Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which sometimes just stares at the screen and wonders what’s wrong with people. Earlier this month — to be precise, 24 days ago — I wrote Bruce Tall was coming aboard the S.S. Dana and that Lonnie Galloway, Brian Mitchell and Joe DeForest, who each had contracts set to expire this month, would be there to greet him.

Additionally, sources said receivers coach Lonnie Galloway, cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell and safeties coach/special teams coordinator Joe DeForest, who all had contracts set to expire this month, recently agreed to new contracts. Galloway and Mitchell agreed to two-year deals with raises while DeForest agreed to a one-year deal at a lower salary.

Everybody filed Freedom of Information Act requests to get the intel. I do it all the time because I want to make sure what I have is up to date. And if you’ve been here any length of time, you probably know I’m sort of fascinated by contracts. Call it a hobby, I guess. And don’t laugh at me. It’s that or, like, cigarettes or chew. Anyhow, the FOIA requests were filed and fulfilled and stories were written detailing signed contracts for Galloway and Mitchell (and some people lumped in JaJuan Seider, who agreed to a new deal before the bowl), and each was careful to note DeForest’s was not signed.

That’s not insignificant, but I don’t know how significant that really is. This wouldn’t have been a very big deal, I don’t think, if it had involved anybody other than DeForest. But that guy … man … I’ve never seen anything like it here. I got so many email and texts and phone calls about it. What’s going on? Please help me! My friends, who are truly terrible people, were sending me links to message boards discussing this saga, and those discussions, of course, insisted the reporting was wrong and the explanation was changing to cover up that inaccuracy (again, not as much friends as truly terrible people), and I couldn’t believe what I was reading (Aside: Thanks, Dirty Frank. I see you working.).

All I can tell you then is what I’m telling you now. Those three coaches agreed to new contracts all around the same time. Could have been at the same moment, for all I know, but let’s go with a broader window. Everyone I talked to for the linked-to story said it and said all three were coming back. Two subsequently signed. One did not, and I understand the identity of the exception makes that a story line. Never, though, did anyone suggest to me he wasn’t coming back. And saying someone “agreed to” a contract is not the same as saying someone “signed” a contract. The distinction is important when you write about things like this, especially here, where coaches have gone entire years without signed contracts. Remember, DeForest went a full season without a signed contract, but with a signed term sheet in its place. But what others wanted to see only seemed to push the story in a direction it was not headed. Maybe he hasn’t signed it because he’s not coming back and maybe the reporting is all wrong!

Hey, there may be some truth to that. Maybe he wasn’t happy with the pay cut and the one-year deal and maybe he went to the coaches’ convention trying to find a job. I’ll allow that. But all along the hope, if not the insistence, at WVU was he was coming back. So I’ll also allow that he was busy at a busy time, and possibly even pissed since he did lose his associate head coach title, and just didn’t get to it until Monday. It might not have been a big deal to him.

Here’s the truth about DeForest: He can coach safeties and he can recruit, Dana Holgorsen really likes and respects him and he gets too much blame for special teams travails — and I’m the guy who crushes special teams. He’s not the guy who coaches the punt returners, much like he’s not the guy who makes boneheaded decisions to, say, line up 70 yards from the punter, run up 25 yards and dive head-first into a return or to attempt over-the-shoulder catches on the 2-yard line or to stand near a bouncing punt. Yeah, he works with punters, but he didn’t tell the punter to kick left when the return was going right. Follow me?

We might not agree on that, and honestly, that doesn’t matter. Here’s what matters, and this might be awkward and forward, but who cares? I’ve been on planes and in hotel rooms and have spent quite some time thinking about this and answering and asking questions. Here’s what I gather happened and how I can explain this situation:

WVU had one opening on its staff. Holgorsen is no dummy, and he’s made veiled defenses of DeForest in past. He knows the easy move would be to let DeForest go and generate whatever good will would come of that, but he didn’t think that was the right move, even when he considered everything that’s on the line next season. So he looked at everything before what I believe we’ll agree is a critical season and decided, “I’m going to replace the QB coach/offensive coordinator with a defensive coach.” Further, he went to Tony Gibson, who he just granted a three-year, $2.1 million contract, and said, “I’ve got the offense covered. Gonna get a G.A. from Kentucky who played QB here for a second. What do you need for defense?” Gibson, who has coached safeties before, as well as cornerbacks, and knew the contracts for the cornerbacks and safeties coaches were set to expire and that he could easily do one or both on his own because he has in the past, said, “D, I need a defensive line coach. We’re not where we need to be, and we need someone who can get us there in a hurry.” (In my head, this is exactly how they communicate.)

Gibson wants to coach linebackers. He’s stated he’ll never pick another spot because he wants to be in middle of the action and he needs to understand everything front to back, and he knows the linebackers are the fulcrum. He doesn’t want to coach corners and/or safeties, I think, for two reasons: 1) Coaching both is too much for a guy who runs the defense and 2) He has good coaches there. I can’t stress this enough: If he wanted DeForest out, he could have said, “I’ve got safeties. Scrap, you get linebackers. Damon Cogdell, we’re getting you a guy who really knows the line and you, in your second season of college coaching, can learn and grow under his wing.”

That didn’t happen, and now we’ve got some wrinkles to iron out, wrinkles I firmly believe will be addressed on or right after Wednesday. Here’s my ribbon: Bringing DeForest back makes sense. The price tag  is cheaper — and he still makes more than everyone but Bradley and Gibson — and the $150,000 WVU saved helped keep Seider and Mitchell (Galloway re-signed for the same salary). Most importantly, WVU isn’t a place that needs ripples in the water. There have been too many for too long and if this is indeed a severely important season, Holgorsen and his loaded defense have one less thing to worry about.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, try it if you can do it.

hershy112 said:

The history probably points to academically ineligible, but hopefully it’s some of the less talented heading out. Looking at that roster, the O-line is looking pretty rough next year, and the offense in general I suppose. With the exception of maybe the RB position. Defense looks pretty strong though, with the exception of maybe the defensive line being a little thin. Time will tell.

All that being said, it is a rare, but exciting, position for WVU to be in. Some schools oversign every year (looking at you SEC), but hopefully WVU can handle this position of power without coming across as not caring about the kids.

Surely getting to 85 involves some combination of kids who don’t qualify and kids on scholarship who leave. Impossible to avoid. The former, you’ll have to wait on — though you might see some committed kids not sign Wednesday — and the latter is something I expect to hear more about at the end of this week.

JC said:

Mike, do the guaranteed scholarships apply to kids who are already under scholarship, or will be, once that whole thing starts?

Nope, but I wondered if the student-athletes were going to push for that. The first group to get them is the next group to get them.

I love you, Doug! said:

With only one (gulp!) junior linebacker in the pipeline, I hope those sophs and frosh get ready by 2016.

Sub-optimal.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

I’m not sure which is more concerning — the number pointed out by ILYD in his post or the cornerbacks list with no underclassmen……and I also think you have to look at Worley as a Senior; IMO he has the skills for the League, which to me, removes the Senior year if he has a good Junior one……..

The recruiting, or at least the perception of it, has dramatically improved with the new staff and new league. Only problem — and most have it — is on the lines, mostly defensive, in both numbers and quality. I don’t know that we can overcome it, unless we suddenly start seeing a lot of 6-5, 300 pounders in the Eastern Panhandle, Kanawha Valley, or the southern coal fields who bleed Gold and Blue.

See above. WVU’s not messing with junior colleges much, though. As for the problem with the lines, they’ve got three pretty good linemen from Ohio. That’s encouraging, no?

tls62pa said:

I was more worried with the lack of underclassmen at CB. Yes, there are a lot of senior LBs, but those sophs will be getting a lot of time this year. It won’t be a totally green linebacker bunch of juniors next year.

Yeah, that’s what jumped out to me. The younger linebackers will get or have gotten reps. It’s different at corner, I’ve always thought. You want to keep a small circle there, so there aren’t as many opportunities to go around. You don’t want to throw green guys out there at the start of a subsequent season … but what’s the alternative here?

dann white said:

I don’t see any shortage of receivers on next years offense with Dakiel Shorts, Jordan Thompson, and Vernon Davis, as seniors returning to action. Juniors Wendell Smallwood, Shelton Gibson, and Chris Parry(Yes I know Wendell is a RB) and the second year efforts of Ricky Rogers combined with new signers there shouldn’t be a problem fielding 3-4 good ones,
We remain knee deep in running backs (providing someone on the staff learns how to use them in a game) and with 5 QBs on the roster (really more like 4 usable ones) we should find someone capable of running the show. A less sensitive commenter would probably suggest that its high time that Paul Millard’s free education comes to an end; freeing up a scholarship for a perhaps more productive player. I personally would never say such a possibly hurtful thing publicly, especially in print.
Please excuse the scatological comment, I am suffering from the effects of elder life and a misspent youth. I’ll try harder next time.

Chris Parry! You’ve listed a bunch of slot receivers, and even omitted Lamar Parker. Rogers has a chance and it’s mostly him, Gibson and Davis as outside receivers. WVU’s going after Kevin White’s brother, so there may be some help there. What’s encouraging, and what WVU is touting, is someone always makes a jump and makes the most of a starting spot in Dana’s offense, provided there’s a quality passer. 

jtmountaineer said:

Tarik has a little Casey Mitchell in him. Don’t mean that as a compliment. Bit of a chucker, but his effort is strong.

I’ll allow it. He’s not in there to hold water. I like him at point guard, to be honest. Seems that after Browne he’s the best option behind Staten, and I’m not sure Browne is a better scorer. Better manager/facilitator? Sure, but you feel a little more potent with Phillip looking to score from the point, no?

avb31 said:

Adrian is much, much more athletic than Kevin Noreen. I can see the comparison to Cam, but not Noreen.

He was good tonight. I think he got tired at the end of the game because he played a lot more minutes that he usually does. His outside shooting might just be a lost cause for this year. He just has zero confidence in it right now

Bits of both, I’d say. Not solely one or the other, but nothing really unique to his game to set him aside from the others except that he’s probably a better shooter and thus a more likely scorer. I haven’t liked his performance most of this season because he’s looked so lost, but I’ve never really thought he suffered from a lack of effort. That effort had a place in a game like Tuesday’s and he played very good defense and was able to body up with some Wildcats. But that was a favorable matchup. Credit to him for being there, but it’s not going to line up that way in most games. It’d be nice to see successive good games and for him to have a role tomorrow.

Rugger said:

I wouldn’t like our brand of basketfootball either if I were Bruce Weber. Don’t worry Bruce, it will be a kinder and gentler press and environment in Morgantown…the bulletin board stuff is appreciated.

Absent context, Weber’s comments sound shallow and pedantic. He was mostly complimentary of WVU imposing both will and style, and let’s be honest with one another: That was hard to watch and harder to enjoy, and if you lose because you were lowered to that, um, gimmick, you’re going to be bitter, too. He didn’t help himself for Feb. 11, though.

I love you, Doug! said:

This team plays like a bunch of Golums and the basketball is Precious.

No idea what that means, but I won’t disagree.

netbros said:

The way this team plays gets in your head. One might logically conclude that K-State won’t be looking forward to playing again. Oklahoma probably feels the same way. This team can beat you psychologically.

That’s more my speed. Zero argument on that point. It’s not fun to battle against. You want to do certain things that are fun every game and the Mountaineers don’t allow many of them to occur. WVU brought Weber and K-State down to that level. I think we went over this before, but this team has that 2010 vibe to it. That team drove opposing coaches and players crazy and loved to be hated, and I think WVU is starting to open its eyes to that.

Rugger said:

I would think that Huggs would be better served letting Eron, Dibo and Trigger go at this point. Then again, maybe they are the 2015 pebble in his shoe.

Hotlon would be wise to quit the BS when he’s called for a foul. Nod in agreement and run down the court, they might just forget about you. That is pretty basic, no?

Huggins cares not for what people think, especially that group. As for Holton, that’s quintessential 2010. That team never fouled. Never. And fans hhhhhhated it. He’s taking all of this somewhat in stride. He walked onto the floor for practice today. As he passed teammates, they each calmly said, “Foul.” Larry Harrison then told Holton he cannot yell in a player’s face when guarding someone during play like he does when he’s guarding the inbound — that’s the story on the technical foul. Holton didn’t seem to know that and said he was merely letting Nino Williams know he got the ball out of his hands, which was his job. “That’s not what you said,” Harrison replied. Everyone laughed.

Foul Shot said:

When you put this defense together with a more effective offense, WVU is looking like a team to contend with.
No way you play this style with the personnel of the previous 3 years.
I don’t know where these guys showed up from, but it is a striking difference in team turnover.

That stretch in the middle of the second half was alarming: 11 for 16! They played defense and then sat down in the half-court and ran plays and made shots. It was eight-plus minutes of pretty good offensive basketball with key players on the floor. You haven’t seen too much of that this season, so was that an outlier or an awakening? (Forget they had zero baskets before that and two after it, please.)

Mack said:

Didn’t see the game. Watched The Bachelor.

Had his girl in cut and she choosey.

Shoot4Show said:

Not a comment specific to the crew who worked this game, but it’s hard to officiate a game when you have a team playing swarming, trapping, physical defense. You simply can’t call everything, so the officials have to discern contact from compact that impedes the offense. That makes it difficult to be consistent with all the calls.

You can get away with some things on defense sometimes — which can be maddening when you don’t get away with it throughout the game — and it can cost you on offense when you don’t get a call when the opponent does to you what you’ve been doing to them. If you play D like we play D, you have to play strong and play through contact on offense.

That’s from after the TCU game, and I agree. The press is a variable I think we’ve all struggled at times to process and apply. But I totally think officials complicate all of this for the same reason. I can speak three languages. I can’t walk up to my uncles speaking Italian and understand everything they say. I need a minute to get my wits.  

ccteam said:

I have largely given up on complaining about walking calls because the rules of the game have apparently changed since I played. However, TCU was allowed to dance all over the court Saturday on numerous occasions. Glad to hear it wasn’t just old school me who saw it.

There are times when the trap is perfect and you almost have to step through to get out of it, but you can’t step through with your pivot foot. That’s a travel. Just watch for it Saturday. It happens all the time and it’s never called. Yet WVU’s getting called for lane violations on free throws — I’ve seen two Big 12 teams complain about WVU leaving early — and officials are asking Devin Williams to tuck in his jersey. That “kinda pregnant” officiating.

Foul Shot said:

A concern is that we get limited by an over zealous ref crew when it means the most such as in a tournament game.
Coaches like Webber Tues night had no problem beating our over matched team the last couple of years but when the tables turn suddenly it is bad basketball?
It is good basketball being employed by Huggs who is using the skills of the players he has this year.
These guys like the TCU coach who has his best player in bounding can’t figure out how to adjust. The easy reaction is to rip the refs when actually they are not top coaches.

I’m with you on all of this. I don’t know if WVU has to survive it or solve it, but I do know the other team has a similar decision every game.

overtheSEC said:

What stood out to me during the KSU game was how many of WVU’s fouls were not only legitimate (in this biased fan’s eyes) but downright lazy. Silly reaches and flat out cutting people off as opposed to where I’d argue in games past WVU had been penalized for hustling and boxing out. Just moving their feet would eliminate a lot of the fouls called Tuesday. While frustrating, it gave me optimism that there can be some games where we don’t have 4 guys with 2 fouls before the under 8 timeout.

Back to the K-State game here, and I’ll agree. I didn’t think it was poorly officiated. At least not on a TCU level. I thought it was consistent and they let some physical stuff go, and that was different from the TCU game, but I thought WVU was guilty a majority of the time. We hit this in the game post, but Adrian’s teammates were on him for one foul because he used his arms and not his feet to guard. The players know.

Drew said:

Have you seen the second half of the Big 12 schedule? A significant slide is not out of the question for this team. I’m not saying it will happen, but it’s a real possibility.

I’m still saving this for something after the Oklahoma game, but, whew, it’s a mountain. Only four on the road, but it’s Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas. There are three straight Saturday road trips, three games (at least) against a 2-3, two against Kansas, a very tall Saturday-Monday at Iowa State and home against the Jayhawks and no sign of TCU or Texas Tech. 

glibglub said:

I have my own tin foil hat, so please hold forth on why officials don’t T or eject at WVU.

There’s a lengthy process involved immediately after the game. Those guys want to get on the road, whether by air or by land, to get to their next paycheck.

hershy112 said:

RE: Billy Dee Williams comment

There is no hype from me. Hell, I didn’t even know who the guy was before the first game when someone said he wasn’t playing. The hype I got was from commenters here and other chatter. My unimpressed state was with him as a D-1 basketball player with no prior knowledge of him.

There’s a title for a Billydee biography somewhere in there, I know it. Can I tell you a secret, though? I like No. 21. There’s a lot of potential there and he’s giving WVU decent to quality minutes. He fouls from behind too much, but he’ll figure that out when he gets used to game speed. He’s not scoring, but I don’t think he’s too worried about that. He’s giving a lot of attention to rebounding and defending and something happens when he’s in there. It’s scratch-the-surface stuff. He’s supposed to be a good shooter — Huggins told me in the fall he was the best shooter, at that time, in practice — but if he gets the confidence to drive it from the wing, WVU has something. I mean this: If you get a chance to go to a game, go early and watch him go through warmups. 

I love you, Doug! said:

Is this your aforementioned B-52 under the radar?

Shaq Wilson? I don’t know. I didn’t know that was coming. I don’t know that a B-52 is coming. Dorchester said nothing of the sort, but I know he likes to keep secrets secret because there’s a competitive advantage others can leverage close to signing day. What I mean is, say Wilson was the B-52 and it got out and Cincinnati talked Khalil Lewis into flipping because WVU got a receiver. Wouldn’t the Mountaineers rather keep Wilson quiet until the end and get both guys? If he can push one across the finish line, that’s a win for him, and it’s not easy to do that with the saturation of coverage and exposure today.

glibglub said:

I know it’s very 2012, but I’ll say it.  Mark Richt has lost control of Shaquery Wilson’s commitment.

Still valid.

I love you, Doug! said:

This young lad’s name appears to be a mashup of “Shaquille” and “Tanqueray.”

When he catches a TD the scoreboard could say, “Tonight, we Shaquery.”

I’d do it before kickoff. > Mr. T.

Karl said:

The fanalist who wrote the story doesn’t seem to think it’s a big loss for Georgia. I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about.

Enjoy the weekend!