I'm sitting here watching JMU dominate this game to win the National Championship and it makes me realize how close we were this year. If Lauretta doesn't get hurt we've got a shot. I remember listening to the pregame show before we played W&M and Rocco gave the strangest interview I've ever heard from a head coach. He commented on how our goal was to win 8 games and make the playoffs. He said the W&M game was a rivalry game and important but that in the week before during preparation he was much more relaxed and the pressure was off. Playing your oldest rival on the road for a probable national seed and a first week bye, that comment struck me as unbelievable. We went out that day and lost a game, a seed, a bye, and our starting QB. I for one want a coach who wants to win a national title, not 8 games. I want a coach who wants to prepare each week to win every game. And I want a coach who wants to be at Richmond and embraces both the advantages and the challenges the position brings. I think we have that coach now and I cannot wait for the Huesman era to begin.
Thoughts
- Thread starter URPike
- Start date
Said it on another post, but I think Huesman is an upgrade at head coach. Spiders will be nasty next year and will continue to be a FCS power in the future. Our new head coach talks about winning National Championships, not 8 games. Spider Football now has a championship mentality. To steal one from Rocco, "good to great." Rocco admitted he wasn't able to take the program from good to great when he said he took us as far as he could.
Have seen the Rocco "win 8 game" comment over and over on multiple threads. I never took it the way a few posters did.
All he was saying is you need to win 8 to assure (most years) a playoff spot, then you begin your second season. He wasn't saying just winning 8 games was the goal for the season. Does anyone seriously believe he did not want to win a NC here?
Obviously his exit was inartful, but don't believe in twisting his words to reflect other than what he meant.
All he was saying is you need to win 8 to assure (most years) a playoff spot, then you begin your second season. He wasn't saying just winning 8 games was the goal for the season. Does anyone seriously believe he did not want to win a NC here?
Obviously his exit was inartful, but don't believe in twisting his words to reflect other than what he meant.
He didn't say 8 games was the ultimate goal for the season, he said we needed 8 games to make playoffs. Then he also said the pressure was off and he relaxed in the week leading up to the W&M game. We all know what happened that week. You can interpret the 8 games comment however you want but relaxing because there is no pressure - because you hit your 8 game goal - is pretty self explanatory to me. And the results from that game speak for themselves as well.
We probably win by 2 scores if not for the garbage targetting call by Rubin, even with the Lauletta injury.
Were just going to use all of that to fuel the fire next year and when everyone is healthy it is going to be great when it all comes together.
I do not claim to have been privy to all comments by DR to his team, but I heard repeated many times "win 8". I don't debate your interpretation, but I also know Dave Clawson used to speak of winning a NC, winning the Conference, going undefeated, of course he never got all of the goals, but his mindset was to aim high. I like his message better than the one sent by DR. JMHO
I agree, you need to have to find up, go win at all attitude as a coach of a really good team. Your team believes as much as you do. If Rocco really did just have the goal of winning 8 games every year it shows. We won exactly 8 games in each of the last three regular seasons. The bar is set higher now and the team will respond to that goal.
Hear you Fan1, et al. My take was DR and the team recognized how close they were to having what it took to win a a NC after losing to the BIzons in the 2015 semis. The team redoubled their efforts during the off season, transfers were brought in, highly credentialed OC and DC coordinators were added.
Rocco is methodical - first win the conference (JMU got in the way), win at least 8 to get in the playoffs (check), get a seed and play at home as long as possible (WM got in the way due to Lauletta injury), win a National Championship (injuries got in the way).
To say that Rocco was focused on winning 8 while Huesman is focused on winning NC just ain't so IMHO. They both were/are very focused on winning a NC.
Rocco is methodical - first win the conference (JMU got in the way), win at least 8 to get in the playoffs (check), get a seed and play at home as long as possible (WM got in the way due to Lauletta injury), win a National Championship (injuries got in the way).
To say that Rocco was focused on winning 8 while Huesman is focused on winning NC just ain't so IMHO. They both were/are very focused on winning a NC.
He already had one foot out the door and the other would follow as soon as the season ended. All his talk about vision, etc., was just blowing smoke to draw attention away from that fact.
Well, Clawson deserves at least 80% of our National Championship, and our fans who lined the Spider Walk in Chattanooga deserve the other 20%
This and this right here. If anyone didnt think that Rocco was on the way out take a look at that decision. Something was rotten in Denmark when you have a national championship caliber team and you throw in a 6th string QB when we still had a chance to win. We had 2 players that were scholarship and could of pulled one for the win and still redshirt them next year.
Props to KJ putting his team ahead of his own agenda.
Rocco was a good coach but he does not walk on water.
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Huesman has to figure in a % there too.
Hell hath no fury like SpiderNation scorned by a coach. 
A coach leaving by walking across the bridge and waiving open handed is one thing. We have certainly had a few of those and there is nothing wrong with that. A coach walking across with a torch in one hand and an extended middle finger on the other is an equine of a different hue.
my wife insisted we get one several years ago, and she has tuned out to be one of the best we have ever owned. very loving and great temperment
I'm not sure I understand this. You think one of the other QBs was better equipped to lead us in the payoffs? Which one?
Johnson clearly was the best option, wanted to play and gave us the best chance to win. And he was a key reason why we won two playoff games. I doubt anyone else brings us back at North Dakota like he did. The idea that Rocco was somehow trying to screw us for the future by forcing him to burn his shirt is ridiculous to me.
Believe your taking my comment out of context.Never said nor implied anything about forcing KJ to burn a RS in the playoffs or ND game. Saying KJ cared more about this seasons team then Rocco. I think (again just opinion) he didn't want to burn KJs RS because he could of gotten started on his next job sooner.
I'm specifically talking about WM. He was trying to get the hell out ASAP. By choosing not to play our next best option against WM when it's still a game it looked pretty obvious to me this was a man looking for an out. He had 2 guys who, no offense, are way better then the freshman walk on from a 1A high school or Clise who he put in and he chose not to.
In the WM game we could of pulled a shirt on one of those players and did not. It shouldn't of impacted one of them in 2017 because we would still have Lauletta, KJ, and the other freshman whose name escapes me. One of those two could red shirt this year while the other backed up Lauletta and not lose any eligibility in 2017.
I'm giving props to KJ because Rocco is speaking out one side of his mouth saying he doesn't want to burn the kids RS while fighting rumors of him going to Delaware. Awfully convenient way to quickly start your next job.
Usually coaches will do whatever it takes (roster rise) at their disposal to keep a season going. Did not see that from Rocco but I did see that unselfish behavior from KJ.
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Are we talking about the Standard Poodle? My wife wants one, but I have some reservations since the one we just looked at (see below) is taller than I am.
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Ok, sorry, I misinterpreted what you meant then. I agree with you. The W&M game at the time seemed like a giant flip of the middle finger by Rocco to the administration, and I said as much after the game on the thread here. I agree that he totally punted on that game at the point Lauletta got hurt. I thought it was in an attempt to say, Ok, you are suspending my backup QB, so I'll show you what the other QBs on the roster look like, including one who can't throw and one who is a freshman walkon.
No worries, it was a pretty wordy statement that touched off on a few things...
Yup and it comes off as incredibly petty too. The last 12 years our teams have busted their ass and closed the gap in the WM series and it probably would be tied right now and not -2 if he was emotionally invested the entire game (This should piss off every Spider fan, especially the old timers). I don't think he threw it, I just don't think he cared at that point and was going through the motions. I'm not sure how you cant arrive at another conclusion when hes keeping his best available options on the bench.
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Great thread, Pike.
I was driving to the office this morning and listening to a national sports radio show. Their college football experts were talking about how Lane Kiffin had to go, because you "can't coach effectively with one foot out the door." For a moment my mind drifted back to the week before the W&M game when the rumors started flying about Rocco to Delaware, and I thought I was listening to local radio and they were talking about our Spiders.
But seriously, don't listen to local sports radio. It's awful. Unless it's Bob Black or an interview with a Spider.
I was driving to the office this morning and listening to a national sports radio show. Their college football experts were talking about how Lane Kiffin had to go, because you "can't coach effectively with one foot out the door." For a moment my mind drifted back to the week before the W&M game when the rumors started flying about Rocco to Delaware, and I thought I was listening to local radio and they were talking about our Spiders.
But seriously, don't listen to local sports radio. It's awful. Unless it's Bob Black or an interview with a Spider.
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