What I am about to write is nothing more than the opinion of the editor of the BarkBoard. I am not all knowing, nor do I have the knowledge that most college coaches have of the college football game. Over the past twelve years I have done nothing more than watch Bulldog games every single week. However, if Pat stays it is quite obvious to everyone in this city that changes need to be made. Here are my suggestions on what to do to make 2009 a successful season at least in the eyes of Bulldog fans.
Pat Needs to Find His Drive Again – When Pat took over this team he brought energy to the program that had not been seen since Dilfer’s junior season. Somehow Pat has lost the fire he had when he first arrived on the scene as the Bulldogs head coach. Because of this the team no longer plays with desire week to week. The Bulldogs opened the season playing hard against Rutgers and Wisconsin. However, once they dropped the game to Wisconsin it was obvious that something was missing. Pat needs to find a way to keep this team fired up regardless of who the opponent is. In 2004 he was able to do it for the final six games of the season. In order to have a successful 2009 Pat will have to find a way to keep this team fired up for the entire college football season.
Pat Needs to Change His Playoff Mindset - Every week is not a playoff for the Bulldogs. They should not be striving for a BCS game at the start of the season. Did Ball State set their goals at a BCS game or bust? The obvious answer is no. Ball State however went 12-0 and although they will not end up in a BCS game they have been an amazing story during this football season. Pat needs to realize that it is ok to lose a game during the season. One loss is not the end of the world and there is still plenty to play for from week to week. In 2009 if the Dogs lose early that loss should not dictate the remainder of the season. Fresno State can still have an amazing season as long as Hill can get his team to play “up” the week after a close loss.
The QB Competition Needs to be Truly Open - Ryan Colburn has been in the system for four years now. I realize that he is the most experienced QB remaining at Fresno State. That does not make him the most qualified QB to take the field. The QB that can help the team the most should be the one to take the field. At the same time Pat cannot rely only on the run anymore. Against teams like San Jose State that may work but this type of offense does not work week to week with a team that has little depth. The Bulldogs first line of starters is generally very talented. The backups on the other hand are no where near the level the starters are. I am not saying run a spread offense, but Pat needs to realize that at times spreading out the field is a great way to win games and keep players from getting beat up in the middle of the field.
Put Players in a Position to Excel - I realize this request seems trivial at best but let’s take a look at the team in 2008 for a minute. Jake Jorde has played safety for a majority of the season. I realize that Marvin Haynes has been hurt but Jorde is not fast enough to continue playing safety. With Haynes hurt Coach Hill should have attempted to play his son. If that did not work out Jefferson once healthy should have been moved back to corner with Owens moving to safety. I realize Owens is not a safety by nature, but it is much easier to move a corner to safety than it is to move a safety to corner. With that move the Dogs secondary could have been Davis and Jefferson at corner with Owens and Harris at safety. Regardless of how you look at it those players give the Dogs a much better chance on the field to succeed than the lineup often used. Another player that seemed to be out of place on the field was Nico Herron. Herron is a large body but lacks the speed to play the Linebacker position they have used him at this season. I realize the Dogs were thin at LB this season but next season it may be beneficial to move Herron to a different LB spot or to the defensive line. Once again I am not all knowing, but these moves seem obvious to me.
Hill Needs to Stop Blaming Others and Concentrate on the Game Itself - Hill has had a tough run the past few years as the Bulldogs coach which has led to quite a bit of frustration. The problem is that Hill has found various avenues as to why the Bulldogs have not succeeded on the field of play and few if any of them have to do with football itself. It is not the fans fault that the Dogs faltered this season. Pat may be frustrated with the fans but college football is a two way street. The fans are also frustrated with Pat. Pat needs to focus solely on the football team and let everything else fall into place. Many fans love Pat Hill while others are skeptical of the job he has done as the head coach. If Hill can find a way to motivate these players and get the most out of each one of them (as Boise seems to) a majority of those skeptical fans will change their tune.
Finally, Dan Brown Needs to Concentrate on His Life I realize that Brown is probably coaching right now because he loves the game and has the passion to do so. Brown needs to focus on his life and leave the defensive coordinator position behind. Brown has not been a terrible coordinator during his time here. In 2004-2005 he did a stellar job with this team. Brown has other things to worry about in life that have nothing to do with football. Brown is a good man and deserves praise in my opinion for what he has battled through these past few years. However, I believe it is time Brown began to worry about his heath more than the game of football.
I realize that all of these things will not happen between now and 2009. In fact there is a very good chance none of these things will happen. Brown may continue to fight through his health problems and be our defensive coordinator in 2009. The Dogs may once again experience a rash of injuries that is impossible to overcome. Hill may continue to try and pound the ball down the other team’s throat regardless of the score of the game. The only problem is Hill no longer has an extension to his contract. He is our coach for 2009-2010 and if things don’t change he will not be here after the 2010 season. In my opinion that gives Hill all the incentive he needs to change his mindset and find success on the football field once again.
