youwouldno wrote: ↑Tue Oct 19, 2021 9:56 amThe Jackal wrote: ↑Mon Oct 18, 2021 10:08 pmNo one on here is "happy" with the offensive production. Literally everyone on here is seeing the same thing. We watch the games. We get it.
At the same time, we can't get a player at the trade deadline. There's no free agency. We aren't firing a coach midseason. There's no transfer window during the season. We have the coaches and players that we have.
The difference is the "perpetually dissatisfied" would rather sulk and whine than look at the fact that Furman is 4-2 and tied for first in the SoCon. You'd rather look at the average yardage than look at the win total.
You will not, of course, ever mention that the defense is probably the best in the league. You will not highlight that the offense scores more points than the defense surrenders. You will forget the 90 yard run and 58 yard pass in the first quarter and focus only on the inability to move the ball in the 3rd quarter.
It isn't that most of us are "optimists" or satisfied with mediocrity or know the coaches, but that most of us want to enjoy Furman football without a group of you bellyaching about something every 15 minutes.
I've praised the defense on many occasions. I think Vaughn is doing a fantastic job and am impressed across the board with personnel, scheme, etc. Actually that's the main thing that bothers me about the offense - imagine where the Paladins could be if that was also a strength. And offense should be the easier side of the ball. In year 5 of a coaching regime, you just can't have an offense underachieve like this and pretend there's no issue. It's not "pessimism" to make note of reality.
When it comes to the past, sure, 'a win is a win' for the most part (not entirely because margin impacts both computer and poll rankings, which are used in the at-large and seeding processes). But the discussion is often around the future - what to expect in the next game, or for the rest of the season. Take ETSU for instance - last week they were sitting at 6-0 with a high ranking, yet neither of us was overly impressed, and I predicted they would lose multiple games over the remainder of the season. The past and future are different things.
I don't necessarily disagree with your premise, but I think it's important to put things in context.
College football today is a different animal. Hendrix inherited a team that basically didn't retain a QB recruit for three seasons. I am fairly certain that prior to Jace Wilson, Hamp Sisson is the only QB recruit in Hendrix's tenure that has managed to stick with the program.
That's no an excuse. It's still a reality. Ten years ago if you'd told me a Furman QB would transfer out of Furman to an FBS school and play immediately, I'd have laughed at you. That's just the world we live in now.
Would our offense be different with Darren Grainger or Jemar Lincoln under center and Jace Wilson redshirting? Maybe. It's unfortunate that we've had a lot of instability at the most important position on the field. At the same time, all we can do is move forward.
We can't make Jace Wilson an experienced veteran overnight. He becomes an experienced veteran by learning on the job.
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