Ex-lineman delivers inspiration
With the season on the line, the Warriors summoned a former offensive lineman.
RJ Hollis delivered an impassioned us-against-the-world speech that set the tone for one of the most spirited practices of the season.
The Warriors are 2-4 overall and 0-3 in the Mountain West following a stunning 35-21 loss to Nevada the past weekend.
“We were 4-7 last year, and we got a bowl ring, the first one 10 years,” Hollis said. “Football is a game of every Saturday counts.”
Hollis recalled when the Warriors reached the proverbial crossroads last year.
“You almost felt there was nothing else to play for,” Hollis said. “We had to do it together. We had to do it as a team. As a coaching staff and a unit of players, we all came together. And we did that ourselves.”
Hollis also said the critics should ease up.
“You don’t go to Alabama or Ohio State with a billon-dollar network,” Hollis said. “You’re at a Mountain West Division I school. We’re possible contenders in a not-Power-5 conference. People aren’t going to automatically love us. At the same time, I don’t think that gives people the right to just disrespect us. Yes, we lost. Teams lose. Ohio State lost at Ohio, and got (an Oklahoma) flag stomped on the 50-yard line. I know they still sold out the next week.”
I thought that was RJ at Safeway! I have seen him, Andre Morgan and Dejon Allen working there. Good guys, all of them!
RJ’s right. Fans lighten up, defense tightens up and it a different season for the Warriors!
GO WARRIORS!!!
(Foist I reckon!)
What a great message!
Hopefully the Bows can respond at home this week!
I wonder if the team will respond to Hollis’ impassioned speech? They have not yet shown to respond to anything except maybe the Ha’a. Speaking of which, the Warriors should dispense with the Ha’a until they can demonstrate some maturity.
Rj hollis is a great example of live aloha play warrior. Fan criticism comes with the territory but he’s not wrong about the disrespect. Some people have valid points but man the way they put it out there lol
Cut out the penalties, stop being our own worse enemy and let’s get it boys.
I watched through the von appen years , I’ve endured chow time, I can deal with anything the rolo era puts me through lol
Go bows
RJ good Rx…
guess UH was lucky to get Hal Stringert and Jeris White to play for them back in the 70’s.
still ask the question why, every game, is the middle of the secondary left wide open and both safeties not responding to the receiver coming across the middle? missed assignment? did not see at all?
btw, CB that went to Wisconsin playing or making the bench warm?
RJ..you da man!
Now that’s leadership!
Go Warriors!
#6 A-House, Nick Nelson is a starter/#1 on the depth chart at CB for Wisconsin.
Emotion and inspiration can do wonders in football. I always go back to 1981 when Coach Velasco passed away. That flipped a switch on a Radford squad that turned them into a team that played over their heads, willed themselves to win for Coach V and refused to lose. They ended up claiming the Prep Bowl championship. Maybe my recollection is flawed, but it is my hope that R.J.’s talk is the shot in the arm that the Warriors needed to play inspired and with emotion starting this weekend.
No problem with inspirational talks. Now will it stir the inner self to A) take charge of oneself B) Drag along one or more. It is not enough to do your job and expect others to follow. Sometimes you gotta grab somebody by the neck and take em with ya!
I think a little dose of intensity can go a long way in improving our defensive play. The one play that stuck out in my mind from the last game was in the 4th Q Reno had the ball 3rd and 3 somewhere near our 45yd line Reno called a off tackle run. One of our guys hit the back 3 yds behind the line. Their back somehow broke free cut towards the middle of the field and made enough for the 1st D. I was a little disappointed our guy couldn;t make the tackle but I was way more disappointed that in such a crucial situation there was no pursuit. Their back was stopped in his tracks and took a moment to break free you’d think
at the point in the game everyone on defense would be frothing at the mouth to get to whoever had the ball….but that was not the case.
Part of the problem defensively in my opinion is that the schemes being called by the DC are too aggressive and too predictable. I mean, we all love the idea of an “attacking” defense right? But that doesn’t mean you can attack on every play. If you blitz every time the offense is in 3rd and 8+, well, guess what? There are plays designed specifically to counter a blitz and they will be called and you will be burned.
Another problem with having everyone attack, is that no one is left home to provide second level support. Too often a back has broken the line of scrimmage and there is no one left to limit the gain to five yards instead of 55 because everyone has committed to a different gap.
This also impacts the corners, who are too often left alone in man coverage. Live by the blitz, die by the blitz. We don’t have Blaze Soares, much less Travis LaBoy or Mark Odom to put the QB on his butt. No corner can be expected to cover a receiver all over the field all game long if the QB has 5+ seconds to throw. Plus, playing man makes it too easy for the receivers to just run deep, thereby taking away any run support.
So, an attack defense is fun when it works, but sometimes read and react can be more effective. Variety and unpredictability are keys to success.
Here and elsewhere, Bobby Curran and The Animals,
many, many good questions for call the coach.
BUT…
did you ever notice when that show comes on, he is
asked only two or four questions, the rest is commercials,
and feel good conversation…
So gotta call the coach.
But I don’t know what to ask except,
“How ya doing?”
🙂
#12 WarriorMojo, you hit the nail on the head. I’m sure the players are as frustrated to play that way too when they know they are going to be burned.
In the Nick Rolovich show, Rolo revealed that June Jones
texted him about his blow out losses to Boise State and
Fresno but that the team rebounded and went on to beat
Purdue (?), Michigan State, Navy, and someone else, not
sure exactly because hard to hear what he said. So to be
“granite” and keep on keeping on.
Listen until this team is stacked 2 deep, it’s going to take a minute to have any consistency.
So we either stay and support, or we leave! If we stay we just gotta “Plan for the worst and Hope for
the Best”
1.
Andre Morgan?
The basketball player from the Larry Little era?
He was good; he had potential.
He wasn’t a good fit in Frank Arnold’s offense.
Btw, that’s what we did last year and it worked out!
You didn’t have big expectations going into last year!
Continue working as a team and never give up on yourself or each other, GO BOWS!
I’m all in with the Warriors-Here’s to the team being all in this Saturday-hoping for a great crowd in support of same-GoWarriors!!!
#12 I totally agree with your comments about the defense. The coaching staff need to rethink their defensive strategies because it’s obvious that this needs to be fixed.
#8 Duster:
thanks and best wishes to Nick Nelson!
repeat a “lie” over and over and soon some, if not many, will believe it to be true.
17. So we either stay and support, or we leave! If we stay we just gotta “Plan for the worst and Hope for
the Best”
———–
17. That is exactly correct. Hawaii football is simple.
1. If you like Hawaii football, go to the game and watch.
2. If you don’t like it, don’t go.
3. If you want to support the team, support the team.
4. If you don’t want support the team, don’t.
In year 3 and 4, we’ll know if Rolo and the bows are successful in the win column. The school and state budget won’t change so why suggest things we cannot change such as bringing back past coaches. There is no way any coach would take a pay cut to coach here unless they have deep pockets and want to retire here.
Hawaii wins games and then loses again. We just hope they have more wins than losses at the end of the season.
The Rolo era feels a lot better than the Von Appen or Chow era. At least there is a sense of hope before every game.
I agree with #13 Ipu Man. Too much feel good talk; little if any hard questions. People afraid to be cast as negative.
Where is the the team leadership council, especially since Rolo indicated that leadership may be lacking? So, they have to let an ex-player give the pep talk, what is wrong with that picture?
#13, there was a caller on call the coach last show night that said he was disappointed in the QB play. Rolo said that QB was not the issue. He was fine with the QB play.
You’re right though. Majority of the calls appear to be nice calls. Maybe it’s easier ranting on this blog than actually confronting Rolo on issues such as “fire the DC” or “the db’s are too slow.”
Hawaii fans are probably nicer than most fans around the country.
26., I think I read somewhere Hughes was voted onto the team leadership council.
It might be a little difficult for him to give a pep talk about fighting through the pain and grind during the 4th quarter. He is probably there more for support if someone is having a bad day.
….QB Hunter Hughes…
#18 – cappie,
Yes, that Andre Morgan. He has fond memories of being a Rainbow.
Meanwhile, good luck to the Warriors. Play hard, play together and don’t let doubt into your mind, whatever the situation! Mind concieves, heart believes, body achieves!
GO WARRIORS!!!
Guud Morning Tsaikos…Bootiful Day!
There are so many variables that come into play with team sports. If everyone does their assignments, the play works “just like it was drawn up”. To try and assign the failure of a play to one person is difficult.
We have coaches because they know the intricacies of a team and play. Me, I’m a decent armchair QB. Still want my Warriors to play smart, play hard and play like a Warrior!
New post: http://www.hawaiiwarriorworld.com/?p=44837