I have seen enough from recruiting, program building and offensive/defensive scheme to feel confident in Ash's plan. Yesterday was not good but it does not change my optimism for the program. RU needs players at every position. Unfortunately next year may look worse before it gets better due The lack of recruiting the past 3 years. Go ahead and panic if that's your M.O. but the second half of the season has plenty of opportunity and I expect a much different team than we saw yesterday.
Stay the course
- Thread starter needmorecowbell
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I admire your positive outlook in a sea of whining, but we don't know how recruiting will be until NSD. Defensive schemes and tackling look better. Offensive schemes, this board will debate endlessly whether it is the bad schemes or bad fit of personnel for the schemes Mehringer is running. Was listening to the pregame WCTC yesterday, and David Milewski made a couple of good points--perhaps RU should have slowed down the offense to give the defense time to breathe yesterday. Also, while Milewski did not say this, can he design more than 1 play in the last 2 games that involves a deep route? (Cue the Laviano can't throw posts). Laviano has shown an ability to throw and connect on deep balls. Yes, Carroo is gone and Grant is out, but we still have Harris. While it was not a deep ball (more like intermediate), he hit Patton right in stride, and he dropped the ball. The constant runs pounding it up the middle get tiresome to watch.
That said, my overall outlook is positive. I would not measure a beginning tennis player's ability by playing Nadal or Federer, and I will not judge the team and coaches by the Washington, Ohio State and Michigan games. Stanford looked worse than RU against Washington. So we have that going for us.
Still believe we have winnable games against Indiana (yeah they beat MSU, who looks down this year), Illinois, Minnesota, PSU, and Maryland (so what they are 4-0 against nobody), and throw MSU into the mix. How this team responds to the beat down will tell a lot about what kind of team this is.
Negatoids unite and start picking apart everything I said. [banana]
I'm positive about Ash and his plan. The biggest head scratcher for me is QB.
Whatever is happening in practice has not carried over to the games.
When the B1G Network crew viewed RU practices in camp, their opinion was that Allen would win the job. Gio runs one into the end zone, and gets nailed to the bench. Rettig has looked competent in every game he has been allowed to play, all last year. His throws in pregame warmups still look (to me) sharper than anyone else.
I understand Oden is the guy. He may not be ready yet, but Ash made the decision to play him this year anyway, and leapfrog everyone else on the depth chart. So play him! Ash has already wasted games investing valuable playing time on Laviano. The result is the worst rated QB in the league, and the Iowa loss.
Whatever is happening in practice has not carried over to the games.
When the B1G Network crew viewed RU practices in camp, their opinion was that Allen would win the job. Gio runs one into the end zone, and gets nailed to the bench. Rettig has looked competent in every game he has been allowed to play, all last year. His throws in pregame warmups still look (to me) sharper than anyone else.
I understand Oden is the guy. He may not be ready yet, but Ash made the decision to play him this year anyway, and leapfrog everyone else on the depth chart. So play him! Ash has already wasted games investing valuable playing time on Laviano. The result is the worst rated QB in the league, and the Iowa loss.
KS,
I agree. When I say recruiting, I mean their effort and tactics. Results can vary but it's easy to see they have turned around the culture in just a few months. Regarding the schedule, OSU and Michigan are clear cut 1 and 2. After that anyone is beatable. Ash has his work cut out for him but I expect the rest of the season (after Michigan) to close like Iowa.
Sorry, but saying "stay the course" after losing by more than 50 points in a conference game seems ridiculous. When we came into the Big Ten, we were a respectable team that qualified for a bowl that we also won. Two years later, it is Terry Shea football. This is not okay or acceptable.
You would prefer panic? We were a respectable team before RU lost its recruiting edge. You can rebuild that over night.
Yes because we have posters already saying Ash isn't the guy. And I even saw a ridiculous thread questioning Pat Hobbs' ability as AD.
We are in complete agreement. [cheers]
On recruiting, however, SOME recruits may see the blowouts and consider going elsewhere. That is why it is important that RU at least competes and wins SOME of the aforementioned games. Also, we can't have any other scandals or nonsense like we had with Julie outside the football program. Flood was already recruiting with a huge handicap because he inherently was not a great recruiter, but he also got his legs cut out from underneath by all of the Julie drama and the faux abuse scandal. Make no bones about it, blowout losses played into too. That is why the games remaining after Michigan are extremely important. I'm going to lie low on these boards for the next couple of weeks because I can't stand the gloom and doom nonsense and drama that is permeating the boards.
Yes we were respectable in year 1. The Schiano recruits were still fresh then and Flood road the coattails of those recruits and accepted the credit for it. He did nothing to reload that type of talent. Look at the talent level he has left you now. Hence the blowouts. Which most knew were coming.
I think it's best if we make it clear that Ash lacks the support of Rutgers fans. I mean, look at what that did for Kyle Flood's 2014 recruiting class.
Go the distance. Ease his pain.if you build it.Is this heaven? No its Iowa.Who we should have beaten and may have beeen the last chance we have for a W.But after 50 years I will stay the course for another 50 I guess.
We have a coach from the urban meyer coaching family and some people are whining because he's not turning the team around quickly enough. Unreal.
Did anyone really think we were going to be competive with OSU??? Best case scenario would have been 45-10 in my opinion. Why are people acting like they are shocked that we weren't competitive.
In terms of talent, in many ways Ash inherited what equates to a gutted building and unfortunately, you can't fix that kind of thing overnight. The man is a college HC, after all, not a magician.
The previous regime's recruiting left the new coaching staff with a huge repair job on its hands, and that kind of thing can only be overcome by bringing the kind of players into the program who can actually compete effectively in the B1G. And so far, this staff has shown it's more than willing to put in the relentless recruiting effort needed to do it. But even so, it's going to take time to get things going in the direction we all want.
That reality undoubtedly isn't something we'd choose if we had our preference, but that's simply the way it is.
The previous regime's recruiting left the new coaching staff with a huge repair job on its hands, and that kind of thing can only be overcome by bringing the kind of players into the program who can actually compete effectively in the B1G. And so far, this staff has shown it's more than willing to put in the relentless recruiting effort needed to do it. But even so, it's going to take time to get things going in the direction we all want.
That reality undoubtedly isn't something we'd choose if we had our preference, but that's simply the way it is.
There is absolutely zero chance of beating anybody unless CL can at least generate some passing yards like he had in the 2 W' s. I say CL because that's all we know. Oden isn't allowed to throw as part of the game plan yet, so that doesn't help the cause. If we can fix the offense just enough than it will be on the defense to give us a chance to win.
Every team we face the rest of the season already have enough offense to win games so nothing will come easy.
Some offense = some hope !
Every team we face the rest of the season already have enough offense to win games so nothing will come easy.
Some offense = some hope !
Though I liked him didn't Bob Wenzel used to say that? After years 1 (read that also Jordan and Van Gundy) and perhaps 2 not so sure that helped him.
Has anyone mentioned Grant and Lambert in this thread yet?
Has anyone mentioned Grant and Lambert in this thread yet?