This might be the worst week in San Diego sports in some time, from the Chargers last-second loss at KC to the Padres losing Bruce Bochy -- and having their post-season failure rubbed in their face by the Cardinals winning the World Series -- and now having San Diego State lose to 1-AA Cal Poly to fall to 1-6.
Why, when you've scored two first quarter touchdown passes and have difficulty running do you go into a Schottenheimeresque shell and not throw the ball? Admittedly, the Mustangs must have made some adjustments because receivers weren't running freely through much of the game, but most every pass came on third-and-long. Passing might have been easier if the Aztecs EVER mixed it up on first- or second-down.
While the debate rages over whether the coaches or players suck worse, and are more to blame, here are a couple of takes:
1. As mentioned above, the play-calling on offense was horrendous. Calling plays is as much art as science, having a feel for when to stick with the game plan and when to deviate. Offensive coordinator Del Miller had no feel for the course of the game whatsoever tonight and has had similar problems at other points this season. I generally think coaches need to be given a couple years to prove themselves, but I think this case is an exception. If you're dense now, you'll still be dense next year and thereafter (and just look at his resume, he was at Kansas State while they built and while they declined but missed their glory years). If he'd called some play action passes and they weren't completed, that would be a different story. But he didn't even try.
2. The other coordinator, Bob Elliott, has received much heat this season for a three-game defensive slump, but had a great game plan against Air Force and seemed to have things together tonight schemewise. Problem was, his defenders played with little heart or pride. Even with the offense playing so conservatively, SLO should never have run for 200 yards against a 1-A defense. The Mustangs routinely picked up first downs, including gaining huge yardage on a third-and-long draw play and seemed to have no trouble getting four or five yards on routine runs. The Mustangs rarely did anything tricky. Their calls were very basic, and they gained good yardage on most snaps.
3. Which leads to defense position coaching. As units, the defensive line, linebackers and secondary are all playing several notches below the levels of the past couple of seasons. William Inge with the linebackers and Joe Bob Clements with the defensive line, in particular, have done absolutely nothing to distinguish themselves. The DTs are being pushed around and the DEs get little pressure on the QB. The LBs are clueless on draw plays and arm tackle more than any Aztecs group since Barry Lamb was the defensive coordinator. Remember, this is a unit with eight returning starters and improved depth on the line. Mostly the same guys are playing worse.
4. I also think the Thom Kaumeyer vs. Fred Bleil question that raged some last year has been emphatically answered in favor of the ex-secondary coach. Last year, many were crediting Kaumeyer with covering for Bleil with the DBs and being "really responsible" for the inspired play of CBs Donny Baker and Terrell Maze. Now, with Kaumeyer really the secondary coach and Bleil gone, the play of Baker and Maze in 2006 has been mediocre.
5. By contrast, perhaps the least qualified position coach, Jonathan Himebauch with the offensive line, has done the best job getting his unit to improve. Larry Holton has done a fine job getting Atiyyah Henderson to play well and Miller, while a poor offensive coordinator, has done an excellent job of his specific coaching duties with the quarterbacks, especially considering the injury cards he's been dealt.
6. Which brings us to head coach Chuck Long. He can't block, tackle or run, and he really isn't chiefly responsible for getting the players to do so. He's made some poor choices for assistant coaches, unfortunately, and will have to show some guts at the end of the year. His real work, and our real evaluation of him, will come after the season finale in December.
7. And the players? The game comes down to the players, a 1-6 record does not lie. Former coach Tom Craft, as much as I liked dealing with him personally, took too many risks in his first couple recruiting seasons, and the Aztecs are paying for it now. On defense, only DT Jonathan Bailes would be starting for a quality Division 1 football team. Everyone else is mediocre at best and young LBs Andrew Schantz and Russell Allen have been disappointments. On offense, Henderson looks like a keeper and the line has improved, so a couple of those guys must be doing something right. And I think the duel Kevins at QB are assets.
What I thought about a lot in watching the game was how basketball coach Steve Fisher revoked all those scholarships after his first season and plugged in some new players. Chuck Long can't exactly do that because of the sheer numbers of players needed in his sport. Thus, the rebuilding process will be a long one. It could very well have to start with some new assistant coaches.
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