Wait till Next Year

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winwave
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Sadly that has been the refrain of Tulane fans for most of the past 65 years since Rufus Harris announced the de-emphasis of athletics at Tulane. Of course Tulane was the preseason #1 football team in the country at the time. Only at Tulane.

So will this finally be next year?

In football we have many who say it's all on Tanner Lee. I'll post here what I posted elsewhere recently when some one said that was the case. This isn't on Tanner Lee. It is on CJ,the Price's ,McDonell and Sheridan. There is no question he has all the physical tools. He's got height, strong arm,great throwing motion and is more than mobile enough. CJ has to learn his place and stay the hell out of the way. The Price's need to coach him up mentally. McDonell needs to put an offensive line together. So what that many are returning. The line has let three straight QB's get hurt bad enough to miss multiple games. As to the receivers we like to say they look good but the truth is many noted they couldn't get any separation. Sheridan has his work cut out for him.

It is about so much more than Tanner Lee.

The play calling and game management have been horrific the last 3 seasons. It has to show dramatic improvement in both if we are to have a successful season this year.

It all starts up front on the field. Our offensive line at times last year looked like a unit. But far too often they had breakdowns that killed the offense. There's ample size and experience for the unit to be good but is the coaching there? So far it hasn't been. KSM has been a disappointment to this point . He'll have his shot this year to live up to expectations.

At TE we finally got a couple last year that showed promise in Jones and Scott. Ardoin started to show some life in the spring game. This position had been upgraded and is clearly now an asset to the offense.

At WR we have a couple of players who got lots of experience last year. Losing James hurts our depth. So once again we will need some true freshman to step up. Fortunately it looks like we got at least a couple in this class. This position has bewildered us all as we all expected it to be major strength considering CJ's background.

We have a lot of talent at RB. A good coaching staff would take full advantage of Badie's explosiveness. Our lack of numbers at WR might force them into utilizing him on the perimeter which would be a great benefit to the offense.Badie and Thompson tend to get hurt a lot so thank goodness for Hilliard. He is the best all around back on the team. Having Kelley back also helps a good unit be that much better.

I already talked about Lee above. Behind him is Powell who still hasn't seemed to grasp the playbook yet. As for Cuilette he showed he could execute the read option n the spring. Problem is this staff won't know how to utilize that. Otherwise he seems a bit mechanical. With good coaching he could be developed but this staff hasn't shown an ability to do that.

Defensively we have some talent up front. We need more depth. Calvin Thomas showed real promise as a freshman. He then suffered a foot injury and hasn't done anything since. We need him to bounce back. Fortunately Redwine came back. LaFrance has been up and down. It's his senior year so you have to hope the light finally goes on and he tears it up for 13 games. We also need Aruna to finally reach his potential.

At LB we have the modern day version of Mark Oliveri in Marley. Despite his lack of size he just keeps getting after it and delivers game in and game out. Edward Wiliams is like LaFrance. You can see the ability but it just shows up when he's in the mood. If he finally stepped up every week it would be a major boost to this unit. Zach Harris and Eric thomas provide good depth. The return of Jarrod Franklin at the hybrid LB/Safety spot will help.

The DB's will shine. Nickerson finally got the knee fixed and lived up to expectations and then some. He's a real joy to watch. Richard Allen had a good spring and it will be interesting to see if that carries over. Lewis and Lofton provide solid depth. At safety Scofield will be greatly missed. He was our leading tackler the last two years and more importantly got his teammates lined up in the right spots. Monroe is solid but it would be great for him to look like the 4 star recruit we signed.

ST's starts w/the snapper and there was no design in the spring that that has been addressed. The kickers were still inconsistent. With all of the athletes we have signed there is hope that we'll finally have a return game.

With a good coaching staff we should get 8 or more wins against this schedule. We open w/a Duke team that will be starting a new QB and a host of other newbies on offense. This is very winnable game and if this is to be next year we need to win it. GT on the road is the only game that I think most everyone would agree would be a loss. Other than that every team on the rest of the schedule is beatable.

If I believed in the staff I would believe this will finally be next year. Unfortunately they have done nothing to merit such faith. Four wins or less seems to be more likely than 8. Hopefully they prove themselves this year and make us happy.

In basketball we will have 8 new players. As has been noted we have our highest rated class in a long time.

As to the newcomers two come w/a lot of experience in Morgan and Jarreau. Neither has lived up to their star rankings coming out of HS. Plus both have been injured. Can coming home make it all come together for both? We can hope.

We lost both PG's. I am highest on Kain Harris among our recruits and I think you'll see him starting at PG. Julien will provide depth. He lacks size like our departed PG's. That spells trouble in this league where a lot of the guards have good length. Hopefully he can figure out a way for that not to be a problem . Kajon Mack can be a factor defensively here for us.

At SG we have Dabney. This is Harris' natural position and so he will play at this spot also. We also have Morgan and Reynolds. Good depth here.

At SF we will have Frazier and Nichols. Two talented players that hopefully live up to their press clippings.

At PF we will likely start Jarreau. He has been injury ridden his whole career. He has the size to really help us if he can finally stay healthy. Blake Paul will play here too. Good depth. Some have noted that Paul is a head case. We have to hope that turns out not to be the case.

At center we have Osetkowski coming back. Oliver will back him up.

This is year 6 and so the least expectation is making the NIT and then winning at least a couple of games there. Is the talent what we have been led to believe? Many come w/question marks on the offensive end. Will the staff let the team run as promised? He has said it before and then failed to deliver. It's way past time for him to deliver and make this next year.

Just like in football a lack of faith in the HC makes it more likely that this is not next year.

As they say though that's why they play the games.

Here's to hoping everything falls into place and this is finally next year in the Big 2.


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Jonathan
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I agree with almost everything that you mentioned above. One other thing. CJ and staff last year and looks like again this year will bring in the fourth best recruiting class in Louisiana after LSU, U La La and LaTech. Not consistent. We should have all three and four star players. Only six three stars to date. Other recruits two stars or not ranked. We should be number two in recruiting in Louisiana every year. I do not see more than four football wins next season.I hope that you are correct on a winning season. I would love to go to a Tulane bowl game. I expect us to make the NIT in men's basketball.
Last edited by Jonathan on Sun Jul 12, 2015 4:25 pm, edited 4 times in total.
DfromCT
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Very well written examination of the two sports that matter the most. While I'm very concerned about our offense under the Price bros., as I've been saying for years if the O-line can control their opponent, everything else opens up. The same is true on D, but more importantly if the O-line can function as a well oiled unit, the running game could go wild which will open up all sorts of things in the play-action passing game. Yet this coaching staff, as WinWave mentioned, gives us nothing to indicate they've turned the corner. We were our own worst enemy last year with game management and play calling leading to costly mistakes all over the field. The D was solid once again, but asked to do too much when the O can't keep their opponents O off the field.

The rock doesn't weigh much, there's plenty of talent to carry it, throw and catch it IF the line can be a little better than average.

With basketball I'm almost impressed with the recruits and transfers that we're bringing in. I'd love to see Conroy develop an inside-outside game and work to get Osetkowski to the point that demands teams to double or triple down when it goes into the post. I saw a few power moves from the big guy last year; this year he needs to learn to finish. But more importantly we need to be able to rely on him when we desperately need a bucket.

The thing that curtails my enthusiasm for our hoops team is that, despite the hoopla around our new recruits, we still had the ninth rated recruiting class in a conference that is top heavy and bottom weak. Some teams that are right about where we are as a program had even better recruiting results.
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winwave
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I should have added this in the OP. As of two years ago coaches now have access to players during the summer. So there is no excuse not to see Lee coached up this year. It is the first time under CJ we know the starter going in. We have to take advantage of that.
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nawlinspete
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Actually when Rufus Harris started us down the path we now find ourselves in we had just lost THE GAME OF THE DECADE to Notre Dame at South Bend. We were probably pre season number two or three for the 1950 campaign. A hollywood movie, complete with the Tulane Victory March, was even made about Tulane's QB getting 'the girl' after beating LSU.

Perhaps if we had not finished the 1998 season bowl season rated seventh our idiot leader would not have felt as if Tulane was about to again become the football monster we had been in the 1920's, 1930's, and 1940's. He certainly has picked the right bozo's to assure we're nowhere close to respectable, let alone competitive. The biggest bozo hired: Dickson.
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GreenLantern
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A good read from winwave
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GreenLantern wrote:A good read from winwave


I second that!
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golfnut69
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winwave...I appreciate your post, and you make several valid points...so Who do you think will be the new Head Coach for 2016 ?....
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I have hear that for 62 years how sad
winwave
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golfnut69 wrote:winwave...I appreciate your post, and you make several valid points...so Who do you think will be the new Head Coach for 2016 ?....
Unfortunately we all know that even if this season does in fact go to shit CJ will be the coach in 2016.
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Wave QB
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Great read by Winwave.

Arturo Uzdavinis (6-7, 307, RS-Sr.)
John Leglue (6-6, 3-5, RS-Fr.)
Colton Hanson (6-5, 311, RS-Jr.)
Jason stewart (6-4, 380, RS-So.)
Nathan Shienle (6-5, 309, RS-Jr.)
Junior Diaz (6-1, 285, RS-Fr.)
Chris Taylor (6-2, 312, Jr.)
Todd Jacquet (6-5, 290, RS-Jr.)
Kenneth Santa Marina (6-6, 317, RS-So.)
Devon Johnson (6-5, 340, RS-Fr.)

I refuse to believe that these kids aren't great pick ups by our staff. This is the best line I have seen on paper for us this decade. This should be the most talented unit on the field for us. If McDonell is the right man for the job, we will have one of the best offensive line in college football next season. My goodness! How many 3 star linemen do we have on our roster? With 4 returning starters, we should have to worry about our O line. KSM and Jason Stewart both need to be the beast they were in high school for us. There is no excuse for this O line failing this season. Tanner Lee should be under great protection so he can rack up yards. We have too many running backs not to have a good running game this season as well. If we see the same thing we have been seeing for 3 years, McDonell must be fired. I new coach would die to come in on a line like this.
CN Hide & Seek Team
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We have a great O Line this year, led by Chris Taylor. It will be even better next year, and we have a softer SOS then. I think we are looking at two good years here, with an experienced QB and solid RBs.

Heck, Vegas is predicting an over under of more than five wins on this season,You have to pay vig to bet on 6+ games. That is more than 2013 and we have a much tougher SOS than '13. I think SOS in 13 was in the high 90s.
winwave
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Just saw a disturbing interview w/Tanner Lee. He said that we are going to use less formations to simplify the offense. So we are going to make an offense that other teams easily figured out even easier to figure out. It seems CJ's solution to problems is to always simplify things. Yikes.
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CN Hide & Seek Team
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SOS preseason in 2013 was 94th hardest(7-5)
2014 was 52nd hardest(3-9), and lost close games at Tulsa(2OT), UCF and at home against Temple
2015 is ranked 82nd hardest

We started a RS Frosh last year as QB, in case you guys forgot, and our QB in 2013 was Jr Nick Montana, RB was Sr orleans Darkwa, and our K won the Lou Groza award
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Eaglewave
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winwave wrote:Just saw a disturbing interview w/Tanner Lee. He said that we are going to use less formations to simplify the offense. So we are going to make an offense that other teams easily figured out even easier to figure out. It seems CJ's solution to problems is to always simplify things. Yikes.
Yikes is right. The last time CJ talked about simplifying the offense, we went got creamed by ULL and ULM.

However, this might force him to find a dominant running back instead of all of these whacky packages. Somebody needs to tell CJ that we aren't the Saints and don't have 4 running backs on our roster with NFL experience.
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Eaglewave
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CN Hide & Seek Team wrote:SOS preseason in 2013 was 94th hardest(7-5)
2014 was 52nd hardest(3-9), and lost close games at Tulsa(2OT), UCF and at home against Temple
2015 is ranked 82nd hardest

We started a RS Frosh last year as QB, in case you guys forgot, and our QB in 2013 was Jr Nick Montana, RB was Sr orleans Darkwa, and our K won the Lou Groza award
What does that have to do with losing to Tulsa and Temple? 2 of those 7 wins in 2013 were with a RS- Freshman at QB.

Please don't overrate the opponents in on the 2014 schedule. We could have won more than 3 games.
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CN Hide & Seek Team
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I didnt come up with the 52nd hardest ranking. I'd love to have that damn Tulsa game back. I didnt think temple was better than us either, and blame the coaches for that game.

Bottom line I am trying to stress is this- Vegas scouts(professional handicappers) are saying we have a better team this year than last, and the schedule is looking easier as well. That is why you have to pay Vegas to bet that we win 6 games or more this year. This O Line is going to be difference maker in my opinion, and they will be even better next year. Our QB play should naturally be better this year and even better next year, regardless of who is OC. If we win 6 games and go to a bowl I'd call it a successful year.

Personally, I believe at some point Tanner has a breakout and we outperform Vegas. It is possible that we end up in the Americon's first championship game. We do not face Cincy or ECU regular season. I dont think anyone in the AAC west is faster or bigger than Tulane is now. And, I think the third party pundits who say tanner has legit top notch talent are not blowing smoke.
breaker
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Regardless of the improved line or Tanner's maturation, nothing will happen until we make a change at OC. Five years for Eric Price as an OC, five times he has failed to crack the top 100 of FBS in yards per game. Considering there are only 124 teams, that is incompetence of epic proportion, as he has yet to crack the 20th percentile. Memphis has improved by about 150 yards per game on offense since his departure. As bad as the fans have said that Price is, the numbers say he's even worse.
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The offense was terrible last year. Just terrible. Just be successful in the plays you do run.
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breaker wrote:Regardless of the improved line or Tanner's maturation, nothing will happen until we make a change at OC. Five years for Eric Price as an OC, five times he has failed to crack the top 100 of FBS in yards per game. Considering there are only 124 teams, that is incompetence of epic proportion, as he has yet to crack the 20th percentile. Memphis has improved by about 150 yards per game on offense since his departure. As bad as the fans have said that Price is, the numbers say he's even worse.
This. Tulane's organizational dysfunction, which in this case is hiring the ADs buddy and refusing to hold people accountable, are what holds back Tulane athletics. Hide and Seek is right, we are starting to amass some talent though and we are an OC away from having a decent football program. That's the positive.
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Eaglewave
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jonathanjoseph wrote:
breaker wrote:Regardless of the improved line or Tanner's maturation, nothing will happen until we make a change at OC. Five years for Eric Price as an OC, five times he has failed to crack the top 100 of FBS in yards per game. Considering there are only 124 teams, that is incompetence of epic proportion, as he has yet to crack the 20th percentile. Memphis has improved by about 150 yards per game on offense since his departure. As bad as the fans have said that Price is, the numbers say he's even worse.

And fans wonder why I pray for bowl friendly schedules every year. We aren't serious about winning. We might as well schedule easier non conference games in order help us become bowl eligible rather than going 3-9 and watching everyone else playing in December and January. There is no way Price should still be here! Now soft CJ is trying to protect him by blaming himself on our offense dragging _ss.

This. Tulane's organizational dysfunction, which in this case is hiring the ADs buddy and refusing to hold people accountable, are what holds back Tulane athletics. Hide and Seek is right, we are starting to amass some talent though and we are an OC away from having a decent football program. That's the positive.
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DfromCT
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CN Hide & Seek Team wrote:We have a great O Line this year, led by Chris Taylor. It will be even better next year, and we have a softer SOS then. I think we are looking at two good years here, with an experienced QB and solid RBs.

Heck, Vegas is predicting an over under of more than five wins on this season,You have to pay vig to bet on 6+ games. That is more than 2013 and we have a much tougher SOS than '13. I think SOS in 13 was in the high 90s.
Vegas is not predicting anything win wise with the under/over. What they're trying to do is predict where they will get as many bets over as under. There's a big difference in the two, and it has little to do with experts looking at the schedule and saying "Tulane will win five games this year."
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This O-Line is the biggest we've had in years. The running back talent and depth is scary good. We should be able to run the ball on just about everyone this year. Tanner just needs to drive the bus and not hurt us. With a sound running game Tanner should be throwing the ball no more than 25 times a game. Run the ball and use it to set up play action. I think we win 7 + games this year.
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Let's not forget that Badie got hurt last year, so we really only saw a chunk of his potential. I saw Tanner's comments as well - what he should have said is the offense is trying to be more efficient, which would make sense. We won't have the experienced receivers that can always nail deep routes, but if we can keep the chains moving with a balanced attach while rotating Badie, Hilliard and Kelley that will be the key.

I like to look at this way - plsce your offense and defense together and draw a line down the middle -

RB - Badie
QB - Lee
C - Diaz
DT - Smart
LB - Marley
S - Monroe

There's a wealth of talent there. If these 6 guys perform and the WR are at least average contributors, we will be successful.

I think we can hit 6 wins this year.
winwave
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Shienle will be at center. Badie is explosive but he is injury prone if used as a regular RB. As I posted our lack of experience at WR may benefit us if they are smart enough to put him in the slot and get him out in space.
BAYWAVE&Sophandros are SPINELESS COWARDS
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6-4-23:Now all of the mistakes Tulane has made finally catches up with them as they descend to CUSAAC.
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