Burns, Bennett, & Co.

[OC Mustang]

As a corollary to a post I made in "This is encouraging", I think the following observation is pretty telling of what is going on among the staff.

Burns is on the sideline, not in the press box.

WTF??? Why?

Every Offensive Coordinator I know worth their salt live above the playing field where they can see plays develop better. I told a buddy that used to play at SMU about Burns unwillingness to go topside, and his comments were, "Bennett has a problem. If Burns doesn't trust his position coaches, he is not going to leave the sideline, and SMU's offensive will suffer for it."

I personally like Bennett, and I wish him nothing but the best, but if Burns doesn't trust his position people, or worse, Bennett doesn't trust Burns enough to insist he go up top for a look-see, then something is very wrong with the coaching staff that gives a name to what the stats show.

Add that to the fact that there is no special teams coach, and that Bennett is backing off the bowl talk...

Man, I am not liking what I am seeing.
And it is not just nay-saying.

I really, really would like Coach Bennett to address this concern, and if not publicly, at least do so privately enough to allay a few concerns.

[Sideline]

After every series, Burns immediately gets his quarterbacks to the bench and they go over an assortment of topics on a whiteboard. I don't know if that's his staple, or if he feels his young QB's benefit more from it and he can gauge their tone better in person, but he has been consistent in doing that both games this year.

[ponydawg]

Where was he calling the plays at the end of last year?

[SMU Football Blog]

Where was he calling the plays at the end of last year?

The sideline. This is nothing new. I don't think Burns has ever called a game from the pressbox while at SMU.

[OC Mustang]

Could it hurt to try it from the press box?

[Mustang1991]

It can never hurt to try something new when the current situation isn't working.

[OC Mustang]

The QB coach needs to be coaching Willis, not the Offensive Coordinator.
Who is the QB coach?

[smuwins]

The QB coach needs to be coaching Willis, not the Offensive Coordinator.
Who is the QB coach?

Burns IS the QB coach.

[PonyPride]

Because there is a limit on the number of allowed assistant coaches, that's not unusual.

[ponydawg]

Good thing we have a special teams coach......oh .....wait.....

[Mustangunner]

we do have a special teams coach he happens to be the DE coach Eric Roark

[OC Mustang]

Limit on the number of assistants? WTF???!!!
Other schools manage this well-enough.
Is Willis so much the freshman that he can't take direction from the press box?

That's it. I'm done. I want Bennett to succeed very badly, but this is sophomoric. Marshall's high school coach, Rodney Southern, lectured all-state linebacker Justin Smart that he was going to the "big show", and that he should conduct himself accordingly. These guys look like the Little Rascals.

Far be it from me to armchair coach or QB, but this offensive strategy is about as effective as New Orleans levees. Can't find their [deleted] with both hands and a flashlight.

[tristatecoog]

Are all the double duty coaching gigs a cost cutting move or is it pretty standard? Major Applewhite was the QB coach at Syracuse last year, but maybe the HC was also the OC. ?? Houston's HC is the OC so there's some savings, if that's what the intention is.

[OC Mustang]

To coin a phrase from the 1983 flick "Wargames", "...Well, I'd [deleted] on a sparkplug if I thought it would do any good...."

[Mustang1991]

Burns needs to be in the pressbox