I just think its too early to bash Key. Collins left us in a pretty bad spot. We currently have no depth. If we lose 1 DL we are completely ****ed. The injuries plus the recent transfers also hurt. I think what the program needs is stability. That is probably the best thing that can help with recruiting. The bet is to give Key a few more years then judge. We are financially strapped for cash anyways. Does watching these games suck? Yes. Will it get better? I hope so. All I can say is if we can give a clown like Collins 3.5 years and hype him up, we can give Key 3-4.
This.
Sometime at the end of last season, when everyone was settling into the idea of Key as HC (some readily, others reluctantly), I posted about how we need to give him the same expectations we would any other new HC.
Quite simply, it doesn't matter that he was on TFG's staff. It certainly doesn't matter that he had the title of "Associate HC and Run Game Coordinator." Titles are meaningless if your boss micromanages and/or insists on following the wrong strategy and tactics (and doesn't give you reign to act as the CEO of your areas of responsibility. Ask me how I know this.) Not only that, but I've always been wary of "Co-" titles. The buck has to stop with someone, and if there's no hierarchy, there's no clear ownership of results. And in the case of Key, if there IS a hierarchy, then the person with the biggest title/ownership wins. Period.
I have no doubt that Key was restricted under Collins, and that it greatly affected his ability to do his job and get the OL ready each week. I DO have doubts as to HOW much Collins affected that ability - but I'm sure Key was unable to perform at his best under TFG's "leadership."
All that being said, this is a clean slate. He had a half year with TFG's staff last year, and he's had this year to get his start, effectively from 0. It was never going to be an immediate turnaround, no matter which head coach we hired (see: Deion's results at CU). Last year I mentioned that our fanbase needs to be patient, because no coach (well, none we could get) was going to come in and get us back to CPJ's levels in 1 year. For all coaches, we say "they need time to get their guys in there." I'm pretty sure that there is some attitude that's left over from TFG's team that will need to be flushed out over the next few years.
I do think this is all what it is with any new head coach: growing pains. You're not going to win every game. You're hopefully not going to lose any games you shouldn't lose, either - but doing that once or twice per season is a Tech tradition. I want to see steady improvement from season to season. I had hoped we would reach a bowl game this season - and while that's increasingly unlikely, it's still a possibility. But at the start of the season, IIRC, 5 wins seemed reasonable to me. I still think we can get there - and given the hell we've been through for the past 4 years, that will be a HUGE step forward on the right path.
Give the guy the same time and expectations you would give any new head coach. He's effectively rebuilding from the ground up. There will continue to be speed bumps - but I don't think any of us can say that we're not seeing improvement from TFG, or even last year. I'm hopeful we'll continue to iterate and clean up the mistakes, and I think Key will make that happen. As long as he has a reasonable time to cook.
