Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

[mtsax305]

After the shutout of Walsh, I admittedly had high expectations for this season. Obviously, those expectations were not met. I get that we had a relatively young team this year, but I think that there are certain things that show that this coaching staff has overstayed it's welcome. What's most indicative is that several players walked out midseason, including the senior qb. It's clear that Paul Winters still has his job for next season, but I think he needs to take a hard look at player development and recruiting and at his game scheming. I'm willing to give him this season to try and develop Amrhein. If this guy can work on his timing with his receivers, he's got something going for him. But Winters needs to feel the hot seat. The record after 2011 is mediocre and they way they got there (either just being bad or having late-season meltdowns) is worse.

[bigmrg74]

Re: Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

That and 2011 was kind of a fluke. It very well could have been another GLIAC team that could have made the playoffs that year and the 2011 playoff run wouldn't have happened.

[WayneStatesman]

Re: Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

After the shutout of Walsh, I admittedly had high expectations for this season. Obviously, those expectations were not met. I get that we had a relatively young team this year, but I think that there are certain things that show that this coaching staff has overstayed it's welcome. What's most indicative is that several players walked out midseason, including the senior qb. It's clear that Paul Winters still has his job for next season, but I think he needs to take a hard look at player development and recruiting and at his game scheming. I'm willing to give him this season to try and develop Amrhein. If this guy can work on his timing with his receivers, he's got something going for him. But Winters needs to feel the hot seat. The record after 2011 is mediocre and they way they got there (either just being bad or having late-season meltdowns) is worse.

I think the fix unfortunately is a new head coach. Winters did well in his first 8 years but things have deteriorated in the last 7 (since 2011). His record since 2011 is 35-41. What's even worse is if you look at Winters' record against teams which currently comprise the GLIAC he's only won 26 games against these teams for his career at Wayne State. That's 26 wins in 15 years-less than 2 wins per season against teams that currently make up the GLIAC!! You can't get much worse than that.

When you add in the problems this past season with players leaving the program it's clear Winters has to go. Unfortunately as you pointed out he'll be here for another season because of his close relationship with the AD. So the misery will continue for a while longer.

[MDRussell]

Re: Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

That and 2011 was kind of a fluke. It very well could have been another GLIAC team that could have made the playoffs that year and the 2011 playoff run wouldn't have happened.

2011 wasn't a fluke...that was a very good team, as was the 2010 squad that won the GLIAC South and should have made the playoffs. You can't discount that WSU had some very good years, including a HH winner and several All-Americans during that era.

[sandman]

Re: Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

First of all. Disagree with bigmrg74. We were one play from winning the NC in 2011. A blocked field goal attempt from about the ten that was returned for a touchdown. We lost the game by 9 and that was a ten point turnaround. No team getting that far is a fluke. Unusual yes, but not a fluke.


Secondly, the current athletic administration should be highly commended for the work that they have done with the total athletic program since they arrived. Most of our sports are doing very well against the heralded Gliac competition with some National Championships and many Gliac Championships. I know most of the posters here don't give a morsel about anything but football and maybe a little basketball so many of the observations here are in my opinion tunnel vision when it comes to the Athletic Department.

Lastly, it has been my observation that Wayne State has lagged behind others in the football conference for primarily one reason, their lack of recruiting and developing a quarterback. Many football coaches have told me this is the key component to success on the gridiron. Also, Winters conservative approach to the game has had me frustrated and out right pissed at times. He always talks about the 5 or 6 running backs that he has at the beginning of the season but the quarterback issue is usually one of hope and development. This hope and development just has not been panning out. I can not count the number of times that after a loss, I have said that if we had switched qb's with the other team we would have won that game. Winters strength is that he keeps players and they do not quit on him. In a normal year, I estimate that out of 100 players on the team 90% of them return for the next year other than those who have graduated. Although, stats to back this up would be almost impossible, all Gliacs, other than Maybe Michigan Tech, could not match this. As for the two players who left this year. One had already quit another team to join Wayne State and saw plenty of other good running backs behind him. One of which was Gliac second team all league. Just guessing on this as to the reason for his leaving. The QB who left, had been thrust into a starting job in the first game as a true freshman and he did great. Where was the development in 4 years. I can name 30 qb's from the last 10 years who were rostered on WSU's program. Where is the development. I feel some of them had potential, Moehner succeeded in his own way with a great team around him. Dakota Kupp has great perseverance and Jake AmRhein has all my hopes and prayers for next year. Great potential, no development.


Solution for hope. Bring in a true quarterbacks coach who has played quarterback and can be prominent in recruiting and developing QB's. Shift the current QB coach to tight end coach where he has had some success. Do away with this split coordinators job that was implemented this year. Make Scott Wooster the offensive coordinator. Keep Paul Winters as he is a good man and with some changes, I think he will bring success back to Wayne State University's football program. Go Warriors.

[mtsax305]

Re: Is There a Fix for Wayne State Football?

I totally agree with you on the AD front. What he and the staff have accomplished have certainly outweighed what hasn't gone quite right. Certainly as a whole, Wayne's athletic department is leaps and bounds above what it was before.

I don't want Winters gone, but if he can't keep up his scheming and recruiting with the rest of the GLIAC (or give power to assistants that can), then I think it becomes an unfortunate reality. Making that Championship Game earned him a lot of goodwill, but that day just keeps getting farther and farther away. There are comparisons that can be made with Mark Dantonio and MSU right now with recruiting and development struggling and a lack of innovation in game scheme.

I'm willing to give Winters a shot to right the ship. If he's unwilling or unable to make those changes, then some hard decisions have to be made. Just because he rebuilt this program, that doesn't give him the right to let it sink back into mediocrity. That being said, because he's a really good guy, I would wan't to run him out of town if he wants to stay. If he's willing to take on some kind of executive role with the Athletics Department, maybe even on a track to become AD, I would have no qualms with that.