I don't really think that seven years would have been enough. Seven years wouldn't have changed his poor tactical decisions. I know coaches learn along the way, but I've never seen anyone make them as frequently as Croom.
First of all, I don't see how he can say that we were "unfair to Woody McCorvey". He was a horrible play caller- at State AND Bama. You can say that Woody didn't know the WCO- I think the truth is neither one of them knew what the WCO is, and it's NOT a power running offense- but a competent coach should be able to make competent play calls no matter their familiarity of the offense that they are running, whether it be the spread, the WCO, or the flexbone. It's not like you have to be an offensive guru a la Mike Leach to be a competent playcaller. That said, if you're hell bent on running a certain offense, why wouldn't you go to guys who have run those offenses successfully and try to learn from them? And whose fault is that? Also, if you're hellbent on running the WCO, why wouldn't you make getting a good QB a high priority every year? What about getting o-linemen, really for any offense? And WR's? We did come up with some good RBs and FB's, and I'll give him credit for that, but you can't run the WCO without QB's, an o-line, and WR's.
Secondly, why did Croom basically neglect ST's all together? Carlson and McAdams were embarassments. A four yard punt? And how many extra points do you see go off of an upright? Also, why not get an experienced coach to coach the unit instead of your most inexperienced coach on your staff?
Along those lines, and even worse, why the lack of attention to the o-line? A good o-line is a NECESSITY. You can't afford to have Derek Sherrod and four walk-ons in the SEC.
Our defense was good, although I thought that letting Cheese take over was a somewhat questionable move, but I have a lot of other things I could complain about. This was our best unit, and yet Croom was harder on them than any other unit. It always blew my mind.
Then the recruiting- I love legacies. I love the movie Rudy. I think it's great that normal people who just dream of putting on a uniform get a legit shot to play for the team they grew up rooting for. But my gosh, don't give everyone you know kids a full scholarship. If they earn it fine, but Josh Hollingsworth? An SEC player? Does Samford even want this guy? Johnathan Lowe? Come on. And why sign 14 DE's? And not recruiting Jackson? It's practically insane.
Then let's talk about priorities. If you are the coach at MSU, you have to want to beat Ole Miss, and that is the biggest game of the year. Shoot, Houston Nutt got it in his first year. I don't care for Bama, but why do you want to beat them worse than our actual biggest rival? And then the little things that could have won some people in Croom's corner- like maroon helmets. Our fans want them and our players want them. And it's such a simple thing.
Finally, the excuses- probation was too tough. Well, ya know what? Bama, Ole Miss, UK (Freaking UK) have all been on probation and recovered much more quickly than we have. With a lighter sentence at that. Hmmm...maybe it wasn't the probation after all. Also the NCAA didn't tell us to kick everyone off of the team and start over. And you wanted SEVEN years? The first three years don't count? That would only have been true if we got out of the SEC and started over in D-II. How about trying to win with what you have and in the situation that you have? If you want to run the WCO, why not transition to that over time, while building an offense that suits the players that you currently have?
I do think Croom is a "good man" and is a Christian, and I think that's the best explanation for 2007- devine intervention.
First of all, I don't see how he can say that we were "unfair to Woody McCorvey". He was a horrible play caller- at State AND Bama. You can say that Woody didn't know the WCO- I think the truth is neither one of them knew what the WCO is, and it's NOT a power running offense- but a competent coach should be able to make competent play calls no matter their familiarity of the offense that they are running, whether it be the spread, the WCO, or the flexbone. It's not like you have to be an offensive guru a la Mike Leach to be a competent playcaller. That said, if you're hell bent on running a certain offense, why wouldn't you go to guys who have run those offenses successfully and try to learn from them? And whose fault is that? Also, if you're hellbent on running the WCO, why wouldn't you make getting a good QB a high priority every year? What about getting o-linemen, really for any offense? And WR's? We did come up with some good RBs and FB's, and I'll give him credit for that, but you can't run the WCO without QB's, an o-line, and WR's.
Secondly, why did Croom basically neglect ST's all together? Carlson and McAdams were embarassments. A four yard punt? And how many extra points do you see go off of an upright? Also, why not get an experienced coach to coach the unit instead of your most inexperienced coach on your staff?
Along those lines, and even worse, why the lack of attention to the o-line? A good o-line is a NECESSITY. You can't afford to have Derek Sherrod and four walk-ons in the SEC.
Our defense was good, although I thought that letting Cheese take over was a somewhat questionable move, but I have a lot of other things I could complain about. This was our best unit, and yet Croom was harder on them than any other unit. It always blew my mind.
Then the recruiting- I love legacies. I love the movie Rudy. I think it's great that normal people who just dream of putting on a uniform get a legit shot to play for the team they grew up rooting for. But my gosh, don't give everyone you know kids a full scholarship. If they earn it fine, but Josh Hollingsworth? An SEC player? Does Samford even want this guy? Johnathan Lowe? Come on. And why sign 14 DE's? And not recruiting Jackson? It's practically insane.
Then let's talk about priorities. If you are the coach at MSU, you have to want to beat Ole Miss, and that is the biggest game of the year. Shoot, Houston Nutt got it in his first year. I don't care for Bama, but why do you want to beat them worse than our actual biggest rival? And then the little things that could have won some people in Croom's corner- like maroon helmets. Our fans want them and our players want them. And it's such a simple thing.
Finally, the excuses- probation was too tough. Well, ya know what? Bama, Ole Miss, UK (Freaking UK) have all been on probation and recovered much more quickly than we have. With a lighter sentence at that. Hmmm...maybe it wasn't the probation after all. Also the NCAA didn't tell us to kick everyone off of the team and start over. And you wanted SEVEN years? The first three years don't count? That would only have been true if we got out of the SEC and started over in D-II. How about trying to win with what you have and in the situation that you have? If you want to run the WCO, why not transition to that over time, while building an offense that suits the players that you currently have?
I do think Croom is a "good man" and is a Christian, and I think that's the best explanation for 2007- devine intervention.
