sparcboxbuck
What happened to my ¤cash?
My $0.02 offered as discussion fodder.
Taking a bit of a step back, here's what we know (or at least what I think we know):
1) Apparently Beck is a very good recruiter. Has had his hands in multiple high profile ('do want') recruits.
2) Has a previous relationship with Ed. The two were moderately to highly (depending on definition) successful when they worked together.
3) Has been in charge of the QB room for two years.
4) There were indications at the time of hire that would suggest that this may have been a reach. Yes, beyond our friend @alexhortdog95 and his thoughts.
Note, the above is intended to be as factual (i.e. sans judgment) as possible.
Here's what we think (or at least what I think and is in fair alignment with what others would agree with):
1) Very good recruiter in a focus state (TX).
2) Regardless of the relationship with Ed, he's seemingly not trusted with the offense in the booth alone. Clearly, moving Ed to the booth was an attempt to compensate.
3) Regardless of the success he and Ed have had together in the past, the net result over the past two years does not align with the talent he (they) have to work with when it comes to game planning. Hard to completely put this on Beck as I don't think that any of us know how much either one has in terms of game planning responsibilities. Let's call it 50/50 for now.
4) The play coming from the QB position has also seemingly regressed over the past two years. This too is difficult to unwind from multiple other-factors that may be causing this (ie receivers getting separation, OL protection, game planning, play calling, others), but there's no denying that there has been a regression.
5) In game adjustments, admittedly tied to game planning, seem to be non-existent. Is this on Beck or Ed or both? I suggest 50/50 again.
6) Play calling, which in my mind, is different from game planning and adjustments, is seemingly random as well. Very little evidence of playing chess. Not even checkers or tic-tac-toe... More of a game roulette where the better only places chips on the numbers. You win big or lose everything. Again, a Beck and Ed deal. Call this 50/50 again.
7) From very early on, it's appeared to me (at least) that he's been under a gag order. So much so that it's like Urban has gone through fairly significant lengths to keep him hidden. There could be multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is keeping him out of the line of fire and putting him in a place where he could focus on making the team more productive offensively. Or, as we used to say when I worked at GE, he was put on 'special assignment,' which is to say that he was back burnered until the time was right for him to gracefully exit (two year commitment?) or turn things around (hasn't happened yet). Maybe it's me, but Herman was often in front of the mic... noting the stark difference between the two is nothing more than my attempt to read the 'body language' for lack of better terms.
8) Successes that the team has had during his tenure, from an offensive output perspective at least, has been against competition that was completely outclassed in terms of personnel. That is to say, even a caveman could have done it.
9) The mesh between the offensive position groups, as evidenced by planning and execution, seems to be a significant gap in results. I'm not sure how much responsibility Beck (or Beck + Ed) have here. I have to guess that given a title of "coordinator" it would suggest it should be a fairly significant part of the responsibility. That said, as a coordinator, I expect one to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the position groups and players to put together plans to leverage strengths and minimize weaknesses. Furthermore, I expect that to be done in the context of understanding how those strengths and weaknesses relate the oppositions' strengths and weaknesses. I guess this item is really a matter of many of the above items.
So giving credit where it's due, he's a good recruiter who has had moderate success in a lower level program... in a conference that isn't exactly known for playing strong defense. That's about it.
Everything else comes down to full or partial responsibility for a number of things that are prohibiting putting a lot of talent in a position to win. What I know is that all evidence nets down to him being a large part of or completely responsible for key failures largely associated with his position with the staff. There's very little evidence to suggest that the man is capable of handling an OC / Co-OC role in our program.
What's interesting is that, aside from his positive (recruiting) and what we see from the QB room, many if not all those things can be said about Ed. Per my understanding, Ed's not one who is a big recruiter (or doesn't enjoy it) which is holding him back from moving to a HC position... but there's no question about his ability to coach up an OL. So they each have a unique positive going for them.
This leaves me thinking that there's little choice here.
Unless Beck wants to and can be effective in a recruiting only role... and there's room for him in that capacity, I think that he has to be shown the door.
Similarly, unless Ed wants to and can be effective in a role focusing on the OL primarily... and there's room for him in that capacity, I think that he needs to be shown the door. In order for this to happen, he could retain the Co-OC title, but he has to be on the field with the linemen and we have to have someone in the booth who is capable of calling the game at a level that the kids deserve.
These two, for their strengths, just do not have what it takes to compete at a level that is commensurate with the talent they are being provided. The expectations are very high. Those expectations, the absolute least of which is fan expectations, are not being met. Considering those other expectations which are player expectations in terms of development, being put in a position of being successful, and frankly winning on the big stage are key reasons to justify an overhaul. Not addressing this, and soon, will eventually erode at the talent base that is being assembled. Take away the talent and what happens? Consider Zeke's statements post MSU as well as Cardale's tweets during the Fiesta as evidence to how the players likely feel. Net net, Beck (and Ed?) have failed a vote of confidence from the most important constituents in the entire program, that is players (or former) who are close enough to make a qualified judgment. They've likely lost the locker room.
So, do I know either of them? Do I know enough of what's going on behind the scenes to know for sure? Absolutely not. Everything I've stated is based on my speculation and observations over Urb's tenure. I could be totally off base but I suspect that I'm not very far off base.
Discuss, I know you will...
Taking a bit of a step back, here's what we know (or at least what I think we know):
1) Apparently Beck is a very good recruiter. Has had his hands in multiple high profile ('do want') recruits.
2) Has a previous relationship with Ed. The two were moderately to highly (depending on definition) successful when they worked together.
3) Has been in charge of the QB room for two years.
4) There were indications at the time of hire that would suggest that this may have been a reach. Yes, beyond our friend @alexhortdog95 and his thoughts.
Note, the above is intended to be as factual (i.e. sans judgment) as possible.
Here's what we think (or at least what I think and is in fair alignment with what others would agree with):
1) Very good recruiter in a focus state (TX).
2) Regardless of the relationship with Ed, he's seemingly not trusted with the offense in the booth alone. Clearly, moving Ed to the booth was an attempt to compensate.
3) Regardless of the success he and Ed have had together in the past, the net result over the past two years does not align with the talent he (they) have to work with when it comes to game planning. Hard to completely put this on Beck as I don't think that any of us know how much either one has in terms of game planning responsibilities. Let's call it 50/50 for now.
4) The play coming from the QB position has also seemingly regressed over the past two years. This too is difficult to unwind from multiple other-factors that may be causing this (ie receivers getting separation, OL protection, game planning, play calling, others), but there's no denying that there has been a regression.
5) In game adjustments, admittedly tied to game planning, seem to be non-existent. Is this on Beck or Ed or both? I suggest 50/50 again.
6) Play calling, which in my mind, is different from game planning and adjustments, is seemingly random as well. Very little evidence of playing chess. Not even checkers or tic-tac-toe... More of a game roulette where the better only places chips on the numbers. You win big or lose everything. Again, a Beck and Ed deal. Call this 50/50 again.
7) From very early on, it's appeared to me (at least) that he's been under a gag order. So much so that it's like Urban has gone through fairly significant lengths to keep him hidden. There could be multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is keeping him out of the line of fire and putting him in a place where he could focus on making the team more productive offensively. Or, as we used to say when I worked at GE, he was put on 'special assignment,' which is to say that he was back burnered until the time was right for him to gracefully exit (two year commitment?) or turn things around (hasn't happened yet). Maybe it's me, but Herman was often in front of the mic... noting the stark difference between the two is nothing more than my attempt to read the 'body language' for lack of better terms.
8) Successes that the team has had during his tenure, from an offensive output perspective at least, has been against competition that was completely outclassed in terms of personnel. That is to say, even a caveman could have done it.
9) The mesh between the offensive position groups, as evidenced by planning and execution, seems to be a significant gap in results. I'm not sure how much responsibility Beck (or Beck + Ed) have here. I have to guess that given a title of "coordinator" it would suggest it should be a fairly significant part of the responsibility. That said, as a coordinator, I expect one to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the position groups and players to put together plans to leverage strengths and minimize weaknesses. Furthermore, I expect that to be done in the context of understanding how those strengths and weaknesses relate the oppositions' strengths and weaknesses. I guess this item is really a matter of many of the above items.
So giving credit where it's due, he's a good recruiter who has had moderate success in a lower level program... in a conference that isn't exactly known for playing strong defense. That's about it.
Everything else comes down to full or partial responsibility for a number of things that are prohibiting putting a lot of talent in a position to win. What I know is that all evidence nets down to him being a large part of or completely responsible for key failures largely associated with his position with the staff. There's very little evidence to suggest that the man is capable of handling an OC / Co-OC role in our program.
What's interesting is that, aside from his positive (recruiting) and what we see from the QB room, many if not all those things can be said about Ed. Per my understanding, Ed's not one who is a big recruiter (or doesn't enjoy it) which is holding him back from moving to a HC position... but there's no question about his ability to coach up an OL. So they each have a unique positive going for them.
This leaves me thinking that there's little choice here.
Unless Beck wants to and can be effective in a recruiting only role... and there's room for him in that capacity, I think that he has to be shown the door.
Similarly, unless Ed wants to and can be effective in a role focusing on the OL primarily... and there's room for him in that capacity, I think that he needs to be shown the door. In order for this to happen, he could retain the Co-OC title, but he has to be on the field with the linemen and we have to have someone in the booth who is capable of calling the game at a level that the kids deserve.
These two, for their strengths, just do not have what it takes to compete at a level that is commensurate with the talent they are being provided. The expectations are very high. Those expectations, the absolute least of which is fan expectations, are not being met. Considering those other expectations which are player expectations in terms of development, being put in a position of being successful, and frankly winning on the big stage are key reasons to justify an overhaul. Not addressing this, and soon, will eventually erode at the talent base that is being assembled. Take away the talent and what happens? Consider Zeke's statements post MSU as well as Cardale's tweets during the Fiesta as evidence to how the players likely feel. Net net, Beck (and Ed?) have failed a vote of confidence from the most important constituents in the entire program, that is players (or former) who are close enough to make a qualified judgment. They've likely lost the locker room.
So, do I know either of them? Do I know enough of what's going on behind the scenes to know for sure? Absolutely not. Everything I've stated is based on my speculation and observations over Urb's tenure. I could be totally off base but I suspect that I'm not very far off base.
Discuss, I know you will...
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