The fans aren't the only ones losing confidence and wanting something to change. Check out Dan's Take On Wake: http://www.journalnow.com/spor...19bb30f31a.html

Nikita, one of the hardest working players on the team, voices out and solidify's what we have been saying about the need to change, starting with the top.

"You can’t lose three or four games the way we lost them – and I don’t have to mention them – and it be just be a players thing or a coaches thing,'' Whitlock said. "It’s a whole team thing, all the way from the top with Coach (Jim) Grobe and maybe Ron Wellman all the way to the bottom. Football is about effort. We need to make some changes to get better.''

No need to say more!

The entire athletic program, which was flying high 5 or 6 years ago with the greatest overall performance ever, has completely bottomed out.

What in the hell happened?

Agree 100% with Dan's article and the players sentiment

+1 Jbandgold

Grobe speaks of injuries and clearly that affected us but that doesn't address attitude and desire which seem to be lacking in a great amount.

It is a flat out talent gap.  People talk about red shirting program back in 2006 being the key but honestly that team had a good amount of NFL talent....That talent simply isnt there now.  The UNC win was due to a ton of UNC turnovers....Every other time we played a team we decent talent we looked completely overmatched.  Lectro can list names and pretend these guys are NFL caliber talent but the honest answer is they simply are not.  We are back to normal LOWF talent levels.

I would say the "buddy system" is a major factor in both the football and basketball failures.

And there is no reason we have to stay at those LOWF talent levels. Someone is not doing the hard work of finding the flaws that could possibly be improved in the process for procuring talent that would allow us to compete.

Don't forget one of the best running backs in the country Giovanni b. didn't play either.
We would have lost.

ChrisL68 wrote: The entire athletic program, which was flying high 5 or 6 years ago with the greatest overall performance ever, has completely bottomed out.

What in the hell happened?

IMO we backed into the Orange Bowl and everybody thought we had it made. JG retired in place bathing in the glories of having his name mentioned with the big boys and being celebrated as a great coach by the talking heads. Jim then retired in place. This undermined the program as he stopped coaching with the energy and chip on his shoulder he came with, we stopped recruiting, and he lost his key assistants along the way. The stability in staff that once was a virtue became blind allegiance to mediocrity, under performance, and the status quo. The hair fires were put out and the hollow homilies took over- a poor man's Bobby Bowden. At Wake, with all our disadvantages, if you don't coach and play with passion, energy and chip on your shoulder, you get what we have now- see James Franklin.  The players deserve better- much better. We play like we are coached. The great Jim Grobe has lost more close ones than he has won, has given away more games than he has taken and is perfectly OK with it. Keep it close, don't beat me too badly. He has become the anti-Jim Grobe- a tired, beaten coach buying into LOWF. Nothing but excuses in those articles- injuries don't explain a program with no direction, no concept, no balls. Passive coaching does. My guess is Billings got fired because he had some fire in him and the nerve to question JG. On a staff of protected non-performers, being out spoken is the kiss of death. Our staff is moribund, inbred, comfortable, and mostly incompetent. If you think Wellman hires colorless, over-the-hill friends look at our FB staff.  As the wheels have come completely off the untouchable Lobo and Knorr assist Jim Grobe in stealing the money and slashing our hearts. They may be the ultimate cost that drives us out of the Bowl subdivision or whatever Div 1 is called now as conferences realign and old ties become meaningless for made for TV conglomerations. We have no football or basketball relevance anymore thanks to Ron Wellman, and we have an insignificant fan base in a TV market that has comprises all of 20 televisions. We laugh at Rutgers but what do we bring to the table?

The change indeed needs to come from the top and I think time has passed our leadership by and they don't have the will to do it. Very sad day. Chuck Mills deja vu - we just had to work our way through some wins to get back there again. If this staff stays intact- it tells you Wellman, Grobe and the powers that be don't care about you, me our fanbase, Wake Forest, and most of all the players.

It's not just football. The entire athletic program. We used to be consistently upper half of the ACC in Sears Cup and we will be DFL two years in a row.

Wow! How long until Nikita is reprimanded for those comments? I agree with him though.

Very poetic.  But, backed into the Orange Bowl?  11 wins?   Nobody backs into 11 wins.

I think there is definitely complacency, but I don't think it is systemic.  Rather, refusal to lose must be systemic in order for a school the size of Wake to compete at the highest level.  If anyone is complacent, then you are sapped by that lack of passion.  

Grobe referenced injuries as an issue.  My first thought:  excuses. But he mentioned the injury to Souza -- our DL playing OL for the season.  He's got a point -- the Deacs were thin up front all season, and when injuries hit your lines, you are hurting throughout.  The games we played without Nikita were terrible because we lacked the depth (and maybe commitment) to compete.

When players are willing to trade a cheap high for teamwork, there is a problem.  But I don't think that the problem is solely on the shoulders of the staff.  Leadership comes from the coaching staff.  Motivation is internal.  

Winning will never be easy here, particularly in football.  If people are willing to smoke up rather than compete, we will lose.  If everyone is not on the same page, we will lose.  If our DB's cannot stay within 10 yards of a WR ... we will lose.  Again and again.  EVERYONE has to be on point.  Coaches.  Staff.  Players.

---------------------------------------------
--- PTownDeac wrote:

Wow! How long until Nikita is reprimanded for those comments? I agree with him though.

---------------------------------------------
Happened a few weeks ago.

dcon wrote:

ChrisL68 wrote: The entire athletic program, which was flying high 5 or 6 years ago with the greatest overall performance ever, has completely bottomed out.

What in the hell happened?

IMO we backed into the Orange Bowl and everybody thought we had it made. JG retired in place bathing in the glories of having his name mentioned with the big boys and being celebrated as a great coach by the talking heads. Jim then retired in place. This undermined the program as he stopped coaching with the energy and chip on his shoulder he came with, we stopped recruiting, and he lost his key assistants along the way. The stability in staff that once was a virtue became blind allegiance to mediocrity, under performance, and the status quo. The hair fires were put out and the hollow homilies took over- a poor man's Bobby Bowden. At Wake, with all our disadvantages, if you don't coach and play with passion, energy and chip on your shoulder, you get what we have now- see James Franklin.  The players deserve better- much better. We play like we are coached. The great Jim Grobe has lost more close ones than he has won, has given away more games than he has taken and is perfectly OK with it. Keep it close, don't beat me too badly. He has become the anti-Jim Grobe- a tired, beaten coach buying into LOWF. Nothing but excuses in those articles- injuries don't explain a program with no direction, no concept, no balls. Passive coaching does. My guess is Billings got fired because he had some fire in him and the nerve to question JG. On a staff of protected non-performers, being out spoken is the kiss of death. Our staff is moribund, inbred, comfortable, and mostly incompetent. If you think Wellman hires colorless, over-the-hill friends look at our FB staff.  As the wheels have come completely off the untouchable Lobo and Knorr assist Jim Grobe in stealing the money and slashing our hearts. They may be the ultimate cost that drives us out of the Bowl subdivision or whatever Div 1 is called now as conferences realign and old ties become meaningless for made for TV conglomerations. We have no football or basketball relevance anymore thanks to Ron Wellman, and we have an insignificant fan base in a TV market that has comprises all of 20 televisions. We laugh at Rutgers but what do we bring to the table?

The change indeed needs to come from the top and I think time has passed our leadership by and they don't have the will to do it. Very sad day. Chuck Mills deja vu - we just had to work our way through some wins to get back there again. If this staff stays intact- it tells you Wellman, Grobe and the powers that be don't care about you, me our fanbase, Wake Forest, and most of all the players.

dcon, you make some very good points.  We no longer "play like our hair is on fire".  Watching JG at practice and how out of touch he seems makes me feel the exact same way.  During the games he has the same demeanor.  We need a coaching staff who is going to lead by example.  Tim Billings had this, and he was let go.  We need leadership that going to get after it.  Like Nikita said, football is an emotional game.  James Franklin has his boys fired up and playing hard with confidence.  

Camp noticed the same thing I did during the game.  Guys were huddled around the heaters trying to stay warm.  Come on man!  It wasn't that cold.  Stay engaged in the game.  Show some emotion.  Cheer your teammates on.  Play like your hair is on fire instead of playing like you just had a plate of turkey and dressing and you are laying on grandma's couch.

Coach Grobe needs to get after it on the practice field, game field and the living rooms of high school recruits.  If he does not have the fire in the belly anymore, then it is time for him to graciously step aside.

The sad thing is that BC at least competed their last 3 games of the season.

No reason for us to just quit.

There's no doubt that Grobe's commitment to Lobo has wrecked the program and is badly tarnishing his legacy. Still, I'd be inclined to keep him, assuming Lobo is sent packing, if he showed some fire on the sidelines. When have you ever seen him show emotion on the sidelines, when do you see him communicating with coaches or players. Seems like he just spectates.

The poorest investment of money this athletic department has ever made is the purchase of the headset he wears on the sidelines. When have you ever seen him speak into it? Honestly, I can't recall one instance where I've ever seen him using it as anything more than decoration.

The program is in a tailspin and Grobe is being sufficiently compensated to get us out of it. Unfortunately, he cannot see how Lobo has dropped anchor on this program and the ship's not moving. I loved Grobe's fire and innovative offense when he arrived but these last four years have been an embarrassment. He either has to change or move on.

All 3 phases of our football team are bad right now. Every coach is accountable.

Agree, Chris. It is easy to pile up on the usual suspects but we seem to have some issues across the board.