I have heard John U. Bacon recount this story a few times, so I wanted to credit him for it (a great U/M historian). Paraphrasing just a bit because i cannot recall a few specific details, so let me apologize in advance to @JohnUBacon
In the early 1980s, a few of Bo's teams began to struggle and they had 3 or more losses in 4 out of 5 years. Eventually, a chorus of fans & media starting to proclaim "The Game has passed him by!! He needs to enter the Modern Age or step aside!!".
One off-season, Bo and a few of his coaches decided to expand their horizons and went to a clinic taught by a few of these "cutting edge" coaches, to see these modern schemes & techniques, and how they were being done at other schools.
After one particularly amazing presentation, the presenter opened the room up for questions. Someone raised their hand and stated: "Great presentation Coach. I note that last season your team lost 6 games. To what do you attribute that?".
The speaker sheepishly said, "Well, we weren't very good at blocking and tackling".
Bo turned around to his Asst Coaches and said "Hot Damn Boys!! We're back in business!!".
Moral of the story is, we cannot judge JH's Pro-style offense until we see it executed properly...with basic offensive fundamentals like blocking, route running and ball security done at a high level. For 3 years running now, I don't think we have seen it. And IMO, THAT'S where the off season focus needs to be for coaches and players alike.
In the early 1980s, a few of Bo's teams began to struggle and they had 3 or more losses in 4 out of 5 years. Eventually, a chorus of fans & media starting to proclaim "The Game has passed him by!! He needs to enter the Modern Age or step aside!!".
One off-season, Bo and a few of his coaches decided to expand their horizons and went to a clinic taught by a few of these "cutting edge" coaches, to see these modern schemes & techniques, and how they were being done at other schools.
After one particularly amazing presentation, the presenter opened the room up for questions. Someone raised their hand and stated: "Great presentation Coach. I note that last season your team lost 6 games. To what do you attribute that?".
The speaker sheepishly said, "Well, we weren't very good at blocking and tackling".
Bo turned around to his Asst Coaches and said "Hot Damn Boys!! We're back in business!!".
Moral of the story is, we cannot judge JH's Pro-style offense until we see it executed properly...with basic offensive fundamentals like blocking, route running and ball security done at a high level. For 3 years running now, I don't think we have seen it. And IMO, THAT'S where the off season focus needs to be for coaches and players alike.
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