Problem:
Lack of attendance/interest in the program.
Cause:
Practically everyone blames today's problem on John L. Smith, aka "the devil"! His quick coming and going is universally recognized as a serious blow from which the team has not yet recovered.
I know a few that believe the problem comes from the last years of Coach Mac's reign, saying that he allowed the program to decline through recruitment of too many "marginal character" players.
Many believe that Bovee's failure to hire someone to replace the interim "Sears" after his interim year has set the program back.
My opinion is that all of the factors mentioned above, plus others not mentioned, probably added fuel to the problem, but none are the real cause. The real cause is that Weber has never been a winning program. Even the coach with the most victories of any Weber coach, Dave Arslanian, only averaged about 6.1 victories per year. Those are certainly not the numbers of a winning program. Weber's winningest coach got no institutional support and still won more than he lost. Today, there is good institutional support. People will get excited if a program is a winner. By winner I mean a football program that gets 7-8 victories in a "down" year and can win 10 or 12 in a good year. A program that competes for a Big Sky championship every year and occasionally wins one. In the FCS world it means making the playoffs, winning a game or two there and have a legitimate shot at playing for a National Championship. FANS DO NOT GET EXCITED FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THIS! Especially in the lesser world of FCS football...
The failure of Weber football attendance is based on that and nothing more. When, and if, Weber is ever to have high attendance it will be be because they start to win at the levels described. That will only happen if there is a top-notch coaching staff in place. One that can recruit and can coach-up players. One that can design, teach and operate a first rate game plan.
So the question of the hour is not whose fault it is that Weber can't attract a full stadium, but how do we win enough to accomplish the things mentioned. Nothing else will ever put butts in the seat in large numbers and on a consistent basis but wins. Yes, a big marketing campaign can fill the seats, but it is not realistic that any marketing department can do that consistently if the team does not win. So, in the meantime, the department does what they can to get people to come, but that effort is not the answer to the problem. WINNING IS THE ONLY THING THAT CREATES EXCITEMENT AND MAKES SEATS AT A GAME DESIRABLE.
So, how do we win at this level is what everyone should be focused on. Is this coaching staff up to this task if given this year + two more years to start winning 8+ games? Of course, time will tell us the answer..., but some time has already passed (1.2 seasons) and begins to give us some clues as to whether this staff can build to the desired level or not. The appropriate questions regarding this are:
1. Are they recruiting well? I believe that overall they are recruiting well except in the area of QB. They are recruiting QB's who need to be developed but they are not developing them. I don't think they have anyone on the staff capable of developing first rate QB's. If so, Billy Green would have been the starter this year. He has an adequate arm, a QB mentality, a winning background and adequate athleticism. If the QB coach had the ability to develop him so that he could complete passes at a better rate and avoid excessive turnovers he would be the starter. They didn't and he rides the pine. I believe they don't have the coach on staff to do this.
2. Is their OC capable of producing a first rate offense? From what I observe he is not. The offense is boring and predictable. The in-game play calling is unimaginative. The offense does not fit the QB talent and there is no evidence that it is going to change. If an offense isn't designed to fit the talent or recruiting doesn't bring in a QB that fits the offense it destroys everything the team is trying to do. This staff has failed in both of these areas.
I hope someone recognizes this and does something about it real soon. Otherwise, Mr. Hill will fill his 4 years and be fired. I think the rest of their coaching abilities (offensive line, receivers, running backs, defensive line, linebackers and defensive backfield) are good enough. But without a good QB, who is coached up to be great, and an offense designed to fit his skills there is no chance of winning at the level needed and no chance that attendance will improve. Thats the bottom line...
Lack of attendance/interest in the program.
Cause:
Practically everyone blames today's problem on John L. Smith, aka "the devil"! His quick coming and going is universally recognized as a serious blow from which the team has not yet recovered.
I know a few that believe the problem comes from the last years of Coach Mac's reign, saying that he allowed the program to decline through recruitment of too many "marginal character" players.
Many believe that Bovee's failure to hire someone to replace the interim "Sears" after his interim year has set the program back.
My opinion is that all of the factors mentioned above, plus others not mentioned, probably added fuel to the problem, but none are the real cause. The real cause is that Weber has never been a winning program. Even the coach with the most victories of any Weber coach, Dave Arslanian, only averaged about 6.1 victories per year. Those are certainly not the numbers of a winning program. Weber's winningest coach got no institutional support and still won more than he lost. Today, there is good institutional support. People will get excited if a program is a winner. By winner I mean a football program that gets 7-8 victories in a "down" year and can win 10 or 12 in a good year. A program that competes for a Big Sky championship every year and occasionally wins one. In the FCS world it means making the playoffs, winning a game or two there and have a legitimate shot at playing for a National Championship. FANS DO NOT GET EXCITED FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN THIS! Especially in the lesser world of FCS football...
The failure of Weber football attendance is based on that and nothing more. When, and if, Weber is ever to have high attendance it will be be because they start to win at the levels described. That will only happen if there is a top-notch coaching staff in place. One that can recruit and can coach-up players. One that can design, teach and operate a first rate game plan.
So the question of the hour is not whose fault it is that Weber can't attract a full stadium, but how do we win enough to accomplish the things mentioned. Nothing else will ever put butts in the seat in large numbers and on a consistent basis but wins. Yes, a big marketing campaign can fill the seats, but it is not realistic that any marketing department can do that consistently if the team does not win. So, in the meantime, the department does what they can to get people to come, but that effort is not the answer to the problem. WINNING IS THE ONLY THING THAT CREATES EXCITEMENT AND MAKES SEATS AT A GAME DESIRABLE.
So, how do we win at this level is what everyone should be focused on. Is this coaching staff up to this task if given this year + two more years to start winning 8+ games? Of course, time will tell us the answer..., but some time has already passed (1.2 seasons) and begins to give us some clues as to whether this staff can build to the desired level or not. The appropriate questions regarding this are:
1. Are they recruiting well? I believe that overall they are recruiting well except in the area of QB. They are recruiting QB's who need to be developed but they are not developing them. I don't think they have anyone on the staff capable of developing first rate QB's. If so, Billy Green would have been the starter this year. He has an adequate arm, a QB mentality, a winning background and adequate athleticism. If the QB coach had the ability to develop him so that he could complete passes at a better rate and avoid excessive turnovers he would be the starter. They didn't and he rides the pine. I believe they don't have the coach on staff to do this.
2. Is their OC capable of producing a first rate offense? From what I observe he is not. The offense is boring and predictable. The in-game play calling is unimaginative. The offense does not fit the QB talent and there is no evidence that it is going to change. If an offense isn't designed to fit the talent or recruiting doesn't bring in a QB that fits the offense it destroys everything the team is trying to do. This staff has failed in both of these areas.
I hope someone recognizes this and does something about it real soon. Otherwise, Mr. Hill will fill his 4 years and be fired. I think the rest of their coaching abilities (offensive line, receivers, running backs, defensive line, linebackers and defensive backfield) are good enough. But without a good QB, who is coached up to be great, and an offense designed to fit his skills there is no chance of winning at the level needed and no chance that attendance will improve. Thats the bottom line...
