Coaching is to blame...

[TampaAEguy]

Before everyone jumps on my case, let me be clear about something: I am not in favor of firing Leavitt.  He is the reason we are even in this position.  He is a great coach, but he has made some terrible mistakes as of late.  First off, his clock management skills have cost us dearly.  Wouldn't it have been nice to have had a timeout or two at the end of the Cincy game?  It seems that this is a common theme throughout the season.  Second, he seems to have lost control of his team.  Leavitt was just a finished thesis away from a doctorate in psychology.  How is it that he has let the fire burn out in his team?  I would have thought that Leavitt would have made sure that his team bounced back after Rutgers, but now it seems to be snowballing.  He seems to have let the pressure get to him, and it is trickling down to the players.

But more than I blame coach Leavitt, I blame the offensive coordinator Greg Gregory and RB coach Carl Franks.  Gregory has to go.  Period.  And Franks may just need to follow him.  We have all this talent in the backfield, and yet we don't utilize them.  Even when we do, it seems that bad things happen.  Why?  Because the coaches failed to prepare them.  Look at Moise Plancher.  A talented RB who has sat on the bench all season, getting no playing time and no chance to get in a rhythm.  Then, they decide to call on him in critical situation...and when he fails to produce, they scratch their heads and wonder what happened.  I GUARANTEE you that if Ford and Taylor were still at Alabama, we'd be hearing all about how great a season they were having.  As much as I hate Saban, I promise you that he would have had these guys ready. 

It seems that the whole thing is coming unglued.  This year has been the "Tale of Two Teams."  The first half team was certainly deserving of a top 10 ranking.  The second half team doesn't even deserve a top 50 ranking (based on the second half of the season only).  As a die hard fan for many years, this is just demoralizing.  We have so much talent, and it is being wasted...squandered...and even worse - ruined.  If Leavitt doesn't do something now to stop the bleeding, this could very well damage our chances at anything special in the foreseeable future.  It is time to get rid of Gregory...and Franks needs to be put on notice. 

[tamiamibull05]

Franks is the best offensive coach on the staff...not to mention he's also the recruiting coordinator. If anything, Scott, Simmonds, Chico and Gregory would be fired before Franks. While I don't think he should be fired, how come you didn't mention that Chico should get fired...with all the receivers dropping balls?

Anyway, I know it's fair to vent on what you feel should happen...especially after three straight losses...but no matter how much anyone complains about the coaching staff, Leavitt has never fired a coach.

[CameronWVU]

  Bring back Rod Smith!

[usfgrad84]

I am fast losing faith in the spread offense.  At least the way we run it.  

Let's be very clear about one thing before all the stupidity of firing anyone.  You don't blame it all on coaching when you have a sophomore QB, 2 freshman RB, 3 freshman and a soph WR, 2 freshman on the OL, 2 Sophs on DL and 2 sophs in the defensive secondary as primary contributors on this team.  That is utterly ridiculous.  No other team in the top 25 was playing with that kind of youth.  No one.

My opinion is that spread is the offense we use because, as much as everyone thinks we have good athletes, we have average talent as football players.  It's like playing 7 on 7 flag football.  Spread the defense out and let the best football player make great plays.  When you have a one man show against equal athletes and good coaching this offense simply sucks.

Come back in two years and say you want to fire Franks or gregory because this offense will about the same for the next two years (good agiainst lesser talented/athletic defense).  it's not so much play calling and more about youth and a bad offensive scheme.  It MAY be better when we have more mature players, but it hasn't changed in 3 years so at this point I do not expect it to.  

[bulls96go]

coaches...dropping balls, fumbling balls, throwing INT's, not blocking, giving the other team the ball on a kickoff

thank god we have a defense.

[mikebeau]

We definitely got outcoached

[Qbanbull]

We definitely got outcoached

3 different games and for each game I have heard that exact statement made by different people.

That statement is starting to carry some weight.

[jstewholymoly]

  Bring back Rod Smith!

you wish.

[BrahmanBulliever]

We got burned on a special teams trick play AGAIN and we got burned on another trick play. We didn't even have the guts to go for it on 4th and one in the fourth quarter, Bearcats then took five minutes off the clock.

[Held_AccountaBull]

gregory is the worst, he is the one holding this team back. he's ruining grothe