Can USJ finally get a gold ball?

[Intense]

First, when Mickey Marley heard that USJ lost to FACS on Friday, he probably had to smile and laugh for a little bit (my opinion). Let's be real, Mickey Marley got fired because he was not bringing a gold ball back to McClellan Road, not X's and O's. Was it time to let Marley go? Most people would say yes while others would say no.

 

When Rusty Bradley was at CAK, he had guys like Josh Smith and Charlie High. As of right now, Rusty doesn't have that those guys at USJ (not going to count Trey Smith because Trey is in his senior season). So he probably has to at least try to find a way to win "big" games without "elite" athletes for probably a few years.

 

Coach Bradley probably is not worried about his team. He knows that everything will come together and work fine. But they should not have lost to FACS on Friday. Have to steal one back before the critics will come out.

 

Still believe they will take care of Trinity on Friday, that's my prediction. (No)

 

 

 

However, everybody at USJ will probably look at Coach Bradley and say "you got your playclocks, you got your locker room redone with televisions and video games, you got your practice field remodeled, now it's your turn Coach!" Everybody is going to compare the 2015 season and the 2016 in terms wins and losses, they just will.

[Solomon]

This is great.

 

I knew the usj super boosters would cause rusty headaches. I did think it would take more than 1 game. Wow.

[Kublah]

This is great.

 

I knew the usj super boosters would cause rusty headaches. I did think it would take more than 1 game. Wow.

 

I am not a super booster -- just an alumnus, former player and fan of the football team. 

 

My opinion has no bearing on anything, other than the fact that a huge percentage of former players are probably thinking something similar right now. 

 

But, of course, we were not polled before the change was made!

 

I do respect the administration for having the guts to make a big move. Courage of conviction, all that. The Bradley hire seemed like a coup at the time. 

 

The lack of discipline and attention to detail on the field Friday night was shocking.

[Kublah]

Good grief Kublah-is this the real Kublah posting? I have seen your posts over the years and you are usually so spot on and non-emotional. USJ may not win another game-I don't know. I think they will but I know it's going to take a little time as this is the first new coach they have had in 27 years and the previous one did not retire-

 

We haven't lost to a lesser team in 15 years?? What about Davidson Academy in 2012 when Garner got hurt and we were up 3 scores and when the sub came in and a few picks later we lost by one? Btw that team had Hensley, Spencer, Buckley, Glassman, etc

 

Half the team Fri nite went down with cramps? It was a lot but it wasn't 10, or 20 or 30--it was 6 or 7 with one very important one not making it back in the game at all.

 

We do have some bright spots and I don't know if the new scheme is going to work but don't we have to give it more than one game to find out?

 

Not even gonna comment about the rushing comment from the other guy-

 

I am me!

 

You read my mind with the DA game. I gave it a pass because of the injury to Garner.

 

Perhaps I'm biased out of loyalty to Marley. Owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him. 

 

Anyway, I hope I'm wrong and USJ reels off nine straight. I will gladly deep fry my crow and slather buffalo sauce on it for lunch on Saturday. 

[DownTownCharlie1]

I am me!

 

You read my mind with the DA game. I gave it a pass because of the injury to Garner.

 

Perhaps I'm biased out of loyalty to Marley. Owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to him. 

 

Anyway, I hope I'm wrong and USJ reels off nine straight. I will gladly deep fry my crow and slather buffalo sauce on it for lunch on Saturday. 

I respect your opinion and I also respect Coach Marley.  He did a lot not only for the football team but for the school.  No question about that and his reputation is beyond reproach.  I'm just trying to get across and there is no other way to describe it, bad luck this team and Coach Bradley have had so far.  No excuses because all teams go through it, but I think the man and the kids deserve some patience before we start calling them undisciplined, etc.  In addition, one important factor-- FACS is no slouch.  They are not Brentwood Acad, but they are not a bad team either.  Matter of fact, unapproved website or maybe it was the state rankings had them 40 spots ahead of USJ in ranking prior to the game.  In addition, the Memphis paper had their QB as a dark horse for Mr. Football.  I would post the link, but I don't know how.  I know I can't change your mind and I'm giving up trying, but as a former player, you and your former teammates are the very people I think the new coach is trying to reach and build upon.  You guys were the ones who took USJ as far as they went no matter how many D-1 athletes we had or didn't have at the time.  Let's see what happens over the course of this year and maybe the next.  I think good things are going to happen on the field because good things are happening off the field and without getting too religious, some young guys lives are getting changed for the better.  You're a good man Kublah and we're both on the same team.  Have a great day! 

[JohnnyLawrence]

Well, this has escalated quickly......

USJ dads will be meeting behind closed doors by Rosh Hashanah.

[Kublah]

I respect your opinion and I also respect Coach Marley.  He did a lot not only for the football team but for the school.  No question about that and his reputation is beyond reproach.  I'm just trying to get across and there is no other way to describe it, bad luck this team and Coach Bradley have had so far.  No excuses because all teams go through it, but I think the man and the kids deserve some patience before we start calling them undisciplined, etc.  In addition, one important factor-- FACS is no slouch.  They are not Brentwood Acad, but they are not a bad team either.  Matter of fact, unapproved website or maybe it was the state rankings had them 40 spots ahead of USJ in ranking prior to the game.  In addition, the Memphis paper had their QB as a dark horse for Mr. Football.  I would post the link, but I don't know how.  I know I can't change your mind and I'm giving up trying, but as a former player, you and your former teammates are the very people I think the new coach is trying to reach and build upon.  You guys were the ones who took USJ as far as they went no matter how many D-1 athletes we had or didn't have at the time.  Let's see what happens over the course of this year and maybe the next.  I think good things are going to happen on the field because good things are happening off the field and without getting too religious, some young guys lives are getting changed for the better.  You're a good man Kublah and we're both on the same team.  Have a great day! 

 

Thanks for the kind words, Mr. Downtown.

 

Here's hoping the off-field excitement Coach Bradley has created translates into on-field success!

 

Coaching staff is welcome to print my words out and post them all over the fieldhouse if it will be useful motivation.

 

I'll happily eat crow after another USJ victory over TCA while the players burn my likeness in effigy! 

[Govolsknox]

I hope you'll excuse a few comments from a long time CAK fan. If I'm not mistaken, I have watched all but one game that CRB coached at CAK, and have closely observed the program there. Here are a few of my observations:

 

Impeccable character. No one will run a cleaner program than CRB. To him, even the grey area is out of bounds (whether you like that or not is another issue, but that is the way he runs his program.)

 

CRB strongly emphasized conditioning. We played a number of bigger schools, and our nemesis, Alcoa regularly had over 90 on the roster. We were lucky to have in the fifties. We were almost always the more well conditioned team (not necessarily compared to Alcoa, but to other teams we played in general).

 

Bradley's offensive system is more like a college system than a high school system. We would have good athletes come in from other schools and many could not adapt to it in one off season. It took time to get the kids comfortable with it. This is true with any new system, but I believe even more so with his. Having said that, it is a system that allowed us to compete successfully with many larger schools with more talent. His system can be an equalizer once it is fully engaged.

 

It is true that CAK had several phenomenal athletes come through such as Charlie High, Josh Smith, National Reception record holder Davis Howell, Ivy league player of the year (a couple years ago) Quinn Epperly. However, these kids grew up in CRB system, and were developed in it and by it.  I watched them grow up with my kids from elementary school. We had some nice athletes transfer in too, but CRB's system got a lot out of the players on the team that he had to work with both before and after the stud athletes mentioned.

 

His system does tend to under utilize the run IMO. It is the opposite of play action. He uses the pass to set up the run, not the other way around. Works great IF you have an effective passing attack. He WILL have that at USJ if he stays. He may be the best at developing the passing game in high school in the state of TN. However, it relies on an effective QB and incredible attention to detail in the passing game. This may take some time. Maybe longer than some of you want...

 

No one will out work CRB. Unless he has changed in the last year, he has no hobbies, no outside interest, no....nothing other than his faith, family, and football. It CAN be a drain on the HS athletes, perhaps a bit like playing QB if Peyton was your QB coach. His work ethic is unbelievable, and he expects that from his players. Sometimes this can be a challenge with 14-18 year old young men.

 

I have no idea what is going to happen to USJ this year. This is a VERY hard transition. You could probably not go in a more polar opposite direction in offensive philosophy. But if USJ and CRB stay with it, you will win, and you will attract quality players to your school as USJ does not have a lot of high quality private football programs in the immediate area, unlike Knoxville where they were spread out over CAK, Catholic, Webb, and Grace. You have a winner. How long it takes to see that on the scoreboard I have no idea.

 

And finally, time will show that any concerns about lack of preparation, conditioning, etc are simply not going to be an issue. The kids will either conform to his program's requirements, or they will decided that football is just not for them.

 

Best of luck to USJ this year. Hang in there. Good things are on the way, both on the field and off.

[DownTownCharlie1]

I hope you'll excuse a few comments from a long time CAK fan. If I'm not mistaken, I have watched all but one game that CRB coached at CAK, and have closely observed the program there. Here are a few of my observations:

 

Impeccable character. No one will run a cleaner program than CRB. To him, even the grey area is out of bounds (whether you like that or not is another issue, but that is the way he runs his program.)

 

CRB strongly emphasized conditioning. We played a number of bigger schools, and our nemesis, Alcoa regularly had over 90 on the roster. We were lucky to have in the fifties. We were almost always the more well conditioned team (not necessarily compared to Alcoa, but to other teams we played in general).

 

Bradley's offensive system is more like a college system than a high school system. We would have good athletes come in from other schools and many could not adapt to it in one off season. It took time to get the kids comfortable with it. This is true with any new system, but I believe even more so with his. Having said that, it is a system that allowed us to compete successfully with many larger schools with more talent. His system can be an equalizer once it is fully engaged.

 

It is true that CAK had several phenomenal athletes come through such as Charlie High, Josh Smith, National Reception record holder Davis Howell, Ivy league player of the year (a couple years ago) Quinn Epperly. However, these kids grew up in CRB system, and were developed in it and by it.  I watched them grow up with my kids from elementary school. We had some nice athletes transfer in too, but CRB's system got a lot out of the players on the team that he had to work with both before and after the stud athletes mentioned.

 

His system does tend to under utilize the run IMO. It is the opposite of play action. He uses the pass to set up the run, not the other way around. Works great IF you have an effective passing attack. He WILL have that at USJ if he stays. He may be the best at developing the passing game in high school in the state of TN. However, it relies on an effective QB and incredible attention to detail in the passing game. This may take some time. Maybe longer than some of you want...

 

No one will out work CRB. Unless he has changed in the last year, he has no hobbies, no outside interest, no....nothing other than his faith, family, and football. It CAN be a drain on the HS athletes, perhaps a bit like playing QB if Peyton was your QB coach. His work ethic is unbelievable, and he expects that from his players. Sometimes this can be a challenge with 14-18 year old young men.

 

I have no idea what is going to happen to USJ this year. This is a VERY hard transition. You could probably not go in a more polar opposite direction in offensive philosophy. But if USJ and CRB stay with it, you will win, and you will attract quality players to your school as USJ does not have a lot of high quality private football programs in the immediate area, unlike Knoxville where they were spread out over CAK, Catholic, Webb, and Grace. You have a winner. How long it takes to see that on the scoreboard I have no idea.

 

And finally, time will show that any concerns about lack of preparation, conditioning, etc are simply not going to be an issue. The kids will either conform to his program's requirements, or they will decided that football is just not for them.

 

Best of luck to USJ this year. Hang in there. Good things are on the way, both on the field and off.

Govolsknox-  Thank you for the post and well wishes.  I agree and confirm everything you said regarding demeanor, philosophy, work ethic, demands and conditioning in the 6-7 months I have known Coach Bradley.  I also agree it's going to take some time as some of the stuff I saw went right over my head although I never claimed to be a football guru.  I hope CAK does well this year and in the years ahead. As a side note, I hope the Vols do well too.

[Intense]

From Govolsknox

 

 

. But if USJ and CRB stay with it, you will win, and you will attract quality players to your school as USJ does not have (a lot of high quality private football programs in the immediate area,) unlike Knoxville where they were spread out over CAK, Catholic, Webb, and Grace.

 

Let me introduce you to Trinity Christian Academy. State Semifinalists 3 of last 6 years and should have been 4 of 6 but was upset by eventual state champions in 14. Past two 2A Mr Football's came from TCA. Beat the team on Mcclellan Road 2 of last 3 years and everyone knows it would have been 3-3 if TCA coaches had made QB change earlier. USJ may beat TCA this year and are slightly favored but I assure you we have a top quality FB program. I think TCA is going to surprise some folks and win this year. We have a top notch coaching staff. Jackson Christian is no slouch either. They were state champs in 2006. They have been down recently but they have a quality program. You obviously don't know the Jackson private schools very well. USJ has the most successful program of the three as far as long term results are concerned but currently TCA's program is as good or better.

Edited August 24, 2016 by TCAIntense

[Govolsknox]

From Govolsknox

 

 

. But if USJ and CRB stay with it, you will win, and you will attract quality players to your school as USJ does not have (a lot of high quality private football programs in the immediate area,) unlike Knoxville where they were spread out over CAK, Catholic, Webb, and Grace.

 

Let me introduce you to Trinity Christian Academy. State Semifinalists 3 of last 6 years and should have been 4 of 6 but was upset by eventual state champions in 14. Past two 2A Mr Football's came from TCA. Beat the team on Mcclellan Road 2 of last 3 years and everyone knows it would have been 3-3 if TCA coaches had made QB change earlier. USJ may beat TCA this year and are slightly favored but I assure you we have a top quality FB program. I think TCA is going to surprise some folks and win this year. We have a top notch coaching staff. Jackson Christian is no slouch either. They were state champs in 2006. They have been down recently but they have a quality program. You obviously don't know the Jackson private schools very well. USJ has the most successful program of the three as far as long term results are concerned but currently TCA's program is as good or better.

 

You are correct about one thing, I don't know a lot about the private school make up of the Jackson area. I do know that CAK, Webb, and Catholic (all 3 contenders year in / year out in their divisions) are within 2 miles of each other with CAK in the middle. It is about 1 mile from CAK to Catholic, and about 1 mile from CAK to Webb. Grace Christian is about 10 - 15 miles from these 3 schools. The fact is that there are only so many people who are able or willing to spend the money it takes to go to a private school, and having all of these so close together was and is a challenge. How that relates to population / income / talent pool in your area vs ours I can't say, but my opinion is that if and when USJ starts to be stronger, it will attract quality athletes, including some that might have come to your school.

 

Congratulations on your school's fine program; that is a lot to be proud of. But what you said changes nothing regarding the points I made (with the POSSIBLE exception I noted above). I don't think you have any idea of how different what you are going to be faced with is from anything else you face. Maybe better, maybe not better, but definitely different. Think of any spread offense you have faced, and this is just different. I don't know if it will be this year, or if it will take a year or two, but it won't be long until Bradley has his system in place and running effectively. When it is, let's talk then. Otherwise, I'll let my previous posts in this thread stand on their own. I believe in time you'll find them to be highly accurate.

 

Best of luck to your program this season!

[Govolsknox]

Govolsknox-  Thank you for the post and well wishes.  I agree and confirm everything you said regarding demeanor, philosophy, work ethic, demands and conditioning in the 6-7 months I have known Coach Bradley.  I also agree it's going to take some time as some of the stuff I saw went right over my head although I never claimed to be a football guru.  I hope CAK does well this year and in the years ahead. As a side note, I hope the Vols do well too.

Thanks DTC1! We need all the support we can get! Best wishes this Friday and this season!