Is this the same Jeremy Roenick that just last year espoused on national television that the coaching was holding the team back and that they needed looser rein? Now with his buddy Rick Tocchet at the helm with the force everything up the gullet and go score attitude, the players have become dumb as a box of rocks?
You can't make this stuff up - what a clown. I Doan think either of these two have stopped to realize that these kids have played a system of one form or another since they were around twelve years old. They have plenty of hockey IQ, but it's always been withing the confines of a system. At least RT seems to be figuring that out and implementing more structure. JR? Clueless as ever.
I actually can agree with what JR is saying.
We have to separate out the difference in systems and realize that regardless of which system they are in, the Coyotes, as a team, are not playing on the same page through supporting each other. The talk about attacking in waves and always having someone who is that next defensive barrier is true. We attack single-mindedly, and struggle with maintaining players in a helpful position. We defend to a point, and then we take ourselves out of position to help provide puck support, but that leaves us open elsewhere. I know that we struggled in previous years, but I also thought that even with a slow-it-down game, the purpose was to show the young players that if you are not effective in your support roles, it can cause some big breakdowns.
This isn't necessarily something new either. It is interesting to me how the year that Ribeiro was here, we started to see these little breakdowns more and more. I don't know if that had an influence on other players to take less of an interest in being able to support your teammates efficiently, but it came with the price of having a player like Ribeiro who was a little more offense-oriented. Secondly, the number of young players that come in may not understand the support level aspect in the pros. In junior, they could get away with certain things that you won't get away with as a pro. If they are not being effectively taught the support structure, that is on the coaches. If the players are hearing the words, but not following through, then yes, it becomes the same problems that were previously experienced in past years. Last year, 13 of our 42 regulation losses were by one goal or less. 19 by two goals or fewer. So, those remaining 23 losses may have simply been poorer support abilities by the players, for whatever reason.
