Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy
I'm certain Coach Smith has viewed a ton of tape,has spoken to the players, and has talked a lot with the AC. He also has his own coaching philosophy, strategy, and systems he thinks will be effective. Also the players (current and new) have played the game a long time and I'm sure they have been told what to focus on with off season training. By now they should know how the game is played, how different systems work, and how to prepare before the season. So I think the coaches job, a very difficult one, is to create team chemistry, figure out line/ defensive pairings, and effectively teach their system with the players making corrections as the season progresses. All that being said, you can have a team of stars and not play consistently (e.g. BU this past year) or a team with few stars who play above their expected level (e.g. Princeton). I would look at this year's team being a success, no matter what the record winds up being, if they play a consistent game for 60 minutes and their opponents look at games against them as a challenge.