...balls drop on Friday night? I certainly hope so.
...so you know how a long time ago (when you were young) you had a childhood hero that you looked up to? That hero was 10-feet tall and could do no wrong. Perhaps this figure was a ball player or a politician, or perhaps it was a parent (your mom or your dad). Well, as you advanced in age and became more observant, you started to notice things that you had missed before. Maybe you discovered that your hero was an alcoholic. Perhaps that one parent cheated on or beat the other. Perhaps that politician was held back or done in by hubris.
Well, one of Clay Helton's role models was indeed done in by hubris on Friday night. Clay always admired the Stanford team for its ability to "impose its will" on its opponents--bullying and churning out yards on the ground regardless of the opponent's strategy or formation. The Cardinal employed this strategy when Harbaugh was the team's coach, and this is exactly how his successor, David Shaw, has been operating.
This past Friday night, during a moment no bigger than the late fourth quarter of the Pac-12 championship game itself, David Shaw, needing two yards on third down, decided to run straight into the teeth of a USC defense that was stacking 11 in the box and selling out to stop the run. NO DICE!!! Not to be deterred, this confident coach opted for the exact same strategy (and in fact ran the exact same play) on fourth down against the sell-out Trojans. IN YOUR FACE!!! ...and the rest is history.
David, Shaw, once the hero of the nascent head coach of the USC Trojans, became a fable on Friday night whose cautionary tale should be heeded by said young Trojan coach. Beware of hubris! Trust yourself, but look for the humility within yourself. Don't follow he who bashes head against rock.
Perhaps it's time for Clay to look for a new hero. "Be water, my friend," said one Bruce Lee. He's my recommendation for Helton's next role model, but we might want to clear this Bruce Lee candidate first with Korn Ferry.
...or...Clay can just be clay.
When I asked in the subject line whether the coaching staff's balls dropped on Friday, it's because I believe that I witnessed a ton of good work on the part of these coaches (especially on the offense). I have yet to watch the game replay, so I can't be sure of that which I'm about to say, but I thought that I witnessed the following:
We "only" scored 31 points on Friday, but the play calling and designs seemed vastly improved. The proof in the pudding is mixed in within Adam Maya's game notes--the Trojans scored on four of five red zone opportunities. They prevailed in the biggest contest of the year.
All of this bodes very well for the bowl game and for next season. Enjoy the future; meanwhile, I'll take it upon myself to go inform the choir director that Clay, Tee, and Tyson will be vacating the tenors section to go sing with the basses.
...so you know how a long time ago (when you were young) you had a childhood hero that you looked up to? That hero was 10-feet tall and could do no wrong. Perhaps this figure was a ball player or a politician, or perhaps it was a parent (your mom or your dad). Well, as you advanced in age and became more observant, you started to notice things that you had missed before. Maybe you discovered that your hero was an alcoholic. Perhaps that one parent cheated on or beat the other. Perhaps that politician was held back or done in by hubris.
Well, one of Clay Helton's role models was indeed done in by hubris on Friday night. Clay always admired the Stanford team for its ability to "impose its will" on its opponents--bullying and churning out yards on the ground regardless of the opponent's strategy or formation. The Cardinal employed this strategy when Harbaugh was the team's coach, and this is exactly how his successor, David Shaw, has been operating.
This past Friday night, during a moment no bigger than the late fourth quarter of the Pac-12 championship game itself, David Shaw, needing two yards on third down, decided to run straight into the teeth of a USC defense that was stacking 11 in the box and selling out to stop the run. NO DICE!!! Not to be deterred, this confident coach opted for the exact same strategy (and in fact ran the exact same play) on fourth down against the sell-out Trojans. IN YOUR FACE!!! ...and the rest is history.
David, Shaw, once the hero of the nascent head coach of the USC Trojans, became a fable on Friday night whose cautionary tale should be heeded by said young Trojan coach. Beware of hubris! Trust yourself, but look for the humility within yourself. Don't follow he who bashes head against rock.
Perhaps it's time for Clay to look for a new hero. "Be water, my friend," said one Bruce Lee. He's my recommendation for Helton's next role model, but we might want to clear this Bruce Lee candidate first with Korn Ferry.
...or...Clay can just be clay.
When I asked in the subject line whether the coaching staff's balls dropped on Friday, it's because I believe that I witnessed a ton of good work on the part of these coaches (especially on the offense). I have yet to watch the game replay, so I can't be sure of that which I'm about to say, but I thought that I witnessed the following:
- Heavy usage of pulling linemen to support the run plays (working the math at the point of attack), and
- Heavy usage of slant routes, etc. (which I don't believe that we've seen a lot of for most of this season).
We "only" scored 31 points on Friday, but the play calling and designs seemed vastly improved. The proof in the pudding is mixed in within Adam Maya's game notes--the Trojans scored on four of five red zone opportunities. They prevailed in the biggest contest of the year.
All of this bodes very well for the bowl game and for next season. Enjoy the future; meanwhile, I'll take it upon myself to go inform the choir director that Clay, Tee, and Tyson will be vacating the tenors section to go sing with the basses.
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