Dan Guerrero Sets Expectations For Karl Dorrell

Lots to talk about today!  We will have to do this in several posts. To start, we are going to continue to focus on expectations … from the players, from Dorrell, from the beat press and from the national media, and now importantly from Dan Guerrero himself!  It's important to note that EVERYONE expects this to be a special year, one of no excuses.  We all have done our job in setting the appropriate expectations so that this year of all years Dorrell cannot escape with his usual excuses, growing and learning and 3-game seasons.  This year it's all on the line, as Dorrell said, "If I dont do my job I'm going to get fired." 

It is very important to point out that Dan Guerrero publicly set the goals for Dorrell this season in easy to measure terms, like a report card, in an interview with Brian Dohn, Daily News. Note the tone … that if these things dont happen then there will be problems for Dorrell:

"The important thing this year" Guerrero said, "is that we don't beat ourselves, that we play with consistency, that we're an excellent second half team and that we improve as the year progresses."

Now this is an important quote, so lets parse it out.  Earlier in Dohn's article, Guerrero is quoted as saying he is pleased with the program and how its been managed to this point.  This year is a different story … "the important thing this year" signals to us that there is certainly an expectation that this year things are different and that Guerrero has expectations of Dorrell that Guerrero did not have last year.  Then Guerrero provides the criteria that he will use to assess Dorrell's performance.  Note that by doing this publicly Guerrero is laying the groundwork for dumping Karl Dorrell should he fail this season so that if and when Guerrero does dump Dorrell it's no surprise to anyone as to why.  Here are the 4 criteria Dan Guerrero is saying he will use to assess Dorrell's performance this year:

1. We don't beat ourselves.  No more idiotic Notre Dame losses, or 1st quarter blowouts to Oregon, or 4th quarter comeback losses to horrible Washington.  Those losses were the result of bad coaching and obviously Guerrero is saying a 5th year coach with 20 returning starters, 17 of them seniors, with 25 total seniors on the team should not be making such stupid mistakes.
2. Play with consistency.  No more beating title game bound SuC one week, then getting spanked by a ridiculously bad Florida State team the next game.  No more 3 game seasons after a 4 game losing streak. That just won't get it done.  Consistency is the mark of good coaching, plain and simple, and it is widely known that Dorrell's tenure has been marked by inconsistency. No way Dorrell can "grow" and "learn" his way out of that one this year.
3. Excellent 2nd half team.  No more coming out of halftime with 0 adjustments.  In nearly every game last year, Dorrell was outcoached in the 2nd half.  Good coaches adjust and it shows in the second half of the game. Last year, the team scored 13 fewer points in the 2nd half than in the 1st and allowed 19 more points in the 2nd half than in the 1st, for a 32 point differential.  Not a recipe for success and a clear indicator of bad coaching.  Not only did Guerrero say he wanted to see a good 2nd half team, he wants to see an "excellent" 2nd half team.  Dorrell better work on adjustments at halftime and that is what we will be looking at all season.
4. Improve as the year progresses.  Dorrell's post October record is a dismal 6-12 in 4 years.  Although last year Dorrell had his first winning post-October at 3-2, the late season collapse is the norm for his football teams.  It's no wonder, coaches have more film on the team than during the earlier part of the season AND our tougher, better coached teams are usually scheduled during the end of the season.  So, Dorrell proves his mediocre skills with the late season collapses.  Guerrero is clearly signaling that a 5th year coach with all this talent should not be outcoached like that and win only by surprise or by luck ('05).  Dorrell has to show that he can outflank his opponents when all is out in the open. If he can't prove that he can do that now, with this team and this schedule, when will he ever??  We think Guerrero is saying its time for Dorrell to prove himself as a top conference coach this year.

There you have it, Guerrero's report card for Dorrell.  He made it public!  The expectations are set, and you can bet that we will be paying close attention to these issues throughout the year.

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