Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks
Gibson Trusting His Instincts With Mountaineer Defense in 2018
August 22, 2018 02:09 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Tony Gibson has always trusted his instincts. Coaching 23 years of college football, 18 at the Power 5 level, has taught him that.
So last year, when he went against his better judgement and played some guys that either weren't ready to play, didn't deserve to play or were only in it for themselves, it was to the detriment of the entire West Virginia defense.
The poor numbers against the run, the points, the inability to get to the quarterback or get off the field in critical situations have been recited incessantly over the last eight months and don't need to be brought up here.
But the scar tissue from last year remains for Gibson, and some of it was revealed Tuesday afternoon.
"I think the biggest lesson I told myself and the staff during the offseason – and I've harped on it and I tell our kids – I'm not going to be held hostage by guys because of a certain position or a certain thing that they maybe can do," he explained.
"You can take that a lot of different ways and say, 'You're the coach, you make those decisions.' I get that part of it, but when you have limited numbers and there are maybe some guys that are more talented (at other positions) than others, you've got to play 'em," he continued. "That right there was the biggest lesson."
Put another way, Gibson said he is putting the best 11 football players on the field this year instead of the three best defensive linemen, the three best linebackers or the five best backend players.
Whatever it takes to get to the best 11, Gibson is committed to doing that this fall.
"If we don't have options, we'll find them," he said. "If we have to play with one down lineman and 10 guys on the field, I'll do that. If we have to play with nine D-linemen then I'll do that."
Gibson said it was more than just a talent deal last year, too.
It was a pride thing for his defense, and he felt some of the guys out there wearing the gold and blue last season were in it more for themselves than the greater good.
Most of those guys have since departed.
"I didn't have that feel that these guys cared about West Virginia or cared about this program, and we had a lot of selfish guys – and I'm not talking about our seniors, I'm talking about guys who played that are no longer part of the program. This is the best way to put it: I knew it going into the season, and I let it ruin our season."
Not that a 7-6 record and another bowl game appearance is considered a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a level of expectation that has developed around here with Dana Holgorsen's Mountaineer football program that goes well beyond just having a winning record and playing in a bowl game.
There were a lot of internal discussions amongst the staff and the players during the offseason on how to fix things moving forward. Gibson said things have been fixed.
"We've got guys here who care about this program and care about each other, and if they don't, then they're not going to play," he admitted. "We see a lot of bad stuff going on right now in college football, and you want people around you and on your staff who are all in for the same reasons."
Holgorsen, Gibson's boss and the man in charge of team morale, has already moved on. References to last year's defense or to the one in 2012 that allowed an astonishing 495 points are irrelevant, as far as he's concerned.
It's a new year, lots of new guys in the program in all three phases of play and an entirely different outlook.
"I respect the reference, and it's not the first time it's been referenced," Holgorsen said Tuesday afternoon when asked to compare this year's team to the one in 2012 that scored a lot of points and gave up a lot of points. "We sure don't talk about it; this is a totally different situation.
"We have a lot of continuity with our coaching staff, and we have a lot of older players that are experienced, Big 12 football players."
But the sting from last year still remains for Gibson, who like all coaches is prideful of his players and how they perform.
He said coaches never stop learning, no matter how long they've been in the business.
"I learned a valuable lesson, and I trust my instincts – always have – and last year I went against it. We played guys on this defense that didn't deserve to play for West Virginia, and I regret it right now," he said. "I hate it for Kyzir White, Al-Rasheed (Benton) and guys like that who had to go through it.
"Hopefully, we'll never be in that situation again," he concluded.
So last year, when he went against his better judgement and played some guys that either weren't ready to play, didn't deserve to play or were only in it for themselves, it was to the detriment of the entire West Virginia defense.
The poor numbers against the run, the points, the inability to get to the quarterback or get off the field in critical situations have been recited incessantly over the last eight months and don't need to be brought up here.
But the scar tissue from last year remains for Gibson, and some of it was revealed Tuesday afternoon.
"I think the biggest lesson I told myself and the staff during the offseason – and I've harped on it and I tell our kids – I'm not going to be held hostage by guys because of a certain position or a certain thing that they maybe can do," he explained.
"You can take that a lot of different ways and say, 'You're the coach, you make those decisions.' I get that part of it, but when you have limited numbers and there are maybe some guys that are more talented (at other positions) than others, you've got to play 'em," he continued. "That right there was the biggest lesson."
Put another way, Gibson said he is putting the best 11 football players on the field this year instead of the three best defensive linemen, the three best linebackers or the five best backend players.
Whatever it takes to get to the best 11, Gibson is committed to doing that this fall.
"If we don't have options, we'll find them," he said. "If we have to play with one down lineman and 10 guys on the field, I'll do that. If we have to play with nine D-linemen then I'll do that."
Gibson said it was more than just a talent deal last year, too.
It was a pride thing for his defense, and he felt some of the guys out there wearing the gold and blue last season were in it more for themselves than the greater good.
Most of those guys have since departed.
"I didn't have that feel that these guys cared about West Virginia or cared about this program, and we had a lot of selfish guys – and I'm not talking about our seniors, I'm talking about guys who played that are no longer part of the program. This is the best way to put it: I knew it going into the season, and I let it ruin our season."
Not that a 7-6 record and another bowl game appearance is considered a disaster by any stretch of the imagination, but there is a level of expectation that has developed around here with Dana Holgorsen's Mountaineer football program that goes well beyond just having a winning record and playing in a bowl game.
There were a lot of internal discussions amongst the staff and the players during the offseason on how to fix things moving forward. Gibson said things have been fixed.
"We've got guys here who care about this program and care about each other, and if they don't, then they're not going to play," he admitted. "We see a lot of bad stuff going on right now in college football, and you want people around you and on your staff who are all in for the same reasons."
Holgorsen, Gibson's boss and the man in charge of team morale, has already moved on. References to last year's defense or to the one in 2012 that allowed an astonishing 495 points are irrelevant, as far as he's concerned.
It's a new year, lots of new guys in the program in all three phases of play and an entirely different outlook.
"I respect the reference, and it's not the first time it's been referenced," Holgorsen said Tuesday afternoon when asked to compare this year's team to the one in 2012 that scored a lot of points and gave up a lot of points. "We sure don't talk about it; this is a totally different situation.
"We have a lot of continuity with our coaching staff, and we have a lot of older players that are experienced, Big 12 football players."
But the sting from last year still remains for Gibson, who like all coaches is prideful of his players and how they perform.
He said coaches never stop learning, no matter how long they've been in the business.
"I learned a valuable lesson, and I trust my instincts – always have – and last year I went against it. We played guys on this defense that didn't deserve to play for West Virginia, and I regret it right now," he said. "I hate it for Kyzir White, Al-Rasheed (Benton) and guys like that who had to go through it.
"Hopefully, we'll never be in that situation again," he concluded.
Players Mentioned
S
/ FootballRich Rodriguez | Dec. 3
Wednesday, December 03
Reid Carrico | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Jeff Weimer | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
