I'd like this to be a civil football discussion thread and save the "fire him" comments and gifs for the other threads, but I know a few of you won't be able to help yourself, and I understand that as a fellow s#!t-poster.
Here are a few of my big picture observations on this year versus previous ones.
When Kliff got here, and even through 2016, he was as aggressive an offensive coach as there was. We ran uptempo. We used exotic formations. We went for it on 4th down a lot. We ran a fair amount of trick and misdirection plays, even in the return game.
This year it has been so different, especially since the West Virginia game. I know part of it is a conscious decision to make decisions as a head coach who is considering his defense. We have deferred any time we've won the toss. We've punted to gain field position advantage. We've slowed offensive tempo. We have established the run (heck...it's been our strength the last few games) even with an inconsistent offensive line.
But what I don't get is why Kliff has become so ultra-conservative in his decision making this year. I'd suspect that even Tuberville would have gone for it on 4th and goal from the 2 the other day. He has just been so traditional in his decisions on when to punt and kick field goals. It's almost like he's going by the handbook for 1980s NFL coaches.
So what has sparked that change?
We know that Kirby conveyed the message that he needs to be a more complete coach at the end of last season, and a lot of it stems from that, but the following are some of my conclusions followed by my comments and opinions.
-Kliff has overcorrected. He has taken the advice to redirect his focus on defense, but he has gone overboard on that to the detriment of the offense.
-Kliff has given up too much control to Eric Morris. This kind of goes along with the first bullet point, but I think it is important enough to consider separately. I know this one will be popular for people to jump on simply because they don't like the guy. I've defended Morris, but the fact is that we don't know how much leash Kliff has given Morris. We know that Kliff signals in the plays, but are the plays coming from him, or is he now just relaying things from Morris in an effort to delegate more?
-Kliff truly does not trust his players to execute. I know this is something he says in every press conference, but maybe he truly thinks his guys can't get it done.
-Kliff is purposely letting air out of the ball for the season in order to tender his buyout and ride off into the sunset. I don't think this is the case at all, but the results on the field do make you wonder at times.
I believe that a little of the first 3 points factor in, but I think the first point is the biggest issue. I think he is trying to be the CEO type of coach but either 1) he's not very good at delegating yet, or 2) the guys he is delegating to aren't very good.
I do still think he is an offensive genius. I think he is working with limited talent, especially in the QB room. I also acknowledge that is his problem as a head coach, as well. It has just shocked me that he has gone from ultra-aggressive to ultra-conservative seemingly overnight.
If I were Kliff at the end of last year, and Kirby had just told me that I need to do X, Y, and Z differently in order to become a more complete head coach and justify keeping my job, I might do some of the little things, like defer on kickoffs, etc., but I'm making it clear that I will continue running tempo and doing the things that has made me successful as an offensive coach, even if that means you need to go in a new direction. I think Kliff allowed himself to be neutered rather than go out guns blazing, meaning that if he failed, at least he failed at full throttle.
Sorry for the length of this post. I hope we can have new discussion here rather than the same info repeated. And please know that this is in no way a defense of Kliff or a plea for him to be retained. It's just that when people ask me what is wrong with Tech, I honestly have no idea.
Here are a few of my big picture observations on this year versus previous ones.
When Kliff got here, and even through 2016, he was as aggressive an offensive coach as there was. We ran uptempo. We used exotic formations. We went for it on 4th down a lot. We ran a fair amount of trick and misdirection plays, even in the return game.
This year it has been so different, especially since the West Virginia game. I know part of it is a conscious decision to make decisions as a head coach who is considering his defense. We have deferred any time we've won the toss. We've punted to gain field position advantage. We've slowed offensive tempo. We have established the run (heck...it's been our strength the last few games) even with an inconsistent offensive line.
But what I don't get is why Kliff has become so ultra-conservative in his decision making this year. I'd suspect that even Tuberville would have gone for it on 4th and goal from the 2 the other day. He has just been so traditional in his decisions on when to punt and kick field goals. It's almost like he's going by the handbook for 1980s NFL coaches.
So what has sparked that change?
We know that Kirby conveyed the message that he needs to be a more complete coach at the end of last season, and a lot of it stems from that, but the following are some of my conclusions followed by my comments and opinions.
-Kliff has overcorrected. He has taken the advice to redirect his focus on defense, but he has gone overboard on that to the detriment of the offense.
-Kliff has given up too much control to Eric Morris. This kind of goes along with the first bullet point, but I think it is important enough to consider separately. I know this one will be popular for people to jump on simply because they don't like the guy. I've defended Morris, but the fact is that we don't know how much leash Kliff has given Morris. We know that Kliff signals in the plays, but are the plays coming from him, or is he now just relaying things from Morris in an effort to delegate more?
-Kliff truly does not trust his players to execute. I know this is something he says in every press conference, but maybe he truly thinks his guys can't get it done.
-Kliff is purposely letting air out of the ball for the season in order to tender his buyout and ride off into the sunset. I don't think this is the case at all, but the results on the field do make you wonder at times.
I believe that a little of the first 3 points factor in, but I think the first point is the biggest issue. I think he is trying to be the CEO type of coach but either 1) he's not very good at delegating yet, or 2) the guys he is delegating to aren't very good.
I do still think he is an offensive genius. I think he is working with limited talent, especially in the QB room. I also acknowledge that is his problem as a head coach, as well. It has just shocked me that he has gone from ultra-aggressive to ultra-conservative seemingly overnight.
If I were Kliff at the end of last year, and Kirby had just told me that I need to do X, Y, and Z differently in order to become a more complete head coach and justify keeping my job, I might do some of the little things, like defer on kickoffs, etc., but I'm making it clear that I will continue running tempo and doing the things that has made me successful as an offensive coach, even if that means you need to go in a new direction. I think Kliff allowed himself to be neutered rather than go out guns blazing, meaning that if he failed, at least he failed at full throttle.
Sorry for the length of this post. I hope we can have new discussion here rather than the same info repeated. And please know that this is in no way a defense of Kliff or a plea for him to be retained. It's just that when people ask me what is wrong with Tech, I honestly have no idea.
