I do not drink the Shannon Kool-Aid. That being said, I think a giving him a fair shot is the only right thing to do. I'm not sure if this is all poor coaching, but I do think it makes me realize just how bare the cupboards were when he took over. Losing McCarthy and Moncur is huge, but all that does is force us to put more young guys out there to get some experience. Who really thought this team was going to compete for an ACC or Nat'l Championship this year? Nobody with realistic expectations.
I start to compare the develpment of some of our young guys to others around the country. You see Sam Bradford as a redshirt freshman last year just pick apart the competition, but look at the veteran weapons he had around him. Alabama has alot of young guys playing, but look at the NFL offensive line they have, and arguably the best coach in the SEC. Florida is loaded with young talent, but with a Heisman trophy winning QB. Florida State is young, but they have a legitimate offensive coordinator running the show there. Which is where I feel our biggest problem is, the OC. Look at Nix's history at GA Tech. He had one of the best receivers to maybe ever play college football, and he didn't get the ball. He doesn't know how to exploit mismatches with superior talent.
I don't blame Bill Young so much, it's hard on any defense when they spend so much time on the field. They do need to do a better job of disguising blitzes. It seemed like they did such a good job against Florida doing that, and then just forgot the next two games. Nix will be the scapegoat this year, and probably lose his job when the year is done.
I don't think Shannon is the long term answer, but I hope I am wrong and they start to show some marked improvement this year. There is a ton of talent on this team, at least we think so, I just want to give the guy a fair chance.
