The best indication of a prepared and efficient coaching staff is often its ability to make adjustments in critical situations. The U coaching staff will have that opportunity this week.
In other words, the injuries to star quarterback Brian Johnson and tailback Matt Asiata will force the coaches to earn their paychecks.
“We’ve got to rebound,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Nobody feels sorry for you, if you have injuries. We lost some guys that were really important to us, but we’ve got to bounce back, we’ve got to move forward. Now, it’s an opportunity for guys to step up.”
It was just two seasons ago, head coach Kyle Whittingham and the rest of the offensive coaching staff dealt with a high profile injury that could have possibly derailed the entire season.
Late in the 2005 season, Brian Johnson’s season-ending knee injury could have brung any hopes of a Utah bowl invitation to a conclusion. During a late season contest against New Mexico, the Utes lost Brain Johnson for the year and then they lost the game. However, the coaching staff helped the Utes respond well during the following weeks against rival BYU and national power Georgia Tech.
The coaching staff anointed quarterback Brett Ratliff as the starter and unveiled its adjustments in the midst of the biggest part of the Utah football schedule. Wittingham and offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig were prepared.
That experience should serve the coaching staff well as it enters week two of the 2007 season. They have a chance to dictate adjustments that could make or break the U football season.
It is clear that the coaches will have to make major changes to the offense that has been built around the running ability of Brian Johnson. Quarterback Tommy Grady will command an offense that has a lot of question marks heading into the home opener against Air Force this Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
“The option was the running game last week,” Whittingham said. “That was how we were going to move the football and when Tommy came in, his skills aren’t meant to fit that type of specific game plan.”
Grady’s play will tell fans a lot about his skill, but more about the coaching staff.
Some of the biggest debates among fans heading into the 2007 season were whether Kyle Whittingham was the man for the job or not? Could Andy Ludwig help the U field a consistent offense? Can the coaching staff have consistent game preparation?
Those questions could very well be clearly answered in the next couple of weeks as the 2007 season unfolds.
The U coaching staff will get to display how well it prepared the rest of the team and how well it can respond to adversity.
Losing arguably the two most important players on a team is hard to overcome for any coaching staff. However if the U coaching staff can find a way to overcome the losses and make adjustments, it could end any debate as to whether or not they can be effective coaches.
“Since he’s been here, Tommy Grady has not had the opportunity to take all the reps with the ones or had the game plan catered to his abilities, so this will be his first real shake to see what he’s all about,” Whittingham said.
It has often been said that the sign of a good coach is not his win-loss record, but how his team responds to adjustments.
Whittingham has already found a way to make critical adjustments once. If he can find a way to do it again, he can just save the season and possibly his job.
Is Whittingham up to the challenge?