Matt Wells skipped his radio interview this morning

NowhereLandAggie · Post by **NowhereLandAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 1:00 pm

Was scheduled to go on 1280, but they said they couldn't get a hold of him, and the school reps simply said he was "in a meeting." The meltdown around the press is seldom positive.

Elkaggie · Post by **Elkaggie** » October 10th, 2016, 1:03 pm

What a chicken s***.

aggiefan444 · Post by **aggiefan444** » October 10th, 2016, 1:09 pm

Coward!!! Doesn't want to have to talk his way out of another piss poor 2nd half and defend his athlete playing the QB position.

AgMac · Post by **AgMac** » October 10th, 2016, 1:23 pm

Interesting, I actually went on 1280s website this morning and clicked the normal link, but it was audio of the post-game.

That being said, if anyone listens to these (like I do), you already know that DJ and PK were not going to ask him any tough questions. Several years ago, PK said something that irritated Wells and Wells was then very curt for the rest of the interview. Since then, you would think it was Al lobbing up soft-ball questions. It is about 7 minutes of "we need to do a better job on blah blah" and "I can tell you that our guys are upset with the loss" and "winning any game at the D1 level is hard". There isn't really any substance to the interviews.

ratofallaggies · Post by **ratofallaggies** » October 10th, 2016, 1:51 pm

If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss

ShowMeAggie · Post by **ShowMeAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 2:00 pm

did he miss his weekly usu press conference as well? or was there not one scheduled for today? usually happens around noon, and then shows up on our news feed or at least the USU audio/video archives. can't find it in either place. maybe there wasn't one scheduled, but there has been one every other monday of the season, and there is one scheduled for every other monday in October, at least. Anyone know? Must've been one hell of a "meeting"...anyone know if AD Hartwell was in a big meeting all morning too?

Hey, a guy can hope...

Post by **ProvoAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 2:01 pm

ShowMeAggie wrote:did he miss his weekly usu press conference as well? or was there not one scheduled for today? usually happens around noon, and then shows up on our news feed or at least the USU audio/video archives. can't find it in either place. maybe there wasn't one scheduled, but there has been one every other monday of the season, and there is one scheduled for every other monday in October, at least. Anyone know? Must've been one hell of a "meeting"...anyone know if AD Hartwell was in a big meeting all morning too? Hey, a guy can hope...

The press conference wasn't scheduled this week. They skip bye week.

ShowMeAggie · Post by **ShowMeAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 2:03 pm

ProvoAggie wrote:
ShowMeAggie wrote:did he miss his weekly usu press conference as well? or was there not one scheduled for today? usually happens around noon, and then shows up on our news feed or at least the USU audio/video archives. can't find it in either place. maybe there wasn't one scheduled, but there has been one every other monday of the season, and there is one scheduled for every other monday in October, at least. Anyone know? Must've been one hell of a "meeting"...anyone know if AD Hartwell was in a big meeting all morning too? Hey, a guy can hope...
The press conference wasn't scheduled this week. They skip bye week.

Thanks, Provo. I was afraid of that. I was hoping for a more promising explanation, but this one makes sense...

aggiesdotcom · Post by **aggiesdotcom** » October 10th, 2016, 2:07 pm

ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss

Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.

newhouse9 · Post by **newhouse9** » October 10th, 2016, 2:08 pm

It's also a huge recruiting week, with the bye. This is typical for coaching staffs to hit the road in their bye weeks.

Floppy Hat · Post by **Floppy Hat** » October 10th, 2016, 2:10 pm

Coach Wells had a conference call with the media around noon...this has become common practice for our bye weeks. In years past KVNU has posted the audio of the conference call on their website, but I don't see it there yet.

GameFAQSAggie · Post by **GameFAQSAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 2:30 pm

Floppy Hat wrote:Coach Wells had a conference call with the media around noon...this has become common practice for our bye weeks. In years past KVNU has posted the audio of the conference call on their website, but I don't see it there yet.

It's up now.

hipsterdoofus21 · Post by **hipsterdoofus21** » October 10th, 2016, 2:32 pm

aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.

While true he was unprepared with specifics, I could not believe a specific example was needed to discuss throwing a route short of the sticks on a 3rd down. It happened multiple times Saturday and has been a huge issue since Wells has been the HC. Not only do we consistently throw short of the sticks but we commonly throw short of the LOS on third downs.

inigo · Post by **inigo** » October 10th, 2016, 2:32 pm

aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.

So, do you remember when, uhm, that one guy, what's his name, uhm he ran the ball past that line, and the, uh guy with black and white stripes on, he put his hands in the air? What did that feel like?

AgMac · Post by **AgMac** » October 10th, 2016, 2:45 pm

Floppy Hat wrote:Coach Wells had a conference call with the media around noon...this has become common practice for our bye weeks. In years past KVNU has posted the audio of the conference call on their website, but I don't see it there yet.

Here is a link to the transcript: http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/m ... 16aab.html

You know when you're dating a girl, and you've decided that you want to break up with her, but you haven't found the right time to do it, and every single thing she does or says annoys you to death? I must be at that point, because I wanted to slam my head against the wall reading through Wells responses. Here are some that I found particularly maddening:

"They are not major issues. We have three conference losses that are tough, hard-fought and the bottom line is we’ve played well at times on offense, we’ve played better on defense more of the time..."

“The biggest thing is you look at total yards, you look at running the ball and you think, We should have had more points."

"...but when you get down to saying the little things, there are a couple of play calls that I wish I would have called something different in. There was a dropped ball, a missed assignment up front allows a TFL for a two-yard loss and you’re in a third-and-long."

On how the team can develop a killer instinct when it has the lead and can put a team away:
“That’s the best question I’ve been asked in a month, and maybe this season. If I had the right answer for it, or if any coach had the right answer for it, you’d have 12-win teams every year."

On how you go about winning special teams halfway through the season:
“I graded the Colorado State game as a wash."

On how much things would open up on offense if the blocking was better downfield:
“We averaged over four yards a throw (on lateral screen passes) against Colorado State and that’s like an extended handoff on a run. If that averages over four yards a game, then I’m happy with it."

On how he would assess the duties and responsibilities of his coaching staff and how they have been doing so far:
“The communication has been really good with co-coordinators, with guys having more responsibilities than they’ve had in the past and guys that have earned more responsibilities than they’ve had in the past."

"To me, winning league games is hard to do and I’ve said that all along."

"This league is a dogfight every week, so the scores don’t surprise me each week."

I can't take this guy any longer. I just can't.

ratofallaggies · Post by **ratofallaggies** » October 10th, 2016, 3:03 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote:
aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.
While true he was unprepared with specifics, I could not believe a specific example was needed to discuss throwing a route short of the sticks on a 3rd down. It happened multiple times Saturday and has been a huge issue since Wells has been the HC. Not only do we consistently throw short of the sticks but we commonly throw short of the LOS on third downs.

This... Matt knew what he was talking about. He shouldn't have had to think of the specific plays.

hipsterdoofus21 · Post by **hipsterdoofus21** » October 10th, 2016, 3:06 pm

ratofallaggies wrote:
hipsterdoofus21 wrote:
aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.
While true he was unprepared with specifics, I could not believe a specific example was needed to discuss throwing a route short of the sticks on a 3rd down. It happened multiple times Saturday and has been a huge issue since Wells has been the HC. Not only do we consistently throw short of the sticks but we commonly throw short of the LOS on third downs.
This... Matt knew what he was talking about. He shouldn't have had to think of the specific plays.

Matt even said Hervey was open on the pass play with Hobbs and that the corner made a great play, when in reality, he was never open at all and never advanced beyond the LOS.

I really liked the question about whether he would consider letting someone else call the plays.

MacAggie · Post by **MacAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 3:07 pm

inigo wrote:
aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.
So, do you remember when, uhm, that one guy, what's his name, uhm he ran the ball past that line, and the, uh guy with black and white stripes on, he put his hands in the air? What did that feel like?

I thought the interview was great. He asked what we were all thinking. I thought it was hilarious when he asked about giving up play calling. You could almost see Coach Wells' face. That being said I hope Wells swallows his pride and figures it out. That would be best for all of us.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 3:12 pm

This is the problem that people are having with Wells. Maybe he is trying to fix some things internally that we aren't seeing? This isn't a problem when you are winning and fans see improvements on the field. When the wheels are falling off and you hear this, it gets really concerning.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 3:25 pm

hipsterdoofus21 wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:
hipsterdoofus21 wrote:
aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.
While true he was unprepared with specifics, I could not believe a specific example was needed to discuss throwing a route short of the sticks on a 3rd down. It happened multiple times Saturday and has been a huge issue since Wells has been the HC. Not only do we consistently throw short of the sticks but we commonly throw short of the LOS on third downs.
This... Matt knew what he was talking about. He shouldn't have had to think of the specific plays.
Matt even said Hervey was open on the pass play with Hobbs and that the corner made a great play, when in reality, he was never open at all and never advanced beyond the LOS.

I really liked the question about whether he would consider letting someone else call the plays.

I remember this one specifically. If I recall correctly, we ran Houston on that the third down previously. I was thinking that we would run it again, and I guess CSU thought the same because they killed it.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 3:49 pm

Matt Wells said,
"Going into bye week, the last three games were close, but we haven’t found ways to win and that’s concerning and things that we’re trying to take a hard, deep look at – what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, who we’re doing it with and how we’re coaching them. That’s what we’re doing at this time. It started yesterday and it will go through this week..."

..."I’ve got to look at that as the head coach for me all the way to schemes and what we’re doing, how we’re doing it and who we’re doing it with. That’s what we’re doing this week."

..."(the players) want to get this season righted and on a winning track, which encourages me. As we go into bye week, those are some of the things we’re doing..."

..."we can reflect and put a strategy together, tweak some things and try to get on a roll..."

..."There are little things (dropped balls, missed assignments on the line), so that’s what I’m referring to in terms of sharpening things on offense..."

..."We have got to continue to try to put them in positions in practice so they have success and confidence. Confidence is a byproduct of preparation. If we can do that situationally in a game just one time, then that’s what becomes contagious. We don’t have that right now and it’s on both sides they have to feed off of each other in terms, and that’s what wins games for a team..."

..."We haven’t been as sharp as we should be in terms of our personnel (special teams)..."

“This is the week to look back and reflect. As we look back and we self-scout, I’m disappointed. Those teams could each be 2-1 in the league and I’m still disappointed over three losses. To me, winning league games is hard to do and I’ve said that all along. We’re 0-3 and we certainly could be 3-0, but we haven’t made those plays in back-to-back-to-back weeks to either put us in a game, keep us in a game or to close the door on a team in a game. This league is a dogfight every week, so the scores don’t surprise me each week. I’m disappointed because they are losses.”

There were some good things too. I hope this week of deep reflection will yield some positive changes for the team. The team has a choice. They can go belly up and fold, or they can turn it around. I am anxious to see what happens. One win against Fresno will not restore my faith. It needs to be a consistent effort. The first half of the season has been very painful.

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » October 10th, 2016, 3:49 pm

Maybe he missed it because he was in a meeting being told to find some boxes.

ususports · Post by **ususports** » October 10th, 2016, 4:00 pm

brownjeans wrote:Maybe he missed it because he was in a meeting being told to find some boxes.

Maybe the Elders quorum in his neighborhood area could come help him move. It's free, except for the cost of all the scratches on the walls from careless movement of large furniture.

AgMac · Post by **AgMac** » October 10th, 2016, 4:04 pm

NVAggie wrote: There were some good things too. I hope this week of deep reflection will yield some positive changes for the team. The team has a choice. They can go belly up and fold, or they can turn it around. I am anxious to see what happens. One win against Fresno will not restore my faith. It needs to be a consistent effort. The first half of the season has been very painful.

I know this is going to surprise you, but I didn't find any of those quotes positive. There is is something fundamentally, schematically, and culturally wrong with the program. All of Wells' quotes point to just needing to clean up a little thing here or there and we'll be just fine. I do not believe that to be the case.

I guess I can't expect him to point the finger at himself, but he sounds like a salesman to me trying to convince everyone that the wheels haven't come off. They have.

smallz · Post by **smallz** » October 10th, 2016, 4:28 pm

MacAggie wrote:
inigo wrote:
aggiesdotcom wrote:
ratofallaggies wrote:If you want a good interview, go check out Isaac's interview after the game. He asked a lot of the questions that people here want to know as well. Including, "Why throw it short of the sticks" and "Have you thought of giving up the play calling duties"

http://www.scout.com/college/utah-state ... state-loss
Wow, that was like listening to Chris Farley's SNL interview sketches where he is completely unprepared and intimidated by the person he's interviewing. If you're going to ask the coach about strategy and rationale of play calls, you should probably have specific downs and details. That interviewer was painful to listen to.
So, do you remember when, uhm, that one guy, what's his name, uhm he ran the ball past that line, and the, uh guy with black and white stripes on, he put his hands in the air? What did that feel like?
I thought the interview was great. He asked what we were all thinking. I thought it was hilarious when he asked about giving up play calling. You could almost see Coach Wells' face. That being said I hope Wells swallows his pride and figures it out. That would be best for all of us.

AggieUp is the bomb. He is the only media guy that is willing to ask the tough questions. You could tell that Wells was doing everything he could to avoid answering his questions. He usually puts out two podcasts a week that with content that can't be surpassed. You can find all of the podcasts here: http://www.spreaker.com/show/aggieups-tracks.

2004AG · Post by **2004AG** » October 10th, 2016, 4:29 pm

AgMac wrote:
Floppy Hat wrote:Coach Wells had a conference call with the media around noon...this has become common practice for our bye weeks. In years past KVNU has posted the audio of the conference call on their website, but I don't see it there yet.
Here is a link to the transcript: http://www.utahstateaggies.com/sports/m ... 16aab.html

You know when you're dating a girl, and you've decided that you want to break up with her, but you haven't found the right time to do it, and every single thing she does or says annoys you to death? I must be at that point, because I wanted to slam my head against the wall reading through Wells responses. Here are some that I found particularly maddening:

"They are not major issues. We have three conference losses that are tough, hard-fought and the bottom line is we’ve played well at times on offense, we’ve played better on defense more of the time..."

“The biggest thing is you look at total yards, you look at running the ball and you think, We should have had more points."

"...but when you get down to saying the little things, there are a couple of play calls that I wish I would have called something different in. There was a dropped ball, a missed assignment up front allows a TFL for a two-yard loss and you’re in a third-and-long."

On how the team can develop a killer instinct when it has the lead and can put a team away:
“That’s the best question I’ve been asked in a month, and maybe this season. If I had the right answer for it, or if any coach had the right answer for it, you’d have 12-win teams every year."

On how you go about winning special teams halfway through the season:
“I graded the Colorado State game as a wash."

On how much things would open up on offense if the blocking was better downfield:
“We averaged over four yards a throw (on lateral screen passes) against Colorado State and that’s like an extended handoff on a run. If that averages over four yards a game, then I’m happy with it."

On how he would assess the duties and responsibilities of his coaching staff and how they have been doing so far:
“The communication has been really good with co-coordinators, with guys having more responsibilities than they’ve had in the past and guys that have earned more responsibilities than they’ve had in the past."

"To me, winning league games is hard to do and I’ve said that all along."

"This league is a dogfight every week, so the scores don’t surprise me each week."

I can't take this guy any longer. I just can't.

I think these quotes put to rest any notion that Matt Wells is gonna change anything. He has convinced himself that all pressing forward is the best course of action. He's not changing anything.

And its gonna be his downfall......

aggieblood · Post by **aggieblood** » October 10th, 2016, 4:44 pm

The screens were thrown to the rb on most of these plays. I recall one to a wr and it got blown up.

hickaggie · Post by **hickaggie** » October 10th, 2016, 5:33 pm

aggieblood wrote:The screens were thrown to the rb on most of these plays. I recall one to a wr and it got blown up.

That was the play that did it for me. Lewis had just caught a deep route for a 30 yard gain and he goes WR screen the very next play in the hurry up for a 6 yard loss. Lewis made another nice grab before the Aggies took a holding call and punted for a touchback from the 38.

I guess I've been more patient than most but that was the killer.

I disagree to some extent that it is a team culture issue. Maybe it is, Maybe it isn't but with a competent offensive coordinator and an average game manager at QB this is a 5-1 or 5-2 team depending on the Boise outcome and we are singing Matts praises. Aside from the terrible record and considering the injuries there is a lot of good that has happened this season.

Unfortunately it has been negated by our pathetic offense inside opponent's 40 and the absolute disasters that have occurred between midway through the second until halfway through the 4th where Wells refuses to keep the foot on the gas or adjust to the defense's adjustments.

Matt might still have a chance if he finds the right guy to take over the O next year and lets him. Don't think it will happen though.

Tr0ll · Post by **Tr0ll** » October 10th, 2016, 9:30 pm

There are about 14 threads where I could state the following and this seems to be as good as any of them to drop it. After 4 years, Wells needs to give up the O and just start being the head focking coach.

Maverik_Aggie · Post by **Maverik_Aggie** » October 10th, 2016, 9:32 pm

Tr0ll wrote:There are about 14 threads where I could state the following and this seems to be as good as any of them to drop it. After 4 years, Wells needs to give up the O and just start being the head focking coach.

YES. THIS. 100% THIS!

Find a real OC Wells. You and your kid brother obviously aren't getting it done.

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » October 10th, 2016, 9:43 pm

Tr0ll wrote:There are about 14 threads where I could state the following and this seems to be as good as any of them to drop it. After 4 years, Wells needs to give up the O and just start being the head focking coach.

Best post of the week

aggiesdotcom · Post by **aggiesdotcom** » October 11th, 2016, 10:28 am

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate someone having the guts to ask Wells some questions we all are thinking, but if you're not prepared with specifics or keep the pressure on then the pressure is taken off of the interviewee and put back on the interviewer which is what happened. Wells took control of the interview to make the interviewer less informed and appear less credible, though I believe everything he asked had merit.

FloridaAggie13 · Post by **FloridaAggie13** » October 11th, 2016, 11:13 am

My guess is Wells keeps his hands on the offense due to the fact that we've had to find a new OC each of the last four years. Until we can afford to pay a successful OC to stay for three years, this is the best way to avoid forcing the players to learn a new scheme, new playbook each season.

I do see the logic behind the speed routes to the RB in the flat and the dreaded bubble screen as an alternative to the running game and to force the D' to defend the entire field, I think college football D's have learned to defend it much better than just a few years ago. We, along with almost all other teams will continue to use it but I've noticed it being used less and less, even this year under Wells.

AggieDude · Post by **AggieDude** » October 11th, 2016, 11:25 am

FloridaAggie13 wrote:My guess is Wells keeps his hands on the offense due to the fact that we've had to find a new OC each of the last four years. Until we can afford to pay a successful OC to stay for three years, this is the best way to avoid forcing the players to learn a new scheme, new playbook each season.

I do see the logic behind the speed routes to the RB in the flat and the dreaded bubble screen as an alternative to the running game and to force the D' to defend the entire field, I think college football D's have learned to defend it much better than just a few years ago. We, along with almost all other teams will continue to use it but I've noticed it being used less and less, even this year under Wells.

I agree. As defenses adapt with speedier players I wonder if the power running game will become more of a staple.

NowhereLandAggie · Post by **NowhereLandAggie** » October 11th, 2016, 12:07 pm

He's on right now with Hans and Scotty.

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