Current State of RU Football and Who is to Blame

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

http://rutgersfootballrebuild.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-does-blame-fall-on-for-rutgers.html?m=1

I wrote this, last night. Hope you guys feel the same way

 

[TM514]

nice read. Thanks for posting.

 

[Proud NJ Sports Fan]

I agree with most if not all of your blog

Barchi is the root cause of this mess
Ash is not qualified to run this program either.

 

[JCKnight]

http://rutgersfootballrebuild.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-does-blame-fall-on-for-rutgers.html?m=1

I wrote this, last night. Hope you guys feel the same way

Just to play devils advocate here...is it possible you are blinded by your fandom where you think that Rutgers has an athletics problem?

Rutgers seems to be doing just fine with its academic standing, in-state kids are still willing to shell out the same tuition that they could pay going out of state since Rutgers doesn’t really give an in-state tuition break comparatively speaking, also I believe there is a huge international student population that couldn’t care less about the sports program.

Do you think schools like Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, feel that having a better sports program will boost their university standing? I bring up these schools even tho there is Ivy League and some smaller schools because they are prestigious academic universities that don’t really rely on athletic success.

Barchi seems to be running a very successful academic institution as a Rutgers has always been without athletics success, outside of the college football FAN world, do you think many people care if Rutgers football sucks? If anything Barchi has seen the resource drain the football program has been, and sees it now as nothing more than a money train that will boost revenues no matter how little investment is made.

I’m just saying there is another side to this argument that the non-athletic fan that supports Rutgers from an academic standpoint doesn’t care if the football team is any good...judging by student turn out at most athletic events I would say 80% of students don’t care...

 

[Jbastarrika]

Just to play devils advocate here...is it possible you are blinded by your fandom where you think that Rutgers has an athletics problem?

Rutgers seems to be doing just fine with its academic standing, in-state kids are still willing to shell out the same tuition that they could pay going out of state since Rutgers doesn’t really give an in-state tuition break comparatively speaking, also I believe there is a huge international student population that couldn’t care less about the sports program.

Do you think schools like Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, feel that having a better sports program will boost their university standing? I bring up these schools even tho there is Ivy League and some smaller schools because they are prestigious academic universities that don’t really rely on athletic success.

Barchi seems to be running a very successful academic institution as a Rutgers has always been without athletics success, outside of the college football FAN world, do you think many people care if Rutgers football sucks? If anything Barchi has seen the resource drain the football program has been, and sees it now as nothing more than a money train that will boost revenues no matter how little investment is made.

I’m just saying there is another side to this argument that the non-athletic fan that supports Rutgers from an academic standpoint doesn’t care if the football team is any good...judging by student turn out at most athletic events I would say 80% of students don’t care...

Colgate, Princeton, etc are not in the Big 10. We are and should start acting like it. The kids blog is right on the money.
The 80 % that “don’t care” will be camping out for tickets the second we become relevant.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Just to play devils advocate here...is it possible you are blinded by your fandom where you think that Rutgers has an athletics problem?

Rutgers seems to be doing just fine with its academic standing, in-state kids are still willing to shell out the same tuition that they could pay going out of state since Rutgers doesn’t really give an in-state tuition break comparatively speaking, also I believe there is a huge international student population that couldn’t care less about the sports program.

Do you think schools like Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, feel that having a better sports program will boost their university standing? I bring up these schools even tho there is Ivy League and some smaller schools because they are prestigious academic universities that don’t really rely on athletic success.

Barchi seems to be running a very successful academic institution as a Rutgers has always been without athletics success, outside of the college football FAN world, do you think many people care if Rutgers football sucks? If anything Barchi has seen the resource drain the football program has been, and sees it now as nothing more than a money train that will boost revenues no matter how little investment is made.

I’m just saying there is another side to this argument that the non-athletic fan that supports Rutgers from an academic standpoint doesn’t care if the football team is any good...judging by student turn out at most athletic events I would say 80% of students don’t care...

i wouldn't have applied to rutgers if our football team was ass. I was talking with my girlfriend about this last night and she said going to a football game when she was in high school sealed the deal for her choosing Rutgers. She said she said inside the stadium to her father, "i'm going here". I'm not alone. It's not just boys, it's girls too. Kids want to have a fun college experience, 80% of college kids are looking to have fun in college. We're losing a lot of applications because of our football program imo

 

[RUnewjersey]

Kyle,

I certainly appreciate your love for the Rutgers program.

I feel you’re missing the mark by heeping so much praise on Pat Hobbs and leaving him blameless. Here’s why; Bob Mulcahy is the man solely responsible for hiring Greg Schiano, spending the money and making the necessary changes to bring the Rutgers Football Program and Athletic Department out of the dark ages. Mr. Mulcahy was not perfect, but by and large he lead the department into a new era and through some pretty good times.

Pat Hobbs should not be given a pass for rushing to hire a coach in 5 days. The hiring of a head football coach is an enormously important issue. Finding the right person for the job can take time and no matter what your faced with and you need to take the time to get it right. Even if that means inserting an interim coach to hold together a recruiting class. Naming an interim coach tells your recruits that you want to find the right guy to lead the team. You are likely to lose a few players. What you won’t do by naming an interim coach however, is rush the most important decision you’ll ever make for your football program. If you rush you risk getting yourself into a contract with someone who doesn’t make the grade and mortgaging the future of the program.

Pat Hobbs’ political allies said he was an exemplary business person when he was sent to Rutgers. Based on his rush to get Chris Ash hired I would dispute his business prowess. We have confirmation of his poor business decision making in his extension of Ash’s contract. There was no reason to do that, and if someone was trying to tell him there was, he should have fought it.

 

[fsg2]

Kyle,

I certainly appreciate your love for the Rutgers program.

I feel you’re missing the mark by heeping so much praise on Pat Hobbs and leaving him blameless. Here’s why; Bob Mulcahy is the man solely responsible for hiring Greg Schiano, spending the money and making the necessary changes to bring the Rutgers Football Program and Athletic Department out of the dark ages. Mr. Mulcahy was not perfect, but by and large he lead the department into a new era and through some pretty good times.

Pat Hobbs should not be given a pass for rushing to hire a coach in 5 days. The hiring of a head football coach is an enormously important issue. Finding the right person for the job can take time and no matter what your faced with and you need to take the time to get it right. Even if that means inserting an interim coach to hold together a recruiting class. Naming an interim coach tells your recruits that you want to find the right guy to lead the team. You are likely to lose a few players. What you won’t do by naming an interim coach however, is rush the most important decision you’ll ever make for your football program. If you rush you risk getting yourself into a contract with someone who doesn’t make the grade and mortgaging the future of the program.

Pat Hobbs’ political allies said he was an exemplary business person when he was sent to Rutgers. Based on his rush to get Chris Ash hired I would dispute his business prowess. We have confirmation of his poor business decision making in his extension of Ash’s contract. There was no reason to do that, and if someone was trying to tell him there was, he should have fought it.

Was it actually a "rush" as compared to the average length of time taken to hire a coach or are you just saying that in hindsight?

It didn't feel particularly rushed (like the Flood backup plan did), and it seemed Hobbs went through the motions.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Flood got an extension as well. Jeff Towers paid for Flood's extension. The idea was that it was for optics, so that he couldn't get negatively recruited that he was on the hot seat. I am damn near 100% sure that donors paid for Ash extension as well for the same reasons. Hobbs just approved it. It doesn't cost Rutgers anything and it might help recruiting. It just didn't work and won't work because Ash is not getting it done.

Source: https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2015/02/jeff_towers_rutgers_1_million_recruiting.html

 

[17Q66]

Colgate, Princeton, etc are not in the Big 10. We are and should start acting like it. The kids blog is right on the money.
The 80 % that “don’t care” will be camping out for tickets the second we become relevant.

Neither are we. We're in the Big Ten.

Regards,
Captain Pedantic

 

[ivan brunetti]

No single person is to blame. It has taken decades to get to this point. And it will likely take at least a decade to get to Iowa like stability.

 

[Knight Shift]

Colgate, Princeton, etc are not in the Big 10. We are and should start acting like it. The kids blog is right on the money.
The 80 % that “don’t care” will be camping out for tickets the second we become relevant.

Hey! My seat neighbor. See you Saturday?

 

[RUforlife]

Honest question, from what I read and talking to those who supposedly are knowledgeable on these types of issues, the general impression I get is that outside of athletics Barchi is viewed as doing a very good job of running the University, are people on this board hearing differently? Again, I am talking academics and running the day-to-day operations of the the University, not athletics. I think we all are in agreement in regards to his ability to oversee an athletic program.

 

[Knight Shift]

Kyle,

I certainly appreciate your love for the Rutgers program.

I feel you’re missing the mark by heeping so much praise on Pat Hobbs and leaving him blameless. Here’s why; Bob Mulcahy is the man solely responsible for hiring Greg Schiano, spending the money and making the necessary changes to bring the Rutgers Football Program and Athletic Department out of the dark ages. Mr. Mulcahy was not perfect, but by and large he lead the department into a new era and through some pretty good times.

Pat Hobbs should not be given a pass for rushing to hire a coach in 5 days. The hiring of a head football coach is an enormously important issue. Finding the right person for the job can take time and no matter what your faced with and you need to take the time to get it right. Even if that means inserting an interim coach to hold together a recruiting class. Naming an interim coach tells your recruits that you want to find the right guy to lead the team. You are likely to lose a few players. What you won’t do by naming an interim coach however, is rush the most important decision you’ll ever make for your football program. If you rush you risk getting yourself into a contract with someone who doesn’t make the grade and mortgaging the future of the program.

Pat Hobbs’ political allies said he was an exemplary business person when he was sent to Rutgers. Based on his rush to get Chris Ash hired I would dispute his business prowess. We have confirmation of his poor business decision making in his extension of Ash’s contract. There was no reason to do that, and if someone was trying to tell him there was, he should have fought it.

I like Hobbs a lot and knew him prior to becoming AD, but I can't quibble with what you said. Never thought about that, but you make a lot of sense with this post.

 

[ajwsc1987]

i wouldn't have applied to rutgers if our football team was ass. I was talking with my girlfriend about this last night and she said going to a football game when she was in high school sealed the deal for her choosing Rutgers. She said she said inside the stadium to her father, "i'm going here". I'm not alone. It's not just boys, it's girls too. Kids want to have a fun college experience, 80% of college kids are looking to have fun in college. We're losing a lot of applications because of our football program imo

This is 100% true and something that Some people will never get. Academic AND Athletic success really builds a schools brand and perception. I have a few friends who’s dream school was Michigan, in large part due to sports, and they went there. Also worked for someone who was a Rutgers alum and fan. Both his kids, despite loving Rutgers, went to their dream school Michigan. Again it was the combo of academics and athletics and school pride that sold them.

 

[fsg2]

An editor would be a wise move, OP.

Not even zeroing in on small errors, but major things like not starting your piece off with, and I'm paraphrasing here, "if the actual high-paid leaders who I criticize in this opinion-saturated rant on blogpost.com happen to find this on the Internet, I'm happy to meet with them and come up with solutions."

Seriously, dude?

Had you consulted that editor ahead of time, he'd probably warn you not to label your own opinion-saturated blogpost.com rant a "Must Read."

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

http://rutgersfootballrebuild.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-does-blame-fall-on-for-rutgers.html?m=1

I wrote this, last night. Hope you guys feel the same way

Wow, that is seriously impressive in how obnoxious it is. Also, if you are going to be that over the top in your criticism, you should write better. I don't mean to be rude, but just.. wow.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

An editor would be a wise move, OP.

Not even zeroing in on small errors, but major things like not starting your piece off with, and I'm paraphrasing here, "if the actual high-paid leaders who I criticize in this opinion-saturated rant on blogpost.com happen to find this on the Internet, I'm happy to meet with them and come up with solutions."

Seriously, dude?

Had you consulted that editor ahead of time, he'd probably warn you not to label your own opinion-saturated blogpost.com rant a "Must Read."

Buddy, it’s a blog from a fans perspective, I’m not looking to win a pulitzer prize here

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Wow, that is seriously impressive in how obnoxious it is.

Not sure what that means

 

[BlockR]

Kyle;
first kudos for having the stones for putting your name to the blog/post,well done.
I disagree with Zero you have posted.I would like to high lite that NOBODY put a gun to Hobbs head and agree with Ash lawyer about the wording of the extension.that still falls squarely on Hobbs,who has done alot of good so far but that was a colossal blunder by Hobbs and Ru legal people.
SOMEBODY has to figure out how to get out of Ashs contract at end of the season because the longer he stays,the worse recruiting will get and the deeper the hole for any coach,including Schiano,will be and the greater the damage to the program.
right now RU is a underdog,at home to a MAC team Think about that...
Never would be in this spot if Schiano or even PJ Fleck was hired instead of Ash..

 

[mdk01]

Just to play devils advocate here...is it possible you are blinded by your fandom where you think that Rutgers has an athletics problem?

Rutgers seems to be doing just fine with its academic standing, in-state kids are still willing to shell out the same tuition that they could pay going out of state since Rutgers doesn’t really give an in-state tuition break comparatively speaking, also I believe there is a huge international student population that couldn’t care less about the sports program.

Do you think schools like Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, feel that having a better sports program will boost their university standing? I bring up these schools even tho there is Ivy League and some smaller schools because they are prestigious academic universities that don’t really rely on athletic success.

Barchi seems to be running a very successful academic institution as a Rutgers has always been without athletics success, outside of the college football FAN world, do you think many people care if Rutgers football sucks? If anything Barchi has seen the resource drain the football program has been, and sees it now as nothing more than a money train that will boost revenues no matter how little investment is made.

I’m just saying there is another side to this argument that the non-athletic fan that supports Rutgers from an academic standpoint doesn’t care if the football team is any good...judging by student turn out at most athletic events I would say 80% of students don’t care...

1. What university has an out-of-state tuition cost that is not significantly higher than Rutgers' in-state rate?

2. Cornell, Princeton and the rest of the Ivies DO think their athletic programs boost standings. They just carve out football, and to a lesser extent basketball as exceptions. That's as much related to the size of their undergrad populations as anything else. Look at soccer, hockey (both men's and women's and it's a revenue sport for men), baseball, track and particularly lacrosse. In general, those programs are as strong or stronger than RU's, although that may be changing with respect to lacrosse. And they also have very active alumni organizations for those programs that produce CONTRIBUTIONS.

 

[fsg2]

Buddy, it’s a blog from a fans perspective, I’m not looking to win a pulitzer prize here

Ding, ding, ding.

Which is why you shouldn't start off said blog from fan perspective with a cringeworthy paragraph like that. Made me roll my eyes and not want to read further.

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

Not sure what that means

I mean that what you wrote is obnoxious. I admittedly stopped half way through Pat Hobbs...it may have gotten less obnoxious from there. I really don't mean that as a personal attack, it just is.

My primary issue is that you assume the worst in Barchi, with your support seemingly being driven by only your own perceptions and rumors that have originated on the message boards. Unless you are in a very high position within the school, I don't know how you could know the true facts well enough to level those criticisms.

 

[MADHAT1]

Hobbs might deserve some blame for allowing an extension clause in Ash's memorandum of agreement that represented the first official contract he gave Ash.
A performance clause and behavior off field clause should have been put in to cancel the extension's adding to Ash's buyout from Rutgers ( if terminated ) to give Rutgers more leverage in case Ash couldn't handle the job the way he was expected to. .

 

[BlockR]

I mean that what you wrote is obnoxious. I admittedly stopped half way through Pat Hobbs...it may have gotten less obnoxious from there. I really don't mean that as a personal attack, it just is.

My primary issue is that you assume the worst in Barchi, with your support seemingly being driven by only your own perceptions and rumors that have originated on the message boards. Unless you are in a very high position within the school, I don't know how you could know the true facts well enough to level those criticisms.

so ...please detail what was false about anything he wrote in the Post concerning Ash or Hobbs and where the program stands today?

 

[fsg2]

I mean that what you wrote is obnoxious. I admittedly stopped half way through Pat Hobbs...it may have gotten less obnoxious from there. I really don't mean that as a personal attack, it just is.

My primary issue is that you assume the worst in Barchi, with your support seemingly being driven by only your own perceptions and rumors that have originated on the message boards. Unless you are in a very high position within the school, I don't know how you could know the true facts well enough to level those criticisms.

It didn't!

 

[BlockR]

contract Hobbs might bare some blame for allowing an extension clause in Ash's memorandum of Agreement that represented the first official contract he gave Ash.
A performance clause and behivioroff feild clause should have been put in to cancel the extention's adding to Ash's buyout from Rutgers ( if terminated ) to give Rutgers more leveage.

could RU still can Ash for performance issues due to Credit Card Arrests??

 

[Ole Cabbagehead]

so ...please detail what was false about anything he wrote in the Post concerning Ash or Hobbs and where the program stands today?

"Please detail"....ha. Good one. My comments weren't directed at you. Since you are inserting yourself, as a starting point, why don't you detail which of the factual assumptions are correct.

Also, please detail what you believe was over my head while you are at it. Cute gif tho.

 

[ivan brunetti]

This is 100% true and something that Some people will never get. Academic AND Athletic success really builds a schools brand and perception. I have a few friends who’s dream school was Michigan, in large part due to sports, and they went there. Also worked for someone who was a Rutgers alum and fan. Both his kids, despite loving Rutgers, went to their dream school Michigan. Again it was the combo of academics and athletics and school pride that sold them.

Some state schools have great academics or revenue athletics (football & men's hoops). You don't need to have success in both to build your brand.

 

[MYHATINTHERING]

Holy $hit people, read it and take the premise and content and stop being critical.

good job op

 

[MADHAT1]

could RU still can Ash for performance issues due to Credit Card Arrests??

Flood wasn't fired for cause and he received his full buyout according to his contract with RU.I doubt Ash could be fired for cause (for credit card mess ) if RU hasn't taken any action towards that already and that's the only way RU could get out of a buyout.
Ash can be fired for performance like every othercoach can, but being fired for the way RU FB is playing isn't going to stop RU from paying Ash for the remainder of his contract

 

[fsg2]

Holy $hit people, read it and take the premise and content and stop being critical.

good job op

Like you wouldn't be criticizing the sh#t out of it if it went against your opinion.

If he's going to write something like that publicly, then bill it as a "must read" here to attract attention and clicks, he should embrace criticism. It comes with the territory.

Whole piece was too heavy on opinion and assumption, too light on established facts. Saying "it's well known in my circle" or "study after study confirms" doesn't dismiss you from providing actual evidence and support.

It was a rant, not a well-argued position.

 

[RUBand]

Just to play devils advocate here...is it possible you are blinded by your fandom where you think that Rutgers has an athletics problem?

Rutgers seems to be doing just fine with its academic standing, in-state kids are still willing to shell out the same tuition that they could pay going out of state since Rutgers doesn’t really give an in-state tuition break comparatively speaking, also I believe there is a huge international student population that couldn’t care less about the sports program.

Do you think schools like Colgate, Lehigh, Bucknell, Cornell, Princeton, NYU, feel that having a better sports program will boost their university standing? I bring up these schools even tho there is Ivy League and some smaller schools because they are prestigious academic universities that don’t really rely on athletic success.

Barchi seems to be running a very successful academic institution as a Rutgers has always been without athletics success, outside of the college football FAN world, do you think many people care if Rutgers football sucks? If anything Barchi has seen the resource drain the football program has been, and sees it now as nothing more than a money train that will boost revenues no matter how little investment is made.

I’m just saying there is another side to this argument that the non-athletic fan that supports Rutgers from an academic standpoint doesn’t care if the football team is any good...judging by student turn out at most athletic events I would say 80% of students don’t care...

Colgate, Bucknell, Princeton, Lehigh are not in the B1G. Rutgers is not in the Ivy League. (Too) many within RU see themselves as Ivy League. We still, too a point, pretend to be what we’re not. I heard “Rutgers wants to be Princeton Monday to Friday, and Nebraska on Saturday” decades ago. We’re neither. When Barchi said “we’ll never be a Michigan” I wanted to throw up.

 

[MYHATINTHERING]

Like you wouldn't be criticizing the sh#t out of it if it went against your opinion.

If he's going to write something like that publicly, then bill it as a "must read" here to attract attention and clicks, he should embrace criticism. It comes with the territory.

Whole piece was too heavy on opinion and assumption, too light on established facts. Saying "it's well known in my circle" or "study after study confirms" doesn't dismiss you from providing actual evidence and support.

It was a rant, not a well-argued position.

people's response to the article has nothing to do with whether you agree or not, some of the comments here are pure douchery.

opinion or not, he makes some valid points unless you see results that many of us do not. he actually hit a few things that some insiders know.

slow it down, no need to be hyper here

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

Like you wouldn't be criticizing the sh#t out of it if it went against your opinion.

If he's going to write something like that publicly, then bill it as a "must read" here to attract attention and clicks, he should embrace criticism. It comes with the territory.

Whole piece was too heavy on opinion and assumption, too light on established facts. Saying "it's well known in my circle" or "study after study confirms" doesn't dismiss you from providing actual evidence and support.

It was a rant, not a well-argued position.

Clicks... lol. Yeah you caught me, im eating dinner tonight off these clicks. Youre brutal

 

[fsg2]

Clicks... lol. Yeah you caught me, im eating dinner tonight off these clicks. Youre brutal

I mean, why bill it as "Must Read" if you're not trying to get attention and clicks. You could have just as easily written a boiled down version as a thread here.

 

[Upstream]

Kyle -- I appreciate the effort you put into this (though I agree with the posters who indicated you need an editor .... or at least more paragraph breaks).

However, I don't really think you provide any insight into who is to blame for the state of the football program. Certainly Barchi, Hobbs, and Ash are to blame because they are the President, Athletic Director, and Head Coach. But saying they are to blame, while superficially true, is somewhat trite. The problems with the football program predate all of them, so all you can really blame them for is failing to clean up the mess they inherited.

What I was hoping to read was what are the true causes of today's situation, and why Rutgers' attempts to address the situation has been mostly unsuccessful.

 

[beaced]

http://rutgersfootballrebuild.blogspot.com/2018/09/who-does-blame-fall-on-for-rutgers.html?m=1

I wrote this, last night. Hope you guys feel the same way

I like your enthusiasm for RU FB. May suggest that you start to wear a very well built FB helmet.IMO you are butting your head up against a stone wall.I would like to see them listen to you but this is RU and they don't and won't.

 

[Knight Shift]

i wouldn't have applied to rutgers if our football team was ass. I was talking with my girlfriend about this last night and she said going to a football game when she was in high school sealed the deal for her choosing Rutgers. She said she said inside the stadium to her father, "i'm going here". I'm not alone. It's not just boys, it's girls too. Kids want to have a fun college experience, 80% of college kids are looking to have fun in college. We're losing a lot of applications because of our football program imo

Think that 80% is kind of high. Maybe 50%. I know a lot of kids who couldn't care less about football games and college. Some would fit in well with the Rutgers 1000, thinking college football is a huge waste of money and resources.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Neither are we. We're in the Big Ten.

Regards,
Captain Pedantic

^^^ times 1000 ^^^