angrybeavs.com

So, the consensus here has been that our schemes (offensive and defensive)...suck, and I have completed agreed. But I was playing devil's advocate on my way home from work the other day.

If throughout 2011, we had an above-average offensive line (we can define as better than 50% of PAC-12 O-lines), what would our record be right now? Even with our other problems, I'm thinking we pull off Sac St, Utah, BYU, and UCLA- and have a good shot at AZST. WA and CAL would look like very winnable games. Our O-line for the last 3 years is atrocious, and is such a fundamental problem on both sides of the ball, that I'm not sure our criticism of the schemes is justified.

I think our 2011 defense has significantly outplayed 2010 defense, and probably 2009 too. The difference is this is the first year our offense has straight-up sucked. The instant 3-and-outs, and even the successful drives with no run plays, put pressure on a defense that we haven't had in years past. They're always on the field. But they're making big plays and big stops.

So my question is....are our schemes really that bad? If they're not, then bringing in new coordinators may not fix the Beavers. We need consistency with recruiting, we need the ability to act more quickly (ingame adjustments, game management, personnel moves), and we need passion and leadership from the top (this covers ref management). In short, we need a head coach. :\

Even when the Beavs had good offensive lines, Riley held them back with all the same issues. He's always been bad at the in-game stuff: time management, timeouts, two point conversions, challenges, etc. He has cost the teams games in the past (e.g. the Cincinnati/DJ Woods non-challenge). So, I don't doubt the Beavers can win 8 games again with Riley once they fix the lines, but I know he's good for a loss or two per year so they will not be going to any meaningful bowl games.

If 8 wins somewhere down the line is good enough for Beaver fans then they should stick with Riley, because he will likely do that again at some point. If you want 9 and 10 win seasons, which would give the Beavs a shot at a meaningful bowl game, then fans should demand a coach who doesn't lose them games due to simple coaching 101 type stuff.

I agree with you angry on 1 point. The offense has been very inconsistent this year. Look at the Wazzu game....Our offense played out of their minds that game and so did the defense. However, that 1 game was won because we had focus, passion, played with urgency, and the whole team showed up to actually EXPECT to win, not just HOPE to win. That's the real difference.

The other point you make is in recruiting. Who prioritizes the recruiting schedule and which recruits to go after? Is it Riley alone, or is it Riley and Co.? Cause if it's those around him who aren't realizing the players we need and the players we can convince to come to OSU, then those coaches need to find another job because we need recruiters at the DC and OC positions, not just "master minds" or "good guys".

I gotta say I think another problem we face is the unimaginative and highly predictable offensive plays we run. I found myself watching during games and 70% of the time I could correctly guess what they were gonna be doing. Heck, I even knew the fake punts. That's just sad. It's sad to watch our team in utter futility knowing the outcome of the game before the end because you know what is going to happen, and how they simply give it away. What's even worse is watching as they do the same thing over and over, even though it's simply not producing results.