Delusional Griz...

[LDopaPDX]

They really believe their game day coaching is costing them games, and that their talent level isn't the problem.

Honestly, Delaney has struggled with his roster quality during his entire tenure. I remember when Montana would play teams from other parts of the country and they'd be of a quality that teams like New Hampshire or Stephen F. Austin had never seen before. Those days are long gone; Montana hasn't gotten the top notch kids and other programs like Eastern and Montana State have improved.

I was quite shocked at Montana's overall lack of team speed on Saturday. Really, the only groups of players they have that were impressive were their DL and LB corps. Their secondary was pedestrian. There wasn't a single group on their offense that looked better than passable. Given there is a lack of quality below the top tier of the Big Sky, some of these groups might look better than passable on a given weekend (when compared to the UC Davises and Northern Colorados of the world), but on a national level, their talent isn't even close to elite.

The Griz seem to be wrapped up in a fantasy that Delaney is the source of all their problems... I'd submit that Delaney has done everything in his power to keep them competitive with what they've got. Truthfully, each of the last three Eastern games have been a lot closer on the scoreboard than the talent would indicate. They have fought their asses off each of the last two years when the rout was on, and they managed to keep the game in the balance for four quarters.

If they want to bitch about their coaching, they ought to be bitching about the recruiting aspect... not the game-day performance.

 

[EWURanger]

They're having a huge recruiting class right now, so I could see why some of their folks think talent isn't the problem.

I think Delaney is probably an ok coach, but lacks the "edge" of a Hauck or Pflugrad, IMO. I've also watched quite a few games of theirs where there's been some real head-scratchers in terms of offensive play calling. I don't think the criticism is entirely unwarranted.

 

[LDopaPDX]

They're having a huge recruiting class right now, so I could see why some of their folks think talent isn't the problem.

I think Delaney is probably an ok coach, but lacks the "edge" of a Hauck or Pflugrad, IMO. I've also watched quite a few games of theirs where there's been some real head-scratchers in terms of offensive play calling. I don't think the criticism is entirely unwarranted.

Pflugrad is a joke. Why they think he was some sort of Godsend is beyond me. Take a look at all of their coaches that moved on to FBS programs, and none found much success. They were the big fish in a small pond when Idaho, Boise, and Nevada left the Big Sky. Suddenly, they became the pre-eminent program for non-FBS kids in the West.

It took Eastern and Montana State a while, but both built their programs up. Additionally, North Dakota State put pressure on them from the East. And one big item that hit them particularly hard was the ineligibility of one-year dropdowns, of which they seemed to pull an impact player every year. Now that the going is tougher to get quality kids into Missoula, you see them struggle.

Still, that doesn't seem to explain how they can't get fast kids at skill positions. Until the time Wadood went down, our D ate 'em up.

 

[eaglesfootball]

there used to be a time when they had more "good" players than us, but that's not the case anymore. I really haven't felt that way since Baldwin took over.