My biggest take away from the game, just like the announcer, is that he telegraphs every throw. He never looks at a secondary target. It will be a long year if he doesn't change a few things.
“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
Lou Holtz - Football Coach
"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have." - Thomas Jefferson
"Bring back the rotary phone so we don't have to press 1 for English."
www.casadice.com
If J'Mar Smith is a talented QB, then Tim Rattay must totally suck as a QB coach. Somehow, I just don't believe that is the case. Smith needs to be benched immediately, and if we don't see improved QB play out of the next man (or men) up, then it'll be time to re-evaluate Rattay's ability as a coach. Somebody at Tech has got to stand up and demand accountability for the putrid play we witnessed last night.
We've had the same HC for 6 years now and some of our fans refuse to believe he is a micro manager who will not delegate (other than Manny Diaz). Don't think for a second that Smiths lack of production is lack of QB coaching. Smith lacks fundamentals like throwing a football and feel in the pocket.
Yep. One of the universal truths is, you can't fix stupid. How many times have we heard this coaching staff say they have simplified, i.e. dumbed down, the playbook for J'Mar? This ploy hits the diminishing returns curve very quickly as it allows each and every opponent to dumb down their defensive scheming against us. After replaying the pregame show in my head I have further hypothesized that perhaps Holtz was staking out a preemptive position before the first kick of the season; that responsibility for J'Mar's performance this year rests 100% on Tim's shoulders, absolving himself of any accountability for what lay ahead.
1. Stop absolving Tim of J'Mar. If he worked with Tim all year and Tim thinks J'Mar is our best QB then we have a bigger issue.
2. If Tim think J'Mar doesn't have it, he needs to speak up. Stop worrying about Holtz thinks or doesn't think. If I was hired as the QB coach, I would make sure we had the best QB playing.
3. I still can't figure out Holtz's obstinance in this. He has pulled starting QBs before for way less as a HC. He can see the same tired low passes. He can see staring down receivers. He can see the happy feet. On the sidelines last night it was clear that Holtz wasn't happy with J'Mar. Every time he came to the sidelines he went to sit on the bench. (No leadership) I have to believe that Holtz wants to win football games. No coach wants to lose. So why is he so stubborn with J'Mar? Even to the point of refusing to look at other options.
Yep! could be that Holtz will throw Rattay under the bus just to save his own azz.
It also could be that Rattay is not a very good position coach, or a good coach at all. Michael Jordan is probably, arguably, the greatest basketball player of all time. But, by his own admission, he wouldn't make a very good coach. He can't tell a group of players: listen guys, you just steal the ball from the other guys, then take it down court 1 on 3 and make a sensational, incredible dunk! That's it. That's how you win NBA titles. Got it? Maybe the game just came to Rattay in the same way. He's naturally gifted to "see the field" and make smart decisions as a QB, and that kind of talent cannot be readily taught to someone else.
Regardless...Rattay's fault, Holtz's fault, no one's fault! it is clear that J'Mar Smith is no Division I college QB. It will be Holtz's fault if Tech Football doesn't fix the QB problem it has. That IS all on Holtz.
It's obvious from J'Mar's play last night and from the comments in this thread (as well as the game day thread), that J'Mar has NOT improved one bit in the last year. I noticed it 2 weeks ago after viewing a simple 2 min video of the 8/18 team fall scrimmage that someone posted. You could see the same mistakes being made by J'Mar in that scrimmage that he made last year. I even commented on it.
I also commented on the fact that FWIW, Weston Elliott (a name that apparently no one wants to mention) looked fantastic in that same scrimmage, and threw two TD passes to J'Mar's ZERO.
Also, this team's defense is still trying to give games away very late --just like they did several times last year (e.g., USM, SC, etc...)-- after leading by more than 10 points late in a game. Last night was another great example: Leading 30-20 with only 2:19 to play, the Tech defense gave up a 59-yd run on 4th down and 2, as well as the late TD with 1:11 to play that closed the final gap to 30-26. This of course, put the game in jeopardy, and in the hands of a final on-side kick, which Tech thankfully recovered.
Geeez....is no lead is safe with this team?
The question is, WHERE do we go from here? If Skip Holtz doesn't make some real changes REAL FAST, it's going to be a very long and very ugly season, and we'll start seeing ULM type crowds in Ruston.
Defense is pretty tired by the fourth quarter when your offense cannot keep you off the field long enough to rest. I could be wrong about that, what was USA TOP? Maybe our defense is not in the magnificent shape we are constantly told they are in and probably discouraged by the QB play.