Coach O’Brien’s comments don’t fit NC State

Some great quotes and information came out of Coach O’Brien’s press conference yesterday and can be seen and heard by clicking here.

Fortunately for all of us – Coach O’Brien’s comments indicate that he employs a management style that in no way is consistent or congruent with the value structure with Lee Fowler’s Athletics Department or within the entire University since the departure of Bruce Poulton in the late 1980s – excluding the Marye Ann Fox years.

“McKeen played very well. He’s got a lot of pass rushing ability. I think he performed better than Markus Kuhn did. We’re a performance-based organization here so he moved up.

WOW! A ‘performance-based organization‘!? In West Raleigh? What in the world is that? TOB may want to take some time and explain such a thing to the folks who think accolades and employment are an extension of natural rights conveyed to people who do nothing more than breathe and sustain life.

Do you mean to tell me that Coach O’Brien made this roster move after watching the performance of these players for just a few plays in ONE GAME? Doesn’t he know that he needs to give Kuhn more time? What if Kuhn’s girlfriend just dumped him? Shouldn’t that be taken into consideration? Maybe he wore the wrong shoes on Thursday night? A few plays in one game?! Is that really ‘fair’? Kuhn has sacrificed so much by coming to Raleigh from Germany. Surely he should get at least a few years to improve his performance before being so cruel as to promote someone in front of him. Doesn’t TOB know anything about the need for continuity and consistency?

The more I think about it, Coach O’Briens blatant disregard for the NC State culture is amazing. It borders on absolute blasphemy in West Raleigh!

TOBTB – Tom O’Brien The Blasphemer!!! What would Jim statusquOblinger say?

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General NC State Administration Quotes of Note Tom O'Brien

32 Responses to Coach O’Brien’s comments don’t fit NC State

  1. old13 09/02/2008 at 9:21 AM #

    I wonder if TOB’s realized yet that what he thought was a “sleeping giant” is really a “sleeping dog” when the school and department administrations are considered!

  2. UpstateSCWolfpack 09/02/2008 at 9:28 AM #

    It is amazing to me on the fact that we even got O’Brien as a coach. I am not sure how Fowler pulled it off. I realize that most of the players on the team are from the Amato era, was he just a terrible judge of talent or is it that the players on the team now unable to grasp O’Brien’s system and expectations? I see this season as a wash, but I sure do hope that next year’s team will begin to show an acceptance of the system with more players brought in by O’Brien and his staff. How frustrated must he be though? I know we knew this was a rebuilding project but I wonder if he realized just what kind of mess it was and is.

    SFN: Why do you think “Fowler pulled it off?”

    Fowler didn’t have much to do with the hiring at all. Chuck Neinas was hired to conduct the search. Tom O’Brien wanted out of BC and came to us because of how impressed he was with our facilities and our fans. Boom. Search over.

  3. UpstateSCWolfpack 09/02/2008 at 9:32 AM #

    anyone know where I could get two tickets for the Clemson game in the State section?

  4. whitefang 09/02/2008 at 9:44 AM #

    I doubt he knew what a mess he was stepping into. I still believe we are damn lucky to have him. I can only hope that he is the kind of guy he seems to be – one who won’t bail on a “project” until he gets it turned around.

  5. old13 09/02/2008 at 9:48 AM #

    “I am not sure how Fowler pulled it off.”

    Foulup had nothing to do with it. TOB was actively looking to leave BC. He merely fell into Foulup’s lap. I give Foulup absolutely no credit for TOB being at NCSU. If it had not been for TOB already looking around, we’d have ended up with another loser I’m sure!

  6. howlie 09/02/2008 at 9:52 AM #

    Funny stuff JB. You could rival Jim Rome with some biting wit & straightforward assesment–and would be better.

  7. sf59 09/02/2008 at 10:04 AM #

    awesome quote…

    ps: in time MK will be a stud too

  8. Bosleps 09/02/2008 at 10:09 AM #

    I think he is just taking sort of a ‘you’ve got the job until you’re injured or I find someone better’ approach. It sends the players a clear message: be at your best, or you will drop a spot. A player can then either step it up and get better, drop to #2, or quit, but TOB doesn’t coach no quitter. To me, it’s not like TOB should coddle him. The goal is to win the game. We gonna win, and we gotta win now.

  9. DRW 09/02/2008 at 10:14 AM #

    Accountability. What a concept!!!

  10. Scooter 09/02/2008 at 10:19 AM #

    Am I the only one who thinks TOB might be taking a dig at the administration above him? If so, can he be Chancellor when he’s finished with coaching? Please get the muppets out of the top administration positions sooner rather than later.

  11. Girlfriend in a Coma 09/02/2008 at 10:26 AM #

    How would you like to be one of the QBs who could not beat out Evans? Seriously, think about that.

  12. Ismael 09/02/2008 at 10:32 AM #

    he probably should have given Kuhn time to build some fuh-CI-luh-tees

  13. Ismael 09/02/2008 at 10:36 AM #

    Scooter – can you imagine the entrenched, i-will-die-with-my-ncstate-admin-job=for-no-good-reason, mentality that probably permeates the people TOB has to report to…he probably throws-up in his mouth everytime he has to deal with the administration.

  14. Scooter 09/02/2008 at 10:39 AM #

    I throw up in my mouth over it, too. There it goes again…

    Maybe we should try recruiting in Japan — sumo wrestlers are great at pushing people around, inside the shoulders and with open hands even.

  15. vtpackfan 09/02/2008 at 10:47 AM #

    Impressed with the info he shared on W & M. I think he realizes that talent alone will not overwhelm, after all we don’t have a Tate type player to bail us out.

    We will need to stop them from running the offense they are most comfortable with. When we are on offense we need to pound the ball and work the play action in. If Bible is comfortable with DE or HB in a straight drop back timing route pass attack then he is flat out gutsy.

  16. Trip 09/02/2008 at 10:49 AM #

    I can’t believe they wouldn’t let Markus Kuhn play… what if his feelings are hurt?

    Personally, if I was Markus I would be working my ass off to get my job back. Competition is never a bad thing.

  17. Scooter 09/02/2008 at 10:54 AM #

    I’m only comfortable with Harrison Beck in a hotdog-eating competition. It’s probably not a reach to say that Bible hasn’t been comfortable with his options since arriving at NCSU. For his sanity’s sake, we have to keep the redshirt on Mike Glennon. He needs time to watch the college game and pick up some muscle. Seriously, he looked thirteen years old when they showed him at the USC game.

  18. lsutton5144 09/02/2008 at 11:45 AM #

    UpstateSCWolfpack,
    I’ll have 3 for the Clemson game I need to sell, in Wolfpack section.
    [email protected]

  19. thekind 09/02/2008 at 1:28 PM #

    SFN-
    Usually love and agree with your insight, but I have to scoff at this one.
    Tell that “performance based” BS to Harrison Beck. I can not ever remember seeing any college quarterback as lost as Daniel Evans was last Thursday night, and what does General TOB do? Start him again.

    What a joke. And the saddest part about it is there are many regular students at our campus that could have done better than he performed the other night.

    SFN- What gives?

    SFN: Beck has obviously worked his ass off during the offseason on the Brandon Costner work out plan

  20. lush 09/02/2008 at 1:43 PM #

    ^it is pretty obvious that there is no one better cheif. beck was awful on thursday too

  21. choppack1 09/02/2008 at 1:48 PM #

    thekind – there’s a fine line you walk between rewarding the best player and rewarding a behavior that sets a horrid example to the rest of the team.

    Beck, by all appearances – and in his performance in games -hasn’t done anything to seperate himself from Evans on the field. Off the field, it looks like he’s out of shape.

    I think in the of these two DLs – you are looking at someone who won a job vs. someone who lost it. Someone who earned a starting job by performance vs. someone who had it given to them because there were no better options.

    If Beck were in shape and setting a better example, I don’t think you’d see Evans starting. Clearly, Evans starting now says more about Beck than it does about TOB or Evans.

  22. SMD 09/02/2008 at 2:03 PM #

    Having to endure the long, slog of rebuilding (or are we just “building”??) sucks, but every time I hear TOB talk, I am convinced that we are in good hands.

    If we can build a program that averages 8-9 wins per season and goes to a decent bowl most years, I will be thrilled and satisfied. There’s no reason TOB won’t do this.

  23. DAMangum 09/02/2008 at 4:20 PM #

    Hopefully after TOB retires from coaching he will be hired as AD at State!

  24. Sw0rdf1sh 09/02/2008 at 5:08 PM #

    That is funny stuff and I agree with Howlie. Just don’t start calling people Chris Everett or it could get ugly.

    I think McKeen did great and it still gives Kuhn time to take it away if he can outperform.

  25. b 09/02/2008 at 5:13 PM #

    /\Second that DA, he is firm but rewards performance and is loyal to his subjugates. None of the “we were this close” or if ands buts, we got licked no excuses. We as fans can seek moral victories, TOB and his team only want the real ones.

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