Memphis Report

Aquila_Viridis · September 26, 2012

I had to move back to Tennessee and thus had to drive 7 hours back, so am late to post my observations on Saturday night's game. I knew Troy would be a competitive game. They played MS State close the week before. None of the other Sun Belt schools are standing still. We should not take any of them for granted. The reality is our collective level of commitment is hardly enough to keep pace with them. We aren't going to separate from them significantly in terms of quality anytime soon. EVERY win is hard-earned. You may as well come out to the games every chance you get, realize sometimes they're gonna lose, not get too worked up about a tough loss, and be really really happy if you get to see them win.

Now that said, I don't understand some of the performances against Troy. Practicing and playing football is a big part of these players' lives, so why do we see in one game so many poor throws, missed kicks and defensive backs not looking for the ball? The ball is a pretty important part of the game. It is in fact 50% of the name of the game. So it seems elementary that knowing where the ball is, must be crucial to success, especially if your role is to prevent someone else from getting it. I would not want to be a defensive back. It is risky and difficult and there is more potential downside than upside. I do not envy anyone in that position. But if one finds themself in that position, the best you can do is avoid the downside, and the way to do that is look for the ball. I would not want to be a kicker either but actually there is a lot of opportunity. I don't buy the headcase thing. Practice makes perfect, well a LOT of practice. It would be great to be a quarterback but wow a lot of things have to come together. I never understand why so many soccer players kick the ball over the goal. That is one sure way to not score a goal. I was reminded of this seeing passes going way too high. It is a great way to throw an interception. We were fortunate in that regard.

Still, Saturday night's result would not cause me not to make the trip again. A Tuesday night game though, that is a bit of a problem!

eulessismore · September 26, 2012

I had to move back to Tennessee and thus had to drive 7 hours back, so am late to post my observations on Saturday night's game. I knew Troy would be a competitive game. They played MS State close the week before. None of the other Sun Belt schools are standing still. We should not take any of them for granted. The reality is our collective level of commitment is hardly enough to keep pace with them. We aren't going to separate from them significantly in terms of quality anytime soon. EVERY win is hard-earned. You may as well come out to the games every chance you get, realize sometimes they're gonna lose, not get too worked up about a tough loss, and be really really happy if you get to see them win.

Now that said, I don't understand some of the performances against Troy. Practicing and playing football is a big part of these players' lives, so why do we see in one game so many poor throws, missed kicks and defensive backs not looking for the ball? The ball is a pretty important part of the game. It is in fact 50% of the name of the game. So it seems elementary that knowing where the ball is, must be crucial to success, especially if your role is to prevent someone else from getting it. I would not want to be a defensive back. It is risky and difficult and there is more potential downside than upside. I do not envy anyone in that position. But if one finds themself in that position, the best you can do is avoid the downside, and the way to do that is look for the ball. I would not want to be a kicker either but actually there is a lot of opportunity. I don't buy the headcase thing. Practice makes perfect, well a LOT of practice. It would be great to be a quarterback but wow a lot of things have to come together. I never understand why so many soccer players kick the ball over the goal. That is one sure way to not score a goal. I was reminded of this seeing passes going way too high. It is a great way to throw an interception. We were fortunate in that regard.

Still, Saturday night's result would not cause me not to make the trip again. A Tuesday night game though, that is a bit of a problem!

The overthrown passes last Saturday night were not likely to be intercepted.