I am going to stay level headed, But just about anything can be an improvement over the losing streak we started last season.
That being said, I will say that Chizik and staff seemed to get into a mode where they were almost coaching to get fired. They seemed to stop caring this year, after a loss, Chizik wasnt mad, he seemed unattached, uninterested. Adjustments stopped, and we got worse. All of this proved to be true when Chizik jumped aboard war eagle. In my opinion, Chizik caught wind of the Auburn gig early in the season and gave up on these guys. This is how he was so unattached emotionally when it came to saying his goodbyes.
I will stay by my word that Sheppard is a big loss, its hard to find a player that didnt respect Coach Sheppard and the results he brought them. They will tell you that Coach Sheppard was a coach you could trust, he would tell you what was true instead of what he thought you wanted to hear. Ask if the techniques were bad, No. They respected the man, knew the workouts were tough, but bought into them because so many guys saw results. Again, I know there are some people that are just wrongly against Sheppard, but he was good and thats the truth, I dont care what the Strenght society of good guys has to say about him.
Unfortunately he is gone, and I trust Paul Rhoads to bring in a guy that can connect to these guys, be a coach they can trust, and show the same results.
This gives me optimism for this season, I will be cautiously optimistic with Paul Rhoads, Im not going to dive head first, I know better now, but with a dedicated coach, and some returning talent that will get an unbiased look. ISU could improve pleasantly in 09.