Friday Feedback
October 29, 2010 by Mike Casazza
Welcome to the Friday Feedback which … well, this was quite a week, no? Bill Stewart has navigated through some interesting water during his time as the interim and head coach at WVU and he’s seen the ups and the downs. Feelings about him have been split from the literal beginning, but never in my time in this seat have I found the opinion to be so negative or dismissive as it is right now.
I’ve gotten the email in similar and probably greater volume before, but the content has never been what it was this week. I’ve never gotten the number or the nature of the phone calls and conversations. We’re not talking fans who are worried or angry. No, this is about longtime season ticket holders and donors who are through with it all and want to know what they can do.
Do about what, you need not ask yourself. The lights will be especially bright tonight. I’ve always thought this was a dangerous game for WVU — Halloween weekend, Friday night, ESPN2, right before an open week, on the road — and that was before the past weekend unfolded.
The UConn Huskies are very much putting their season on the line where a loss means an 0-3 Big East record and who-knows-what the rest of the way for a program that, with all due respect, has been a little volatile. And then there’s WVU, which, it could be argued, is in a similar now-or-never spot. A loss could very well deliver a who-knows-what element, to say nothing of making Bill Stewart’s life a little more tricky than it already is.
Those are observations and opinions. These are facts entering the game: WVU under Bill Stewart is 5-7 in road games. Having just lost to Syracuse for the first time since 2001, WVU plays a UConn team that is 0-6 in the series. WVU is 7-5 in its past 12 games and 5-5 in the past 10 against FBS opponents.
Also indisputable: Nothing helps more than a win. For two weeks, even.
All in all, a great weekend that includes one of my favorite days of the year. Not Halloween. No, there’s nothing like witnessing the walk of shame in Morgantown the morning after everyone’s Halloween parties. What’s better than seeing a candy corn or a bumble bee or a police officer or an angel or Snookie walking home at 8:30 in the morning? I’ll be driving around town, I assure you. This replaces my former hobby of driving around town when it rains and speeding through puddles to splash pedestrians.
Oh, and if it rains Saturday night/Sunday morning? Trick and treat!
Before we begin, a disclaimer for today’s edition: There were so many comments that speak for themselves and a large number of intracomment conversations that dominated the week. And a lot of those items were statements of fact and opinion and I need not mess with them. I’m not ignoring them. I read them all, in fact. I eventually realized to include one meant to include them all.
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, set your alarm.
thacker said:
It is the responsibility of a leader to have his men mentally prepared and disciplined. Mullen and offensive staff, again, fail. Unless there is a miraculous change during the rest of the season, offensive staff replacement(s), starting with Mullen, is necessary.
For the sake of prosperity, thacker has been saying this upon his return to the blog. Consistent with his message.
Jeff in Akron said:
It’s official, our offense is offensive.
No offense.
The 25314 said:
The 25314 said:
“There are times we’ve got to score a bunch -”
And yet, in those games we don’t score a bunch, either. Our offense looks the same whether Florida State is scoring 33 or South Florida is scoring 6. Loads of potential, fast starts, no results.
Also for prosperity, The 25314 quotes himself (!) from last week’s F Double, to which I countered, “Indeed, though I wonder if this isn’t an admision to such a reality. Maybe the offense is just better at doing this and the team is more likely to win this way. I also wonder if this is something WVU will really pursue or if it’s just a talking point, like increasing the regularity of a two-minute offense tempo. Either way, the dynamic as been defined and established now. It’ll be fun to follow.” … Maybe that last part was a stretch.
NCMountaineer said:
I’ve defended Stew for a long time, but I don’t think I can do it any longer. You can’t lose to Syracuse at home. You just can’t do it.
I honestly think that this team has to win the Big East to save his job.
Efforts like this + NCAA trouble + new AD = Bad news for Stew.
I would call this the majority opinion this week.
oklahoma mountaineer said:
The sad part and fact is that they did not have an answer for the zone blitz. Geno did not have a lot of time today, which has been the story all year, and this time the pre-snap reads were not accurate due to the nature of their defense.
Geno has taken the praise earlier in the year, and if you take the praise, you have to take the heat.
That said, the problems are on the line — Noel’s runs that make distance are misdirection — going against the blocking.
Once again, our O-line make superstars out of average/below average division I talent. Credit to them….and shame on us.
I’d call this the majority view, too, but, I’m telling you, Syracuse was uniquely aggressive. WVU knew it and prepared for it and said while some things were recognized and thwarted, some things were new and effective. To repeat from the chat, at one point Syracuse had eight near the line and blitzed five … all on the right side. The other three dropped back and spread out. This is where you make a crack about coaching and talent and something.
Karl said:
A super-disappointing loss. A lot of people made points I agree with and won’t rehash. But looking on the bright side, yes, our chief goal is still in sight — winning the Big East. Only one team is still undefeated in conference, and that’s Pitt at 2-0. I doubt they’ll stay that way.
I’ve been watching Big East football since its inception. This is the worst I’ve ever seen it. The conference is there for the taking like I’ve never seen it before. If Stew doesn’t win it this year, I honestly don’t think he ever will (and maybe the same with Wannstedt). At least not as long as we run the Mullen screen pass offense.
“La-la-la-la-la.”
Eer Me Now and Believe Me Later:
A complete failure of the coaching staff to keep the team focused. When you play a lesser opponent, it is the coaches responsibility to keep the team focused on their own execution.
I know that Coach Rod made many a player miserable because of his coaching methodology (aka being a complete a$$hole/harda$$ to his players) but it worked to keep them focused.
There is just no way that our players look at him and think, “This guy is on top of his $hit, we should listen to this guy.” Until Stew figures out how to maintain that level of focus, every game is a toss up.
I think this is what I’ve been most interested in this week, from Monday until the final gun tonight. What will the WVU reaction be and what credit/blame can be attributed to Stewart? We can measure and approximate differences between the former coach and the current one, but that attitude element was impossible to accurately report. I suppose it still is, but I’m positive The Product wouldn’t have slept this week and would have made practice as constructively miserable as possible. I don’t know Stewart is the same. I may be wrong. I’ll know more in a few hours.
Patchy said:
So predictable were the offensive sets/plays that before the snaps the SU DBs were looking down and making sure they stayed outside the hash marks since they knew the ball would only be thrown in that area of the field.
I would agree with that … but only because someone else told me the same thing.
The 25314 said:
Wait…is the media trying to tear the program apart or inflate player egos with press clippings? Or are the press clippings a clandestine effort by the media to tear the program apart?
There is only one answer. And it is “Yes.”
Sam said:
Laying this at Geno’s feet is absurd. He runs the plays that are called. He threw three bad interceptions early and then had the handcuffs on for the rest of the game. This loss isn’t on him.
Agreed. I think people overlook the possibility the staff may have freaked out a little at halftime, sensed Eu was having one of those days and tapped the brake.
Homer said:
Well at least the offense didn’t give UConn any good film to study.
You could say that.
Parks said:
Homer– no they didn’t but they gave UCONN’s defense the blueprint to stop the offense.
Or you could say that.
Grumpy said:
Mike,
Has Coach Stew said that he is accountable for the team not being ready to play? This seems to be the excuse he is giving for this game but that falls directly on the coach. I coach 12 yr. baseball and I always tell the boys that I will never get onto them for a physical mistake, but I will get after them for mental mistakes (not being focused, being in the right position, knowing the situation, etc.). I mean he is using an excuse that is his fault and making it sound like its theirs.
I think he’s implied it’s on him. He even, after stating his team did not respect all and fear none, said everyone, from him to the staff and the players, has to be better. That said, you have to blame players, too. I’m certain Stewart tried and tried to tell them to get ready … and they did not heed his warning enough.
Josh24601 said:
Are they all here? Well I’m going anyway. Let’s talk about something important. In today’s post on the indispensable uniwatchblog.com, Paul Lukas refers to the below-linked video in a ticker item, noting “Cincy’s coach is wearing a sportscoat that has to be seen to be believed.” DON’T CLICK YET! The video is of a Cincinnati – Notre Dame basketball game, mentions a Bearcat coach’s jacket, and I’m sharing it in the comments of a WVU blog, yet all those data don’t narrow down who the coach is — SOME DOUBT IS LEFT; SOME DOUBT — or how blown your mind is about to be. Behold:
This, um, brightened up my week. No doubt!
hershy112 said:
I think a perfect example of the new offense and some of its drawbacks is the Florida State game last year. Devine doesn’t touch the ball in the 4th quarter because “we wanted to spread the ball around”. That statement leaves my jaw on the floor in disbelief. Thacker said it on a different post, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Stewart wanted to change the offense to prevent teams from keying on one thing, but this I do know, P-Rod’s one dimensional offense worked more often than Stew’s balanced offense has. I know P-Rod isn’t here anymore and I don’t want him back, I’m just trying to make a point.
Point made.
Dirty Frank said:
I wonder how much we’d be concerned about offensive direction if Charlie Taaffe was WVU’s Offensive Coordinator.
I’m not suggesting he’d be better, worse, or the same – just wondering.
.
By the way, The University of Central Florida is averaging 30.6 points and 369 yards per game (190 rush/179 pass). Not quite the same level of competition, but…
35 points (although there was a pick six) 248 yards rushing/148 yards passing against Marshall in Huntington.
UCF’s Offensive Coordinator is…
I’ll guess! Is it the guy who, we were told by his CFL team, came all the way from Canada to visit with his good friend Bill Stewart and never had any intention of leaving the CFL for a Division I job, which is exactly what he’d done a few years before?
Mountaineer Knarf said:
I am not against Bill stewart and think the majority of the time he represents WVU in a positive manner. But I do think that Mullens for the most part puts together such an elaborate game plan that is unrealistic to think it can be carried out. Since this segment seems to have a military theme, Mullens is like the Union Civil War General George McClellen. He puts together this grand army, but has no clue how to use it. He makes such elaborate battle plans that his army cannot exeucte it. That seems to fit Mullens, he has the weapons but cannot figure out how to use them and his game plan is so elaborate that it cannot be executed. Basically he out coaches himself and sadly lately that has not been to hard to do.
Stewart is like Lee at Getysburg on the 2nd day, he had a good plan of attack but his subordinates falied to carry it out in a timely manner and as you said earlier
“whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted”
at Sryacuse it looked like we were late in every thing we tried to do and were too exhausted or too lackadaisical to execute it.
I’m just … wow. Well done.
P.S. It’s Mullen_. I might make that his name now. Visual reinforcement.
Homer said:
Derek Dooley also likes to talk out of turn about historical events applied to football. Didn’t work for him either.
Yeah, not so much.
The 25314 said:
This could be fun…
Casteel can be U.S. Grant.
Kirlavich is fightin’ Joe Hooker.
Beatty is JEB Stuart.
Luck is Baberaham Lincoln.
Rodriguez is Abner Doubleday (because he thinks he invented the game.)
Pat White is Stonewall Jackson.
Larry Aschebrooke is Robert Shaw.
Robert Shaw?!?! My goodness.
Karl said:
Perhaps a more apt military comparison would be Stewart as Il Stewce, Billito Stewssolini. The jutting of the jaw. The exaggeration of offensive might. The overexuberant self-congratulation for avenging a defeat by a lesser opponent (South Florida/Ethiopia). The humiliating defeat by a long-faded historic power (Syracuse/Greece).
Too good.
Jeff in Akron said:
Oll Stew was quoted after 13-9 stating that WVU could never be what they were on that day, or something similar. Unfortunately, WVU has been what they were on that day at least once in every season since, sometimes twice.
Syracuse used a blitz to stop a passing team, revolutionary. While the offense waited for one of its playmakers to break the “big one” and win the game for the old gold and blue. Wasn’t that what all the changes on offense were installed to stop?
As fans, we still do not know if WVU has a running back option past Devine. As such, Devine was asked to run between the tackles on a bad foot. Even if Devine’s foot is better, he was not 100%. At some point another option has to be developed, a month in and still nothing.
Marrone called the game a chess match, a valid analogy to me. Sun Stew with Mullen at his side were out coached. WVU jumped out to the early lead, apparently the players did not hit the snooze for the first quarter. After that it was about adjustments, Syracuse made the correct adjustments, WVU did not.
Eu had a bad game, Oll Stew said he needed help, I agree. Laying the nucleas of this loss at the feet of the players may be correct. At some point, the offensive staff have to accept their due in the matter. Now Sun Stew hints that Eu will run the ball more the rest of the season. Wasn’t that what got our last QB hurt, and caused losses last year?
WVU has invested, by my quick count, at least five scholarships on running backs and fullbacks, not counting Devine’s. Yet, all of that supposed talent is standing idle on the sidelines. At what point does it become a question of the staffs ability to evaluate and develope talent, and not the ability of the player to contribute?
Apparently, Sun Stew is going to address the issue of Brunetti’s playing time sooner rather than later. Instead of using the running backs on the roster, he’s going to run Eu.
Yeah, that’s the answer I was looking for.
Good points, but I’ll defend Oll Stewart here. I think it was a slip of the tongue when he said he’d put “more on the quarterback’s legs” and actually meant “running backs'” legs. Asked to clarify later in the conference call, he said Eu is a good runner, but they’re better served using the backs and keeping Eu in the game.
Foul Shot said:
Mike,
Ask Stew why Geno did not get a pass off on the last play.
Although, maybe it was already asked and I have missed the answer.
It was unforgivable not to at least heave it into the endzone.
Don’t know about all the Civil War comparisons, but we should look at where things stand at the end of the year.
Meineke Bowl, Gator Bowl loss to average at best FSU team, Papa Johns this year?
Not a really good run if that is how it turns out. Pretty average.
We talked to Geno about this Saturday. He didn’t see the guy coming — remember, he was trying to avoid a guy in front of him and the guy in back caught up — and by the time he did it was too late.
Karl said:
People are talking like this is a setback for UConn, but it seems to me they have a better chance of winning with Frazier. Although he played poorly in the beginning of the year, he must have won the starting job in the spring for a reason. Plus, how great could Box be getting shut out last week? Good luck throwing a true freshman QB out there like that againts this defense.
Yeah, Frazer has started before. I think that adds to the false sense of security here.
Stew said:
Mike,
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.
Emjoy the weekend!