Post by elp525 on Sept 16, 2011 5:19:41 GMT -5
09/15/2011
Frank Giardina
WVU Sports
Here are some comments and translations from Tony Caridi's visit with Dana Holgorsen in the early part of his weekly radio show on Thursday night.
1.ON PREPARATIONS THIS WEEK---Comments--Practice has been good. It is good to be back in a normal game week and not have to worry about a short week. We were emotionally worn after the Marshall game and all of the delays and we did not play well in the first half last week. Translation--This is our first "normal" game week. The short week after the Marshall game impacted practice and our mindset more than we thought it might.
2. COULD YOU TELL IN PRE-GAME WARM-UPS THAT THE PLAYERS WERE A LITTLE FLAT----Comments--I did not sense in the pre-game that were were flat. I did not see that at all. I am not sure why we did not seem ready to play in the first half. I am not sure any coach could tell that. No one seems to be able to figure that out. Translation---These are young kids, college aged kids and they are difficult to read sometimes. Sometimes in games like this the favored team thinks they are ready to play, but deep down they also think the opponent will be intimidated and not compete. That was not the case with Norfolk State.
3. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO HALVES--Comments--We may not have been very good in the first half, but we were much better in the second half. At the end of the day we got what we wanted which is a win. Comments---What difference does it make? It is a game of four quarters, not two. We won the game and scored 55 points doing it. There is nothing wrong with that end result.
4. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MARYLAND--Comments--I know that this has been a good series and rivalry. Maryland has always had a lot of good players and are one of the top schools in college football for producing NFL players. They have always had good players and we have great respect for them. Translation---They have had a lot of talent there and plenty of players on NFL rosters. I am not sure why Ralph (Friedgen) didn't win more games his last few years.
5. WHAT DOES MARYLAND DO DEFENSIVELY--Comments--They are pretty conservative defensively. I know their coordinator and am good friends with him and we know what they like to do. They run a basic defense and are technologically sound. They have had two weeks to get ready so they will have some things we have not seen before. Comments---They play sound defense and try not to beat themselves and give up the big play. They will make us be patient in moving the ball down the field. They are hopeful we will get impatient and make a mistake. If we can jump on them early and get a lead, we can force them to take chances which they do not want to do.
6. ON MARYLAND HAVING AN OPEN DATE BEFORE THIS GAME--Comments--I wouldn't want it. I would not want an open date here. I would rather play and have the game reps this early in the season. Translation--This is an advantage for us, especially with our new offense to keep getting our young guys reps in this system.
7. ONE OF OUR E-MAILERS WANT TO KNOW IF YOU PUT A TEXAS BOOT UP THE BACKSIDES OF THE PLAYERS IN THE LOCKER ROOM AT HALF-TIME--Comment---No there was not a lot of that stuff. Heck, Geno was more vocal than I was at the half. We did what we normally do. We met as a staff and talked about things we wanted to change and say to the team. The the position coaches did a good job meeting with their players and explaining to them what we wanted to do. Then I talked to the team as a whole and we went out and played. Translation---Many fans don't realize that "fire and brimstone" half-time talks are one of the great myths of college football. Oh, they happen sometimes in certain situations from certain guys, but for the most part if fans were in a locker room at the half, they would be disappointed. It is not as "rah rah" as they think it is.
Frank Giardina
WVU Sports
Here are some comments and translations from Tony Caridi's visit with Dana Holgorsen in the early part of his weekly radio show on Thursday night.
1.ON PREPARATIONS THIS WEEK---Comments--Practice has been good. It is good to be back in a normal game week and not have to worry about a short week. We were emotionally worn after the Marshall game and all of the delays and we did not play well in the first half last week. Translation--This is our first "normal" game week. The short week after the Marshall game impacted practice and our mindset more than we thought it might.
2. COULD YOU TELL IN PRE-GAME WARM-UPS THAT THE PLAYERS WERE A LITTLE FLAT----Comments--I did not sense in the pre-game that were were flat. I did not see that at all. I am not sure why we did not seem ready to play in the first half. I am not sure any coach could tell that. No one seems to be able to figure that out. Translation---These are young kids, college aged kids and they are difficult to read sometimes. Sometimes in games like this the favored team thinks they are ready to play, but deep down they also think the opponent will be intimidated and not compete. That was not the case with Norfolk State.
3. WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO HALVES--Comments--We may not have been very good in the first half, but we were much better in the second half. At the end of the day we got what we wanted which is a win. Comments---What difference does it make? It is a game of four quarters, not two. We won the game and scored 55 points doing it. There is nothing wrong with that end result.
4. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MARYLAND--Comments--I know that this has been a good series and rivalry. Maryland has always had a lot of good players and are one of the top schools in college football for producing NFL players. They have always had good players and we have great respect for them. Translation---They have had a lot of talent there and plenty of players on NFL rosters. I am not sure why Ralph (Friedgen) didn't win more games his last few years.
5. WHAT DOES MARYLAND DO DEFENSIVELY--Comments--They are pretty conservative defensively. I know their coordinator and am good friends with him and we know what they like to do. They run a basic defense and are technologically sound. They have had two weeks to get ready so they will have some things we have not seen before. Comments---They play sound defense and try not to beat themselves and give up the big play. They will make us be patient in moving the ball down the field. They are hopeful we will get impatient and make a mistake. If we can jump on them early and get a lead, we can force them to take chances which they do not want to do.
6. ON MARYLAND HAVING AN OPEN DATE BEFORE THIS GAME--Comments--I wouldn't want it. I would not want an open date here. I would rather play and have the game reps this early in the season. Translation--This is an advantage for us, especially with our new offense to keep getting our young guys reps in this system.
7. ONE OF OUR E-MAILERS WANT TO KNOW IF YOU PUT A TEXAS BOOT UP THE BACKSIDES OF THE PLAYERS IN THE LOCKER ROOM AT HALF-TIME--Comment---No there was not a lot of that stuff. Heck, Geno was more vocal than I was at the half. We did what we normally do. We met as a staff and talked about things we wanted to change and say to the team. The the position coaches did a good job meeting with their players and explaining to them what we wanted to do. Then I talked to the team as a whole and we went out and played. Translation---Many fans don't realize that "fire and brimstone" half-time talks are one of the great myths of college football. Oh, they happen sometimes in certain situations from certain guys, but for the most part if fans were in a locker room at the half, they would be disappointed. It is not as "rah rah" as they think it is.
