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Game Notes from Washington State

The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.
 
The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.

How would you get a quality coach to go to any losing team when they can get canned after their first recruiting class has just finished their red shirt freshman year? Who on earth would have come to Rutgers in 2001 with a 2 year deal?
 
One thing that jumps out at me in the first article:
  • In the season-opener, WSU played nine freshmen including five true freshmen
 
Portland State, which is a terrible football program, ran the ball almost the whole game, they only passed 12 times.

Our running game might break some records in this game if we commit to it.
 
Key matchup: Carroo vs WAZZU secondary - Portland St only tried 12 passes. Now, I'm sure their D gets lots of practice with their air raid O in training, but new teams with new looks, and hopefully better WRs, and it is a key matchup.
 
Portland State, which is a terrible football program, ran the ball almost the whole game, they only passed 12 times.

Our running game might break some records in this game if we commit to it.

And considering they ran for 200+ in the rain, where you know a team is going to run more often, I'd be a bit disappointed if we don't crack 300.
 
I'm not saying we won't or shouldn't run all over them, but it sounds like Portland St's success running was at least in part to WSU having no clue how to defend the read option, something that we struggled with a few year's back.
 
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One thing that jumps out at me in the first article:
  • In the season-opener, WSU played nine freshmen including five true freshmen

For comparison purposes:

Eighteen Scarlet Knights saw their first Divison I collegiate action against Norfolk State. DB Ronnie James, DB Saquan Hampton, DB Blessuan Austin, QB Hayden Rettig, DB Isaiah Wharton, LB Trevor Morris, DB Jarius Adams, LB Deonte Roberts, LB Eric Margolis, LB Isaiah Johnson, OL Tariq Cole, OL Marcus Applefield, OL Zack Heeman, DL Eric Wiafe, DL Jon Bateky, DL Jimmy Hogan, DL Kevin Wilkins, TE Anthony Folkerts
 
For comparison purposes:

Eighteen Scarlet Knights saw their first Divison I collegiate action against Norfolk State. DB Ronnie James, DB Saquan Hampton, DB Blessuan Austin, QB Hayden Rettig, DB Isaiah Wharton, LB Trevor Morris, DB Jarius Adams, LB Deonte Roberts, LB Eric Margolis, LB Isaiah Johnson, OL Tariq Cole, OL Marcus Applefield, OL Zack Heeman, DL Eric Wiafe, DL Jon Bateky, DL Jimmy Hogan, DL Kevin Wilkins, TE Anthony Folkerts

You're comparing a 1 TD game to a blowout.
 
The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.

Ecojew - I can understand the sentiment, but what you are suggesting would be a clear violation of Antitrust law. If I recall correctly, the NCAA has already lost a case similar to this.
 
The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.


That would be very un American.
 
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Really wish it was a noon start, so WSU players' internal clocks would be 9AM aka when college kids are still sleeping.
 
I'm not saying we won't or shouldn't run all over them, but it sounds like Portland St's success running was at least in part to WSU having no clue how to defend the read option, something that we struggled with a few year's back.
Bingo!! Give the man a cigar. We had no clue and their QB played us like a cheap violin. Our new DC failed miserably in his first game.
 
For comparison purposes:

Eighteen Scarlet Knights saw their first Divison I collegiate action against Norfolk State. DB Ronnie James, DB Saquan Hampton, DB Blessuan Austin, QB Hayden Rettig, DB Isaiah Wharton, LB Trevor Morris, DB Jarius Adams, LB Deonte Roberts, LB Eric Margolis, LB Isaiah Johnson, OL Tariq Cole, OL Marcus Applefield, OL Zack Heeman, DL Eric Wiafe, DL Jon Bateky, DL Jimmy Hogan, DL Kevin Wilkins, TE Anthony Folkerts

MDK said it, and let us be more specific.

For RU, before mop-up/blow out playing time the following players palyed for the 1st time:

Hampton, Austin, Rettig, Wharton, Adams, Applefield, Wiafe, Hogan and Wilkins. That is 9 first time players, not 18.

Austin and Adams were the only true frosh of those 9 - 2. Of the 9 1st time players for RU, 6 were red-shirt Frosh, plus Rettig.
 
I think the bigger issue isn't our offense but theirs.

As Mike Leach said in his presser, they will take the "multiple options" (that they use for each configuration of plays) away from the QB's in order to simplify the game for the offense. When I hear that, I immediately think that - aside from their running game, which will account for 20-25% of their plays - their offense will consist largely of screens, slants, and quick/immediate throws to the WR's on the edge. It's a simplified passing attack that will be equivalent to death by a thousand (paper) cuts. And, after seeing our green CB's in last week's game not able to cover the NSU's slants effectively, Leach would have success with this. And rack up a lot of yards. A majority of these sorts of passing plays will be between 5-10 yards (not including YAC). I think that a slim minority of passing plays will be downfield.

Those are my two cents.
 
The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.

I disagree with your opinion. The problem isn't that Leach is on a long-term deal, but that he's on a "perpetual" long-term deal because his contract automatically renewed after every season. This is a problem with a specific clause in Leach's contract instead of a general issue with long-term deals.
 
How would you get a quality coach to go to any losing team when they can get canned after their first recruiting class has just finished their red shirt freshman year? Who on earth would have come to Rutgers in 2001 with a 2 year deal?

You cannot... and probably should not. What teams like this (and yes, Rutgers) should do is hire young hungry types and if successful, pay them to stay. Maybe choose which candidate by the ties they may have to the area so they might be more likely to stay.

I agree with ecojew.. that contract is strangling WSU and probably Leach too. Who knows what kind of money he has for assistants or if it is all too easy for him to look at retirement knowing he has that golden parachute.

Imagine Rutgers could come up with 5 million a year for some proven head coach. Like Bama did with Saban. Or 8 million for Harbaugh at Michigan. You know that a guy like that would also want a Leach type rolling contract. So we'd be married to the guy.. Good-Catholic-married.. no annulments. And what if he fins the problem here is not so much coaching.. as it is everything else? What if he cannot get the kind of recruits he is used to getting to come to Rutgers? What if he cannot afford the high level assistants he is used to? That's it.. its over, right? He cannot win.. not the way he was used to... and we are screwed paying him so much to not win as much as we'd hoped. It is a lose-lose for everthing but that coach's bank account.

Too much risk.
 
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The article on Mike Leach illustrates why there needs to be some control over the length of coaching contracts. To me, in this day of education budget cuts across this country, it is ridiculous to have these long-term contracts. WSU probably can't afford to get rid of him without mortgaging the future of its athletic program or more.

A level playing field is needed to solve this problem, since many institutions have deep pockets while most do not. IMHO, it will require all of the university presidents, backed by their respective boards, coming together through the NCAA to institute a limit on the length of coaching contracts. My idea would be that contracts can be no longer than 2 years in length, but can have a year added after each season. That way, schools would never be on the hook for more than 2 years once there is a parting of the ways. This arrangement would do no harm to the Alabama's and Texas's of the world but it would provide a bit more financial security to the WSU's and RU's of big-time college sports.

I think we all think these long term high money contracts for College coaches are out of control.

But in a democracy that practices capitalism, I doubt you will ever see this.
 
"Politi, a columnist I've always found fair and discerning"

Based on how many articles?

I'm sure this Thorpe reads all the articles from every third rate "journalist" 3000 miles from home.
He must never sleep.
And he knows that Flood sent the instructor an e-mail
"in an attempt to influence a players grade"
How come he knows the content and sequence of the contact(s)
and we don't? But it does ring true that these professional journalists don't bother with fact checking
whether they are on the east or west coast. And they accept as fact anything written by their equally inept colleagues.
 
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In one of the links, they menton a walk on running back giving his Paul James impression on the scout team. I'm sure there's a big difference between him and the real thing. Who is doing the Hicks impression?
 
You cannot... and probably should not. What teams like this (and yes, Rutgers) should do is hire young hungry types and if successful, pay them to stay. Maybe choose which candidate by the ties they may have to the area so they might be more likely to stay.

So you are saying Schiano was the perfect higher for Rutgers and other rebuilding programs should use that as a template?

I think the difference is before we took a chance on a coordinator and if we need to higher again we will be able to get a successfully MAC/AAC coach?
 
It's vital that our fans give a home field advantage, be extra loud when WSU has the ball in all downs.

Also remember that recruits will be at the game and they look for big & loud crowds.

Wear Red
 
Many, many people who read columns are not Rutgers fans. I know, it's stunning.

At this point, the number of Rutgers fans who read Politi's columns has certainly dwindled. If anything, he's playing to his base - the people who still pay for the Ledger (at least for the next few years, until the actuarial tables catch up with the SL's readership).
 
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