Ash to Coach tOSU Bowl Game

[bowlgoal]

Enough already. He's loyal to Urban for helping him get this opportunity and you have to respect that. Let him work hard doing both and finishing out with his old team. He put in the work to get them there and he should finish the job. Coaches will be hired and they will be working on Rutgers as well. Let it go and welcome this guy to Scarlet Nation with open arms. The old regime is out. Let's be focused on our positive future.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

Hi all,

This is my first post here after reading for years, how exciting.

So I have been reading all of the reactions to Ash staying for the bowl game, but I just don't feel any disappointment from his decision. I just keep thinking how much we all want college football players (or high school kids when they make the decision), to stick to their commitments when they say they are going to come to Rutgers. How can a coach ask that of high school students if he doesn't hold himself to his own commitments.

I would love Ash to acknowledge the concerns of fans during his speech, and simply say I am a man of my word and will honor my commitments. I told the players I coach now that I would be there for them during the bowl game and I will keep that promise to them. Once I am done helping them win another post-season game and ending this season with success, I will bring the same level of honor and commitment to Rutgers. The men who sign of to have me as their coach will know that I am a man who keeps his promises, and I will expect them to do the same. I will bring honor and success to Rutgers football. That is a promise I made to myself, and I always keep those too.

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Good points! I'd add that there are some other individuals who will look at how Ash is navigating his way through these waters & honoring his commitment - and be favorably impressed - specifically the individuals who will be considering joining his staff - most people will place some significant value in a "I do what I say & I will say what I will do" straightforwardness. Expect that Ash is going to assemble a very professional staff very rapidly (and has in the past 48 hours probably already made progress in that area)

 

[carolina scarlet]

How exactly can he help sitting in the Hake that he can't in Columbus? Again, he will be here 100% of the time until the dead period. After that he will be returning to Columbus while our present players take finals and go him for break. He will return early January and get ready for the next go offices visit weekend. So again, please list actual things he could be doing in the Hale center that he can't do in Ohio while it's a dead period and our kids are home on break.

1. Familiarize yourself with our facilities.
2. Detailed discussions with AD in his office now that you are officially on board.
3. Talk/meet with influential donors to sell your vision of the program.
4. Meet face to face with current assistant coaches, strength team, recruiting coordinators.
5. Meet face to face with HS coaches of big in state programs (if allowed), without discussing any potential recruits.
6. Physically move into your offices and meet and greet all your support staff.

C'mon man. Have you never taken a new important job. You need to get there, familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and get comfortable in your new role. Can't do this in Columbus or at the bowl.

 

[jakeknight]

Would I like to see Chris Ash in Piscataway as soon as possible? Yes. However I don't think this is a defining moment that will have a negative impact, I assume he will get done what needs to be done. He better than anyone on this board understands what it going to take to right the program, he also understands that recruiting and what goes with it is the life blood of any program. People should dial it down a notch and be pleased we have someone that comes from success and will aspire to build the RU program into a Big Contender.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

And if he didn't coach in the bowl game, he'd be breaking a contract and running out on his players.
Two distinct character flaws Politi would bury him on.

?? but ... if Ash was behaving like a no-integrity weasel, wouldn't Politi feel compelled to give him a pass - out of 'professional courtesy'?

 

[RM60]

The fact is: so many of us have criticized other coaches for bolting and leaving kids high and dry. Now when the shoe's on the other foot, we hammer away. Again, we eat our own here. It's a Jersey thing.

 

[Yeah Baby]

And if he didn't coach in the bowl game, he'd be breaking a contract and running out on his players.
Two distinct character flaws Politi would bury him on.

Politi and this board. I'm surprised how quickly we turned on this guy. For a board that was clamoring for a change and a better defense I would expect some happiness about hiring the guy who won the whole thing last season.It proves that I am right when I say some people will never be happy. Politi just does it because he knows the unhappy fans will agree with him. He's a jacka$$ but he knows how to get hits on line.

 

[MadRU]

Hard work and smart decisions will make up for a lot.

 

[ScarletStateofNJ]

One thing that we've learned is that we can use Politi to voice our position, since he comes here to check the temperature of the fan base

 

[carolina scarlet]

What is weak? Is it weak for me to want to wait to hear from Ash and then form an educated opinion? Or is it weak that I should expect newspaper columnists to also wait until they have the facts (rather than a few tweets) and form an educated opinion.

Sophomoric to state that whatever Politi says you would believe the opposite. Weak and not a factual response.

 

[RUMBA-JK]

-----
Actually, this would be up to Urban...... I could see him saying at a press conference that he is extremely happy for Ash, congratulate him profusely, and say that he is releasing him from his commitment to get started on his new position...

Here, Urban might feel he needs Ash for this last game, which is understandable..... But the release of Ash could have happened, and Urban would come off as a good guy.... Not that he needs further good publicity.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
EXACTLY! - and notice that in the official statement about Kirby Smart staying to coach with Alabama for their game(s) it begins "Coach Nick Saban announced..."

 

[NickKnight 1]

Not a good start, Years from now there will be talk, that he took two months
to go on vacation to the Bahamas. History will be rewritten that
you can take to the bank.

 

[LOU-RU85]

Such as ?

I think it's easy for someone to realize RU fans were jaded by the Terry Shea experience. Also, you must see that Ash's choice has the potential to be a PR problem for him. Why put yourself in that position out of the gate. Shows poor judgement IMHO.

Now having said that, I think we all need to wait and see what Ash has to say before we rush to judgement.

 

[beaced]

Let's put it this way: If Coach Ash will tell us how coaching his former players ,in a Bowl Game, will not interfere with his duty to get things going here,then I will feel a lot better about him doing so.

 

[C0bra Kai]

His job history shows that he is a real job-hopper. He doesn't spend much time at each place...so it's important to him that he not burn any bridges. This all may be a big indicator that he's viewing RU as a stepping stone to a better coaching job. Must my .02 cents.

 

[bac2therac]

Politi will try to bury Chris and Pat just like he did with Kyle and Julie. Its not going to stop. These turds in the media will continue their circle jerk just with a new cast of characters in the movie

 

[RUinPAC10land]

I am disappointed with Ash. Rutgers needs him immediately on the recruiting trail but he's too concerned with pissing off Meyer and the OSU administration.

 

[carolina scarlet]

Let's put it this way: If Coach Ash will tell us how coaching his former players ,in a Bowl Game, will not interfere with his duty to get things going here,then I will feel a lot better about him doing so.

How on God's green earth could it not?

 

[RU2055]

Some of you really need to get a grip. Sheesh. There are legit things to complain about - this ain't one of them. For goodness sake this is not a big deal.

 

[mildone]

Sophomoric to state that whatever Politi says you would believe the opposite. Weak and not a factual response.

Ooh, you're sooooo serious. And you're right, you know. I mean, this is football dammit. We're not playing games here. This is not a charade.

 

[Knight Shift]

First thing he is going to have to do is change your culture to understand a new years bowl game against Notre dame is never "meaningless". Talk about short sighted.

Most of his tOSU work will be during the dead period, while he is doing double duty he won't be "kissing myers ring" he will be asking him questions, bouncing things off him, and using his experience to help put together the building blocks of his program.

Read some of the articles on Tom herman that have come out this year, he turned Houston into a version of tOSU south using the same kind of philosophies Myer does, and during the time he was still with tOSU after being hired used the resources around him to help put together his program.

Your guys problem is that you don't realize Ash will be using this time to leverage Myer's experience not skulk around kissing his ass.

My biggest worry is not only do we lose Ash, but what possible assistants might he take with him leaving more openings at tOSU to fill.

Solid post, and thank you for visiting. We got a great coach in Chris Ash.

 

[beaced]

How on God's green earth could it not?

Read between the lines please.

 

[LC-88]

Quickat, welcome! Posting here is not for the faint at heart, or thin skinned. I sometimes think we are all masochistic in nature. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

If it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger. Jersey strong. We all want what's best for RU, and that's what matters most. Looking forward to your opinions getting added to the mix.

 

[RU31trap]

RU probably negotiated such a cheap salary for him that he said fine but I'm coaching the bowl. He probably also doesn't want to take off because someday, if all goes well, he could jump back there to be OSU's head coach. I'd bet he leaves immediately for that if that day ever comes. And if it did happen, it means we've won some big games.

I want him here focused on RU immediately. If that's not going to happen, then at least there are a couple ancillary benefits to RU by him remaining with OSU for the bowl.

The reason Rutgers is Rutgers is because the administration walks a fine line between athletics and academics, with a lean towards academics, after all it is a university right? The difference here is that Rutgers places an emphasizes on this when hiring a coach instead of doing what other programs do and just gloss over the subject. Good coaches see this as a hurdle and red flag as it will compromise who they hire (assistants/strength & conditioning programs) and most importantly who they recruit. This hinders if not handcuffs the overall success of the team. This is why we hired a co-defensive coordinator Ash and not Rodriugez, Kiffin or Mullen. Behind closed doors these guys set the rules for the University, not the other way around. The fact that he Negotiated coaching OSU and Urban Meyer in his contract is a clear indication that he is not willing to burn bridges for his soon to be new employer.

 

[Divine Providence]

I've said this in a couple of threads, but I'm going to make my own thread because I'm riled up about it.

I do not give a damn what some people (who I'm convinced have no clue about how the world works) thinks Chris Ash should do. Chris Ash wants to honor his commitments to Ohio State and the kids he coaches there. That's the right thing to do, both personally and professionally.

Yet there's a bunch of people on this board who think that's ridiculous, that the athletic director is being taken for a ride, and all sort of utter and complete nonsense.

So let me ask this - and be honest...do the people who think that Chris Ash should just quit Ohio State immediately also think it's ok to just quit their job without notice? You know, "screw my employer I got a better offer and they want me to start as soon as possible, so I'm just leaving tomorrow".

Sure, some people will do that. Some *coaches* will do that. But does that make it right, or better, or does it just reek of unprofessionalism? It does to me.

I rarely like to make value judgments on people on a message board, because often times it's unfair, but if you really want to bash Chris Ash for staying with Ohio State through their bowl game then you're the one with the problem. And I sure as heck wouldn't want you to work for me.

Realize, the majority on this board never played Football, never coached Football and enjoy drinking in the parking lot more than the actual game itself. They don't have any idea about loyalty and commitment. Ash got the RU job because the OSU kids fought hard for him and were loyal to him and gave him a chance to build the resume necessary to secure the RU job.

 

[rutgersquikcat]

Thanks for the welcomes!

Not fair. Some of us have legitimate concerns.

I also have some concerns. He is a little bit of an unknown commodity. Ideally he would have some head coach experience. However, I can't fault his attitude, which I think is a refreshing change from the relative lack of intensity coach flood brought. Also, when is a new coach not an unknown commodity. Even highly successful coaches sometimes move to new programs and fail, because its a completely new environment.

All I can say is, right now I like coach Ash's attitude, and I am hopeful. I see no real weaknesses in his resume, and I like that he has worked under Urban. Not to mention I favor defensive minded coaches.

 

[RU2055]

You do realize Urban Meyer coached Utah in their bowl game before went to Florida, right? I mean, he was going to Florida in the SEC - he could've just left and gotten right to work for his new school in a power conference but chose not to.

Exactly - if anything, we should applaud Ash for honor and commitment - a man of INTEGRITY.

 

[mildone]

I'm still astonished that people think that this is some awful thing.

You've been here since 2006 and you still get astonished by the melodramatic ridiculousness that occurs here? We are the same board that just a month ago was apoplectic over how Flood shook hands with the opposing coach after a loss.

Be not astonished at new ideas; for it is well known to you that a thing does not therefore cease to be true because it is not accepted by many. - Baruch Spinoza​

 

[greenknight]

And you wonder why Rutgers fans are the butt of jokes nationwide. We have some of the dumbest non intellectual football fans there are. We just landed a great your aggressive coach yet we still find reason to cru and whine like little 2 yr olds

 

[northeastNebraska]

I bet Ash balances both RU and tOSU. Pelini did the same at Nebraska when he was DC at LSU. Was at Nebraska for a few weeks, then headed south to help with LSU in the national title game. This happens every year in CFB. I can't believe some of you guys are freaking out about this.

 

[APKnight]

As noble as it seems to want to stay and coach in the Fiesta Bowl, Coach Ash must remember that the minute he signs on with RU, Urban Meyer becomes his foe. College football is cut throat and nice guys finish last. Urban is as cut throat as they come (to his credit), but I would hate to think that Urban has nefarious ulterior motives for wanting Coach Ash to stay.

 

[billhobo]

I'm putting the over/under of "Ash as new RU coach" at 3.5 during Ohio State's bowl game and think we're delusional if we think there's much value of any such references giving RU/Ash some kind of incremental edge in recruiting. IMO, if you're taking a job as a 1st-time head coach, get to work on Day 1 and set a tone.

 

[PaKnight]

I'm putting the over/under of "Ash as new RU coach" at 3.5 during Ohio State's bowl game and think we're delusional if we think there's much value of any such references giving RU/Ash some kind of incremental edge in recruiting. IMO, if you're taking a job as a 1st-time head coach, get to work on Day 1 and set a tone.

I think most would agree that it is preferable for him to start and be full time at RU right away.

 

[Old Bridge]

carolina scarlet, post: 1136273, member: 17624"]1. Familiarize yourself with our facilities. So how long can that take and it's not like he can make changes.
2. Detailed discussions with AD in his office now that you are officially on board. I think most of that already occurred during the interview process.
3. Talk/meet with influential donors to sell your vision of the program. Big donors gave the stamp of approval ...done!
4. Meet face to face with current assistant coaches, strength team, recruiting coordinators.In time but if he has others in mind.... Again no reason he can't split time.
5. Meet face to face with HS coaches of big in state programs (if allowed), without discussing any potential recruits. Dead Period
6. Physically move into your offices and meet and greet all your support staff. This could take?? A couple of hours.

Yeah, I see your point he needs to spend the next month in his office 24/7. [eyeroll] C'mon man!
[/QUOTE]

 

[jdeer1976]

In a perfect world coaches wouldn't be "officially" hired until after bowl season. In a bowl game you want to see both teams bring their A game and unfortunately all too often this isn't the case because the coaching carousel starts spinning before the last regular season game is even played. How many times have mid-tier teams gotten to the biggest bowl game in their team's history only to have their HC hired away before they even play the game?

 

[PaKnight]

1. Familiarize yourself with our facilities.
2. Detailed discussions with AD in his office now that you are officially on board.
3. Talk/meet with influential donors to sell your vision of the program.
4. Meet face to face with current assistant coaches, strength team, recruiting coordinators.
5. Meet face to face with HS coaches of big in state programs (if allowed), without discussing any potential recruits.
6. Physically move into your offices and meet and greet all your support staff.

C'mon man. Have you never taken a new important job. You need to get there, familiarize yourself with the lay of the land and get comfortable in your new role. Can't do this in Columbus or at the bowl.

1. They are football facilities.
2. I am sure that they had detailed discussion about each's vision of the program. He would not have been hired, if they were different.
3. There is time.
4. My guess he will be here most of this week, including next weekend.
5. The dead period which start next Sunday, prohibits all direct contact including with high school coaches.
6. He can bring a box of munchkins to the press conference today.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

If you're not coming now, why bother coming?

Absolutely, let's pass on the guy we want because of a few week delay.....let's take the recently fired Al Golden.

 

[wheezer]

And you wonder why Rutgers fans are the butt of jokes nationwide. We have some of the dumbest non intellectual football fans there are. We just landed a great your aggressive coach yet we still find reason to cru and whine like little 2 yr olds

----
Now this is a little over the top..... There is no reason that we cannot discuss the possible problems with our new coach delaying his start here..... Even if coaches regularly wait to start full time, I am sure fan bases everywhere get a bit concerned about the delay....... Signing day is not far off..... We have no staff.... And we cannot discuss?

 

[vkj91]

1. They are football facilities.
2. I am sure that they had detailed discussion about each's vision of the program. He would not have been hired, if they were different.
3. There is time.
4. My guess he will be here most of this week, including next weekend.
5. The dead period which start next Sunday, prohibits all direct contact including with high school coaches.
6. He can bring a box of munchkins to the press conference today.

thank you for saving me the time.

 

[PaKnight]

----
Now this is a little over the top..... There is no reason that we cannot discuss the possible problems with our new coach delaying his start here..... Even if coaches regularly wait to start full time, I am sure fan bases everywhere get a bit concerned about the delay....... Signing day is not far off..... We have no staff.... And we cannot discuss?

Of course we should be able to discuss the possible problems with him coaching OSU through the bowl. The problem in people are not interested in discussing the issue, it is just over the top whining and complaining.