[BlueCometAlum]

Long time reader first time poster. Ive always wanted to say that.
The elon game was the first game ive been able to make since the western carolina game last year. I have been impressed with coach danny rocco in everything that he has done but yesterday was disheartening. My biggest concern is the quarterback play. I played quarterback way back when in high school and my oldest son is a quarterback in middle school right now. Brock smith does things that i am trying my hardest not to get my son to do. He was with me yesterday and surprised me by some of the things he noticed. I dont know how to quote people on here but someone said he stares down his receivers and they are right. When smith takes a snap he looks at one side of the field and once that receivers is not open he starts to dance and lose his composure. There has to be a change at the quarterback position. I hav also heard the name mike brown mentioned. I am 3 hours from lynchburg so i have never seen this mike brown player play. if he really is the quarterback of the future there is no reason for him to play this year. The coaches need to keep the shirt on him and play someone else at quarterback for this year. There is no use wasting a year of eligibility on a player when the only thing that is available is a big south championship. I do not know smith from adam so i dont know if he is a good kid or not that does not matter. Good kid or not he is not a good quarterback. The best liberty can expect with a smith led team is .500.

[bigsmooth]

im going to ignore that stupid comment by paradox, and stevev's negative nelly mentality. we are in the big south..it is our conference. our goal was to win the big south. we have not started conference play yet. so a season better than last year is still very attainable. so yes it means something to win the big south.

in regards to the game i did not see it, but the description on the radio painted an ugly picture. this cover 2 stuff is ridiculous. we are not a cover 2 team. if we continue to do so, we will not win many games. i think it is personnel. wholesale changes will need to be made. offensively, we may need to alternate QB's the next few weeks and see if landis can be the man. from all reports i get mike brown is the man, but his redshirt will not be burnt this year. i like brock but he is not getting it done, and that is the bottom line.

we were outcoached in every sense, and this 34 defense and the lack of defending the pass is something i am way too familiar with being a UVA fan. coach rocco is widely known as a very good recruiter, and recruited a lot of those UVA players who struggle in the secondary now. maybe it is the scheme? i really do not know. and im not saying rocco is a bad coach, because im behind him 110% and i think he will make the necessary changes, but maybe a change in philosophy may help who knows. we as fans need to be patient, we are all armchair QB's thus this messageboard, but maybe the 34 needs to be scrapped. if we cannot get pressure on the QB which i think is the key i really hate this defense. our secondary is just playing way too soft.

im not giving up on the season and we all need to be supportive. it is ok to be upset, question, and second guess...as fans it is our right. we will see what this team is made of next week. we should be st. francis easily..yes i said it, so let's see the resolve of our team and whta our coaching staff comes up with. stick with the guys!!

[HenryGale]

Lang's blog comments on the game at halftime:

* The defense again has been shredded. Elon...is starting a true freshman at quarterback, one who has had enough time to pour a Guinness in the backfield and wait for the head to settle before taking a sip

http://nasports.wordpress.com/

Definitely quote of the day....and yet...unfortunately very accurate.

[paradox]

I put this loss on 2 things:

1. Our team showed no heart following last week. They came out and acted like they didn't care to win or want to win. I don't know if this is a hangover from last week or not. I hope that's what it is, but who knows. They showed no will to win. This must change.

2. The coaching staff. Noone on here seems to admit it, but we got SEVERELY outcoached. They did the exact same thing W&M did on offense, and we looked like we didn't learn anything from that game. The QB had all day to throw, our secondary allowed their receivers to catch the ball. Then we couldn't make a tackle and they would run for 10 yards. I put that on the coaching staff. You have to be able to adjust. You can say our defense is the cover 2 and that's what we're going to run, but that's how you lose. People are going to eat us alive.

Frankly, this was embarassing. I rushed to get there as quick as possible, for what? The team stayed in Lynchburg, the fans should have as well.

Personally, I think that this team is losing heart because they know that they can't win with Brock at QB. A change is long overdue. In my estimation, he didn't play well enough last season, to be the defacto starter for this season. It should have been an open competition from the begining.

Secondly, our best offensive weapon has been shelved: Zach Terrell Why? Could it be because Rocco made a commitment to the Jennings family (longtime family friends) ???

Brock is not the answer and every player on both sides of the ball knows this. Zach needs to play--bottom line. IT'S STUFF LIKE THIS THAT TEARS A TEAM APART FROM THE INSIDE.

Dumbest statement ever on this board. Have you ever seen a football?

Rashad is the third Jennings associated with the Rocco family. Maybe it's a fact that you were unaware of or it may be just something that you need to consider.

Ever hear the name Frank Rocco? How about Butch Jennings? Does the name Rutigliano even mean anything to you, Flame-Shaw? LCA? These guys go way back: Three Jennings brothers, two Rocco's, and two Rutiglianos. Cabish?




Once again, you need a new song and dance, FLAMESHAW-my friend, because this one's getting old





.....

[Cider Jim]

Landis was 4-5 passing with a touchdown in the 4th quarter. What's that, an 80% completion rate in limited minutes, compared to Brock who was 17 for 37 (45%)? I say give the kid some serious playing time against St. Francis and see how he does.

Replace the words "Landis" with "Kyle Painter" and you'll realize how ridiculous you are, should you know who Kyle Painter is. Elon probably stopped wanting to embarrass us by the 4th quarter and didn't have their 1st string in.

Kyle Painter was an LU quarterback who went 20-41 for 260 yards passing against Elon on Nov. 9, 2002. So what's your point?

Ed, were you even at Saturday's game to see all of Brock's over-thrown passes?

My point is that it didn't matter if we were playing against Elon's 1st sting, 4th string, or Southern Cal or the Colts in the 4th quarter, Landis still didn't overthrow a single receiver in his limited time at QB.

[flameshaw]

Personally, I think that this team is losing heart because they know that they can't win with Brock at QB. A change is long overdue. In my estimation, he didn't play well enough last season, to be the defacto starter for this season. It should have been an open competition from the begining.

Secondly, our best offensive weapon has been shelved: Zach Terrell Why? Could it be because Rocco made a commitment to the Jennings family (longtime family friends) ???

Brock is not the answer and every player on both sides of the ball knows this. Zach needs to play--bottom line. IT'S STUFF LIKE THIS THAT TEARS A TEAM APART FROM THE INSIDE.

Dumbest statement ever on this board. Have you ever seen a football?

Rashad is the third Jennings associated with the Rocco family. Maybe it's a fact that you were unaware of or it may be just something that you need to consider.

Ever hear the name Frank Rocco? How about Butch Jennings? Does the name Rutigliano even mean anything to you, Flame-Shaw? LCA? These guys go way back: Three Jennings brothers, two Rocco's, and two Rutiglianos. Cabish?




Once again, you need a new song and dance, FLAMESHAW-my friend, because this one's getting old

.....

I know all about the past relationships, but to think that Rocco would use one player over another because of a supposed covert commitment is juvenile and ludicrous. Your non-thought process is further clouded by your self-professed love fest with Zack.

If Rocco thought Zack would give us a better chance to win, he would use him any where over anyone. Heck, even though it is obvious you know nothing about football, if I though you could find the correct end zone, I would make you the number one running back if it would increase our chances of winning.


Thanks for playing.

[paradox]

im going to ignore that stupid comment by paradox

Think what you want, but you're going to have a hard time defending it.

As things stand now, it would have been better for Zach Terrell to have transfered after Karcher left, rather than to stay here and endure this. The one-time All-Virginia Collegiate Freshman is now reduced to a role player playing behind an underachieving RB and an underachieving QB on a bad team. He'd probally see more time on the field if he would have transferred to Blacksburg or Charlottesville. To me, this is the biggest travesty of all.

Our commitment to Jennings is very Dunton-esque. It's reminiscient of our BB program bringing Brewington over and making commitments that we couldn't keep.

[flameshaw]

im going to ignore that stupid comment by paradox

Think what you want, but you're going to have a hard time defending it.

As things stand now, it would have been better for Zach Terrell to have transfered after Karcher left, rather than to stay here and endure this. The one-time All-Virginia Collegiate Freshman is now reduced to a role player playing behind an underachieving RB and an underachieving QB on a bad team. He'd probally see more time on the field if he would have transferred to Blacksburg or Charlottesville. To me, this is the biggest travesty of all.

Our commitment to Jennings is very Dunton-esque. It's reminiscient of our BB program bringing Brewington over and making commitments that we couldn't keep.

Just when I thought ol pair-a-sox, couldn't say anything dumber. Someone pass the popcorn please, this could get real entertaining.

[thepostman]

im going to ignore that stupid comment by paradox

Think what you want, but you're going to have a hard time defending it.

As things stand now, it would have been better for Zach Terrell to have transfered after Karcher left, rather than to stay here and endure this. The one-time All-Virginia Collegiate Freshman is now reduced to a role player playing behind an underachieving RB and an underachieving QB on a bad team. He'd probally see more time on the field if he would have transferred to Blacksburg or Charlottesville. To me, this is the biggest travesty of all.

Our commitment to Jennings is very Dunton-esque. It's reminiscient of our BB program bringing Brewington over and making commitments that we couldn't keep.

haha...you are trashing on Dunton...that in itself is funny

[paradox]

I know all about the past relationships, but to think that Rocco would use one player over another because of a supposed covert commitment is juvenile and ludicrous. Your non-thought process is further clouded by your self-professed love fest with Zack.

If Rocco thought Zack would give us a better chance to win, he would use him any where over anyone. Heck, even though it is obvious you know nothing about football, if I though you could find the correct end zone, I would make you the number one running back if it would increase our chances of winning.

With exception of the D2 wins and winless Savanahh State, all of Rocco's wins have come with ZACH as the feature back. So, what was your point, again????

I'd say that at this stage, the blind faith in Rocco has to cease. From this point forward, the man needs to be judged by his decision-making and whether or not he's actually successful. I think a fair amount of air has been effectively let out of the hype balloon over the past four weeks.


...

[Cider Jim]

[paradox]

Think what you want, but you're going to have a hard time defending it.

As things stand now, it would have been better for Zach Terrell to have transfered after Karcher left, rather than to stay here and endure this. The one-time All-Virginia Collegiate Freshman is now reduced to a role player playing behind an underachieving RB and an underachieving QB on a bad team. He'd probally see more time on the field if he would have transferred to Blacksburg or Charlottesville. To me, this is the biggest travesty of all.

Our commitment to Jennings is very Dunton-esque. It's reminiscient of our BB program bringing Brewington over and making commitments that we couldn't keep.

haha...you are trashing on Dunton...that in itself is funny

I'm not trashing him, I'm simply pointing out that he made a bad decision in making promises that he couldn't keep. It's a temptation that can appear very alluring to a coach, but in the end it's a trap that can be difficult to unravel from.



...

[paradox]

Apparently, our good friend, FLAMESHAW, is still not over me calling him on it after he concurred that former Lady Flame Rick Reeves should take over as head coach of the men's team. Was CIDER JIM involved in that exchange as well???


I guess you guys are never gonna get over that one

[LUconn]

dox, the main problem with all of your conclusions, is that it's under the assumption that you know everything about every situation and can't possibly be wrong. Brock starts on Saturday? Oh well, that must be a coaching mistake. The answer couldn't possibly be anything like, our other QB's look like junk in practice, or any one of 100 other reasons. Jennings plays more than ZT? It's conclusive that Rocco has a private contract with LCA that Jennings must start. There are no other possibilities such as Jennings being a completely different type of back, better in certain situations than Zach. Or maybe that he's even better overall than Zach. I guess we'll all have to evaluate our opinions to make sure they match up with yours.

[paradox]

dox, the main problem with all of your conclusions, is that it's under the assumption that you know everything about every situation and can't possibly be wrong. Brock starts on Saturday? Oh well, that must be a coaching mistake. The answer couldn't possibly be anything like, our other QB's look like junk in practice, or any one of 100 other reasons. Jennings plays more than ZT? It's conclusive that Rocco has a private contract with LCA that Jennings must start. There are no other possibilities such as Jennings being a completely different type of back, better in certain situations than Zach. Or maybe that he's even better overall than Zach. I guess we'll all have to evaluate our opinions to make sure they match up with yours.

Actually, you've just distorted everything that I said. If you're OK with that, then by all means, ramble on.






Sports conversations are ALWAYS opinion-oriented. I express my opinion, which is often in direct opposition to the consensus on this board. Truth be told, consensus positions imply a lack of independant thought

What I said about the Jennings situation may or may not be true---it's just a thought. And it's a valid consideration as to why things are as they are. Everyone has to make sense of it in his or her own way. I'm sorry, but "trusting" Rocco, no matter what the outcome, isn't going to cut it for me.


And for the record, all of my assessments (ie-opinions) on Brock, Jennings, and Terrell have been performance based. What in the devil have you guys been watching

[thepostman]

the thing is dox...I agree with you about half the time , but refuse to say so because you sound so arrogant and uninformed that I just remain quiet when I do agree with your points...

a lot of the times you're wrong, but a lot of times you just sound like an idiot its hard not to make fun of you

[Stevev]

Dox does have some good points about Zach even thought the Jennings family thing may be a little out of preportion as I would not want to think that that kind of favoritism would exist at LU. It seems like Zach is getting screwed maybe not by the fact that he is not starting but the lack of opportunities or carries which doesn't seem right for someone with so much potential.

I am not sure who brought up the Rocco thing but I believe that a lot of the so called success that he has achieved is mostly an illusion (or smoke and mirrors) and not actual improvements to the football program. I could be wrong on that and the future will tell the tale. Was last year's team better than the year before? yes it was, but not 5 games better mainly due to a softer schedule. I still can't figure out why this year has not seen any improvement (or maybe a few notches below last year) with all of last year returning starters and the 5 transfers from 1A. I can't begin to blame it all on Brock Smith. I guess that he is the "sacrifical lamb" as most QB's are when things don't go right and gets thrown under the bus. I would not want to think that one guy not performing would effect the team that much but some of those who went to the game claimed that he played horrible enough to warrant a change and I guess I will have to go with what these people have said.

[BJWilliams]

Can someone explain to me why some of us on here are arguing like a bunch of first graders?

[Cider Jim]

Apparently, our good friend, FLAMESHAW, is still not over me calling him on it after he concurred that former Lady Flame Rick Reeves should take over as head coach of the men's team. Was CIDER JIM involved in that exchange as well???

I guess you guys are never gonna get over that one

Dox, you must be slipping because your memory isn't what it used to be. I was the one who actually suggested Reeves (based on a halftime radio interview he gave years ago), and Flameshaw disagreed with me (see quote below):

I wonder if Rick Reeves is dusting off his resume'? He could say, "I coached a winning LU basketball team for years, before anyone ever heard of Cary Green. Now I want to come back and coach the men's team to a BSC championship!"

Does the sun rise in the west?

I may have been 0-1 on my coaching predictions, Dox, but you were 0-5:

1. Rob Lanier (former head coach at Sienna and current top assistant at UVA)
2. Rodney Watson (top assistant at SIU)
4. Larry Mangino (top assistant at Air Force)
4. Brad Stevens (top assistant at Butler)

All of the above meet barber's criteria as up and coming basketball coaches who have charactor and go to church.

My personal favorite is a man by the name of ED SCHILLING. Ed is the real deal and a perfect fit for LU.

[paradox]

the thing is dox...I agree with you about half the time , but refuse to say so because you sound so arrogant and uninformed that I just remain quiet when I do agree with your points...

a lot of the times you're wrong, but a lot of times you just sound like an idiot its hard not to make fun of you

In my neck of the woods, if you disagree with someone, you simply said so, or state an opposition to the opinion that you disagree with. That's how I approach it... So, why the ensuing pile-on? When did I claim that I'm "always right?" It's all about conjecture and perspective for me.

Most of you all, unfortunately, are far too sensitive and easily offended when someone throws something out there that you never thought of before. Oh my, what if it's true

In sports conversations, people may often have opposing loyalties. Does a Redskin fan ever think that a Dallas fan is right?

You guys have been defending an inept passing game for two years now, and then when you can't make sense of it or defend it any longer, you turn around and say, "hey, that guy who is posting stuff that I don't like is rude, arrogant, and ignorant."


I guess it's hard to defend, thus the insults

Do I have strong opinions?--sure I do. However, I could care less who agrees or disagrees with what I'm saying. Why do you care so much

[BlueCometAlum]

Ive always thought paradox reminded me of skip bayless loud obnoxious and wrong. The zach terrell vs rashad jennings is a good debate. i am sure there are people on both sides with good argumets for both of them. i think that terrell is a better running back but i agree with starting jennings. Jennings is the type of back that has to get into a rhythm to get going like jerome bettis. it takes him a few plays. terrell can come into the game and bust off a run at anytime. I think terrell is being underused. He is the type of player than can do so much that defenses cannot gameplan for him. Does anyone on here remember when randle el was on the steelers and they won the super bowl? He was used in situations where they could take advantage of him being a former quarterback and do option passes. Everyone knew it was coming at one point in time but as i tell my players they can know whats coming but its something else to be able to stop it. The other thing that i found disheartening was everyones focus on transfers. if youve ever been around the recruiting process you know that the line between divisions is miniscule and getting smaller by the year. Nine times out of ten when a guy transfers he is not good enough at the level he transferred from. That may or may not mean he is good enough for the level below him. It's quite obvious after listening to three games and watching one that we have two transfers on defense who are not good enough for this level. Our head coach said that his goal for this year was the big south championship. To some of us that does not sound like much but rome was not built in a day and you have to walk before you can run. A big south championship this year is still popular and i dont think we've ever won a big south championship before. It is not time to give up on this team yet. Everyone can have their opinions as long as they still show up to support the team when they need you. i am hoping to be in lynchburg for homecoming and maybe even the coastal game and plan on listening to every game that i'm not at. win or lose I'm still a liberty alum and fan and no one can or will ever take that from me.

[flamesfilmguy]

Do I have strong opinions?--sure I do. However, I could care less who agrees or disagrees with what I'm saying. Why do you care so much

I hate to break it to you Dox but you aren't the only one who can give a rat's behind who agrees or disagrees with you. people start to care when you, a person who lacks even the most minute evidence of common sense, starts bashing people on the team and questioning every thing we are trying to work for together as a team,fans,coaching etc. you obviously have no inside,outside,or any other side knowledge of what the heck is going on. How many games have you been to? just a thought. instead of wondering why everyone is so uptight because you disagree how bout you try thinking that just maybe you are wrong this time.

I'm done on the football board from now on. hope to see you guys at the game.

[paradox]

Apparently, our good friend, FLAMESHAW, is still not over me calling him on it after he concurred that former Lady Flame Rick Reeves should take over as head coach of the men's team. Was CIDER JIM involved in that exchange as well???

I guess you guys are never gonna get over that one

Dox, you must be slipping because your memory isn't what it used to be. I was the one who actually suggested Reeves (based on a halftime radio interview he gave years ago), and Flameshaw disagreed with me (see quote below):

I wonder if Rick Reeves is dusting off his resume'? He could say, "I coached a winning LU basketball team for years, before anyone ever heard of Cary Green. Now I want to come back and coach the men's team to a BSC championship!"

Does the sun rise in the west?

I may have been 0-1 on my coaching predictions, Dox, but you were 0-5:

1. Rob Lanier (former head coach at Sienna and current top assistant at UVA)
2. Rodney Watson (top assistant at SIU)
4. Larry Mangino (top assistant at Air Force)
4. Brad Stevens (top assistant at Butler)

All of the above meet barber's criteria as up and coming basketball coaches who have charactor and go to church.

My personal favorite is a man by the name of ED SCHILLING. Ed is the real deal and a perfect fit for LU.

Ok, I may have missed it with FLAMESHAW on that one, but apparently, he's never going to get over it--my apologies. And, for what it's worth, it was much more playful on my end than how it was taken .... perhaps I need to be a little more sensitive...



As far as Schilling and the others go, I was simply throwing a few names out there in the early part of the process: known evangelicals who may or may not have had interest. I wasn't impling an interest on Barber's part or on the part of the individuals at the time of that post.



It's a huge stretch to imply that I was attempting to predict the next coach. Slyfox posted a ton of names--but he wasn't making any predictions either. We were both busy trying to figure out who might be in the running.

[SuperJon]

Ok, I may have missed it with FLAMESHAW on that one, but apparently, he's never going to get over it

That made no sense. You're an effing idiot.

[paradox]

How dare I state the obvious about the QB situation :lol:and the need to get the ball into the hands of Zach and Wynton





Man, some of these statements go beyond sensitive and thin-skinned and extends into the neurotic.

I guess we all have to agree with the film-guy or run the risk of getting b#*^h-slapped