We're almost halfway through the football season. Basketball practice starts Friday. Has everyone already shifted gears?
What do you think of the job Coach Caldwell has done so far this season? A reminder of the results after the jump.
(Click to embiggen)
Keep in mind that, prior to last Saturday and our game versus EMU, the opponents the Commodores have already faced so far this season were a combined 16-4 (Ole Miss and UConn both with 2 losses).
How would you rate the job Coach Caldwell has done thus far? How would you compare that to where you thought the team would be at this point in the season? Do you think things would have been any different had Coach Johnson not retired when he did?
I think it's interesting to think about this. I'm not sure we'd be sitting any better than 2-3 right now (most folks probably didn't see one of those two victories as an SEC win). Some certainly thought we'd be at 1-4.
The question of contentment is even more interesting when you consider Coach Johnson. Prior to his retirement, there were two sets of fans: those content with the direction of the program under Coach Johnson and those that were starting to feel that maybe the football team's growth was becoming a bit stagnant (particularly offensively). I'd say the first group was probably much larger while the second group was understandably more vocal.
If you were content with the way things were going under Coach Johnson, which I think a high percentage of Vanderbilt fans were (and reasonably so), what grounds would there be to be upset with the way Coach Caldwell has handled things so far?
If you were more a member of the vocal group, has Coach Caldwell shown anything to assuage your worries about the offense? Do you see any new signs of life under Coach Caldwell that might lead to some offensive improvement down the road? I think the addition of Coach Hand could pay dividends in the future, particularly once he's had a full offseason to prepare the offensive linemen, not to mention the immediate impact he has had on recruiting where almost half of our current commitments will be under his tutelage.