10-20-2019, 02:28 PM
Your points are very well taken, Goose, and while I think the probabilities favored running the ball, even if Illinois was expecting it, a reasonable case could be made for trying to surprise the defense with a pass. Of course Chryst, who is otherwise having a great season at Wisconsin should not be fired, nor should he be subjected to excessive criticism for that call.
I think some people have a bit of an unreasonable expectation of what a coach is supposed to say in a loss. As I think CTCard has noted in the past, the coach has a wide audience in his press conferences, but fans that complain on message boards are probably lowest on the totem poll. Mostly, I think coaches want to get through the press conference without saying something that will go viral for all the wrong reasons. Then it becomes an exercise in communicating to players; trying not to blow the confidence of 18-21 year olds by throwing them under the bus, and reassuring them that the coaching staff knows what it’s doing. Letting fans know that they recognize there’s a structural problem in their offense I think would be pretty unprecedented.
BC
I think some people have a bit of an unreasonable expectation of what a coach is supposed to say in a loss. As I think CTCard has noted in the past, the coach has a wide audience in his press conferences, but fans that complain on message boards are probably lowest on the totem poll. Mostly, I think coaches want to get through the press conference without saying something that will go viral for all the wrong reasons. Then it becomes an exercise in communicating to players; trying not to blow the confidence of 18-21 year olds by throwing them under the bus, and reassuring them that the coaching staff knows what it’s doing. Letting fans know that they recognize there’s a structural problem in their offense I think would be pretty unprecedented.
BC