Hazell teams have been.
And let's face it, before we argue anything if you support Hazell or this administration, we start with the awareness that this coach has been WORSE than a list of bad, bad coaches. I'm in essence arguing that Drew Peterson killed his 4th wife, and you're arguing prejudice in my claim, but you're still defending Drew Peterson... so, we need to both be aware of that if you think that I'm "not watching" if I don't see that we're better.
I saw a team that benefitted from experience and had a few guys who could do some things.. but here's what I also saw:
1. "Up ten points! This game is ours... let's run the clock out FOR AN ENTIRE HALF." This guy just has no concept that playing not to lose is what gets you beat. You need to go get that score to put you up 17 NOW, if you have a team where you want them, because you never know what crazy turn of events will turn a 10 point lead into dust just because the ball didn't bounce your way or a freshman made a freshman mistake. Larry Bird wasn't looking for knock out threes up 5 with 2 minutes left because he thought, "a three would make me feel good now, I'd be a happy guy if I hit one." You make your opposition feel as though with every chance you get, you're sprinting as far away from them as you can, and they have to suck wind to chase you.
2. Still with the cushion on the edges. Look, Darrell Hazell and his staff think you're an idiot. They know that a loss where a team racks up 350 bend but don't break yards on short stuff underneath a lake-wide cushion.. often lacks that vitriolic "what the F just happened to us" reaction you get when.. you give up 250 yards but also get beat for two sportscenter long bombs. Hazell would rather get nickled and dimed all day and play that whole "aww shucks, we tried hard but it just didn't happen" then get his guys right up in the opposing receivers faces and say "if you want to beat me, you're going to have to do it way the F back there"
3. We're very limited in where we can execute a pass. You'll see an occassional play action deep ball where a guy is wide open get hit deep. We can hit the gimme passes away from the defender on the outside short or inside short, and you get that occasional short seem sit down pass, but I'm imagining if we looked at some sort of sabermetric gathering of where on a field we execute a play, there are huge areas that are just completely off limits, and that was TODAY, against EKU.
4. Still with this thing where we think we can waste a play. Broken play on first down where we look like a Pop Warner team and a pass doesn't look like a college pass on 1st and 10? No sweat! "We'll get them on the next play. I mean, we'll have plenty of chances!" Then, when 4th and 1 comes up short on a run my grandma could predict, you find out that that first and 10 where you didn't do anything.. That WAS your chance.
These are all things that the "well, if you can't appreciate Shoop, you're just a disgruntled Bears fan" crowd can feel free to write off.. just remember it in 3 weeks and 5 weeks and 7 weeks when you're acting mystified about a loss. Remember these four things.
And let's face it, before we argue anything if you support Hazell or this administration, we start with the awareness that this coach has been WORSE than a list of bad, bad coaches. I'm in essence arguing that Drew Peterson killed his 4th wife, and you're arguing prejudice in my claim, but you're still defending Drew Peterson... so, we need to both be aware of that if you think that I'm "not watching" if I don't see that we're better.
I saw a team that benefitted from experience and had a few guys who could do some things.. but here's what I also saw:
1. "Up ten points! This game is ours... let's run the clock out FOR AN ENTIRE HALF." This guy just has no concept that playing not to lose is what gets you beat. You need to go get that score to put you up 17 NOW, if you have a team where you want them, because you never know what crazy turn of events will turn a 10 point lead into dust just because the ball didn't bounce your way or a freshman made a freshman mistake. Larry Bird wasn't looking for knock out threes up 5 with 2 minutes left because he thought, "a three would make me feel good now, I'd be a happy guy if I hit one." You make your opposition feel as though with every chance you get, you're sprinting as far away from them as you can, and they have to suck wind to chase you.
2. Still with the cushion on the edges. Look, Darrell Hazell and his staff think you're an idiot. They know that a loss where a team racks up 350 bend but don't break yards on short stuff underneath a lake-wide cushion.. often lacks that vitriolic "what the F just happened to us" reaction you get when.. you give up 250 yards but also get beat for two sportscenter long bombs. Hazell would rather get nickled and dimed all day and play that whole "aww shucks, we tried hard but it just didn't happen" then get his guys right up in the opposing receivers faces and say "if you want to beat me, you're going to have to do it way the F back there"
3. We're very limited in where we can execute a pass. You'll see an occassional play action deep ball where a guy is wide open get hit deep. We can hit the gimme passes away from the defender on the outside short or inside short, and you get that occasional short seem sit down pass, but I'm imagining if we looked at some sort of sabermetric gathering of where on a field we execute a play, there are huge areas that are just completely off limits, and that was TODAY, against EKU.
4. Still with this thing where we think we can waste a play. Broken play on first down where we look like a Pop Warner team and a pass doesn't look like a college pass on 1st and 10? No sweat! "We'll get them on the next play. I mean, we'll have plenty of chances!" Then, when 4th and 1 comes up short on a run my grandma could predict, you find out that that first and 10 where you didn't do anything.. That WAS your chance.
These are all things that the "well, if you can't appreciate Shoop, you're just a disgruntled Bears fan" crowd can feel free to write off.. just remember it in 3 weeks and 5 weeks and 7 weeks when you're acting mystified about a loss. Remember these four things.
