Absolutely agree
Rocker wasn't much of a recruiter but he was a far better DL coach than Brum. We lost a lot on the field with Pruitt forcing Rocker out.
We replaced Rumph and Sherrer with 2 guys that had never been an assistant at the P5 level. We moved Nieds to a new position on Defense.
This is pretty much the recipe for the decline in defensive performance....
Not as sure about S&C. We don't seem as strong as last year in the trenches but it looks like fundamentals declined on both lines. We haven't had a ton of injuries though, which shows S&C may not be a huge issue.
S&C is the biggest gap. Happened overnight. Wrote this to my Pop. I will share we had a falling out... was nice to come back home and give the old man a hug... maybe this will register with some of you out there who are holding grudges... anyways... I will give you âit isnât the S&C coaching changeâ people something to grudge on
Hey Dad,
When you Google how to succeed at xyz position, all of the positions talk about strength and conditioning. When you look at oline push (this has improved some), missed tackles, no pass rush, excessive sacks, receiver separation, not many yards after catches, the fact we were up against Georgia and Arkansas only to lose steam (and âquitâ), all of that points exactly to what S&C does for each group. Then there is the fact that we have TWO players who have been outstanding (one under these same coaches) are all of the sudden playing poorly. Also, you can simply use your eyes. We get pushed around everywhere. Additionally, all we have to do is look at what happened when Butch lost his S&C. That is ONE coach away. Also look at who left coaching wise vs who stayed. Look at the vacancy in the S&Câs resume. Last, consider the likelihood of the argument it is poor coaching. To suggest it is poor coaching means a staff full of accomplished coaches is failing horrendously. The evidence pointing to S&C is insurmountable here. S&C is the common denominator. I could not believe we were taking the risk in promoting Art Giles when Fitz left and I was all over the boards saying remember what happened to Butch! Who by way was not the reason we did not hire a new S&C. He was handcuffed in spending what he needed to spend to find a new guy. Some point at Hamilton, but that can also be attributed to boosters and that leads me to the next point.
S&C isnât the only reason we are struggling, but it is by far the biggest next to what I think are spoiled boosters and fans who have meddled early in the last two coaching staffs. Jones had our team headed in the right direction, but we fired Jancek a year after due to fan and booster pressure after we beat Georgia, lost to Florida by 1, almost (and should have) beat Oklahoma, held Bama to 19 and almost won if it wasnât for a Dobbs fumble on a potential winning drive,. Bajakian strangely bolted after two years and he is now OC at NW who is also 3-0 in the Big 10 with a win over Iowa. He obviously didnât like something.
Fast forward to Pruittâs team. Last year, we almost beat Bama, went to and won a bowl game against a decent Big10 team that is now 3-0 this year with wins over Penn State and Michigan, and were two early performances in year two from winning 10 games, and yet we fire Rocker who coached a bunch of misfits that together with the linebackers were strengths of the team. I cannot help but think the boosters had a play in that because I am reading they were behind the Bumphus fire. I also cannot help but guess that is why Fitz left one month after Rocker was fired and still spoke so highly of Pruitt.
