Chip Alexander Q&A with TOB

'08 Football Media Tom O'Brien37

LINK. Not much news, but does provide another good window into Coach O’Brien’s steady, cerebral mindset. The Dick Sheridan comparisons look more apt every day. He also says we should expect to win championships. Imagine that!

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'08 Football Media Tom O'Brien

37 Responses to Chip Alexander Q&A with TOB

  1. BoKnowsNCS71 04/24/2008 at 7:50 AM #

    I think we have alwways had coaches who expected us to win championships. Problem is they never met those goals.

  2. Rick 04/24/2008 at 7:51 AM #

    “He also says we should expect to win championships.”

    I am sure Lee is sending him a memo as we speak.

  3. packbackr04 04/24/2008 at 7:52 AM #

    i hope he does change the uni’s… those pro looking uni’s are garbage. lets go with a retro uni.

    i hope Sid changes the uni’s as well as the attitudes on his team as well. Sid needs to be hanging around Obrien as much as possible.

  4. beowolf 04/24/2008 at 8:03 AM #

    This is a good interview overall, and like SFN said, the comparisons with Sheridan seem more apt. It just seems like the adults are in charge of the program again.

    That being said, it aggravated me excessively that the N&O asks the NC State football coach about Roy freaking Williams. I swear, those guys probably shout Roy’s name in their sleep.

  5. Ed89 04/24/2008 at 8:32 AM #

    I hope he changes the unis, too…as well as Sid. Anyone remember when Sheridan came in and changed the unis? We went to the NSC (sorta like the Furman palladin symbol) on the helmets. I think it sends a message like, “this is a new regime.” I like the Block S alot better, and I’d like to keep the helmets the same (I’m glad TOB stopped the award stickers). However, I’d like to see an all-white with red trim uni, and and all-red with white trim uni. Look at the Bengals — they’ll always “suck” with those awful-a$$ looking uniforms — especially that goofy striped helmet!!

    As far as basketball, I like to see STATE across the top with the Block S for the S. I’d also like to see “Pack” back on the shorts!

    Different subject, but has anyone heard any rumors about JJ? I’ve heard it is becoming increasingly likely that he will “STAY.”

  6. packbackr04 04/24/2008 at 8:57 AM #

    it makes sense for him to stay. if we could get ANY dribble penetration next yr, it will open him up for a ton more easy looks. If he can get the supporting cast, and continues to work on his face up game and that 15 foot jumper, he will be a lottery pick next yr.

  7. packbackr04 04/24/2008 at 9:11 AM #

    id like to see just State on the front of the bball unis too. i like when it says Pack on the front left leg though

  8. Classof89 04/24/2008 at 9:19 AM #

    Always classy when a coach takes personal responsibility for the poor play of the team (which Sid didn’t always do this season):

    “The 1-5 start last year obviously was disappointing. We put some people in positions where they couldn’t succeed. We didn’t do a good enough job coaching and getting in a position to win. “

  9. BoKnowsNCS71 04/24/2008 at 9:24 AM #

    He does remind me of Sheridan. Sticks to the plan, good head for coaching, excellent staff.

    Sheridan kicked our butts in football before we finally wised up and hired him. His first year in he exceeded expectations with a great transfer in QB and we did get some breaks (like the SC game win).
    But his next year was dismal and a losing season.

    If we had blogs back then I would expect he would have gotten as much or more heat than Sid is getting. But as we all know, his system worked in we had some of the best and most exciting football in Raleigh during the years that he was here.

    Bottom line — it pays to be patient. Coach Beamer, Coach K, Coach Smith, etc – all started slow but with support built great programs.

  10. wufpup76 04/24/2008 at 9:33 AM #

    Agree 100% about hoping the unis change … I hate the current fball unis … My personal favorites were when P. Rivers was here and we had the basic all white road unis with the block ‘S’ on the white helmet … To me, basic / traditional style unis look awesome and more professional / workmanlike

    Also agree about Sid needing to publicly take on more accountability when the bball team struggles … That was one of the more frustrating issues to me during all the losing … Stating and showing responsibility are key leadership qualities IMHO, and I think Sidney failed miserably at that last season

  11. choppack1 04/24/2008 at 9:41 AM #

    Great interview. There are some very telling quotes:

    On the difference between opening up at USC vs. last year’s opener vs. Central Florida:

    “I think when you play a game of that nature it makes this time frame, once the summer conditioning starts all the way through preseason practice, it’s not like you’re having a warmup game like I think some of our players thought we had last year with Central Florida.”

    “I don’t think there was any question after it was over [a 25-23 loss] that’s how they looked at that game. And I didn’t see it coming, which is my fault.”

    On last year’s rough start:
    “We put some people in positions where they couldn’t succeed. We didn’t do a good enough job coaching and getting in a position to win.”

  12. Noah 04/24/2008 at 10:08 AM #

    His first year in he exceeded expectations with a great transfer in QB and we did get some breaks (like the SC game win).

    Are you talking about Erik Kramer? He was a JUCO and was here for Tom Reed’s final season in 1985. He did fairly well that year, I think.

    After Percy Mormon hurt his shoulder and then got sent to prison, Reed responded by bringing in about seven QBs his last couple of years. Kramer worked out. Cam Young…not so much.

  13. choppack1 04/24/2008 at 10:55 AM #

    BoKnows – I think you estimate the sophistication of a lot of the fans. I think Sheridan would have gotten a pass due to the fantastic first year he had. By year 4, he had firmly established he was good coach.

    Comparing him to Sidney isn’t fair. If you look at all coaches from major conferences, Sid has one of the worst conference records for the last 2 years.

  14. BoKnowsNCS71 04/24/2008 at 11:05 AM #

    Chop.

    My argument is that Sid deserves the honeymoon period all of the SFN folks said he should get when he agreed to come on. He had a better than expected first year (like Sheridan) and his second year was a flop (redardles of other coaches records).

    If SFN would go to the archives, everyone was saying — give Sidney a few years but all through year 2 he was treated as though he had been here for 4 or 5. I know fans are frustrated — and he may have been a bad choice or he may turn out to be a fantastic choice — but we ought to all give him the time we were willing to when he came rather than blistering him after each and every game. Time will tell.

  15. choppack1 04/24/2008 at 11:47 AM #

    BoKnows – when you “knock the cover off the ball” – it can work both ways. So far, his conference record is eerily similar to his NBA record as a HC. His HC record in these games – are simply too bad to be ignored.

    One thing about last year – you rightly note that he exceeded expectations. However, the only reason he exceeded these expectations was a post-season run. For much of the season, we were the same under-acheiving, low effort, poor rebounding team you saw this year.

    With Sheridan, there was ample evidence that he could build a winner.

  16. TTandB74 04/24/2008 at 12:31 PM #

    My fave part of the interview:

    A: They said, ‘Coach, (Kevin Smith’s) not any good. If he was any good he’d be at Florida State or Miami.’ …

    “I knew we were in trouble. And then with the first run, absolutely we knew we were in trouble.”

    Q: Smith went 80 yards for a TD on the first play. Did you pull those seniors aside to remind them about what they had said?

    A: “I didn’t have to. I just gave them a look and they knew.”

  17. Noah 04/24/2008 at 12:35 PM #

    Sheridan came in with a national title under his belt. He had built consistent winners at Furman and was widely regarded as one of the absolute best football minds in the sport.

    Sidney Lowe had been a head coach twice and a failure twice. He put up terrible numbers twice and got fired twice. Both times he was fired, the team got significantly better relatively quickly after he left.

    Sheridan put together a “dream team” coaching staff (his words). Lowe put together a staff that had everyone saying, “Really? Why’d you hire THAT guy??”

    Sheridan took over a terrible team and had them playing inspired, smart football right off the bat.

    Lowe took over a team that had been to five straight NCAA tournaments, and they’ve gotten progressively worse under his leadership.

    Sheridan immediately hit the recruiting trail and brought in great classes, signing 12 of the top 25 players in-state in his first full class.

    Lowe took over and immediately handed out 25 percent of his scholarships to Bartosz Lewandowski, Marques Johnson and Farnold Degand.

    Sheridan was able to spot talent that was hidden away, finding guys like Shane Montgomery at a teeny high school in Ohio and Ray Agnew, who had been overlooked by the other in-state staffs in Winston-Salem.

    Lowe saw Chris Warren and Javi Gonzalez back-to-back and decided to take Gonzalez.

    Sheridan took over a damaged team and immediately had them loving their sport, their college and their teammates. I remember articles with guys like Bobby Crumpler and Haywood Jeffires where the players talked about how great it was to play for Sheridan and how miserable it had been under Tom Reed.

    Lowe took over a team and they immediately became fractured, splitting into seperate camps and openly fighting with one another on the court.

    I’m 99.99999% sure that everything above is completely accurate. My memory might be a little off on one thing or another, but I’m reasonably certain that those facts are undisputable. Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

    I’m equally confident that Lowe defenders will immediately began giving us all the justifications for his mistakes. You see, it really wasn’t his fault. Sendek is the one who brainwashed the players and implanted little hidden timebombs that would go off under the next coach! And it was Sendek who left Lowe notes that said, “Lewandowski = Lew Alcindor” and “Chris Warren = Mike Warren.”

    Fine, believe whatever you want. But I believe that you have to earn time. If you’re in the oil business and you tell me that your big plan is to try and recover oil in a shale formation and you’ve got some geological data to back up what you’re saying, I’ll give you time. If you tell me that your big idea is to recover oil from your backyard in Raleigh, I don’t see the point in giving you time to try and prove it.

    Likewise, if you’re a basketball coach and your big plan to return the team to the NCAA tournament is to lock up twenty-five percent of your scholarships on non-ACC players, I’m not going to give you much slack. When you bring in disreputable people to oversee the day-to-day operations of your program, I’m not going to give you much slack. When you clearly demonstrate that you don’t value things like….strength-and-conditioning programs and off-season workouts, I’m not going to give you much slack.

    And on and on and on…

    I’ve asked this before and I’ve never gotten a good answer. Does anyone here really, honestly believe that ECU or New Orleans was more talented than us? Does anyone believe that UVa was 40 points better than us? Who was it…NC Central that held us to 50 points?

    We’re going to give him all the time he needs. We’re probably going to give him decades, if he wants them. But doing so is going to be as productive as trying to get oil out of the ground in your backyard.

  18. choppack1 04/24/2008 at 12:40 PM #

    Also, Bo – I know you didn’t say it, but the 1st year seasons of both coaches were not necessarily equal. Sheridan took over a team that had gone 3-8 3 straight years, went to a pretty good bowl game – Peach Bowl (Probably the best bowl game we’d been to in the 80s.) Simply put, it was probably our best season since we won the ACC championship in 1979(?). The 2007 men’s basketball season had a satisfying feel to it, but we missed the tourney for the first time since 2001. Sid does deserve tons of credit for a great win against UNC -whom we hadn’t beaten in 3 years.

    I’d classify Sheridan’s 86 turnaround as “stunning.” I’d characterize the 2006-2007 b’ball season as “satisfying” – but part of this was due to terribly low expectations.

  19. wufpaxno1 04/24/2008 at 12:46 PM #

    Little did we know at the time but the very first play from scrimage last season, Kevin Smith’s 80 yard run, ultimately cost us a chance at a bowl. If UCF had not scored on that play, the final score would have been 23-18, we would have finished 6-6, been bowl eligable, and been the media darlings we were after the four game wining streak to begin the second half of the season.

    I know that you can’t place fortune on one change of events, and that had we held Smith UCF may have still driven down field and scored, and any number of other things could have happened. But it is still interesting to ponder… what if?

  20. wolfpackerclass1983a 04/24/2008 at 12:46 PM #

    TOB can run his own show – hopefully LF will just stay out of his way.

  21. Rick 04/24/2008 at 1:12 PM #

    “I’d classify Sheridan’s 86 turnaround as “stunning.” I’d characterize the 2006-2007 b’ball season as “satisfying” – but part of this was due to terribly low expectations.”

    THe big reason for low expectations was the complete lack of experience on the team. We had one starter and one player that had any playing experience. That kind of inexperience is not a recipe fro success

  22. Mr. O 04/24/2008 at 1:42 PM #

    The way TOB talks is so refreshing compared to Amato and Sendek.

  23. Ismael 04/24/2008 at 2:48 PM #

    bravo Mr. O – exactly. It is refreshing. He’s like a throwback to knute rockne (sp?) and all those old timer Big 10 school coaches, Joe Paterno.

    I also think it is NOT necessarily a requirement that a coach say: “it’s my fault, kick me in the nutts, go ahead”. Amato was the master at taking the blame but did anything ever change? I honestly don’t need Sidney to tell me that it was his fault and i don’t understand why some of you guys demand it. To me personally, it sounds a little hollow, “saying what the fans want to hear” when they take the blame for a loss or a poor showing.

  24. BoKnowsNCS71 04/24/2008 at 3:39 PM #

    That first quarter of the UCF game was the absolute worst I have ever seen a Wolfpack team play. I remember that first TD and Evans inept plays that led to the next one. The only thing good about that game is that i got invited up to the Suites to see the field from there and had it not been for Jack Daniels — the night would have been a total loss.

  25. choppack1 04/24/2008 at 5:08 PM #

    Rick – You are correct. However, I didn’t think I’d see the problem of effort that I saw so much during that year. People act like this year was the first time they’d seen this group of players play totally uninspired..Plenty of those games last year – we just ended on such a positive note I thought that we’d solved that problem.

    BoKnows – I’m w/ you. That first half of football vs. UCF was absolutely miserable.

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