Good post, hunter. And since I agree with it, it's actually an awesomely correct post.
This is a good point, though. It is the Riley holdovers that are routinely thrown under the bus by those who are so adamant on defending the staff, they'll pounce on anyone who questions them.
Countless times I've read, here and many other social media forums, "You can't blame Frost, these aren't his players. Frost inherited a dumpster fire! These players just aren't good enough." And on and on. Frost leads the way in encouraging these sentiments. And of course, proclaiming to the media that he's not the one calling (failed) defensive plays isn't a good look either.
Ultimately, we hired a very inexperienced coach. Frost has a lot to learn, and he's falling short in a lot of ways. But we will keep faith that he will continue to learn from his shortcomings and mature -- and one day bring the success we are all pulling for.
I wasn't going to reply, but the more I read your postings, I'm trying to guess which of the events triggered your continued negativity for all things Frost:
A. He had fun with your girlfriend.
B. He was mean to you in a bar in Lincoln.
C. He lost you a pile of cash because of the ASU debacle.
Or I guess it could simply be all of the above, but it's obviously something. Frost said on day 1 that he was coming back to return the program to the stature it should be, and that would be through several means, and recruiting better talent would definitely be a part of that. I can pat you on the back and tell you that you've improved your physicality and still hope for and continue to pursue someone better. I can look at a team and say they certainly look like they should be able to win more games, but I don't know them, I don't know their hearts, their minds, or if they have a desire to be something more. As for his comment regarding the defense, he's been close with Chin for more than a decade, and those two have been through the worst and best together, I have zero doubt those comments didn't bother Chin at all, and he took them the way they were intended.
The simple fact is, at this point, at this time in their development, our players aren't good enough. That isn't to say that they are incapable of being good enough, but they aren't getting it done. Every time he makes a comment about getting more talent, he's accomplishing several things First, he's letting everyone, high schoolers, grad transfers, JUCOs, fans, current players, opponents know we aren't satisfied. He's telling guys, just because they are starting today doesn't mean they will be next year unless you get better, because we are looking for better. That's going to give you one of two results; guys will shrink and look for an excuse to fail, or they will step up and fight to get better.
You think so much of this is the shortcomings of an inexperienced coach, of falling short. I think it's brave, I think it's something I'd see from Saban, as irritating as that may be. And before you say 'he hasn't won a game, and sure isn't Saban', actually he was two wins better than Saban was last year, and did something only a very exclusive club has accomplished. This notion that he's making mistakes on the field, I defy you to find a coach that doesn't make a dozen mistakes or more every game, be it play calls, personnel decisions, or clock management. It's not the mistakes that are unique, but they are glaring when we look for reasons for losses. I wouldn't look for a great deal of 'maturing' from Frost. If you met him (when he had fun with your girlfriend) when he was younger, he was a pretty brash kid, that's who he is. He's not a screamer, but he's also not timid about speaking his mind. People who think that's something that magically leaves someone as they mature are generally disappointed. We used to hear that with Bo, 'Oh, he'll mellow, Tom will work with him and mellow him out'. How did that work out? Tom was always Tom. Bob was always Bob. People are who they are, the important thing is if they have character, and Frost has character.
