When Ash had his initial press conference I posted that I thought it was awful how he paid not a single compliment to our program and instead made it seem like he was here to rescue a program that had never achieved anything and was horrible. True we're not Ohio State but we had been to bowls 10 of the prior 12 years or so and he might have given a nod to how far we've come despite the setbacks on and off the field in 2015. But he didn't. Now he is presiding over one of the most humiliating seasons of any RU team in memory given where this program has come over the last 15 years, albeit with some setbacks. Ash appears to be way over his head and the OC appear to be completely incompetent. Karma
Ash's Hubris
- Thread starter CuredbywinningRU
- Start date
He also said the team was out of shape and he was going to fix that. Improvements were made to the weight room, etc. If he got Flood's players into better physical condition, where are the results on the field?
In hindsight there have been many warning signs that most of us would have to admit we either did not pick up on or overlooked them because we wanted to believe he was the right pick. Starting with the naive decision to stay on with OSU while delaying active recruiting and work here and continuing through yesterday with another second half team surrender before the 4th quarter (something he assured us would be fixed). The list of warning signs is growing every game.
I for one will not be fooled into a long term path this time. If this recruiting class falls apart he will need to go immediately. The reason is obvious - another class in the 40/50's or so would mean at least 3-4 more years of total ass kicking in this league which he will not survive and will be fired anyway.
So on February 2, 2017 the combo of poor recruiting and Ash being retained leads to one conclusion - at least 5 more years of waiting. I am out if that occurs.
I for one will not be fooled into a long term path this time. If this recruiting class falls apart he will need to go immediately. The reason is obvious - another class in the 40/50's or so would mean at least 3-4 more years of total ass kicking in this league which he will not survive and will be fired anyway.
So on February 2, 2017 the combo of poor recruiting and Ash being retained leads to one conclusion - at least 5 more years of waiting. I am out if that occurs.
You say this like you have some kind of input, which you obviously don't.
Just talking as a fan who has eyes and 38 years of experience. If this recruiting class falls apart what are you going to do?
There are definite warning signs with Ash but at the bare minimum he will have next year to fix them if not longer.
This is definitely the worst season I have witnessed since being a freshman in 2003. Remember too one of those losing seasons came with EL's injury in the middle.
The performance this season is totally unacceptable. I agree with the OP's sentiment that Ash inherited a respectable program and you would know it seeing the results this year.
This is definitely the worst season I have witnessed since being a freshman in 2003. Remember too one of those losing seasons came with EL's injury in the middle.
The performance this season is totally unacceptable. I agree with the OP's sentiment that Ash inherited a respectable program and you would know it seeing the results this year.
Football isn't a sport that easily responds to change quickly. Michigan could do it with Habs because they had the goods. RU has been wasting away for several years. Nobody could look at OL and DE recruiting and not see a real problem looming. Its naive to think Ash was going to make RU competitive in what is now recognized as best conference in the nation. RU has been going down fast in a conference turning epic at the same time
What can I do? Same thing I did this year and do with any sport ... Watch until I can't stomach it anymore, then change the channel or go outside. A lot of other interesting CFB to watch this season and an Indian Summer that only quit a few days ago. The latter won't do much for ski resort openings, but Saturday's will be spent there soon enough.
In short, find some things to do that I have some control over.
Changing the channel is not the answer if you truly care about the program. Pick up the pen and start writing letters to the SL and the Administration.
Lol, write letters. To the paper that lives to see us struggle. GTFO.
Ash may be in over his head, we will have to see over the next 4 years, because he is going to get a full 5 years to prove his merit no matter what he does to the program short of getting caught cheating.
What does DL and DE recruiting have to do with the fact that our offense is absolutely impotent. I'm not saying even that we should be winning games but I've never seen more anemic offense yardage numbers by any FBS team since I don't know when. Oh and our special teams are horrific as well.
I'm worried about Ash right now and wonder if he'll make a gooD HC.
But being a brand new HC facing the obstacles he must overcome to make RU FB a successful program Ash shouldn't be hung just yet.
As for members of his staff, some need to go ( in my opinion) if Ash expects to make RU more competitive while he's trying to make the program better.
I think Ash hired assistants he felt more comfortable being around him than coaches that might better for him ( and could afford) as a new HC, learning on the job, without the type of talent he needs to play the type of game he wants to.
But being a brand new HC facing the obstacles he must overcome to make RU FB a successful program Ash shouldn't be hung just yet.
As for members of his staff, some need to go ( in my opinion) if Ash expects to make RU more competitive while he's trying to make the program better.
I think Ash hired assistants he felt more comfortable being around him than coaches that might better for him ( and could afford) as a new HC, learning on the job, without the type of talent he needs to play the type of game he wants to.
Shit you guys still don't understand it's a throw away year and despite that the dude has the best recruiting class we've had in a while. Yikes.
Letters, lol.
You better send a check in that envelope if you think Rutgers is going to change a head football coach after a year just after signing the biggest contract they have ever offered. A really big check.
The clueless faction of this fan base is astounding.
Astounding is a good word. It was easy to predict, before the season, that the clueless brigade would be out in force this year. But I really am amazed at the depth and breadth of it.
This is my assessment, as well. Compare football to race-car driving. In the latter, when going from sprint car to Indy car, you get an entirely different vehicle and work on it off-line. You don't have to enter races until the car and driver are ready. In football, when changing schemes, you don't have the luxury of going off line and waiting until you're ready. You essentially take your hobbled and disconnected team onto the field each week, and expect them somehow to compete with teams that are much more well-oiled, with personnel better suited to the schemes and who understand it.
Ash has at least two more years due to his contract and our lack of funds. It's also a bad policy to can a coach after one season because nobody would ever want to coach here if that's how impatient we are. The cupboards weren't totally bare, but we were the equivalent of a stock car running on three tires with low octane fuel and drivers who could barely reach the wheel and shifters. How much of this is the fault of coaches? That remains to be seen once we have the parts in place that Ash says we need.
I feel the same way. Unfortunately it is the genetic make up of the Rutgers fan base. It is very similar to the Battered Wife Syndrome. After years of abuse on the gridiron they are conditioned to blame everything but never the actual abuser. Can we unilaterally blame Ash? Not completely because he hasn't been here long enough, however, if he is allowed to continue he will systematically destroy this program regardless of talent. I'm not brainwashed and I know where to point the proverbial finger, yes the institution and to a lesser extent the state. Those in charge of the institution can afford to be clever and shrewd because there's no donor or politician powerful enough to demand results. Without that threat looming over their heads they conveniently hired a CO-DC and said "we will revisit the situation in 3-5 years". Now let me ask a reasonable question. Why would you give a very young coach with no head coaching experience a 5 year contract? See what happened at LSU and watch what happens in Oregon and Texas next year.
Last edited:
This hire is a disaster. The sooner it's admitted and accepted and the best deal possible is made to move on. The sooner Rutgers football has a chance to be decent again.
Anything else is pure delusion. Nothing he has done or said shows any chance for him to be successful here.
Thank you OP.
Anything else is pure delusion. Nothing he has done or said shows any chance for him to be successful here.
Thank you OP.
As much as I am an Ash supporter and truly believe organizations with a revolving door at HC are garbage organizations (Jets, Browns, Raiders, etc), if Ash's recruiting class falls apart, it will be a lost decade.
It's already falling apart. And it's a bunch of 3 stars. That's the team he has now. The talent level is no where near as bad as they play.
He's not a Schiano level recruiter. Or talent evaluator. He's not even a Schiano level coach.
The first step to getting something fixed is admitting you have a problem. This is a serious problem and it's not going to get better.
He's not a Schiano level recruiter. Or talent evaluator. He's not even a Schiano level coach.
The first step to getting something fixed is admitting you have a problem. This is a serious problem and it's not going to get better.
OP is long time troll. Trashed schiano also.
He was 100% right. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a myopic fool.
I am looking forward to February 2nd to revisit this thread. I think the commits we have are solid and although it is not complete class yet,it will be.The trick will be to put three-four solid recruiting classes together.
It is tough to ask fans to be patient after a season like this, but it is what it is.
No amount of criticism is going to change anything, and for the most part it's counterproductive.
It is tough to ask fans to be patient after a season like this, but it is what it is.
No amount of criticism is going to change anything, and for the most part it's counterproductive.
Last edited:
So you are pissed because Ash didn't fawn over our Beef O'Brady's Bowl trophy? I get it...this year has sucked and the jury is certainly out on Ash. But other than finishing 12th nationally in 2006, don't kid yourself into thinking we have done anything worth a damn in football at the FBS level. We have not. Nobody outside of Rutgers cares about our string of Weedeater Bowl appearances.
Those bowl games were a ton of fun and brought our school a taste of success. C'mon.
Of course they were fun and it certainly beats sitting home. However, it's not some major achievement, especially when schools like Wake Forest, Kansas and even Northern Illinois have played in a major bowl in recent history and we could never get to one.
Along with every other College FB coach, so none really have squat when it comes to commits .
But recruiting is looking better now that it has for awhile.
When Rutgers started going to those bowls it was a big deal to RU fans.
But as the expectations for the FB programm rose the bowls RU went were not exactly the type wanted or expected.
Next year there would be joy in loserville if RU did win enough to go to a minor bowl, but Ash was hired to do more and a steady steam of minor bowls again would be as unacceptable as they were during Schiano's last couple of years..
Agree. In my humble opinion, our best seasons were 2006, 2005 and 2012 and I'd place them in that order. 2012 with no WVU to go through and losing to 'Ville and to VT cheapens the "shared" title of a mid major football conference. We honestly underachieved in 07, 08, 09, 10, 11 and 13. 2014 was fun but we still got our dicks kicked in by 1/3 of our schedule. So in hindsight, yes coming g from where we were when I was in school during the Shea Era that was a nice little run. But we didn't take full advantage of it.
Are you sure your are a Rutgers fan?
Already falling apart because the 2 softest recruits decommitted?
What do you think folks said about Schiano at the end of 2001? Did he redeem himself?
Has our offense and special teams improved in any way as the season has gone on? NO. Even talentless players with good coaching will improve a little. As others have stated, it all comes down to who signs in the spring. If we goose-egg against UMd it's over.
