The mental component of football is greater than the physical. People gush over 4-star talent, but the truth of the matter is that the ideal football player is a high 3-star specimen with a 5 star mindset. And that doesn't mean the prima dona mindset of a 5-star athlete; it means a player who could go to Vietnam and excel in jungle warfare. "Angry, are you saying we need 3-star Rambos on this team?" That's exactly what I'm saying. Give me 11 Stalones over 20 Grant Johnsons or 15 Michael Phillipps or 30 Sean Mannions. Even Quizz Rodgers, dare I say it, lacks mental fortitude. He didn't when he arrived, but the culture of Corvallis has finally gotten to him.
If you bring the schedule up on your screen and go through every game, you'll realize that since James Rodgers' injury, the only time the Beavers have been able to win has been when the opponent suffered a significant injury or came out flat. In other words, when the opponent lacked fortitude. These were the Cal and USC games, and by not realizing USC was flat, it skewed our perspective as fans and once again gave us false hope. Let's learn from this in the future. Bottom line: if the opponent came out ready to play, the Beavers lost, which we know all too well from the Washington State game.
What I saw last night was not only revenge of the slow nerds, but a dismantling by the slow nerds. Kudos to the slow nerds, I think they play ideal football. And Stanford fan, while it might sounds like I'm being condescending, the truth of the matter is I envy the warrior mindset of your team, and frankly I just like saying "slow nerds"–it makes me laugh. So, don't get offended. Harbaugh is incredible–he's improved every year, he's a leader, a winner.
I digress.
Looking in the cupboard you can see it's not bare. "The sky is not falling, Angry!!" Okay, but it's a hazy shade of winter, and the future is futile unless those prospects already have or can be taught winning mindset. We saw James and Jaquizz Rodgers come into this program with Rambo mindsets, and now they laugh on the sideline in a 38-0 loss, don't fight for extra yards, and have succumbed to the culture.
My final question today is this: can Mike Riley instill a cut throat mindset in a man? Despite what dim fans might tell you, these are not boys, they are not kids…these are men, and they need to be pushed around, toughened up, and told what they're going to do to earn their free education, whether they like it or not. We've had a decade of Riley, so we have an answer. He cannot lead men. Players like him, so they play for him, but he cannot lead them or instill confidence that he does not have. I call this Herm Edwards Syndrome. Riley has hope, not expectation or confidence. That being said, he is signed to a lifetime contract, so he can't be replaced, and the players can't be fired, so it leaves one option: the ancillary staff must be broken up. Bob D gaffed in structuring Riley's contract, and he must make amends by overriding Riley and ditching the assistants. I don't care if Landsdorf gave Cav's wife a kidney or that Riley knew Ed Langsdorf for 30 years. The nepotism stops now. Who knows, maybe that gets Riley so fired up he resigns. Unless you like this product, I'd suggest not donating to BASF or renewing tickets until there is change. Write your AD to let him know if you do decide to hold out.
Anyway, moving forward. Saturday's forecast calls for the perfect storm. The cumulation of poor recruiting, mental ineptitude, loyalty to a fault, nepotism, etc, all against the backdrop of the cold, calculating Machiavellian genius of Chip Kelly. Gameday's first trip to Corvallis is for a Duck love fest. Most Beaver fans are elated the prestigious show is in lowly Corvallis, but the intelligent ones foresee the ambush.
I was reading some old Dennis Ericksen stuff and he was never shy about calling out individuals or specific groups when they performed poorly. I am getting tired of all the cliches from the coaches and players on this team.
I love Ryan Katz and his we can play hard or pack it in next week quote. Kind of what I figured. Thanks for the deep insight.Why not talk about the poor decisions you made or why you throw the ball so hard on swing passes? It just seems like the era of everyone gets a trophy is part of this teams make up. I was stunned when I saw Jacquizz play smiley face with the camera.
This team will be 5-9 in their last 14 games after next week!
I need to start drafting outlines. This writeup is all over the place. Oops.
Another thing I should have added: I am really tired of how long it takes this staff to adapt or change. If a guy doesn’t perform, remove him. Enough with the life lessons and family crap. Win games.
Actually, your sentiment comes across just fine. I worry that the team is on the cusp of another significant downslide. Happens all the time with once good programs for different reasons, but in the end the head coach takes the fall. Next year should tell us a lot.
The expectation though has to start with Bobby D. Is it to play in the Rose Bowl or not? He needs to set clear expectations for Riley and staff and hold them accountable. If the expecation is to make any bowl game 75% of the time then we can bitch and moan, but what can you do? Put Eastern Washington back in the schedule and this team would be playing in a bowl game and expecation is met. I do not think Bob D wants to be crystal clear because that mean he would have to make tough decisions in the upcoming seasons.
Oh well, at least we have offseason recruiting and hopefully offseason personnel moves to look forward to.
@angry: I agree, as you know, that the Beavers do need to make changes in the coaching staff (starting with a new play-caller, and a new defensive coordinator). The Beavers also need to bench some players who will never perform well (starting with Hardin, who needs to give up his starting CB position asap to Poyer).
However, as I’ve said elsewhere on this blog, I don’t think we are going to see major changes this off-season unless James and Jacquizz Rodgers opt out, and decide not to come back to OSU for next year.
If James and Jacquizz return for the 2011 season, the attitude of the people in charge will be “don’t rock the boat”. Most or all changes will be delayed until after the Rodgers are gone, starting in 2012.
Personally, I hope and expect that the Rodgers brothers will return next season. Even with the same coaching staff, I think next season’s OSU team could be very good (assuming that Ryan Katz gets his act together — which is admittedly a big and problematic assumption).
But, in the unlikely event that the Rodgers brothers don’t return next year, there will be a GREAT opportunity for genuine change and improvement in the OSU football program. And that, of course, would be very good, too…
Both will be back, because neither is slated to be a high draft pick (if drafted at all). There’s also likely going to be a lockout.
As far as whether that’s good or bad…it’s whatever the coaches make it. This is all on them now. It’s their job to use all personnel, put the right guys on the field, etc.
I am amazed how hard this concept is for them. We’ve seen Craig Robinson do it with great success. He inherited bad talent, and changed his philosophy to match it. Harbaugh did the same thing in Palo Alto, and now they’re in a BCS game. The stubbornness to change, or loyalty to a fault (two sides of the same coin) kill this program and result in a good amount of the criticism we throw at these guys.
Something has to change with the defense unless they need to refine their strategy of knocking out the opponents starting QB in the lst half. That seemed to work pretty well for them!!!
Yes, I agree completely.
If you don’t change what you are doing, you will keep getting the same results.
There needs to be a change in OSU’s play-calling, defensive schemes, starting personnel, and also in the attitude of many of the players. All of this calls for a change in the ranks of OSU’s assistant coaches. But Riley likes his guys, and is slow to make such changes. That’s a flaw in Riley and the way he runs the program. And it’s a big, important flaw.
What can be done? Beaver Nation needs to pressure Bobby D. to insist on changes in the OSU coaching staff and program. You are certainly doing your part in that effort. Others are, too.
My point is that this will become a lot more feasible after the Rodgers brothers depart. Until then, the attitude — for better or worse — is going to be: “stay the course.” I don’t like it, but it seems inevitable.
If OSU in 2011 has another disappointing season, I think real, genuine change will then become feasible (including replacing assistant coaches).
Riley weathered this type of thing once before with Matt Moore and his interception crazy first season, but it was only ONE season. As I mentioned earlier, I think it all depends on Bob D. and the clear expectations he sets for the program going forward (if he has the cajones to do so).
I think an interesting early barometer will be how well the team plays against Wisconsin in Camp Randall. If it is another non-competitive non-con against a ranked team, I think the natives will get real restless. If the defense does not improve and the Rodgers brothers do not get the ball much, it is going to be another frustrating season.
Agreed. Wisconsin will be ranked in the Top 10 and playing at home against the Beavs in the second week of the 2011 season. Stiff early season test for the Beavs — it will be very interesting to see how OSU handles it.
Next year’s PAC-12 schedule is reasonably favorable for OSU. Our first four conference games are against UCLA (home), ASU (away), AZ (home), and WSU (away). We have a decent chance of being 4-0 heading into week 5 at Utah. Then we get Stanford at home (hopefully without Andrew Luck, assuming he heads to the NFL after this season). Then its Cal (away) and Washington (home), both of which should be winnable. And then we are at Autzen, possibly playing for the right to go to the initial PAC-12 championship game.
Sure, this is my typically optimistic projection for the Beavers. But I think the schedule does line up well for us next year. If the OSU coaching staff does a better job next year (following Angry’s roadmap), I think the Beavs have a shot.
Now, back to reality, and getting ready for this year’s Civil War at Reser. Yesterday’s embarrassment at Stanford will, I hope, provide motivation for a big effort next Saturday on national TV.
All these guys are working in Corvallis because they think it is a quaint town where they can maintain long or lifetime gigs with mediocre play. The AD made one of the dumbest contrcat structuring in history if you really gauged the pulse of the fans. Truth is we care about Holiday Bowls and up. That has been true for atleast a few years now and before this pathetic and disaster contract that treats 6-6 the same as 10-2 and an Alamo bowl. I am largely convinced that the poor play is a direct karmic get back by the majority of Beaver Nation (who have much less security in their 30-50K a year jobs) who acknowledge that such structuring is a joke and prevents any healthy change or evolution in the program. Noone should own the program like that with a few points in a Sun Bowl.
Bobby D needs to force change this offseason. Either Langsdorf or Banker or both have to be gone. Truth is though that Riley was never a major winner. He is a “hoper” and talks with 1/1000th if that of the confidence of Chip Kelly. We most likely will remain mediocre under Riley..he just doesn’t have the qualities to produce true winners. Bobby D can’t stand to admit it, but we have plateaued and will likely take another decade of Riley to have a year better than his amazing 3 point Sun Bowl.
But if we get rid of a coordinator or two I can stomach giving Riley a couple more years even though he may not deserve them.
Miami extended their coach just this past offseason and now they have decided that change is necessary. Noone should be allowed to get so comfortable for lifer deals. It is a joke and an INSULT to anything else our state or region is producing and other real men who could step up and create a dynamic winner.
This ole OSU that changes at a snail’s pace over decades needs to STOP NOW. Change is a necassary part of life. Banker can’t do it and Langsdorf has bad ans then awful play calling. Paul Chryst would be so nice right now.
Bobby D be an AD and change something.
We need it and the fans are sick and tired of the snail politics and nepotism where all these guys are rewarded for 6-6 and told they are doing a solid and dandy job.
We are 5-7 because Beaver Nation feels Riley and Co. weren’t even within a few games of deserving an extension. We would rather lose than extend a program that is performing actually worse than the mediocrity that is somehow foolishly tolerated.
I think Riley loves the university and will ultimately retire if he can’t get it done over the next few years.
That’s not really the point, though. The point is feathers must be ruffled to send a message. It’s going to get really ugly after Saturday. I see ticket sales and donations plummeting, and that’s going to speak to Bobby D more than you or I.
The coaching carousel is fascinating stuff. I do not know how many Beaver fans here remember how close Pettibone was to getting a winning season. He had some defenses that played with their hair on fire, but he was stubborn about the wishbone and would not change that. Riley took a lot of his players and got to 5-6 (could have been 7-4 very easily that season). My point is that Pettibone started getting good players, but he would not change. Riley should take note.
I don’t think Riley’s scheme needs work just needs a new staff.
I think one could argue that the defensive schemes are no longer working. Did you notice how Harbaugh was open to change in one season and suddenly it produced three shutouts? I just like staffs that are open to change.
Well the defensive scheme isn’t working cause Mark Banker is coaching the defense. Plus when you don’t get a lot of talent on that side of the ball you won’t get a whole lot of success. I’m not against changing the scheme defensively I just don’t think it’s something that needs to happen.
Stanford has had success with their defense this season mostly because their coach is really good and makes adjustments unlike a current DC.
Just sayin, Stanford went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and it appears to have paid off nicely. I am impressed when a head coach pretty much says…..hey we suck doing it this way, lets try it another way and see if we can improve. I guess if the players are not as good as they used to be on defense, then who is held accountable for that? Banker?
and erickson took a 6-5 team to 11-1 the next year….
And Erickson was willing to take a chance on JC players. I mean if winning is the goal, I see nothing wrong with it. It is all about assessing needs and making changes.
I think De Carolis has no choice but to inform Riley that Langsdorf, Cavanaugh and Banker are being fired. He can’t risk leaving in the staff intact and the team going through next season and being a disappointment yet again.
I believe if the staff is intact next season the team is going to underachieve. It’s time for significant changes. If change does not happen De Carolis is basically admitting that mediocrity is okay with him and the program doesn’t strive for conference titles and that 6 wins is all they want.
Cavanaugh is a good to great coach. No coach should be given 4 walk-ons and asked to produce an offensive line out of them. That is simply unfair.
I have my doubts about the guy. But you are right nobody can be successful with 4 walk on OL. I hope to never see that happen again, that’s just brutal.
i don’t think quizz has lost his “rambo” mentality… he has seemed to be the only one (at times) who cares
Did you see the Nevada 2nd half against Boise St? They were using a modern attack known as the pistol. The main thing is though that those runners wre just EXPLODING THROUGH ANY HOLES AT 99 MPH. I mean they were just launching themselve through the line at the risk of some good hits but with sheer determination and UTTER WILL. It was awesome to watch. I like Quizz but we only use one back and he is usually careful about how is is hit. These guys were just saying “$%&* IT!!” and going for it and when a whole team does that it can work. We were much more like that against USC.
Change needs to happen in the offseason, and it does need to be atleast one coordinator.
However, if you can make it down for Gameday and then cheer as loud as you can for the Civil War it will help. We have to go into BEZERKER mode as I like to call it. That is our only chance.
I love the university and most of Beaver Nation feels the same. With even good performance some of us have had layoffs at work. Much more would have been fired or laid off if our peformance were poor to mediocre at best. I would donate a kidney today if I even got 80,000-100,000 guaranteed for the next 15-17 years which is Riley’s likely period after all 6-6 years in the coming decade earn him a pat on the back and multiple extensions for mediocrity.
I can’t really get behind that and I don’t think most of Beaver Nation can either even though many of us are die-hard fans. That means the AD and coaches aren’t giving us what we are asking for.
My suggestion would be to normally do 5 year contracts and maybe 6 if you are really blindly in love. Then..
BCS Bowls get the real bonus money (100K) and 1 yr extension.
Alamo a small bonus (25K) and 1 yr extension
Holiday (just a tiny bonus of 15K and no extension).
Sun Bowl and less nothing.
No bowl or a losing season (a year is taken off the contract). There has to be accountability.
(Keep in mind that DeCarolis blew his wad and has basically guaranteed Riley a lifer contract and his highest bowl is the Sun Bowl where we last scored 3 measely points!)
Fire Banker and Lasngdorf. That’s the solution at the moment…hire Jonathan Smith as our coordinator…he’s up at Montana or Montana State as an OC. How awesome would that be to have him back as an OSU coach who played for Erickson and knows how to have a winning mentality and was a QB himself for OSU and knows the system somewhat! It’s a perfect hire!!! Wasn’t J Smith Riley’s recruit before Riley left for the NFL?
Well not necessarily as redshirt freshman under Riley in 98 in what the 5th or 6th game I wanna say. He was a walk on so he wasn’t exactly heavily recruited by the Beavers.
How is Smith doing up there? I haven’t paid attention. Is he ready for the OSU gig? I love the hire in theory, but ideally I’d want to see something like Leach ran. Efficient passing. It would be marketable–“those wacky offenses from Oregon!” and counter the Ducks nicely while also keeping pace.
They went 7-4 overall and 5-3 in Conference…I’d say that’s doing pretty well since that’s basically an entirely knew staff.
they lost to Eastern Washington 27-36. That should give you an idea of how well the team did. They were in close games all year. they didn’t get blown out once, but they did blow out one team.
http://www.montanagrizzlies.com/schedules/?s=17&g=100&m=37
He’s married and has 2 kids…not sure how old they are, but I’m sure he’d like to be somewhere a little more permanent to keep his kids in school in that area.
New staff, but actually kind of a down season for the Grizzlies at 7-4. Previous head coach (Hauck?) went to coaching graveyard UNLV for some reason. Some talk that Montana was coaching to join the WAC, but they ended up declining, probably for good reason. WAC may be done as a football conference soon.
Just checked they did not even make the playoffs. Ouch!
Yes, that is a “down year” for them, but with a new OC, new DC and a new head coach…that’s not bad at all. They’re having a better season than we are with coaches that have had a system in place for 10 years or so. That’s why I’m saying that a new OC and new DC will provide a new set of life for this offensive system with a few knew wrinkles and call appropriate plays that actually work!
As far as defensive coordinator…I’m not sure who we should look into getting at this point.
Ya, but Erickson believed in him and instilled a mentality of all or nothing and make smart decisions. I would much rather have J Smith up in the booth calling our plays than Langsdorf.
3 reasons why:
1) He was a QB and knows in game situations and can tell what play would work and wouldn’t work depending on the situation.
2) He would be able to know what plays the O-line can block well on vs. not block well on.
3) J Smith was an all time leading passer at OSU and he can also bring in some new plays that Erickson may have used that Riley doesn’t.
This would bring our offense into a position where we can do serious damage to teams by throwing in new wrinkles in an offense.
what’s the old addage? “If it’s broken; fix it” Well, we’re broken right now and replacing an old OC with a new fresh mind is the right way to go! The only thing I’m not sure about is how long J Smiths contract is with his current team.
I came across this while reading ESPN:
“The Wolf Pack moved up five places to No. 14. Nevada has only been ranked in one other season previously. The Wolf Pack reached No. 10 in 1948.”
So, they shift to a modern offense, and a couple years later they are ranked for the first time in 60+ years.
Yet, we’re still running a complex NFL attack…in college.
Well it did take them 6 years of running the Pistol to be ranked. I personally would like to see the offense implement some of the Air Raid offense into their attack.
I thought it was more like 3 years, when Kap (sp??) took over at QB.
No their head coach Chris Ault implemented it in 2004 so this would be actually the 7th season they’ve ran it. He was the one who created that offense. Now there’s like 20 teams who run a lot of Pistol.
If UCLA stays with the pistol, I would like to see how they do with their athletes against the P-10 in the future. Nevada does not really have any signature out of conference wins with the pistol and they have a once every decade QB running it. Looks like it got them over the hump against other WAC teams (excluding Boise), but they got shut out by a bad Notre Dame team last year.
I guess you could give them Cal , but can we agree that Cal is not very good this year? I am not sure who they are playing in a bowl game, but hopefully it will be a good test. They also got dismantled by June Jones and SMU last year in their bowl game.
Well the Notre Dame game was more about Nevada then Notre Dame. Nevada had bad turnover issues in the non conference but got it solved a few weeks later. If Nevada plays ND now I got Nevada by 2 TD. I think Nevada is highly underrated BUT you’re right it will be hired for them to get another Colin Kaepernick to run that offense. It’s a shame Nevada lost@Hawaii cause I would like to see how that offense would do against a BCS caliber opponent.
They might get Clemson in a bowl game and that would be a decent test, but I have also seen a possibility of Ohio which they should destroy.
Some names I would like to look at for DC:
Dave Huxtable – UCF
Pete Rekstis – Kent State
Mark D’Onofrio — Temple
Carl Reese – Miami (OH)
Matt Wallerstedt – Air Force
Randy Stewart – Fresno State
Todd Orlando – UConn
If I could have my pick, it would definitely be D’Onfrio and then probably Orlando, but I wouldn’t complain if one of those guys were hired
Relax!
You just played what is, according to the Sagarin Predictor, currently the best team in the nation. Believe it or not (and I’ve had trouble getting used to this) Stanford has a good defense.
The good news is that according to Sagarin, you play a weaker team (#2) at home next week.
Why don’t I hear any complaining about the scheduling?
If we hadn’t scheduled tough teams, we might not have a few losses on our resume, and the staff would be good for another couple years at least.
The schedule was tough BUT even with that this team should have been 8-2 heading into last nights game so being 5-6 right now should not be blamed on the schedule.
I wouldn’t mind Air Forces DC nor Temple’s DC. Either one would be fine with me. :)
I would cry if we got D’Onofrio. Temple year after year has guys going into the NFL, and you know they weren’t highly touted. Their defense is always great, he’s young, and comes from the NFL.
I posted a new topic on the forum…it’s about a gameday sign if anyone has any ideas of one, they can post it there. I’ll be going so your idea maybe used for the sign!
Like it or not, teams take on the personality of their leaders. Quizz has started to accept losing more but he just caught the infection, which started from above and ultimately Riley is accountable.
Harbaugh was chest punching and bumping and getting his guys all fired up while Riley said in the paper “they were out of it after Stanford’s first 3rd down conversion”!!! He really said that and that is truly how is heart felt. Is that leadership??????????? NO WAY!!
What Riley instills is an unsure attitude, a wing and a prayer mentality, no ability to play for 60 minutes and hoping that somehow getting lucky will allow for a 7-5 season and a Las Vegas Bowl. That to me is all he really cares about. He gets a nice extension into 2021 and beyond with his next 6-6 or better season so you have to blame DeCarolis for thinking Riley was the 2nd coming. He has already peaked and any future achievements, if they ever come, will be slow and tedious.
He doesn’t get his players to take on a pure winning attitude. Harbaugh and Kelly totally do. It is just too bad that we have to put up with this crap while our neighbors to the south make a great hire in Kelly, take the next evolution in their offense, have a great D and always “flip the switch” and play at a high level.
The other thing I like is they played Duke at the Rose Garden in bball. I used to go with my dad to the Far West Classic in Portland and it was our best chance at watching a fun game during the holiday season and helped us feel closer to OSU. Decarolis isn’t even smart enough to get a small tourney or atleast a game up in Portland which is really the Beavs main market and economic engine of the state. Decarolis would rather fade into irrelevance..
I agree. I do wish the basketball team started a Christmas time basketball tournament and host it at the Rose Garden it would make a lot of sense. They could bring in some of the nations best teams and put together a great tournament. Plus it would be the only Pre Conference tournament played in a NBA arena.
One thing we can all agree on — Oregon made a great hire in 2007 when the Ducks got Chip Kelly from New Hampshire and made him offensive coordinator. Then the Ducks made another great decision by promoting Kelly to head coach last year, when Mike Bellotti left.
The Beavers would be wise to start looking hard for young potential superstar assistant coaches to take over for Langsdorf and/or Banker (preferably both). When Riley does retire, it would be wonderful to be able to have an assistant coach ready to step up, ala Chip Kelly. Seems clear that neither Langsdorf or Banker is that guy (not even close).
The Beavers have plenty to offer a young potential superstar assistant coach. And they’ll have even more to offer soon, when the new PAC-12 TV contract kicks in, and the money really starts flowing.
I see Bobby D. occasionally at school events (our kids go to the same high school in Corvallis, and know each other pretty well). I’ve never tried to discuss Beaver sports with him (since that would be mixing business and personal life) but I may make an exception next time, and push this idea on him, at least for a minute or two or three. Seems to me that this would be a great use of Bobby D’s time — to scour the coaching ranks for the next Chip Kelly and bring him to Corvallis sooner rather than later….
And did the Duck adminstration know that Kelly was the man to take them to the next level with what he demonstrated as an assistant? In hindsight, was Belloti kind of gently shoved out? I mean what was the point of giving up the his job to be talking with Colorado less than two years later? Makes no sense to an outside like me. Will the OSU administration ever be that bold if the facts indicate change is needed?
Yes, I think the Oregon administrators did see that Kelly was the man, and yes I do think that Bellotti was “gently shoved out”.
I agree with Angry that Mike Riley loves OSU. I think Riley would not stand in the way of a “Chip Kelly” quality guy, if one could be found and hired by the Beavers.
The first thing is to find a guy like that, and hire him as an assistant coach. Then let him prove himself over the course of a few years (as Chip Kelly did at Oregon). Then take it to the next level if appropriate.
The point is that you have to start the process years in advance, by scouring the landscape for potential superstar assistant coaches. That’s what OSU and Bobby D. should be doing now. It’s clear that we don’t have any such superstars on Riley’s staff at the moment. So get out there and start looking — now is the right time to start.
Yes and did a superstar in Paul Chryst get away? Wisconsin is putting up some strong numbers with a pro-style set.
The thing Kelly had going for him is Belotti wasn’t a milk toast like Riley is.
How the hell is Arizona still ranked? lol
Well, we’re no longer playing the #1 team in the country…they are now #2!!! hahaha oh well, it’ll still be sweet to knock them out of the NC game!
What will happen if Oregon AND Auburn lose this upcoming weekend? will that mean Stanford and Auburn will be in the NC game or will Oregon still be considered one of the best 1 loss teams cause they lost to their rival at the end of the season whereas Stanford’s only loss is to Oregon. Oregon goes to the Rose Bowl and Stanford goes to the NC game? I can live with that!!!
oops, not the Card and Auburn, the Card and TCU*
I meant Oregon in Rose Bowl probably against Wisconsin. That game I would like to watch. Where would Auburn end up who knows, but since the Ucks are the pac-10 champs, that would mean they automatically go to the Rose Bowl.
On ESPN today they said if UO and Auburn lose, Auburn still probably plays in the NC game because of their SoS, whereas UO’s is super-weak, so they’d fall out. If Auburn takes a huge beating, however, and humans vote them down low, we could see TCU #1, then probably Stanford (I’d guess) at #2.
The Danny Granillos and Michael Balfours of this world turn into the Owen Marecics of this world. But we can always find someone in Hawai’i, Cali or Zona who doesn’t play at the same level and has lesser grades. THAT makes for a better story than ‘hometown kid turned iron man makes good for BCS bound Pac 10 team… next stop, the NFL.’
We hate those kind of stories.
Two things about the loss to Furd:
1. We didn’t show anything to Oregon that they can use.
2. Furd has taken all the joy possibly derived from a win over the Beavs away from the Ducks. If I’m UO, I’m feeling sorry for the Beavs as I walk on the field to pummel them 63-6.
I’d say we have them right where we want them. That performance was brilliant. Who’d a thunk we would sandbag it for the CW? Was Harbaugh in on it? Was that why he didn’t run up the score?
Rivals is reporting the Beavs landed a 4-star athlete.
Any news on this?
This season has reminded me much of 2005. The whole team just seems….insecure. I remember watching Matt Moore practice with some serious swagger, being able to consistently hit a trash can 60 yards away from one knee just for fun to see how many he could get in a row after practice, but then see him shit his pants on Saturday; people in the huddle trying to get him to calm down so they can understand what he was saying.
Our entire identity was a mess that year, much as it this year, and we are seeing a similar result.
I watched this one with the ole’ ball coach, and we both came to the same conclusion about five minutes into the game; that a great deal of the payers in white and black had little to no desire to be there. Stanford came out and hit us in the mouth, and said “hey, lets play football”, and we collectively said “no thanks”.
It wasn’t play calling, or recruiting, or facilities, or money and exposure, or any of those things we like to blog and rant and argue about, and I wish I had the answers. But, I honestly couldn’t tell you what the real problem was without being at practice every day, observing the complex inter-personal things going on right now between coach and player, payer and player, or coach and coach.
These guys have the ability to play much, much better football, but something about the dynamic of this team is holding them back.
But, I can say that while Riley endures this stigma of being mr. nice guy, with his hip-hip hooray’s and consistently calm and overly polite public demeanor. In my personal experience, he was the most gifted, and most confident of personal motivators on the coaching staff.
He get’s this rap of being all about “life lessons and family crap” in the media, but in person he is much, much different. He’s insanely competitive, and very intelligent, especially when it comes to managing the inter-personal elements of his coaching staff to get the most out of his players.
Something isn’t going well here at all, thats obvious, but if you think Riley is the type of coach that needs an AD to go over is head to make coaching changes, you don’t know Mike Riley, that’s counter-intuitive to his greatest strength as a coach.
For whatever reason, this team is missing “it”. Sad, and hard to watch. My condolences.
I agree with Gladbeav, there is something about the dynamic or identity of this group that is holding them back. I don’t know if it is players egos or coach-player relations but there has to be an explanation for the inconsistency this year. Repeatedly sending Quiz up the middle isn’t the whole problem but it sure hasn’t helped.
Time for Civil War magic, maybe Riley can pull them all together. I’d like to have seen practices closed after the Huskie game just to let the team know that things had to change; it’s still not too late to do that this week.
The Ducks can be beaten, GO BEAVS !
OK, I’ve read all the comments and they are very thought provacative. I think there are many very accurate observations mixed in with some emotional responses to the pitiful year that the Beavs have had. So, here is my take.
I like Mike Riley, he is a great representative for the university and has had success in a former football wasteland. I do agree with most of you that he does lack that fire and it shows in the players. But, he does get them to play for him and excluding this year – I had not seen a Mike Riley team lay down against anyone.
I think the biggest problem is the way our team is set up. They are created to beat USC. I know you all have said that USC and CAL lost because we knocked out their QBs and they didn’t show up to play. But we were soundly beating both of those teams, with or without those QBs. Football is about matchups and we were set up to matchup with the best. Unfortunately, the “best” is a moving target and we have not changed to meet that target.
Offensively, I think we are predictable and could use a bit of spice in our play calling. But, ultimately our offense struggled this year because our O-line was pathetic and we had a young QB that is impressed with his arm and feels like he always should make the big throw and hadn’t learned to dump the ball off. He has the tools and compared with Anderson, Moore, Canfield, this really wasn’t an awful first year for a QB in our system. I think he will be prepared next year. Like many of you I don’t have much love for Langsdorf and I would love to see some new talent.
Defensively, we are not built to defend QB’s that run. Bottom line is that we are built to play against USC. We need to change, and if that means a new DC, ok. But, if Banker can make the change, do it. I don’t know if Banker has the ability to remake his D to match the strengths of the new Pac powers, he has had some success in the past and I would be ok with giving him a short leash to turn it around.
Overall, 1 very bad year should not have us all jumping off cliffs. Don’t forget that we have played the Civil War the past 2 years for the Rose Bowl. And both of those years could have gotten the Holiday Bowl but we aren’t that big of a draw.
I think maybe a more simplistic offense like a spread option or pistol would be helpful. I think I agree with what you guys are saying.
Angry,
Are we getting Brandin Cooks? Is he the 4-star you referred to?
According to Rivals, yes.
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Brandin-Cooks-113489
Good deal. He looks like a WR with his build.
Yep, it’s a nice pickup, but I was hoping it would be a DT or CB.
Jimini Christmas… how many WR’s do we need?
I wonder if he’s going to be a WR or CB–he plays both right now. If a WR, are the Beavers going to use more 4 wr sets? Air raid? I just don’t see why they need so many high caliber receivers. Watching his film, I wasn’t blown away despite his 4-star rating, but you guys decide for yourselves.
He’s friends with the Grant kids and McClure, so maybe he can pull some more talent into the program.
Angry, I think they’ll implement some Air Raid into their offense so that’s one reason they want a lot of talented receivers. Another reason is he looks like a guy who I think is the perfect fit to run the fly sweep. I think he will be a little better than Markus Wheaton at the fly sweep. Also next season I think the Beavers will run some jet sweep.
I don’t think the Beavs need a more simplistic offense. Instead, we need better execution of the existing offense, better effort on the part of some players, better talent (especially on the O-line) and MUCH better play calling.
Most of the knowledgeable Beaver fans that I know are able to predict the plays that Langsdorf will call at least half the time. I’m guessing that OSU’s opponents are doing this, too. It’s hard for an offense to succeed when the defense knows what plays you are going to run half the time. OSU needs someone smarter and more innovative than Langsdorf to handle the play-calling.
As for the defense, we need to make changes to stop running/scrambling QBs, especially in spread offenses. This has been killing the Beavers for years. Banker seems set in his ways and unable to do this OSU needs someone smarter and more innovative than Banker to handle the defense.
I still believe that Mike Riley is the right guy to lead the Beavers, but I also believe that Riley will not, on his own, replace either Langsdorf or Banker. Riley is too loyal to his assistants (and too comfortable with his current team) to make such changes. Bobby D. needs to be the guy who makes that happen.
But that’s not to say that Langsdorf and Banker should be fired without having better guys ready to take over for them. Bobby D. has to get out there immediately and scour the landscape for young, innovative guys to handle play-calling and the OSU defense. Find some young potential superstars (like Chip Kelly when he was at New Hampshire), get them excited about the opportunity in Corvallis, and then pull the trigger.
I have come to believe strongly that this needs to happen if the Beavers are going to improve. The sooner, the better….
This has been discussed many times before, but it still boils down to expectations set by the administration or AD. I think the unspoken true expectation is to be bowl eligible almost every year based on past history, right? So, how is this year that different? If you have typical scheduling, then the team is playing in a bowl game. Mission accomplished.
Every year the team pulls an upset or two, every year they lose to someone they shouldn’t. I mean there is no precedent for winning a P-10 title or going to a Rose or BCS bowl with Mike Riley as head coach. He has had ten years, right? So, Beaver Nation either accepts current reality (and it is not that bad of a reality) or change does have to take place at some point. Look at the University of Utah with what happened to Ron McBride (very similar family atmosphere, loved by the players) and then what followed. Is the goal to win championships or not? How long does the head coach have to achieve that…what is the timeline? If not then, except 8-5, 5-7, 9-4.
I agree with most of what you say. Part of the reason for hiring young potential superstar assistants to call the plays and run the Beaver defense for the next few years is to groom a potential successor to Mike Riley.
I know he’s had 10 years (more or less) but I would give Riley a few more years to develop the football program at OSU, and to make the jump to the next level. But meanwhile I think Bobby D. needs to find and hire at least one and preferably two young potential superstar assistant coaches. And that’s got to happen asap.
If the program keeps improving for the next few years under Mike Riley, great! If not, OSU needs to be in a position in a few years to make the type of change that Oregon made, when it pushed Bellotti out, and promoted Chip Kelly from assistant coach to head coach.
I agree and it looks like you understand that I am not saying that Mike Riley is not a very good coach, but at some point you have to state your program goal and measure against it.
It was brutal in Utah the year before Urban Meyer. The Utes were 5-6 (underachieving again) and Weber St. was actually willing to play the Utes because of open dates and get them bowl eligible and the Utah AD said no, knowing that one more year of bowl ineligibility would give him the leverage needed to fire McBride. The similiarities are fascinating. McBride was able to beat BYU and P-10 teams, get the Utes to bowl games, but he could not win championships. Think Riley, but with the defensive mind instead of offense.
I’ve never been on the ‘Fire So-and-so’ wagon. If I were, I would lean toward Banker more than anyone, but that’s more a product of his not placing the talent necessary to run his scheme on the field. I think a part of that is recruiting. I think we recruit guys who would fit a 3-4 system much better, and I’ve said as much several times. But I also think we have talent waiting in the wings which will make Banker’s gap cancellation work very well in the near future.
The present bothers me for one reason only… effort. And I think that starts with the O and D lines. I think too many people have taken the coaching abilities of Cav and Seumalo for granted, and it has resulted in a population of walk-ons supplementing a couple stars.
Here you go guys… take this bunch of kids who are known not to be self-starters and make stars out of them enough to play against guys who were proven quantities in high school.
I’m not saying it’s impossible. There is actually quite a bit of D-line talent to work with… if they had all worked their way through the D-line ranks like others have. It just happens that we have had no consistency other than Paea over the last two years. And 20/20 hindsight tells me that Gabe Miller should have moved to MLB after Bubba left.
Oh well.
The O-line can’t be called a disappointment this year. They’re all walk-ons. Seeing the field is a victory for them. Right? That’s how they’re playing.
Everyone loves to point to the walk-on history at OSU. There’s Smith, Hass, Morales, Adeniji. Can anyone think of a walk-on O lineman who was a success?
I’m thinking once we get the recruiting class of two years ago on the field we’ll all be feeling better about the play calls. Suddenly that run up the gut isn’t a hit in the backfield and a scramble to get one yard. It turns into a five yard pop with an occasional break for the goal line. That’s what it was when we actually had linemen on the field.
So I’m not going to get after Langsdorf or Banker for scheme or play-calling. Sure, there will be calls I don’t like (or understand). But I can’t sit here and complain about our level of talent AND our coaches at the same time. This senior class has one guy who leads the team. And, thankfully, he’ll be back next year. We will get addition through subtraction next year.
If we don’t see marked improvement in effort and execution next year, I will revisit the whole idea of players not receiving direction. But right now I think we just have players who can’t receive direction. They’ve been told what to do time and again, but they don’t always remember. And they don’t have the physical talent to compensate for any mental lapses.
The goal is Holiday Bowl and up. There..now we have our goal. I could really care less about Hunger or New Mexico bowls or barely even Vegas Bowls.
Sun Bowls should be a break even especially as it is now one spot worse.
If Riley doesn’t make a Holiday Bowl next year I think he has had his opportunity. I believe there is enough talent with more tough-mindedness that could have us at that Arizona-like Holiday Bowl level consintently and where we are also very much in the Rose Bowl race.
Langsdorf is WAY too predictable and has poor play calling. We can definitely do better so Bobby D should just make the move now. Banker seems too much opf a dinosaur and unwilling to change or adapt. That combined with Riley who is also doesn’t like change make for a bad combo. Oregon State students don’t like being thought of as irrelevant or “old” or “stuck” or “poor at adapting.” They are plenty vibrant and open to change and new ideas. We need to change the image of OSU and not be associated with such slow change. It is not a good trait. Being dynamic and ever-evolving is a good trait.
I’m not sure how many times I need to write this, but the bowls now go:
Rose
Alamo
Holiday
So the Holiday Bowl is the new Sun Bowl.
My opinion is we’ve been building this thing for ten years with two double digit win seasons, and at some point in that decade you need to rise above the 3rd place bowl. Results speak for themselves so I’ll shut up now.
Well said Angry.
When we “celebrated” the 10 year anniversary of the Fiesta Bowl team I thought… “Wow cool, I remember those days.” Little did I know back then how rare that success was going to be.
A decade… it’s been a decade people!
I know Angy. :) That is why I said the Sun dropped a spot and I know about the Alamo Bowl. But with 12 teams next year the Holiday bowl is pretty good especially since we have never been there.
A Sun Bowl deserves no extension, no bonus, nothing. Been there, done that, scored 3 points…then Decarolis blows his wad. Even I don’t think a Holiday deserves an extension, just a tiny bonus. But the Ducks always considered the Holiday their tipping point of whether it was a decent season and it should be the same for us. It loses just a small amount of luster because it is now the #3 PAC Bowl, but San Diego beats the heck out of where we have gone and teams like Arizona also consider it a pretty good bowl.
That is the line in the sand..and with a decade Riley has never reached it.
Haha.
D blew his wad when USC came calling. USC screwed us into this lifetime deal. What’s nice about that is the they’re the one team Riley has figured out.
I disagree that the Holiday is okay. If the Rose suddenly becomes the 3rd place bowl would you be excited about a Rose Bowl? Of course not. For me I need to see a step up to the Alamo. I’d consider that acceptable and don’t see the harm in tacking on a year to a contract for it.
The goal for this team needs to be the Rose and anything less than an Alamo Bowl is a disappointment.
I agree that the Alamo is the first that should deserve an extra year. But by having the Holiday as an OK line I mean that the Beavs should then make Holiday or above half the time. So over 5 years if we didn’t do that or better 3 times then Riley should be considered underperforming. Its not a end all be all at all, just makes it clear that it is just OK. Sun and worse should be considered disappointing years. Alamo and up are the good years. Holiday just barely on the good side.
I get what you’re trying to say. Holiday Bowl should only be okay if they’ve been somewhat consistently playing Alamo and Rose Bowls. It is unbelievable though that 10 years ago the Beavers were going to a BCS Bowl and we’re still waiting for them to make another one.
that’s because they’re slow to react and don’t recognize opportunity. two examples from the past year:
1. Riley was sought by USC. This should have been used to land a great recruiting class. So far it’s just good.
2. The Beavers have had a Heisman quality back for 3 years. They should have promoted him better, and should have used the publicity to land an elite back. While I like the backs they’ve signed, they’re not elite.
Missed opportunities. Not knowing how to parlay luck/fortune into greater fortune, etc. You know that saying “you need money to make money”? Figuratively, the Beavers basically have millions and invest it in the Pimco low yield bond fund.
Riley has been capable of getting talented players to come to OSU. Riley brought OSU through a rough stretch about 5-6 years ago when there were several embarrassing off-field incidents.
OSU is to a point where a bowl game is an expectation among fans. How different is that from the 70s, 80s, and 90s? However, other teams in the conference are climbing to pass OSU (look at UW).
Stability in the coaching staff has pros and cons. We are going to witness a hard time where Bob D., Riley, and others must decide on how to make a change.
We can state all the goals we want. It is up to Bobby D. to state the goal (with time table) and hold the coaching staff accountable then the fans can decide if it is acceptable or not by their attendance.
You guys do remember that we’ve been eligible for the Holiday Bowl a couple of times in the last few years and been passed over for it.