With ASU football‘s spring game set for this Saturday, fans will get a glimpse at what the 2017 team will look like.
Head coach Todd Graham is in a sticky situation. After two horrid seasons for ASU football, with last season’s team failing to make a bowl game, some fans have been calling for Graham’s firing. Athletic Director Ray Anderson decided to hold onto Graham for the 2017 season, but he will still have expectations for this season. What are those expectations? No one knows.
Fans and boosters will be breathing down Anderson’s back if the 2017 season goes awry and that may just be enough pressure for Graham to get the axe. If you are Graham, then you need to show the fan base that it is time to restore faith in the program.
A great way for Graham to do that is through the spring game. While this is mostly used as a time for football addicts to get a fix before August, Graham could use it as a free opportunity to show some things the teams have been working on.
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If there are any trick plays the offense has been working on, put them on display. If the defense has gotten significantly better in a certain area, make sure that they are able to show it. Fundamentals is what fans have been complaining about, especially when it comes to defensive tackling, so any improvement on that end would help in getting fans back behind Graham.
Another great part about the spring game is that the fans in attendance aren’t going to be overly harsh. No one will be booing in the crowd after an interception or a bad play, they will be cheering because the spring game lets fans know that only three months separate them from football season.
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So while the spring game is simply meant to give fans a taste of what could be in the fall of 2017, it isn’t a bad idea for Graham to use the game to show fans that the Todd Graham era isn’t over yet at ASU.