Hopefully find a rhythm, dominate, control games, dictate the situation.
Shalom
Shalom
I hope this is like the McSorley, Saquan year when we got smoked by Mich ('16), then?
- Thread starter Mr. Potter
- Start date
That was certainly an entertaining year. That team wasn't very strong up front either.
This team has not shown the big pass play potential and not sure they will.
I think they are pretty close to equal with Maryland, Minny and will be hard pressed to stay with OSU.
I'm thinking 4 more wins is very good with this group. Lot's of key players back next season hopefully.
While I appreciate your optimism, I’ve become tired of mere hope (irt PSU football under current management). Don’t wish to get burned again by the CJF over-promise/under-deliver yo-yo.
We don't have the WR talent we had in 2016. And while Clifford approaches McSorely on a good day, erratic Clifford makes appearances at inopportune times.
The players on that team were special and had a desire to win. I believe there is a documentary out there about them. Moorehead seemed to put in the right offense for that group. It feels like CJF wants to keep using that style of offense but we don't seem to have the athletes for it. Also, I don't think this years team has that same chemistry.
Aside from recruiting highly-rated kids, has Franklin explicitly “overpromised”, meaning with his talk? For example, did he talk up the potential of this year’s team with supreme confidence and expectations of grandeur? He talks positively of some players or a team effort after a win like any coach, but has he spewed promises of greatness?
Let’s make sure to differentiate fan expectations from Franklin’s stated expectations, promises, predictions, etc.
I want greatness, excellence, perfection. I want a 57 game winning streak with no close games. I want the coaches of all teams we play fired with their buyouts canceled, and their wives and children humiliated. I want all the opposing teams stadiums destroyed, and then plowed with salt. But then again just perhaps I expect a wee bit too much.
Just salt? No pepper? Is that the way to properly season a stadium?
FWIW, in Michigan's 49-10 win in 2016, Michigan had over 500 yards of offense, including 326 yards rushing, which dropped PSU to a 2 and 2 record, and led to an almost identical board meltdown that occured this week.
I think that is the Game we had No Linebackers--run defense was horrendous like last weeks--lot of injuries and we were short on depth as well?
Forgot we had a kid in there who was like 3rd on depth chart? Wrestler??? Jake cooper??
I also remember the Michigan QB at the time laughing at the post game news conference because he said they just kept running the same run play because PSU couldn’t stop it.
Jan Johnson, who became a future starter. Also, walk on LB Brandon Smith was ejected on a horrible call.
This is fair. I don’t suppose he’s promised anything specific, but he has thrown out mantras such as “elite,” which considering he did so immediately after another failed crack at tosu, would suggest his goal is to be FAR superior than the current state of his program.
The ELITE.
comments were made several years ago in the heat of the moment. He knew that he and the team blew it against T
Osu that night. He vented. It shows that he wanted it, and I’m sure he still does. Say what you will about Franklin, but I don’t think he’s just in this for the paycheck. He‘s a competitor. Maybe he isn’t up to the challenge, but I still think he wants it. I‘m sure he maintains high expectations for himself and everyone in the program. He just may not be able to get there.The 2022 team does not have leaders, in fact we did not have quality leaders on the 2020 and 2021 teams and we know how those seasons turned out. When lettermen are tweeting that they want to see Allar play, you know that Clifford is not the leader of the team.
Great point---in reading all these posts since Saturday--thats an intangible that hasn't been mentioned a lot if much at all.
By default the Team and Fans would think Clifford would be the Leader but he is not...in the past we had Leaders either the whole team or individual Units...Examples...
Team Leaders in the Recent past--Trace
Defensive Leaders in the past--Cabinda, Nik Scott..
Offensive Leaders in the past---Hamilton
Who are the Leaders for this team?
Speaking of Clifford, look at someone like the Chargers QB Herbert who is in his 3rd year in the NFL and is the same age as Clifford. The team I follow - Jets - Wilson is in his 2nd year and is younger than Clifford. Clifford is at PSU today for a very specific reason: He's not good enough for the next level and at times doesn't look good enough for the level he's competing at.
He actually made them twice. The second time was in a team meeting auditorium, also after a loss (though I'm not sure if it was the same one to which you referred), with both the team and recruits present. His remarks were primarily addressed to the recruits. Said something to the effect that PSU was not yet elite and that he needed the recruits in the room to join the program in order to get there. Could not believe he threw his team under the bus (thought I do not believe that was his intent, which is a bigger problem). Had I been there as a member of the team I would have gotten up and walked out.The ELITE.
Yes, I remember that. Bryan Bresee was in the back of the auditorium listening to Franklins recruiting pitch of saying “we are not elite yet, Ohio state is an elite program”, and “we are not elite but we are close”. Elite is the one word that will continue to mock Franklin.
I think you’re spot on. I’m not in the camp that Franklin is a charlatan or snake oil salesman. He seems like a good guy, and work ethic is not the issue. I believe he truly wants to be elite, and is doing all he can to meet that end. I also believe he just doesn’t have the chops to make it happen.The ELITE.
Who comes up with these awful graphics and sloganeering?
And the sanctions were still impacting us as only removed 2 seasons prior. Franklin has been living off that season for 6 years. There were no excuses for Sat...none.
That is a nice thought but it ain't happening. McSorley and Saquon were two of greatest leaders and individual playmakers ever at PSU. Trace just had supreme confidence. You felt it. Clifford gives off "I will try again this week" vibe. I don't blame it all on him. It is CJF and MY. They can't build a confident team. Franklin said as much that something like "6 undefeated teams lost on Sat. I will go back to 2016 and how it went well after loss. I have to protect the message at Lasch so that our players play well on Saturday"..soft mentally and soft physically. He brought up 2016 twice. That sounds desperate to me. "Remember when?" type crap. It was long time ago. These players were in 7th -8th grade.
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You know what I remember about that season? It was still suffering from sanctions, the Big 10 was actively and publicly badmouthing and undermining the season, and Sandy and the university were perfectly fine with it.
That season was also six years ago, and has the program actually gotten better? I can't believe how soft the team looks at times. There are no sanctions holding this team back.
With the number of contract negotiations he’s done and with the latest deal (length of term, compensation, and buyout), I’d say the expectations are implied.
Our expectations of him, sure.
The simple point I was making is that Franklin doesn’t walk around promising success. I have no doubt that he wants to win, and not just because he’s paid a lot and people expect (demand) it. He wants to win because it’s his job and he’s a competitor. He wants his players to be successful. He just doesn’t go around making promises that he knows he can’t keep (because he isn’t in total control of wins vs. losses).
The notion that Franklin over promises and under delivers is based on recent performance versus our expectations, not his stated (explicit) promises of success.
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