Putting the Blame Where It Lies

Harsh, but spot-on. The source is really surprising, but apparently nobody in the Triangle market had the stones to call it like it is.

One simply indisputable fact about N.C. State football became obvious this week.

After spending the team’s bye week giving the third team (mainly expected-redshirt freshman, low-value scholarship athletes and walk-ons) as many practice repetitions as the first team, first-year coach Tom O’Brien was asked if any had impressed him enough to earn some playing time. Perhaps a player had been overlooked, misjudged or had taken the third-team designation as a hit to his psyche and worked his way onto the field on Saturdays.

No, O’Brien said. The best players available already were playing — the same ones that led to a 1-5 start.

So what’s this kernel of truth? Chuck Amato’s last trick was convincing the world he had some idea what he was doing.

Don’t say that SFN didn’t try to warn you.

Hat tip to Steve Williams at Pack Pride for digging this article up.

About BJD95

1995 NC State graduate, sufferer of Les and MOC during my entire student tenure. An equal-opportunity objective critic and analyst of Wolfpack sports.

'06 Football '07 Football Chuck Amato Media NCS Football Tom O'Brien

42 Responses to Putting the Blame Where It Lies

  1. BoKnowsNCS71 10/19/2007 at 11:10 AM #

    Lets not cut on CTC. Look at the great job he’s doing for FSU.

  2. packplantpath 10/19/2007 at 11:24 AM #

    Where is the Reflector based? I looked on the website briefly and didn’t see it. Greenville?

  3. primacyone 10/19/2007 at 11:28 AM #

    ^The author is a writer with the Rocky Mount Telegram.

  4. packplantpath 10/19/2007 at 11:32 AM #

    Found it under customer service directory. It is Greenville.

    Sounded about right to me. Did you see the front page link to the history of the series? http://www.reflector.com/local/content/news/stories/2007/10/19/RivalryGame.html

    Depressing.

  5. Mr O 10/19/2007 at 11:48 AM #

    I will save the rant on Lee Fowler, but it will be interesting if anyone in the media ever documents the events that led to the steady decline of our football program since the 10-3 Gator Bowl year. After that it was 8-5, 5-6, 7-5, and then 3-9. The 7-5 year started out really bad and then we saved our season by going totally conservative on offense and relying on a very good defense against poor teams. The problem today is that those players from that defense are now in the NFL and they were replaced by guys with lesser talent and lesser natural ability. We had players not qualifying and never making it to campus, we had a revolving door of assistants and most importantly coordinators on both sides of the ball, and that led to Amato becoming more of a character than a football coach with the red shoes, glasses, and comments in the media. Chuck did some good things for our program in selling tickets and LTRs, creating passion in our fans, raising expectations for the program, etc…but his skillset wasn’t a good fit for our program in the post-Rivers era.

    Now we are in the midst of what I think is the longest division 1 losing streak in the program’s history(or at least since the ACC was formed.)

    That is bad news about the younger kids. We lose between 11-13 seniors starters from this year’s team depending on how you look at it. The QBs in the program aren’t even average and it is unlikely a true freshman is going to solve our problems next season. If the younger kids in the program aren’t good enough to be challenging for playing time right now, then this could 4-5 year rebuilding job. TOB’s skillset is a great fit for what our program needs, however in taking over a program that has slipped this far there are no guarantees a proven quality coach will necessarily be successful.

    Our rivals in state are all on the upswing. Wake is at an all-time high, UNC has a lot of good young talent, ECU has a chance to go to a 2nd straight bowl, and even Duke is showing signs of life.

  6. BoKnowsNCS71 10/19/2007 at 12:05 PM #
  7. Wulfpack 10/19/2007 at 12:05 PM #

    “Our rivals in state are all on the upswing. Wake is at an all-time high, UNC has a lot of good young talent, ECU has a chance to go to a 2nd straight bowl, and even Duke is showing signs of life.”

    To me that is the greatest travesty in this whole thing. We are clearly falling behind. Hopefully, TOB can stop the bleeding right now and get us headed in a positive direction. But it doesn’t get much worse than this.

  8. Mr O 10/19/2007 at 12:16 PM #

    11-3…my mistake.

  9. beowolf 10/19/2007 at 12:17 PM #

    Folks, there is reason for optimism, and that’s based solely on the principle that you can’t fall off the floor.

  10. packbackr04 10/19/2007 at 12:46 PM #

    britney spears would argue that fact beowulf^^

  11. BoKnowsNCS71 10/19/2007 at 12:49 PM #

    11-3 gets us a parade in Raleigh.

    My expectations were higher this year — thinking that new management would right the ship. And maybe it will. As Coach Logan used to say on his radio show “Winning cures a lot of problems” (or something close to that).

    But my attitude now is to remain calm and let TOB work his magic. He’s done it before, learned under some of the best coaches in the NCAA and NFL (Walsh to name 1) and will do it here.

    Dwelling on this year, injury filled, bad luck, and turnover prone (again) isn’t productive. Give TOB the same slack that we were all ready to five Sid last year and this year. Good things are coming. But sometime in order to see the blue sky — ya gotta weather the storm.

  12. VaWolf82 10/19/2007 at 1:05 PM #

    We lose between 11-13 seniors starters from this year’s team depending on how you look at it. The QBs in the program aren’t even average and it is unlikely a true freshman is going to solve our problems next season. If the younger kids in the program aren’t good enough to be challenging for playing time right now, then this could 4-5 year rebuilding job.

    You need to copyright this paragraph quickly….before I steal it. It will have to be repeated many times before we get through to the optimistically delusional.

    Based solely on the high school recruiting rankings, I am not suprised that younger kids in the program are not competing for starting jobs. What happens when they win the starting job simply because the upper classmen have left? That doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

  13. RedTerror29 10/19/2007 at 1:33 PM #

    TOB has also demonstrated an ability to coach up players who are not uber-talented. The talent level will go down next year, but I still expect a better team.

  14. CarnifeX 10/19/2007 at 1:53 PM #

    I’m still amazed that he came here with an undefeated sitting back in Boston, I understand that he was unloved up there; but i’m sure winning feels a lot better than having crazy fans behind you.

  15. VaWolf82 10/19/2007 at 1:54 PM #

    but I still expect a better team.

    I will hope for a better team, but do not expect it to arrive next year.

  16. RickJ 10/19/2007 at 2:03 PM #

    Mr. O VaWolf82 – great points but let me offer this tidbit of hope:

    The ACC is in a real state of transition – I don’t think there is a team in the league that you can say is a Top 10 program. I guess Virginia Tech would be the closest. Who knows where Miami & FSU are headed but they don’t look that anything like their former selves.

    As for our closest neighbors – Wake has had an amazing year and a half run but I just don’t see them getting any better than they are now and they could get worse in a hurry, with or without Grobe. Duke certainly will get better but they should only get so good. ECU & UNC are enjoying a positive vibe this year without winning that much and both have coaches that could leave at any time.

    I believe we are just as bad as you are claiming but I’m not sold on the competition being that far ahead.

  17. graywolf 10/19/2007 at 2:11 PM #

    O’Brien has been able to take blue collar players and turn them into champions. I look forward to seeing this happen at NC State and I believe it will, however, we must be patient and realize it will take a minimum of 3 years and probably 4 years.

  18. noah 10/19/2007 at 2:20 PM #

    BC is going to be ranked #2 in the nation next week. Hard to see how they aren’t a “top 10 program.”

    “If the younger kids in the program aren’t good enough to be challenging for playing time right now, then this could 4-5 year rebuilding job.”

    Only if you assume that kids NEVER get any better.

    We’re having a pretty solid recruiting class right now. We need to follow that up with two more really solid classes. We need classes like Amato’s first full one…where not only did you have star recruits (Tramain Hall), you also had a couple of JUCO guys who immediately rebuilt your defensive line (Shawn Price, Terrance Chapman, Terrance Martin), and then you have a class full of people who contributed and gave you depth at just about every position. Sean Berton was in that class, Dash, Pat Thomas, and our entire secondary with L. Reid, D. Edwards, A. Maddox, G. Golden and M. Hudson.

    Give us three years of solid recruiting classes that are 3/4 full of ACC players who contribute (they don’t necessarily have to be stars, they just have to be players who belong at this level and can find their way onto the field) and we’ll be fine.

    It’s just you have to go through a year like this one where half the guys on the field have NO BUSINESS being out there and the other half are hurt.

  19. RickJ 10/19/2007 at 2:53 PM #

    I definitely don’t think BC is a Top 10 program. They haven’t finished a year in the Top 10 in over 20 years and they haven’t played a team in the Top 30 this year.

  20. lush 10/19/2007 at 3:24 PM #

    BC deserves the #2 spot about as much as South Florida did, and will hold the spot for the same amount of time. Actually they are less deserving. BC would have lost to Auburn, West Virginia and Rutgers, and they will lose to VT next thursday.

  21. primacyone 10/19/2007 at 3:31 PM #

    If the seasong ended today, BC would be playing in the National Championship game.

  22. bTHEredterror 10/19/2007 at 3:40 PM #

    Folks, there is reason for optimism, and that’s based solely on the principle that you can’t fall off the floor.

    True, but the kicks to the gut while you are laying there can increase.

    “Only if you assume that kids NEVER get any better.”

    Precisely, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Some of these kids will contribute in the future after those improvements and we will look back and say “Wow, I never thought he’d do a thing.” Particularly O-line play where marginal players can improve to the serviceable level. We are in the running for a couple of Juco linemen and they should provide time for the talented younger recruits to grow rather than being thrust into starting spots they may not be ready for.

    5 years is a bit pessimistic, with less in the way of resources,facilities, and talent on hand TOB had BC turned around in three. And while the growing pains are likely with a large amount of young players getting key minutes, if those players are talented, you can compete. This is what is most distressing about this season, we aren’t really competitive. I will be able to stand losing a game where we play well, stay in the game, and lose to an experienced team. That I can stand. 4 TOs and 90 yards in penalties a game, and a plethora of missed tackles turns my stomach.

    As for ECU, I don’t see this game as the Bhattan Death march some of you do. They are gettable, and they don’t think they can lose to us. That will make the fall twice as hard after we get ’em.

    Okay, that was bravado, but still……

  23. RochesterRedWolf 10/19/2007 at 3:54 PM #

    Julian Williams out with a knee injury…hello Jake Vermiglio

  24. RochesterRedWolf 10/19/2007 at 4:01 PM #

    I like all of Kellenberger’s stuff. This was a great, timely, and actually insightful article in case the N&O and Charlotte Observer are paying attention.

  25. Mr O 10/19/2007 at 4:09 PM #

    Noah: Those younger guys can get better. Although recruiting rankings aren’t always accurate, the 4-5 year time table is based on the recruiting classes of the last two classes and the fact that there are only a few young guys making an impact this year.

    As far as players being “coached up”, if you watch Wake and BC, then you will notice right away that those teams are not winning simply based on coaching. Grobe deserves a lot more credit for being able to recruit speed and athleticism at WF than he does for coaching. Same thing at BC, TOB and his staff recruited good players and he did it consistently. Watch the game next Thursday night at VPI, BC has just as many athletes. They are fast, strong and physical.

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