So on twitter last night I promised to post some stuff about the injury. So here we go. As everyone knows Seth left the Navy game midway through the fourth quarter. Reports from practice, which is still closed BTW, was that Seth was practicing as of Sunday. However, by Tuesday morning there were reports that Seth was not getting first team reps. By Wednesday reports for flying around that Seth was at best questionable, and by Thursday I received word via text that Seth's status for Friday was very doubtful. I was told not to say anything and was sworn to secrecy.
So here's where I get a little worked up. I have no problem with coaches holding things close to the vest. I am not a professional reporter, but the information I got was from a professional reporter who has been in this market for over 30 years. Their source was so concerned about this information getting out before Friday that they said "heads would roll". Literally. Here's the truth...experienced coaches know the game. They know that information will be leaked, so you have to play that the right way. Fuente was a master of this. He would let the information he WANTED out to be leaked. When you let NOTHING out, then people just want to know more.
Coach Silverfield mishandled this situation. Not the first time he's mishandled a situation. Grant's injury was a mistake. You're playing freaking Nicholls not Georgia. Let it be known Seth is starting. Let him be lauded as the first true freshman qb to start. Let Calkins and Gianoto write an article about him. Let him be cheered when he walks on the field to warm up. Experienced coaches know how to play the media, not stonewall it. I fear what we are seeing here is exactly what I was concerned about. A head coach who had never been as much as a position coach anywhere else prior to coming to Memphis.
Friday night you saw a team that has injuries. Injuries happen, but how you adjust to them is part of running a successful program. Some have criticized the play calling. You can't change styles of play in 4 days. You can't install plays for Peter Parrish between Sunday and Friday. What you can do is look at your roster in the summer and say...hmmmm I've got (at the time) two dual threat guys. I need to install a small package of plays in case I need one of these guys. Something you practice a few minutes every week. Not long, 5-10 minutes. You only need a package of 8-10 plays at most. Most of them would be a slight alteration of plays you are currently running, but you still need to practice them. That way if Keilon or Peter needed to take some snaps you don't have them doing 5 step drops.
Again some of this seems like Monday morning quarterbacking, but the overall lack of discipline and attention to detail this year has been evident. Perhaps last year it was masked by a combination of a senior record setting quarterback and the fact that everybody had no real spring practice or fall camp. This year other coaches have continually out prepared and made in game adjustments that have cost the Tigers game after game. Hennigan's injury, the lack of foresight, and the inability to put players in the best position to win cost the Tigers a game they really could have won last night.
So what now. Hennigan's injury, which I have been told is a shoulder, and have been told this since last week, could reportedly linger past the bye week. Nobody I know had ever heard a thing about a hand injury. Maybe it was, but again with all the stonewalling it only leads to more questions. with two weeks to prepare you would expect a solid offensive package to be installed for Parrish, but who knows. Also Grant Gunnell is rumored to be getting healthy, if he's ready does he get the nod? Who knows, but the program is definitely not going in the right direction. If Hennigan is healthy and can play the last 4, I feel we have a chance to win 2 of them, but I don't KNOW that to be true. Missing a bowl this year after starting 3-0 would make for a seriously hot seat going into 2022.
So here's where I get a little worked up. I have no problem with coaches holding things close to the vest. I am not a professional reporter, but the information I got was from a professional reporter who has been in this market for over 30 years. Their source was so concerned about this information getting out before Friday that they said "heads would roll". Literally. Here's the truth...experienced coaches know the game. They know that information will be leaked, so you have to play that the right way. Fuente was a master of this. He would let the information he WANTED out to be leaked. When you let NOTHING out, then people just want to know more.
Coach Silverfield mishandled this situation. Not the first time he's mishandled a situation. Grant's injury was a mistake. You're playing freaking Nicholls not Georgia. Let it be known Seth is starting. Let him be lauded as the first true freshman qb to start. Let Calkins and Gianoto write an article about him. Let him be cheered when he walks on the field to warm up. Experienced coaches know how to play the media, not stonewall it. I fear what we are seeing here is exactly what I was concerned about. A head coach who had never been as much as a position coach anywhere else prior to coming to Memphis.
Friday night you saw a team that has injuries. Injuries happen, but how you adjust to them is part of running a successful program. Some have criticized the play calling. You can't change styles of play in 4 days. You can't install plays for Peter Parrish between Sunday and Friday. What you can do is look at your roster in the summer and say...hmmmm I've got (at the time) two dual threat guys. I need to install a small package of plays in case I need one of these guys. Something you practice a few minutes every week. Not long, 5-10 minutes. You only need a package of 8-10 plays at most. Most of them would be a slight alteration of plays you are currently running, but you still need to practice them. That way if Keilon or Peter needed to take some snaps you don't have them doing 5 step drops.
Again some of this seems like Monday morning quarterbacking, but the overall lack of discipline and attention to detail this year has been evident. Perhaps last year it was masked by a combination of a senior record setting quarterback and the fact that everybody had no real spring practice or fall camp. This year other coaches have continually out prepared and made in game adjustments that have cost the Tigers game after game. Hennigan's injury, the lack of foresight, and the inability to put players in the best position to win cost the Tigers a game they really could have won last night.
So what now. Hennigan's injury, which I have been told is a shoulder, and have been told this since last week, could reportedly linger past the bye week. Nobody I know had ever heard a thing about a hand injury. Maybe it was, but again with all the stonewalling it only leads to more questions. with two weeks to prepare you would expect a solid offensive package to be installed for Parrish, but who knows. Also Grant Gunnell is rumored to be getting healthy, if he's ready does he get the nod? Who knows, but the program is definitely not going in the right direction. If Hennigan is healthy and can play the last 4, I feel we have a chance to win 2 of them, but I don't KNOW that to be true. Missing a bowl this year after starting 3-0 would make for a seriously hot seat going into 2022.
