WSR Gridiron Report

He's not following LLoyd Carr and "Michigan Men" here. Half of coaching in the beginning of the season is psychology. I think we are experiencing a different personality here that is molding the thought process in this team. I would be surprised if any leave that he doesn't want to leave unless there is too big of a peronality clash. I'm sure your coaches treated you a lot differently when the season got close than they did in the first few practices when everyone was meat and you really needed to see the hand you were dealt. Like you, I saw some good things on Saturday, but they are a long way from a finished product.

If I had been out there on defense Saturday I probably wouldn't want to watch much film. I would bet there will be some discussions on a personal basis though.

If it is a matter of finding out who will be flexible enough to stay with the program or who might be upset hat Stoops was fired, then more power to him.

Of course, I don't know. If it is a way of motivation then that is fine too.

Speaking of Tate Forcier, he was almost weeded out at Michigan, according to Bacon's book because he didn't follow the conditioning program. But later, when he failed academically, he go a lot of support from the coach. Eventually, I think he finished his career at San Jose State.

Lets be realistic here, every spring there are a number of guys who leave a football program because they have decided they just do not have it in them anymore, nor the desire to compete on this level.

Also, I know Ricky is a Rich Rod fan as am I, so I think what will happen is that if a guy is choosing to leave it will likely be because as alluded to by Blk Mtn that certain guys will decide that they cannot 'deal' with the level of conditioning that will be thrust upon them.

In short we have a football coach who views the game from a 24/7 perspective and he wants players that view the game nearly the same amount.

I hear and see similarities to the things they are doing in Oregon. Has anyone who writes on this board been to an Oregon spring or fall practice? Oregon's offense looks so much more organized than the other teams we play which reads the same to me as a sense of urgency. Oregon has been doing this long enough that the incoming guys have a good idea of what they are going to be going through whereas this is a new look here. I used to think the same way about Tomey's defensive teams. No huddle requires tired guys to still have full clarity of the moment. It also requires depth plus assistants on the sidelines who are absolutely all focused. When Wildcat Brad goes to his Nike hoops summit in Portland I'd be curious to hear what those guys are also thinking in reference to football. In many ways, the way Boise State has played the past few years also seems similar in intensity.

By the way, I also see a lot of mindset similarity between CSM and RR.

This is obviously an essential management style that will boost the morale of the reminaing players - I am all for it.

Ha ha ha...The book will be our guide....
The one strong point that is clear,Ithe Product is composed of the WVU Staff.
Don't think that the attrition will not hit the underclassmen.

I was wondering when someone would inform us about the Cortez Johnson move to leave this team....And to think the secondary coach had a good relationship with Johnson while recruiting Johnson to Pitt

The proof in this transition will be in how the players that remain actually play.

There is bound to be all kind of scuttlebutt when new personalities, staffing, and probably some for, some against.

Speaking of the stuff that is underneath the surface, I have read some insinuations on this site regarding Coach Stoops that conflict with insider information that I've heard. Without being too revealing, from what I've heard, his personal problems didn't originate with his "skirt chasing," "in Tucson," as I've read it being characterized.

I haven't been much of a Stoop's fan from a football perspective because I don't think he had the ability to build a true team among assistants, and for someone who was alluded to be a defensive savant, I didn't think he built strong defenses. I wonder if there wasn't more to the Duane Akina defection back to Texas than meets the eye, and is a poor reflection on Stoops as a manager of a program?

I am sure his divorce several years ago was a huge distraction, but to be fair, there are always two sides to a story, and the insinuation that MS was the problem doesn't square with what I've heard recently. I'm not saying who is right and who is wrong, and my sources may be incorrect as well.

But anyway, on the football side, this staff seems more together, with a more cohesive strategy and team approach than MS exhibited while publically lambasting assistants on the side lines.