Lots of personal responsibilities have been keeping us away from running down coaching scoop and blogging updates over the last couple of days, but nothing of real note has broken so we haven’t missed much. Regardless, this entry from Dave Glenn does a fantastic job of setting the table and is a must read for everyone.
A few notes:
* We were told earlier in the week that we would be “…shocked at some of the names that have expressed interest in the job. There is tremendous interest out there.” This is great to hear and is supported by many of the names that are starting to bubble to the surface from various reports on the internet.
* At the beginning of this week the news seemed pretty cut and dry - if Bill Cowher says no then Paul Johnson is probably the guy. Was this information correct? If so, then the (lack of) developments of this week will have made perfect sense and many of the names discussed on the internet may have just been plants to keep everyone occupied.
* The need to talk to Cowher and wait for Paul Johnson to finish his season today gave the search a week to ‘get prepared’ for the week as well as take stock in various candidates that deserve strong looks. The weeek was also good for State since Lee Fowler was (again) not prepared for a search based on The Sporting News comments:
I’m told N.C. State didn’t want to fire Chuck Amato. In fact, had he won — or split — the last two games, he likely would have been retained. What’s the point: N.C. State wasn’t prepared to can Amato, which means the search has gotten off to a scrambling start.
* We hear sporadic chatter that NC State and Bill Cowher continue to talk. Who knows? It is pretty clear to everyone that we can’t sit around after this weekend and wait for Cowher to make a decision. If NC State hasn’t hired someone within the next two weeks, then the world will be speculating that Cowher has committed to the Wolfpack and is trying to wait until the end of the season for an announcement. Don’t hold your breath. We are just throwing it out there.
* If Alabama has to go further down their list then expect Paul Johnson to be on their list and NC State will need to look elsewhere if the administration had deemed Johnson as their guy.
* On ESPN’s halftime show on Thursday night, former NC State Head Coach Lou Holtz proposed Norm Chow as the “best fit” for NC State’s job. Interestingly, Mark May then proposed Lou’s son, Skip Holtz, as the best fit for the job. We have already asked why we don’t hear more about Skip in this entry from earlier in the week.
* A lot of fans on the internet - including some authors on SFN - have made a big deal about the fact that NC State is not being contracted with with Chuck Neinas. If you remember Lee Fowler’s statement from Sunday night, he said that we were using a consulting firm; he never said it was Neinas. We were told on Monday that NC State was using a consulting firm based in Atlanta, not Neinas, but we don’t know if a contract exists with the Atlanta firm. Again, we are not saing that Neinas hasn’t been in contact with State.
* Regardless, something is going on behind the scenes related to the consulting firm. SFN has confirmed that this guy truly has a legitimate media source:
Media Source: Fowler disregards Murphy on Wednesday; will not hire Neinas and as of Friday, no firm had been hired…..reportedly, Murphy furious….Virtually no support in Pack nation for Fowler….stay tuned
* Someone asked a good question the other day - is Lee Fowler using the same search firm out of Atlanta that was partially responsible for placing him into his current job at NC State? When Mary Anne Fox hired Fowler on Les Robinson’s recommendation she used an independent search firm to basically validate the decision and serve as an independent ’screening’ source.
* ESPN’s INsider shared a lot of coaching rumors in this entry yesterday.
Look for Jimbo Fisher, Paul Johnson, David Cutliffe and Larry Coker to get close looks at North Carolina State. UTEP coach Mike Price would be an excellent, excellent hire by either school. Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges should get a look from North Carolina State.
* Strip clubs be damned! If Mike Price is interested in our job then NC State would be well served to look much deeper into this proven winner with a vibrant personality.
* The previously linked TSN article also stated the following:
Expect N.C. State’s search to begin heating up. I heard that Minnesota’s Glen Mason and Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson have expressed interest in the N.C. State job. And, as I’ve said, former Georgia coach Jim Donnan will be a factor, along with LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and possibly Denver Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster, who knows the turf after spending several years on Mack Brown’s North Carolina staff. And don’t forget about East Carolina’s Skip Holtz, who left his calling card by whipping the Wolfpack last weekend. He seems perfect for this gig. Houston Texans assistant Mike Sherman is a wild card here and at Alabama.
* It is weird to see some of those names because seven years ago a hire of Glen Mason or Jim Donnan would have been widely veiwed as a home run.
More later…
Re: the continuing(?) Cowher talks…
…Wouldn’t it be a possibility that that’s just us getting some advice? Using him as a sounding board in our search?
And uh, no to the ’strip clubs be damned.’ Let’s not get too carried away. I’d like to continue to take pride in my school, if it’s all the same.
Sorry for the double-post. Never expected to see something like that.
I would take a lot of pride knowing my football coach visited the same strip clubs as me!!!!
Go Pack!
I have a feeling that it was: 1- Cowher, 2- Johnson.
I think, because of PJ’s ties to some prominent Wolfpackers he was already known. And we all know that is the MOST important thing at NC State…it’s who you know. I think after the Army/Navy game you will something from Johnson…either a yes or no (IMO likely a yes). The reason it has been so quiet is exactly why SFN says it is: there are only 2 candidates. IF Johnson says no (or someone at State has soured on him in the last couple of days), then you will start to hear a lot fewer names…as only the serious names will remain in the hunt.
I would just like to say (and I think SFN would whole-heartedly agree) that I am OK with whoever NC State gets as their next coach AS LONG AS a real search was conducted. By that I mean a thorough and NATIONAL job search for the right coach to lead NC State to the next level. Unfortunately, it looks as if Johnson has been the only guy considered after Cowher….which once again proves that NC State is not a NATIONAL program. It is a REGIONAL program at best. When was the last time NC State hired a football coach who was not an alum or from a state not bordering NC? Lou Holtz? And he was from West Va, I think. If we ever want to be a NATIONAL program at some point this “Goood ‘ol Boy” mentallity has got to be replaced with a little forward thinking and risk-taking.
just curious - if PJ is #2 on our list and #3 on Alabama’s list and we both offer him at the same time, do we even stand a chance?
No doubt our job would be easier, but even though the name is watered down some in the past 10 years bama is still bama.
If he does indeed choose Bama over us - we have to go for Fisher
Good Article - I am glad others are interested. I am tired of all this Paul Johnson talk. Let him goto Alabama
Couple things:
(1) Mike Price seems to be struggling at UTEP. It may be just normal growing pains.
(2) What does SFN think of Bobby Johnson? Holy crap, Ted Cain as OC? I don’t think I could handle that. Caldwell and Logo would be OK. Interesting.
What about Ty Willingham? Candidate last time. From NC. Successful everywhere he has been. Just a name that surprisingly to me has not come up.
I want to know why the N&O and WRAL TV-5 have been promoting Dick Sheridan…my only concern is the time out of coaching? Dick did a Fantastic job when he was the coach…what about Dick as HC and Jim Donnan as OC?
Check out Willingham’s record. In the last ten years he has had only four winning seasons.
Recent conversations with Wolfpack Club staff members have led me to believe that PJ is not the only option being considered. There are murmurings of much bigger names to which I cannot illude. I am just telling you guys that I doubt that if any of these names were released that you would feel like PJ is the man for the job. We have bigger, better, more accomplished names on the list and the Wolfpack Club staff has all but assured me that in the end all of the Wolfpack Nation…including us…the lunatic fringe…will be surprised and happy.
I believe that N.C. State athletics are on the verge of a rebirth. A new direction will be taken in the near future that will lead us down a path we haven’t traveled in many years…the one toward success.
Furthermore, I believe that Jed’s days are numbered. His comments in the Richmond Times have caused an uproar among many higher ups in the Wolfpack Club and complaints have been filed by these people. I’m not sure if a change is coming this time…or if it will be the next time he slips up. I will say that his comments were ambiguous in nature. Jed should have been smarter than to leave a comment so open-ended in nature and up for interpretation by the media and the public. Despite what was meant by Jed with his comment on Herb and his family…he should have been more clear with his comments. A man in his position should know better than to leave a comment so open to interpretation and his repremanding by the powers that be…might just cost him his job.
JimValvano:
I will believe it when I see it.
Why PJ?? and I know there are a couple of you who have been saying you are not sure about him. That’s based in what? Here are a few excerpts of a comment over at Dave Lenn’s blog that have me really salivating over hiring Johnson…
“GSU was on the road when one of its backs was hit out of bounds. It was early in the first quarter, and there was no score. The players landed near Johnson and you could see in his face that he didn’t like the late hit. He walked over to the guilty player and said ‘you go tell your coach that I’m getting ready to light his scoreboard up.’ He did too.”
And this…
“My point here is that Paul Johnson’s offense will score points in bunches regardless of what league he’s coaching in. The offense is built on speed and deception. It forces the defense to be perfect on every play, and when they don’t they pay the price. He runs what his players are best suited for, so if he’s got a good throwing QB and WR, he’ll throw it more.
This is PJ’s offense. He knows the nuances of that option scheme better than anyone. Perhaps that’s why many name coaches spent time in the off season at GSU learning the intricacies of the option from Johnson. I cannot tell you how many BCS coaches spent time with him, but I can tell you about one - he’s now the coach at Florida.
If PJ had the same skill player speed at Navy that he had at GSU, you would not believe how many points they would score. He’ll find a QB that runs in the 4.4 range and can throw the ball if he comes to NCST. It’s really tough to get those kids at GSU or Navy, but he can attract them to State. He’ll find a 220 pound FB that can explode into the hole, and you can just watch him run. The FB dive in PJ’s option hits the line in less than a second, so the back is often at the LB level before the DL can recover.
People have said that Spurrier’s success was more about his scheme than anything else. Johnson’s flexbone is the same. He can take decent players and make them stars. Imagine what he’d do with really good three, four and five star recruits.”
So HIRE PJ!! PLEASE!!
JimValvano I hope your right. I hope PJ is not the only option, that would be a mistake.
Glen Mason is a great coach. Minnesota has virtually zero facilities. They are forced to play football in the Metrodome which is quite the haul from campus and is yearly target from the local sports owners. Glen has commented in the past how hard it is to recruit when he takes a recruit to the Metrodome only for their to be a Monster Truck Show that weekend, “Here’s our fied. Uh. It cleans up nice?”
Nevertheless, he’s put kids in the NFL. Especially at OL and RB. You look at this recruiting classes and you can see he has an eye for talent. Its not that he cant recruit the big boys, its the Monster Truck Shows.
I’m not sure this rumors are valid though. The Minnesota State Legislature just approved new stadiums for both the Twins and Gophers. I just cant see Mason leaving after winning that fight.
SFN: Is Mason going to have a say in the situation? By the timetable presented by some NC State fans, Mason will need a good decade to build a program after these facilities are finally built. He’ll never be retained that long to see their construction if Lee Fowler is not his AD. (See quotes below)
I rarely agree with Dan, but I do agree that Mason is a super coach. Biggest mistake he ever made was not leaving Kansas for Georgia when he had a chance.
Lee Fowler in February of 2004
^ by Lee Fowler’s standards…unless/until a coach has the best facilities in America they should not be held accountable for results.
“People have said that Spurrier’s success was more about his scheme than anything else. Johnson’s flexbone is the same. He can take decent players and make them stars. Imagine what he’d do with really good three, four and five star recruits”
I’m not a fan of PJ, but that’s the best defense of the spread that I’ve seen.
Where does the current players and next year’s recruits come in to play when considering who the next coach should be? I am not asking this question with any particular answer in mind, but I am really curious to see what other think.
I mean…if the coach is Johnson…Buck you mentioned a QB who runs a 4.4 would make his offense soar. Please tell me between Evans, Stone, & Burke who runs a 4.4. Or even a 5.4. We have slow QB’s who were recruited to run a drop back West Coast passing game. We have tall, athletic WR’s who were recruited for the same purpose. To run the spread option offense Johnson prefers you must have nimble O-Linemen who can pull and trap effectively. Did you guys see what our O-Linemen looked like everytime we pulled this year. Our O-Line is very slow. This is not a pulling line type of group. I know Johnson would recruit players to fit his scheme…and hell in time it might even work out great. But right now his offense would struggle mightily with the team in Raleigh right now.
I am glad there hasn’t been a lot of stuff in the media or on the ‘net. Much different from the BB coaching search. Of course, I’m anxious but I can wait a bit if it means a more reasonable search. I really don’t have an opinion on who the next FB coach should be and I’m hoping for a final result that matches the BB search ending (with a less rocky road during the search).
Art Briles. If we are going to take a chance on a coach from a smaller school, he deserves a look.
Briles is from Houston. He played at UH. Not saying that he wouldn’t look to leave for the right job, but his ‘fit’ there is nice.
Additionally…Briles is reaping many rewards of Dana Dimel’s recruiting successes (like Kevin Kolb). Dimel was fired one year prematurely (imho) and Briles stepped into a better position than the Cougars record indicated.
^^^ Buck, I am with you man. Paul Johnson is a GREAT choice! I think one of the reasons people are soft on him is because his name has been mentioned so much. and Partialqualifier, I understand your hesitation with PJ, I felt the same way at the beginning of the week and my attitude has changed completely after doing some research on him. By the way your argument holds no water when you say “we did not lead a national search when we hire a regional guy. ” or something close to that… If PJ is in the top 3 of coaches mentioned for Bama and we get him, I think we’re doing pretty damn good.
Just to update you a little SFN, but the information I’ve heard, which is extremely credible, is that Neinas is in fact involved in our coaching search and he has already met with Fowler to gauge our coaching preferences. Just wanted to put that out there because there is a lot of scuffle going around about whether Neinas is involved or not.
Buck, consider the source of that glowing review of PJ on Dave Glenn’s blog. IIRC PJ gave his son two championship rings at GA Soutern. He may be a little biased. It still doesn’t indicate that he can succeed at the next level.
And 98st*, PJ wasn’t one of Bama’s top 3 candidates. He is 5th, 6th, or 7th after a long line of major names saying “I’m not interested” earlier this week.
it is nice to see, however, that we are not the only ones with public rejections–referring to bb search and not to the inevitable statement of BC
Tell me about it. And ESPN’s Sportscenter was pretty harsh about Bama’s rejections.
I am leary of the statement, “There’s alot of interest in our job”. I seem to recall the same things being said during our basketball search & all that “interest” seemed to generate was huge paydays & national exposure for a bunch of coaches that ultimately decided their “interest” wasn’t high enough.
SFN: Cardiac…there WAS a lot of interest in our basketball job. Just because Lee Fowler couldn’t lure the right name on the dotted line or close the deal in certain situations does not mean that there wasn’t a lot of interest in the job.
On the flip side…..How can you not go after a big fish that seems genuinely interested?
I haven’t seen a lot of conversation on Norm Chow. Could it be that he is one of the big names and they are staying hush. The more Paul J. name comes up you better believe it is a diversion and is not the leader.
My first choice would be Chow then one of the SEC offensive coordinators and then maybe a young good coach like Skip Holtz!!!
You guys just wait…I have every reason to believe my sources on this one.
I just hope its not PJ in the end…he’s way down my list. He may end up being the greatest coach of all time, but I am not a fan.
buck—you’re on target with your johnson analysis—good innovators are always one step ahead of the curve—rod at tulane and clemson—leach at oklahoma and now texas tech—grobe at ohio and now wake—all three have found a unique way to ’skin the cat’ with average talent—yeah the talent was very average when rod arrived at clemson—pj appears to be similar—let’s give him a chance and some time to make it work
It’s just great to have a Saturday and not lose a football game
what about frank solich… sp??, the guy at ohio, he coached at nebraska won there and got a raw deal. he might be in the mix
SFN: He didn’t get a raw deal with his DUI. If fans are cold on Mike Price due to off the field issues, then Solich is going to have a hard time. Evidently, one must be perfect in their personal life to be head coaches at NC State.
“There is tremendous interest out there.”
JimVavano’s statement via WPC staff, “There are murmurings of much bigger names to which I cannot illude” goes well with the tremendous interest statement. Why I ask myself “why?” when we had so much trouble attracting a top tier hoop coach, (even though I’m quite pleased w/ Lowe).
1) Great facilities. Thanks to Amato on this account. The facilities also point to great fan support.
2) Great talent. Last year’s NFL draft drew attention to some of the talent here. Others may see great talent here that Amato was not able to tap.
3) ACC weakness. There doesn’t appear to be a dominant team, or even teams, in the ACC. A coach that wants to build a program of national prominence would not have to worry about one or more perrenial powerhouses.
Bottom line: State is one of the few great opportunities available this year.
^^Woof Wolf - hilarious.
I’m a huge PJ guy, but I understand why others want to look at bigger names.
However, after this spring, I am exceedingly wary of a coaching search that Lee Fowler has anything to do with. I looked back at some of the SFN entries today (which you folks did an outstanding job on) and remembered the sheer horror of the month of April, before Sid saved Lee’s ass. If we can wrap PJ up quick before Bama gets to him, let’s do so.
Once Again……..LOGAN! If he could be a consistant winner at ECU……..
SFN: Just curious…how can someone who got FIRED for not winning enough be considered a consistent winner?
Just pointing out that that SFN makes a blog on the fact that Chuck Neinas is not contracted on the search and speculated that LF was handling it himself and what a botch job that would be.
This of course lead to a 187 post blog which precipitated a discourse on contract law.
Maybe this has something to do with where LF gets the idea that the internet is a problem.
However, I will admit that I wouldn’t have know it was a different firm unless you guy had posted that fact.
We have not said that Neinas isn’t involved in the search. Earlier in the week we simply said that no contract had been signed yet. Today we are sharing that we had heard that Fowler had been talking to a different search firm. Again, that doesn’t mean that a contract exists with that firm.
Did yall just see that play PJ called?? Punter gets the snap and runs probably 20 yards for a first down.
JimValvano,
Can you give any hints about the names you have heard? I know you can’t give us names, but is it a pro guy, head coach in college? Is it someone everyone would know immediately? Thanks.
Wake Forest is going to the ORANGE BOWL!
WOW
How far has our program gone back compared to Wake Forests
I’d like to believe our athletic program is about to have a “rebirth”…but for some reason the moment I think we have a chance, someone kicks me in the balls. You know that feeling, the feeling that you’re almost there and the clock just runs out. Our first step was the facilities, now it’s time to play.
we all may want to go out and buy milk and eggs, stock up on water and non-perishable items. Build a bunker in your house or find a safe room. Either hell has frozen over or it is the end of the world. WAKE FOREST just won the ACC championship in FOOTBALL. I never thought I would see the day
The best part of this thread is that Murphy and others may finally be fed up with LF’s act. I view that as the biggest problem we have in athletics by far.
As for the FB HC give me PJ over anyone including Cowher so far mentioned.
He’s not too old and he wins everywhere he goes. That IMHO is all we can ask.
I had liked everything I had heard about PJ……. Is today a bad day or is this his type coaching? This game has been hard to watch. Navy was supposed to blow out Army, right?
^^ Exactly! Johnson is a proven winner at each level and clearly ready for a bigger program.
Watching the game it is obvious that Navy is well-coached and executing an intricate game plan with skill. Oh, and only two penalties so far…
Nevertheless - GO ARMY!
Cali_Wolf Says: “How far has our program gone back compared to Wake Forests”
While there is no doubt that Chuck failed to win a lot of games he should have won and our OC was miserable, I’m not sure our “program” has gone backwards. We have the facilities, athletes, and fan support to win big in the very near future.
If our program had gone backwards, during a coaching search may not be the best time to be promoting that idea.
Notice when the camera was in the face of the Navy players on the sideline, they weren’t flashing signs or screaming at the camera. Even if PJ isn’t our guy, it would be nice to have that kind of discipline.
A better question might be how far back has the ACC gone when WFU can win the title. Unacceptable.
On PJ as our next coach, no way for me. Did anyone watch the totally boring crap that he runs. The game with Army was close until Army made some bad mistakes and Army is clearly a horrible team. Our existing talent does not fit PJ’s style and I sure as heck don’t want to take three or four years to retool.
Give us a better choice, anyone, please.
^^^^Agreed, I think PJ has reached his level.
if we got PJ he would not run the same stuff. Also did you watch wake win today?? Excitement does not determine wins.
Excitement attracts better talent, that if coached correctly does translate to wins. Might want to think back to BB to see we are bringing in higher profile talent that would not have been interested in our old scheme. Wake is not a recruiting powerhouse, so they do very well with what they have, anyway they have to do it= Good Coach. If PJ will not run his scheme with the Pack, I would make sure to have it in writing.
Jeff: I guess I should clarify….I believe interest in both searches was/is high. But I have to wonder about the motives of some of the coaches after the way things played out in the spring. Some of it certainly was utter incompetence on the part of Lee Fowler. In other instances…we were simply played for a bigger payday. In turn, I wonder how much of the current interest is genuine vs. self-motivated.
If there are other “Big names” interested, might one of them be Rutgers HC?
I just don’t see wanting to go to “The U” and play in the crappy Orange Bowl when our facilities are already there.
I guess one question I would put to PJ is “Can he win running a conventional offense?” IMO one does not build an elite program using a gimiky offense. And by “elite,” I mean a year-in and year-out winner competing for ACC and national championships. Gimiks don’t attract the NFL-capable talent needed to be elite. We have the elite facilities; we should pursue an elite program starting with a coach capable of that goal.
I agree old13
SFN: Just curious…how can someone who got FIRED for not winning enough be considered a consistent winner?
SFN—Logan was a consisant winner. He had a couple of bad seasons (as ALL coaches go through)
SFN: how could he be a CONSISTENT winner with bad seasons? This is my point! He is SUCH a good head coach that nobody else in the country has hired him in five years. But, NC State should hire him. Steve Logan will be a fantastic offensive coordinator. HOPEFULLY at NC State. But, not head coach. Please
and was eventually let go by the new (at that time) AD. Regardless of what ANYONE may think, the relationship between coach and AD is very very important. It is well known that logan did not see things the same way his AD did, and Logan WILL speak his mind. The AD fired Logan after a sub par season and hired Thompson……DUH! Thompson was then fired by the NEW AD TERRY HOLLAND. Logan BEAT NCSU MORE THAN HE LOST TO NCSU, and went to bowl games more than any other ECU coach I can think of. He NEVER went 1-10 like Thompson did. If he had the facilities at ECU that we have at NCSU…he could have won many many C-USA titles, and gone to many many more bowls. Although I hated his guts while he wore purple and gold, he would look really good in red and white. THE MAN CAN COACH AND RECRUIT!!!
“It’s Paul Johnson guys…tomorrow, you’ll see”
My God I hope not. If so State fans will just have to accept being average and hope to slip through the cracks every once in a while when the league is down like Wake did this year. What I saw of that Navy game today was horrible, I couldn’t watch the whole thing because I kept falling asleep…boring.
The PJ offense would be more upbeat and exciting if he had 4 or 5 star recruits like he could get here at NCSU. What I would hate to see would be something like the Tom Reed “3 yards and a cloud of dust” offense.
The option can be very fast and exciting to watch, and can be very successful. WFU uses its own version of the option attack–called misdirection. THEY JUST WON THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIP!!!
If he is not too old, what about Jerry Moore the HC of App St??
That may be a name to throw in the hat!!
Wake Forest only gave up 14.7 points per game.
“Very fast and exciting to watch”? Did you not see either game today?
PJ has only won three games in his five years at Navy against 1A teams with winng records, and they all finished 7-5.
Go PJ. Go to Alabama.
But if he is the man I’ll be an instant fan. I heard what he said the other day about what he would do with a strong arm and tall fast receivers. Either way he’s got at least two years of .500 ball before I will bail out on him.
Daniel’s pass and Dunlap’s great catch in the BC game made the season highllights on the CBS halftime show.
I just got this off an Alabama blog. Poor Bama fans are having a tough time finding a coach, but looks like Steve Spurrier has found a solution for all of us:
STEVE SPURRIER ACCEPTS ALABAMA JOB
According to the Pelion Times, two sources inside the Spurrier family, here in South Carolina, confirm that Coach Spurrier will indeed be taking the job at Alabama, as well as the Miami and North Carolina State jobs. The two sources are long time family pets named Eagle, a 4 year old turkey, and Birdie, a 3 year old rooster. Both sources are quoted as saying that Coach Spurrier feels he will have no problem coaching all three teams. He plans on scheduling his team’s games as follows; one team at noon, another at 4:00 and the last at 8:00. He said that with his personal jet, which all three schools have agreed to provide him, he should be able to coach all three games with no problems
I like the idea of having Jimbo Fisher. Wasn’t there something about him coming to State sometime in 2005?
.
Paul Johnson should NOT be the Guy, IMHO.
We can do better. And should do better.
.
“What I would hate to see would be something like the Tom Reed “3 yards and a cloud of dust” offense.”
Hey, 3 yards and a cloud of dust would have been an up stat this past year. If those swing passes could have consistently gained 3 yards, NCSU would have been playing in the Orange Bowl instead of Wake. Easy, easy. Just joking around. the only problem is there is an element of truth behind every joke.
I really do have a comprehension problem. I read:
“.…We have to ask our coaches to take their programs toward those levels. But we also have to provide the facilities for them to at that level if we are going to demand those results.”
What I heard when I read that was someone being responsible for providing facilities commenserate with the demands made on the coaches.
In my wildest dreams did I realize that I failed to comprehend that Fowler was saying “unless/until a coach has the best facilities in America they should not be held accountable for results.”
Of course I’m just a country hick who went to NC State, I shouldn’t be so hard on myself for my comprehesion short-comings.
“Just thinking - watching the championship games and other games today - you have WF, AK and Florida running gimmick offenses. Ditto for WVa….Ditto for Navy.”
With prudent use of the red-shirt year and the quality weight training available at every BCS school coupled with scholarship restrictions, the field has been leveled somewhat regarding having big, strong and quick D-lines. No longer are the OSUs, NDs, Bamas, etc., able to stock up with all the naturally big boys leaving the dregs for the also rans. In order to successfully and consistently move the football you have to create some hesitancy, be able to counter the bull-dozing linemen like Tank Tyler, and freeze linebackers who run like most wide receivers.
Given the above and the cycles of change Chop mentions above, offenses have to change to stay ahead of defenses. Misdirection and other what was once considered to be “gimictry” is being installed to make the bread and butter plays of the offense be effective.
IMNSHO that was the major problem with the Wolfpack offense this year. Time has passed the WCO by. Defenses are coached and given keys to render it in effective. Another factor to be considered at the higher levels is speed. You can only do so much to increase a young man’s speed. The high profile programs are taking the fastest of the recruits. Equally high profile programs must neutralize the opponents speed by means of deception (gimictry), misdirection, etc. The bright coaches in mid-majors and I-AA programs are using the same tactics to be successful ala WF.
I’d bet the FLs, AKs, WVs, FSUs, etc., have a designed sequence for those plays and that what gets created in the D is used to enhance the more traditional O they run.
Other than this I don’t have any idea why WF or Navy would run the stuff they run. You can bet your last dollar that the coaches for those teams would not run it up the middle 4 out of five times inside the 2 yd line like some other team I know of.
Mike Riley of Oregon State…first time I’ve seen his named linked to openings…good read, and a good candidate for someone.
http://www.fanblogs.com/alabama/006807.php
Jerry Moore is TOO old.
You guys that keep saying “we can do better than Paul Johnson”, how about giving some of your “better” candidate suggestions?
Bill Cowher
Jimbo Fisher
Bud Foster—VA Tech Def Coord.
Jim Donnan
Mike Price
Mike Sherman
Norm Chow
Mike Riley
June Jones
Skip Holtz
Dick Sheridan
Me
My grandma
you
your grandma
and Steve Logan along with Chuck Amato, Ted Roof, Mike O’Cain, John Bunting, Carl Torbush, and Bo Schembeckler are all better candidates in my mind than Paul Johnson.
Hey, Woof Woof, I’ve been a Wolfpack fan before Carter-Finley Stadium, before Coach Case died, and before half of the buildings on the State campus were built. I’ve also hired more State grads than you probably ever even met, so learn how to read before you pop off at the mouth.
Anyway, that was just a post off an Alabama blog that I thought had some humor directed at the fanatic Alabama fans. If you’d read my intro to the post, you might have figured that out! Before this is over, I’ve got a feeling that the Alabama football coach search might even look worse that
our(AND I’LL REPEAT “OUR”) basketball coach searh was.
However, I would be thrilled to death if we’d end up with a coach with half the abilities of Spurrier!
Dear SFN guys, I stand corrected, you in fact you said, “We were told on Monday that NC State was USING a consulting firm based in Atlanta”.
So I guess what you’re saying is that we’re using an ALT firm but it can’t be confirmed that there is a contract?!
In addition in your response above you said that does not mean that aren’t using Neinas.
Now I’m totally confused.
Your resident attorneys advised that NO search organization would work for someone without a contract (unless now you’ll claim that the fact that we are “using” someone does not constitute “work” on their part)
JV…the fact that you think Dick Sheridan is a better candidate than PJ, is where you lost me and most others on this board! Dick Sheridan?? Give me a break.
I too would love to see BC here next year, but that will not happen. So the next logical choice for a head guy is PJ.
Highstick:
Sorry. It was late. I should have gone to sleep an hour earlier.
Bobby Johnson is the best coach on the list. One thing David Glen left off, was the fact Bobby Johnson led his Furman coached squad into Chapel Hill and throttled UNC at Kenan.
He is working in an enviroment on par with Duke right now and has beaten Tennessee and Georgia. Vanderbilt is no longer chalked up as a win, SEC teams must prepare for Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt does not have an athletic department and their football facilities are awful. However, Bobby Johnson has gotten recruits to go there. Imagine what he could do with our facilities. Several South Carolina Alumni co workers of mine, have sung Bobby Johnson praises as the best coach in the SEC. Their fear is Clemson would fire Bowden and replace Bowden with Bobby Johnson.
Bobby Johnson did have a long and solid career at Furman. I am sure he has developed many recruiting contacts in the Carolinas over the years. I am sure that knowledge would help in battling Butch Davis and Jim Grobe for good solid recruits in the Carolinas. If he can get players to go to Vanderbilt he must be doing something right.
I remember last time NCSU hired a Furman man, good things did happen.
A new name has surfaced this week. Rick Stockstill - Middle Tennesse State first year head coach whom led the Blue Raider’s to a conference championship and they will make a Bowl apperance.
He is a former Spurrier-Holtz-Ford assistant whom is know as one of the best recruiters in the country. He can flat out recriut the South-East.
This is the guy who hired MANNY DIAZ away from CTC last year.
Regarding Mason above, the U of Minnesota stadium should be completed by the ‘09 season.
I could easily see Mason getting a nice fat contract extension in order to ensure that he is there to open up the new building. Also note that Mason has a little Beamer in him when it comes to looking out for his assistants. I wouldnt be shocked if Mason went out and flirted with schools in an attempt to get his assistants a little more cash. Gopher Fans might pony up the dough too. They are still smarting over losing Lou Holtz to Notre Dame.
I put him in the Houston Nutt folder. The one labled “Great Coaches Looking For More Money. Proceed With Extreme Caution”.
Paul Johnson’s agent is in Atlanta.
From RAWFS:
Point is, Lee Fowler has done a superb job of containing the information on this coaching search, something that he deserves a lot of credit for. We fans have no need to know the details right now, and in fact, in a highly dynamic situation like a coach leaving one situation to take another, or choosing one offer over the other, a leak can change things and cause more damage than help. Fowler and his search committee know this and are keeping mum on the subject.
But it is fun to speculate and wish and hope.
Jimbo Fisher is a future greatcoach.
Reports Jimbo is getting an interview for the job
http://ncstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=615428
If what is posted here: http://www.xanga.com/NCStatefootball
is true, I have even much less confidence that Foulup will find the best fit for NCSU at FB HC. Seems to me that he’s made his mind up already and is now just going through the motions of seeming to look at all the possiblilties. He’s STILL an idiot and should be fired!
Personally I’d take Jimbo over PJ every day of the week and twice on Sunday!
“Lee Fowler has done a superb job of containing the information on this coaching search, something that he deserves a lot of credit for.”
Or maybe the BOT people have kept him out of the loop so that he *can’t* leak anything
I doubt it, but we can hope…
DG was on 620 The Bull this morning and said that State cancelled Jimbo Fisher’s interview.