Before the USC game, and after the ND game, i have changed my tune a bit...
I, though, have never wanted Randy Sanders on a plate. I did not necessarily think this was a coaching issue from a play calling or game plan standpoint.
In every game this year, the plays have been called, we have been aggressive in play calling, and the game plan against Bama in particular was outstanding. In each game, there is one constant, we don't execute worth a crap.
question that has been naggin all of us all season is, is it the coaches or players? well, it is both. the coaches have to develop the talent to execute the plan, which we have failed miserably at this year, but one could argue this is an area that has been lacking for a while now. Then, there is the other part. the players. At some point, they have to bring something to the table. We are 10 weeks in to this season, with two off weeks. That's 10 practice weeks. 10 weeks of film review. 10 weeks of planning. 10 weeks of knowing what the areas of improvment need to be. the players know what is being done, and not being done out there. At some point, they too have to take some personal responsibility for thier own work habits and correcting thier errors.
It's a two way street here, but unfortunately, we are on a one way dead end ally this year.
Truth is it's all of thier faults. coaches did a terrible job of getting this team ready, they did a terrible job in the off season by not making a decision on the qb and getting him reps with the ones. They did a terrible job of not instilling discipline in this team. Players have done a terrible job of reading too much about themselves. they have done a terrible job of not having any personal accountability for this mess. they have done a terrible job of not making a deliberate effort to work out these issues on their own, for a team with so much leadership.
When i hear Rick Clausen telling the fans what they need to do etc...and i hear Eric Ainge going on and on about his abilities in pre season interviews....this was a perfect set up, when you go back and look, hindsight being what it si, to a bad season.
the coaches and players and fans all beleived the hype, and did nothing to actually take care of business.
Now having said all of that, i do think change is in order, and while i feel bad for Sanders, because this isn't his burden to carry solely, the change if made correctly, should be a good thing. And there are position coaches that will also feel the brunt at the season's end as well, also welcome change.
for instance: We have a full time TE coach, but not a full time Special Teams coach? does that make sense? NO. Change is coming, don't worry.