 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Mike Sopher This is either a sign of the apocalypse or Toledo’s football program is in big trouble. Eastern Michigan is favored by two at home against Toledo. Eastern Michigan is actually favored to beat the Rockets. UUUUhhhhhh what???? Predictions before the season had Toledo a 9-10 win season with a bowl birth come winter. But with a 2-5 overall record and zero— that’s right— zero wins in conference play, the Rockets are actually knocking on the door to a losing season, their first since 1993. This is just not right. We are beginning to see the problems of the past. The recruiting classes of 2002, 2003, and 2004 produced several outstanding football players but over two dozen are no longer with the team. Granted, some players transfer, drop out, or have academic issues, and football programs must adjust accordingly to the talent at hand. But what we as fans are witnessing is a lack of depth at all positions where sophomores and juniors should be #2 or #3 on the depth chart, but are instead replaced with freshmen. This is problematic because injuries are a part of the game and depth is a key in the Division 1 ranks in order to compete. One never hears of an Ohio State or Michigan team lacking depth. They simply reload rather than rebuild. With Toledo, it appears that reloading with freshman is just not working out, at least for this season. The recruiting classes of 2004 and 2005 will tell soon if most of these guys stick around the program for the duration of their eligibility. We know that the Rockets are playing too many freshmen this season. A mid-major program cannot lean on such young prospects to perform at expected levels. Even Coach Amstutz agrees that perhaps the coaching staff pushed too many too fast. Although this gives some 18-19 year olds valuable game time experience, it puts the program in jeopardy. A losing season means lower attendance, which means lower revenue and more financial problems for an athletic program that is already over its head. But I’m going to slow down for a moment. I don’t think the panic button is ready to be hit now. That’s not to say that this season is salvageable. With a road game at Northern Illinois, and home contests against Akron, Ball State and Bowling Green, the Rockets will need to show drastic improvement to win three of those contests. Unless a miracle happens, this team probably wins two of the five remaining games left. That’s a 4-8 season or perhaps 5-7 if the Rockets sneak out another victory—far from acceptable in the eyes of Toledo fans. Offensive woes have hurt this team and I just don’t have the patience to get into that. Offensive coordinator John Shannon has taken the heat for the poor playcalling and rightfully so. But he is only half of the problem. This team suffers from dropped passes, critical penalties, and turnovers that cost games. All of this comes down to a lack of discipline and concentration. This team fails to execute and the upperclassmen are the ones leading the charge. Until this team finds some heart and learns how to play this game correctly, Toledo’s season will end with little encouragement for the future. All I really know is that the fans are angry and extremely disappointed. Yes, it shows that we care, but this is unacceptable. I hope that this season becomes nothing more than a minor bump to bigger and better things, because we have been itching closer to a breakout season since 2001. The Toledo staff and players must do some soul searching right now or the state of the football program may hit rock-bottom before we know it. Have a question or comment for Mike? Email |