As fans I think we have to look at the best we can get not just be better than last staff . That is an easy one to beat the flood staff . The question is are we doing the very best we can ?
I Smell Cronyism
- Thread starter CNJKnight
- Start date
We shall see, no doubt, however the pedigree at the top lends me to THINK that we are in very good/competent hands.
...what new HC in the history of CFB didn't hire people he was familiar with for his staff? This is pretty much the standard of practice. It's not like Ash is doing anything bizarre or odd.
Joe P.
Joe P.
This is true. Head coaches all do this first hire mistake. They chose others they have had amenable relationship with and share the same coaching style.
Here is the Rub,
Some get hired but A.) not into a position which fits them best, B.) not into an region that they and families are comfortable with, or C.) their coaching beliefs are not the same as the HC thought and will be at odds by season's end, or D.) early remembrance of a coach's talent is different then he actually is, (hires poor coaches but nice guys syndrome) or E.) Can not Recruit/relate to players, or F.)can not get the coaches he really wants as it is late in the season or may be tied up with contract.
All this and other issues affect all First HC choices.
He must learn what he did right and wrong and move on as we must! And this is why Cohen had to go! By the profiles I have read, HCCA is doing what evey other first year HC does. Go back and look at Schiano's first staff. He had to do a reshuffling the first few years as well.
HCCA is no different and having to fire friends that are poor "Cronies" in a season or two. It is part of the natural learning process.
We have no idea how the physiological interplay will work out over the intense cauldron called college football.
My "queer" choice is Nick Quartaro for player development? he seems better suited at WR coach. That said we must all wait and see as Ash may be just scuffling the cards (coaches) at this point to get the people he want here and then worry about titles and actual assignments. hell for all we know he may be just parking Nick there knowing someone does not coach up to his expatiations, so he can plug Nick inanywhere as 30 years of coaching he should know the field.
Relax yes HCCA will make mistakes and choices we do not like but
YO! IT'S a clean sweep and rookie HC.... live with it
A coach has the right to, and should hire "his" guys, guys he can trust and relate to and who share a vision about how to build and maintain a program.
He also has to be able to know, as these guys become more entrenched as actual friends, when they can become liabilities. Look at the way Golden dragged D'Onofio from stop to stop, when everyone in college football realized D'O was a millstone around his neck. It's tough sometimes for young coaches to see when this is happening.
He also has to be able to know, as these guys become more entrenched as actual friends, when they can become liabilities. Look at the way Golden dragged D'Onofio from stop to stop, when everyone in college football realized D'O was a millstone around his neck. It's tough sometimes for young coaches to see when this is happening.
THIS! We have more money for staff than ever before. I love the fact we have other HS liaisons besides the RC. Maybe some money went to them. But are we doing the best we can in terms of hires? That's probably what I should have named this thread. My bad.
We won't know until the season starts, I'd say.
But early impressions are the staff is great. This coming from fans, players, alumni, other coaches, and media. That's enough for me for now.
Well that tears it. I now feel pretty sure you and @bac2therac are the same person.
Better than most of Schiano's staffs too, particularly the early ones that were filled with guys whose previous coaching experience was at Rhode Island (Rizzi), Bucknell (Joe Susan), Western Michigan (Bill Cubit), etc. it's not like Greg brought guys with him from Miami and Penn State.
OK, let's be realistic - Rutgers hires as Head Coach Chris Ash - from Ohio State - a guy who is highly regarded as a rising star - re-framed the OSU defense - earned himself a championship ring - and has a number of top tier head coaches who will tell you that he has all the makings of a great coach.
And he hires a staff that is dramatically more experienced with playing and coaching - and experienced with winning major programs - on credentials alone this staff towers over anything that has been here in the past -
Special Teams Coordinator Vince Okruch - Ohio State - extensive experience - and another of those National champ rings
Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer - Houston - a highly praised innovative offensive mind - who understands what it is like to be part of building a winning program - also spent time at Ohio State - worked closely with Tom Herman for several years.
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Kenny Parker – Ohio State -- and another of those National champ rings
Assistant Strength Coach Gary Beemer - Hawaii - - played for U. Meyer at Florida - and has one of those National champ rings
Offensive Line Coach A.J. Blazek - Western Illinois - played center for the Hawkeyes. All-B1G - figured to move to Minnesota or Iowa or another B1G - highly regarded - ask Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz - solid experience
Wide Receivers Coach Zak Kuhr - James Madison co-offensive coordinator also spent time at Ohio State
Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Henry - Arkansas - played at Wisconsin
Defensive Backs Coach Bill Busch – Ohio State - extensive experience Wisconsin, Nebraska, worked for Urban Meyer at Utah
Defensive Coordinator Jay Niemann - Northern Illinois - extensive experience as a DC
Defensive Line Coach Shane Burnham – Iowa State played at South Carolina - long history of recruiting Florida
So seriously - what is realistically not to like?
And he hires a staff that is dramatically more experienced with playing and coaching - and experienced with winning major programs - on credentials alone this staff towers over anything that has been here in the past -
Special Teams Coordinator Vince Okruch - Ohio State - extensive experience - and another of those National champ rings
Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer - Houston - a highly praised innovative offensive mind - who understands what it is like to be part of building a winning program - also spent time at Ohio State - worked closely with Tom Herman for several years.
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Kenny Parker – Ohio State -- and another of those National champ rings
Assistant Strength Coach Gary Beemer - Hawaii - - played for U. Meyer at Florida - and has one of those National champ rings
Offensive Line Coach A.J. Blazek - Western Illinois - played center for the Hawkeyes. All-B1G - figured to move to Minnesota or Iowa or another B1G - highly regarded - ask Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz - solid experience
Wide Receivers Coach Zak Kuhr - James Madison co-offensive coordinator also spent time at Ohio State
Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Henry - Arkansas - played at Wisconsin
Defensive Backs Coach Bill Busch – Ohio State - extensive experience Wisconsin, Nebraska, worked for Urban Meyer at Utah
Defensive Coordinator Jay Niemann - Northern Illinois - extensive experience as a DC
Defensive Line Coach Shane Burnham – Iowa State played at South Carolina - long history of recruiting Florida
So seriously - what is realistically not to like?
i want to edit my response and go with Nextel now...He thought about verizon but he was more familiar with nextel and it had a better grasp of his 5 contacts.
Our head coach was the DC at the defending national champion and you want him to consider a guy who just lost his job at Tennessee?
I think we all need to take a chill pill regarding these hires. I believe that by the end of Ash's 1st season he will determine who stays and who goes. The issue here is mindset. WE ARE NOT A WELL FUNDED PROGRAM WHERE WE CAN HIRE THE VERY BEST!! Give the head coach a break, let him hire coaches who he's comfortable with and let's see after year 1 if they keep their jobs.
I don't see an oil tycoon or a billionaire sneaker manufacture committing a 100 million over 10 years. If there was such a person Chris Ash wouldn't be your HC, your AD would be gone and your University president might be gone as well. The moment a faculty member bitched they would have tenure stripped from them and fired. Yes, approximately 10 years ago I too watched a special on big donors at Oregon, OSU, Oklahoma and Alabama football.
I don't see an oil tycoon or a billionaire sneaker manufacture committing a 100 million over 10 years. If there was such a person Chris Ash wouldn't be your HC, your AD would be gone and your University president might be gone as well. The moment a faculty member bitched they would have tenure stripped from them and fired. Yes, approximately 10 years ago I too watched a special on big donors at Oregon, OSU, Oklahoma and Alabama football.
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Agree - and please allow an addition - No matter how well funded - No program can afford to hire the 'very best' - can't afford financially - can't afford from an organizational dynamics standpoint.
first - 'very best' is impossible to measure - some think that commanding premium compensation equates to superiority - that is often proven to be wrong.
second - even if one could measure using compensation, a staff of 'the very best' would be cost prohibitive - even for Alabama & Ohio State ....
third - a team of the individual 'very best' pieces - when assembled together often fails to be even 'very good'
When Ash says he is seeking 'alignment' that is not just 'coach speak' - he is looking to assemble a staff where all of the members are tuned in to the same frequency - hold the same priorities and share a high level of commitment.
Remember this - someone once asked Leonard Bernstein what was the most difficult position in an orchestra to fill - and he said:
"The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm, that's a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony. "
Ash is - in effect- building an orchestra - if he ends up with a whole bunch of 'first violinists' and has no hungry enthusiastic 'second fiddles' - he will have a dysfunctional staff.
There is no way to know if this is a brilliant staff - other than to put some trust in Ash's 19 year of coaching experience - assume that he knows what he is doing - and see how they perform.
While I'm pretty relaxed about all the hires and I wish others would chill out too, I keep reminding myself that, if everybody chills out too much about this or any other topic, we'd all wind up very bored with this board.
I don't know if that's ironic, recursive or what, but I think it's sort of funny. But then I'm weird like that.
I've learned from this board. There are a lot of dim people here. What's that saying.....Iron cuts Iron or something like that? I've been reading these boards for a while.
