Some perspective
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Like many of you, I'm disappointed with the outcome of today's game. Many of us felt confident in the team's chance to win today and start the young season 5-0. Like many of you, I was tugging at strands of hair after each dropped pass, each Spartan third down conversion and especially after the two untimely turnovers. The temptation is to point the finger, find a culprit and rationalize the loss. This is not only counterproductive, as it narrows the focus of the commentary on the negative aspects of the game, it singles out these individuals as fairweather fans. I'm not coming out against those of you who have put together coherent and fair bullet point lists describing the most agonizingly painful moments of the game, rather those of you who are so quick to blame the loss squarely on one decision, one play or one missed opportunity. Disappointment and frustration are inevitable but we need to keep it together and focus on what's going well for us right now. Very few thought we would be 4-0 out of the gate and so far, it looks like the rebuiding job is ahead of schedule. This team mustered a whopping THREE victories last season! And although the defense has played poorly and the offense looked anemic today, we have to be proud of the way our guys have come out and played thus far. We have seven more games to play and we all know how well this team can play at the Big House when the bright lights are on and all the attention is upon them. </p>
<p>I'm still confident in this team and extremely proud of the effort they have given so far this year. Nothing I have to say will make two straight losses to Michigan State more palatable but you have to believe Coach Rodriguez and his staff will have the final word on this as soon as he connects the remaining pieces on this team. Keep the faith. Support the team in good times and bad. GO BLUE. </p>
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Like many of you, I'm disappointed with the outcome of today's game. Many of us felt confident in the team's chance to win today and start the young season 5-0. Like many of you, I was tugging at strands of hair after each dropped pass, each Spartan third down conversion and especially after the two untimely turnovers. The temptation is to point the finger, find a culprit and rationalize the loss. This is not only counterproductive, as it narrows the focus of the commentary on the negative aspects of the game, it singles out these individuals as fairweather fans. I'm not coming out against those of you who have put together coherent and fair bullet point lists describing the most agonizingly painful moments of the game, rather those of you who are so quick to blame the loss squarely on one decision, one play or one missed opportunity. Disappointment and frustration are inevitable but we need to keep it together and focus on what's going well for us right now. Very few thought we would be 4-0 out of the gate and so far, it looks like the rebuiding job is ahead of schedule. This team mustered a whopping THREE victories last season! And although the defense has played poorly and the offense looked anemic today, we have to be proud of the way our guys have come out and played thus far. We have seven more games to play and we all know how well this team can play at the Big House when the bright lights are on and all the attention is upon them. </p>
<p>I'm still confident in this team and extremely proud of the effort they have given so far this year. Nothing I have to say will make two straight losses to Michigan State more palatable but you have to believe Coach Rodriguez and his staff will have the final word on this as soon as he connects the remaining pieces on this team. Keep the faith. Support the team in good times and bad. GO BLUE. </p>
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October 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 PM ^
Good post, don't know if it should be in the Diaries' section, though.
But I do feel like we're close, very close, to reestablishing ourselves in the upper echelon of college football. It may take one more great recruiting class to cement it, but the signs are there.
I hate Michigan State more than anyone, but I was proud with our effort, even in the loss.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 PM ^
but I'm new to the site and felt the need to post something quickly regarding the day's activities.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:34 PM ^
I like the post. You don't stop loving the team if you're a real fan.
On the offense: second-guessing a guy who has worked his way into one of the top jobs in his field when you don't have a tenth of the information he does is usually not a good idea. Personally, I'm torn between thinking that excellent preparation does not lose games and "even the best-laid plans of mice and men will sometimes go awry."
The defense probably isn't worth over-analyzing because of their numerous and well-documented obstacles with a personnel and a new coordinator, but does anyone have an idea of what the Cousins containment issues were? I'm not great at finding these things live but I wonder what combination of poor reads/alignments/execution could allow plays like the 41-yard scramble.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 PM ^
It looked like Mouton just ran right by him. I think he was in position to prevent the first down, but he just didn't make the play.
I think the contain issues have more to do with our linebackers than scheme.
October 3rd, 2009 at 6:48 PM ^
that Mouton, among others, did not exhibit sound, fundamentals today. It was so irritating ... c'mon!!! Tackle the guy!
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:37 PM ^
However, the lack of an offensive game plan that didn't resemble the last 3 games would have been nice, this game could have been over after Stevie Brown's 1st quarter interception but that great unpredicatable Carlos Brown handoff really fooled the Spartans, that's a play you go right into the End Zone, which takes the opposing team out of the game. Again, as I have been bashed all day long, is the same reason Rich Rod did not get his 07 West Virginia Team further after playing a conservative game versus Pitt....keep saying he cares about this rivalry, obviously last year we didn't stand a chance, but it was all on the coaching staff today, it didn't take a football expert to know we could throw down the field to our receivers all day long...and if you disagree the 4th quarter proved this very fact....