Enough with the bare cupboard. We had several NFL players on our roster last year and won 3 games. Today we had more talent than csu but no heart.
Our talent stinks but in no way shape or form did CSU have close to better talent than we did. They are one of the worst teams playing BCS level football. It would not surprise me in any way to see them get run next week by an FCS team. On there entire roster I doubt they have 10-15 players who would be welcomed with a scholly by other major conference BCS teams if allowed to transfer without penalty.
This is what makes the lost yesterday so disgusting. We knew what we were going to face, had known it since last year, and came out thouroughly and completely unprepared to compete. This is entirely on the coaching staff.
The "strongest" part of our team was supposed to be the OL with an NFL draft prospect in Bak, and Remington watch list center, and other veteran guys playing for us. We got dominated by a DL that includes one quality player and a bunch of slugs. When you have first and goal from the 5 against CSU twice and don't get TDs either time that is on the coaching. When you can't or won't even try to pick up one (yes one (1), uno, a single, not even two, fricken yard on the ground against CSU that is coaching. When you have a QB who is on a hot streak and you let him get pounded into the ground to the point that he limps the rest of the game and loses his effectiveness by letting their best (and about only decent) D-lineman run completely free at him that is on the coaches.
When you pass up two relatively short FGs under 45 yards and end up coming up empty along with giving up a free TD by putting a rookie PR back in a situation where you had no need to even bother fielding the punt that is on the coaches.
I am not as down on the recruiting as many here are. Last years class was very solid and this years class, though lacking in guys that jump out at least looks to be athletes who will compete physically in the PAC.
What I had expected to see though was a change from the terrible fundamentals and the complete lack of winning attitude coming out of the Hawk era. Had someone watched the coaches tapes of the game yesterday and not seen the sideline shots this team could easily have been a Dan Hawkins team.
Immediately some serious attitude changes have to be made. End of this season at least two assistants have to be gone. We need an OL coach that will demand that our linemen dominate on every play in the attitude department and who will prepare them for the mental aspects of the game. We need a special teams coach that will if not turn our special teams into a positive at least not lose us games with ST decisions on and off the field.
After these changes Embree gets one more year to show real progress in the program. From where he started it may not be realistic do demand upper half finishes in the conference in 3-4 years but it is reasonable to demand that he show a team that competes and is getting markedly better.
Will any of this come to pass? I'm not sure or even hopefull at this point. Until Benson, Phil, and the croneys at the top show that they have the will to actually have a competitive program I don't hold out much hope.
If any of you happen to have opportunities to have contact with any of the regents or the candidates for the board make sure that the know about your displeasure with the current state of affairs. If someone has quick access to the e-mail and land mail addresses of the regents it may be worth posting those on the home page of the site. Let them hear that it matters to us and keep that in mind in making their decisions on the replacements for Benson and Phil when that time comes, hopefully sooner than later.
