Fanblogs: Reviewing the Top Candidates (Updated 3:30pm)

College football’s annual coaching carousel is in high gear and NC State is taking spin this year.

SFN has already blogged some commentary and analysis to set the table for some of our future entries. But, we don’t expect football coaching scoop to be quite as clear as the basketball scoop that we were able to analyze back in April because of the existence of the 3rd party search firm.

(By the way – SFN recently was privy to a complete debrief of the Wolfpack’s basketball search. What an amazing experience to hear all of the inside scoop and perspective. We walked away from the conversation surprised at just how damn accurate and timely we were with our coverage of the search. Even some things that we were somewhat unclear we ended up being closer than we even thought!)

Today, Fanblogs.com has blogged an entry reviewing top potential coaching candidates from around the country. South Florida’s
Jim Leavitt did not make Fanblogs’ initial list despite the expectation that he is sure to get some looks from some open jobs. (Not so sure about the fit at NC State. But, names like Leavitt are why you run a process and get to know multiple candidates.)

Red and White from State has taken the Fanblogs entry and expanded it with an NC State focus. Great work from these great guys!!!

If Bill Cowher ultimately accepts the Wolfpack’s job as he has indicated for years was something that held interest for him, then this list may not be of much interest to NC State fans.

If Paul Johnson is truly emerging with the kind of momentum that we hear, then this list may not be of much interest to NC State fans.

But, we love coaching carousels and don’t want to ignore anything that is going on out there, so we thought that we would share their list.

Other football coaching search related to comments:

* First, have to accept the not-so-hard-to-accept proposition that Bill Cowher is done in Pittsburgh at the end of this year. It is something that folks in Pittsburgh have generally accepted as this year has progressed. Additionally, the guy didn’t buy a house in Raleigh, join Northridge Country Club, and send his daughter to Ravenscroft because he was going to be living in Pittsburgh much longer. Or any other NFL city for that matter. Heck, just today the SteelCityInsider wrote the following:

First, Cowher’s contract isn’t extended during the off-season, which on its own is fine, but it’s created a mini-media storm that is stronger than ever 12 weeks into the season. Second, in the years Cowher has been in Pittsburgh, I have never seen him so unenthusiastic during games. It’d be one thing if he was Bill Belichick: a pensive, contemplative strategist who eschewed a lot of the rah-rah stuff. But Cowher isn’t that type of guy. He’s made his living as a player’s coach. The rah-rah stuff is what he’s best at. Let the coordinators handle the details and let Cowher motivate the troops. I’ve seen nothing to indicate Cowher is motivated to do anything other than coach five more regular season games, load up the moving truck and head south.

* If Cowher is truly done in the NFL, then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that he would be first on everyone’s list close to this search.

* It is fascinating how much of the media deals with Cowher’s association to the State job. Evidently, they truly think that dozens/hundreds/thousands of State people are crazy. Do these Einstein’s really think that all of these State people – many of which are highly intelligent and successful – simultaneously sat in a room and originated the name Bill Cowher as a potential coach simply because he is an alum? Of course not.

* The only reason that Cowher’s name is discussed as an alternative is because Cowher has chosen to publicly and privately comment regarding his dream/desire to finish his coaching career on the sidelines in Raleigh. Has that dream changed? We will soon see because this is probably Cowher’s last chance at the job. The next hire will get at least four to five years before any questions would arise about job security.

* The main issue with Cowher could revolve around timing. In a perfect scenario Cowher would take a year off from the Steelers to re-charge and would handed the keys after the 2007 season. But, that would mean another year of failure on the field and long term damage to the program off-the-field. Cowher has told friends at State that he would never want it to look as though he was the reason that Coach Amato (or any coach) would be pushed out of their job. With State making a move after this season Cowher has nothing with which to worry. Legitimate risk would have existed had Amato returned for an 8th year and achieved the most minimum of success. State simply had to make the move this year.

* Despite the growing momentum behind Paul Johnson‘s candidacy, we hope that NC State & Chuck Neinas fully vet and analyze all potential candidates for the job. We have no problem comparing all candidates (after Cowher) to Paul Johnson; we just hope that all candidates are run through a truly legitimate process and given a thorough look. It is danger to just throw your weight behind Johnson and close your eyes to everyone else.

* All the Paul Johnson-talk indicates to us that he must be interested in the job. There is no way his name could have gotten out so early unless he wanted his name in there.

* We like the evolution of the names on the football list. With names like Johnson, Fisher, Chow and who knows who else – can you tell the difference between who is working on the football list and who was responsible for a basketball search where Lee Fowler CHOSE to pursue names like Steve Lavin, Lon Kruger and John Beilen in front of Sidney Lowe or one of many ‘up and comers’ whom Fowler should have been more in touch with but was not?

* It will be interesting to learn if the current ACC affiliation of Tom O’Brien will negatively impact his ability to express interest in the NC State job. TOB’s name was floated during Carolina’s ‘search’. Based on what we have heard from college football circles, we have no doubt that TOB would welcome a fresh start outside of Boston College.

* We made reference to the comments included in this entry yesterday. Question for you — why isn’t Skip Holtz‘s name being connected to the NC State job? People forget that Holtz built a pretty successful program from scratch (and with no resources) at UConn before choosing to join his father at South Carolina. That didn’t work too well. Regardless, Holtz is back on his own and immediately succeeded in turning around a pitiful ECU program.

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103 Responses to Fanblogs: Reviewing the Top Candidates (Updated 3:30pm)

  1. Mr O 11/27/2006 at 2:33 PM #

    Still not much speculation on the chances of us landing Cowher from you guys. In your earlier commentary, whoever wrote it basically did the “no comment” on Cowher both times he was mentioned in the writeup. Not giving you guys a hard time at all, just noting how quiet it has been here on the possibilities with Cowher. Maybe the silence is a good sign??? 🙂

    SFN: Will update the entry with some of this.

  2. GAWolf 11/27/2006 at 2:38 PM #

    People on the Pack Pride free (for all) board are saying it’s a “done deal.” Hmm. Just like Rick Barnes.

  3. beowolf 11/27/2006 at 2:49 PM #

    About Cowher’s reportedly saying he’d like to coach at NC State after winning the Super Bowl, just remember something that trips up pollsters and questionnaire takers: revealed preference. It is different from stated preference. You can say you might buy Product A or support Issue B, in the artificial Q&A environment without all the costs laid out before you, but when the time comes to make that choice (in the market or at the voting booth), and you survey your full, conceptual range of costs, you might very well choose differently.

    Bill Cowher’s opinion when talking in general about his becoming coach at NC State may not reflect Bill Cowher’s opinion when presented with the actual choice and surveying all the costs of that decision.

    Then again, it may not, and that of course is everyone’s hope.

  4. RAWFS 11/27/2006 at 2:51 PM #

    We used the Fanblogs entry as a basis, but expanded it slightly and focused in on the NC State possibilities of each guy. Plus, it is more up to date (Chizik to Iowa State, for example.)

    http://www.redandwhitefromstate.com/article.php?story=20061127111030372

  5. RickJ 11/27/2006 at 2:53 PM #

    I haven’t watched an Army vs. Navy game in years but will definitely record this game at 2:30 PM on Saturday. I went to the State vs. Navy game in Johnson’s first year in Annapolis. We won easily and I remember thinking what a great place this would be to coach. It was surprising to read that Johnson currently makes $1 million a year at Navy. Would it be a slam dunk that he would accept a State offer? Probably yes in that our potential is still much greater than at Navy but it makes me glad to know that Neinas can figure this out ahead of time.

  6. partialqualifier 11/27/2006 at 2:55 PM #

    StateFans, as always, is doing a terrific job!! Not much to add other than to say that we need to be patient. Other than Cowher….NO ONE is a slam dunk!! Not Johnson, not Chow, not anyone. Let’s gather the info and see what happens. I am open to anyone (if Cowher isnt the man). I just want the best guy for the job…it doesnt matter if it’s Paul Johnson or Paul McCartney. Altho, I’m not sure how well McCartney’s Liverpool recruiting roots would help him at State!

    On a side note….I know I speak for all Stat fans when I say that it would be sooooo unbelievably great to just have 5 minutes alone with Bill Cowher to find out what this guy is really thinking. Just so I can sleep at night! LOL!

  7. Pack Laddie 11/27/2006 at 2:55 PM #

    I don’t know if Bill Cowher will be coaching in Raleigh next year, or not, but the guy I saw on TV against the Ravens yesterday did not appear to have a great deal of interest in coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

    Strictly based on what I have observed in the parts of their games that I have watched this year, I do not see the fiery, emotional guy that we have been accustomed to seeing on the sidelines.

    I would love to see him say adios to the NFL, and come on back to Raleigh.

  8. NCStateDud92 11/27/2006 at 2:58 PM #

    Stay on this SFN! The computers at my high school block PackPride, so you guys were my one and only source to stay up to date during the basketball search. Lets get Cowher!

  9. primacyone 11/27/2006 at 3:06 PM #

    Flight Aware is now listing one of Wendell Murphy’s planes just filed a flight plan to Pittsburgh for tomorrow morning.

    Wait just a minute. Oh, that is Pigsburgh. Sorry about that. Staring at this computer is starting to affect my vision.

  10. RedTerror29 11/27/2006 at 3:09 PM #

    Let’s get some more in depth information on Paul Johnson. The knocks on him are he runs the triple-option and relies too heavily on the run. The response is he runs a version of the spread a la Urban Meyer/Rich Rodriguez and that he threw the ball a lot at Hawaii.

    I haven’t seen his teams play since he was a Georgia Southern (who I saw in person a few times and a couple times on TV). They ran flex-bone(?) type offense rather than the spread (i.e. with the QB under center, two wingbacks, and a fullback deep). They relied heavily on the fullback, but that may be because they had a guy who’s playing for the Bears on Sundays now. The wingbacks also ran the ball quite a bit and were primary receivers. The QB ran the option with the fullback and wingbacks but wasn’t afraid to throw. The defense was also top notch. I don’t remember the sets they ran (something other than a 4-3/3-4 I think) and they ran that funky swinging gate for field goals/extra points.

    I don’t know how any of that relates to Navy/Hawaii. Has anyone seen his team play recently? Can anyone find stats from his years as OC at Hawaii?

  11. gopack968 11/27/2006 at 3:27 PM #

    Great detail on the RAWFS site – Thanks guys!.

    Not sure you can predict what Johnson might run offensively with ACC caliber players based on what he has done at Annapolis. Those kids are tough as nails and hit hard, but in terms of size and speed there is little comparison. The academies do not necessarily recruit wishbone type coaches – coaches at the academies adopt the wishbone out of necessity to compete at the level they do. In reality these are strong DII programs competing with DI schools – anyone who is successful is a good coach, period.

    A question: Is Steve Logan just a local curiosity? I enjoy listening to him and he did well at ECU, though seemingly pissed off everyone within 50 miles who did not knuckle under to him. I am surprised that he does not appear on any of the lists that I have looked at today.

  12. MadWolf92 11/27/2006 at 3:28 PM #

    “Altho, I’m not sure how well McCartney’s Liverpool recruiting roots would help him at State!”

    Hmmmm. Steven Gerrard kicking field goals?? They’d be good from 60+.

  13. BoKnowsNCS71 11/27/2006 at 3:39 PM #
  14. charger17 11/27/2006 at 3:40 PM #

    It might be important to see how well Johnson changed his schemes after moving schools based on the new team he had and the opponents he was facing. What we don’t need is some successful D-II coach coming in here and thinking that all he has to do is just keep doing what he’s been doing. We’ve already experienced coaching based on a “forced” style of play due to the amount of athleticism of recruits — SENDEK BALL! ! !

  15. MatSci94 11/27/2006 at 3:41 PM #

    “They ran flex-bone(?) type offense rather than the spread”

    Isn’t this essentially what Wake runs this year? Where one of the wings comes in motion to be about where an I back would be at snap, or run counter/reverses off the fullback action?

  16. pack7483 11/27/2006 at 3:44 PM #

    My bride works for WTVD in Durham as the 6pm producer and she just sent me this email:

    “ACC Insider reports Bill Cowher will be the FIRST person to be offered the NC STATE job, no matter what. “

  17. RedTerror29 11/27/2006 at 3:48 PM #

    The formation resembled Wake Forest’s, but the execution of the offense was different. Probably not as much pre-snap motion from the wingbacks and a lot more options. Not nearly as much counter/misdirection either.

  18. Sam92 11/27/2006 at 3:59 PM #

    cowher is a dream – but hey, why shouldn’t we think big and make the pitch. i just wish it was someone other than lee fowler doing it

    paul johnson is solid, solid, solid and would be a great hire — he should come in with less hype than Amato did. Amato had us thinking BCS for a while. i would see our expectations with paul johnson as more like arkansas with houston nutt — some up years, some down years, and every so often being in the acc championship game.

  19. Wolfman300 11/27/2006 at 4:00 PM #

    The opening teaser for espn radio’s sportsbash (Eric Asilious, spelling?) just said “you will never guess what superbowl coach may go back to college.” I’m not expecting anything earthshattering, but it could be interesting listening if you can get the show.

  20. jbwbubba 11/27/2006 at 4:05 PM #

    Am I the only one not thrilled with the idea of Cowher? I like him and wouldn’t hate the choice, but I’m not sure he is the right candidate. Yes, it would make a splash, but I thought people wanted offense, Cowher isn’t exactly known for lighting it up in pittsburgh. Also, those who demanded Davis be benched and later Stone benched, might go nuts with the guy who stuck with Kordell Stewart and is currently behind, Mr. to cool to wear a helmet. Yes high school kids would be awed by his ring, and might give NCSU a further look, but can he recruit? Also, I want someone with the desire and passion to be head coach at NCSU. I don’t want someone looking a for a good place to spend retirement. Again, he might be the right pick, but hope they take a good long look around first.

  21. brown pelican 11/27/2006 at 4:07 PM #

    johnson’s scheme is more oriented to veer principles than spread principles—his passing game will depend on the ability to run the ball first—not the case with rod when he was at tulane—or meyer when he was at bowling green—all good coaches adapt—the meyer offense at fla is different from the offense he ran at utah—and—rod has morphed over time from clemson to wvu to adapt to the talent—the bottom line—the guy knows how to coach and how to get players to believe—a former player of mine was at navy when he arrived—he emailed me and advised me that ‘they were going to win’—one week with johnson and the mindset had taken hold—he’s a good one—if cowher’s not an option pj could do a lot to repair our damaged psyche

  22. beowolf 11/27/2006 at 4:08 PM #

    bubba, in a word, YES, you are the only one.

  23. kanabro 11/27/2006 at 4:21 PM #

    How come we haven’t heard Larry Coker’s name in the mix?

    I think he should at least be considered.

    Coker has led the Hurricanes to one national championship, two Bowl Championship Series title game appearances, three BCS bowl game appearances, five bowl games, three consecutive Big East Conference championships, and had a 53-9 record in five seasons as the Hurricanes head coach.

    And he’s available.

  24. Cardiff Giant 11/27/2006 at 4:25 PM #

    Ok, I don’t want to commit lese majeste, but what concrete evidence do we have that Cower can succeed at the COLLEGE level?

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