notes from around the nation. Omar, bowls, Brandon to inter

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:18 pm

hammb:

You have lots of material on which to base your opinion and yours is an opinion I value, because you always put thought into it, instead of firing off half-cocked. I didn't hear the interview you reference, of course, but just reading about it was distressing.

There are a few things that I'm stuck on, though.

1) I'm convinced that Brandon is still developing as a head coach. He had a rough season in 05, a season I hope will teach him a number of valuable lessons. He is not a finished product; I expect that he realizes that and will continue to grow.

2) I though this before and my little recruiting research project has convinced me of it. Meyer didn't stock the cupboard defensively and Brandon's first class was thrown together in such a hurry that it a) failed to address those shortcomings and b) failed to provide depth (look at the attrition rate from that class). Those are problems only manifesting themselves now and will take another year or so to mitigate. That's why we're still hearing about needing JuCos. That's not a blanket pass on all recruiting shortfalls, but I think addresses many of them.

3) I know this clouds my judgment, but I like this guy. As a sports writer, I've met an awful lot of coaches and have come to get a feel for what I like and don't. Stolz was a great coach, but I never got a good feeling for him. I like what I've seen and heard about Brandon. I believe he's intent on building a program that we can be proud of - on and off the field. I get the sense, too, that he wants to help build a legacy, not just catch the first plane to Utah, er, out of town. He may not be the guy to head the program, but he is certainly the type of man I want my kid playing for when the time comes.

I think two years remaining on his contract is perfect. With that amount of time, I believe we'll be able to get a clear assessment of what he's capable of. And I know this may not come out right - but I think it's a chance we must take; I just don't think we're in a position to be demanding a bowl trip every year ... yet.

Jacobs4Heisman · Post by **Jacobs4Heisman** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 9:21 pm

All good points 87, but the one thing that sticks out to me is this: Brandon is most definitely a good guy, one that is easy to root for and would be easy to send your kid to. But is it possible he is too nice and soft-spoken to be a big-time coach? Of course he could be fire and brimstone behind closed doors and we just never see it, but that's not the picture I see of him. I just wish we would see some more indication of physical and emotional leadership from him. On the sidelines when something goes horribly wrong, I never see him getting in a kids face -- I always seem to see him with body language that says "aw shucks, oh well -- I guess we'll have to try harder next time guys."

I guess that's always just kind of bothered me. I like my head coaches to be fired up and firing up the players when they play well and make mistakes.

Bleeding Orange · Post by **Bleeding Orange** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:02 pm

Just a quick observation:

Nowhere in anything that has been posted on this thread has it been said that Brandon is interviewing anywhere. All that has been said is that the SDSU job is open and that SDSU is interested in interviewing Brandon, not that Brandon is interested in interviewing with SDSU. This may be just semantics, but it has led quite a few of you down a slippery-slope.

TG1996 · Post by **TG1996** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:05 pm

Bleeding Orange wrote:All that has been said is that the SDSU job is open and that SDSU is interested in interviewing Brandon, not that Brandon is interested in interviewing with SDSU.

And I don't even know that a definitive link stating that much was even presented. The mention on the SDSU site of the firing said nothing about Brandon that I saw, and a Google News search of "Gregg Brandon" brings up today's Blade story and a bunch of stuff that's over a week old.

CapitalFalcon · Post by **CapitalFalcon** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:10 pm

1987alum wrote:
Flipper wrote:I think Gregg Brandon has done a good job here, but I know I'm probably in the minority
Same here.

Gimme a seat on the wagon...

hammb · Post by **hammb** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:16 pm

I pretty much agree with J4H. I was thinking the same thing as I read through your post '87. I think Brandon is TOO likeable. I think players should fear their football coach, not be buddy buddy with him. My favorite coaches are those like Bill Parcells, or the guy that was here before Brandon. When we win 52-0 I want to hear what it was that we screwed up, because I assure you we still were not perfect. I like to hear the coach discussing our weaknesses even in time of success. I think it helps re-iterate to the players that there is still more to work on.

I'm sure that Brandon is not going into practices and saying that we're doing well, let's take the day off. However, don't you think he's sending mixed messages to his players? It has been commonplace for Brandon to say in the media, when questioned on weaknesses, "Well I must be doing something right, we're winning." I HATE that answer. I realize it's coach-speak and he's saying something different in the locker room, but when the coach is saying things like that to the media how do you keep 18-22 year old kids from thinking it? At least a little?

Brandon is not my ideal coach, not in the least. However, I'm not ready to fire him, because you do make good points regardng the recruiting of UM & GB's first year. I'm willing to give him this season to impress me. It will not be hard. If Omar leaves I will be expecting very little next season. At this point Brandon has yet to have a team exceed my expectations and has had one that fell way below them. The other 2 teams were right about where I expected them to be. If he can go out, without Omar, and put up 7 wins with our schedule next year I'll be impressed. More importantly it's not just about wins & losses but how we play. In Brandon's tenure here our fundamentals & our ST's play has gotten progressively worse until they almost hit rock bottom this season. Spring ball should be tackling & STs drills because we were awful in those phases most of this season.

To the poster above saying that some of us would change our tune if Stud became head coach, quite the contrary. He has EXACTLY the attitude that I like to see in a coach. When he was on the sidelines he'd just lay into his guys on the sideline. I know that while they were afraid of pissing him off, they also respected him. Not saying he'd be a great coach, but I'd rather have a Head Coach that is a fiery motivator than an X's & O's player's coach.

CapitalFalcon · Post by **CapitalFalcon** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:28 pm

Ok...First off, I hate to tell you, but coaching and BG, right now, does not qualify as being a "big-time coach." Second, much like the Lions firing Mooch, I don't think BG has a long line of outstanding, proven coaches dying to come to BG to be the HC. A) We're a mid-major in a conference with only 2 bowl affiliations, B) I loved my time in BG, but when your closest city is Toledo, and next closest "major" metro area is Detroit, we're not exactly talking premo real estate here...Not to mention the winters and the wind. and C) We all know that BG's HC spot isn't as lucrative as other positions.

Now, am I satified with the perfromance this past year? No. Do I think that Brandon has a lot to do with the lack of success? Yes. But I don't think that you can build a quality Football program if your HC position is a revolving door.

OptionQB · Post by **OptionQB** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 10:45 pm

If each coach we get leaves the program a little better off than what they found it, a quote similar to Paul Krebs' at Brandon's initial presser, I believe, though I could be wrong, BG football will be in good shape.

And BTW, our next head coach is not on staff right now or we will be making a mistake worse than what we did 3 years ago.

always a falcon · Post by **always a falcon** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:16 pm

CapitalFalcon wrote:Ok...First off, I hate to tell you, but coaching and BG, right now, does not qualify as being a "big-time coach." Second, much like the Lions firing Mooch, I don't think BG has a long line of outstanding, proven coaches dying to come to BG to be the HC. A) We're a mid-major in a conference with only 2 bowl affiliations, B) I loved my time in BG, but when your closest city is Toledo, and next closest "major" metro area is Detroit, we're not exactly talking premo real estate here...Not to mention the winters and the wind. and C) We all know that BG's HC spot isn't as lucrative as other positions.

Now, am I satified with the perfromance this past year? No. Do I think that Brandon has a lot to do with the lack of success? Yes. But I don't think that you can build a quality Football program if your HC position is a revolving door.

And if you wanted to raise a family and attract other coaches who want to raise a family, BG DOES become prime real estate. Some of us live in the heartland, and make sure we take our kids to the cities to avail ourselves of the culture there.

Now I am not saying I want GB to go anywhere. I am just defending the homeland!

Bleeding Orange · Post by **Bleeding Orange** » Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:22 pm

always a falcon wrote:
CapitalFalcon wrote:Ok...First off, I hate to tell you, but coaching and BG, right now, does not qualify as being a "big-time coach." Second, much like the Lions firing Mooch, I don't think BG has a long line of outstanding, proven coaches dying to come to BG to be the HC. A) We're a mid-major in a conference with only 2 bowl affiliations, B) I loved my time in BG, but when your closest city is Toledo, and next closest "major" metro area is Detroit, we're not exactly talking premo real estate here...Not to mention the winters and the wind. and C) We all know that BG's HC spot isn't as lucrative as other positions.

Now, am I satified with the perfromance this past year? No. Do I think that Brandon has a lot to do with the lack of success? Yes. But I don't think that you can build a quality Football program if your HC position is a revolving door.
And if you wanted to raise a family and attract other coaches who want to raise a family, BG DOES become prime real estate. Some of us live in the heartland, and make sure we take our kids to the cities to avail ourselves of the culture there.

Now I am not saying I want GB to go anywhere. I am just defending the homeland!

Exactly right. I'm living in Tucson now (which is pretty much San Diego without the Ocean), and I'd take Bowling Green over this place in a heartbeat. And not just because I'm allergic to Tucson...

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:25 am

Jacobs4Heisman wrote:All good points 87, but the one thing that sticks out to me is this: Brandon is most definitely a good guy, one that is easy to root for and would be easy to send your kid to. But is it possible he is too nice and soft-spoken to be a big-time coach?

j4H and hammb:

That is a nagging doubt I have, one that I hope will be proven wrong. It is not necessary to have a head coach yell and scream to be successful; there are plenty of examples out there. But there needs to be an underlying intensity and focus. Being on the outside, I'm not sure that our program has that right now.

Salsa · Post by **Salsa** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 8:57 am

I'll take someone like John Wooden anytime. I never saw him yell or get in the face of a player. And everything I read that his players said about him showed great respect.

And, I don't think there's a formula for great coaches. Each one seems to have his own approach.

I agree that GB is early in his learning phase.

1987alum · Post by **1987alum** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 9:00 am

Salsa wrote:I'll take someone like John Wooden anytime. I never saw him yell or get in the face of a player. And everything I read that his players said about him showed great respect.

But he was an intense, focused coach who had an amazing attention to detail. Does Brandon have that? I don't know yet.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:33 am

Salsa wrote:I'll take someone like John Wooden anytime. I never saw him yell or get in the face of a player. And everything I read that his players said about him showed great respect.

And, I don't think there's a formula for great coaches. Each one seems to have his own approach.

I agree that GB is early in his learning phase.

There was another coach that never really screamed or yelled....and very seldom cursed. That man was Doyt Perry. He, like Wooden, really paid attention to details. The small things that add up in games....

87,
Your post is very well thought out....as is hammb's. The jury, IMO, is still out on Coach Brandon. But I really like the guy as a human being. I feel he is pretty honest with folks...which is maybe why that interview on 1470 got the reaction it did.
His contract was extended thru 2008. You make a great point about seeing what the program is like at that time. That will give us a solid idea of what to expect.
At this time, I support the Coach 100%. And I'm confident BG Football will be a force, contending for titles and bowl bids, while he is the coach.

Falconfreak90 · Post by **Falconfreak90** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:38 am

always a falcon wrote:
CapitalFalcon wrote:Ok...First off, I hate to tell you, but coaching and BG, right now, does not qualify as being a "big-time coach." Second, much like the Lions firing Mooch, I don't think BG has a long line of outstanding, proven coaches dying to come to BG to be the HC. A) We're a mid-major in a conference with only 2 bowl affiliations, B) I loved my time in BG, but when your closest city is Toledo, and next closest "major" metro area is Detroit, we're not exactly talking premo real estate here...Not to mention the winters and the wind. and C) We all know that BG's HC spot isn't as lucrative as other positions.

Now, am I satified with the perfromance this past year? No. Do I think that Brandon has a lot to do with the lack of success? Yes. But I don't think that you can build a quality Football program if your HC position is a revolving door.
And if you wanted to raise a family and attract other coaches who want to raise a family, BG DOES become prime real estate. Some of us live in the heartland, and make sure we take our kids to the cities to avail ourselves of the culture there.

Great point, Always. BG may not be the most attractive place to live but the quality of the city, University and people make is a very genuine place. You can't help but love the place. It is a GREAT place to raise a family.