Second Chance Coach = Best Case

by **Duke Blue Blood** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:21 pm

Lets face it and this has not changed from the beginning. We are amongst the worst D-1 programs in the nation. No argument, I know. WE (myself included) think we are much better than that and thus raise our expectations.

Truth is that we should be HAPPY AS SH$T with ANY "NAME" coach that is willing to come here. There is only one place to go and that is up.

I welcome, Coker-Bowden-Barnett-Neuheisel..any of them. They are all BIG steps up from what we have had in the past.

Second Chance Coach = Best Case. If you don't agree, then you need to lower your expectations. You can raise them after we start winning.

DBB

by **OC Mustang** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:53 pm

Couldn't have said it any better. I agree.

by **Stallion** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:55 pm

I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

by **SMUer** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 6:56 pm

because...

by **perunapower** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:00 pm

Stallion wrote:I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

Completely agree. Anytime you take a national championship contender and finish your career there at a measly 7-6, that's pathetic. I don't care if he changed from the Big East to the ACC, a step up obviously. If you win the national championship you should be expected to fare well in ANY conference you're in.

Like it or not, Larry Coker is known for driving Miami into mediocrity, unruly players, and the brawl against FIU last year. He rode Butch Davis's coattails to win that national championship. Larry Coker would be a HUGE mistake.

by **SMU88** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:03 pm

perunapower wrote:
Stallion wrote:I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

Completely agree. Anytime you take a national championship contender and finish your career there at a measly 7-6, that's pathetic. I don't care if he changed from the Big East to the ACC, a step up obviously. If you win the national championship you should be expected to fare well in ANY conference you're in.

Like it or not, Larry Coker is known for driving Miami into mediocrity, unruly players, and the brawl against FIU last year. He rode Butch Davis's coattails to win that national championship. Larry Coker would be a HUGE mistake.

Yep Larry Coker started the brawl against FIU. :roll:

Larry Coker won a national championship and had another one stolen from him..something BD couldn't do.

by **SMUer** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:05 pm

Coke built the program with Davis since the beginning, since 1995...I hardly think that's riding anyone's coat tails...do records not count until five years after you take over? "Throw out those back to back National Championship games! And those coach of the year awards. He was using the players the Davis (and Coker) recruited, those don't count."

by **perunapower** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:08 pm

SMU88 wrote:
perunapower wrote:
Stallion wrote:I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

Completely agree. Anytime you take a national championship contender and finish your career there at a measly 7-6, that's pathetic. I don't care if he changed from the Big East to the ACC, a step up obviously. If you win the national championship you should be expected to fare well in ANY conference you're in.

Like it or not, Larry Coker is known for driving Miami into mediocrity, unruly players, and the brawl against FIU last year. He rode Butch Davis's coattails to win that national championship. Larry Coker would be a HUGE mistake.

Yep Larry Coker started the brawl against FIU.

Larry Coker won a national championship and had another one stolen from him..something BD couldn't do.

I didn't say he started it. If you cannot keep your players from hitting other players with their helmets, you have no control over your players. If you can't keep your players out of jail, you have no control over your players. I realize they have to make their own choices, but coaches should do things to guide their players. That is a coaching aspect that Coker clearly has not grasped.

When you take a national championship team and over your tenure make it a 7-6 team, you've obviously done something very wrong.

by **Alaric** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:14 pm

Stallion wrote:I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

The only reason Stallion thinks he'd be horrible is because Stallion doesn't think he'd be able to recruit. OK, here's your platform, why won't he be able to recruit?

by **Big Hoss** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:15 pm

Unfortunately, many of the best athletes come from suspect neighborhoods and surroundings. So if they aren't troublemakers, they probably have friends who are. Not justifying their actions, I'm just saying that you have to really be a strong force in a kid's life to overcome the many challenges you will face because of their background.

Coker's not the only candidate that has been mentioned that could be construed as a "coach who lost control of his program". Gary Barnett, who many people on this board must think is the second coming of Jesus Christ with a clipboard, was in charge when Colorado had players associated with a rape.

by **OC Mustang** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:16 pm

Stallion wrote:I think you guys are nuts. He's a horrible choice and I've known how bad this job has been for the last 18 years. The WORST POSSIBLE HIRE.

Wouldn't be the 1st time we disagreed. Duly noted.

As I said in another thread, and I think you have mused about in recent weeks, SMU is unlikely to get its first choice, much less your first choice, or for that matter, my first choice. In fact, I think Duke, you, I, and God knows who else are not and were never going to get our first choice...for frankly, our 2nd, or 3rd, and even perhaps our 4th.

My first choice: Bowden (knows how to recruit and win...period).
My second choice: Barnett (knows how to win w/thumbs tied behind back).
My third choice: Mason (BCS school; fundamentals coach; can recruit TX).
My fourth choice: Fran (knows turnarounds and appears to recruit well).
My fifth choice: Bower (appears to recruit & win in CUSA)
My sixth choice: Coker (since the other five aren't available)....

I may have limited my possibilities with not picking sitting coaches, but that just seemed like reasonable expectations. I am also shying away from NFL/college crossovers...not for any reason other than I don't feel comfortable calling out strengths and weaknesses.

So Stallion, relax. It can be much, much worse...and if biggin' is accurate, Coker is the LEAST of your worries.

Fortunately, I don't agree with biggin' either. :roll:

by **perunapower** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:25 pm

Big Hoss wrote:Unfortunately, many of the best athletes come from suspect neighborhoods and surroundings. So if they aren't troublemakers, they probably have friends who are. Not justifying their actions, I'm just saying that you have to really be a strong force in a kid's life to overcome the many challenges you will face because of their background.

Coker's not the only candidate that has been mentioned that could be construed as a "coach who lost control of his program". Gary Barnett, who many people on this board must think is the second coming of Jesus Christ with a clipboard, was in charge when Colorado had players associated with a rape.

That's a load of crap. SL Carroll and HP have two of the BEST football programs in the state and neither are in suspect neighborhoods. Neither are Katy, Copperas Cove, The Woodlands, Austin Westlake, etc.

by **huskerpony** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:27 pm

I am amazed at the insanity of people in here.

Who cares how old the guy looks! Who cares if he couldn't control the players at Miami--what coach down there ever really has?

Personally, I don't care if he threw the first punch in that brawl! I want to win some football games.

You're expectations are all WAY OUT OF LINE! We're not looking to win national championships at this school. While that should be an eventual goal, right now we need to make it to a bowl game, regain some national recognition, and turn recruiting around. We can raise our expectations to winning the conference, making BCS runs, etc. after we....say.....have a second winning season? ......make a bowl game? ......win some gameS--plurarl being the key there--next year?

Coker, while not my first choice, has the coaching skills to win some games and the recruiting prowess to snag a couple of decent mid-level players that are looking for early playing time. That's all this program needs right now, and really, the best case scenario of what we can expect to get out of a head coach at this point.

We're not getting Bob Stoops or Les Miles, or even Mike Gundy or Mike Leach......probably not even a June Jones, Chris Peterson, Gary Paterson, or Turner Gill. Bring on Coker, Barnett, Neuheisel, Bowden. They would all be sufficient and significant improvements. Their older age is probably an advantage even because they are not likely to try and use this as a springboard. They just want some redemption for their egos. Bring 'em in. Let them turn this trainwreck around a bit. They retire in a few years with some credibility returned. SMU will regain some prominence, and maybe we can compete with some of the bigger boys for a coach the next time around.

If Steve-O has somebody decent on the line, then fine, keep going after them. But anyone who would be upset with any of these retreads who have had massive success in their careers is out of their mind. You can argue which one would be a better fit for SMU, but you can't argue that any of them don't have a better chance at getting recruits or winning games than Bennett, Cavan, or Rossley ever could dream of.

Personally, I think Barnett would be way better than Coker. If we actually have a chance at June Jones or Norm Chow (which I doubt we do,) great--give it your best shot Steve-O. But if that falls through, I for one won't be dismayed if we have Larry Coker at the helm. There are certainly better candidates out there, but we may not be able to get them. The next best option is a coordinator who doesn't have ambitions of getting a BCS job in the next couple of years, and no one in here seems to want that, so take the guy that has a national championship ring on his hand for god sakes!

by **panhandlepony** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:30 pm

You sir, have hit the nail on the head. Those of you awaiting the announcement of Bear, Knute or others of this ilk will have a very long wait. Be realistic, if we get a "name" coach that can recruit; and, if we can start offering new sports related degree programs to our recruits, this will allow us to compete with other BCS and C-USA schools. In summary, a name, a recruiting bull dog and new sports related degrees will enhance our possibilities for success. Panhandlepony

by **The XtC** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:34 pm

[quote="huskerpony"] Who cares if he couldn't control the players at Miami--[/quote]

I care. I would like to win games as well, but I do not want to see the University embarrassed again. Particularly not on that scale. I'm not saying that it would definitely happen, but it's a concern. I also dont see any guarantees that Coker would win here, it's a very different situation than what he stepped into in Miami.

Only a fool rushes into something without considering the variables, good and bad.

Second Chance Coach = Best Case

Second Chance Coach = Best Case

Who is online