Hudspeth in no hurry to name a starting quarterback

[Ragin4U]

At this level, and our numbers over the last 5 years suggest this, is that we will have to score in the 30's to win games on average. Our best defensive numbers over the last X number of years has been an OPG of 26 PPG. In the last 5 years where we've had our most consistent success, we've averaged 30+ PPG in just about every year except last year. At the G5 level, I think its safe to say that we just aren't going to recruit the high profile defensive players that will cater to a shutdown defense. Its easier to recruit offense at our level rather than defense.

Tough sledding to have to outscore teams every week. With our difficulties on recruiting in the Belt, do you think it is easier to recruit for a high-scoring offense and hope the defense can make a stop every soon often. Or try to balance it out?

[CrappDaddy]

---spoke to a guy that knows---Off line is young and gonna be good but how quickly will that happen---Just can't help thinking about the N'Side kid and the center that left to play at Tech---he would have started this past year and coming year !!!

I brought this up last year. We had a big gap in o line talent bc of the loss of Brunson, sparks, and another that I can't think of at the moment. Both would have started last year.

[zephyr]

Tough sledding to have to outscore teams every week. With our difficulties on recruiting in the Belt, do you think it is easier to recruit for a high-scoring offense and hope the defense can make a stop every soon often. Or try to balance it out?

I think you are taking what I'm saying to extremes. I'm not saying that we can't have a defense that makes plays and is effective but what I am suggesting is that it is not necessarily logical to expect a defense to shut opponents down, especially in today's spread offense world and rules that cater to promoting offense in the game. During Bustle's tenure, our defensive numbers were horrible as we often allowed 35+ PPG routinely which meant we had to outscore opponents.

With HUD, he has brought in enough athletes to where our defense has routinely given up less than 30 PPG. To me, if you can hold opponents in the 25-26PPG range, you can be successful but our offense barely put up enough points last year to make that matter. Scoring in the 30's is not necessarily outscoring people, its actually the norm these days.

[Just1More]

I think we need to be more physically talented on both lines this year and the rest will work itself out.

Those are some easy words to say, but some very difficult expectations to realize. It isn't that "you think" we need... "you know" we need... more physical talent on the lines. I do not think that solves everything... but without it... we kind of know we aren't going to do much better than last year.

There is no substitute for talent. But let us not forget the pathetic coaching on offense last year. Player personnel decisions alone were atrocious. I hope we're healed up and stay that way, we picked up the right JUCO help, we are conditioned better, our studs are used properly this year, and we have no more "distractions".

I was expecting better things in years 5-8 than in years 1-4... if we kept Hud. Now I think most of us have recalibrated our expectations to a return to years 1-4. So much has to be better than last year... it boggles my mind.

[CrappDaddy]

Those are some easy words to say, but some very difficult expectations to realize. It isn't that "you think" we need... "you know" we need... more physical talent on the lines. I do not think that solves everything... but without it... we kind of know we aren't going to do much better than last year.

There is no substitute for talent. But let us not forget the pathetic coaching on offense last year. Player personnel decisions alone were atrocious. I hope we're healed up and stay that way, we picked up the right JUCO help, we are conditioned better, our studs are used properly this year, and we have no more "distractions".

I was expecting better things in years 5-8 than in years 1-4... if we kept Hud. Now I think most of us have recalibrated our expectations to a return to years 1-4. So much has to be better than last year... it boggles my mind.

I understand what your saying and it's easy to have low expectations after a bad year just like expectations are high after a good year. History tells me that a team can dramatically improve from one year to the next. See 2007-2008 and 2010-2011. A lot has to happen but I don't think it's as tough a feat as what most are expecting. I think we have the players to do it.

[Just1More]

I understand what your saying and it's easy to have low expectations after a bad year just like expectations are high after a good year. History tells me that a team can dramatically improve from one year to the next. See 2007-2008 and 2010-2011. A lot has to happen but I don't think it's as tough a feat as what most are expecting. I think we have the players to do it.

I absolutely agree with you (about turning around seasons on a dime). I don't know about the talent - just because I simply do not know. But good talent can be coached into a ball of crap. I don't actually have a definable expectation. I know we are somewhere between a 9-3 and a 3-9 football program. "Expectation" takes a big back seat to "Realization" once the first game is underway.

I do hope our players stay healthy this year and our coaches give them every chance to win.

[CharlieK]

I absolutely agree with you (about turning around seasons on a dime). I don't know about the talent - just because I simply do not know. But good talent can be coached into a ball of crap. I don't actually have a definable expectation. I know we are somewhere between a 9-3 and a 3-9 football program. "Expectation" takes a big back seat to "Realization" once the first game is underway.

I do hope our players stay healthy this year and our coaches give them every chance to win.

Most of those 9-4 seasons could have been easily worse. That's not to say we were lucky. Just that the difference between last year and 9-4 is much smaller (at our level) than I think most believe. I 100% agree that last year was primarily a coaching failure, on the fundamental and schematic levels. I am hopeful for a turn around, based on the fact this head coach has had very few years in his career like the past one.

[Just1More]

Most of those 9-4 seasons could have been easily worse. That's not to say we were lucky. Just that the difference between last year and 9-4 is much smaller (at our level) than I think most believe. I 100% agree that last year was primarily a coaching failure, on the fundamental and schematic levels. I am hopeful for a turn around, based on the fact this head coach has had very few years in his career like the past one.

I was tuned into each piece and part of each game in the past 5 seasons. Anyone who thinks we were dominating in the 8-4 regular seasons was either not at the games... or on crack. I am ok with the notion that Hud did (4) 8-4 seasons... so we shouldn't believe the latest 4-8 is his new normal. But many people want to take 3 or 4 excuses from last year... and pass on whether or not the coaching stunk. It stunk.

[CharlieK]

I was tuned into each piece and part of each game in the past 5 seasons. Anyone who thinks we were dominating in the 8-4 regular seasons was either not at the games... or on crack. I am ok with the notion that Hud did (4) 8-4 seasons... so we shouldn't believe the latest 4-8 is his new normal. But many people want to take 3 or 4 excuses from last year... and pass on whether or not the coaching stunk. It stunk.

Agreed. And I'm not taking just Hud's 1st four here....he has just about always won everywhere he has gone. This tells me (or seems to indicate) he can coach em up. For whatever reason, or reasons, he and his staff did not do a good job of doing that last year. I'm sure we all have our theories. My glass half full hope is that he knows what to do, and will do it, based on just about all of his past history.