My Obervations

[FUBeAR]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

There are no current SoCon teams that are as nearly as talented as the ones in the 80’s and 90’s. Not even close.

FUBeAR feels ya. Papa FUBeAR used to always tell FUBeAR that those SoCon Teams couldn’t even stay on the same field with the 1958 LSU “Chinese Bandits” Team from 30 years prior…

1958 LSU Tigers (11-0) National Champions
Offense
QB - 12- Warren Rabb JR 6'0'' 190
LHB - 20- Billy Cannon JR 6'1'' 204
RHB - 34- Johnny Robinson JR 6'0'' 185
FB - 40- J.W. "Red" Brodnax SR 6'0'' 203
WR- 85- Billy Hendrix SR 6'0'' 185
TE - 86- Mickey Mangham 6'1'' 192
LT - 70- Lynn LeBlanc JR 6'2'' 201
LG - 64- Larry Kahlden SR 6'1'' 210
C - 51- Max Fugler JR 6'1'' 203
RG - 67- Ed McCreedy SO 6'1'' 195
RT - 72- Charles "Bo" Strange SO 6'1'' 202

DEFENSE
LE -71- Duane Leopard JR 6'2'' 205
NG -61- Tommy Lott JR 5'9'' 188
RE - 65- Emile Fournet JR 5'11'' 195
LOLB - 81- Gaynell Kinchen SO 6'3'' 196
ILB - 53- John Langan JR 6'0'' 183
ILB - 43- Merle Schexnaildre JR 5'9'' 182
ROLB - 75- Mel Branch JR 6'1'' 210
CB -22- Hart Bourque SO 5'8'' 165
CB - 80- Andy Bourgeois SO 5'10'' 174
FS - 32- Henry Lee Roberts SO 6'0'' 172
SS - 10- Darryl Jenkins SO 6'1'' 163

Averaging 201 lbs. upfront on O & 194 lbs. in their D Front 7, they undoubtedly would have out-quicked us!

[FU3]

I’m not saying our guys are terrible, but I am curious about something. How do we know we are recruiting well and have a very talented team? When I watch these games, I just don’t see it. Where does that impression come from? It looks to me like our offensive guys are just getting beat by the guys across from them. They don’t open holes. They don’t get open. They can’t get to the edge, etc. If they really are so talented and failing so miserably, doesn’t that mean that our coaches, especially our OL expert, are just awful? I’m not sure I want to believe that. We get new players, but the coaches ain’t going anywhere. I’d rather believe in a talent deficit.

We have 2 players #0 and #82 that I would make a small wager would be in an NFL camp this summer ( how many players off our really good D do you think are going to be there). Players like #83 that have excelled in the past have now disappeared. Our 250lb full back is a hammer and bizarrely fast for his size yet gets minimal touches. We might have the best FR receiver # 2 in the conference but when you target him once every game it is hard to shine. Our other backs #32 and #21 are quality players and have really good hands when the ball comes their way.I will leave it to others to decide our O line play but if CCH believes this to be a very talented group we are in enormous trouble if someone with his experience and expertise misses the mark on talent for this group.

[The Jackal]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

There are no current SoCon teams that are as nearly as talented as the ones in the 80’s and 90’s. Not even close.

In my opinion, there's not a team from the 80s or that would stand on the field with a modern college football program.

Players are bigger, stronger, faster, better conditioned, and more specialized. Some players transcend the generations and would be elite regardless of when they played.

That's not just a football phenomenon. That's pretty much across every sport.

[Furmanoid]

I’m not saying our guys are terrible, but I am curious about something. How do we know we are recruiting well and have a very talented team? When I watch these games, I just don’t see it. Where does that impression come from? It looks to me like our offensive guys are just getting beat by the guys across from them. They don’t open holes. They don’t get open. They can’t get to the edge, etc. If they really are so talented and failing so miserably, doesn’t that mean that our coaches, especially our OL expert, are just awful? I’m not sure I want to believe that. We get new players, but the coaches ain’t going anywhere. I’d rather believe in a talent deficit.

We have 2 players #0 and #82 that I would make a small wager would be in an NFL camp this summer ( how many players off our really good D do you think are going to be there). Players like #83 that have excelled in the past have now disappeared. Our 250lb full back is a hammer and bizarrely fast for his size yet gets minimal touches. We might have the best FR receiver # 2 in the conference but when you target him once every game it is hard to shine. Our other backs #32 and #21 are quality players and have really good hands when the ball comes their way.I will leave it to others to decide our O line play but if CCH believes this to be a very talented group we are in enormous trouble if someone with his experience and expertise misses the mark on talent for this group.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Wofford had a couple of guys to make brief appearances in NFL camps. That doesn’t mean much. And if guys aren’t getting touches and aren’t getting targeted, they can’t be evaluated by us. Apparently they aren’t impressing too much in practice. And how do we know what CCH believes? As a head coach he is required to lie a lot, and he does.

You make be 100% right in what you say, but if you are right it means our coaches are really, really bad. As I said before, players come and go. I don’t think the coach is going anywhere, so I prefer to make myself believe that the players are the problem.

[The Jackal]

Unless you all have heard otherwise, #82 is a junior.

[FU3]

I think you are correct, forgot he took a red shirt.

[gofurman]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

There are no current SoCon teams that are as nearly as talented as the ones in the 80’s and 90’s. Not even close.

In my opinion, there's not a team from the 80s or ( GF - insert 90s?) that would stand on the field with a modern college football program.

Players are bigger, stronger, faster, better conditioned, and more specialized. Some players transcend the generations and would be elite regardless of when they played.

That's not just a football phenomenon. That's pretty much across every sport.

Sure, most players are more specialized these days. However, the question that was posed was specific to SOCON teams.. I personally think the Furman and Marshall teams from the 80s woud KILL these SoCon teams - does anyone really doubt that???? Heck, our own execution in the 80s was so much better.

I also notice you - I THINK - meant to insert 90s in your statement as you said "80s or (90s)" - you really dont think that Marshall team with RANDY MOSS and 10++ NFL players playing in FCS (!!!) could even "stand on the field" with modern SoCon teams?? CMON. That Marshall team with Moss would DESTROY the entire 2021 SoCon and could name the score in pretty much every game. I am just quoting what was posted...

I get your point - but sticking to the question that was given (SoCon, etc.) this is some pretty crazy stuff ... others disagree?

[The Jackal]

CCH said on his FU Football Monday show that he doesn’t think he has seen a more talented team ever in the SoCon than UTC with the possible exception of the Randy Moss Marshall team in ‘92. I did not get that feeling at all. Anyone else?

There are no current SoCon teams that are as nearly as talented as the ones in the 80’s and 90’s. Not even close.

In my opinion, there's not a team from the 80s or ( GF - insert 90s?) that would stand on the field with a modern college football program.

Players are bigger, stronger, faster, better conditioned, and more specialized. Some players transcend the generations and would be elite regardless of when they played.

That's not just a football phenomenon. That's pretty much across every sport.

Sure, most players are more specialized these days. However, the question that was posed was specific to SOCON teams.. I personally think the Furman and Marshall teams from the 80s woud KILL these SoCon teams - does anyone really doubt that???? Heck, our own execution in the 80s was so much better.

I also notice you - I THINK - meant to insert 90s in your statement as you said "80s or (90s)" - you really dont think that Marshall team with RANDY MOSS and 10++ NFL players playing in FCS (!!!) could even "stand on the field" with modern SoCon teams?? CMON. That Marshall team with Moss would DESTROY the entire 2021 SoCon and could name the score in pretty much every game. I am just quoting what was posted...

I get your point - but sticking to the question that was given (SoCon, etc.) this is some pretty crazy stuff ... others disagree?

There are some players that transcend any era. Moss is one of them. He'd likely be an elite player on whatever team he played for.

But no, generally speaking I think the advancement in athletics has been pretty drastic.

Sure, if you cherry pick an elite team like Moss' Marshall team, yea, they'd fare pretty well today I think. That wasn't the statement though. The statement was that no current SoCon team was as talented as a team from the 80s and 90s. In my view, the current SoCon teams would probably beat the brakes off of most of the teams from those eras.

It's an interesting thought experiment that I will frequently debate with a buddy of mine.

[The Jackal]

Also, I had overlooked this in the original post, but I do not believe Randy Moss played for Marshall in 1992.

[Furmanoid]

It is fun to think about. But are we talking about TALENT that is somehow evolving before our eyes (very unlikely) or are we just talking about advances in equipment, training and sports medicine? Are we allowing the 80's team to use modern weight rooms, modern light weight everything as far as equipment goes, modern food, etc? Can their key players get their knees miraculously repaired? How many of the big plays we see receivers make could be made without the modern receiver's glove which is the biggest cheating piece of equipment is all of sports?

How do we know modern players are so much faster? 40 times? The thing is 40 times used to be a quick and dirty way to assess speed. Now the 40 time is a goal unto itself. Guys get track coaches to train them up because splashy 40 times get you opportunities even if they don't make you good at football. In the olden days a guy might just go out in his AllStars and run a 40 maybe a couple of times a year. Then he just went back to getting good at his actual sport.

Hell yes, the linemen are bigger. Everybody's bigger. A guy like Tom Landry would have stroked out over how fat modern linemen are. It is very unhealthy. Does it make them better? Depends on position. And I kinda think in the old days a lineman was a good athlete who messed up and grew too big leading the coaches to stick him on the line. Anybody remember Jimmy Neal? He played some point guard at Camden High, but went on to be a pretty good football center at FU. Now a lot of those linemen are kids who wouldn't have even played in the old days. Just great big kids who aren't great at sports. They wouldn't have survived the old timey practices. Now they are coaxed into playing and the kinder, gentler practice style keeps them from quitting. But are all of them really that much better than the old school guys? The freaks, the guys who are big, tough AND fast aren't filling up SoCon rosters. We just get guys who look the part.

Better conditioned? I don't see it. Guys fall out every 3rd play or so. Coaches are scared to push them at all in practice (for good reason), so its hard to get them really conditioned. In other sports, like tennis, the level of fitness is almost superhuman now, but not in football. Abundance of caution rules.

And another thing. The 80's guys had to actually listen to their coaches. Not so much now. Coach just has to understand if you run it your way for a loss. He has to accept that you just gave them 1st down in the redzone because that taunting you did just had to be done, damnit! If coach don't understand your feels, you just hit the portal.

Nope I think really good 80's or 90's teams would surprise lots of people.

[gofurman]

Also, I had overlooked this in the original post, but I do not believe Randy Moss played for Marshall in 1992.

This was already discussed and noted upthread. You are correct , he played for Marshall in 1996-97 I believe

[gman84]

I think Randy took the "long way home" before he landed at Marshall. Great 30 30 episode of his life. He had ties to Notre Dame and FSU.

[Davemeister]

I don't think Randy was at ND or FSU long enough to develop ties.

I enjoy watching Moss on ESPN. He is one of their more insightful & entertaining commentators. And he doesn't mind telling you that the only player who ever stopped RM was RM.