I'd still say it's 70% on the players (and Jimmy James Joe Jim Bob and his staff for failing to adequately recruit) and 30% on the new staff.
As far as the 70% on the players and James Jimmy Joe Jim Jimbob it's because:
1) our OLine is irredeemably bad and we will basically be starting from almost zero (Scott might develop in a year or so). I have never seen a team as dreadfully pathetic on the OLine as this one. Every single time we have a good play it's because the coaches had schemed around our terrible OLine. This is singlehandedly at least 40% of the problem.
2) Terrible LB corps. We had one or two FSU quality bodies when Taggart took over which is about 7 under what we need. Our defensive coaches maybe did an even better job than the offensive disguising how miserable this unit is for us other than a couple of guys.
3) Bad QB selection and development by Jimmy Joe James Jim Jim Robert Joe Bob after Jameis (who was number one his year, that's not exactly a hidden gem). How many QBs did we rin through only to end up with Blackman and Frenchy? Malik Henry, Everett Golson, De'andre Johnson, John Franklin the 3rd, Jacob Coker, JJ Cosentino, and probably one or two I've forgotten about. All in and out of the program thanks to the "QB Whisperer". That left us with an only two deep QB roster that has underachieved significantly.
The 30% I blame on the current coaching is because:
1) Continuing to utilize upperclassmen WR when you had far better underclassmen. In particular, Terry was terribly (pun, rimshot) under-utilised. We should have scripted/mandated 12 throws his way every game, starting early and often. The dude is almost unstoppable.
2) Misused Khalan Laborn. Lambo was our scariest offensive threat not named Terry all season but we only barely started using him before his season ending injury.
3) Not recognising early on our special teams coach was desperately out of his element (I don’t think he should be fired, but he needs to be back in a non”on the field” coaching position worried only about eying and securing talent). We should have had some backup geezer ST coaches ready to fill in midyear at the latest.
The rest of the things the coaches got blamed for (allegedly “not scheming around the bad OLine” despite doing a great job doing just that to the best it’s humanly possible and the defensive coaches “not being aggressive” when they are busy protecting a gaping whole in the middle of the defense all year), I don’t think are valid criticisms. I would add Not Starting Blackman as a fourth criticism but I think something else is going on there (deals to keep both Blackman and Howell in the fold for next year when we might be decent).
