Three Areas of Focus for 2011

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Ryan Monceaux

Strength and Conditioning – Larry Jackson transformed our S&C program when he came here in 2006. But somehow, it never felt the same in 2010. We looked slower. The OL was run over in games – most embarrassingly, the 4th quarter against Tulane. We never owned the 4th quarter as a team – a huge change from the previous few years. We need to be rededicated in the weight room.

Special Teams – It’s hard to explain the kicking woes we continue to have. Missing as many PATs as we do is mind-boggling. Kicking it out of bounds to kill momentum, a return team that looked lost all year, and a punter that lost steam later in the year are all areas of concern. Strong special teams play is needed to take pressure off the defense, to put the offense in better situations and to help us win games.

Play to our strengths – The situation with two quarterbacks going down within minutes of each other would be a nightmare for any coaching staff. Very few could take that punch and roll with it. But once we had time to regroup, we didn’t focus on our strengths – we tried to push a freshman QB out there to throw down the field and we tried to run between the tackles – both with limited success. We need to look at the tapes from 2010 and formulate a plan for 2011 that emphasizes the talents we have. Beall and Sims will be the best skill position talent next year; find a way to get the ball in their hands.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Posted in football | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Changing our culture

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Ryan Monceaux

We suffered through a lot of setbacks in the 2010 football season. The season that we all expected to put us on the map fizzled when Case went down and imploded later in the season. For most of us, it was a tough pill to swallow.

But unlike other times in recent history, we’re not making rash changes based on a single season. We’re not making decisions based on emotion. Our leadership is making thoughtful, long-term decisions that focus on culture, improving our lot in the college athletics landscape, and will eventually get us to greener pastures.

Dave Maggard told us to raise expectations but Mack Rhoades has come in and is showing us how to do it. He’s made sweeping changes, he’s put a plan and a vision into place. He’s changing the UH culture day-by-day. And we all must buy-in.

Instead of a culture of uncertainty, we have a culture of expectation. Mack expects things to happen – then he gives his people the tools to make it happen. We’re raising huge money for the stadium, we’re selling a ton of tickets, we’re bringing in corporations in a major way. We’re bringing in new fans, new sponsors, new donors. Mack has created a sales organization that goes out and asks for donations, asks you to buy tickets, engages corporate Houston and sells them on his plan. He expects it to work. And it will.

We’re now ingratiating ourselves into the community, bringing fresh faces into the tent. We are building for the future. But no matter how much he does and no matter how much we win, buying tickets and giving annually is the only way to ensure long-term success. Building stadiums does not matter if we cannot sustain success on those fields; on those courts. It’s up to us to bring more people to the table: Casual fans, UH grads, and the city of Houston.

The part of the culture that needs to change most is the fanbase. We want nice things – but now we have to pay for them. We want to win – but there’s a price for that success. Out fans have always expected a lot without any sacrifice – and those days have to end. We are our own worse enemy – and those days have to end, too.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Posted in CoogFans, football | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Football: on next year’s defense

Posted on December 2, 2010 by Ryan Monceaux

What are reasonable expectations for the defense in 2011? The key word here is reasonable.

1. We will see quite a bit of staff turnover on the defense – as many as three new position coaches.We need to bring in teachers that understand that coaching at this level is about motivation and technique. This is not the NFL.

2. We’ll see current players have to fight for their jobs in the Spring and maybe even again in the Fall. Those are good things. After a substandard year, I think we’ll open them all up and make players earn playing time.

3. And with injured players returning and only one BCS school on the schedule, we’ll have a chance to be pretty formidable on defense – at least by C-USA standards. We’ll never be the ’76 defense or even 1989 again but we can be serviceable in a spread- and zone-read world.

4. Having an offense that controls the ball will mean an easier road for our defense. By eliminating possessions for the opponent, our defense will be on the field less and will be more fresh in the 4th quarter.

5. And here’s a dirty little secret: Playing only one BCS school will be a huge help for our defensive health. In 2009, the Coogs were pretty beat up by Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Miss State in a month’s time. We lost a lot of players and plenty more were nicked up – injuries that bothered them throughout the year. The reason is simple: opponents with big o-linemen beating on our considerably smaller DL. In 2010, we also suffered significant injuries in the BCS games – UCLA (obviously, with the injuries to Case Keenum and Cotton Turner) as well as Miss State. By eliminating two of those games in 2011, we’re likely to see less injuries to guys that were mismatched size-wise.

And because of those reasons, I think we’ll see a reasonably improved defense.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Posted in CoogFans, defense, football | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Six Points … and a PAT: Cougar Football 2011

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Ryan Monceaux

2010 was a hard year for most Cougar fans. With high expectations, the season slipped away after the loss of our quarterback derailed a potentially great season. But 2011 can be the breakout year we all want – we just need a few breaks and a few changes.

Win the conference – Our season begins and ends with winning our league. With a watered-down out-of-conference schedule (@LaTech, @UNT, UCLA, FCS opponent), it’s even more imperative to focus on winning our conference. We should have the most talent in the league in 2011 – it’s time to prove it.

Start treating Rice as a real rival - Rice sees this game as a true rivalry. Our players just do not. We’ve come “ready to play” in just one of the last four games against Rice – 2009. Rivalry games should be your best effort and we haven’t done that lately. It’s time to stop being embarrassed by little brother.

Use your weapons - We’ve got to playcall towards our strengths. When Case went down, QB was no longer our strength. The WRs and running backs were our strength. We should have found a way to get them the ball fast and let them make plays. Which leads into….

Don’t depend too heavily on any one player – No reason to put it all on the QB’s shoulders. Whether it’s Case, Piland, Broadway or someone else, the burden of the offense should be spread to all of our playmakers. If someone gets hurt, we still have the talent to win games.

Score more points – It sounds silly but it’s true: in our last three games, we averaged an impressive 495 yards a game but only 28.6 points per game. You’re not going to win too many games in C-USA scoring 28 a game. In our last 10 CUSA wins (2009 and 2010), we’ve scored 503 points – over 50 a game.

Role of the offense – Our offense is a weapon. We should use it to score points, change the flow of the game, disrupt the opposing team, and keep our defense off the field. Our defense plays so much better when our offense is humming, controlling the ball and scoring at-will.

And a PAT …

Keep selling tickets – 2011 is the chance to prove that 2010 wasn’t a fluke. That we can sell tickets to UH games – not to the Case Keenum show. Hopefully, a concerted effort is made to sell even more season tickets; The AD has indicated that our goal will be 15,000 for 2011. With a schedule that includes UCLA, Rice and hopefully a big I-AA draw, I think we can do it.

For more information and daily content updates, click for our Facebook and Twitter accounts or check all of our social media at the top of the page.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

Posted in CoogFans, football | Tagged | Leave a comment