First day of practice: Perception vs. Reality

There are usually about five big days surrounding the Temple football season every year.

In no particular order, they are recruiting day, the first day of spring practice, Cherry and White Day, the first day of summer practice, and bowl selection day.

Notice we didn’t mention any actual games because, to me, those are the most important dozen days of the season.

Yet there are opponents on every one of the above days.

Recruiting day?

Pretty much you want to beat your entire league in garnering three- and four stars.

First day of spring practice?

Cobwebs.

Cherry and White Day?

Good guys vs. other good guys.

Bowl selection day?

Warm weather vs. cold weather.

Yesterday, on the first day of summer practice, the two competing opponents were perception vs. reality.

This opponent this particular year, perception, is probably the most hated one of all.

To have to sit and watch videos like the one above is particularly maddening. Just about everyone on the outside is saying Temple sucks.

The above video is typical because both of those guys made assumptions based on a set of “facts” that were largely false.

There were about eight false things those guys on “Winning Cures Everything” said about Temple but we’ll just concentrate on a couple in this space.

One, the roster strength numbers Gary cited here were the ones based on the end of last year, not including any of the Power 5 transfers new head coach Stan Drayton was able to bring in this offseason.

Two, he said Quincy Patterson “didn’t play last year” but, according to ESPN, he started seven games for North Dakota State, threw for 816 years and six touchdowns and, most importantly, was 7-0 at QB in the 2021 season before going down with an injury before the eighth game.

Gary: “He didn’t play last year. I don’t know what that means.”

Yeah, Gary, I’ll tell you what that means (nothing) because he did play last year.

Twenty-twenty-one was last season.

I mean, how do you make a mistake like that, and then we’re supposed to give credence to your assessment of the 2022 record?

Then, at the 2:25 time stamp, he adds: “The wide receiver corps is not great even with several seniors, none of them really played.”

Huh?

One of the wide receivers, Adonicas Sanders, not only played last year but caught the game-winning touchdown at Power 5 Duke.

Another, Jose Barbon, has played a lot not only last year but over the last three years and has been a dependable possession receiver. There’s a transfer in from Michigan State, Ian Stewart, who was not mentioned.

No mentions of significant upgrades at the running back position from portal transfers Jakari Norwood (Illinois) or Darvon Hubbard (Texas A&M).

Just sloppy reporting. Very sloppy.

For giggles, went back and looked at this assessment for the 2021 Owls. In that video, he said Rod Carey was a “great coach.”

Anyone who says Rod Carey was a great coach one year and then follows that up the next saying the Owls will be 2-10 should be taken with a grain of salt.

Make that a boulder of salt.

This is just the type of perception vs. reality battle that started yesterday and will last throughout the season. The most important dozen days of the season start in less than a month and there are a lot of notions out there that need to be disabused.

Judging from a significantly upgraded roster, coaching staff, and a new attitude around here, it won’t take long to do the disabusing.

Monday: The Day Temple Almost Beat a National Champion

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5 thoughts on “First day of practice: Perception vs. Reality

  1. Mike, that was a great assessment of that video clip. But, now, we are only a few weeks away from correcting that {video’s} assessment. It is now up the the Coaches and players. Typically Philly, being an underdog, and carrying a chip on your shoulder, is motivational. I have not doubt that Coach Drayton and his staff will use this as a motivational hammer. The portal additions by Coach have improved our roster. These young men come to Temple knowing of the 10th & Diamond “Tuff-ness”. Can it translate to victories, is the reality for our program. Going to a Bowl this season, will make Temple news worthy nationally. As Al Golden stated, “I want Temple Football to be relevent”. Talking to Al after his Monday radio shows at the South Philly Taproom, his goal was to win and establish a Temple “brand” for his football program. Al did that. Both Steve Addazio and Matt Rhule continued that successful brand. We shall see this Fall. I hope we are sitting together again at a Bowl game and witness a shellacking like against Wyoming, rather than we experienced against Toledo, Wake Forest and Duke. Go Owls!

  2. A little more optimistic here and maybe a bit more realistic?

  3. The Quincy Patterson reporting is an epic fail. In addition to what you noted about his 7-0 “non-play” last year, I read where ND State actually repurposed Quincy as a running back when he got healthy, tailored a package for him during the FCS Playoffs, and he contributed to their FCS national championship as a runner. That’s quite a year for someone who didn’t play last season. I can only guess this person was looking at his FBS records from a year ago…and since he was at the FCS level…it showed up looking like he had the year off.

  4. Drayton has exceeded recruiting expectations. His first two classes are arguably better than AG’s and MR’s first two classes.

    And, nobody thinks this team will quit in the 2nd half like they did last year.

    The biggest question marks are the identity on offense, and can they score enough points? AG had BP, MR had a dominant O-Line led by #66. This team doesn’t have an RB w/BP level talent or a dominant O-Line.

    Remember AG and MR’s struggles on offense during their first year? Deja vu..,

    Drayton, unlike his predecessors, will let unproductive coordinators go in a heart beat. Another reason why Drayton is so refreshing 🙂

  5. These two dudes are laughable: Rod Carey a “great coach”? NDS QB Quincy Patterson “didn’t play last year”? As you say – just about everybody on the outside thinks Temple sucks. Well, I’m thinking that the Owls will surprise a hell of a lot of folks this season! And Stan Drayton will provide the necessary motivation! It’s difficult to realize what Rod Carey did to this team!

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