Georgia Sports Blog FanShop

September 20, 2011

Georgia and Mississippi - Two Approaches

Dead Career Walking
Imagine for a minute you have a coach that has been the most successful coach since the national championship years at your program.  Imagine your AD fired that coach after his first losing season, just one year after a 10 win season. A 10 win season in which the second best QB in school history, as well as three other standouts that were key contributors at their positions, left.  Oh yeah, imagine part of that firing was due to the coach's refusal to make staff changes mandated by the AD.

Then imagine your school hired Houston Nutt, who was run out of his last job for...you guessed it, not necessarily managing the coach's role within the athletic department's hierarchy.  I'd love to throw some Springdale jokes in here, but let's be honest:  If Gus Malzahn stayed in Arkansas, he'd be the head coach and Nutt would be the coach at Auburn.  Funny how those things turn out.

So, are you happy we have an AD who taken a very measured approach or one that sees a number of losses and says make my changes or else?

Apparently there are Ole Miss alumni tired of the AD and President's management of the the football program.  If you want a strong current example of a fan base really up in arms, that is as far as you have to look.

I don't know if Coach Richt will survive this season.  If the team plays and improves like it has the past two weeks, I think he does and does so on the strength of a strong season.  If it plays like it did against Boise, well let's just say Nutt won't the the only coach facing that particular opposing team for the last time.  I do know absent a Lazarus style get up and walk out of the burial clothes miracle, Nutt is done, possibly by October 2nd.

TD

9 comments:

Astronaut Mike Dexter said...

Ole Miss' leadership lost any credibility the minute they effectively traded David Cutcliffe for Ed Orgeron. You didn't even need the benefit of hindsight (though it sure helps) to know that was a monumentally stupid-ass decision.

Even if the UM fan base succeeds in running off their AD this year, they're seven years too late.

Anonymous said...

Tennessee fired Fulmer...mistake.
Ole Miss fired Cutcliff...mistake.
Michigan fired Carr...mistake.

Be careful what you wish for.

Anonymous said...

You could match every one of those examples with examples of programs that made bold coaching changes that worked out for the better.

Be careful of being afraid.

Tony Waller said...

Anon 4:07,

I'm with you on not being afraid of making a change if we need to do so. It'd probably help your case if you could name multiple examples of bold coaching moves that worked out.

So far, all I have is Chizik...and that isn't a written in stone winner until the NCAA gets done with Auburn.

Anonymous said...

Fine, here are 2 off the top of my head.

Ohio State firing John Cooper
FSU pushing Bowden out the door

And please don't call firing Fulmer a mistake. The guy had 2 below .500 seasons in his last 4 years - the last one being 5-7 and 5th in the East. They haven't improved since they fired him but they certainly haven't got worse, have they?

It's interactions like this that make me think our fan base deserves the overwhelmingly underachieving program that we've had over the last 20 years.

Tony Waller said...

Cooper. Very good one. Hadn't thought about tOSU.

Fulmer. Meh. Too much Mike Hamilton influence on that one. I see your point, but there does come a time where good coaches won't talk to you if you aren't willing to be a bit flexible (as I believe McGarity is being), especially after success. I think Boone at Ole Miss is about to find that out.

As for your last statement, think what you will. I agree we can't be afraid to pull the trigger, and I believe we won't be. I just suggested that you back pronouncements with facts. You did.

Anonymous said...

I don't think we're very far apart on this TD. I was rude in my last statement and I apologize. Georgia football gets me too fired up for my own good sometimes.

And I agree with your point about having to be viewed as a somewhat flexible AD and not a tyrant. Boone certainly finds himself on the wrong side of that one.

Sam, Dawg Fan said...

Anon 5:55pm: Ohio State fired Cooper (who was something like 1-9-1 against Michigan) and then hired Tressel. They won a BCS title and went to the title game 2 more times. I would rate that a success despite the recent issues.

Anonymous said...

Sam,

I think you're agreeing with me while still sort of missing the point. My point was that Ohio State firing Cooper was considered a bold move at the time and it worked out for them. He went 6-6 and 8-4 in his last 2 years but in his previous 6 seasons before that he was 62-12-1 with a win in the Rose and 2 trips to the Sugar.

 
Copyright 2009 Georgia Sports Blog. Powered by Blogger Blogger Templates create by Deluxe Templates. WP by Masterplan