More Fayetteville Observer Goodness: CJ WIlliams Feature

FayObserver.com link

Two things are for certain as Williams enters his sophomore season in Raleigh driven to spark a Wolfpack resurgence.

First and foremost, he'll be thrust into a leading role as the team's starting shooting guard, assured of more consistent playing time after a freshman season in which his minutes fluctuated wildly. (Williams logged more than 15 minutes in 16 games yet did not play in five others.)

Secondly, the former Jack Britt High School standout is attacking Year 2 with newfound aplomb, confident he has expanded his game and feeling more comfortable as a vocal leader for the Pack.

Aside: We tend to focus most of our attention scanning the local, larger papers when looking for news about State and the ACC -- The N&O, The Durham Herald, Greensboro News And Record and Charlotte Observer -- but the folks down in Fayetteville quietly do a fantastic job of covering ACC sports, as well.

Their coverage of State has increased with the addition of Fayetteville high school product CJ Williams to the Wolfpack team in 2009.

I grew up in the Fayetteville area and read the (then) Observer-Times regularly. Back then just as it is now, they place a great deal of focus on prep sports in the Cumberland County area. They especially love following a local product when he continues his career to the next level. I can remember plenty of pieces in the mid 90s on Jeff Capel from South View when he made a name for himself at Duke.

But moreso than simply being from Fayetteville, it helps that Williams is such a mature and grounded young man. He entered the State program that way, earned high praise from the coaching staff for it, and continues to prove his maturity beyond his years. A dirty little secret (that's really not much of a secret at all) is that nice guys with great personalities get more and better press than jerks and limp rags. It's not necessarily intentional, but it happens because -- just like in real life -- people like to seek out and surround themselves with folks that are fun to be around. In the sports reporting world, people like that make your job enjoyable and easier.

Jim Valvano was a perfect example. Sure, he made a name for himself winning a title, but his personality had reporters from all across the country beating down his door in Case to do story after story after feature after feature.

In a similar fashion, CJ's outgoing demeanor I'm sure makes him a "fun" interview, which is only a good thing for State fans looking for more coverage of Wolfpack hoops and Williams, in particular.

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State Basketball Preview From The Fayetteville Observer

FayObserver.com link

A pretty decent writeup. Some action items to work on this year highlighted in the article:

Last season, State had only one player ranked in the top 10 of the ACC in the five major statistical categories (scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals). Ben McCauley was the league's eighth leading rebounder (7.8 rpg).

State is one of five ACC programs without a McDonald's All-American on the roster. The others: Boston College, Maryland, Miami and Virginia Tech.

The Wolfpack finished last in the ACC and 313th in the country last season in turnover margin (minus-3.3).

Protect. The. Ball.

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Keep The Bags To Yourselves

Stumbled across this thread on the Monkey Boards that caught my attention. Here's the link and the opening post:

Spoke with a few students today heading out to watch the game and they had mentioned that some students are thinking about wearing brown bags next week. Not a bad idea and well deserved by our coaching staff.

I can't begin to understand what would possess some of our fans and students from doing so monumentally stupid...but here goes.

Look, I get it. You're pissed. I am, too. I imagine the tone of the previous post here conveyed that. I've been very disappointed in the defensive coaching and in coach Tom O'Brien's stubborn insistence to shift the blame away from his coaching staff toward the players.

However, the LAST thing you need to consider doing as a fan or student is donning a paper bag, or any other highly-visible sign of discontent, to this week's football game.

I say this primarily for this reason: Wearing a bag over your head provides any photographer or cameraman a perfect photo opportunity to land you in the paper or on TV. You may say to yourself, "Good. That's the point." But think of this: Any photo snapped wearing a bag cannot be "un-taken." It will be circulated, filed away and reused at any time deemed necessary by a party outside of the university, most likely in a damaging fashion.

It could be used against O'Brien or any future coaches on the recruiting trail as an example of how State's fanbase reacts to losing...vindictively toward their team, coaches and players. Given how folks like Gary Parrish at CBS love to continue beating the "STATE FANS ARE SO HORRIBLE" drum three years after Herb Sendek's departure, giving them an image to tie to that inaccurate persona would be all the more damning.

If you want to voice your displeasure with the program, there are ways of doing so. You can not show up to the game, for one. Empty seats speak loudly of fan discontent without taking it too far, I think. You can also contact the Wolfpack Club, the chancellor, Lee Fowler (if you can reach him at the lake house), the Sports Information Department, etc., through a phone call or email. These are ways of keeping your individual complaint behind closed doors without drawing negative attention to you and the fanbase.

I suspect, however, that in today's "LOOK AT ME, I'M AN ATTENTION WHORE" society that we live in, these students and fans considering donning a bag on their heads are doing so more to draw attention to themselves rather than make a statement of discontent. They'll get "ooh"s and "oh man"s and "hey, I hear you brother"s as they walk in the stadium, along with some State fans asking them to support the team instead and take the bags off.

That attention is what these folks are after. Whether or not they think donning a bag with effect change (what, like Lee Fowler's gonna pack it in after all these years when the bag heads show up?) is inconsequential to them. They know it won't. They just want to hop online afterwards and get a tally on how many folks saw them or if they made it onto TV.

That kind of selfishness could damage the program beyond the three hours spent at homecoming with a bag on your head. Think about that before you do so.

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I'm Out Of Theories, Answers And Ideas

(Photo courtesy The N&O)

I don't really know what else to say. Watching today's game was like having your leg pinned in the train tracks with a slow-moving train bearing down. The feeling of impending doom, with no recourse or means to avert it.

That, in a nutshell, is Wolfpack Football.

In what universe should a team lose a game in which they post 538 yards of offense? In which the starting QB throws for 349 yards and FIVE touchdowns? Where your team averages 7.8 yards per play?

All things are possible on Planet Archer...where Defense goes to die. Where the 10-yard cushion is the norm and player confidence drops to all-time lows.

When you watch your team rally to score a go-ahead touchdown with 3:50 and yet are convinced that the game is lost, that's the essence of N.C. State fandom these days. It's a sense of dread and despair, and it looks just as palpable on the players' faces on the field as it is on the faces of fans off it. You know it. I know it. THEY know it.

This game -- perhaps more than any we've played this season -- encapsulates the most frustrating aspect of Wolfpack Football. We have a ACC title-caliber offense that can score points in bunches...and we have a last-place-in-the-Mountain-West caliber defense that can't stop anyone.

It's the same old story for Wolfpack Football since the turn of the century: only one phase -- offense or defense -- can play at a high level, but not both. Philip Rivers never had a great defense to compliment him. Following his graduation, State led the country in defense the following year. State stocked the NFL with defensive talent in the final years of Amato's time on the sidelines, and when that talent pool dried just as Chuck the Chest was shown the door, one of the league's best QBs arrived -- only to get mated up with this pitiful excuse of a defense you see trot out before you every week.

Yeah, State's defensive backfield is thin. The whole team is. Nearly 12 percent of the team is lost for the year to injury. But that's no excuse for the poor defensive effort we see every week. Enough with telling us how the players didn't execute the scheme, coach O'Brien...it would take perfect execution on every single play JUST to generate a few three-and-outs. The players are executing the 10-cushion on the corners just fine as far as I can see. The players are doing what the coaches are asking them to do. I think they're as baffled as we are as to why they constantly are put into position to fail. Setting up off the ball on 3rd and short, gift wrapping the 5-yard slant EACH and EVERY time. When Thad Lewis of Duke can't wait to run back to the press to tell them how State fell right into their hands, showed everything in the game that State did on film and made it child's play to march up and down the field, THAT'S coaching. NOT execution.

Assuming the same results are in store the rest of the year, there are some tough decisions looming for O'Brien ahead. He's made his bed with Archer, calling out his players and shifting the blame away from his defensive coordinator. The excuses are wearing thin and there's only so much time before the fans shift their ire from Archer to him. The more O'Brien hunkers down in this matter and refuses to acknowledge the defensive coaching as a problem, the more he will alienate himself from the fanbase.

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Q&A With Chantrant.com

Heading into this weekend's matchup with Florida State, Rich from www.chantrant.com got in touch with me about doing a Q&A. Sounded good to me, so here are my questions for him and his answers.

Enjoy!

1. This week's game is another strength vs. weakness matchup for State (Duke being the first) this season. Christian Ponder's one of the best QBs in the league and playing really well. It's also a bit of a strength vs. weakness matchup for Florida State, as well (Russell Wilson versus FSU's defense). Do you think the over/under should've been in the triple-digit range?
Not a gambling man, but I think it's going to be a great show, if you like your football with non-stop offensive fireworks. FSU has had at least three such games this season -- two were at home, both of which they lost by a TD or less. Unless rain has a big affect on the game -- there's a 50% chance of thunderstorms -- this will be another barn burner. Everybody knows that Wilson is an exciting QB, who can make things happen with both his arm and his foot. Ponder has a similar style. And both teams should have some fresh incentive: The Wolfpack with a week off to heal and prepare, and the Noles encouraged by the comeback win over UNC. So I expect a fun game for fans, and the winner just may be the team that touches the ball last.

2. Florida State's defensive back seven reminds me a lot of State's in their hesitancy to attack and their sloppy play. Why do you think that is? Are they thinking too much on the field?
Most FSU fans would say the back seven isn't thinking enough. Of course, injuries have been a problem at times, and not just in the secondary. With most of the D-linemen hurting or out at various times, there's been a major lack of a strong pass rush. That's given opposing QBs plenty of time to find receivers. But blame must also fall on coaches. First, for failing to teach and develop players as FSU has in the past. Second, for not recruiting enough quality and quantity of defensive talent over the last four or five years.

3. What's your take on the Bobby Bowden situation? Should the old man be allowed to call his own shot, or should be be shown the door as gracefully as is possible with a coaching icon?
As much as I revere Coach Bowden for all he's done, I don't believe it should be totally his call. The plan in place is that Head-Coach-in-Waiting Jimbo Fisher replaces Bowden by January of 2011 or he receives a $5 million payoff. If Bowden wants to remain head coach after that, the spam hits the fan. I don't believe the boosters or the school, no matter how much they love Bobby, will dig deep into their pockets so that Bowden can stay. I'd be surprised if he steps down at the end of this season. But I'd be shocked if Bowden is still the head coach in 2011.

4. Does Florida State have a run in them to close out the season? Other than probably the Florida game, every game on the schedule is winnable. How do you see FSU's final record shaking out?
My best-case scenario is a 7 - 6 record and a bowl invitation. But I wouldn't bet the farm on better than 6 - 6 (which should still be good enough for the Weedeater or Meinke Bowl). If the Noles win less than six, though, it'll be the first time they don't go bowling since Ronald Reagan's first year as President. A final record of 6 - 6 would include wins over Wake, Maryland, and, of course, this Saturday against the Pack. But it would take a 180 degree turnaround by the defense for FSU to earn W's on the road at Clemson and Florida.

5. When (if?) Jimbo Fisher finally takes the reigns of the FSU program, can you see it returning to the level it was at in the 90s?
Realistically? Probably not. It's a good bet that Bowden's record of 14 consecutive Top 5 finishes will never be duplicated. Not at FSU or anywhere else in college football. But Jimbo Fisher will be a solid, if not flashy, head coach who will install a new defensive staff, recruit well, and guide a balanced offense. Under Jimbo, I see FSU becoming to the ACC what LSU is to the SEC. That is, a team consistently in the hunt for a conference title, with big seasons now and then that put the Noles in the national championship race.

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