DD calling them out.

#1
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arTfuldodger

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#1
This isn't a "bash them" thread, as I'm behind our guys, but I LOVE the fact that DD is calling them out on their lack of mental toughness. I said it after the game, and DD has stressed it to multiple sources. Our boys quit, guys. Straight up. They allowed themselves to get mentally beat and we didn't have a shot after that. We ran 56 plays for 330 yards, 0 penalties,0sacks before the pick6, after 20 plays for maybe 40 yards, 2 penalties, 2 sacks. Some may say that DD's being vocal on the matter may cause chemistry issues. I say its EXACTLY what they need. They've got to realize that their attitude and mentality is where it all starts. They believed in the first 28 minutes, and the results showed it. The tangibles (or lack thereof) does not account for a 35-0 half. Just doesn't. It was a mental breakdown, and it spread throughout the team rather quickly. Some said Chris Walker was still trying to get the sidelines pumped after the pick6, and that's encouraging, but 1 guy cannot change the mindset of 85+. Nick Saban said it best, what you think becomes what you do, becomes who you are. Plain and simple. I'm more worried about our heads and hearts at this point than I am our tackling and blocking. We've shown we've got the ability to do the tangible things, watch the 1st half of that game. We are NOT overmatched to a degree that would allow for a 35-0 half. Our lack of depth/experience may have allowed them to win no matter what we did 2nd half, but had we played with the focus and mental fortitude that we displayed in the 1st 28min, we'd likely be discussing a one TDloss, or possibly even an upset. When you've told yourself your beat. Your Beat. If you think you can, OR you think you can't, YOUR RIGHT! Here's to hoping we've got a lesson learned, as I know DD is preaching this as PRIORITY #1 this week.
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Edit: I should add that I don't think as a whole its a "not wanting it" or "not caring" problem. Its something that must be developed, and we are way behind on this. More so than X's and O's.
 
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#2
#2
Good post...

It is about hearts and minds at this point and both are going to get a lot more testing over the next six weeks.

We don't have the talent to play with the upper half of the SEC. We'll get injuries and then we're even worse.

By the time we get to the soft part of the schedule, we could be so beaten up as a team that we struggle to win the gimme's.

This season is going to be a tough one... plain and simple.

We'll need strong hearts and strong minds when it is done to rebuild a team and then Dooley will need to prove that he can recruit. If he misses on either count, he's done and the program will need another five or six years to recover under new leadership.
 
#5
#5
CDD didn't just call out the players.

IMHO, he called out Chaney as well. He quickly back-tracked and said some positive things so as not to do it in public, but I don't think the Sunday / Monday meeting went well with the coaches either. Especially Chaney.

However, Dooley's vision he articulated is actually inspiring.
 
#6
#6
I think he did what he thinks he has to do to motivate them to show up in the 2nd half against Florida.
 
#7
#7
Agreed, and that's not a knock on him in anyway. Its where we are. The silver lining is how impressed I was with the gameplan. What's so hard to deal with is that they SAW with their own eyes what exectution+focus can equate to. They, if anyone, should have had reason to believe and perservere. I guess it shows us how small of a mental lapse it takes for the tide to turn. Two plays that allowed those 2 scores b4 the half:
1. JJ gets his head behind a guy on a 2nd or 3rd down pass to the flats (on their side of the field). The guy burns us, and they put up points in the drive.
2. The 3rd down drop by. ZRogers and or bad throw by Simms.There's two ways to go with this one. Simms may have made the wrong decision in the 1st place, as Moore was near midfield in single cov and had plenty of space. (Big Window) Simms, IMO had time to set his feet and throw to Moore. (Roughly 8-10 yd deeper than Rogers, so not that difficult) Or Rogers makes the grab. It wasn't a perfect throw but it was past the sticks and couldve been caught. Game wasn't the same after these two, IMO.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
#9
#9
utgibbs said:
CDD didn't just call out the players.

IMHO, he called out Chaney as well. He quickly back-tracked and said some positive things so as not to do it in public, but I don't think the Sunday / Monday meeting went well with the coaches either. Especially Chaney.

However, Dooley's vision he articulated is actually inspiring.
Click to expand...

I don't see how Chaney had anything to do with the team running out of gas and having a mental breakdown. I didn't see anything wrong with his play calling in the 1st or 2nd half.
 
#10
#10
I posted in another thread that Dooley is fighting a culture of losing and quitting in this team after the 2007 blowout losses to UF/Bama and the 2008 season in which a portion (namely the leaders) were on this team for. This mentality change will undoubtedly have to come from within the team.

The 2007 UF game and the 2010 Ducks game were eerily similar.
 
#11
#11
VolsFanRJ said:
I don't see how Chaney had anything to do with the team running out of gas and having a mental breakdown. I didn't see anything wrong with his play calling in the 1st or 2nd half.
Click to expand...

Dooley certainly did, caught up in the emotion of the post-game. He gathered himself and complimented the run game, but he WAS NOT happy with the passing plan at all.
 
#12
#12
utgibbs said:
Dooley certainly did, caught up in the emotion of the post-game. He gathered himself and complimented the run game, but he WAS NOT happy with the passing plan at all.
Click to expand...

I thought the play calling was fine, it was the execution that was the problem.
 
#13
#13
VolsFanRJ said:
I thought the play calling was fine, it was the execution that was the problem.
Click to expand...

I'm just basing this on the post-game interview with CDD. He was pretty heated discussing the game plan, and he even took 20 seconds to look for the # of pass attempts the first half. He wasn't happy.

And then, the over-correction in the second half almost immediately.

Also, I tend to believe Matt was under orders NOT to throw over the middle. I would like to think Chaney was trying to protect him; force fewer decisions on him.

Having said all that, if G Jones were available, I think it's a much different ball game.
 
#14
#14
VolsFanRJ said:
I don't see how Chaney had anything to do with the team running out of gas and having a mental breakdown. I didn't see anything wrong with his play calling in the 1st or 2nd half.
Click to expand...

I'll give him one or two games pass if Simms doesn't make the right reads/throws. Simms had open receivers. He was so off-kilter that he missed screen passes.

The key will be season-spanning adjustments that Chaney/Hinshaw will have to make. Do what they did with Crompton. Roll him out, cut the field in half and allow him to make passes in situations he's more comfortable in. That makes the reads easier, eliminates batted balls and most importantly it builds Simm's confidence.

The thing that bothers me was Simms comments post-game. Basically the passing game plan was "throw it up and let (hope) your mismatched receivers get it". Our biggest passes were on plays that were blind luck from the QB and fantastic adjustments by the WR.
 
#15
#15
utgibbs said:
I'm just basing this on the post-game interview with CDD. He was pretty heated discussing the game plan, and he even took 20 seconds to look for the # of pass attempts the first half. He wasn't happy.

And then, the over-correction in the second half almost immediately.

Also, I tend to believe Matt was under orders NOT to throw over the middle. I would like to think Chaney was trying to protect him; force fewer decisions on him.

Having said all that, if G Jones were available, I think it's a much different ball game.
Click to expand...

Jones was definitely missed. Hopefully he can return soon, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
#16
#16
The OP has it right. This team must learn to pick themselves up when they get knocked down. That is not coaching, that is HEART. They should watch ROCKY before every game to learn what heart is about (Hollywood style).
 
#17
#17
It's good he's calling them out. He could always say, they're reviewing the film or working like heck to fix it. Maybe sprinkle some of that magic dust on it.
 
#18
#18
Cartervol said:
It's good he's calling them out. He could always say, they're reviewing the film or working like heck to fix it. Maybe sprinkle some of that magic dust on it.
Click to expand...

I don't believe in blaming other people on your failures... but Dooley got blindsided by a good ole Fulmer quittin' on Saturday.

We'll see how they pick themselves up but I'm honestly not expecting anything.
 
#19
#19
Do they question themselves on plans and calls? Sure! I hope they do! But I think it was 90% execution. The gameplan was absolutely MASTERFUL on both sides of the ball for 28 minutes. We failed to execute from that point forward.
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#20
#20
DC Vol said:
I don't believe in blaming other people on your failures... but Dooley got blindsided by a good ole Fulmer quittin' on Saturday.

We'll see how they pick themselves up but I'm honestly not expecting anything.
Click to expand...
I think he was most surprised by the kids attitudes. This is a different breed of kid they have to deal with in today's college game. One where they focus more on how pretty their uniforms are and what's trendy like Nike instead of Adidas. Their focus is all on things that truly don't mean squat.
 
#21
#21
utgibbs said:
Dooley certainly did, caught up in the emotion of the post-game. He gathered himself and complimented the run game, but he WAS NOT happy with the passing plan at all.
Click to expand...

I wasn't either - I've said many times before, you shouldn't EVER give an inexperienced QB even the option to throw a pass across the field (that's in the air for 35 yards or more) in an attempt to make a 5 yard gain. That's just a dumb risk - the route shouldn't be in the playbook, period. If you're gonna throw a 35 yd pass, make it downfield 20-30 yds instead. Less risk, more potential reward. If you throw that one 20 times, they are going to score 4-5 times and we will score none. Might get a first down or two if we're lucky. Dumb risk to take.

I didn't hear DD after the game, but imagine his concern was with us not looking vertical down the field more often. Just guessing, tho.
 
#22
#22
Cartervol said:
I think he was most surprised by the kids attitudes. This is a different breed of kid they have to deal with in today's college game. One where they focus more on how pretty their uniforms are and what's trendy like Nike instead of Adidas. Their focus is all on things that truly don't mean squat.
Click to expand...

I think it's more than that, but I agree. It's almost the same problem the Bengals are contending with.
 
#23
#23
It was the OL just as much as QB, as WR, as DL, as LB. It was a team thing guys. Its far worse a problem than a WR cutting a route short, or a QB throwing an interception. Its deep, and it blindsided us Sat night. Dooley has to heal that before anything else. Rucker said it best : " He's got to teach them this lesson on the field" You wanna know why they want kids who think sraight? Kids who have proven they can accomplish tasks and excel? Here's your answer. We must rebuild from within. We need to become mentally tough. Its a challenge. It will happen @ some point, but when?
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#24
#24
I'm not gonna lie, I was pumped about the Kiffin hire which I believe alot of people were ,but DD IMHO is something special. With his mindset and his mental toughness that he puts into the players will make a scary team when he has the talent. I am more & more excited about DD every day. He's going to turn high-school talent into NFL ready men ready to compete for the SEC and the BCS every year.
 
#25
#25
Orangekush423 said:
This isn't a "bash them" thread, as I'm behind our guys, but I LOVE the fact that DD is calling them out on their lack of mental toughness. I said it after the game, and DD has stressed it to multiple sources. Our boys quit, guys. Straight up. They allowed themselves to get mentally beat and we didn't have a shot after that. We ran 56 plays for 330 yards, 0 penalties,0sacks before the pick6, after 20 plays for maybe 40 yards, 2 penalties, 2 sacks. Some may say that DD's being vocal on the matter may cause chemistry issues. I say its EXACTLY what they need. They've got to realize that their attitude and mentality is where it all starts. They believed in the first 28 minutes, and the results showed it. The tangibles (or lack thereof) does not account for a 35-0 half. Just doesn't. It was a mental breakdown, and it spread throughout the team rather quickly. Some said Chris Walker was still trying to get the sidelines pumped after the pick6, and that's encouraging, but 1 guy cannot change the mindset of 85+. Nick Saban said it best, what you think becomes what you do, becomes who you are. Plain and simple. I'm more worried about our heads and hearts at this point than I am our tackling and blocking. We've shown we've got the ability to do the tangible things, watch the 1st half of that game. We are NOT overmatched to a degree that would allow for a 35-0 half. Our lack of depth/experience may have allowed them to win no matter what we did 2nd half, but had we played with the focus and mental fortitude that we displayed in the 1st 28min, we'd likely be discussing a one TDloss, or possibly even an upset. When you've told yourself your beat. Your Beat. If you think you can, OR you think you can't, YOUR RIGHT! Here's to hoping we've got a lesson learned, as I know DD is preaching this as PRIORITY #1 this week.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Edit: I should add that I don't think as a whole its a "not wanting it" or "not caring" problem. Its something that must be developed, and we are way behind on this. More so than X's and O's.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%, especially with the bold part. As people have already said many, many times, we were short on depth and experience in this game. With that being said, there is no excuse for giving up 45 unanswered points. In my mind, and also from watching the game a couple of times, this can not be contributed to lack of depth. Our players simply gave up and I'm glad Dooley is saying something about it. Note for example how during the second half, on at the end of almost every Oregon run their running back fell forward for another couple of yards, instead of our guys hitting hard and tackling him back. I also saw people a couple different times just standing around while the play was still going on.
There have been a few people saying that Dooley should not be calling the team out for this to in front of the media, but I'm glad he is. I think that as he talks to the media about this, we can be confident that he is not just making off the cuff, flippant accusations, but instead he is (at least in part) trying to use his comments in the media to motivate the team, and show them how unacceptable giving up is.
 
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