Studrawa is GONE!!!

[Globetrotter]

Congrats to Stud. This is a fantastic opportunity for him. He might just be doubling his pay and coaching in the SEC. Much better opportunity than the one he reportedly gave up at Central Florida. There's no rat here--this is just simply a great opportunity.

By the way, he called the plays for Josh in the Motor City Bowl season, as well as for Omar in the high flying sophomore year, so I wouldn't say he didn't have confidence in the offense. Not sure OC was the best fit, either, but I'm happy for him.

I would expect Mick McCall to get the job and continue to coach QBs, and get a new line coach, but that's just speculation.

O & B,

I think this is a great post. Sums up my thoughts pretty much all the way. Its hard to find fault with Coach Stud cuz this is an awesome opportunity. I wish Stud the best of luck down at LSU and know he's a true Falcon.

When we look at the 3 coaches who've left, all 3 were here an extended amount of time. Stud and Azzanni came on board in 2001, Springer 2003. All 3 left for understandable opportunities. Azzanni is assistant HC at his alma mater...can't fault the guy for taking that gig. Springer is now a D Coordinator...moving up the coaching ladder. And Stud going to the SEC.

As far as a sinking ship? I don't agree with that. Yes the waters are troubled and need to be navigated back to success but this program is not close to sinking. If BG has 3 or 4 losing seasons in a row? Yeah, it's not only sinking but hitting the bottom of the ocean. We seem to be getting excellent verbal committments for 2007 so if we were sinking, I would assume these players would look elsewhere.

This ship is sinking because we have been captained directly into an iceberg. Brandon has recruited decently well I would agree with that. But that talent does not seem to be developing and players and coaches are "jumping ship". Some for opportunities in lower divisions. I would hardly call those steps up. We lost 3 linemen to a division 2 school. Not big losses personel wise but in a few years we will feel it. I cant fault Brandon for Azzani or Stud for leaving, but everyone else is leaving for worse programs.
I would agree though, recruiting has went well.

You see things your way, I'll see them mine. Again, a great asset about this site is being able to agree to disagree. One coach, Springer, went to a lower division school...to become a D Coordinator. Azzanni moved on to CMU and Stud moved up to the SEC. And we lost 3 linemen to a Div 1 DOUBLE A school, not a Div 2 school. Maybe those players didn't see playing time in the near future. Maybe they weren't quite good enough to be on the 1-A level. It happens every year. We've recruited well as far as OL recently. We won't know for sure if "we'll feel it in a few years" until 2008, 2009 and 2010.

RUIT,

Oh I do remember that chant! I was thinking this could be benficial for both parties involved. Let's see what Coach B and Coach McCall come up with for the offense. I love Stud and he's a hell of a line coach but can anyone here say they were happy with the play calling last year?

GO FALCONS!

3 guys to one school shows an obvious problem I think. I dont see how our DC or OC becoming a position coach at a big school can be a step up, but it can also be a step up to become a coordinator at a small school. I am not sure we can have that both ways. Gonzaga came here as a DC from a small school and stepped up to a assistant job on the mid major level. As far as feeling it later. We signed one offensive lineman last year. Two left from the class before that. We can't be not developing guys. The cupboard is pretty thin for Resdhirt freshman and sophomores next year. And we have a load of seniors.

[hammb]

Yay we hired within!

I'd hate to go out and actually look for the right guy to do the freaking job. I mean we really need to keep the continuity of the craptastic offense we fielded last year

UGH!

Good luck to coach McCall, but methinks he's just a "yes" man.

[TG1996]

While I can see the concern for the future of our O-Line past this coming season... I don't think the coaching situations are a matter of "having it both ways". While I hope we can all see the day where a coach moving from BG to ANY D1 job is lateral, I think that right now becoming a position coach at a Top 10 BCS program is a step up from being an OC at a non-BCS school. It's just the way it is.

It works the same way for Coach Gonzaga coming in. BG is D1, which is a step up in stature, even if it means taking a lesser role.

And about "3 guys to one school", I'm more concerned about three guys leaving than the fact that they went to the same school. In fact, I see that as one guy leaving and finding that his new school needed more help and talking up guys in the same situation as him at BG...not seeing the field, no guarantee that they would see the field regularly, and wanting to play now. EIU gave them that option, not to mention the Tony Romo factor.

[TG1996]

I'd hate to go out and actually look for the right guy to do the freaking job. I mean we really need to keep the continuity of the craptastic offense we fielded last year

I dunno, I think a different philosophy might make a difference at the OC position. A former QB's coach might bring back the "pass as a first option, then throw in some runs" that we've been successful with in the past, rather than the "passing because the QB dives have us in 3rd and 9 again" repetition we saw last year.

I was a little confused at naming a successor within 24 hours and on a Saturday morning, but I'm willing to see if Coach McCall can resuscitate the offense before commencing with the groaning.

[Flipper]

Of course he moved McCall up...Brandon's coming off two tough years here and next season is "it" (nobody wants to go into the final year of their contract playing sink or swim). You don't want to put an outside guy in a key position like that when you're heading into your money year.
He knows Mick, has worked with him for a long time and obviously respects his judgement as a coach.

You're also heading into a key period in the recruiting season so it makes sense to get the decision made quickly and be done with it. Who knows...maybe there's a QB we're after that will like the sound of the QB coach being the OC....

My biggest concern right how is that we have two fewer bodies out on the recruiting trail than we did at the end of the year.

[Globetrotter]

While I can see the concern for the future of our O-Line past this coming season... I don't think the coaching situations are a matter of "having it both ways". While I hope we can all see the day where a coach moving from BG to ANY D1 job is lateral, I think that right now becoming a position coach at a Top 10 BCS program is a step up from being an OC at a non-BCS school. It's just the way it is.

It works the same way for Coach Gonzaga coming in. BG is D1, which is a step up in stature, even if it means taking a lesser role.

And about "3 guys to one school", I'm more concerned about three guys leaving than the fact that they went to the same school. In fact, I see that as one guy leaving and finding that his new school needed more help and talking up guys in the same situation as him at BG...not seeing the field, no guarantee that they would see the field regularly, and wanting to play now. EIU gave them that option, not to mention the Tony Romo factor.

EIU promised Carrie Underwood.

[Globetrotter]

Of course he moved McCall up...Brandon's coming off two tough years here and next season is "it" (nobody wants to go into the final year of their contract playing sink or swim). You don't want to put an outside guy in a key position like that when you're heading into your money year.
He knows Mick, has worked with him for a long time and obviously respects his judgement as a coach.

You're also heading into a key period in the recruiting season so it makes sense to get the decision made quickly and be done with it. Who knows...maybe there's a QB we're after that will like the sound of the QB coach being the OC....

My biggest concern right how is that we have two fewer bodies out on the recruiting trail than we did at the end of the year.

Brandon has two years left. ANd I would think that if we could nab a guy from a BCS school he may bring some talent he has recruited with him. Maybe a guy doesn't decide to go to BG over LSU, but maybe that guy LSU recruited but decdided not to offer comes here instead.

[NWLB]

The team is underachieving. You can't fire players as such. You can only recruit so many players at a time. So it falls to the coaches to improve on what they do. Some will leave in any case, some should leave even if they don't want too.

Stud was and is highly respected for his line coaching, and LSU likely saw this as a chance to get a great coach who is stuck in a problematic position. Stud didn't live in a vacum, and as a loyal BGSU alum, none of us would want to be at risk of getting fired from our beloved alma mater. He'll make better money at LSU anyway.

Stud was cool and a great coach, I just don't know if he was truly a sound choice for OC. He may well be better head coaching fodder than an OC. We wish him well, and hope this is a chance to improve on what was being done here.

Brandon may not actually be telling these guys to leave as such. He may be hinting at it. If so, that is good. Not because it assures improvement, but because he is trying to make things work. But if he is not even so much as hinting that we need to see improvement out of coaches respective areas, and would have rather have had all the same next year, we'd have reason to worry.

Some may know what the case really is. But it is left to most of us to just guess. Thus we can't really know for sure what this means until the results are seen on the field.

[TG1996]

EIU promised Carrie Underwood.

Good reply.

Faith Hill hates EIU football.

[orangeandbrown]

I dont see how our DC or OC becoming a position coach at a big school can be a step up, but it can also be a step up to become a coordinator at a small school. I am not sure we can have that both ways.

Well, since Springer was a position coach here and an OC @ WKU, that represents a step up for him--he got more responsibilities. Stud is back to just coaching the line, but at a Top 10 program and probably a significant pay increase. That also represents a step up.

See, sometimes there might be TWO ways to move up.

If Stud had left to be a line coach @ WKU--that would be a step down.

As to other comments--has it occurred to anyone that if we had employed "pass first" with last year's team we might have been worse?

[Globetrotter]

The team is underachieving. You can't fire players as such. You can only recruit so many players at a time. So it falls to the coaches to improve on what they do. Some will leave in any case, some should leave even if they don't want too.

Stud was and is highly respected for his line coaching, and LSU likely saw this as a chance to get a great coach who is stuck in a problematic position. Stud didn't live in a vacum, and as a loyal BGSU alum, none of us would want to be at risk of getting fired from our beloved alma mater. He'll make better money at LSU anyway.

Stud was cool and a great coach, I just don't know if he was truly a sound choice for OC. He may well be better head coaching fodder than an OC. We wish him well, and hope this is a chance to improve on what was being done here.

Brandon may not actually be telling these guys to leave as such. He may be hinting at it. If so, that is good. Not because it assures improvement, but because he is trying to make things work. But if he is not even so much as hinting that we need to see improvement out of coaches respective areas, and would have rather have had all the same next year, we'd have reason to worry.

Some may know what the case really is. But it is left to most of us to just guess. Thus we can't really know for sure what this means until the results are seen on the field.

Grant gets on me for being negative and I just realized I did not really elaborate on my feelings about Stud going to LSU. If I was Stud you absolutely have to go to LSU. Because of the money, because of the experience and because you love BGSU. As you said Stud may be in over his head as an OC but may be a great Line coach and a great motivator and great with relationships.....therefore potentially a great Head Coach. Stud moving to LSU may be the best possible thing for BG in the long run. When we look at potential candidates for the HC position we (or the more knowledgable of the situation that some of you are) look first at those previously tied to BG and then the Midwest. Les Miles is not going anywhere. In 4, 5, 6, 7 years, if we have an opening, Stud will likely be at the very top of that list.

Good luck Stud, i am sure you will do fantastic. Throw us some OL who just missed your cut.

As far as McCall as OC goes. I agree with HammB. One of our coaches jumped down a division to be an OC. An attractive thing for a coach is to move up and take on more responsibilites. We had an opening at OC. It was the most attractive thing we had to offer. Last time we added Lovett. Seemed like a good idea. Experience from a good school. This time we do an in house move. This will negate the overall quality of our coaching staff. In order to fill our OL position we will have to sign a coach who is inexperienced, like coach Gonzaga. Our OL position is not going to draw the kind of attention the OC position would have.

[TG1996]

As to other comments--has it occurred to anyone that if we had employed "pass first" with last year's team we might have been worse?

We could have been worse last year? Wouldn't know it from this joint.

I see what you're saying, but I also saw AT show signs of being a serviceable passer even despite the atrocities of some of his other throws throughout the season. OT against Buffalo and some of the tosses against UT (Brantley TD) were damn good throws. Overall, I don't think it balances into much more than "average", but we also didn't run too many plays like we did in the Harris days.

[Globetrotter]

As to other comments--has it occurred to anyone that if we had employed "pass first" with last year's team we might have been worse?

We could have been worse last year? Wouldn't know it from this joint.

I see what you're saying, but I also saw AT show signs of being a serviceable passer even despite the atrocities of some of his other throws throughout the season. OT against Buffalo and some of the tosses against UT (Brantley TD) were damn good throws. Overall, I don't think it balances into much more than "average", but we also didn't run too many plays like we did in the Harris days.

i think the AT situation is going to be handled perfectly. We will have an open competition between AT, Glaud and Sheehan (perhaps even a highrated recruit), but AT should get the first snaps in every scenario and be given the lead in the race. I know people on here were down on him but he showed signs of having some real ability. The transition between Harris to Jacobs spoiled us all. We did not lose games last year because of AT. We lost because of STs, playcalling and Defense. The line should be very good next year, the stable of running backs should be full. If you were going to create a best case scenario for a new QB to come into the only other thing we would have would be a solid group of WRs. We have 1 very good one, one who may be very good, and two others with a good amount of experience. They will grow together. Now we need to fix this defense. I think it starts inside with size on the DLiNe (which we seem to have went out and got) and then speed at the LB and DB spots. Which we also seem to have got. Now we need to get a coach to put it all together. For the sake of next year I hope it is Brandon.

[orangeandbrown]

I think people might be pleasantly surprised by Coach McCall.

[1987alum]

One coach, Springer, went to a lower division school...to become a D Coordinator.

Freak:

WKU is going to I-A and joining the Sun Belt.