In Reply to: we are what we are but at least we're looking like a football team posted by barrya on October 05, 2024 at 12:55:24
TBH, there is zero rationale for saying we don't have the personnel. We're improving, but the coaching hasn't clicked yet.
We've played maybe 2 good halves where it seemed we mostly put things together (Hawai'i 2nd half, LSU 1st half).
Do we have personnel issues? Yeah, we don't have Latu/Murphy's/Muasau, but we've had substandard coaching as well - which, given the late start, coupled with the brutal schedule, is somewhat understandable. We're improving in a number of ways tho, but the other hidden factor which is really holding us back is continuity on the OL. The OL injuries leading to constant shuffling is a huge issue, as is the nonexistent playcalling/gameplanning adjustments to account for that and still generate explosive plays.
One thing to remember tho, is that it took the **best** college coaches of the 21st Century awhile to get it rolling - both Carroll and Saban's first teams at SC/Bama were awful in the 1st half of the season.
I'm not saying Foster, et al, will even approach that level, just that it can really take time, and we really don't know what we've got in terms of players on the field, when the coaches on the sideline aren't there yet.