NCAA Football

How Do Some of These People Have Jobs?

Watch enough football on a given weekend and you’re bound to see some awful coaching. It’s one thing to see a game mis-managed between a couple of Conference USA teams, but to see it on the major college football stage and in the NFL makes you wonder how some of these people are still employed.

Exhibit A: Jim Tressel, Ohio State

For years, I called Tressel one of the top three game day coaches in the nation, and now he’s been thoroughly out-coached in his teams three biggest games of the last three years. His management of Todd Boeckman and Terrell Pryor against USC was embarrassingly bad.

After about two series’ in this game, it was crystal clear to anyone watching that Boeckman would not be successful against USC, while Pryor had them on their heels. Boeckman proceeded to 14-for-21 passing, averaging a pathetic four yards per pass, and threw two costly interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Boeckman moves like he’s got concrete feet, and USC’s defensive line was in the backfield every play. When Pryor was in, he at least had a chance to make plays.

So what does Tressel do? He continues to throw Boeckman out there to get sacked somewhere in the neighborhood of 64 times. Pryor, meanwhile, ran 11 times for 40 yards and completed 7 of 9 pass attempts.

This was eerily similar to how poorly he managed Troy Smith against Florida in the 2006 season’s BCS title game. In that game, despite being able to run at will, Tressel thought it would be swell to run shotgun 5-wide sets all game, leading Florida to eat Smith alive.

Tressel may be the best game day coach in the Big Ten, but he may never win another big game against the likes of Pete Carroll or Urban Meyer again.

Exhibit B: Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons

What’s should a coach do when his team runs for 318 yards in week one? Well, obviously, if your Smith and the Falcons, you come out with a pass heavy attack for your quarterback playing his second NFL game.

And what do you do when that quarterback starts the game 0-9 with two interceptions? That’s right, continue to air it out. Thirty-three passes to 28 runs (six by quarterback) in week two. Genius. First and goal from the six with five minutes left, down by 11? That’s right — QB draw, incomplete pass, incomplete pass. Well played, sir.

Seriously, how are these people employed at the highest level of coaching. I’m sorry, gameplan or not, but the bottom line is you are not qualified to coach at this level with some of these decisions. The Falcons deserve to be 1-1, since they have played one well coached game, and mailed in the other.

Nothing like a league that simply recycles recognizable names, rather than try to find the best people for the job. Not that Mike Smith falls into this category, but he’s part of the problem.

This is why the Patriots and Bill Belichick will coast to the AFC East division title without Tom Brady. They have superior coaching and will win close games. This is also why the Falcons and Mike Smith will miss the playoffs, no matter how talented they are.

Here’s to you, Mike Smith — way to cost your team any chance of starting 2-0.

Honorable Mention

Dennis Erickson, Arizona State. You don’t lose to UNLV at football. At home. When you’re the number 13 team in the country. As a 24-point favorite. Completely inexcusable. Good thing they fired Dirk Koetter since he couldn’t beat USC. At least he never lost to UNLV.

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