every loss. Every loss makes it less likely that you will ever see a great Gamecocks football or Men’s basketball team in your lifetime. You must feel like you’ve wasted sixty-something years or fandom (or not but your post certainly reads that way). 
 

It must be a bitter pill to swallow to believe that Coach Beamer (and Coach Martin) is not nor will ever be the guy because if that is the case you also realize the people who hired and retained them would also have to be removed for the university to have their best chance at hiring coaches who can recruit and call plays at the SEC level. that would mean at least another five years wasted, right? 
 

You can’t get that time back. 
 

With this understanding of your perspective I also understand why you state this is the worst era. Our QB room has never looked this shaken and unproven compared to our division counterparts. Our two options are a third string player that got benched from a level of football and a graduate assistant who was pressed into service. Our offensive line literally cannot block the worst defenses in the country. Our scoring per game is pathetic and We ranked right beside Vanderbilt in the basement of the SEC. At this point, there are NO signs that our program will improve in the next three to five years (which is how long I expect Beamer to last at the very least). The basketball team is in just as bad shape - another team losing to very bad teams and not being able to score. 
 

It must feel like a existential crisis and you must regret ever beginning to cheer for the Gamecocks in the first place.

That is what I read in your post and I feel bad for you. There is nothing I can say or do to give you hope.

 

[TKE226]

Unless you are Alabama, everyone can complain. 

 

[The Bear]

Well Hello,  I am 65 years old have been through some tough years Gamecock Grad , wife kids all Gamecock nation, I have to say said it last week no one was listening  I knew they were in trouble on Monday, then the presser's came out all the talk about beating FLORDIA  beating themselves on the chest  again and saying how good they were.   Sunday   should have been the end of conversation  on the Florida win but no the fans the people on this board telling them how good they looked when all I saw was an average bunch of talent  they had some how won against an bad Florida team. 

I thought that just maybe we would win at Missouri  I was wrong my heart got in the way of my thinking .  This is an no other way to say it bad ugly offensive line, the coach needs to be looked at hard, and maybe some scholarships pulled after this year, and tell them thank you will see ya. 

Just an awful night of coaching and playing, I would have made the offensive line stay on the field and practice before leaving the stadium  Todd Ellis makes me sick we need new radio personalities to get the old out of the way as well.  Everyone just telling them how good they were . Well now it wake up time if the don't it will be lights out early Saturday night.   

 

[gamecock88]

Climpson promoted their wide receiver coach, who was an insurance salesman a few year prior, and struck gold (somehow). Many blueblood programs have hired the 'hottest coach of the year' and have fallen flat. Texas - Harman being the prime example, there are others. The fact is, it's crapshoot, unless you are Bama and have Saban on the radar. And even they struggled to find the right coach for 20 year prior to Saban.

Right.  This guys ranting is childish and inaccurate on many levels.  Fact is it cost this program a ton to get rid of Muschamp and a financial disaster of a season already.  Can't just throw money around and get a coach.  Refers to LSU in some dimwitted comparison.  They, Texas, UT, Ole Miss, Auburn, UF and many many others get the attn of coaches that we cannot.  And they miss on a ton.   UofSC is not a destination job and most up and coming or proven HC types will not entertain coming here, especially with the shape we were in.  Beamer will have to learn fast and earn it.  Dabo did.  Make some tough changes along with way with the friends he has hired and keep moving forward.  Improvement will not be imminent and you can't go off the rails 3/4 of the way thru season 1. 

 

[picknroll]

This reads like self pity and desperation. I get it though. You are angry and scared by every loss. Every loss makes it less likely that you will ever see a great Gamecocks football or Men’s basketball team in your lifetime. You must feel like you’ve wasted sixty-something years or fandom (or not but your post certainly reads that way). 
 

It must be a bitter pill to swallow to believe that Coach Beamer (and Coach Martin) is not nor will ever be the guy because if that is the case you also realize the people who hired and retained them would also have to be removed for the university to have their best chance at hiring coaches who can recruit and call plays at the SEC level. that would mean at least another five years wasted, right? 
 

You can’t get that time back. 
 

With this understanding of your perspective I also understand why you state this is the worst era. Our QB room has never looked this shaken and unproven compared to our division counterparts. Our two options are a third string player that got benched from a level of football and a graduate assistant who was pressed into service. Our offensive line literally cannot block the worst defenses in the country. Our scoring per game is pathetic and We ranked right beside Vanderbilt in the basement of the SEC. At this point, there are NO signs that our program will improve in the next three to five years (which is how long I expect Beamer to last at the very least). The basketball team is in just as bad shape - another team losing to very bad teams and not being able to score. 
 

It must feel like a existential crisis and you must regret ever beginning to cheer for the Gamecocks in the first place.

That is what I read in your post and I feel bad for you. There is nothing I can say or do to give you hope.

Happy for you if you have hope and, yes, there were times I did think there was reason for optimism. My hope is that other people will come to realize that there must be a change of leadership at the top levels and a very dramatic attitudinal shift in the commitment to winning ast USC. For that to ever happen our fans are going to need to demonstrate their utter disgust for the incompetent management and decision making of those responsible.

 

[picknroll]

Right.  This guys ranting is childish and inaccurate on many levels.  Fact is it cost this program a ton to get rid of Muschamp and a financial disaster of a season already.  Can't just throw money around and get a coach.  Refers to LSU in some dimwitted comparison.  They, Texas, UT, Ole Miss, Auburn, UF and many many others get the attn of coaches that we cannot.  And they miss on a ton.   UofSC is not a destination job and most up and coming or proven HC types will not entertain coming here, especially with the shape we were in.  Beamer will have to learn fast and earn it.  Dabo did.  Make some tough changes along with way with the friends he has hired and keep moving forward.  Improvement will not be imminent and you can't go off the rails 3/4 of the way thru season 1. 

Funny, you call me a dimwit. Wish you could read your own words and have enough self awareness to see how conditioned you are to accept and go forward with the low tier mediocrity of this program. We have the money and resources to compete but we don't thanks to losers like you who expect us keep our station on the bottom of the pile. 

 

[Cockyandproud]

Climpson promoted their wide receiver coach, who was an insurance salesman a few year prior, and struck gold (somehow). Many blueblood programs have hired the 'hottest coach of the year' and have fallen flat. Texas - Harman being the prime example, there are others. The fact is, it's crapshoot, unless you are Bama and have Saban on the radar. And even they struggled to find the right coach for 20 year prior to Saban.

This is the point I wanted to bring up, but SA beat me to it.  

Clemson didn't go out and hire a big name, they took a chance, and it worked - eventually.  If you remember, they were about to run Dabo out, but opened the purse to get some better coordinators, but more importantly, paid some recruits.  That one year, turned Clemson around.  They caught lightning in a bottle for a few years, but even that seems to have faded.

Hiring Beamer was a really good move, in my opinion.  He is a guy who has learned from some of the best, he has learned different coaching styles, schemes, and management techniques.  He isn't going to get it all right, right away.  He will have to learn, and some of that learning process is going to suck.  However, on the other side of this I believe we will have a successful coach, who can turn the program around, and he is young enough that he should be able to be here for a long time, and more importantly, HE WANTS TO BE HERE!  He is not just a mercenary who doesn't give a flying flip about the program, and is just here for a massive payday.  He wants to do this.  As a business owner, I can tell you that I would much rather have someone working for me who has a good attitude, and wants to be here, over someone with a bad attitude and is just in it because it worked for him at the time.  You can teach how to do the job, but you can't teach the "want to".

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Good points by all but let's also remember when using the "dabo" comparison that his path to success is a thousand times easier than playing an SEC schedule.