The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

Friday Feedback

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The Elks maintain the faith … and frosty cold PBR!

Welcome to a place that just won’t engage in the “Fire Pete Carroll” chatter. Not this night! A quick tip of the cap to thacker who as an out-of-stater has to go to great lengths to catch games like tomorrow’s against Marshall. He kindly passed along a few tips to track the Mountaineers in a game that might be the beginning of the end not be available in your media market.

For a televised Internet stream broadcast of Saturday’s game, the only offerings that I can find are via ESPN360 via the following ISP broadband providers, a viewer must have one of the listed ISPs as their service
provider:  http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/espn360/affList 

For a radio Internet stream broadcast, Marshall University via their own radio station, WMUL, provides live streams and will stream the game. http://www.marshall.edu/wmul/   A direct link for pregame starting at 2:00 PM EDT and for the 3:30 kickoff:  http://www.marshall.edu/wmul/live.asx

I’m not going to lie to you: I have no idea how else to watch a game than from a press box or on television. I know WVU suggests CBS Sportsline, but I’m told it’s less than reliable and not free. From time to time, Yahoo! will have an arrangement, but it’s not available this week. I actually think it has to do with the other team, though I could be wrong. Point is I’m not sure and I guess what I’m asking is how else can people watch the game if they’re out of the area? Let’s face it … a couple of WVU’s remaining games won’t be picked up for television.

Moving on, one more closer look: Coaching. I want to preface this properly. WVU is one double-pass away from a 2-1 record and people calling the O.C. gutsy instead of clueless. A really good play-call almost changed the fortunes of one game and one season. Bad coaching didn’t throw a poor pass or run a loose route. Devil’s advocate, I know, but also a razor’s edge.

Conversely, people will say it should have never come to that and the coaches should have found ways to avoid such a fourth-quarter predicament — never mind they nearly escaped. I can get with that. There should be better results in short yardages. Different play-calls, packages, personnel? Sure. But what about the penalties and the fumble and the other player errors? Believe me, they’re coached not to hold or cheap-shot and to maintain possession.

As for the clock management, sure, it looked bad and could have been handled better, but there was a plan. Again, it nearly worked but another failure on third-and-short ruined it. If they get that first down, it’s a different situation, I say. We can agree to disagree there, but I’m curious what Stewart’s sideline demeanor has to do with anything. A camera catches him closing his eyes and fussing with his headset and that turns him into Inspector Clouseau? Not buying it. It just makes him an easy target for an audience taking this all very hard.

What I’ve seen is a team that did not look prepared for what happened at ECU and admitted as much afterward. I think they were much more ready for Colorado and that enviroment and the impovements on defense and running the ball were good signs. You’ll get a better idea of how good these coaches are tomorrow.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted, though sometimes, it’s just a misunderstanding.

Birch said:

I met Beilein one time at a Coaches Caravan tournament. He was using the urinal next to me and when he was done, shook my hand without washing his hands. That will always be my lasting memory of him.

Touch me, it’s so easy to leave me, all alone with the memory, of my day in the john.

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Fire extinguisher

Perhaps you’ve heard about Jeff Mullen “blasting” Pat White. Seems an article in the student newspaper reported on an alleged confrontation between the two.

After practice on Tuesday, White and Mullen were two of the last to come off the field, but as they walked off, the two stopped and looked to have conversation that was less than buddy-buddy.

White proceeded to walk into the locker room, leaving Mullen standing, shaking his head.

“A fifth-year senior quarterback that fights you,” Mullen said of White on Tuesday.

I lost count of the “Fire Mullen” e-mails I received today. I’m sure this is an unfortunate and avoidable mistake/misunderstanding. Time to clear this up. 

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Wonders never cease

Since the wake of the ECU loss first rocked the boat, there have been complaints about WVU’s offense and how it’s been bland and lacking certain elements, most notably excitement. Where, the people wondered, are all he gadgets and the personnel combinations and bells and whistles everyone was talking about thoughout the spring and summer?

Why, one of the commenters here even reminded me of a wager we made in the preseason after I said Pat White would play some receiver.  The point was that nothing was as it was made to seem.

But there was a glimpse with the dubious double pass against Colorado and now comes something that’s either ingenuity or a shred of desperation. Jarrett Brown is going to play a position other than quarterback against Marshall.  

Brown won’t be a feature back and might not even get into the game, but there are indeed plans to make use of his ability.

“He’s a great athlete and obviously a big guy and we don’t have many big guys in our backfield, so he could potentially give us a little bit of a changeup,” running backs coach Chris Beatty said. “I don’t know how big the package would be for him or if there’d be a package. I think we’re still trying to work on exactly what we’re trying to do with him.

“But he’s too good not to be playing. Just because he’s playing behind the best athlete on the team and maybe the best in the nation, that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t play somewhere else.”

I’m not sure what to think other than it seems like a bizarre idea. O.C. Jeff Mullen would prefer to have Brown focus on QB, you know, just in case he’s needed there — “There’s an old saying. If you’ve got one, you’ve got none,” he said. Is it legit or is it a bone thrown to the hungry masses? And does the hungry mass throw the bone back?

A timely comment from jmbwvu suggests the answer is “Yes”: 

On a side note, if I have to hear another WVU coach say that J. Brown needs to get on the field I’m gonna lose it. I’m sorry, I haven’t seen any sort of eye-popping play he’s made in the past few years. And I also hear chatter about using him as a fullback. That’s a great idea, maybe he can get hurt throwing a block for #5 who also gets dinged up on the play and now we have Noodle Arm under center. Remember the guy who forgot that he wasn’t left handed on that trick play in Colorado?! Come on coaches, use your brain.

John Beilein is quite happy, thank you.

Beilein previously coached at West Virginia for five years, guiding the Mountaineers to the Elite Eight in 2005.

Michigan is his fourth Division 1 school.

“I have finally come to a place that I love,” Beilein said. “I have said that there are only two places I would rather coach at.

“One is an orphanage, because I wouldn’t have their parents bothering me. And second, a prison, because I wouldn’t have to worry about the alumni coming back.”

They like (surprising) Mike

Mike Gansey was, perhaps improbably, taken by the Erie BayHawks with the second pick in the NBA D-League expansion draft Wednesday. I say “perhaps improbably” because this was a surprise to Mr. Gansey himself. He just started his first season in the German Bundesliga.

A classic e-mail from the ever gracious Clevelander:

“WOW is all I have to say. I had no clue of a draft and my name being in it. I really don’t know what to say but it’s an honor and I am glad that the Erie BayHawks thought so much of me to pick me with their first pick in team history.”

Gansey figures geography was a factor. He’s from the finest city on the map and played college ball at WVU and St. Bonaventure. All three are fairly close to Erie. The Bonnies play about an hour away and the paper in Erie covers LeBron and the Cavaliers.

It’s not an unreasonable pick by the BayHawks. Gansey played in Italy last year and ended up in Anaheim with the D-League team there and Erie holds Gansey’s rights if he goes international to domestic again this year.

Most of Erie’s picks, like Gansey, Jackie Manuel and Kris Lang, are playing overseas.

Having coached in Europe, Treloar said players who compete overseas don’t always stay with those teams, thus increasing the possibility they might be available to the BayHawks later in the season.

“When they’re not winning, a lot of times European teams will cut players,” he said. “Send them home. So we looked at guys that there’s a chance they might not stick with the team they’re currently on.”

Gansey’s not thinking that far ahead. The Eisbaren Bremerhaven Polar Bears are 1-0 after opening with a win against New York Phantoms Braunschweig, for whom former Wake Forest center Kyle Visser plays.

“Always good to see Wake players,” Gansey said.

A closer look

This would have been more timely — and I would have looked much smarter — had it been addressed last week. Let’s talk defense, which for the first two games could not consistently tackle, couldn’t defend short or long passes and couldn’t pressure the quarterback. I honestly thought things would improve, perhaps noticeably, between the second and third games. Speaking with Jeff Casteel after the ECU game, I sensed he was … well, he wasn’t OK with the problems, but he thought they could be fixed. Missed tackles are bad, but that’s a correctable error.

Tackling wasn’t perfect and Colorado did get a lot of yards after contact, but there weren’t nearly as many whiffs and flat-out failures. With the exception of the one alarming opening drive, Colorado have very little luck against the defense and looked bothered by many things the Mountaineers were doing. That’s what you call progress — and let’s not underestimate the value of Reed Williams.

Let’s not call it a finished product, either.

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Stew looking ahead

… to his radio show. The always entertaining Tuesday press conference delivered again. Stewart opened by asking for all Colorado-related questions and many issues were addressed, except the old clock management thing we’ve been over and over again and again. He asked again for Colorado-related questions and everyone kind of looked around and shrugged their shoulders and readied to move on.

“I didn’t answer the one question I thought I’d get. I’ll handle that tomorrow on the radio show.”

Has he been preparing a defense for the clock management since Thursday night? Is that a good thing? Part of me says no because he shouldn’t be concerned with it now, especially since he “absolutely wouldn’t change a thing” immediately after the game. He’s said his peace. Move on.

On the other hand, it probably is a bright idea. The audience for the radio show isn’t moving on and, in my view, I think he’s going to hate it before long, especially if the problems continue. The clock management will be brought up right away and probably by several callers and the nature of their inquisitions — acerbic, anonymous, designed to make themselves feel better by being critical — just doesn’t fit Stewart well. Is Caridi the host or the referee tonight?

Hey, how about a good story

If you’re looking for someone or something to cheer for, meet the imperturbable Gino Crump.

Crump has four years to play three seasons and for a while it looked like the late start would cost him this season and relegate him to a redshirt. It’s changed, though, and what started with what Stewart described as “a chance” has quickly evolved into playing time on special teams and who knows what beyond that.

“Realistically, right now that’s all I can really ask for, but personally I have goals way, way beyond that — just a chance,” he said. “My goal is to be a starter and help the team win a national championship. When I leave West Virginia University, I want to have left my mark.”

A closer look

Let’s go to the most obvious and most bizarre aspect of this team. WVU can run for 311 yards, but can’t pick up inches or feet when it needs to most. Some of this is the offensive linemen and the tight ends and we’ve discussed that already. Yet they’re not alone to shoulder the blame. It goes beyond them and also implicates the ball-carriers, the play-calls and the coaches.

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Rivalry schmilvary

In essence, Saturday’s game is one between two teams occupying the same state. It is most certainly not a rivalry, though. Even the name lends itself to a particular lameness.

Marshall can help make it one with a victory. See, there are three things that have to happen for a rivalry to exist. First, the teams have to play ever year and for so many, many reasons, it’s just not happened here. Saturday’s game will be the eighth between the teams and the fourth since 1923. Secondly, there has to be an equity in results and that hasn’t happened either. Marshall hasn’t cost WVU anything or caused any embarrassment — though, again, that can change. Lastly, there has to be some animosity and while there may be a little disdain here and there, it’s largely respect and flattery.

It’s reached humorous levels among the coaches and WVU’s Bill Stewart can’t say enough nice things about his counterpart, Mark Snyder, who’s reciprocated the praise. None of that whips the fans into a frenzy. In fact, it’s worse on WVU’s side, which sees a coach praising the enemy … the enemy who seems to have been through what Stewart is going through. That, like almost everything else, isn’t accurate either.  

“My situation was so much different than walking into a program that was established and had its scholarships and you get there in December like everyone else,” said Snyder, who was hired in April, after the Thundering Herd already had conducted its spring drills.

“Mine was just a different situation that I don’t know if anybody has been through. I had nobody to call about getting hired after spring ball with the things that were going on here.

“I was kind of the test case. … Because of the late hire, I had some new coaches and I’m sitting there coaching the coaches along with the players. That’s tough at that stage, if that makes sense.”

Uh-oh. Do I sense some fury? Um, no.

“He’s going to be just fine. Let me tell you, that’s a good football team. They’re going to be just fine. I just hope they ain’t just fine this Saturday.”