I don’t have the luxury to just pull for any college team which I want to win, nor am I able to turn away, or turn off from watching and supporting my Gamecocks.
why?
Because I AM a Gamecock. I don’t just pull for this school’s teams; this school’s teams are MY teams.
Semantically, it’s a subtle difference but the reality is it’s a huge difference.
In my 51 years, I am not sure our Big 3 programs have collectively been in worse shape. And while I am disappointed, terribly frustrated, sad, mad, and humbled, I am a Gamecock and that will not change even if the programs continue to decline. Like many of my family and loved ones; when they need my love and support the most is often when they deserve it the least.
There are 2 camps of thought right now:
1) A change at HC will only serve to put us back another 3-4 years while the new guy gets his players and system in place.
2) Firing CWM is inevitable and it we wait a year or 2 we are just that more behind in building a winning football program.
Do we need a New OC? Absolutely. Does CWM need to make some changes in staff and philosophy? Absolutely. Do we need a new direction with a new HC? Maybe - but we have a long history of changing coaches every 4-5 years and that has never provided the results we want.
Like many of you, I wasn’t particularly enamored with the CWM hire and felt that Tanner had botched the process. Looking back, none of the “candidates” that we thought might come have panned out all too great either. (I know UGA has had success but IMO it’s really not that much different than Richt and KS had a full stable of talent when he got there.) TH at Texas hasn’t been very good and Fuentes has steadily gone down in the ACC (even at 8-3 this year, they had to have some ACC home cooking to prevent an upset loss to Furman).
So who should we have hired? And how can anyone say that anyone else would have done better than CWM during the same period? My big issue with our team right now is out inept offense and how we are losing games. I believe that all Gamecocks can agree that at a bare minimum, we need a new OC and CWM must allow the new OC to actually run an offense that will score points.
Yes, there are instances where other coaches have come into schools and have won relatively quickly, but those are the exception not the norm. Yes our arch rivals are experiencing their absolute golden years of football while we have resorted back to “average”, but does that mean we can just scrap our plan and start over?
I don’t have all of the answers as I can not boast of enough intelligence to know all the answers that many on this board seem to have. I am smart enough to know that our AD’s and especially the BOT’s jobs entail considerably more responsibilities than ensuring we have a winning football team, That is NOT a statement of support by me of either of the two, BTW. CWM’s job is to have a successful football program and winning games is a huge part of that formula. While he is not where we want to be, he is above our statistical average over the life of our program.
Long before this season started, many of my Gamecock buddies agreed with me that we would be fortunate to win 6-7 games this season, based on our personnel and schedule. Next season isn’t looking so hot either right now - BUT....a dynamic new OC could change all of that very quickly. I am willing to bet Tanner & probably Caslen have also been In the ear of CWM about that. I believe we are going to have to take a gamble on an up and coming play caller - someone from a small school as anyone with a rich pedigree would have to have reservations about coming to SC with a potential coaching change in a year or 2.
Make no mistake - Tanner and Muschamp are connected at the hip. And Tanner will NOT be firing CWM anytime soon. Tanner will “retire” if Caslen and the BOT deem the CWM era over as Tanner will not be given the opportunity to hire the next HC. I am smart enough to know that.
I am leaving my house Saturday am around 7:00 headed to Columbia. I could be playing golf at any number of awesome courses Saturday. I could also be catching up on some much needed work at the office or practice the guitar - but I am a Gamecock - and as a Gamecock, it is my duty, my responsibility, and indeed my honor and privilege to be cheering on my beloved Alma mater.
GO COCKS!!!
why?
Because I AM a Gamecock. I don’t just pull for this school’s teams; this school’s teams are MY teams.
Semantically, it’s a subtle difference but the reality is it’s a huge difference.
In my 51 years, I am not sure our Big 3 programs have collectively been in worse shape. And while I am disappointed, terribly frustrated, sad, mad, and humbled, I am a Gamecock and that will not change even if the programs continue to decline. Like many of my family and loved ones; when they need my love and support the most is often when they deserve it the least.
There are 2 camps of thought right now:
1) A change at HC will only serve to put us back another 3-4 years while the new guy gets his players and system in place.
2) Firing CWM is inevitable and it we wait a year or 2 we are just that more behind in building a winning football program.
Do we need a New OC? Absolutely. Does CWM need to make some changes in staff and philosophy? Absolutely. Do we need a new direction with a new HC? Maybe - but we have a long history of changing coaches every 4-5 years and that has never provided the results we want.
Like many of you, I wasn’t particularly enamored with the CWM hire and felt that Tanner had botched the process. Looking back, none of the “candidates” that we thought might come have panned out all too great either. (I know UGA has had success but IMO it’s really not that much different than Richt and KS had a full stable of talent when he got there.) TH at Texas hasn’t been very good and Fuentes has steadily gone down in the ACC (even at 8-3 this year, they had to have some ACC home cooking to prevent an upset loss to Furman).
So who should we have hired? And how can anyone say that anyone else would have done better than CWM during the same period? My big issue with our team right now is out inept offense and how we are losing games. I believe that all Gamecocks can agree that at a bare minimum, we need a new OC and CWM must allow the new OC to actually run an offense that will score points.
Yes, there are instances where other coaches have come into schools and have won relatively quickly, but those are the exception not the norm. Yes our arch rivals are experiencing their absolute golden years of football while we have resorted back to “average”, but does that mean we can just scrap our plan and start over?
I don’t have all of the answers as I can not boast of enough intelligence to know all the answers that many on this board seem to have. I am smart enough to know that our AD’s and especially the BOT’s jobs entail considerably more responsibilities than ensuring we have a winning football team, That is NOT a statement of support by me of either of the two, BTW. CWM’s job is to have a successful football program and winning games is a huge part of that formula. While he is not where we want to be, he is above our statistical average over the life of our program.
Long before this season started, many of my Gamecock buddies agreed with me that we would be fortunate to win 6-7 games this season, based on our personnel and schedule. Next season isn’t looking so hot either right now - BUT....a dynamic new OC could change all of that very quickly. I am willing to bet Tanner & probably Caslen have also been In the ear of CWM about that. I believe we are going to have to take a gamble on an up and coming play caller - someone from a small school as anyone with a rich pedigree would have to have reservations about coming to SC with a potential coaching change in a year or 2.
Make no mistake - Tanner and Muschamp are connected at the hip. And Tanner will NOT be firing CWM anytime soon. Tanner will “retire” if Caslen and the BOT deem the CWM era over as Tanner will not be given the opportunity to hire the next HC. I am smart enough to know that.
I am leaving my house Saturday am around 7:00 headed to Columbia. I could be playing golf at any number of awesome courses Saturday. I could also be catching up on some much needed work at the office or practice the guitar - but I am a Gamecock - and as a Gamecock, it is my duty, my responsibility, and indeed my honor and privilege to be cheering on my beloved Alma mater.
GO COCKS!!!
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