Welcome to the board. In the Beckman thread you said that you'd be willing to answer any questions about the coaches you played for, but I didn't want to just ask them in that thread. We'll let that thread be about coach Beckman.
Personally, I'm curious what your overall impressions were of both coach Meyer & Brandon as head men. Did you sense anything different in the styles of the two of them that allowed coach Meyer to advance to the highest stage of college football, while Brandon ends up getting fired here? Was there any noticeable difference between the way the team was handled under the two coaches? Meyer certainly seems like the more intense individual on the surface.
Around here many of us (myself especially) to not give coach Brandon credit for the first 2 seasons of his tenure (when you played, apparently) saying that much of the attitude Urban built here just carried over and Brandon rode that wave. Do you believe this to be at all true?
Most importantly, I'm curious what you thought of the firing, and whether or not it was warranted? I've obviously been one of Brandon's harshest critics, but I'm not on the team, nor have I ever been nearly as close to it as you have. I'm curious of the opinions of a player. Obviously I'm curious as to your identity as well, but I can fully respect if you wish to remain anonymous.
Thanks for any answers you'd be willing to provide. Not looking for you to go ripping into either of the two coaches. I'm just curious what your impressions of the two are and how they compare. You were a player at a very interesting time in BG football.
WhatBGShouldBe -- Some Questions
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whatbgshouldbe
- Egg
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:55 am
I will be happy to answer what I can the best that I can.
From checking in on this site during my career and as well as after my career I feel it should be said that the real, knowledgeable, non fairwater Falcon fans are truly appreciated. Also, it is not just the fan’s that are upset by recent off the field issues.
May not be in a concise order, but ill try to touch what I can with your questions…
I did not agree with everything that Meyer did or said, but there is no question that he is the reason Bowling Green’s program turned around. Urban Meyer brings what is needed to the head coaching position. Respect was brought back to the program with Urban. Not just respect by opponents, but respect within the program. Players learned to work harder than thought possible while learning to respect each other as well as every coach, manager, equipment guy, trainer and professor. Of course there are exceptions, but as a whole the program changed. Players and coaches became accountable. Urban succeeded at bowling green, Utah and Florida because of his basic coaching principles and attitude. He has tweaked how he handles his players out of necessity. Players at Florida are different than players at Bowling Green. If a BG player breaks and quits he probably wasn’t tough enough and its good for the program if he leaves, but if a player at Florida breaks its probably not because he’s not good enough, but he can probably get an easier go of things and still make it to the NFL by transferring to another school in Florida or D 2 school. You can disagree with that, but ive seen a few examples that make me put that on paper. Urban took a team from 2-9 to 8-3 with the same talent that was left by Blackney. He added a few freshman (Magner & Newson… ) but for the most part the reason why Urban’s team won was because they did the little things right and a sense of accountability was brought in.
I feel Urban will have continual success wherever he coaches because of his basic principles and his ability to adjust how he handles players and issues while still having the respect of every player on his team as well as everyone involved in the program. I should also note that when urban left I felt he left his best position coaches. I can tell you with 100% certainty that Mullen, Gonzales and Hevesy were not the most popular assistant coaches.
On GB as a head coach… When the team was informed of Meyer leaving for Utah there was a solid sense of shock on the squad. Many players pushed for GB to become the new head guy… In my opinion that was mostly out of fear of a drastic change. A sense of comfort was kept with Brandon. After seeing who Meyer was taking to Utah GB seemed to be the best fit. We didn’t want another complete overhaul as we had just gotten to the point of the team feeling as a family. The players and the coaches that were left banded together and decided that who was left wanted to be there and we were going to stick together.
I had an issue early on in my career while GB was the OC which led me to lose a lot of respect for Brandon. It is a personal issue, but I saw a fairwhether characteristic in him that I did not like.
GB did his best as a head coach. He worked hard and I feel he did care an extreme amount about continuing and building success at bowling green. I don’t want to say that his success in the first two seasons was 100% due to what Meyer left behind, but I feel that the upper classmen put every ounce of effort they could into every game because of that sense of family… we wanted to be accountable for each other and to have each others backs. We went through hell to finally start winning games and we were going to do our best to continue what we were building.
As time went on that sense of accountability was kept by coaches like Stud, Ward, McCall and several others.
After Stud and a few other coaches left the program I feel more was put on GB, and everyone can look at how the past few seasons have played out.
It is my opinion that GB is best suited as an OC. It has always been my gut feeling, but ive been wrong many a times in my life, but seeing the off the field issues and some of the un acceptable losses I feel it was time for a change.
An accountable Bowling Green team does not lose to Eastern Michigan. An accountable Bowling Green team does not blow a 20 point lead in a game that can change the way your team will be remembered.
I actually see several similarities between Brandon and Beckman. Beckman has an edge as an overall recruiter, but in terms of motivating players and instilling that pride and accountability they are very similar in the way that it sometimes seems forced and not as genuine as when a guy like Urban, Stud or Ward tears into you.
I feel it was time for a change. I think it is a dangerous spot for the program because I saw in my final years in the program that the new recruits were gaining the rewards from the bowl games and the success of the program without having to go through what the players in the early Meyer era had gone through. Some of the young players in the program thought they were owed the some of the benefits that we were receiving and didn’t realize how much went into getting the team to the level it was competing at. The program needs that sense of urgency again. That sense to prove.
You chose bowling green because of the tradition, the people and that sense of wanting to fight to keep that tradition. Now they have the facilities and the sparkle… you need a few scars to go along with the new toys. Bowling Green doesn’t lose at home. We lost to Miami at home a few times and those were two of the toughest games to deal with, but Ben was pretty good so I think it’s understandable. There was a just a difference in attitude between when Minnesota came into the Doyt and when Missouri attempted too a few years back. If I would have flown into BG to see them lose on homecoming to EMU I have a feeling I wouldn’t have eaten for a long time.
I hope at least some of that makes sense, I haven’t had time to double check every sentence to make sure it flows, I had to piece it together while at ‘work’
Go BG.
From checking in on this site during my career and as well as after my career I feel it should be said that the real, knowledgeable, non fairwater Falcon fans are truly appreciated. Also, it is not just the fan’s that are upset by recent off the field issues.
May not be in a concise order, but ill try to touch what I can with your questions…
I did not agree with everything that Meyer did or said, but there is no question that he is the reason Bowling Green’s program turned around. Urban Meyer brings what is needed to the head coaching position. Respect was brought back to the program with Urban. Not just respect by opponents, but respect within the program. Players learned to work harder than thought possible while learning to respect each other as well as every coach, manager, equipment guy, trainer and professor. Of course there are exceptions, but as a whole the program changed. Players and coaches became accountable. Urban succeeded at bowling green, Utah and Florida because of his basic coaching principles and attitude. He has tweaked how he handles his players out of necessity. Players at Florida are different than players at Bowling Green. If a BG player breaks and quits he probably wasn’t tough enough and its good for the program if he leaves, but if a player at Florida breaks its probably not because he’s not good enough, but he can probably get an easier go of things and still make it to the NFL by transferring to another school in Florida or D 2 school. You can disagree with that, but ive seen a few examples that make me put that on paper. Urban took a team from 2-9 to 8-3 with the same talent that was left by Blackney. He added a few freshman (Magner & Newson… ) but for the most part the reason why Urban’s team won was because they did the little things right and a sense of accountability was brought in.
I feel Urban will have continual success wherever he coaches because of his basic principles and his ability to adjust how he handles players and issues while still having the respect of every player on his team as well as everyone involved in the program. I should also note that when urban left I felt he left his best position coaches. I can tell you with 100% certainty that Mullen, Gonzales and Hevesy were not the most popular assistant coaches.
On GB as a head coach… When the team was informed of Meyer leaving for Utah there was a solid sense of shock on the squad. Many players pushed for GB to become the new head guy… In my opinion that was mostly out of fear of a drastic change. A sense of comfort was kept with Brandon. After seeing who Meyer was taking to Utah GB seemed to be the best fit. We didn’t want another complete overhaul as we had just gotten to the point of the team feeling as a family. The players and the coaches that were left banded together and decided that who was left wanted to be there and we were going to stick together.
I had an issue early on in my career while GB was the OC which led me to lose a lot of respect for Brandon. It is a personal issue, but I saw a fairwhether characteristic in him that I did not like.
GB did his best as a head coach. He worked hard and I feel he did care an extreme amount about continuing and building success at bowling green. I don’t want to say that his success in the first two seasons was 100% due to what Meyer left behind, but I feel that the upper classmen put every ounce of effort they could into every game because of that sense of family… we wanted to be accountable for each other and to have each others backs. We went through hell to finally start winning games and we were going to do our best to continue what we were building.
As time went on that sense of accountability was kept by coaches like Stud, Ward, McCall and several others.
After Stud and a few other coaches left the program I feel more was put on GB, and everyone can look at how the past few seasons have played out.
It is my opinion that GB is best suited as an OC. It has always been my gut feeling, but ive been wrong many a times in my life, but seeing the off the field issues and some of the un acceptable losses I feel it was time for a change.
An accountable Bowling Green team does not lose to Eastern Michigan. An accountable Bowling Green team does not blow a 20 point lead in a game that can change the way your team will be remembered.
I actually see several similarities between Brandon and Beckman. Beckman has an edge as an overall recruiter, but in terms of motivating players and instilling that pride and accountability they are very similar in the way that it sometimes seems forced and not as genuine as when a guy like Urban, Stud or Ward tears into you.
I feel it was time for a change. I think it is a dangerous spot for the program because I saw in my final years in the program that the new recruits were gaining the rewards from the bowl games and the success of the program without having to go through what the players in the early Meyer era had gone through. Some of the young players in the program thought they were owed the some of the benefits that we were receiving and didn’t realize how much went into getting the team to the level it was competing at. The program needs that sense of urgency again. That sense to prove.
You chose bowling green because of the tradition, the people and that sense of wanting to fight to keep that tradition. Now they have the facilities and the sparkle… you need a few scars to go along with the new toys. Bowling Green doesn’t lose at home. We lost to Miami at home a few times and those were two of the toughest games to deal with, but Ben was pretty good so I think it’s understandable. There was a just a difference in attitude between when Minnesota came into the Doyt and when Missouri attempted too a few years back. If I would have flown into BG to see them lose on homecoming to EMU I have a feeling I wouldn’t have eaten for a long time.
I hope at least some of that makes sense, I haven’t had time to double check every sentence to make sure it flows, I had to piece it together while at ‘work’
Go BG.
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whatbgshouldbe
- Egg
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:55 am
[quote="hammb"]Thanks so much for your quick and lengthy reply. Great insight into the player's mind, thanks!
Given that you played in that era what would your opinion of Studrawa be as a head coaching candidate? His name has been mentioned on here a couple times, so I'm curious what a former player would think.[/quote]
On paper it looks like he is a great fit...
Stud played at BG, he turned down a job at Utah to stay when Meyer left, he has coached under many great coaches from when he was a GA at Ohio State to his current position under Les Miles. I don't know exactly know how i feel on Miles, but i do know that Stud had to prepare an offensive line to practice against a Bo Pelini defense that included some disgusting talent... so he has sure been around some great programs and he has seen his share of talent so that can come in huge when it comes to recruiting. I also feel he would have BG's best interest in heart and it may be a spot he could stay at for years to come.
I am not 100% certain that he wants to be a head coach at this point in his career so i think that may be a factor.
I wouldnt say that i am pushing for him to become the next coach, but i will say that if he is offered the position and if he feels he is ready to take it on then i will support that decision 100%.
I would like to find a coach that would stick around for a while and not use BG as a stepping stone, but i would also like to find a million bucks on the sidewalk.
So, not trying to dodge the question, but i do see many things that fit for Stud to take the position, but the obvious or easy decision isnt always the right one so its tough to say that its what should be done. Time put into searching may pay off more than rushing to pick a coach just so you can say you now have a coach.
I can also say that Stud and Beckman had a great offensive and defensive rivalry while coaching at Bg and i think that would bring in insane amount of intensity to the rivalry.
Given that you played in that era what would your opinion of Studrawa be as a head coaching candidate? His name has been mentioned on here a couple times, so I'm curious what a former player would think.[/quote]
On paper it looks like he is a great fit...
Stud played at BG, he turned down a job at Utah to stay when Meyer left, he has coached under many great coaches from when he was a GA at Ohio State to his current position under Les Miles. I don't know exactly know how i feel on Miles, but i do know that Stud had to prepare an offensive line to practice against a Bo Pelini defense that included some disgusting talent... so he has sure been around some great programs and he has seen his share of talent so that can come in huge when it comes to recruiting. I also feel he would have BG's best interest in heart and it may be a spot he could stay at for years to come.
I am not 100% certain that he wants to be a head coach at this point in his career so i think that may be a factor.
I wouldnt say that i am pushing for him to become the next coach, but i will say that if he is offered the position and if he feels he is ready to take it on then i will support that decision 100%.
I would like to find a coach that would stick around for a while and not use BG as a stepping stone, but i would also like to find a million bucks on the sidewalk.
So, not trying to dodge the question, but i do see many things that fit for Stud to take the position, but the obvious or easy decision isnt always the right one so its tough to say that its what should be done. Time put into searching may pay off more than rushing to pick a coach just so you can say you now have a coach.
I can also say that Stud and Beckman had a great offensive and defensive rivalry while coaching at Bg and i think that would bring in insane amount of intensity to the rivalry.
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JohnnySwoop '85
- Peregrine
- Posts: 662
- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 8:02 pm
Jeez...where has this guy been??
You put a lot of people on this board to shame, so I'd hate to think what you would come up if you had time to compose your thoughts outside of work.
Anyway, welcome and/or welcome back!
You raise a good point about what I would refer to as a sense of entitlement...getting the benefits without necessarily the effort, having winning seasons and bowl trips by virtue of joining onto a program but not doing your share to make it a sustainable model.
The best comment to capture what I mean was said by another guy I was talking to that also manages people in his job. "Do you notice more these days, that every body wants to be paid but nobody wants to work?"
I certainly won't paint all the players in the program over the last few years with that broad of a brush, but do realize that leadership comes from the top and it also comes from within.
You put a lot of people on this board to shame, so I'd hate to think what you would come up if you had time to compose your thoughts outside of work.
Anyway, welcome and/or welcome back!
You raise a good point about what I would refer to as a sense of entitlement...getting the benefits without necessarily the effort, having winning seasons and bowl trips by virtue of joining onto a program but not doing your share to make it a sustainable model.
The best comment to capture what I mean was said by another guy I was talking to that also manages people in his job. "Do you notice more these days, that every body wants to be paid but nobody wants to work?"
I certainly won't paint all the players in the program over the last few years with that broad of a brush, but do realize that leadership comes from the top and it also comes from within.
There is no other way to finish a season other than yelling at the top of your lungs among BG's players holding the Peace Pipe aloft!
Re; An accountable Bowling Green team does not lose to Eastern Michigan.
I don't think that Central should have lost to Eastern either or given up over 50 points to them...but it happened. I also don't remember anyone stating this year how we were predicted dead last last season and yet we went to the GMAC bowl. Just a couple of points that stick out to me.
I don't think that Central should have lost to Eastern either or given up over 50 points to them...but it happened. I also don't remember anyone stating this year how we were predicted dead last last season and yet we went to the GMAC bowl. Just a couple of points that stick out to me.
whatbgshouldbe,
I know there has been some discussion about Stud and McCall as potential candidates, and you had some nice things to say about them. But I'm curious about a third coach you mentioned that really isn't getting any consideration whatsoever, and you probably figured it out that I'm asking about Coach Ward.
Coach Ward seems to be the one guy that has stuck around BG when others seem to be looking elsewhere. And despite some 4th quarter issues, you can't deny that he put together one of the best defenses we have had in a while, probably since Beckman
So, do you think Coach Ward might be a dark horse candidate that everyone is overlooking? Or do you at least think he might be one of the coaches that gets held over by the new HC?
I know there has been some discussion about Stud and McCall as potential candidates, and you had some nice things to say about them. But I'm curious about a third coach you mentioned that really isn't getting any consideration whatsoever, and you probably figured it out that I'm asking about Coach Ward.
Coach Ward seems to be the one guy that has stuck around BG when others seem to be looking elsewhere. And despite some 4th quarter issues, you can't deny that he put together one of the best defenses we have had in a while, probably since Beckman
So, do you think Coach Ward might be a dark horse candidate that everyone is overlooking? Or do you at least think he might be one of the coaches that gets held over by the new HC?"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
- Ernest Hemingway
- Ernest Hemingway
If "whatbgshouldbe" is a former player during the Meyer and Brandon years as he says, it seems he kind of validates what a lot of us here have been saying...whatbgshouldbe wrote:I will be happy to answer what I can the best that I can.
From checking in on this site during my career and as well as after my career I feel it should be said that the real, knowledgeable, non fairwater Falcon fans are truly appreciated. Also, it is not just the fan’s that are upset by recent off the field issues.
May not be in a concise order, but ill try to touch what I can with your questions…
I did not agree with everything that Meyer did or said, but there is no question that he is the reason Bowling Green’s program turned around. Urban Meyer brings what is needed to the head coaching position. Respect was brought back to the program with Urban. Not just respect by opponents, but respect within the program. Players learned to work harder than thought possible while learning to respect each other as well as every coach, manager, equipment guy, trainer and professor. Of course there are exceptions, but as a whole the program changed. Players and coaches became accountable. Urban succeeded at bowling green, Utah and Florida because of his basic coaching principles and attitude. He has tweaked how he handles his players out of necessity. Players at Florida are different than players at Bowling Green. If a BG player breaks and quits he probably wasn’t tough enough and its good for the program if he leaves, but if a player at Florida breaks its probably not because he’s not good enough, but he can probably get an easier go of things and still make it to the NFL by transferring to another school in Florida or D 2 school. You can disagree with that, but ive seen a few examples that make me put that on paper. Urban took a team from 2-9 to 8-3 with the same talent that was left by Blackney. He added a few freshman (Magner & Newson… ) but for the most part the reason why Urban’s team won was because they did the little things right and a sense of accountability was brought in.
I feel Urban will have continual success wherever he coaches because of his basic principles and his ability to adjust how he handles players and issues while still having the respect of every player on his team as well as everyone involved in the program. I should also note that when urban left I felt he left his best position coaches. I can tell you with 100% certainty that Mullen, Gonzales and Hevesy were not the most popular assistant coaches.
On GB as a head coach… When the team was informed of Meyer leaving for Utah there was a solid sense of shock on the squad. Many players pushed for GB to become the new head guy… In my opinion that was mostly out of fear of a drastic change. A sense of comfort was kept with Brandon. After seeing who Meyer was taking to Utah GB seemed to be the best fit. We didn’t want another complete overhaul as we had just gotten to the point of the team feeling as a family. The players and the coaches that were left banded together and decided that who was left wanted to be there and we were going to stick together.
I had an issue early on in my career while GB was the OC which led me to lose a lot of respect for Brandon. It is a personal issue, but I saw a fairwhether characteristic in him that I did not like.
GB did his best as a head coach. He worked hard and I feel he did care an extreme amount about continuing and building success at bowling green. I don’t want to say that his success in the first two seasons was 100% due to what Meyer left behind, but I feel that the upper classmen put every ounce of effort they could into every game because of that sense of family… we wanted to be accountable for each other and to have each others backs. We went through hell to finally start winning games and we were going to do our best to continue what we were building.
As time went on that sense of accountability was kept by coaches like Stud, Ward, McCall and several others.
After Stud and a few other coaches left the program I feel more was put on GB, and everyone can look at how the past few seasons have played out.
It is my opinion that GB is best suited as an OC. It has always been my gut feeling, but ive been wrong many a times in my life, but seeing the off the field issues and some of the un acceptable losses I feel it was time for a change.
An accountable Bowling Green team does not lose to Eastern Michigan. An accountable Bowling Green team does not blow a 20 point lead in a game that can change the way your team will be remembered.
I actually see several similarities between Brandon and Beckman. Beckman has an edge as an overall recruiter, but in terms of motivating players and instilling that pride and accountability they are very similar in the way that it sometimes seems forced and not as genuine as when a guy like Urban, Stud or Ward tears into you.
I feel it was time for a change. I think it is a dangerous spot for the program because I saw in my final years in the program that the new recruits were gaining the rewards from the bowl games and the success of the program without having to go through what the players in the early Meyer era had gone through. Some of the young players in the program thought they were owed the some of the benefits that we were receiving and didn’t realize how much went into getting the team to the level it was competing at. The program needs that sense of urgency again. That sense to prove.
You chose bowling green because of the tradition, the people and that sense of wanting to fight to keep that tradition. Now they have the facilities and the sparkle… you need a few scars to go along with the new toys. Bowling Green doesn’t lose at home. We lost to Miami at home a few times and those were two of the toughest games to deal with, but Ben was pretty good so I think it’s understandable. There was a just a difference in attitude between when Minnesota came into the Doyt and when Missouri attempted too a few years back. If I would have flown into BG to see them lose on homecoming to EMU I have a feeling I wouldn’t have eaten for a long time.
I hope at least some of that makes sense, I haven’t had time to double check every sentence to make sure it flows, I had to piece it together while at ‘work’
Go BG.
1. Urban Meyer turned the fortunes of this program around and instilled a respect throughout the entire football department. BG owes him a debt of gratitude.
2. Brandon did get a "bounce" from Meyer his first two years as HC due to the committment Meyer's former players continued to play with. Slowly, as graduation took those players away from the program, Brandon couldn't motivate his players in the same fashion. If I hear one more person quote his stellar overall record that inlcudes those first two years as a reason not to fire him, I am going to puke.
3. The players had nowhere near the respect for Brandon as they did with Meyer.
"I actually see several similarities between Brandon and Beckman. Beckman has an edge as an overall recruiter, but in terms of motivating players and instilling that pride and accountability they are very similar in the way that it sometimes seems forced and not as genuine as when a guy like Urban, Stud or Ward tears into you. "
"I had an issue early on in my career while GB was the OC which led me to lose a lot of respect for Brandon. It is a personal issue, but I saw a fairwhether characteristic in him that I did not like."
These are comments that come from someone who spent time in the same fox hole with both these coaches...and not some loose cannon on a message board.
It seems a lot of what was speculated about Brandon on this board has come home to roost.
"Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor.
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door."
-B. Springsteen
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door."
-B. Springsteen
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h2oville rocket
- Peregrine
- Posts: 6691
- Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2005 7:21 pm
- Location: Waterville, ohio
I feel very strongly that Brandon's stellar overall record (including his first two years) provides a sound basis for a decision to not fire him.Rollo83 wrote:[ If I hear one more person quote his stellar overall record that inlcudes those first two years as a reason not to fire him, I am going to puke.
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footballguy51
- Peregrine
- Posts: 3025
- Joined: Wed May 23, 2007 5:19 pm
h2oville rocket wrote:I feel very strongly that Brandon's stellar overall record (including his first two years) provides a sound basis for a decision to not fire him.Rollo83 wrote:[ If I hear one more person quote his stellar overall record that inlcudes those first two years as a reason not to fire him, I am going to puke.
ROLL ALONG!!!
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whatbgshouldbe
- Egg
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:55 am
[quote="Warthog"]whatbgshouldbe,
I know there has been some discussion about Stud and McCall as potential candidates, and you had some nice things to say about them. But I'm curious about a third coach you mentioned that really isn't getting any consideration whatsoever, and you probably figured it out that I'm asking about Coach Ward.
Coach Ward seems to be the one guy that has stuck around BG when others seem to be looking elsewhere. And despite some 4th quarter issues, you can't deny that he put together one of the best defenses we have had in a while, probably since Beckman :wink: So, do you think Coach Ward might be a dark horse candidate that everyone is overlooking? Or do you at least think he might be one of the coaches that gets held over by the new HC?[/quote]
Coach Ward is a great coach and motivator, and he relates to his players very well. When i arrived at Bowling Green he was the head strength and conditioning coach... It would be pretty amazing to go from Head Strength and Conditioning Coach to Head Football Coach in what 8 or 9 years? I am not sure I have ever heard of that happening, but as an individual you couldn't ask for more. Ward was an All American offensive lineman at Georgetown so he knows what it is like to compete in college football.
With all that said, there are many positives to Coach Ward, but does he have the experience to make those critical coaching decisions? I don't know the answer to that... Is that experience even needed if you find the right person with the right instincts? Tough questions to answer.
But he is a quality coach with a good repore with his players so the sky could be the limit...
I know there has been some discussion about Stud and McCall as potential candidates, and you had some nice things to say about them. But I'm curious about a third coach you mentioned that really isn't getting any consideration whatsoever, and you probably figured it out that I'm asking about Coach Ward.
Coach Ward seems to be the one guy that has stuck around BG when others seem to be looking elsewhere. And despite some 4th quarter issues, you can't deny that he put together one of the best defenses we have had in a while, probably since Beckman :wink: So, do you think Coach Ward might be a dark horse candidate that everyone is overlooking? Or do you at least think he might be one of the coaches that gets held over by the new HC?[/quote]
Coach Ward is a great coach and motivator, and he relates to his players very well. When i arrived at Bowling Green he was the head strength and conditioning coach... It would be pretty amazing to go from Head Strength and Conditioning Coach to Head Football Coach in what 8 or 9 years? I am not sure I have ever heard of that happening, but as an individual you couldn't ask for more. Ward was an All American offensive lineman at Georgetown so he knows what it is like to compete in college football.
With all that said, there are many positives to Coach Ward, but does he have the experience to make those critical coaching decisions? I don't know the answer to that... Is that experience even needed if you find the right person with the right instincts? Tough questions to answer.
But he is a quality coach with a good repore with his players so the sky could be the limit...
To be honest, I was a little surprised when he simply made the leap from S & C coach to an actual positions coach. And then all the way up to DC. I think that says a lot about him.whatbgshouldbe wrote:It would be pretty amazing to go from Head Strength and Conditioning Coach to Head Football Coach in what 8 or 9 years?
The thing about him that I like, and I may be completely off base on this, but he seems to be happy staying in BG and isn't/wasn't looking for that next great opportunity. I don't know him well enough, but I wonder if he would be willing to go back to a position coach, if that meant he could stay in BG. I also wonder what his relationship might be with Beckman and if he is a candidate to join him at UT.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
- Ernest Hemingway
- Ernest Hemingway
You don't hire assistants before the head guy. It'd be nice to keep Ward, but guaranteeing him a job would be a drawback for whoever is hired. They're going to want to pick their own staff.factman wrote:I have heard a recent player or two echo very similar statements about Coach Ward. He is one of the primary reasons we need to do something, so he doesn't have to make a decision he doesn't want to make! Maybe GC should "take charge" of this and guarantee him a position NOW!
