Now that many of us are getting our wish with Bentley being benched and Hilinski getting the start, it's easy to lose sight of who the real culprit is here: Muschamp. As much I was vocal about not thinking Bentley had what it took at QB, the kid was simply doing the job when his number was called. If the coach says "you're in" then you gotta go in. It was Muschamp who let Bentley go the distance in a miserable game against lowly Akron. It was Muschamp who couldn't pull the trigger in the bowl game when it was evident that the game had gotten away from Bentley. It was Muschamp who ran an unprepared and overwhelmed Bentley out there against UNC.
It's easy to get mad at the players but, in many ways, Jake is a victim himself. No matter how many mistakes a player makes, it's the coach's job to fix it or bench the guy. Jake wasn't really put in situations where he could be successful. This does not negate the fact that he just couldn't cut it at QB.
Jake's failures at QB are merely a symptom of the disease, not the cause. In many ways, I have been staunchly pro-Muschamp over the years. I cut him a lot slack because of the mess he inherited. However, one disturbing trend developed during Muschamp's tenure: being unprepared and having a bad game plan. Time and time again, we have come out and looked completely lost, like we had spent the week preparing to face a different team. On top of that we just looked unprepared and sloppy. This is NOT a talent issue. No, we are nowhere close to the likes of Clemson and UGA in talent, but that does not mean should look unprepared. And playing talent has nothing at all to do with game plan.
This was a surprise to me and took a little while for me to really come to grips with it b/c Champ always SAYS the right things during the midweek pressers. He preaches discipline and hard work as much as any coach I've ever heard. He absolutely brushes off any excuses for failures, diagnosing the only cure as working harder. He discusses the nuances of the game in exacting detail and can break down the opposing team almost as if he's a coach on that staff. It's easy to see how he probably gave Tanner a fantastic interview. Anyone who sat down with Muschamp to interview him would be blown away by his knowledge of the game and probably think: wow, this guy would be a phenomenal coach. Unfortunately, our level of play has just never matched up to his ability to discuss the game.
I don't know what it is that separates one man from another in terms of coaching ability. Champ certainly knows as much about football and football techniques as any coach out there. That is unquestionable. He simply can't execute as a head coach for some reason.
The quicker our admin comes to this painful realization, the better it will be for the program. In hindsight, Champ erred in promoting from within for OC instead of going out and paying to get a much better asset, but that's water under the bridge now. That was his chance to address his most glaring weakness as head coach.
It's easy to get mad at the players but, in many ways, Jake is a victim himself. No matter how many mistakes a player makes, it's the coach's job to fix it or bench the guy. Jake wasn't really put in situations where he could be successful. This does not negate the fact that he just couldn't cut it at QB.
Jake's failures at QB are merely a symptom of the disease, not the cause. In many ways, I have been staunchly pro-Muschamp over the years. I cut him a lot slack because of the mess he inherited. However, one disturbing trend developed during Muschamp's tenure: being unprepared and having a bad game plan. Time and time again, we have come out and looked completely lost, like we had spent the week preparing to face a different team. On top of that we just looked unprepared and sloppy. This is NOT a talent issue. No, we are nowhere close to the likes of Clemson and UGA in talent, but that does not mean should look unprepared. And playing talent has nothing at all to do with game plan.
This was a surprise to me and took a little while for me to really come to grips with it b/c Champ always SAYS the right things during the midweek pressers. He preaches discipline and hard work as much as any coach I've ever heard. He absolutely brushes off any excuses for failures, diagnosing the only cure as working harder. He discusses the nuances of the game in exacting detail and can break down the opposing team almost as if he's a coach on that staff. It's easy to see how he probably gave Tanner a fantastic interview. Anyone who sat down with Muschamp to interview him would be blown away by his knowledge of the game and probably think: wow, this guy would be a phenomenal coach. Unfortunately, our level of play has just never matched up to his ability to discuss the game.
I don't know what it is that separates one man from another in terms of coaching ability. Champ certainly knows as much about football and football techniques as any coach out there. That is unquestionable. He simply can't execute as a head coach for some reason.
The quicker our admin comes to this painful realization, the better it will be for the program. In hindsight, Champ erred in promoting from within for OC instead of going out and paying to get a much better asset, but that's water under the bridge now. That was his chance to address his most glaring weakness as head coach.
