"I don't know, typical coaching paranoia sets in,'' said Riley when he was asked how good he feels about this first game.
"We kind of go back and forth with that.''
As Riley said, the million dollar question is "what are they going to try to do to us in this game?''
TCU coach Gary Patterson knows, but he isn't telling.
Correct answer: "I feel confident in my team."
If you're the verbose type and need expounding: "Our offense gives them a lot to think about."
Riley's fear is palpable, and thus, it once again becomes clear he isn't the guy to lead us to the promised land. Riley hopes to win instead of demanding it or expecting it. Hate to have to write that since he's a great guy, but every time he opens his mouth he proves me right. Needless to say, it's disheartening to hear such deflating comments from the head coach just days before the most anticipated kickoff in recent history.
I know I’ve made my view clear, but I think Riley is “just happy to be here.” His contract, unfortunately supports his attitude, rewarding him with an additional year any time he gets to a poinsetta-type bowl or better. If he’s not confident for games like TCU, why schedule them?
Christ, he’s had all off-season to prepare for this question. How about something like:
“We wanted to give the Rodgers a chance to play in Texas and we’ve delivered on that. We’ve got a great bunch of fast skill players, a young QB who can compliment Quizz’s running with the long ball, and we’re excited. Our defense is looking forward to the challenge of playing a top ranked team. I believe in our kids.” Maybe he hasn’t seen the Heisman videos….
Contrast that with Chip Kelly, who challenges his D to score 10 TD’s, wants “the fastest team in the country,” CLEARLY wants a rose bowl victory, and is clearly trending in that direction…
A coach can express confidence without trash talking or giving the opponents “locker room material.”
Riley has topped out. He got a 10-win season by adding an extra game (I was at the Hawaii game and it was a blast), but he can’t get this team to a higher level and its his own fault. He needs to be aggressive and confident (which isn’t his nature so he wouldn’t be real), he needs to consider a change in D coordinator, scheme, or fitting the scheme to the players he recruits (more zone coverages in my opinion).
Give him credit. He took the team higher than it had been in a long time. People need to stop using the 28-year losing streak as the standard though. The new standard should be a 7-win season (which is all Riley needs to coach at OSU until he dies), and the goal needs to be to exceed that standard. There are young, and/or hungry coaches out there who would do well with OSU’s improved facilities. Peterson at BSU and Patterson at TCU are examples of the types that OSU could find.
Riley’s approach won’t serve OSU any better as the league expands and his ability to recruit is diminished by competition from Utah and Colorado.
Type to think about change – not because he’s a bad guy, but because he’s finished his job.
Well said.
The life contract is disturbing. Hopefully there’s some out (i.e. two losing seasons in a row). Otherwise it’s this standard until either me or Riley dies, and I want to take a gamble on something bigger, even if we fail.
Chip does seem to expect a very high standard without saying anything. When he does speak it is with solid confidence. He says “We don’t care who we play or how we are alligned. You still have to win.”
I like Riley but the same thing has troubled me at time as well. I also think you can express confidence in your team and expect to compete tooth and nail with anyone. Coach has to raise that standard a bit to show his guys he knows they can get to a Rose Bowl if they all grind it out together as a unified team. Still very excited about the 2010 Beavers. Here’s to a win over TCU and/or BSU! GO BEAVS!
Typical coaching paranoia? What? First off even if you do have a little paranoia don’t broadcast it to the media, that shows you have doubts about your team. Your mindset going into a game like this should be confident but not cocky and what I’m getting from these quotes is not confidence. I hate to use him as an example, but I would never envision Chip Kelly saying something like that. Secondly, why is he paranoid? The team has had months to prepare for this game. If paranoia is the feeling then something is wrong with the preparation, instead of preparing the team to win, has the coaching staff prepared them to not get blown out or embarrassed? If that is the case then color me paranoid about this season and the future.
I think what Riley is talking about with paranoia is the “what if’s”. Like injuries, ineligibility of players, and so on and so forth. It’s the “typical coach paranoia” meaning that it’s a generalization of coaches’ typical paranoia before and during the season.
Even if you think that’s what he means, you didn’t explain the other two beta comments.
“We kind of go back and forth with that.” (i.e. how they feel about week 1).
and
“What are they going to try to do to us in this game?”
You don’t see how this should be: “we are confident” and “We give TCU a lot to worry about.” ?? You really don’t see (or feel) the difference in reading those words? Really???
Why do you lie to yourself is my question to you.
hey angry, check pms
Thanks, BeavGirl.
Angry and BeavGirl,
I’m a guy first of all. Second of all, just because I didn’t mention the other quotes means that I’m lying to myself? Seriously? I ignored those because I didn’t have anything to say about them at that time. Also, I’m starting to think that you read my comments and find things to criticize. Do you do that to everyone that you work for too? I mean seriously, are you that much of a negative person that you have to find things to disagree about when someone tries to make a point that is opposite of your own beliefs? If that’s what you’re about then I’m done wasting my time on this “blog” website. I started reading your stuff cause you bring a different point of view and I’m interested what you have to say. I don’t take what you say and call you a liar, a cynical a$$, a negative person, or anything like that. I realize this is your site, but you say you welcome other view points, but I’m thinking that if someone disagrees with you on one little thing or more whom you’ve never met before, then you’re just going to do whatever it takes to keep this site a tight little circle of the people who follow you religiously. It’s clear to me why you were banned at one point from the O-live blog…it’s cause you’re rude to the people who have an honest opinion about Oregon State football. Have you ever been a part of a football team ever? I’ve played football for 10 years, was an assistant coach at the jr. high level and know on a smaller scale what Riley is talking about. So if you don’t want to listen to someone with a bit of experience of being around football and want this to be just your little bubble, then hate to say it, but you’re not gonna have many followers nor many friends.
No, I was a baseball player. I played unorganized football.
What you’re doing is a slippery slope argument. Do I need to be a master technician at the guitar in order to understand (a) who plays it well (b) proper technique or (c) have valid criticisms? I’d answer no, unequivocally.
Stop being so sensitive. I’m fair to you and everyone else. You consistently disagree with me, so of course the conversations we have are going to be more heated than a conversation with someone who agrees the coach is too beta. You just took a cheap shot and called me BeavGirl, and in the same breath said I’m mistreating you because I asked a valid question. Look in the mirror, pal.
How about I tell you what I do agree with you on?
I agree about kristick being inconsistent and somewhat overrated in certain areas, but for the most part he over pursued a lot and his field of vision wasn’t that good.
There are some other things we do agree on.
I didn’t mean to sound like I called you beavgirl, I meant to just tell you both that I’m a guy and that was the only thing directed towards Beavgirl since she brought up pms.
The main argument in this case is that for you, Riley isn’t motivating enough verbally a week prior to the game. Ok, I’ll give you that since his words to a beat writer isn’t meant to motivate or pump up his players because I wonder how many players actually read the O-live articles that the beat writers put out? If they were to read what the coach is telling the media and fans, then ya, I’d say that Riley could have used better words to do that. But how many coaches use the media to pump their players up? Isn’t that a coaches job to help his team get motivated, especially for a road game? The fans will follow the team into the dark(the faithful ones). So it’s not Riley’s responsibility to try and motivate the fans with encouraging words unless he felt the need to do so.
I can also understand on a certain level of the “bar” that Riley has set. He doesn’t want to be like Chip Kelly and say the things he says in order to allow his players not to feel let down by the end of the season if they don’t achieve it. IF the fans don’t know about the personal bar the team has set together, then is that less pressure on the team to perform? The goal for any team in the pac-10 is to go to the Rose Bowl…if it’s not, then i’m sure the AD would have a problem with the coach. That’s the ultimate goal for all pac-10 teams. It’s just not said as much as Chip Kelly has said it. When Bellotti was the coach in Eugene, he didn’t even say it.
Okay, and we both agree Riley is a great man and good coach. So, don’t act like I am completely negative or unappreciative–he’s done a lot. He could do a lot more, though. I say good things almost as much as bad. And when I say something negative, it’s because I want something (more) positive to happen, so stop with the character judgments.
As far as Chip Kelly, he’s looking much more promising than Belloti. Can’t stand the guy and his “win the day” lines, but if I’m a player hearing that I probably buy in. It wreaks of confidence (borderline hubris).
It’s like anything else in life. If you’re a guy, do you want a girlfriend who’s mopey and “aw shucks, I can’t win” or do you want a girl who is strong and able? What attracts people is confidence; what repels people is lack of confidence and indifference.
Look around the Pac-10. Think about how Stanford and Washington recruiting has picked up since they hired confident, alpha coaches. What about Cal after they landed Tedford? Go through every school. Where are the two beta coaches? That’s right, WSU and OSU, the two schools that sniff one 4-star guy in a good year. What has Craig Robinson, another alpha, done with basketball recruiting? A lot.
Whether you like that personality or not, it wins and motivates men. Look around college athletics, military, business, and the world at large.
“I didn’t mean to sound like I called you beavgirl, I meant to just tell you both that I’m a guy and that was the only thing directed towards Beavgirl since she brought up pms. “
Well this sentence doesn’t make much sense but I hope you understand I meant Private Messages, not PMS. ha.
“We kind of go back and forth about that”
What does “That” actually mean? The game, the paranoia itself…the term that could mean anything. Therefore, I didn’t have anything to say about this particular quote.
“The million dollar question” is a good thing to ask and wonder about because it’s referring to the things they don’t see on film and the plays they will run vs. the plays the team sees on film. They don’t know the “game plan” of TCU so that is what this particular quote is referring to.
Nowhere does Riley say, I’m a bit nervous about such and such, or I’m not sure about how this is going to work out.
He does say he feels good about what he’s seen so far in camp and in the off season. Why are you ignoring that quote from Riley? That to me tells me he is confident in his players because he sees how they are producing and just because he doesn’t say the words, I’m confident we will go out there and play our best game against TCU when the game is a week away! His words will start sounding more confident once next Wed/Thursday rolls around because he knows there is still things to work on between now and then. Riley is a coach that looks at what his team can improve on and be better at vs. saying to everyone that yup I feel we’re getting close to game readiness and that we’re ready to take on TCU. Cause perhaps he’s not feeling that this week. If his players hear a coach being confident too early before the first game and not hear that we have things to work on, then that changes the mindset of still trying to get prepared for the game. Does that make sense at all to you?
Yes, of course it makes sense. And it’s one thing to think those things (and improve upon concerns), but another to say them to a beat reporter.
So what you’re saying is that Riley shouldn’t have said anything at all to the beat writer?
What he said was fine because it showed that we’re doing our thing and what we have prepared for TCU as far as a “game plan” goes, we’ll be as prepared as we can be, but there will be things that will come as a surprise in the game. You can only be prepared so much for a non conference game. I feel that what Riley says half the time is just something that is vague and doesn’t really have any meaning behind it just to answer the media’s questions. He doesn’t want to come across as being secretive or anything like that since he’s known to be straight forward and media friendly. At the same time, he doesn’t want to give anything away or sound arrogant/cocky to fans since that’s not who he is.
I think he should have said “I feel good about my team.”
or something neutral. Not something that comes off as weak or lacking confidence. But now I am repeating myself.
My question to you is this: do you believe Riley has ever done anything wrong?
I don’t know if you are one of these people, but there are people out there who will both disagree with my assessment and at the same time know in their heart the Riley quote does not sit well with them.
Riley has done things wrong certainly, we’re human beings. We all make mistakes, but can I look past them in hope he learns from them? Absolutely. I’m an optimist at heart. I don’t like to look at things in a negative way. So if I disagree with you it’s because I want to remain optimistic, but I will tell you that the Civil War last year, we were not prepared for LaGarette punch. That’s ultimately what killed the momentum. Watch the game film, if Lagarette hadn’t come in when he did in the second half, we most likely would have stopped them on those drives. Instead they scored. So Riley made a mistake there. Also, he made the same mistake with the special teams in letting a great young punter go and sticking with a somewhat inconsistent overrated punter. Albeit, Hecker is bar none better than Fessler! That was the worst punter we’ve ever had in OSU history. net punt 20 yards…maybe.
When do you stop hoping someone is going to learn before realizing and accepting they aren’t? That’s a valid question.
Because Riley has coached almost a decade, and I still see the same issues. He wins in spite of himself because he has a great supporting staff.
I don’t enjoy being negative any more or less than I enjoy lying to myself or feeling delusional about the reality of the situation.
Anyway, I like dissenters…everything should be questioned, including me. That is how things improve. So, I say stick around. If the perceived “negativity” makes you ill then rant at me, offer a counter stance, take a break, or leave. I suggest reading through past posts and seeing how much positive (granted, sometimes it’s latent) is in them.
I have followed you for about 6-8 months now maybe longer. So I know you have gone to DeCarolis a lot and got a few things changed, but you can’t change a person’s personality. It’s who they are. I think Riley is in a good position as far as being a head coach vs. an assistant coach. I know by Banker, Cav, et al. that Riley wouldn’t fair well as an assistant coach. I’ve had bad head coaches in the past especially my high school varsity coach. He was a nice guy yelled when he needed to, but overall, he didn’t get the respect of his players nor all of his assistant coaches as far as a coach goes. The head coach didn’t have any inspiring speeches or anything like that and guess what, we only won 1 game my senior year and he coached for 9 years and went to the playoffs once and had maybe 2 winning seasons. So I know what it’s like to play for a coach who doesn’t know how to motivate his players nor know how to control them. Riley is bar none better than that varsity coach of mine. You ever heard of Meadowlark Lemon from the Harlem Globetrotters? Well his son was my Freshman high school coach and we went 7-2 under him in 1 year when before us, the freshman classes maybe won 4 games a season. maybe. So I know what motivated me and it’s a coach expecting respect and given it and also knowing the coach is confident, but it’s his actions that speak it, not his words. Varsity coach did not have confidence in the teams he coached except the year we went to the playoffs after 23 some odd years for the school. We lost the first game to Bend in OT i think because they went for a 2 point conversion and got it on a TE dump(which they killed us on all night). Matt Sieverson was their running back. remember him? he was the one who lit up Oregon in the Civil War a few years back.
Is he going “back and forth” on whether they will get blown out in another road non-con game???? Sorry, but this is a cynical website!
I wish we had the question that was asked by Buker, but since we don’t we can only assume what Riley meant by it was the fact of getting blown out or back and forth in what TCU will do against the Beavs. It’s anyones guess in my book.
Off-topic…but who would you guys start at receiver?
It’s looking like Wheaton will be a backup, which sucks. I would start Rodgers, Wheaton, Nichols. I like Nichols a lot but not at split end. He’s not that fast, right? Productive as Adeniji was, we definitely suffered with the lack of speed at that position last year. And Wheaton is probably up there with Rodgers in terms of speed.
Catchings I could go either way on, not sure what to make of Bishop. I hear a lot of good things in practice, but never see anything come game time.
Thoughts?
Alex,
I think the play is to start Nichols and if he’s not getting separation put Wheaton in there. It’s real close between those two. Wheaton is the better talent, but he’s still raw and missed time this spring. Nichols is a really nice player. No top end speed, but adequate speed and catches everything.
Ideally, Rodgers, Wheaton, and Nichols (in the slot) would be the lineup. I think this eventually happens, but not at the start of game 1.
As far as Bishop–he continues to be plagued by drops. He would be a great slot receiver if he were reliable.
Also, Nichols is faster than Adeniji, but smaller. He has better body control (i.e. can make acrobatic catches).
Where he is similar to Adeniji is that he runs precise routes and catches everything.
It is a good point. Although different people are motivated by different things. Some people hear swagger and confidence and let down a bit. I imagine Riley being unsure of what he will see is motivation for quite a few players. With over 100 players on a team you are going to have guys motivated by different things.
Do you think that this changes the preparation of the players? Do you think it will effect their play? Is it different saying what he says now verse saying it on game day? I dunno the answers but it could lead to an interesting psychology debate.
Personally I think he is just being honest… although maybe being honest isn’t the best thing in this case.
I think the team plays hard for Riley because he’s such a good guy and almost like their fathers. You can sense the solidarity.
I grew up a Jets fan and the players felt the same way about Herm Edwards. He was a great guy, a good coach, but never elite…and you always sensed something was off with the approach. That the intensity wasn’t high enough. Look at the history of his teams. Similar to the Beavers, right?
I think for guys like Herm Edwards and Riley it’s more about the ride than where they’re going or ultimately end up. Riley wants to deliver a Rose Bowl for fans and players more than he does for himself.
It leads to an approach that falls somewhere between expecting and hoping, and ultimately shifts the onus onto players to lead themselves. And isn’t that the exact feeling this team has? I see players talking about the Rose Bowl, and meanwhile the head coach admits he’s going back and forth about his team’s chances at TCU.
I definitely see the point but on the flip side the best teams are the teams led by the players. Brett Farve makes the Vikings so much better and it is not all his QB play but his leadership and the fact that guys rally around him. I think that the Beavs have leaders in Quizz and James and that Riley really just needs to help guide them. I think (just a guess) that the team is hearing plenty of swagger and confidence from the Rodger’s brothers and that they maybe don’t need much of that from Riley.
I mean look at the NBA. Phil Jackson is viewed as one of the greatest coaches ever yet in crunch time he hands the clip board to Kobe and tells him to draw up a play. Part of being a good coach is letting the players lead at times. Just a thought though.
Yeah, Manning, Brady, Farve, but notice in all cases it’s a QB taking leadership from a coach, and for obvious reasons. Considering he hasn’t started a game, you can’t conclude Katz is ready to do that.
In my prediction I wrote that the Rodgers bros will the team to a 3rd place finish…mainly, because I think you’re exactly right that they probably have taken over the team to some degree…
But…
I think it’s impossible for anyone outside of the QB to assume that role effectively.
That is a good point. I am trying to think of teams led by running backs and it is tough. Barry Sanders was definitely the leader of the Lions and they had some decent seasons though they never won it all but that team was basically Barry Sanders. You could make an argument that Emmit Smith lead the Cowboys but I think that the nasty O-line lead that team. We’ll see. I think your 3rd place prediction is probably about right but I think this team does have about the odds Vegas is giving them (3:1) to win the Pac-10.
A QB touches the ball on every play. Some packages don’t have a RB in the game, so it’s hard for them to assume that role in any serious manner. A QB also has the luxury of changing plays and overriding the coach…through that process, if they are successful, they gain a team’s confidence.
I hear what you are saying about Riley…I swear sometime watching him in an interview it looks like he just can’t wait to get to IHOP for the Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity special. I think he just comes across that way for the most part; like he suffers from the I-haven’t-really-thought-about-how-this-will-sound syndrome.
It would just be nice to have season where we have talent across the board…all-american RB…rookie QB. All-American DT…rookie LB’s. That’s been our biggest hurdle coming out of the gate with the confidence and swagger we all dream about seeing! Of course he’s nervous – there’s some big question marks at key spots. Why say that to the reporter though? We get it.
I’ve wanted to write about the reasons why the stars never seem to align, but then I realized that’s the case for most teams. Every team has question marks every year. We just notice that when we have a great x, we have a bad y because we’re Beaver fans.
Only the top ten teams don’t have to deal with the problem, and even they do sometimes.
The one thing that could be done to improve it is recruit 3 deep and a year apart (like at QB and RB, where the team is set for a while) with a list of JC guys in case of emergency (e.g. #45 leaves the team). Easier said than done when dealing with positions like DT, CB, but I don’t see why it’s not possible everywhere else, especially if the staff is willing to invest 3 years to develop a walk-on (e.g. McAndrews).
…and…If I hear Riley say “Ryan Katz is unflappable…” or any other number of offered variations of the same phrase, I’m going to scream. Pick another adjective once in a while Mike; they’re free.
Taylor Henry injured.
Not good.
look at this tony robbins
I may be a convert. I think the world of Riley as a coach. Maybe it’s the memory of coaches shaking their fist at me from the sidelines. I appreciate that Riley doesn’t get on his guys. I have seen him get on the officials. But I do see a thread of what some of our southern friends refer to as “Coach Opie”. The question is does his lack of verbal conviction in his team translate onto the field? Does that come across to the team? This kind of attitude might be good for pop warner, but maybe more is expected in D1. Hopefully this team will let their play on the field do the talking. They are shooting at the stars with this schedule and if they win, the sky’s the limit.
I have to admit Chip Kelly handled himself like a classless jerk when KATU news tried to ask him about Thomas getting the job over Costa yesterday. Sometimes he can echo confidence but he acted like a weirdo with no respect towards anyone else yesterday. Riley always treats the media respectfully and I like most of what he says. I just want to see a little more of an aggressive streak in him and the team. When you get this close, you should just have to improve a few areas and be golden. Also psychologically when you have a breakthrough often you can sustain it for awhile afterwards because you have gotten over the hump and reach a new level of confidence. I want Riley to want to get his Oregon State team over that hump more. This program could really reach a nice level if we do.
Well, here’s a Riley quote with more clarity than I’ve heard in some time – look at the bottom of this article.
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2010/08/30/ccripe/virginia_tech_coach_frank_beamer_talks_broncos_petersen_not_conc
Still doesn’t speak to confidence well.