It's just as amazing to me how so many folks assume that coaching football is so esoteric that only paid professionals have any business talking about it. Also odd that even trying kickoffs is this guaranteed trip to ruining our punter forever.
Our inconsistent and lackluster performance should dissuade anyone of that notion really quickly.
Our coaching staff has never wowed me with their willingness to think outside the box.
I didn't say that people can't talk about coaching decisions or football. I did say that many people believe they know more about football, the team, and the players than the coaches. I think there are only a few posters that know close to as much about football as college coaches if that many. I haven't seen any of your posts that made me feel as though you think you know more than the coaches. Your original question was whether Harvin had attempted kick offs. I don't know if he did, but when asked about during the season it CPJ said almost immediately that he wouldn't be doing it. That led me to believe that it had at least been thought about. If he hadn't thought about it before the question, he probably wouldn't have answered as quickly.
As to football being esoteric, it depends on what level you are talking about. Just using my limited knowledge as an example: If I see an overhead shot(like you see NFL players looking at on the sidelines) of pre-snap and after-snap lineups, I wouldn't be able to immediately identify the offensive and defensive formations. Someone like Tom Brady would look at those pictures and note the pre-snap formation. He would then look at the post-snap line up. He would then look for signs, such as when the defense lines up in a certain formation, but the cornerback is lined up inside the receiver, the defense shifts into a different coverage post snap. I would have trouble identifying the pre-snap formation and then the coverage. Brady would have no problem identifying either, and no problem identifying any give aways if they exist. If I were calling plays in a GT game, I wouldn't know the players, or the team chemistry. I wouldn't understand the defensive lineups and coverage real-time. I wouldn't be able to pay attention to the ball, the blocking, and the down field coverage. I wouldn't be able to discuss all of those areas with the coaches in the booth in enough time to call the next play. People who I attend games and watch games with know a good bit more than I about football, but during the game they don't see all of those things either. They will say that something caused an issue and then realize they are wrong when they see a replay later. It isn't amazing that people talk about football, or ask why we did/do things the way we did/do. What is amazing to me is when people state definitively that if we had run this play, or used this player instead of that one we would have won. What I have seen on GT forums for many years is that the backup QB is the best player on the team. If he was starting over the QB, we would be undefeated. Invariably, either the backup starts the next year and all of a sudden everyone wants the new backup, or during the year information comes out that helps explain why the backup is the backup. Even if a fan has as much knowledge and experience at football as the coaches, he will not have the contact time with the players and observation of practice. There is no way for anyone outside of the program to know definitively the best thing for the program.
