Great Expectations?

Expectations are a tricky thing. Some people will have expectations about you based on nothing more than appearance. Others will place expectations on you based on how you act, where you are from, or even your religious backgrounds. In general though the expectations others place on us, can only have an effect on us if we consciously choose to do so. If someone has a low opinion of you, it may drive you to succeed. Conversely sometimes the expectations on us build pressure and cause us to fall into a quivering heap of jelly. However there is one place where the expectations can have a great influence on you as a person. That place is in the world of sports, particularly in the coaching profession.

     I've noticed that pockets of WVU fans are disappointed, or worried that Coach Stewart will never live up to the expectations Rich Rodriguez brought to the program. With Coach Rod in his last few seasons we had possible national title hopes, something that had not been seen in this area for a long time. Some who I have talked to seem to think that Stewart, like Rodriguez a native of West Virginia. Often times seems clueless on the sidelines, or his interviews come off a little bit down home. The gee golly type of attitude that has become his trademark. This means that Stewart can not lead us to the same levels and type of success that Rodriguez did. They remember the fire that Coach Rod portrayed on the sidelines and compare Stewart negatively to that rememberance.

     While it is true that while Coach Rod was at WVU they attained some high levels of success. They did not do so without a little bit of luck and good fortune coming their way. The three players that became the hallmarks and foundations of the success. Owen Schmitt, Pat White and Steve Slaton all came to WVU with less than lofty expectations. No one knew when they stepped on campus that they would leave it as players who will go down in WVU history. The story of Owen Schmitt has been well documented in both the local and national media. After high school he attended a division III school for year, followed by walking on at WVU,  after bringing a highlight tape with him. Pat White was someone who was recruited some of the top schools in the country, but mostly to play wide receiver. WVU was a school that guaranteed him a chance to play QB. Let's also not forget that he did not begin his initial season as the lead man behind center. His opening season began in a QB rotation with Adam Bednarik, with Bednarik being the QB who started the games behind center. It was not until Bednarik went down with an injury in the game against Louisville, that White took over the full time starting position. Once he lead WVU to one of the most stunning comebacks in school history that is. As for Slaton he began the season in the fourth spot on the team depth chart, behind Avon Cobourne and the much heralded Jason Gwaltney. You remember Gwaltney right? The player who's signing with WVU was covered by ESPN news live on signing day. Slaton also was being recruited by other schools for another position that of defensive back, only ending up at WVU after Maryland chose another RB over Slaton. If Rodriguez and company were such geniuses, then why not start the season immediately with Slaton and White ?

     My point however is not to bash Coach Rodriguez though, even though I was disappointed in a lot of ways with his decision to leave for Michigan. As well as the way he went about making the decision. I am merely advocating giving Coach Stewart a chance before you give up on the high expectations people have built for the WVU program. Are we as good as we were 3 years ago? Absolutely not, because we've lost Pat White, Owen Schmitt and Steve Slaton along with a host of other contributing players in the last two. Any team that loses such a foundation will experience some growing pains. Even USC and Georgia have suffered this year a little with the losses of Sanchez and Stafford respectively. Is Coach Stewart as good an offensive coach as Coach Rod? No, but then again very few are. The question is can Stewart and his staff continue to bring in players who fit their system, who are willing to work hard to get better. But most important is can they find those players that other schools miss.