TSM Coaching Approval Meter (Post-Pitt, 2009)

What were the in-game clock and game management issues you speak of Mr. West?

I questioned going for it on 4th down from our 26 at first but after second thought and remembering the wind, it was the right call. Would you rather he punted?

Not running another play before trying the game winning kick? Why chance a fumble or loss of yards? It was third so a potential bobbled snap could be spiked and we would get another chance at a game winner.

Those are arguable decisions but not absolutely the wrong calls.

but i know a good coach when i see one! 10 – 3 with a Gator Bowl victory looks like success to me!

Our team found a way to win in spite of HCBS denying them 6 points. Defense was awesome, but the offense still has no identity and the play calling was poor in key situations. The end of the half and the end of the game clock management was insane. EDSBS’s joke posted this morning rings painfully true. Thank you #7!

I can’t say that Bill would have been in my top 10 choices for the head coaching job, but he got it. He has a .720 overall record and a .500 record against Pitt. RichRod had a .6977 overall and a .5714 against Pitt.

Other than it not being as fun to watch, I can’t see a whole lot of difference in the outcomes. I’m waiting to see what he does when RichRod’s recruits have all graduated or turned pro.

with two weeks to prepare and get healthy, it was probably the most complete game we’d played all year. somebody had to get these guys focused, so i’ll have to credit the coaches.

and … while the thought of learning the ropes of being an offensive coordinator on wvu’s dime has pretty much driven me nuts, mullen seems to be slowly accepting the k.i.s.s. approach to play-calling and saving the gadget plays for change-ups vs. change for change’s sake.

both the staff and the team may finally be getting comfortable with their jobs. this is crucial to set up what should be wvu’s watershed season next year.

Changing my vote from the last couple of weeks. If anything, the D just played better all around, Jarrett moved the ball around well and our play calling at least didn’t have too many glaring “WTF” calls.

I know that our O-line still got schooled, and if they went and kidnapped Trickett and brought him back I’d be happier for it. Still, I’d have to say they got the team to play better and to win the game.

If you’ve decided you wish for the FG to be the last play of the game, then of course you use the time-out with ~3 seconds to go. That’s dandy. But why waste the last thirty seconds and put your noob kicker at the edge of his range on the hash when you can use your extra down to try to get a couple yards closer and/or center up the ball and THEN use the time-out?

…in order to be able to recover a botched snap or whatever. Three seconds ain’t enough time for that: barring some really odd outcome, you have one snap there. So just kick on 4th down.

If you’re not happy with a win over a top 10 Pitt team, you’ll never be happy. I feel sorry for you, I really do. Good luck waiting on that perfect game and pissing and moaning when it never happens while the rest of us enjoy the good times.

I voted Yes. I enjoyed that win. I enjoy my bragging rights for a year after putting up with misery for 2.

Yes, you are wrong on that 3rd and goal before the half. You can’t “leave” points on the field. Nothing can ever be called a sure thing. Botched snap, penalty, sack, etc… Same with the kick, it could have gone bad too. But to make it 3-3 is better than failing and trailing 3-0.
You’ve got to take points when you can get them.

If any call down near the goal line you want to argue, it’s the first time they were down there on 4th and goal from the one and they called a pass play and Brown runs for his life for a 9 yard loss? Granted the D held, but at worst, you don’t score you have a chance at a safety and pinning them on their goal line.
My call would have been Clarke busting it up the middle. Power against Power.

Country, and 5YS, you can’t make everyone happy all the time, or for that matter some of the people some of the time. WVUEric, CBus, and ESP35 are the type that no matter how great things happen to them they will find a black cloud in the sky. To them misery is the best thing to being happy.

I like HCBS and I agree with how he wants to run the program for the most part. I’d like to see some changes, but that would happen on any team any year. HOWEVER, I do believe I have seen enough of Mr. Mullen’s offense to say it would be best for him to move along.

I agree with Cbus (!) that this approval meter really is somewhat flawed. Our true assessment of the work done by the staff will come in January. All the poll probably shows is a fickle fan base unudulating with the last game’s result. It will be interesting to look at once the season is over…that jagged line that dips after losses and rises after wins.

I think WVU South hits it right on. I don’t like to say this, but I think JB has become a serious handicap to this offense. Did anyone see that replay from an endzone camera where you could clearly see his eyes? It was “one read, now panic!” I think Mullen’s playcalling has been handicapped by the quarterback play for the last few games. How else to explain that more than half of our plays develop behind the line of scrimmage, where the worst thing that can happen is a loss of yardage?

Now, maybe you can blame Stew for not benching him mid-season, but that might have had its downside as well.

I have to say I didn’t mind going for it on fourth early in the game (although JB taking that sack and giving them 10 yards of breathing room caused me to break something). Isn’t that a sign of “killer instinct” so many of you deride Stew for not having? It certainly isn’t conservative! I was annoyed as it happened, that we didn’t run a play on third down and kick on fourth as the half ended, but, upon further reflection, it was probably the right call, given the wind and some erratic play from the QB.

It is odd how things work out. If you had told me that we held Cincy to 24 points, I would have told you we won, but we lost. If you had told me that we only score 19 against Pitt, I would have told you that we lost, but we won. Great job, defense…!

And where is the love for Keith Tandy? I went over to Pitt Blather just to see what was being said, and more than one person mentioned “that damn No. 8, he had a great game.” In fact, where is Keith Tandy!?! Get on here and talk it up!

Fanshawe out!