What is Wrong?

[Columbus]

I want to know what others in the area think is going on in Smyrna. I have my Ideas but would like to see what others think.

[REBELRON]

Losing Sonny Gray,Rod Wilks and Philip Shadowens is what happened to Smyrna.

[cbg]

Losing Sonny Gray,Rod Wilks and Philip Shadowens is what happened to Smyrna.

Bingo!!!!!!!!! Smyrna was very average until just a few short years ago and IMO they will become very average again!!!!!! They miss former MTSU coach Alex Robins much more than they miss Philip Shadowens!!!!!!

[Lost Old Dad]

Bingo!!!!!!!!! Smyrna was very average until just a few short years ago and IMO they will become very average again!!!!!! They miss former MTSU coach Alex Robins much more than they miss Philip Shadowens!!!!!!

 

Amen! Shad could never get over the hump that was R'dale until he got a QB coach that was able to teach the QB to exploit R'dales one real weakness in the secondary at the time.

[bulldawg14]

I want to know what others in the area think is going on in Smyrna. I have my Ideas but would like to see what others think.

 

 

 

How about we add this thought into your question and see what comes back:

 

So Williams and his brother were both at Blackman. While at Blackman, Blackman was having VERY poor seasons. Now the Williams brothers are gone from Blackman, and at Smyrna. AND so far this season Blackman has won BOTH of their games and Smyrna has LOST both of theirs....... is it losing players and coaches or maybe gaining new coaches and their knowledge of what it takes to create a winning team? (Or lack thereof?) What do you think.

 

Amen! Shad could never get over the hump that was R'dale until he got a QB coach that was able to teach the QB to exploit R'dales one real weakness in the secondary at the time.

 

 

Alex Robbins has nothing to do with "Shad" getting over the "hump" that is Riverdale, Coach A just made poor decisions at key times during the game and we exploited them! Thanks for your input though....

[bulldawg14]

Bingo!!!!!!!!! Smyrna was very average until just a few short years ago and IMO they will become very average again!!!!!! They miss former MTSU coach Alex Robins much more than they miss Philip Shadowens!!!!!!

 

 

 

An average team????? You just showed how much you really know about football making a comment like that. hahahaha.....

 

"AVERAGE" teams don't make the playoffs EVERY YEAR for the last 14 years except ONE.....

 

Alex Robbins was a great help but he was not the reason we went "all the way" Sonny and Rod had God given talent, don't put that "glory" on anyone other than them. They were well coached by BOTH coaches not just one, remember Alex Robbins was just the QB coach and the QB wasn't the only star on that field...

 

Don't take credit away from Shadowens he was the "glue" that held that team together and the more this season we are in now goes on, the more apparent my statement is becoming!

 

PLUS Shad had a GREAT coaching staff, not just Shad and not just Robbins, the kids respected all of them and trusted them, it was NOT just one coach or ONE player is was all of them together!

[2priceless]

Smyrna was blessed with loads of D-1 athletes over the years. They have had coaches come and go with

no better resuls than making the playoffs. Shad was at Smyrna for 16 yrs and only had 2 state championships. No one in this region but Riverdale has had anywhere CLOSE to that amouint of athletes that went D-1.Rankin has 4 since 92 with 8 state championship game appearances. Folk think Shad under-achieved that is what they meant by average.

 

 

If Robbins wasn't such an asset, then why did Shad make sure he was a part of his new staff at MTCS? That tells me all I need to know.

 

Shad with D-1 athletes like Smotherman, Luke Powell, Marsaulus Johnson, Larry Daniels, David Wolke w/o Robbins = no state championship

 

Shad with D-1 athletes- Sonny Gray and Rod Wilkes, James Willimas PLUS Coach Robbins = 2 state championships

 

 

 

Shad is no fool....he knew what he couldn't go back to state this year and he left yall, just like Rankin knew that Riverdale was going to have some lesser talent than his 2004 team and left them. Pretty smart move for both of them I say.

[Verb58]

How about we add this thought into your question and see what comes back:

 

So Williams and his brother were both at Blackman. While at Blackman, Blackman was having VERY poor seasons. Now the Williams brothers are gone from Blackman, and at Smyrna. AND so far this season Blackman has won BOTH of their games and Smyrna has LOST both of theirs....... is it losing players and coaches or maybe gaining new coaches and their knowledge of what it takes to create a winning team? (Or lack thereof?) What do you think.

 

 

The Williams brothers aren't the problem. Shad left you high and dry. He knew exactly what he did or didn't have coming back. Along with the grumbling that I heard from some of the parents in the stand at Gallatin last year. They weren't happy to be winning state titles they wanted little Johnny on the field. Well you got it and guess what Johnny wasn't as good as you thought. To put the blame on Matt or Mark is just a total joke.

[TheSolidOne]

Smyrna fans are not really expecting the same show this year that they have had the past 2 years are they? Schools have down years. Due to either lack of good coaching or lack of talent( in this case you can take your pick). My advice to Smyrna fans is just keep supporting your team and when the sun shines(take back to back state titles for example) savor it and enjoy it and realize all good things must come to an end eventually. I think the Smyrna fans should accept the fact that its going to be a couple of down years here. Just keep supporting the team.

[smyrna=statechamps06]

I think that Smyrna's whole problem begins with coaching. Losing Shadowens and quite a bit of his staff has killed Smyrna. The way Smyrna looks now really helps to show that Shadowens is one of the best high school coachs around. And one thing I have yet to understand is why do you hirer a coach from Blackman, a team that everyone knew as one of the worst teams in the region until this year. Seems to me if you win back to back state championships you could find a really high quality coach that wants the job. And yes I know you cant put all the blame on the coaches I think the qbs have something to do with the problem. I know Kyle Freeman didnt play well against siegel, but why do you not play him at all against Brentwood, especially when Smyrna cant get this offense going. I wish they would have given him some playing time. He has so much more experience.

[bulldawg14]

The Williams brothers aren't the problem. Shad left you high and dry. He knew exactly what he did or didn't have coming back. Along with the grumbling that I heard from some of the parents in the stand at Gallatin last year. They weren't happy to be winning state titles they wanted little Johnny on the field. Well you got it and guess what Johnny wasn't as good as you thought. To put the blame on Matt or Mark is just a total joke.

 

Let me give you some more insight into what Matt Williams has done since he got there. Like handing out play books to all the smyrna players and coaches that still say "Blackman" on the front cover wow what an intellegent move on Matts part want your team to have faith in you giving them a play book that obviously wasn't working for another team to a team like smyrna doesn't show any intelligence in my opinion OR my favorite from Monday the players are so upset with him that 35 didn't show up for a mandatory practice and 12 were late but what do I know I'm just hating on the new guy for fun and have no information to back up my feelings.

[bulldawg14]

I think that Smyrna's whole problem begins with coaching. Losing Shadowens and quite a bit of his staff has killed Smyrna. The way Smyrna looks now really helps to show that Shadowens is one of the best high school coachs around. And one thing I have yet to understand is why do you hirer a coach from Blackman, a team that everyone knew as one of the worst teams in the region until this year. Seems to me if you win back to back state championships you could find a really high quality coach that wants the job. And yes I know you cant put all the blame on the coaches I think the qbs have something to do with the problem. I know Kyle Freeman didnt play well against siegel, but why do you not play him at all against Brentwood, especially when Smyrna cant get this offense going. I wish they would have given him some playing time. He has so much more experience.

 

Exactly what I have been saying! As for Kyle Freeman well you need to talk to the new QB coach Daniel Childs ha ha ha he's the one who won't play Freeman and when this was mentioned in a coaches meeting to Daniel that basically if you wanted a decent QB you make that Freeman Daniel got up and walked out of the meeting so you tell me.