4.11.03
NFL: To expand on my Zuerst, Spurrier's still coaching like he only has to compete with FSU for the Florida blue-chips. His teams at UF (and many teams at many top college programs, run by many fine coaches) were undisciplined (look at the Redskins' penalty totals) and he never really had to worry too much about pass protection, considering that by the time the defensive linemen got to the QB, the ball was well downfield. Of course, in the NFL, you have something along the line of All-American teams playing one another every week, and no team has a significant edge in talent over another the way that Florida, for example, gets far better recruits talentwise than does, say, Vanderbilt - and that's just the difference within a BCS conference; the difference between Florida and, for example, NCAA Division III Emory & Henry, is far greater. My point is that Spurrier no longer has the Ohio Universities of the world to beat on. In effect, he has to play Miami and FSU each week. And, so far, he's failed to adjust.
On a related note, Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com notes in his Morning After column that Spurrier may be fired. While I think that Spurrier hasn't lived up to Daniel Snyder's expectations, I don't think that firing him is the answer. Personally, even though it was noted during the game on Sunday that coaches view the act of bringing a consultant in as the kiss of death, I think that bringing Joe Bugel in to take a look at the offense (and, one presumes, the offensive line specifically) is a good move. Bugel can advise Spurrier about life in the NFL, and how to devise protection schemes (Bugel was, for those who are not 'Skins fans, the offensive line coach under Joe Gibbs, and is generally credited for the performance of the legendary "Hogs". He went on to disaster as a head coach in Phoenix and, later - if memory serves - in L.A. as the Raiders' head coach). In any case, if Snyder fires Spurrier (his original dream coach) he will have gone through something like 5 coaches in 5 years; not exactly the mark of stability. And, in any case, who will replace him? The aforementioned Bugel? He was a disaster as a HBC (although, in fairness, I don't really remember his stint with the Raiders. I only remeber his stint with the Cardinals. And the Cardinals have been awful for decades); what makes Snyder think that he could turn this group around? Ideally, he would advise Spurrier on the O-Line, and instilling discipline in his players. I don't think, like Pasquarelli apparently does, that the problem is with Spurrier's offensive system. I think that a big part of the problem is that pass protection is neglected and that players are undisciplined, that Spurrier, all in all, is too easy on them. In other words, he's still adjusting to the pro game.
BCS: Speaking of Florida, they're the only team with points for quality wins over two teams (#7 LSU, #10 Georgia). And, despite the thrashing, Miami is still ahead of Tech in the BCS (#4, #6 respectively). Surprise of the week: Tech, despite their win over I-AA James Madison, has the 25th strongest schedule. My top ten:
- Oklahoma
- Virginia Tech (yeah, I'm a homer...but they did thrash "unbeatable" Miami)
- Southern Cal
- Ohio State
- Texas Christian
- Miami
- Florida State
- Louisiana State
- Michigan
- Florida
More later - Ryan
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