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Tariq Cole first team LT in spring

The lack of talent on the Offensive line is obvious. Cole could be a fantastic tackle, but it could also mean there's a lack of competition on the O-line. If Cole doesn't start, who's the guy?
 
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Why is it so hard for people to think that Flood might have been decent at recognizing talent. He was a lousy coach, we all accept that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't evaluate talent. If we have better talent in the program than we originally thought because Flood was a better identifier of talent than a developer then Coach Ash is better off because of it. So are we as fans. I hope Flood was great at recognizing talent and think it would be great if the program is loaded. I am not so naive as to really think it is but I certainly don't want the program to be devoid of talent simply because I didn't like Flood.
 
Why is it so hard for people to think that Flood might have been decent at recognizing talent. He was a lousy coach, we all accept that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't evaluate talent. If we have better talent in the program than we originally thought because Flood was a better identifier of talent than a developer then Coach Ash is better off because of it. So are we as fans. I hope Flood was great at recognizing talent and think it would be great if the program is loaded. I am not so naive as to really think it is but I certainly don't want the program to be devoid of talent simply because I didn't like Flood.

I know we all like to dump on Flood, but recruiting was one of his strengths, thanks to the relationships he established over the years, which enabled him to successfully recruit the next tier of talent after elite.

-Grant
-Turay
-Wilkins
-Austin
-Wharton

Were some of the Flood Finds off the top of my head.
Pikiell will be using the exact same strategy to build Rutgers Basketball.
 
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Aren't there a bunch of high ranked OL from the most heralded class in rutgers history who are 5th year seniors? Heeman and Cole are better than most of Schiano's highly ranked recruits from that year. Brodie didn't even bother coming back for his final year.
 
Why is it so hard for people to think that Flood might have been decent at recognizing talent. He was a lousy coach, we all accept that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't evaluate talent. If we have better talent in the program than we originally thought because Flood was a better identifier of talent than a developer then Coach Ash is better off because of it. So are we as fans. I hope Flood was great at recognizing talent and think it would be great if the program is loaded. I am not so naive as to really think it is but I certainly don't want the program to be devoid of talent simply because I didn't like Flood.

Flood was a poor recruiter and he got the leftovers. Some leftovers turn out OK, but we can't really say that for sure in this case since the cupboard is so bare, even the starters may lack talent, it's just that they're better than the others they're competing with. Any questions about Flood as a judge of talent are answered in the negative by his playing Laviano when he was downright embarrassingly awful. That may also relate to being inflexible and not smart. But it also goes to talent recognition.
 
Why is it so hard for people to think that Flood might have been decent at recognizing talent. He was a lousy coach, we all accept that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't evaluate talent. If we have better talent in the program than we originally thought because Flood was a better identifier of talent than a developer then Coach Ash is better off because of it. So are we as fans. I hope Flood was great at recognizing talent and think it would be great if the program is loaded. I am not so naive as to really think it is but I certainly don't want the program to be devoid of talent simply because I didn't like Flood.

I think there's an argument for what you're stating. But there's definitely an argument against your opinion as well. The way I look at it, he recognized Laviano's talent straight into his job vacancy.
 
Heeman won't be ready to challenge for a spot for a least a year. He needs at least another year of seasoning, before he's ready to contribute.
 
Flood was a poor recruiter and he got the leftovers. Some leftovers turn out OK, but we can't really say that for sure in this case since the cupboard is so bare, even the starters may lack talent, it's just that they're better than the others they're competing with. Any questions about Flood as a judge of talent are answered in the negative by his playing Laviano when he was downright embarrassingly awful. That may also relate to being inflexible and not smart. But it also goes to talent recognition.


If the talent is as bad as you seem to indicate then Flood was one he'll of a good coach because this team won some games. RU didn't have Kansas' record over the last four years. How did he go 8 & 5 two years ago? Let's see how Ash's team does next year with Flood's recruits before you conclude that the cupboard is bare. I don't care how good a coach is they can not win without talent on e team. If Ash puts together a winning record and goes bowling then there is talent in the program whether you like Flood or not. I am getting the feeling that many posters want this team to go winless next year just so they can continue to bash Flood. Flood was a horrible coach, I hope he was a good identifier of talent so ash has something to work with.
 
I think there's an argument for what you're stating. But there's definitely an argument against your opinion as well. The way I look at it, he recognized Laviano's talent straight into his job vacancy.


I am not saying Flood was a good recruiter nor am I saying he used players well. What if Laviano wins the job this year and the team wins? All I am saying is that I don't understand why some posters sound as if they want the team to fail just so they can stand up and say "I told you so, Flood was a lousy recruiter". Maybe these players are good (not great) players and Flood just didn't know how to coach them up, game plan, etc. If that is the case then Flood gets credit for recognizing the talent. He gets ripped for not using it well but maybe, just maybe, he recognized some talent. I certainly hope it is true because it will mean the program turns around faster.
 
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If the talent is as bad as you seem to indicate then Flood was one he'll of a good coach because this team won some games. RU didn't have Kansas' record over the last four years. How did he go 8 & 5 two years ago? Let's see how Ash's team does next year with Flood's recruits before you conclude that the cupboard is bare. I don't care how good a coach is they can not win without talent on e team. If Ash puts together a winning record and goes bowling then there is talent in the program whether you like Flood or not. I am getting the feeling that many posters want this team to go winless next year just so they can continue to bash Flood. Flood was a horrible coach, I hope he was a good identifier of talent so ash has something to work with.

Agreed. The cupboard was bare when Schiano took over the worst BCS level team in modern history, but the cupboard is nowhere near that bare now. We had the equivalent of paper plates and plastic utensils back then, whereas now we at least have Ikea level stuff, with a few pieces of fine china scattered about.
 
I am not saying Flood was a good recruiter nor am I saying he used players well. What if Laviano wins the job this year and the team wins? All I am saying is that I don't understand why some posters sound as if they want the team to fail just so they can stand up and say "I told you so, Flood was a lousy recruiter". Maybe these players are good (not great) players and Flood just didn't know how to coach them up, game plan, etc. If that is the case then Flood gets credit for recognizing the talent. He gets ripped for not using it well but maybe, just maybe, he recognized some talent. I certainly hope it is true because it will mean the program turns around faster.
You are wasting your breath on some here. There are two people that some folks will never say anything nice about--the former head coach and last year's starting QB.
 
Flood did a much better job with out of state then in state where he rarely one recruiting battles. In the case of Tariq Cole, that was just good scouting. He was able to see talent when he was 400 lbs. Give him credit for that one. You can't have it both ways where you just criticize but can't give credit. While we don't know yet how good he is physically he looks like a Big Time lineman 6'6 325 and not fat but well proportioned
 
All things considered, I certainly hope that Ash has some reasonable talent to play with next season. Flood was limited for sure. In some cases, he appeared to be blinded somehow to actual performance in games. However, he did seem to have the ability to connect with kids and many of his early commits would have been great for the program but his game record usually gave the opposition tons of fuel to lure them away before the LOI's could be signed.
 
Why is it so hard for people to think that Flood might have been decent at recognizing talent. He was a lousy coach, we all accept that, but that doesn't mean he couldn't evaluate talent. If we have better talent in the program than we originally thought because Flood was a better identifier of talent than a developer then Coach Ash is better off because of it. So are we as fans. I hope Flood was great at recognizing talent and think it would be great if the program is loaded. I am not so naive as to really think it is but I certainly don't want the program to be devoid of talent simply because I didn't like Flood.
What again is the evidence that Flood brought good talent to RU? I think the very
 
If the talent is as bad as you seem to indicate then Flood was one he'll of a good coach because this team won some games. RU didn't have Kansas' record over the last four years. How did he go 8 & 5 two years ago? Let's see how Ash's team does next year with Flood's recruits before you conclude that the cupboard is bare. I don't care how good a coach is they can not win without talent on e team. If Ash puts together a winning record and goes bowling then there is talent in the program whether you like Flood or not. I am getting the feeling that many posters want this team to go winless next year just so they can continue to bash Flood. Flood was a horrible coach, I hope he was a good identifier of talent so ash has something to work with.


I disagree about his record being anything but poor. His W-L vs P5 teams with winning records says it all. And being blown out so many times including against Kent State and that absolutely abysmal loss at UConn that I, unfortunately, attended .

Bad coach, weak recruiter. Not to mention the other malfeasance on his watch by him personally and by a few (but too many) of his student athletes. You lead by setting the tone at the top as we say in the corporate world. He didn't. The data speak for themselves.

As for your other comment, who on earth would root for RU to loose to prove any point.
 
You are wasting your breath on some here. There are two people that some folks will never say anything nice about--the former head coach and last year's starting QB.


Knight, I can always count on you to ground me in reality
 
What again is the evidence that Flood brought good talent to RU? I think the very


I did not say that there is talent in the recruits. I said that if there is more talent than many posters claim the evidence will be in next year's record. If Ash puts together a winning season there must be talent there. Flood was a lousy developer of talent and a horrible in game and pre game prep coach. Remember Hoke at Mich.? We will learn a lot about the talent on the team, I believe, when we see Ash's results.
 
Knight, I can always count on you to ground me in reality
I'm a blue sky kind of guy. Don't understand the need to crap on everything done in the last 3 years, and will never understand the need to rip our current players. I agree with you that he could identify diamonds in the rough. No, they are not up to tOSU or Michigan or Michigan Stage caliber but even Michigan State was very good at developing under-recruited and 2 star recruits. Not how you want to build and entire team, but every now and then you will get a Paul James or even a kid who can solidly contribute on the field. The past is over. Blue skies are ahead. . . .
 
I did not say that there is talent in the recruits. I said that if there is more talent than many posters claim the evidence will be in next year's record. If Ash puts together a winning season there must be talent there. Flood was a lousy developer of talent and a horrible in game and pre game prep coach. Remember Hoke at Mich.? We will learn a lot about the talent on the team, I believe, when we see Ash's results.

Understood and I would agree with you on that absolutely. I think everyone's panties are in a bunch just from the mere mention of Ex-HCKF.
 
Aren't there a bunch of high ranked OL from the most heralded class in rutgers history who are 5th year seniors? Heeman and Cole are better than most of Schiano's highly ranked recruits from that year. Brodie didn't even bother coming back for his final year.

I wonder who the lead recruiter for OL during the GS years was.

GO RU
 
Aren't there a bunch of high ranked OL from the most heralded class in rutgers history who are 5th year seniors? Heeman and Cole are better than most of Schiano's highly ranked recruits from that year. Brodie didn't even bother coming back for his final year.
There were 5 offensive linemen from 2012, 4 including the TE out of the 5 will be starting this year their last year. Brodie, the 5 th offensive linemen, who played last year decided to retire.

If we don't start a Flood recruit then we don't have enough linemen. I just hope Cole and Heeman are good because next year Rutgers going to have to start 4 new starters. Flood OL recruits better get a lot of playing time this year for some experience.

Flood recruits have to play or they will be Ash's recruits.
 
I did not say that there is talent in the recruits. I said that if there is more talent than many posters claim the evidence will be in next year's record. If Ash puts together a winning season there must be talent there. Flood was a lousy developer of talent and a horrible in game and pre game prep coach. Remember Hoke at Mich.? We will learn a lot about the talent on the team, I believe, when we see Ash's results.
There are so many assumptions and uncertainties in this. It is muddled. I doubt there is much that will establish Flood as a good recruiter.

And even if there were talent, it would be by happenstance. Many, many of Flood's recruits were down the list and taken once he lost out on players that he preferred, either right out of the gate (see all the QBs who turned him down during this last class) or after many of his verbals decommitted (see, like every year).

There never has been a scintilla of evidence that Flood was a good recruiter of talent, either as an assistant or as a head coach. And I can't imagine that Ash having some modicum of success with the team next year will change that.
 
That is pretty big news! Also something of a feather in Flood's cap.

No it isn't. Not even close. If Tariq Cole ends up an All-B1G performer at his position, over a guy who may be lousy (we really don't know...), THEN it will be a "feather in Fudd's cap." Until then it's just a guy being plugged into a hole during spring camp. Now, I hope he IS a stud, and makes Fudd look good in the end, because that will be good for the team and the program, but until then it's not.
 
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I did not say that there is talent in the recruits. I said that if there is more talent than many posters claim the evidence will be in next year's record. If Ash puts together a winning season there must be talent there. Flood was a lousy developer of talent and a horrible in game and pre game prep coach. Remember Hoke at Mich.? We will learn a lot about the talent on the team, I believe, when we see Ash's results.

If Ash puts together a winning season he'll be a miracle worker. We have had back-to-back-to-back classes in the 50's or higher. The problem is that, while there's some talent on the 1st team, there is a very serious lack of quality depth due to these classes. Yes, you find a "diamond in the rough" here and there but, as Bobby D has said a zillion times, "it's hard to maintain a successful programs with classes filled with "diamonds in the rough" and "hidden gems" and "projects."" Food for thought.
 
There were 5 offensive linemen from 2012, 4 including the TE out of the 5 will be starting this year their last year. Brodie, the 5 th offensive linemen, who played last year decided to retire.

If we don't start a Flood recruit then we don't have enough linemen. I just hope Cole and Heeman are good because next year Rutgers going to have to start 4 new starters. Flood OL recruits better get a lot of playing time this year for some experience.

Flood recruits have to play or they will be Ash's recruits.
Rutgers will have a problem with the offensive line in 2017. We recruited only 1 OL in 2013 Dorian Miller who is a starter in 2016. In 2014, we recruited Cole, Heeman, Applefield, Webb, and Lucy.

So in 2017, Miller, Cole, Heeman, Applefield and Webb will need to be the starters. Lucy and the rest of the 2015 OL recruits will need to be the backup with little to no game playing experience. This sounds like the DB problems with Flood. THis doesn't account for injuries and failures.

Ash will be looking at all JC and fifth year senior willing to transfer ASAP.
 
Rutgers will have a problem with the offensive line in 2017. We recruited only 1 OL in 2013 Dorian Miller who is a starter in 2016. In 2014, we recruited Cole, Heeman, Applefield, Webb, and Lucy.

So in 2017, Miller, Cole, Heeman, Applefield and Webb will need to be the starters. Lucy and the rest of the 2015 OL recruits will need to be the backup with little to no game playing experience. This sounds like the DB problems with Flood. THis doesn't account for injuries and failures.

Ash will be looking at all JC and fifth year senior willing to transfer ASAP.

Why can't someone like Venesky be a starter in 2017?
 
Why can't someone like Venesky be a starter in 2017?
Venesky could be a starter but if you look at the lineup, we have to assume without much playing experience that all of the 2014 and 2015 OL recruits will have to perform well. Usually, there is a 50-60% success story with offensive linemen. The Stars have to be aligned just right for the offensive line to be successful.

Just recruiting 1 offensive linemen in 2013 was insane. There should be 3-5 linemen recruited every year considering the success % for offensive linemen.
 
Flood wasn't a great recruiter, but he wasn't a terrible one either.
Kyle was fairly good, but not the type of coach ( and didn't seem to have assistants capable) to raise the game of the players that come to RU into the type that could make RU a top program or one that was on the way to become one.

Flood is gone and that's a good thing, be happy and pray Ash is really as good as he's looking right now.
 
Dude ran it up the gut against bigger, stronger, faster kids. Who does that and expects to win? And how about those field goals when down 3TDs in the 4th?

The apparent inability to recruit and develop players were the least of his flaws.
 
I could see Krimin throwing his hat into the ring for consideration for a starting spot in 2017. The kid is a beast.
 
If Ash puts together a winning season he'll be a miracle worker. We have had back-to-back-to-back classes in the 50's or higher. The problem is that, while there's some talent on the 1st team, there is a very serious lack of quality depth due to these classes. Yes, you find a "diamond in the rough" here and there but, as Bobby D has said a zillion times, "it's hard to maintain a successful programs with classes filled with "diamonds in the rough" and "hidden gems" and "projects."" Food for thought.
This. The first team is likely solid B1G material. Its the second and third teams at some key positions (LB, WR, OL) that should have folks very worried.
 
The Offensive Line is a Mess. We'll need someone like Jonah Jackson or Krimin to become a Monster, and that has to happen this fall.

I still believe that Miller and Muller are both Centers. Unfortunately, they're playing guard.
 
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