Pat Hobbs on The Scarlet Spotlight podcast Friday at 6am

[RUJON]

Just a quick update that Danny and I did an interview with Pat that will drop Friday morning.

Topics include:

- Football
- Men's and women's hoops
- Wrestling
- Quick facilities update
- The CSS report
- The 150th anniversary
- Beer and wine sales
- more

I will post the link here Friday but you can also go to the website www.thescarletspotlight.com

Thanks,

Jon

 

[knightfan7]

There is nothing he could say that excuses the 150th screw up. The best chance for some positive publicity since 2006 and RU shoots itself in the foot. Unreal.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

There is nothing he could say that excuses the 150th screw up. The best chance for some positive publicity since 2006 and RU shoots itself in the foot. Unreal.

he's very diplomatic, I'm sure he'll have a great answer. For me the one thing that I'll have a tough time listening to is when he talks about football and chris ash because we know he'll be lying.

 

[BlockR]

he's very diplomatic, I'm sure he'll have a great answer. For me the one thing that I'll have a tough time listening to is when he talks about football and chris ash because we know he'll be lying.

he needs to start dropping some truth lines in public that Ash is running out of time.
Would help his standing with fanbase, that hes being realistic and knows that change needs to happen unless Ash shocks the world with 6 wins this years.
without that ,he loses credibility.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

he needs to start dropping some truth lines in public that Ash is running out of time.
Would help his standing with fanbase, that hes being realistic and knows that change needs to happen unless Ash shocks the world with 6 wins this years.
without that ,he loses credibility.

he can't do that. As much as I don't like Ash, if I was the AD, I'd still publicly have to have my coaches back. If the AD comes out and says he's on the clock then that can have an adverse effect on recruiting.

The conservative answer that will appease the fan base would be to say, "what happened last year is unacceptable and that's not even near acceptable for our program. I anticipate that to change drastically this up coming season". It's kind of what he said in his half ass support for ash note at the end of the season. In non-political terms he's basically saying "Look this season was awful, I can't honestly believe the guy I hired sucks this much, I'm gonna give him one more year to show me he's not that bad but if shit doesn't turn around, he's packing his bags".

 

[RUJON]

I think he handled it well but everyone will have to judge for him or herself.

 

[Knight Shift]

he's very diplomatic, I'm sure he'll have a great answer. For me the one thing that I'll have a tough time listening to is when he talks about football and chris ash because we know he'll be lying.

????
You know this how?

 

[HeavenUniv.]

Most important thing to me right now is that we have a GREAT new basketball/wrestling/gymnastics/sports medicine center opening in four monthshttps://scarletknights.com/sports/2018/2/2/rwjbarnabas-health-athletic-performance-center.aspx

 

[Knight Shift]

he can't do that. As much as I don't like Ash, if I was the AD, I'd still publicly have to have my coaches back. If the AD comes out and says he's on the clock then that can have an adverse effect on recruiting.

The conservative answer that will appease the fan base would be to say, "what happened last year is unacceptable and that's not even near acceptable for our program. I anticipate that to change drastically this up coming season". It's kind of what he said in his half ass support for ash note at the end of the season. In non-political terms he's basically saying "Look this season was awful, I can't honestly believe the guy I hired sucks this much, I'm gonna give him one more year to show me he's not that bad but if shit doesn't turn around, he's packing his bags".

Much better post than your first one in this thread. You are correct. And he basically said that:
https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2018/11/rutgers_ad_pat_hobbs_chris_ash_will_return_for_4th.html

"This has been a difficult and disappointing year for our football program. We must and will do better. We have a great core of young talent and will recruit hard in the offseason. We've made significant investments and will continue to do the things necessary to bring the desired success to the Scarlet Knight faithful. I expect that under Chris' continued leadership we will see significant improvement next season and ask for everyone's continued support.''

Hobbs said he EXPECTS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT NEXT SEASON.

The definition of significant improvement is key, but I would not expect him to put W-L parameters or any other specifics. Hobbs will more than likely take the temperatures of the major donors near the season end and then make a decision based on whether he and the major donors saw "significant improvement" and whether the funds are there for the buyout. He will also likely look at ticket sales and weigh whether another year of having Ash back will erode ticket sales to the point where it makes sense to keep or fire him. It is not that complicated really.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

????
You know this how?

I mean, hes lying if he says chris ash is doing a good job and he’d be telling the truth if he said ash is doing a shit job. I dont expect him to be ripping Ash on the crap job hes doing.

 

[rutgersfandan]

I think you will enjoy the interview on Friday. Pat answered a wide variety of questions, and gave insights into the keys for Rutgers Athletics heading into Summer 2019. Thanks for your interest!

 

[Knight Shift]

I mean, hes lying if he says chris ash is doing a good job and he’d be telling the truth if he said ash is doing a shit job. I dont expect him to be ripping Ash on the crap job hes doing.

He already said last year was "disappointing" and that he "must do better." I know it is a popular sport to shit all over Ash on these boards, but what else do you want him to say or dwell on the matter? I'm not defending Ash, but he is an adult, and you can bet the farm that he realizes his job is in jeopardy if he does not win this season and does not otherwise get embarrassed by blowouts or arrests.

But you said that when Hobbs talks about football, you will have a difficult time listening because "we know he'll be lying." The best thing he could do is reiterate what he said on/around November 25. As I said above, no AD is going to define exact performance goals such as a number of wins for a coach to keep his job. The biggest determinant of whether Ash is kept of fired is the willingness of donors to put up enough cash to justify his buyout. Another factor that should come into play is the degree to which ticket sales slump in 2019, and whether they will slump further in 2020 if Ash returns.

So I don't know how you know Hobbs will be lying. He should stick to his earlier comments.

 

[knightfan7]

I think he handled it well but everyone will have to judge for him or herself.

I'm not one to be critical of players or coaches. I support the team and administration thru the good times and bad. If there was a RutgersAl award I'd probably be in the running every year but this really gets my blood boiling. Such a great opportunity completely blown. I'll be honest, I don't want to hear about excuses. I don't care about "celebrations". If that's what he does, I'm not interested.

I do enjoy your podcasts btw.

 

[RU-Choppin-Ohio]

I think you will enjoy the interview on Friday. Pat answered a wide variety of questions, and gave insights into the keys for Rutgers Athletics heading into Summer 2019. Thanks for your interest!

In the last few years I have listened to multiple interviews with Hobbs and no one ever asked him about the plans for the outside of The RAC.

Will that continue or did someone finally ask him that simple question this time?

 

[Plum Street]

Knight shift (he can’t see me!!), but he’s right . As much as Hobbs and Ash have been bad, Hobbs can’t publicly throw him under the bus.

 

[RUJON]

As you will hear, he is much more focused on the inside of the RAC.

 

[Plum Street]

As you will hear, he is much more focused on the inside of the RAC.

His number one priority should be fixing football.

 

[RUonBrain]

As you will hear, he is much more focused on the inside of the RAC.

Inside meaning the building, or the team that plays “inside” the RAC?

 

[RUJMM78]

Much better post than your first one in this thread. You are correct. And he basically said that:
https://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/2018/11/rutgers_ad_pat_hobbs_chris_ash_will_return_for_4th.html

"This has been a difficult and disappointing year for our football program. We must and will do better. We have a great core of young talent and will recruit hard in the offseason. We've made significant investments and will continue to do the things necessary to bring the desired success to the Scarlet Knight faithful. I expect that under Chris' continued leadership we will see significant improvement next season and ask for everyone's continued support.''

Hobbs said he EXPECTS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT NEXT SEASON.

The definition of significant improvement is key, but I would not expect him to put W-L parameters or any other specifics. Hobbs will more than likely take the temperatures of the major donors near the season end and then make a decision based on whether he and the major donors saw "significant improvement" and whether the funds are there for the buyout. He will also likely look at ticket sales and weigh whether another year of having Ash back will erode ticket sales to the point where it makes sense to keep or fire him. It is not that complicated really.

As long as there is no sense of urgency for a winning season the football program is just spinning its wheels in a power conference where Rutgers is over matched at most positions.

 

[Knight Shift]

As long as there is no sense of urgency for a winning season the football program is just spinning its wheels in a power conference where Rutgers is over matched at most positions.

True. So if you were AD and had a full share of B1G distributions, what direction would you go in?

I have said many times that as a fan, I would be happy with what Northwestern does (granted they are in the West). 6 or 7 win seasons most seasons, meaning a bowl game. An 8 or 9 win season once every 4-6 years, and perhaps a 10 win season once in a blue moon. Not sure if RU will ever get to the point where we will knock off 3 of Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in the same season.

 

[anon_0k9zlfz6lz9oy]

I have said many times that as a fan, I would be happy with what Northwestern does (granted they are in the West). 6 or 7 win seasons most seasons, meaning a bowl game. An 8 or 9 win season once every 4-6 years, and perhaps a 10 win season once in a blue moon. Not sure if RU will ever get to the point where we will knock off 3 of Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in the same season.[/QUOTE]
There's no excuse for us not being better than northwestern. We should be able to set a FLOOR of 6-6 every year, that's not tough. All it takes if a halfway competent coach to turn this thing around. Alot of people in the big ten think Darrell Hazell at Purdue was arguably the worst coach in big ten history but you know what's crazy? Chris Ash is 7-29 in his first 3 years. Hazell went 6-30 in his first 3 years. Hazell then started off 3-3 before being canned midway through year 4. Finishing with a record of 9-33 overall at Purdue. If Chris Ash goes 2-10 this season (which I expect) and gets fired, he'll finish his head coaching career 9-39 and will arguably be the worst big ten football coach of all time, at least in the past 40 or so years i'd guess.

Majority of our fan base, myself included, isn't asking for championships, we're asking for competence and competitiveness. We want to be able to walk into the stadium and actually think we have a chance. I've stopped going to games under Ash because the guy plays not to get blown out. Doesn't even try to win. It's a level of incompetence that I wasn't quite sure was possible

 

[Plum Street]

I have said many times that as a fan, I would be happy with what Northwestern does (granted they are in the West). 6 or 7 win seasons most seasons, meaning a bowl game. An 8 or 9 win season once every 4-6 years, and perhaps a 10 win season once in a blue moon. Not sure if RU will ever get to the point where we will knock off 3 of Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State in the same season.

There's no excuse for us not being better than northwestern. We should be able to set a FLOOR of 6-6 every year, that's not tough. All it takes if a halfway competent coach to turn this thing around. Alot of people in the big ten think Darrell Hazell at Purdue was arguably the worst coach in big ten history but you know what's crazy? Chris Ash is 7-29 in his first 3 years. Hazell went 6-30 in his first 3 years. Hazell then started off 3-3 before being canned midway through year 4. Finishing with a record of 9-33 overall at Purdue. If Chris Ash goes 2-10 this season (which I expect) and gets fired, he'll finish his head coaching career 9-39 and will arguably be the worst big ten football coach of all time, at least in the past 40 or so years i'd guess.

Majority of our fan base, myself included, isn't asking for championships, we're asking for competence and competitiveness. We want to be able to walk into the stadium and actually think we have a chance. I've stopped going to games under Ash because the guy plays not to get blown out. Doesn't even try to win. It's a level of incompetence that I wasn't quite sure was possible[/QUOTE]

Wow! That is some great stats about ash. I do think he will do better than 2 wins this year.

 

[rutgersfandan]

Bump for tomorrow morning. @RUJON will make sure to post the link here!

 

[bac2therac]

Hobbs needs to hire an energetic guy that can sell the program, its obvious that Ash is not the type of guy that can do that. He has the personality of a doorknob and that is not going to cut it here

Pikiell does not have that outgoing of a personality but he is very relatable to the fans..blue collar, humble...that is engaging and appealing to the fanbase. Meanwhile Ash has said and done all the wrong things and worst of all the fans have turned against him after last year. There is no going back but Pat Hobbs proved to make a huge blunder by bringing Ash back for a 4th season

 

[RUJMM78]

Its hard to sell a program that is considered bottom tier versus other teams that have shown prior success .Rutgers wasn't prepared for entry in the B1G and the team records have shown that to be the case.Catching up in facilities is part of the process but ultimately you are what the record says you are.Recruits have choices and top tier NJ players have shown little loyalty staying home.