[Husker] Solich]

Mon Jan 10 07:00:13 CST 2005

If all but one of LSUs assistants had been there
longer then Saban doesnt that mean he was an outside
coach who retained most of the assistants from the
former coach? 
--- Shubert Stephen <shubs at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Steve,
>      On the defensive side, Pelini wasn't going to
> stay unless he got head coach.  Plus, I suspect he
> said more terse things behind the scenes.  Pelini is
> a good coach, but I am of the opinion, he wasn't
> going to stay, per his own comments.
>      Then.... when you bring in a defensive
> coordinator, I am sure Callahan had to take some of
> Cosgrove's input in what he wanted and what he
> didn't want.  The result is what we have.  The
> instances you list of actually keeping many of the
> assistant coaches was where someone elevated from
> inside.  Bob's point was a head coach coming from
> outside.  He clearly stated that point.  When Saban
> left Michigan State, he started over at LSU and even
> tried to bring the whole MSU staff with him.  None
> went, then Bobby Williams was elevated to head coach
> and kept most of his staff.  If you look at Saban's
> staff at LSU, all but one was there longer than
> Saban.   Inside elevations, keep their staff. 
> Outside head coach hires start over.  
>    The other instances you cite are stating the P.C.
> thing to do.   Wannstedt and Miles have to say they
> are "receptive" or "want to keep" current assistant
> coaches.  They all are going to go through their
> interviews, but my expectation is most will go.  We
> will see.   If either coach holds onto most of their
> assistants, it would be the exception to the rule.
>    Whether we like it or not is irrelevant.  Whether
> it was a good decision is impossible to establish. 
> We are where we are.  Now we need to quit looking
> back and look forward to try to build a top-flight
> program again.  Second guessing what was done isn't
> going to accomplish anything positive.
>  
>      I am not sure much useful is being conveyed
> beyond these points.  Let's talk basketball or even
> baseball.  This strain is straining me.
>  
>      Stephen Shubert
>      Husker in Michigan
>  
>     
> 
> Steve Reichenbach <reich at inetnebr.com> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > [I] have a great amount of respect for the likes
> of Turner Gill, Ron Brown,
> > and the like. These were/are very principled
> people with a lot of 
> > integrity. I am like you. I hated to see them go.
> But the fact of the 
> > matter is when a new Head Coach comes in he is
> going to want his own 
> > people. That is just the way it is. No new Head
> Coach from the outside is 
> > going to retain all the assistants in totality. It
> just isn't done that way.
> > 
> > Bob Beach
> 
> To those of you who are tired of the assistant
> coaches thread, I'd
> say that the assistant coaches are arguably the most
> important element
> of a successful program.
> 
> 
> The changes on the offensive side of the ball ---
> where Callahan has
> his focus --- were not surprising. ................
> 
>  The more questionable changes were on the defensive
> side. Callahan fired Marvin Sanders (now co-DC at
> UNC and an NU alum)
> to hire Elmassian as secondary coach, fired Bo
> Pellini to hire Kevin
> Cosgrove, and fired Jimmie Williams to hire Bill
> Busch (from Utah,
> where Busch was among defensive assistant coaches
> retained by Urban
> Meyer). Those did not all appear to be great
> personnel improvements at
> the time and many people (including me) have stated
> that Callahan might
> have done better had he tried and succeeded keeping
> some assistant
> coaches. THAT is the point of contention ---- The
> results this
> year on defense and special teams haven't provided
> any evidence that
> those coaching changes were good. 
> 
> 
> On the second point, you use the example of most
> coaching changes that
> happen at unsuccessful programs with a complete (or
> nearly complete
> firing) of the unsuccessful staff. That wasn't the
> case at NU. The
> team was 10-3 and closed the season with a big road
> win at CU and a
> bowl victory. The defense, in particular, had a good
> year (e.g.,
> compared to this year). So, what happens in coaching
> changes at
> successful college programs? There seem to be many
> changes this year
> --- 22 out of about 105 Division 1-A programs. Only
> 7 of those 22
> programs had winning records. Three of those six
> (Utah, Miami - Ohio,
> and Oklahoma State) promoted assistants to the head
> coaching position
> and those new head coaches will keep assistants (if
> they can). The
> others are LSU, Pittsburgh, Florida, and South
> Carolina. Spurrier
> retained three assistant coaches at South Carolina.
> At least two of
> the incoming head coaches (Wannstedt at Pittsburgh
> and Miles at
> Oklahoma State) have stated that they are receptive
> or want to keep
> assistant coaches. I don't know if Urban Meyer at
> Florida has talked
> about keeping any assistants, but Zook is trying to
> move them to
> Illinois and other schools are trying to hire them.
> So, in at least 6
> of the 7 coaching changes at winning programs (only
> one of which had a
> better record than NU did in 2003), it seems that
> more assistants will
> stay than were retained by Callahan. Of these
> situations, Pittsburgh's
> hiring of Wannstedt may be the most like the change
> at NU --- Harris
> seemed to be on the hot seat at the beginning of the
> year (as Solich
> was at the start of his last year), he had a pretty
> good at 8-4 (not
> as good as 10-3 NU last year, but got in the BCS
> from a weaker
> conference), and the incoming coach was just fired
> from the NFL. At
> Pittsburgh, as at NU last year, the question will be
> whether Wannstedt
> would do better to keep assistants or whether he
> would do better to
> bring in a whole new staff. Your argument seems to
> be that no new head
> coach would try to keep assistants, but it is
> Wannstedt's decision.
> I don't know as much about Pittsburgh's staff as I
> did about NU's and
> I don't know how many of them are being offered jobs
> by Harris at
> Stanford (which is a very pretty place even if
> outrageously expensive),
> but Wannstedt is going to be judged on his success
> and not on his
> friendships with the assistant coaches, so he ought
> to hire on the same
> basis he'll be judged. Contrary to what you claim,
> it will NOT be
> unprecedented or even surprising if Wannstedt keeps
> several assistants
> from a fairly successful staff.
> 
> Callahan's personnel actions with assistant coaches
> are very legitimate
> for criticism and your defense is to point to
> coaching changes at losing
> programs and say: "See, it happens all the time,"
> and: "See, Solich
> fired assistants at 4-7 Ohio." (which started this
> thread). To that,
> I say: "So what? The real issue is whether Callahan
> made good decisions
> or bad ones." I hope these coaches work out, but so
> far changes that
> were questioned at the time haven't been successful.
> 
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 12-0 Utah Urban Meyer Kyle Whittingham 
> Urban Meyer (HC) to Florida
> Mike Sanford (OC) to UNLV
> Kyle Whittingham (DC) from Utah
> Hired from within the staff.
> 9-3 LSU Nick Saban Les Miles 
> Nick Saban (HC) to Miami Dolphins
> Les Miles (HC) from Oklahoma State
> "Miles said he would be receptive to retaining all
> of LSU's assistant
> coaches...."
>
http://www.nola.com/sports/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-15/1104821865159160.xml
> 8-5 Miami (Ohio) Terry Hoeppner Shane Montgomery 
> Terry Hoeppner (HC) to Indiana
> 
=== message truncated ===

__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Yahoo! Mail - Easier than ever with enhanced search. Learn more.
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250