Dateline - October 10th, 2009
Unlike KiffyBaby's players I don't normally like to return to the scene of a crime, but as the Dawg Nation gets frenetic about the future of Willie Martinez on the Sanford sidelines it seems the best place to start collecting a frame of reference.
In Butts-Mehre the case is being made to keep 'Ol Willie. It would thrill me to no end if the case is made on the field these last two games as well. Just like the players and coaches, I'll never be satisfied with eight and four...but...
- second in the East in '09 (I can find a way to live with that...this season)
- a win over KenYucky on Senior Night
- and a win over the Level 300 wizards of North Avenue
However, if all of that happens...the utter debacle that we witnessed in Knutsville hurts even worse. Crompton has turned out to be more than a one game wonder, but it was the game against our defense that made him Heisman discussion worthy in just one afternoon.
That may be overstating it a bit. But you get my point. You get it because your stomach turns every time you think of that afternoon too. Losing on the road in Stillwater sucked. The loss to LSwho blew. Getting schalacked by Slurban was like Tyson biting Holyfield's ear - unnecessarily violent and ear wax bitter.
But getting lick'd by Lame Kitten and adding the brah to his false bravado...inexcusable.
Sure, not all Willie's fault. Receivers dropped balls. Cox brought a couple of gifts for the UT secondary. And thinking back, I'm not completely sure Bobo even got out of bed that morning.
But the one question that game begs is why the (bleep!) couldn't we adjust to the play-action bootleg? Our front seven was steadfast in their trust that a running back was coming up the middle with the football...and continually was sent ass over tea-kettle for the fake handoff while Lucy grinned.
Credulous, stubborn...duped.
And don't gimme that crap about players needing to make plays. The players were the guys on the field getting smacked in the mouth. However, the coaches were the ones who dropped the ball. My intramural flag-football team coulda out-schemed Willie that day. And I'm not talking about back in the day either. I'm talking today, with beer guts and bum knees.
It was as if we were saying any minute now they're going to stick to what their game plan should be and run the football...THEN we'll be ready.
So with some simple adjustments the case might be stronger. Bring a d-back off the edge on a blitz. Have the d-ends expect to met Crompton out in the flats instead of in the backfield.
In truth, those adjustments wouldn't erase the memory of Arkansas receivers running through wide open pastures back on September 19th. It wouldn't even delete the canned footage of Brandon James getting three, maybe four chances to catch a pass in Jax before a defender enters the picture. And it evidently wouldn't force our DC to play the better personnel over the ones with seniority. But, it would make the case stronger. And the jury in this case could use a very strong argument. For this prosecution will never rest.
If only Martinez's defense played with such junkyard Dawg-like tenacity...instead of such dogged determination that this will be the time Lucy is true to her word.
Some who say it better:
3 comments:
Obviously this is the most difficult decision Richt has had to make yet. Being the loyal Dawg, I 'd be happy to make it for him. He can pay me just 10% of this month's salary and I will make the right decision and take all the blame. For another 10%, I will even find a new DC. Oops, I think I just revealed my plan.
All kidding aside, Richt holds every player not named Joe Cox accountable. He should do the same with the coaches.
It undoubtedly is his toughest decision to date. I'll admit I often don't take into account the fact that CMR has to get tired of answering to these questions from media and fans in regards to decisions he's not even thinking about making until sometime in Dec at the earliest.
And I trust him to hold his staff accountable. I just hope that accountability is based on the season as a whole.
(PS - Happy Birthday!)
thanks
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