• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Mixed Feelings???

liveanddiedeac

liveanddiedeac

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2011
Messages
21,488
Reaction score
3,019
On the one hand, I'm extremely proud of how our football team has bounced back this year after last season. If we win Saturday, we'll be 5-3 in the ACC, after 1-7 last year. The last 2 weeks we've played two really good football teams and could've, maybe even should've won both games. If you look at how many times we weren't even competitive last year, the turnaround we've had this year is pretty remarkable. However, it's extremely disappointing that we've missed the opportunities we've had to really make this an outstanding year. If we hadn't collapsed against Syracuse, we'd have been bowl bound for a month now. Then, just think of the press we'd be getting had we beaten Notre Dame and Clemson back to back, not to mention we'd be playing for the Atlantic Division title this weekend. I've seen people say that it's great we've been so close this year and that next year will be our year as far as winning the division and stuff, but winning the division won't be any easier next season. I think FSU and Clemson will be better next year too. You see the same things happen week after week, we get a lead and let it slip late. We have a key 3rd down and we run it and don't get it. Then you throw in a reliable kicker missing kicks and a couple of screw jobs by the refs and it just gets really disheartening. We've got a good football team, that I do not doubt, but we've got to get over this mess that keeps us from winning games like the last 2 weeks. If it's depth issues, we've got to coach up more guys and play more guys. We've got depth on the OL and we've got guys on the DL like Souza and Booi that aren't seeing the field. If it's issues with "letting up" then Grobe need to go out of character and coach with fire and brimstone. If it's playcalling issues we've got to stop the numbers and percentages crap and start calling plays instinctively. I think on the key 3rd down we didn't pickup Saturday they said the play was determined by how many defenders Clemson had in the box, that's fine except how many times to do we get stopped on those type plays?? I guess in short I think it's time for a culture change around here. Jim Grobe came here 11 years ago and changed the culture from Wake Forest being a sure win for most teams to Wake Forest being a team that can compete with about anybody (except for the oddball year like last year). Well, I think we've proved time and again we can compete, but I think it's time to establish a culture of expecting to win against most teams we play and winning games in a fashion that doesn't leave you on the edge of your seat every week. We're always going to have plenty of tight games, but I think it's gotten to the point everybody expects it, whether we're up by 1 point or 14 points. I'm very proud of our football team this year, but I'm also very frustrated we're going into the last 2 games of the season needing a win to be bowl eligible and 2 wins for winning season, because I think this team has been better than that.
 
Strickland33 said:
Agree with this completely.
Click to expand...
Blah BLah Blah, this post is stupid, you dont know how lucky we are to have coach Grobe, what do you think Wake Forest is ..... Alabama. This is the best Wake can do, to think Wake can do better is just backwards thinking and you obviously dont know anything about football or Wake Forest. 5-4 is a great record after last year and look at the quality wins the Deacs have had. I mean the ACC has some great teams and great coaches. Any other coach would be 0-9 at Wake and stop blaming Lobo he is great too.

Kidding live and let die, I think you are correct. I dont know why Wake fans can''t expect more, and I dont know why people on this board get mad when you do. With the talent this team has Wake should have 2 more wins. I was just saving some of them the time in my first paragraph.
 
Goolsbyrules said:
Blah BLah Blah, this post is stupid, you dont know how lucky we are to have coach Grobe, what do you think Wake Forest is ..... Alabama. This is the best Wake can do, to think Wake can do better is just backwards thinking and you obviously dont know anything about football or Wake Forest. 5-4 is a great record after last year and look at the quality wins the Deacs have had. I mean the ACC has some great teams and great coaches. Any other coach would be 0-9 at Wake and stop blaming Lobo he is great too.

Kidding live and let die, I think you are correct. I dont know why Wake fans can''t expect more, and I dont know why people on this board get mad when you do. With the talent this team has Wake should have 2 more wins. I was just saving some of them the time in my first paragraph.
Click to expand...

I'm a huge Grobe fan, but I'm also tired of reading the day after we let another one get away hearing one of the players saying "we let up." This time it was Kyle Wilber saying it in one of Dan's blogs. I know Grobe tells these guys to play 4 quarters no matter what, but sometimes I think it wouldn't hurt if he'd really light into them on the sidelines. The players know that's not his nature, so if he did do it once in awhile I think it might be effective since they'd know it's not just lip service. Honestly I was just floored when I read that today. :rulz:
 
symbol1.jpg
 
I have mixed feelings about your inability to find the "Enter" key on your keyboard.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
I'm a huge Grobe fan, but I'm also tired of reading the day after we let another one get away hearing one of the players saying "we let up." This time it was Kyle Wilber saying it in one of Dan's blogs. I know Grobe tells these guys to play 4 quarters no matter what, but sometimes I think it wouldn't hurt if he'd really light into them on the sidelines. The players know that's not his nature, so if he did do it once in awhile I think it might be effective since they'd know it's not just lip service. Honestly I was just floored when I read that today. :rulz:
Click to expand...

I want to see Grobe go ape shit on someone. That would fire up his team more than anything else. Would love to see him throw the headphones down, run half way across the field and lay into our wonderful ACC officials
 
I listeend to the end of the game on the radio, and from their comments and tone of voice, you could tell our announcers were just waiting for the invevitable drive down the field and winning score. There was no sense of excitement or urgency, just "o,k, we know what's coming next; seen it for years".
 
Very well said.

I don't think our kicker is reliable outside of 35 yards.

Also our D is what really frustrates me. They look great at times and then I look up and we have allowed 500+ yards.
 
Complacent Deac said:
Very well said.

I don't think our kicker is reliable outside of 35 yards.

Also our D is what really frustrates me. They look great at times and then I look up and we have allowed 500+ yards.[/QUOTE]

I think that is the product of having a very athletic and speedy defense, but a very undersized defense up front. We've got guys on that side of the ball that can make plays, but because of the lack of size on the defensive line, we get blocked really well sometimes on running plays and that leads to big gains. Also, we don't get consistent pressure on the QB and at this level a QB that has that long to throw is going to have success. I agree 100%, sometimes our defense can look great and then the next play look real bad, it's definitely frustrating. I have to say for the most part, the defense has given us chances to win games this year.
Click to expand...
 
The Clemson game gave me perspective. There wasnt a point in that game -- even when we were up 14 -- that I gave us more than about a 30% chance of winning. And the pessimism wasnt because I thought we'd get out coached or that our players would make head scratching mistakes; it was because I figured Clemson would eventually wake up, focus, and use their superior athletes to overpower us with the game on the line.

But if you look at the ebb and flow of that game and compare it to other soul crushing defeats that looked eerily similar, you could come away thinking that we're cursed or that the coaches suck or whatever. (For the record, I'm no fan of some of Lobo's calls -- especially on 3rd and 1 which might as well be 3rd and 11 based on our success rate).

I'd rather think of us as a team that has very little margin for error. I think Grobe knows this so we take a knee with a minute left in the first half in a situation where most teams would try to score. I'm fine with that and fine with the "keep it close til the end" philosophy. I'd rather that than what happened at the end of the first half of the VPI game.

All that to say that this Wake season is like a work of art. You can look at it and say it sucks or you can look at it and say it's great. I tend to focus on the facts that we have a young team, we're playing against improved opponents (better ACC/Notre Dame), and barring a huge let down the last two weeks, we're bowl bound. I like.
 
liveanddiedeac said:
Complacent Deac said:
Very well said.

I don't think our kicker is reliable outside of 35 yards.

Also our D is what really frustrates me. They look great at times and then I look up and we have allowed 500+ yards.[/QUOTE]

I think that is the product of having a very athletic and speedy defense, but a very undersized defense up front. We've got guys on that side of the ball that can make plays, but because of the lack of size on the defensive line, we get blocked really well sometimes on running plays and that leads to big gains. Also, we don't get consistent pressure on the QB and at this level a QB that has that long to throw is going to have success. I agree 100%, sometimes our defense can look great and then the next play look real bad, it's definitely frustrating. I have to say for the most part, the defense has given us chances to win games this year.
Click to expand...

Even with 500 yards allowed, they gave us a great chance @ Clemson. That said, they also fell short of giving us an amazing chance and they had multiple shots at doing so.
Click to expand...
 
stratt said:
I want to see Grobe go ape shit on someone. That would fire up his team more than anything else. Would love to see him throw the headphones down, run half way across the field and lay into our wonderful ACC officials
Click to expand...

Agreed, except I say he takes it a bit further. The next time we get a bullshit call against us, Grobe should walk up to the nearest official and cold cock him. Just lay the motherfucker out. In fact, Hatch should tell him that if he doesn't do that, he's fired.
 
MagicDeac said:
The Clemson game gave me perspective. There wasnt a point in that game -- even when we were up 14 -- that I gave us more than about a 30% chance of winning. And the pessimism wasnt because I thought we'd get out coached or that our players would make head scratching mistakes; it was because I figured Clemson would eventually wake up, focus, and use their superior athletes to overpower us with the game on the line.

But if you look at the ebb and flow of that game and compare it to other soul crushing defeats that looked eerily similar, you could come away thinking that we're cursed or that the coaches suck or whatever. (For the record, I'm no fan of some of Lobo's calls -- especially on 3rd and 1 which might as well be 3rd and 11 based on our success rate).

I'd rather think of us as a team that has very little margin for error. I think Grobe knows this so we take a knee with a minute left in the first half in a situation where most teams would try to score. I'm fine with that and fine with the "keep it close til the end" philosophy. I'd rather that than what happened at the end of the first half of the VPI game.

All that to say that this Wake season is like a work of art. You can look at it and say it sucks or you can look at it and say it's great. I tend to focus on the facts that we have a young team, we're playing against improved opponents (better ACC/Notre Dame), and barring a huge let down the last two weeks, we're bowl bound. I like.
Click to expand...

I know right. That's what is so frustrating about this team. You'd think if your team goes up 2 TD's you'd feel pretty good about your chances, I watched knowing, not thinking, knowing Clemson would come back. I just held out a little hope we'd make a play at the end to be it another turnover or make a FG at the end to win it. This team has got to learn it's okay to go ahead and win a game by a couple of scores or more. Sure, they'll be times the other team comes back, but I almost think it's so ingrained into this team that every game is going down the wire it's expected.
 
ChrisPaul3 said:
Agreed, except I say he takes it a bit further. The next time we get a bullshit call against us, Grobe should walk up to the nearest official and cold cock him. Just lay the motherfucker out. In fact, Hatch should tell him that if he doesn't do that, he's fired.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I wonder if Jim Grobe is just too nice to be a head coach??? I kid of course, I love the guy, but I would like to see him take off the "white hat" once in awhile and go off on our team when they start "letting up" or go off on an official when we get hosed like we do semi-annually at Clemson.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top