Congratulations to the Oak Ridge Staff

[rebelman16]

Great job coach Stevens.

Its good to see oakrige back in another state game.

Good luck and go catz.

[bounder]

You know how it is with families, we fight among ourselves but don't pick on one of us or you will have to fight the whole crowd.

Edited December 1, 2005 by bounder

[jedave30]

I'll like to say Congradulation on a sucessful season. It irks me to continue to hear about Coach Gray vs Coach Stevens. Coach Gray's offense was a run based offense, with an ocassionally roll out passing game. Coach Gray had the same offensive weapons as Coach Stevens but he didn't utilize his personnel. If anyone is doubting the personnel, please tell me who has changed? The only newcomer I see is the Douglas kid. We ask ourselves, would this Douglas kid would've been giving a chances on the old coaching staff considering his background. Past decisions tells me no, but I could be wrong. Last year's team had as much talent, some would argue more, than this year's team with an experience quarterback and they still elected to have a run oriented team. I sat in on a meeting with Coach Stevens at the Oak Ridge Boys Club and he said to beat Riverdale and win a State Championship, you have to know how to pass the ball. Considering he has won a State Championship, if anyone is arguing against that philsophy, I think his thinking was right. The only touchdowns scored last friday were passes. The one great thing he said was "I want to win, I don't care if I like or dislike a kid, but if he can help me win, I will play him". Would the old coaching staff would've used that same theory? Former players, you be the judge!!!!!

 

Back to the staff, Congratulations again and all of us Monday morning quarterbacks lets all get on the bandwagon and bring the gold ball back were it belongs so we can turn our attention to the basketball teams. They will need our support, too.

[Bighurt]

There is a nice article about Coach Stevens in The Tennessean today. I did not realize he was so young. Congratulations to him and his staff.

 

Football, not color, is top concern for Stevens

[Ole Dad]

JEDAVE,

Just wanted to give you a thought and you can go from there. Everyone has a reason for their opinion on people and I guess you feel you have reason to dislike the old staff and that is your privledge, but as far as their results consider the following:

The team you talked about from last year is almost exactly these same players, only a year younger and less experienced. They did a fantastic job and in fact scored almost twice as many points on a Riverdale team that was arguably much better than this years Riverdale team on which we only scored 17 points. As a matter of fact, if you remember the turn overs at halftime they actually played Riverdale their best game of their season and could have won the game. It wasn't from a lack of offensive output that we lost. Coaches don't fumble or throw interceptions. Our run/pass percentages are almost identical and I would guess points scored are similar for 2004 and 2005 as well. Both seasons have been great but to even offer the insinuation that the season last year wasn't great or met the teams abilities is hogwash.

Ole Dad

 

I'll like to say Congradulation on a sucessful season. It irks me to continue to hear about Coach Gray vs Coach Stevens. Coach Gray's offense was a run based offense, with an ocassionally roll out passing game. Coach Gray had the same offensive weapons as Coach Stevens but he didn't utilize his personnel. If anyone is doubting the personnel, please tell me who has changed? The only newcomer I see is the Douglas kid. We ask ourselves, would this Douglas kid would've been giving a chances on the old coaching staff considering his background. Past decisions tells me no, but I could be wrong. Last year's team had as much talent, some would argue more, than this year's team with an experience quarterback and they still elected to have a run oriented team. I sat in on a meeting with Coach Stevens at the Oak Ridge Boys Club and he said to beat Riverdale and win a State Championship, you have to know how to pass the ball. Considering he has won a State Championship, if anyone is arguing against that philsophy, I think his thinking was right. The only touchdowns scored last friday were passes. The one great thing he said was "I want to win, I don't care if I like or dislike a kid, but if he can help me win, I will play him". Would the old coaching staff would've used that same theory? Former players, you be the judge!!!!!

 

Back to the staff, Congratulations again and all of us Monday morning quarterbacks lets all get on the bandwagon and bring the gold ball back were it belongs so we can turn our attention to the basketball teams. They will need our support, too.

[OakRidgeCat]

JEDAVE,

Just wanted to give you a thought and you can go from there. Everyone has a reason for their opinion on people and I guess you feel you have reason to dislike the old staff and that is your privledge, but as far as their results consider the following:

The team you talked about from last year is almost exactly these same players, only a year younger and less experienced. They did a fantastic job and in fact scored almost twice as many points on a Riverdale team that was arguably much better than this years Riverdale team on which we only scored 17 points. As a matter of fact, if you remember the turn overs at halftime they actually played Riverdale their best game of their season and could have won the game. It wasn't from a lack of offensive output that we lost. Coaches don't fumble or throw interceptions. Our run/pass percentages are almost identical and I would guess points scored are similar for 2004 and 2005 as well. Both seasons have been great but to even offer the insinuation that the season last year wasn't great or met the teams abilities is hogwash.

Ole Dad

 

 

YOU GO Ole Dad! Great post! Some of them haters have just gone to far

[extremefury]

I thought this was to congratulate this years staff. If you want to talk about last years then start a new topic.

 

I just hope if you do, everybody will rise above the negativity and don't post in it.

 

Congrats to the team and coaches, see in in Murfreesboro.

[Ole Dad]

Extreme,

Who was this directed to?

Thanks,

Ole Dad

I thought this was to congratulate this years staff. If you want to talk about last years then start a new topic.

 

I just hope if you do, everybody will rise above the negativity and don't post in it.

 

Congrats to the team and coaches, see in in Murfreesboro.

[extremefury]

Nobody in particular, just trying to get this topic back on track.

[rabidwildcatfan]

Check the stats for the last four years, and you'll find that Oak Ridge was equally split between passing and running.

Also the ultimate decision to start Conner Gulmire was made last year by Bruce Lussier and Ron Gray.

Get your facts straight before you run off at your mouth.

 

Are you insane? You are going to post that the current coaches did not decide who to start? This has to be the silliest assertion I have ever seen. Did Lussier just leave a lineup card for Coach Stevens when he left? Get real.

Edited December 1, 2005 by rabidwildcatfan

[rabidwildcatfan]

For the person that was curious if I was just a Gray basher, I would reply as follows:

 

1. He did not change his offense to suit his players. He ran the Wing-T no matter what. He might have mixed in a little bit of other formations, but not very often. And to answer your next question, I don't have a problem with the Wing-T, because it is hard to argue with the success Concord DeLaSalle had running it. Unfortunately in Oak Ridge, we haven't had quite the athletes that Concord had.

 

2. He did not look to getting better, but merely posting stats and numbers against weaker teams. Playing weaker teams is the time to work on the things you will need down the road. I believe the staff has done a better job of doing that this year. When Gray was the offensive coordinator, we would keep running the same basic plays against weaker competition. Sure, you are going to put up big numbers, but you lose the chance to work on the things that you will have to do against a good team when your basic plays are shut down.

 

3. His passing game was based almost exclusively on rollouts or very quick short throws. Certainly there was a place for this in the offense and it remains in the offense now. However, a well coached team can stop this. Go look at the film from 1999 OR vs. Sevier County. Sevier County covered the guards and came hard off the end. Oak Ridge could not get passes off all night. This was despite the fact that the Thomas kid that played receiver for OR was getting behind the DB's. Had Oak Ridge had the straight dropback game for downfield in place, which could have been worked on in some of the blowouts, it may have been a different ballgame. And please do not try to convince me that Adrian Porter was not a good enough athlete to learn to take a three step drop and throw the fade pattern, I won't believe it. If you want to cite the Riverdale game from last year as his offensive explosion, I would suggest you look at the similarities with some of the things Oak Ridge does this year and figure out the common denominator as far as coaches go on the offensive side.

 

4. If you want to get into stats, no first year starting QB has had the statistics that Gulmire had this year. You can attribute that to many things, talent around him included, but others have had just as much around them and not produced how Gulmire has in their first year starting at QB. I believe this is in part due to the coaches using the whole field on passing plays, rather than cutting it in half by rolling out all the time.

 

5. I have no doubt that Coach Gray would have been a disruptive force with this team. I can even understand why, given his disappointment at not getting the head coaching job.

 

Gray probably was liked by many players, and I am sure he can be a positive force in some ways. However, I think that Oak Ridge is better off without him. As for all the predictions about head coaching jobs and state championships for Gray, a head job might happen, but I would bet the house against a state championship.

[Ole Dad]

Rabid,

Have you watched football before this year? Your assertations are a joke. Answer the question. Why did the Cats score 28 against a better Riverdale team last year and only 17 this year if we were so better coached? No answer huh! You haters are hilarious. Take a class in football and then post.

Ole dad

For the person that was curious if I was just a Gray basher, I would reply as follows:

 

1. He did not change his offense to suit his players. He ran the Wing-T no matter what. He might have mixed in a little bit of other formations, but not very often. And to answer your next question, I don't have a problem with the Wing-T, because it is hard to argue with the success Concord DeLaSalle had running it. Unfortunately in Oak Ridge, we haven't had quite the athletes that Concord had.

 

2. He did not look to getting better, but merely posting stats and numbers against weaker teams. Playing weaker teams is the time to work on the things you will need down the road. I believe the staff has done a better job of doing that this year. When Gray was the offensive coordinator, we would keep running the same basic plays against weaker competition. Sure, you are going to put up big numbers, but you lose the chance to work on the things that you will have to do against a good team when your basic plays are shut down.

 

3. His passing game was based almost exclusively on rollouts or very quick short throws. Certainly there was a place for this in the offense and it remains in the offense now. However, a well coached team can stop this. Go look at the film from 1999 OR vs. Sevier County. Sevier County covered the guards and came hard off the end. Oak Ridge could not get passes off all night. This was despite the fact that the Thomas kid that played receiver for OR was getting behind the DB's. Had Oak Ridge had the straight dropback game for downfield in place, which could have been worked on in some of the blowouts, it may have been a different ballgame. And please do not try to convince me that Adrian Porter was not a good enough athlete to learn to take a three step drop and throw the fade pattern, I won't believe it. If you want to cite the Riverdale game from last year as his offensive explosion, I would suggest you look at the similarities with some of the things Oak Ridge does this year and figure out the common denominator as far as coaches go on the offensive side.

 

4. If you want to get into stats, no first year starting QB has had the statistics that Gulmire had this year. You can attribute that to many things, talent around him included, but others have had just as much around them and not produced how Gulmire has in their first year starting at QB. I believe this is in part due to the coaches using the whole field on passing plays, rather than cutting it in half by rolling out all the time.

 

5. I have no doubt that Coach Gray would have been a disruptive force with this team. I can even understand why, given his disappointment at not getting the head coaching job.

 

Gray probably was liked by many players, and I am sure he can be a positive force in some ways. However, I think that Oak Ridge is better off without him. As for all the predictions about head coaching jobs and state championships for Gray, a head job might happen, but I would bet the house against a state championship.