TOB talk & Zarzour pulls no punches

Earlier in the week SFN highlighted some uncorroborated ‘chatter’ going around the internet related to the job security of NC State Head Football Coach, Tom O’Brien. (Click here)

The last couple of days we’ve heard more and more speculation in Wolfpack circles that O’Brien may be given the opportunity to have another year(s) on the NC State sidelines provided he make significant changes across his entire coaching staff.

With that as the backdrop, I found the following comments from Taylor Zazour (included here) particularly interesting. The comments very accurately and succinctly summarize the state of affairs in the NC State football program…and may even accurately nail how things are going to unfold behind the scenes over the next few weeks.

Tom O’Brien is defenseless if someone were to ask him why his program has had one winning in season in five tries. I know he’s had injuries, and I know his best player left for Wisconsin, but NC State should have a lot more talent and win more games. His recruiting classes have been abysmal, he’s built little depth, and you never know what you’re going to get from one week to the next. Sure, he can rightfully boast about never losing to Carolina but how about doing something else?

If Athletic Director Debbie Yow does the right thing and asks O’Brien to fire some of his assitants he has no choice. They are antiquated (old), out of touch with their players, and unimaginative. If TOB refuses then Yow must ask him for his resignation. With North Carolina’s program in disarray, and Duke, Wake, and ECU all playing average to bad football the Wolfpack has no business treading in mediocrity. But that’s where they are and its all O’Brien’s fault.

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64 Responses to TOB talk & Zarzour pulls no punches

  1. Master 11/17/2011 at 10:31 PM #

    I spoke with someone at the highest level today. This person said that coach O’Brien should be fired at the end of the season, but that it may not happen. I did not interpret the “may” as “will not happen,” it was more of a “small chance it may not happen.” I could be wrong. We were on the edge of a large crowd and he was being guarded in his comments, so I did not pursue his exact meaning. This is not the friend of a friend who knows people near the top. Thats all I’m going to say.

  2. ryebread 11/17/2011 at 11:03 PM #

    If TOB somehow pulls two wins out of @SS and gets to a bowl, then he’ll be back. There’s no way politically we’d fire a coach coming off of two bowls. Now, I don’t think that’s going to happen, but it could because Clemson is very beatable and MD is downright awful.

    If TOB goes 0-2 in the last two, then he’ll be ending the year on a three game losing streak, with two of those games being to the bottom teams in our division. The decision will be a no brainer, unless we’re in such dire financial straights that we can’t make a move.

    Finishing at 6-6 is where it gets interesting. My guess is due to finances, that TOB would get another year. I think we owe him through 2015 — not just one more year as many thought.

    I also think that Yow might be burning through the cash. I’ve seen far, far too many posts to believe otherwise. Can we really afford buy outs of Fowler, Lowe, TOB (and his assistants), more $$$ to basketball, upgrades in facilities, game buy outs, etc.? Somehow I just don’t think so. The scary thing about Yow is that she burnt through a war chest at MD and left them bleeding red. I’m afraid she might be doing the same thing here.

  3. Mike 11/18/2011 at 1:08 AM #

    The sad thing is IF we beat Clempsun, we will lay a golden egg against the Turtles. We have had other years with everything to play for and could not get up for them.

    As for replacing assistants – no good assistants are coming into an unstable situation. They dont want to look again next year.

    As for a coach in waiting, show me one where that has actually worked. Fisher at FSU – maybe, but that is still up in the air.

  4. MrPlywood 11/18/2011 at 3:26 AM #

    re two more wins and a bowl and TOB stays – that’s just chopping wood, again. we’ve been through that. if in fact he is asked to clean house and he complies, maybe the hiring can be done with a transition to HC in mind. Of course that’s looking way down the road, but that could be a way to maintain whatever recruiting pipeline there is…

  5. Tuffy2 11/18/2011 at 5:57 AM #

    It really is amazing how I hear if TOB beats Clemson and loses to Maryland he is gone. The other is if TOB wins both and goes to a bowl he stays.

    Is there recruiting in there somewhere?

    I”ll even play along with this one, but this is my scenario. We beat Clemson and the Terps. We play RW and Wisconsin in a bowl and win it. THEN HE WOULD HAVE ENOUGH AMMO TO STAY. I would let him go anyway because of that one important element(RECRUITING).

    See I am from that era also when I would go to CARTER STADIUM and really believe we would win.

  6. eas 11/18/2011 at 8:11 AM #

    Actually we do win at Carter Finley. However, we Absolutely CANNOT win anywhere else. I would agree Tuffy2 that even when we do win at home it always feels like luck.

    Replacing the assistants is such a bad idea at so many levels. If you were successful would you come to Raleigh knowing the coach may only have more year? No way. Not to be negative but I hope the choice is clear at the end of the season to replace the TOB crew. Great guy and leader but the game has changed. We don’t change with it and that is the biggest problem.

  7. baxter 11/18/2011 at 8:57 AM #

    I just want to end the year on a positive note. If we play our hearts out tomorrow, there is a slight chance of a miracle, but we’ll all be saying, so what, we beat a team who was sleep walking and had no reason to play.

    If we finish 6-6, I’m going to be mad, but that means we at least beat one of the teams I hate right after UNC. After that, I’m okay either way with what Yow does. The thing is though, this is a very complete recruiting class so far, and I would be royally pissed if we go through Yow’s drawn out hiring process again. Let’s be real, she said as much, she got lucky with CMG wanting to be back in the game. I don’t think its nearly as dire in football, but I’m worried about our money situation and the fact we are screwed w/ 2 non-confs next year.

  8. JSRy2k 11/18/2011 at 6:36 PM #

    Replacing Assistants = Bad Idea
    It would be one thing if just the DC or OC were poor, but we have so many problems that if one goes then they all need to go, TOB included.

    That said, I understand if we retain him another year for financial reasons. Perhaps the rumors of DY threatening mass staff changes are because she thinks he won’t do it and resign instead.

  9. mak4dpak 11/18/2011 at 7:47 PM #

    Really tired of the TOB experiment, but could live with him another year, if Bible and Archer are gone, or at least Bible. While the defense has come around, the offense is a joke, and the play calling is quite predictable and boring, thus our lack of TDs the last few games, and that sucks. I wish TOB could wake up and smell the roses. This is a job, and friend or not, if you are not doing your job, it is time to move on, especially as our offensive strategy is truly outdated, since we don’t have the advantage of big overpowering offensive line like TOB had at BC. The play calling should be based on the players we have, and their abilities.

  10. ColoradoWolf 11/18/2011 at 7:52 PM #

    Yow is not going to tell TOB what to do. She will evaluate and decide. She has said that having a championship calibre football team is central to her vision for NC State. She has said, “It starts with football and men’s basketball.” Can’t imagine any reasonable scenario where we will not have a new head coach.

  11. wolfpack4ever 11/18/2011 at 11:42 PM #

    ” Can’t imagine any reasonable scenario where we will not have a new head coach.”

    ColoradoWolf, I would like to believe what you say. However, I do agree with some other previous posts also. I don’t know if we have the financials to be under three buyouts.

    The Wendell Murhpy(s) of the Pack could take care of it if they agree that it is time to make the move. I have no idea what their feelings are toward this football program now. Anyone else close to the “big wolves”?

    Go Pack!!!

  12. 44rules 11/19/2011 at 3:50 AM #

    It wasn’t Clint who shot out of the bathtub. It was Tuco. But the movie was “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.”

  13. hiltonpeel 11/19/2011 at 9:08 AM #

    Our football Coach is a very nice person of good character but he fails to provide his players with extra encouragement during games. I believe this attribute is the missing ingrediant that is a basic requirement to having a winning sports program. It appears as if his management style is like a chief executive who never comes off his perch to get involved with his employees. It’s like “silence is golden”. I haven’t seen him live up to the great reputation he brought to State. Unfortunately I don’t expect any change in his game coaching style which likey carries over to his recruiting mannerism. He needs to get excited for a change and quit counting blades of grass. DY has a timely opportunity.

  14. mak4dpak 11/19/2011 at 9:31 AM #

    Perhaps Coach Fedora would be a good fit, at 46, and one of the nation’s top offensive coor, before becoming HC @ Southern Mississippi.

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