NC State’s mediocrity is spread so thoroughly across the three phases that you never know which part of the team is going to spring a leak from week to week, and while I appreciate good suspense as much
as the next person, this is not my preferred sort. I accept the inevitability of something going wrong for a team that is just not good enough to avoid it, but I don’t have to like it!
Dave Doeren and his staff have utilized the bye week like they always do, which includes trying to figure out how to put together the ever-elusive complete game.
When you get into each game, it’s different phases at different times, and uncharacteristic for us. It’s, it’s been something that for a long time we’ve been able to do, an offense playing off the defense, defense playing off the offense, special teams setting up both sides and so a huge area emphasis with our team. It’s something that’s talked about a lot, something we just need to do better. Obviously it’s always a head-scratcher for me, because you’re always talking about it, you’re always emphasizing it. But when you watch our games, and particularly the ones people focus on are the ones we lose, that’s what shows up.
But is it a head-scratcher? The variance you can expect in execution boils down to talent level—the lower the talent level, the more frequently you’re going to be dealing with poor execution. Emphasizing the finer points of the fundamentals to each player helps, but for a team lacking playmaking ability in a number of different areas, it can only get you so far. It doesn’t mean you quit trying, but you can’t magically make someone into a savvy player or a sure tackler through endless focus on fundamentals. You just need better players.
The team’s personality on the field is pretty well set after seven games, and the chaotic performances will continue. I’ll always hope for the best, but I’ve come to terms with this team’s limitations. There is still room for a pleasant surprise or two, I’m just not going to go counting on them.
