What positives have CWT accomplished?

[GaUSFBull]

Back to topic. I'm on record of favoring adapting your scheme to fit the players you have. Something Taggart spectacularly FAILED to do last year. Found someone who agrees with me...

 

 

Bud Grant, stone-faced Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings described it this way: "You can’t draw up plays and then just plug your players in. No matter how well you have designed your play book, it’s useless if you don’t know which plays your players can run. When I draw up my play book, I always go from the players to the play."

 

http://gumption.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/complimenting-a.html

I'm sure the three years of garbage recruiting and under developed players didn't attribute to our lack of success at all.  If you're a power running coach, you can't deviate from your system to fit personnel.  He would have literally had to have run the spread and he doesn't know the spread.  I mean short memories here... I sit and watch people post and I'm like have you guys been around the past 4 years... did you see what happened between 2010 and 2013?  I guess most forgot about Holtz... What?  Did you think that after 7-5, 5-7, and 3-9 that there was going to be some sort of undefeated season with a first year coach who was given a crap team?  Recruiting sucked under Holtz, player development sucked under Hotlz, S&C sucked under Holtz, player's attitudes sucked under Holtz.... this is silly talk.   I don't think it's fair to look at what Taggart has accomplished in year 2 but I bet the biggest thing he will accomplish is finishing a season better than the last one.  We've won 6 games since the Pitt game in 2011 when we got thrashed.  We had 3 crappy recruiting classes.  

 

What has Taggart accomplished? Well in 2014 we had the 39th ranked class and in 2013 49.  We haven't seen recruiting classes like those since CJL.  What else? Well he's certainly turned the attitude around on the team and based on the guys he's been getting to visit and commit to the program, he's changing the perception of USF again.  I remember what guys like Fullwood, Bronson, and Sawyer said about Skip.  He did something that Skip couldn't do the entire time, get quality QBs top come into the program.  Mike White and Quinton Flowers would not have been there if not for Taggart.  Period.  He's brought in more guys rated four star on the services in a single class than Skip managed the entire time he coached.  The coverts were dry in the skilled positions.  I've followed the program and recruiting for the past 9 years and I saw the drop in recruiting and the affect it has on play.  It hasn't shown in wins but I'm sure it will.  Skip came into a team that should have won the conference and went 7-5, beat Clemson... a team that underperformed though.  As the CJL talent left, the team got worse.  This time the coach receives Holtz players from a team that should have gone 0-12 and mange to pull 2 games out of their @ss.  No doubt in my mind this team will be better... but then you'll just find something else to complain about.  We have forward momentum and excitement.  Taggarts biggest accomplishment so far is having people actually interested again.  

 

I also watched as many of you criticized and trashed B.J. only to discover he was the only thing holding the team together.  Without saying anything I remember some of you actually saying Bobby was better.  Now I remember why I never commented on anything here, some of the people don't have realistic expectations and evidently extremely short memories.  I think this will be the case once again with Taggart and you'll hate every second of it I'm sure.

^^^awesome.

[charsibb]

[Massbull]

Not to open up old wounds but CJL firing was terrible ,badly handled and at the worst time.

He did not have enough time to build the depth he needed to compete for a full season as evidenced by the late season collapses. He was just starting build multiple solid recruiting classes and IMO he was 2 recruiting classes away from winning a big east championship and making USF a top tier program.

If my memory serves me correctly he had just signed a top 30 class and they went 9-3 the year after he left.

CSH devastated the program because he could not recruit the state of Florida and in hindsight that was one of the biggest mistakes of that hire.

CWT has reestablished the recruiting pipeline, also he has brought in a quality coaching staff and shown he is not afraid to make changes as he did by firing the offensive coordinator at the end of last year. I believe in two years the program will back on the track it was on before CSH was hired

[Calibull]

Not to open up old wounds but CJL firing was terrible ,badly handled and at the worst time.

He did not have enough time to build the depth he needed to compete for a full season as evidenced by the late season collapses. He was just starting build multiple solid recruiting classes and IMO he was 2 recruiting classes away from winning a big east championship and making USF a top tier program.

If my memory serves me correctly he had just signed a top 30 class and they went 9-3 the year after he left.

CSH devastated the program because he could not recruit the state of Florida and in hindsight that was one of the biggest mistakes of that hire.

CWT has reestablished the recruiting pipeline, also he has brought in a quality coaching staff and shown he is not afraid to make changes as he did by firing the offensive coordinator at the end of last year. I believe in two years the program will back on the track it was on before CSH was hired

I'd be inclined to agree with everything you said... except we went 8-5 the year CJL left and Skip went 8-5 his first year (7-5 if you aren't counting Bowl games).

[Hem]

 

Back to topic. I'm on record of favoring adapting your scheme to fit the players you have. Something Taggart spectacularly FAILED to do last year. Found someone who agrees with me...

 

 

Bud Grant, stone-faced Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings described it this way: "You can’t draw up plays and then just plug your players in. No matter how well you have designed your play book, it’s useless if you don’t know which plays your players can run. When I draw up my play book, I always go from the players to the play."

 

http://gumption.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/complimenting-a.html

I'm sure the three years of garbage recruiting and under developed players didn't attribute to our lack of success at all.  If you're a power running coach, you can't deviate from your system to fit personnel.  He would have literally had to have run the spread and he doesn't know the spread.  I mean short memories here... I sit and watch people post and I'm like have you guys been around the past 4 years... did you see what happened between 2010 and 2013?  I guess most forgot about Holtz... What?  Did you think that after 7-5, 5-7, and 3-9 that there was going to be some sort of undefeated season with a first year coach who was given a crap team?  Recruiting sucked under Holtz, player development sucked under Hotlz, S&C sucked under Holtz, player's attitudes sucked under Holtz.... this is silly talk.   I don't think it's fair to look at what Taggart has accomplished in year 2 but I bet the biggest thing he will accomplish is finishing a season better than the last one.  We've won 6 games since the Pitt game in 2011 when we got thrashed.  We had 3 crappy recruiting classes.  

 

What has Taggart accomplished? Well in 2014 we had the 39th ranked class and in 2013 49.  We haven't seen recruiting classes like those since CJL.  What else? Well he's certainly turned the attitude around on the team and based on the guys he's been getting to visit and commit to the program, he's changing the perception of USF again.  I remember what guys like Fullwood, Bronson, and Sawyer said about Skip.  He did something that Skip couldn't do the entire time, get quality QBs top come into the program.  Mike White and Quinton Flowers would not have been there if not for Taggart.  Period.  He's brought in more guys rated four star on the services in a single class than Skip managed the entire time he coached.  The coverts were dry in the skilled positions.  I've followed the program and recruiting for the past 9 years and I saw the drop in recruiting and the affect it has on play.  It hasn't shown in wins but I'm sure it will.  Skip came into a team that should have won the conference and went 7-5, beat Clemson... a team that underperformed though.  As the CJL talent left, the team got worse.  This time the coach receives Holtz players from a team that should have gone 0-12 and mange to pull 2 games out of their @ss.  No doubt in my mind this team will be better... but then you'll just find something else to complain about.  We have forward momentum and excitement.  Taggarts biggest accomplishment so far is having people actually interested again.  

 

I also watched as many of you criticized and trashed B.J. only to discover he was the only thing holding the team together.  Without saying anything I remember some of you actually saying Bobby was better.  Now I remember why I never commented on anything here, some of the people don't have realistic expectations and evidently extremely short memories.  I think this will be the case once again with Taggart and you'll hate every second of it I'm sure.

 

PREACH IT BROTHER

[Skingraft]

 

 

Back to topic. I'm on record of favoring adapting your scheme to fit the players you have. Something Taggart spectacularly FAILED to do last year. Found someone who agrees with me...

 

 

Bud Grant, stone-faced Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings described it this way: "You can’t draw up plays and then just plug your players in. No matter how well you have designed your play book, it’s useless if you don’t know which plays your players can run. When I draw up my play book, I always go from the players to the play."

 

http://gumption.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/complimenting-a.html

I'm sure the three years of garbage recruiting and under developed players didn't attribute to our lack of success at all.  If you're a power running coach, you can't deviate from your system to fit personnel.  He would have literally had to have run the spread and he doesn't know the spread.  I mean short memories here... I sit and watch people post and I'm like have you guys been around the past 4 years... did you see what happened between 2010 and 2013?  I guess most forgot about Holtz... What?  Did you think that after 7-5, 5-7, and 3-9 that there was going to be some sort of undefeated season with a first year coach who was given a crap team?  Recruiting sucked under Holtz, player development sucked under Hotlz, S&C sucked under Holtz, player's attitudes sucked under Holtz.... this is silly talk.   I don't think it's fair to look at what Taggart has accomplished in year 2 but I bet the biggest thing he will accomplish is finishing a season better than the last one.  We've won 6 games since the Pitt game in 2011 when we got thrashed.  We had 3 crappy recruiting classes.  

 

What has Taggart accomplished? Well in 2014 we had the 39th ranked class and in 2013 49.  We haven't seen recruiting classes like those since CJL.  What else? Well he's certainly turned the attitude around on the team and based on the guys he's been getting to visit and commit to the program, he's changing the perception of USF again.  I remember what guys like Fullwood, Bronson, and Sawyer said about Skip.  He did something that Skip couldn't do the entire time, get quality QBs top come into the program.  Mike White and Quinton Flowers would not have been there if not for Taggart.  Period.  He's brought in more guys rated four star on the services in a single class than Skip managed the entire time he coached.  The coverts were dry in the skilled positions.  I've followed the program and recruiting for the past 9 years and I saw the drop in recruiting and the affect it has on play.  It hasn't shown in wins but I'm sure it will.  Skip came into a team that should have won the conference and went 7-5, beat Clemson... a team that underperformed though.  As the CJL talent left, the team got worse.  This time the coach receives Holtz players from a team that should have gone 0-12 and mange to pull 2 games out of their @ss.  No doubt in my mind this team will be better... but then you'll just find something else to complain about.  We have forward momentum and excitement.  Taggarts biggest accomplishment so far is having people actually interested again.  

 

I also watched as many of you criticized and trashed B.J. only to discover he was the only thing holding the team together.  Without saying anything I remember some of you actually saying Bobby was better.  Now I remember why I never commented on anything here, some of the people don't have realistic expectations and evidently extremely short memories.  I think this will be the case once again with Taggart and you'll hate every second of it I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

 

[USFbulls24]

Pretty sure they tried a few things.  Floyd couldn't take a snap.  They tried some zone reads then Bench, the guy they were trying it with, got hurt.  Eveld was a drop back QB, but between the line not being able to block and his slower than molasses windup and delivery that didn't work.  Then we tried something with White, but again found out that the line couldn't block.  Our grind it out running game was working great right up until the point that our one running back that was effective got hurt.  

 

When you don't have a QB that can effectively run an offense and then have an OL that can't block in any offense that is thrown out there I am not really sure what you expect.

 

The big problem I had with the coaching staff on offense was the length of time it took for plays to be called.  Most of the stupid delay of games and false starts were because it took so long for the plays to get in.  The false starts were mostly a function of the inexperience of White panicking because he was always left with so little time on the clock.

 

I think they tried a few things but VERY minor.

 

I completely agree with the length of time it took for plays to be called though. I don't care if you're running a brand new offense with brand new players. There is no reason that it should take 25 seconds to get a play call in to the QB. I remember watching Mike White on the field and he would have both of his hands in the air looking at the sidelines as the play clock went from 25 to 20 to 15 to 10 and next thing you know they have to get up to the line, go through shifts and motions and all the rest of that garbage and then it's a delay of game or false start and it's blamed on Mike White's inexperience. No, when the play is coming in with 10 seconds on the play clock the issue falls on the coach who is getting the plays in.

[USFbulls24]

 

Back to topic. I'm on record of favoring adapting your scheme to fit the players you have. Something Taggart spectacularly FAILED to do last year. Found someone who agrees with me...

 

 

Bud Grant, stone-faced Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings described it this way: "You can’t draw up plays and then just plug your players in. No matter how well you have designed your play book, it’s useless if you don’t know which plays your players can run. When I draw up my play book, I always go from the players to the play."

 

http://gumption.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/complimenting-a.html

I'm sure the three years of garbage recruiting and under developed players didn't attribute to our lack of success at all.  If you're a power running coach, you can't deviate from your system to fit personnel.  He would have literally had to have run the spread and he doesn't know the spread.  I mean short memories here... I sit and watch people post and I'm like have you guys been around the past 4 years... did you see what happened between 2010 and 2013?  I guess most forgot about Holtz... What?  Did you think that after 7-5, 5-7, and 3-9 that there was going to be some sort of undefeated season with a first year coach who was given a crap team?  Recruiting sucked under Holtz, player development sucked under Hotlz, S&C sucked under Holtz, player's attitudes sucked under Holtz.... this is silly talk.   I don't think it's fair to look at what Taggart has accomplished in year 2 but I bet the biggest thing he will accomplish is finishing a season better than the last one.  We've won 6 games since the Pitt game in 2011 when we got thrashed.  We had 3 crappy recruiting classes.  

 

What has Taggart accomplished? Well in 2014 we had the 39th ranked class and in 2013 49.  We haven't seen recruiting classes like those since CJL.  What else? Well he's certainly turned the attitude around on the team and based on the guys he's been getting to visit and commit to the program, he's changing the perception of USF again.  I remember what guys like Fullwood, Bronson, and Sawyer said about Skip.  He did something that Skip couldn't do the entire time, get quality QBs top come into the program.  Mike White and Quinton Flowers would not have been there if not for Taggart.  Period.  He's brought in more guys rated four star on the services in a single class than Skip managed the entire time he coached.  The coverts were dry in the skilled positions.  I've followed the program and recruiting for the past 9 years and I saw the drop in recruiting and the affect it has on play.  It hasn't shown in wins but I'm sure it will.  Skip came into a team that should have won the conference and went 7-5, beat Clemson... a team that underperformed though.  As the CJL talent left, the team got worse.  This time the coach receives Holtz players from a team that should have gone 0-12 and mange to pull 2 games out of their @ss.  No doubt in my mind this team will be better... but then you'll just find something else to complain about.  We have forward momentum and excitement.  Taggarts biggest accomplishment so far is having people actually interested again.  

 

I also watched as many of you criticized and trashed B.J. only to discover he was the only thing holding the team together.  Without saying anything I remember some of you actually saying Bobby was better.  Now I remember why I never commented on anything here, some of the people don't have realistic expectations and evidently extremely short memories.  I think this will be the case once again with Taggart and you'll hate every second of it I'm sure.

 

 

He was pointing out that it does make sense to call plays/schemes based on the personnel you have and that he's in favor of that. Not sure why that's such an issue. He could have implemented his power run system and threw in some plays that cater to some of our players strengths. It doesn't take a genius to run a few plays that are considered "Spread". At this point I'm glad he stuck to his guns and stayed with his offense so that all the bumps and bruises can now be out of the way. But, if those issues are not fixed this season again it's all out the window for me. 

 

I do agree with a lot of what you said, but Mike White's second best offer at the time of his commitment was like Eastern Illinois wasn't it? Not sure if Taggart should be praised for that one. But, Taggart has shown he's an incredible recruiter having pulled in that good of a recruiting class coming off a 2-10 year in the AAC. Can't wait to see what he'll do with a decent season.

 

Not sure about the forward momentum and excitement part either from the general fan base. I would argue after a 2-10 season excitement may possibly be at an all time low.. I guess we'll find out from attendance early in the year.

 

With you on the B.J. issue as well. Wasn't just people on here, it was students and other fans. They are realizing how wrong they were now.

[Breedwell]

With you on the B.J. issue as well. Wasn't just people on here, it was students and other fans. They are realizing how wrong they were now.

 

The thing about students (as I observed as being one the past few years) is that most of them don't research and go beyond being a casual fan (school spirit + free tickets + its the 'social' thing to do). Sure, there's a fair number who might like sports enough to know some things, but, the majority has a mentality that is predicated on the here and now- what has he done for us lately? By his senior year, most everyone who was attending USF in 2009 (when he came in against FSU and such) had left, replaced by casuals who only ever saw BJ try too hard and watched the record drop all the while.

 

I remember the McNeese state game, this guy in front of me (student section) and his buddies were all talking about how they were glad BJ is gone, and how they knew Floyd was gonna be amazing, and all this and that. So I said to him, before the game event started, that I didn't like Floyd, I thought Eveld was a little better, but that he'd miss BJ.

 

I'll never forget how his opinion changed over the course of the night. 

 

 

Taggart dug his feet into the dirt and has appeared to shift the momentum of the team in the right direction. We, the individuals who care enough about USF Football/athletics to visit forums and research and follow recruiting online- the dedicated- we see the change, and we see the foundation Taggart is building. That's a good accomplishment, to get (most) of us on his side.

 

The next thing he needs to do is convert the casuals. The people who don't pay much attention to the behind the scenes, but hear about the hype from everyone else. "Show me the money" type of stuff. 

[Calibull]

 

 

Back to topic. I'm on record of favoring adapting your scheme to fit the players you have. Something Taggart spectacularly FAILED to do last year. Found someone who agrees with me...

 

 

Bud Grant, stone-faced Hall of Fame coach of the Minnesota Vikings described it this way: "You can’t draw up plays and then just plug your players in. No matter how well you have designed your play book, it’s useless if you don’t know which plays your players can run. When I draw up my play book, I always go from the players to the play."

 

http://gumption.typepad.com/blog/2007/12/complimenting-a.html

I'm sure the three years of garbage recruiting and under developed players didn't attribute to our lack of success at all.  If you're a power running coach, you can't deviate from your system to fit personnel.  He would have literally had to have run the spread and he doesn't know the spread.  I mean short memories here... I sit and watch people post and I'm like have you guys been around the past 4 years... did you see what happened between 2010 and 2013?  I guess most forgot about Holtz... What?  Did you think that after 7-5, 5-7, and 3-9 that there was going to be some sort of undefeated season with a first year coach who was given a crap team?  Recruiting sucked under Holtz, player development sucked under Hotlz, S&C sucked under Holtz, player's attitudes sucked under Holtz.... this is silly talk.   I don't think it's fair to look at what Taggart has accomplished in year 2 but I bet the biggest thing he will accomplish is finishing a season better than the last one.  We've won 6 games since the Pitt game in 2011 when we got thrashed.  We had 3 crappy recruiting classes.  

 

What has Taggart accomplished? Well in 2014 we had the 39th ranked class and in 2013 49.  We haven't seen recruiting classes like those since CJL.  What else? Well he's certainly turned the attitude around on the team and based on the guys he's been getting to visit and commit to the program, he's changing the perception of USF again.  I remember what guys like Fullwood, Bronson, and Sawyer said about Skip.  He did something that Skip couldn't do the entire time, get quality QBs top come into the program.  Mike White and Quinton Flowers would not have been there if not for Taggart.  Period.  He's brought in more guys rated four star on the services in a single class than Skip managed the entire time he coached.  The coverts were dry in the skilled positions.  I've followed the program and recruiting for the past 9 years and I saw the drop in recruiting and the affect it has on play.  It hasn't shown in wins but I'm sure it will.  Skip came into a team that should have won the conference and went 7-5, beat Clemson... a team that underperformed though.  As the CJL talent left, the team got worse.  This time the coach receives Holtz players from a team that should have gone 0-12 and mange to pull 2 games out of their @ss.  No doubt in my mind this team will be better... but then you'll just find something else to complain about.  We have forward momentum and excitement.  Taggarts biggest accomplishment so far is having people actually interested again.  

 

I also watched as many of you criticized and trashed B.J. only to discover he was the only thing holding the team together.  Without saying anything I remember some of you actually saying Bobby was better.  Now I remember why I never commented on anything here, some of the people don't have realistic expectations and evidently extremely short memories.  I think this will be the case once again with Taggart and you'll hate every second of it I'm sure.

 

 

He was pointing out that it does make sense to call plays/schemes based on the personnel you have and that he's in favor of that. Not sure why that's such an issue. He could have implemented his power run system and threw in some plays that cater to some of our players strengths. It doesn't take a genius to run a few plays that are considered "Spread". At this point I'm glad he stuck to his guns and stayed with his offense so that all the bumps and bruises can now be out of the way. But, if those issues are not fixed this season again it's all out the window for me. 

 

I do agree with a lot of what you said, but Mike White's second best offer at the time of his commitment was like Eastern Illinois wasn't it? Not sure if Taggart should be praised for that one. But, Taggart has shown he's an incredible recruiter having pulled in that good of a recruiting class coming off a 2-10 year in the AAC. Can't wait to see what he'll do with a decent season.

 

Not sure about the forward momentum and excitement part either from the general fan base. I would argue after a 2-10 season excitement may possibly be at an all time low.. I guess we'll find out from attendance early in the year.

 

With you on the B.J. issue as well. Wasn't just people on here, it was students and other fans. They are realizing how wrong they were now.

 

Lord... do you really know that much about recruiting.  First most didn't know if White was even going to play football in college and then he committed and shut down his recruiting.  What you don't know is he was offered by Mississippi State, La Tech, and Houston.  He wasn't the typical recruit in that once he committed he shut it down and stopped taking calls.  So saying White's best offer was from Eastern Illinois tells me you don't really follow recruiting.

 

Secondly he tried different plays to get the power game going but without the threat of play action and blocking from the offensive line it's for nada.  Our offensive line was waaaay undersized and too weak to run a power offense.  I don't think you know what that takes.  Do you think that it's a coincidence that the line has gained almost 15 pounds per man across the board this year?  It has increased in strength and size.  This year we are made to run the power offense.  Our line from tackle to tackle was 287, 305, 273, 312, 310  and all very weak and coming from a spread system.  This season we're looking at the biggest line in school history that looks to line up 308, 332, 295, 321, 320... that's what it takes to execute this offense.  I don't think people believed him when he said "we have to get bigger and stronger... we need bigger bodies.. people movers."  I mean you can only run so many reverses and gadget plays.  We were drastically undersized on both sides of the ball and that was Skips doing.  Taggart ragged on the guys about it and they took it to heart.  He said they didn't look like Division I football players and they were not strong enough nor were they fast enough.  I guess people ignored that hoping for  a12-0 season.

 

You are saying he should have run different running plays in a "power offense" with no power.  If nobody noticed, the offensive line got pushed around last year.  Even by our defense in practices, spring ball, and fall camp... this year not so much.  So I stick to what I said.. unless he ran the spread, he didn't have the personnel to run the offense.  Shaw is not the typical back he wants for this offense.  McFarland went up to 260 because he was too small... he trimmed Price out so he looks like a TE not a fat boy with wheels.  I mean I get what you want to get at but look at the entire picture.   This was an 0-12 team last year and Taggart did a decent job with crap.  The QB recruiting under Holtz was so bad that a true freshman had to come in and play and that's sad.

 

In regards to a the penalties and long plays... there is a reason that no true freshman has started in this offense, it is complicated and takes a while to learn the entire scheme.  Any time Andrew Luck has to redshirt in this offense it's tough.  Taggart did everything he could to keep White off the field because he wasn't ready... but he was the most talented guy we have.  Also he grades high as hell... He's not 6'4 210 and that kid looks the part.  Just for a little perspective.  As I said there were too many unrealistic expectations last season.  This is the year where you can start judging Taggart.  Not a year with little talent and players not constructed to run the system. 

 

If you don't see the momentum that is being built you're either so far away from the program you can't or you're jaded after years of failure.  As a donor and Alumni I see it.  Things are happening and I'm sorry you're not a part of it but that appears to be of your own volition.  This is the first time I've looked forward to football since fall 2011.  Excitement was at an all time low last season.  One we open up things will be just fine.  

Edited July 16, 2014 by MonteBull