Reflecting on Mike's tenure I'm curious to know the boards thoughts on "why" Mike was never able to field a competent defense. I believe the Rivals rankings are reasonably accurate and if they are to be believed I would maintain that our D core has a least a one standard deviation advantage on all of our opponents in the Big12.
I'll also maintain Mike has forgotten more defense than any of us will ever know. I'm positive the guy was doing everything in his power and ability to put a good product on the field. He acknowledged last year that he was having sleepless nights regarding the on-field performance of his core. For everything Mike wasn't I do believe he was a knowledgeable coach who cared deeply about what he was doing.
Among the things I suspect were problematic was putting too much into the heads of our defenders. The litany of defensive timeouts leads me to suspect Mike was putting a big intellectual load on the players. Mike knew exactly what he needed but I strongly doubt his players had the time to digest exactly what he wanted. Excessive thinking and second guessing leads to slow play. Would be interested in your thoughts.
I'll also maintain Mike has forgotten more defense than any of us will ever know. I'm positive the guy was doing everything in his power and ability to put a good product on the field. He acknowledged last year that he was having sleepless nights regarding the on-field performance of his core. For everything Mike wasn't I do believe he was a knowledgeable coach who cared deeply about what he was doing.
Among the things I suspect were problematic was putting too much into the heads of our defenders. The litany of defensive timeouts leads me to suspect Mike was putting a big intellectual load on the players. Mike knew exactly what he needed but I strongly doubt his players had the time to digest exactly what he wanted. Excessive thinking and second guessing leads to slow play. Would be interested in your thoughts.
