Oak Ridge scrimmages

[PRIMETIME OWL]

Ooltewah will miss having Oak Ridge on the schedule!

[Govolsknox]

Just a few scrimmage observations. This appears to be the least athletic OR team that I can remember. Our lines should be our strength but Alcoa seemed to handle us up front. We seem to have NO playmakers. I hope our schedule is as weak as it appears to be or the season could be a long one. I hear that we have a hard working group and that is great. I just wish we had a little more speed and athletic ability. Where has it all gone? I am very concerned and very intersted to hear your opinions.

 

I don't know personally, but back around spring practice time, someone mentioned that a few of our "playmakers" were not up for the new work ethic and intensity and left the program. I hope they don't have regrets in the future. They can't get back this opportunity to play for their high school and they sure won't have an opportunity at the next level without participating in HS. It's a different generation. Hopefully Coach Blade can develop the program, but it will not happen over night with what he is starting with. Having said that, it's a long season, and they may be a different team by half way through the season.

[FBEmeritus]

Sir, Coach Blade can get the job done, the OR faithful will just have to give the man time. If your former playmakers we not up to a higher work ethic and intensity I would say you are better off without them. They don't want to play bad enough and the younger guys will step up. Alcoa has been a tough nut to crack here of late but one can't put too much into a scrimmage so keep your heads up. OR and Coach Blade will do fine.

[bounder]

Can we get an AMEN!!!!! to that?

[Lost Old Dad]

Can we get an AMEN!!!!! to that?

Actually you can get a couple of them. AMEN AMEN!

 

I would hate to face y'all in about three or four years after Coach Blade has a couple of years with HIS system under his belt and players who WILL work now that play time is OVER at OR. Getting the bad taste from the old coach out of so called players will not be an over night thing.

[bounder]

Most of those players couldn't cut it under the new coach and quit! The ones we have want to play and really work hard, plus they're scared to death of Coach Blade. But you know how it goes slow and low.

[BurroBall]

Most of those players couldn't cut it under the new coach and quit! The ones we have want to play and really work hard, plus they're scared to death of Coach Blade. But you know how it goes slow and low.

 

 

Whatever talent Oak Ridge has, Blade will get things done eventually. Shoot, it took him 3 years to get HHS's players to completely buy into his way of doing things and trust each other and the coaching staff. However, when they finally did.....

 

It will all depend on how quickly the Oak Ridge players buy into what Blade wants them to do.

[rallykat]

Most of those players couldn't cut it under the new coach and quit! The ones we have want to play and really work hard, plus they're scared to death of Coach Blade. But you know how it goes slow and low.

 

 

Whatever talent Oak Ridge has, Blade will get things done eventually. Shoot, it took him 3 years to get HHS's players to completely buy into his way of doing things and trust each other and the coaching staff. However, when they finally did.....

 

It will all depend on how quickly the Oak Ridge players buy into what Blade wants them to do.

 

I saw both his first and his last team at Hillsboro play Maryville in the finals. I must assume his second team was similar in talent. He is obviously a good coach but there is one HUGE difference in this situation from what he inherited at Hillsboro. There was more talent when he arrived at Hillsboro in 2006 in the backfield alone than on this entire OR team. The talent level was HUGE at Hillsboro all of his three years. I would assume that he must be shocked to see the lack of talent here. I understand that our guys work hard and are good kids. Our defense will win us some games but our lack of speed and raw talent is shocking.

[BurroBall]

I saw both his first and his last team at Hillsboro play Maryville in the finals. I must assume his second team was similar in talent. He is obviously a good coach but there is one HUGE difference in this situation from what he inherited at Hillsboro. There was more talent when he arrived at Hillsboro in 2006 in the backfield alone than on this entire OR team. The talent level was HUGE at Hillsboro all of his three years. I would assume that he must be shocked to see the lack of talent here. I understand that our guys work hard and are good kids. Our defense will win us some games but our lack of speed and raw talent is shocking.

 

 

No doubt HHS had tremendous talent/athletes all three of his years there and even before that too. However, Canyon High School in California, where Blade was an assistant and won a state championship in 2005, according to Blade, didn't have a single NCAA Division 1 signee and was straight blue-collar. He knows how to coach up less athletic players. Goodness, despite all the talent HHS had from 2006-2008 they still only managed one gold football; and based solely on that talent should have probably won 3 state championships, but they had to buy into what Blade wanted to do first. Think about what they could have done with all that speed and talent IF they had all bought in right away. It's downright mind boggling to me, based solely on talent, that from 2000-2008 HHS only won 2 state championships.

 

Even if Oak Ridge never has an Eric Gordon, Jacques Seward, Corey Jordan, Alex Crutcher, or Demetrius Garrett level of athlete play football while Blade is there, I guarantee you they can still have plenty of success if he has players who will be students of the game, work hard, and buy into what he is selling.

 

Btw, I don't think Blade would have taken the Oak Ridge position if he thought there wasn't any talent on the team. Give it time. Good luck!

[rallykat]

No doubt HHS had tremendous talent/athletes all three of his years there and even before that too. However, Canyon High School in California, where Blade was an assistant and won a state championship in 2005, according to Blade, didn't have a single NCAA Division 1 signee and was straight blue-collar. He knows how to coach up less athletic players. Goodness, despite all the talent HHS had from 2006-2008 they still only managed one gold football; and based solely on that talent should have probably won 3 state championships, but they had to buy into what Blade wanted to do first. Think about what they could have done with all that speed and talent IF they had all bought in right away. It's downright mind boggling to me, based solely on talent, that from 2000-2008 HHS only won 2 state championships.

 

Even if Oak Ridge never has an Eric Gordon, Jacques Seward, Corey Jordan, Alex Crutcher, or Demetrius Garrett level of athlete play football while Blade is there, I guarantee you they can still have plenty of success if he has players who will be students of the game, work hard, and buy into what he is selling.

 

Btw, I don't think Blade would have taken the Oak Ridge position if he thought there wasn't any talent on the team. Give it time. Good luck!

 

Blade is a fine coach with a proven track record. I doubt he knew the talent level at OR was quite as low as it is. I have watched games here since the early 1970s and this team is the slowest and most unathletic team that I have seen. Our defense is pretty tough. Our schedule better be weak or there wont be many wins.

[CougarTrav02]

Clinton - 34 Campbell Co. - 0

[Lost Old Dad]

I would say the talent at HHS was very good as even Coach A won there. I am sure everyone knows what he has done since taking over R'dale which also has been know to win a game or two. Blade won there even when the 'talent' had supposedly left.

 

Bounder, 'FEAR' is a heck of a motivator! That is the one thing right Rankin did at R'dale. Now the staff and the team are 'buddies' at R'dale.