FLORIDA FOOTBALL: FOOD FOR A MAN'S SOUL
Reflections and Ruminations - SEC Coaching Changes
THE GOOD
I know some national sports pundits like Bill King, Tony Barnhart and others have questioned the hiring of Lane Kiffin at Tennessee but I will have to respectfully disagree. This is a home run folks. Sure, what does Lane Kiffin bring to the table? He’s never coached in the SEC before right? How’s he gonna be able to compete in the rough and tumble Southeastern Conference.
Oh puhhhlease. He has coordinator experience in college at one of the premier football programs in the country and has been a head coach in the NFL. Sure, he had a terrible record at Oakland but anyone who actually follows the NFL will know that he took a miserable franchise and situation and make the Raiders surprisingly competitive in his time there. And it’s no coincidence that after he was fired the Raiders once again began losing big and being non-competitive in the majority of their games. Say what you will about Kiffin’s abilities, but he got that group of misfits to play as a team and gave a number of opponents fits during his tenure. The players on a team that caters to players over coaches actually respected Coach Kiffin enough to play hard for him. How are they doing since he left???
Another knock from the old school idiots is that Kiffin has never “recruited” in the SEC before. First of all, Tennessee has to recruit nationally, not just in Tennessee and the bordering states and Kiffin HAS done that. Kiffin is also young, personable and charismatic. He didn’t win the job as recruiting coordinator at USC because he picked the short straw folks. And he’s going to coach in the Southern US, not SOUTH AMERICA. Can people please stop acting like the South is akin to a third world Catholic country that refuses to legalize birth control. It’s not that different other than the higher level of cheating and player payoffs you find in the South. Kiffin will recruit well, he’s got a very sharp offensive mind and much to the chagrin of Florida, Georga and the rest of the SEC East . . . life just got a little harder in conference.
THE BAD
I won’t say that Dan Mullen is a bad hire for Mississippi State because he is solid when you compare their level of resources. The problem is that Mullen won’t turn MSU around for anything more than a short term basis. Urban Meyer has always been the main offensive mind of the staff that remains as assistants come and go. Insiders think Receivers coach Billy Gonzales is a sharper offensive mind and has the brighter future. Mullen is also not considered one of the “stronger” recruiters on the staff so I don’t think there will be a wave of Floridians or top tier prospects to follow Dan west. Given the history and facilities in Starkville, Mullen might have to turn to a large number of Junior College prospects to build his program. While I would not be shocked should Mullen turn the Bulldogs into a bowl caliber team, I would be shocked if he can consistently win more than 8 games or compete for an SEC West title.
THE UGLY
Gene Chizik? Are you kidding me? Did the Special Teams coach from Baylor turn Auburn down??? I guess if that amazing 3-9 first season at Iowa State didn’t turn anyone’s heads his stellar 2-10 follow up season sure got the attention of the Tiger faithful. Wow . . . . this has Bobby Lowder written all over it. Hell . . . I wouldn’t be surprised if Athletic Director Jay Jacobs was unaware of the hire and learned about it as it was released to the press. When you look at the candidates like Texas Tech’s Mike Leach, who I realize wanted nothing to do with that circus on the plains, Gary Patterson (TCU), Turner Gill (Buffalo), Skip Holtz (ECU) and Todd Graham (Tulsa) who the hell is Gene Chizik? I realize he had a great reputation as a defensive coordinator but I think that his flop so far at Iowa State might be relevant? I mean even the Cyclone defense had gotten worse in year two than year one.
I guess it’s simple, either no one of any ability actually wanted the job or Gene Chizik promises to be such a Lowder yes man that he was too hard to pass up. I mean seriously Tiger fans, if you are so set on winning 5-7 games every year why not just go steal Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson. At least he has experience with losing seasons and being pencilled in as a win for the rest of the conference. I seriously have to question if Chizik was hired with the expectation of failure, simply to keep the seat warm until someone else they have on their radar becomes available. I mean who expects him to succeed and when he fails Auburn can just say, well we made a mistake and pay him his buyout - business as usual in Auburn. If not then I wonder if the Tiger athletic department had the forethought to call over to Nick Saban’s office and see if he had any input regarding what he wanted in his new Auburn “b*tch to be”. Damn Auburn . . . Gene Chizik??? HA HA HA HA!!! Good luck with that!!!!
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12 Comments so far
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I don’t mean to get off topic a bit, but Urban Meyer reasserted his dream of being head coach at Notre Dame earlier this week. While nothing is set in stone, it makes me shudder to think what will happen to this program if ND suddenly starts knocking on his door if (when) we win a 2nd national championship.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/92619-urban-meyer-nd-still-my-dream-job
By tcg on 12.14.08 11:48 am
correction - *2nd under Meyer
By tcg on 12.14.08 11:54 am
If you noticed on one of the photos of students protesting the Tommy Tuberville firing, there is a picket sign that says for all the world to see:
BOBBY LOWDER IS A BAMA FAN
No comment.
By VG on 12.14.08 12:30 pm
Chizik is now only the second southern, league-bred coach in the SEC, joining Spurrier at South Carolina. And, they’re both Gators.
By rjsplow on 12.14.08 3:27 pm
does anyone have a link that describes EXACTLY dan mullen’s role on the team? this idea that assistants “come and go” and meyer remaining the “main offensive mind” doesn’t seem to jive with all i’ve read about mullen game-planning, calling all the plays, and developing alex smith, chris leak and tim tebow.
plus, dan mullen did not “come and go.” he was by meyer’s side at BG, Utah, and UF.
By kyle on 12.14.08 4:41 pm
by the way, i’m not saying mullen is going to be a star coach at MSU. i’m just having a hard time with the nonchalance re: his departure. the guy that calls all the plays, works directly with the QB (while the head coach works with the special teams), and serves as a confidante to the head coach–i’m thinking of meyer’s relevation that mullen talked him out of a single-wing-only offense against FSU in the rain……this is significant loss.
By kyle on 12.14.08 5:03 pm
Dan Mullen has been the most publicly criticized assistant coach in the Meyer era with only Stan Drayton receiving similar abuse from fans. I’m not saying Mullen isn’t a solid coach but he got the OC position because Mike Sanford left to coach UNLV. Mike Sanford got the OC position because when Meyer went to Utah, Gregg Brandon stayed behind to become the new coach of the Falcons.
Keep in mind that Brandon was just fired from Bowling Green and Sanford has gone 11-36 in his 4 years at UNLV never winning more than 5 games in a season. I think Mullen will continue the overall track record of Urban Meyer offensive coordinators who get head coaching positions.
By Keltic Gator on 12.15.08 1:40 am
I too laughed at the Chizik hiring, but
“highly regarded coordinator” and “bad record as a head coach” apply equally to Kiffin and Chizik. Sure Kiffin will probably recruit well, and now he’s got his dad on board to call the defense, but there’s no reason to think he can be good coach. He might be, but it’s a huge risk I think.
Also, I thought I had read all over the place that Leach had thrown himself at Auburn and that they rejected him. Quirky dude that used the word “spread” that made them think of Tony Franklin.
By TJ on 12.15.08 8:22 am
I think Leach threw himself all over the Texas Tech job. I don’t think he wanted that much to do with the madhouse at Auburn University. The problems over there are widely known within the coaching profession. Their best bet was to hire an up and coming coach. They weren’t going to land a big name coach.
By Keltic Gator on 12.15.08 12:58 pm
worthwhile insights here:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2008/12/10/a1c_stoda_1211.html
kind of what i was after, an idea of how the gators offensive coaching staff draws up plays and works them into the game by series.
By kyle on 12.15.08 1:13 pm
The only “coaching changes” I care about, are the ones that affect the Gators, and I’m very unhappy about Mullen leaving.
Its not that I don’t want to see him move up in his career, indeed, I wish him every success and much luck. And its not that I think he is irreplaceable, as no one is. Although Tebow may come about as close as one possibly can.
My problem with this whole gig is the timing. Was there a better way of handling it? Probably not. Could it have been put on hold until after the championship game? Of course not. I still don’t like it.
Coach Mullen, from here on out, is going to have an abundance of tasks that he will have to address, and by its very nature, his mind, at best, will have to share between UF and MSU. And in the upcoming game for all the marbles, the boys will need his undivided attention. And if he doesn’t call the plays, I’m not sure just how that will affect the kids either. I’m sure the team would feel more secure by knowing that Mullen was up in the box, as he has been for four years. The question that Meyer has to deal with is, will Mullen? His heart is no longer a gator.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it all plays out. We really don’t have too many options. And one of those “options” most assuredly will be luck. And as the old adage states; “It’s better to be lucky than good!”
It is truly great to be a Florida Gator.
And if you don’t believe that, just check out the number of “haters” that keep posting in on all Gator articles, blogs, et-al, with their nay saying, ugly remarks. These are the same opposing teams fans — who we’ve already beaten on the field — who scream bloody murder in the event that a gator does that to them. These people are so incensed by our boy’s success, so incessantly — or perhaps insanely would be more applicable — jealous of the team’s national presence, that their hate drives their every waking moment. I can think of no other reason why they would spend so much of their day — some even from their desk at their place of work — critiquing what the news has to say about the gators, and if it’s not to their liking, to denounce the article and it’s writer. What other psychotic form of behavior could drive such all consuming hatred?
By Bull Gator on 12.15.08 3:01 pm
Regarding the Lane Kiffin hire at Tennessee I couldn’t agree with you more. They needed a shot of juice and energy and they just got it with Kiffin. They will be tough in 2-3 years. Go Gators!!
By SwampLizard95 on 12.27.08 12:23 pm
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