The Cygarin Ratings have been updated. The link is below.
For all practical purposes just go back to what I wrote for the Iowa game, and virtually nothing changes. There is no reason to rewrite or rehash it here.
From my perspective we are in a rebuilding year, and one that is much more intense that I could have fathomed going into the season. If you ask me, this year isn't, nor shouldn't be measured on wins. Or for that matter even how we do against any and all opponents. This is a player development year. And in my opinion, not just primarily, but almost exclusively.
In that regard, I would not be inclined to expect coaches to play particular players simply because they give us a "better" chance to win individual games. I think this particularly with the quarterback. There is no reason to thrust a freshman quarterback into a situation where he is forced to carry the game on his shoulders. It's unfair to him, and creates bad habits and a bad mindset that will take extra coaching effort in the future to undue.
I'm not saying don't play him, but rather play him in games and at times where he is allowed to execute in the fashion he is being trained for. That right environment isn't running for his life, or forcing plays for the sake of the game. The present is not the agenda, the future is.
Simply put, there are only about three or four winnable games left on our schedule. Very few people are going feel better about this program regardless of whether we win one game or four games. So don't throw proper player development under the bus attempting to win an extra game or two.
Futhermore, individual performance is far from being an issue at this time. Rather, screwing up is, and I see that as a different problem, development-wise. There is way, WAY too much widespread, across the board, holistic, and systemic failure to allow evaluation of any individual performance. Once we get to a point where we are not screwing up, THEN is the time to evaluate whether individual talent and ability is damaging our performance as a unit. But not now. Not yet.
For what it is worth, I went back and watched the recording of the Iowa game. (I was partying too much during the game to really watch the debacle closely.) I am probably fortunate I still have a TV to look at because I felt like throwing everything within reach at the screen. It is was unbelievable how many ways we could shoot ourselves in the ass on otherwise successfully executed plays.
And that is both the frustration and the hope. What I saw was an offensive line and an offensive unit that executed (sans screwing up the play) much better than I thought it did in real time. Screw-ups are fixable, lack of talent or ablity is not.
Campbell's history as a head coach does not indicate that he can't fix our systemic problems. We just have to be willing to let him work out the kinks of very young, and even a somewhat eclectic bunch of players who have suddenly been thrust together.
Lastly......
There is a lot of discussion about blame, fault, etc.... I'll throw in my two cents......
I did, and still do consider both Dan McCarney and Paul Rhoads to be two very good coaches.
I have noted in years past that Paul Rhoads had more top-15 wins than Kirk Ferentz. And CPR was as equally successful as Kirk Ferentz when records against relative strength of schedule were compared. At least, up until two years ago.
What I don't believe is that Dan McCarney nor Paul Rhoads were given the environment to succeed. In my opinion, when you look at everything from record to recruiting, the one key element I see is instability in the staff. Iowa State has had a revolving door for the assistant coaching staff for as long as I remember.
We need to ask ourselves why that is, and I don't think it is on the head coach, or the assistant coaches. Take a look at how many coaches we have either chased away or they ran away.......and they have had solid success after Iowa State.
We keep wanting to blame coaching. Sooner or later we have got to figure out that coaching is not the root problem. To be fair, the right coach may be able to overcome the root problem, but it obviously hasn't worked for us that way yet. Yet it continues to be the one thing we try the most.
Success in college football is measured and rewarded in one way only......wins. Regardless of who the wins come against. College football is the only collegiate sport conducted that way.
Wins. That's it. Wins. Literally nothing else. Wins at any value. Wins at any cost. There is no such thing as a "bad win". There is no such thing as a "good" win. Just a win.
To win requires three things, in order......
1. A winnable schedule, relative to yourself.
2. The financial resources applied to the football program (not merely facilities) to compete against the schedule you are assigned to compete against.
3. A coach who is able utilize No. 2 to mitigate No. 1.
As I have said many times before, I don't think coaching, then or now, is the root problem. The fault, nor the blame for where we are..... is not on any Iowa State coach. Present nor past.
(In my own opinion.)
Cygarin Ratings link.....
http://showcase.netins.net/web/cygarin/CYGARINFOOTBALL.xlsx
For all practical purposes just go back to what I wrote for the Iowa game, and virtually nothing changes. There is no reason to rewrite or rehash it here.
From my perspective we are in a rebuilding year, and one that is much more intense that I could have fathomed going into the season. If you ask me, this year isn't, nor shouldn't be measured on wins. Or for that matter even how we do against any and all opponents. This is a player development year. And in my opinion, not just primarily, but almost exclusively.
In that regard, I would not be inclined to expect coaches to play particular players simply because they give us a "better" chance to win individual games. I think this particularly with the quarterback. There is no reason to thrust a freshman quarterback into a situation where he is forced to carry the game on his shoulders. It's unfair to him, and creates bad habits and a bad mindset that will take extra coaching effort in the future to undue.
I'm not saying don't play him, but rather play him in games and at times where he is allowed to execute in the fashion he is being trained for. That right environment isn't running for his life, or forcing plays for the sake of the game. The present is not the agenda, the future is.
Simply put, there are only about three or four winnable games left on our schedule. Very few people are going feel better about this program regardless of whether we win one game or four games. So don't throw proper player development under the bus attempting to win an extra game or two.
Futhermore, individual performance is far from being an issue at this time. Rather, screwing up is, and I see that as a different problem, development-wise. There is way, WAY too much widespread, across the board, holistic, and systemic failure to allow evaluation of any individual performance. Once we get to a point where we are not screwing up, THEN is the time to evaluate whether individual talent and ability is damaging our performance as a unit. But not now. Not yet.
For what it is worth, I went back and watched the recording of the Iowa game. (I was partying too much during the game to really watch the debacle closely.) I am probably fortunate I still have a TV to look at because I felt like throwing everything within reach at the screen. It is was unbelievable how many ways we could shoot ourselves in the ass on otherwise successfully executed plays.
And that is both the frustration and the hope. What I saw was an offensive line and an offensive unit that executed (sans screwing up the play) much better than I thought it did in real time. Screw-ups are fixable, lack of talent or ablity is not.
Campbell's history as a head coach does not indicate that he can't fix our systemic problems. We just have to be willing to let him work out the kinks of very young, and even a somewhat eclectic bunch of players who have suddenly been thrust together.
Lastly......
There is a lot of discussion about blame, fault, etc.... I'll throw in my two cents......
I did, and still do consider both Dan McCarney and Paul Rhoads to be two very good coaches.
I have noted in years past that Paul Rhoads had more top-15 wins than Kirk Ferentz. And CPR was as equally successful as Kirk Ferentz when records against relative strength of schedule were compared. At least, up until two years ago.
What I don't believe is that Dan McCarney nor Paul Rhoads were given the environment to succeed. In my opinion, when you look at everything from record to recruiting, the one key element I see is instability in the staff. Iowa State has had a revolving door for the assistant coaching staff for as long as I remember.
We need to ask ourselves why that is, and I don't think it is on the head coach, or the assistant coaches. Take a look at how many coaches we have either chased away or they ran away.......and they have had solid success after Iowa State.
We keep wanting to blame coaching. Sooner or later we have got to figure out that coaching is not the root problem. To be fair, the right coach may be able to overcome the root problem, but it obviously hasn't worked for us that way yet. Yet it continues to be the one thing we try the most.
Success in college football is measured and rewarded in one way only......wins. Regardless of who the wins come against. College football is the only collegiate sport conducted that way.
Wins. That's it. Wins. Literally nothing else. Wins at any value. Wins at any cost. There is no such thing as a "bad win". There is no such thing as a "good" win. Just a win.
To win requires three things, in order......
1. A winnable schedule, relative to yourself.
2. The financial resources applied to the football program (not merely facilities) to compete against the schedule you are assigned to compete against.
3. A coach who is able utilize No. 2 to mitigate No. 1.
As I have said many times before, I don't think coaching, then or now, is the root problem. The fault, nor the blame for where we are..... is not on any Iowa State coach. Present nor past.
(In my own opinion.)
Cygarin Ratings link.....
http://showcase.netins.net/web/cygarin/CYGARINFOOTBALL.xlsx
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