[chimera]

I don't watch with much emotional attachment anymore but I do watch and pay attention.  Bottom line to me is that yes, talent is down, but not down to the point we see such poor play.  We may not have the talent level of last year but we have way more than the results indicate.  The team seems lost out there.  When one or two players struggle but the rest are ok, the issue is those particular players.  When the whole team struggles, the issues are deeper - coaching and schemes.  

I very much want Kate Paye to succeed.  She is in a tough spot.  I'm sure there is a learning curve for her.  Even with all her years as an assistant or associate head coach, being the head coach, making all the decisions yourself, leading a team, setting the tone, etc., etc. is a big jump.  So far it is not going well.  The ND game was embarrassing.  The team was not ready for the game and did not play with focus and intensity.  We generally do not look very well coached.  

The only slightly encouraging sign is that the players who are helping the most are the freshmen and sophs.  I do think Tara retired at maybe the best time for her personally but the worst time for the program and for Paye, who had to reinvent the team in a sense, given the changes in the roster.  She was not set up for success and certainly has not made the team greater than the sum of the talents on the roster.  We look much less than the sum of the parts, lack of posts or not.  I just hope the team hasn't given up.  If we lose young players after this wretched season, next year may not be all that much better, and if so, well program is in deep doo doo.

[chimera]

I don't watch with much emotional attachment anymore but I do watch and pay attention.  Bottom line to me is that yes, talent is down, but not down to the point we see such poor play.  We may not have the talent level of last year but we have way more than the results indicate.  The team seems lost out there.  When one or two players struggle but the rest are ok, the issue is those particular players.  When the whole team struggles, the issues are deeper - coaching and schemes.  

I very much want Kate Paye to succeed.  She is in a tough spot.  I'm sure there is a learning curve for her.  Even with all her years as an assistant or associate head coach, being the head coach, making all the decisions yourself, leading a team, setting the tone, etc., etc. is a big jump.  So far it is not going well.  The ND game was embarrassing.  The team was not ready for the game and did not play with focus and intensity.  We generally do not look very well coached.  

The only slightly encouraging sign is that the players who are helping the most are the freshmen and sophs.  I do think Tara retired at maybe the best time for her personally but the worst time for the program and for Paye, who had to reinvent the team in a sense, given the changes in the roster.  She was not set up for success and certainly has not made the team greater than the sum of the talents on the roster.  We look much less than the sum of the parts, lack of posts or not.  I just hope the team hasn't given up.  If we lose young players after this wretched season, next year may not be all that much better, and if so, well program is in deep doo doo.