Why I Am Glad We Have Orsini

[huskerpony]

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2008/12/aub ... ulsas.html

Auburn interviewed Todd Graham today.

--I am in no way bashing Todd Graham. Good coach, and I know lots of people here thought we should have looked at him too. I'm not even saying he isn't the right guy for the job. However, this is Auburn we are talking about. Not a school trying to buy its way out of the abyss, and here are the people they have interviewed PUBLICLY!

Tulsa's Todd Graham, Buffalo coach Turner Gill, Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner and University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix.

SERIOUSLY! This is Auburn's coaching list! Not that there aren't some guys on there that deserve consideration.......but for Auburn, you would think there would be some bigger names than a bunch of semi-successful coaches from the MAC, CUSA, and the WAC. Apparently Dooley was even trying to deny he was interviewed, but later broke down and confirmed it!

Perhaps this is all smoke screen--like Leach at UW--(coincidentally, the Omaha papers are reporting that Paul Johnson and Jimbo Fischer may have interviewed behind the scenes.) But still, the way Orsini handled the public side of the coaching search was far better. Orsini very well may have interviewed Todd Graham and even a couple other guys on this list, but we were hearing names like Barnett, Paul Johnson, Bowden, etc.--and we land June Jones. To me, the Auburn list looks more like what most people would have expected SMU to be looking at, and SMU's list looked more like what I would expect Auburn to be looking at (minus Bowden, of course!)

I guess it still remains to be seen if the interminable search was worth it and Jones can turn this ship around, but Orsini definitely did a bang-up job as far as raising our public image and landing a huge name. I am really glad he didn't want to take on the Charlie Weis mess and leave to take over ND!



Funny enough, I just checked out the Auburn boards, and they are having the EXACT same discussions we were last year (all the same names, the same discussions about Turner Gill, with some knuckleheads throwing out things like "we should be going after Gruden!") I do have to say, if the public list is accurate, Turner Gill is by far the best guy they have interviewed. And Kevin Steele would jump ship from team Saban to join him. (There is starting to be some chatter up here that this may actually happen, but as always, don't believe a word until you see a press conference!)

[Pony Soup]

as always, don't believe a word until you see a press conference!

Don't believe a word until you hear it from me.

http://www.ponyfans.com/phpBB2/viewtopi ... highlight=

[2112]

i think that boss man orsini....really packs heat.....

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

[EastStang]

Its all about lowering Auburn fans expectations. They fired Tuberville and want a big name. No name they get will be as big as Tuberville who won a National Championship. They're not getting LSU's, Florida's or Alabama's coach, Spurrier from So. Carolina, or Nutt from Ole Miss. They're not getting Mack Brown, Stoops or Leach. They're probably not getting Pete Carroll. That means getting names that are retreads to some degree or up and comers. So, whoever they get looks better than those publicly interviewed whether its Barnett or one of the Bowdens, or Franchione, the OSU coach, or Fatterson. That way, the fans go, whew, I thought we were getting a bum which no credentials.

[George S. Patton]

No name they get will be as big as Tuberville who won a National Championship.

When did he do that? He had a 13-0 season in 2004 but the Tigers didn't play for the title.

[EastStang]

That's right, he won that AP national championship, not the Coaches Poll National Championship. Sort of like our 1935 National Championship and our 1982 National Championship.

[George S. Patton]

That's right, he won that AP national championship, not the Coaches Poll National Championship. Sort of like our 1935 National Championship and our 1982 National Championship.

BTW, loved the protest that the students and alumni staged on Wednesday. I think it's a joke he's no longer the coach. But I think he panicked this year when they lost late to LSU. Then when he fired Franklin that just started a nose dive.

I hope he coaches again.

[D1Football]

That's right, he won that AP national championship, not the Coaches Poll National Championship. Sort of like our 1935 National Championship and our 1982 National Championship.

Actually, USC won the AP and BCS in 2004. Auburn played Virginia Tech in a bowl game and won 14-7. USC played Oklahoma in the title game and won 55-19. There was a split in 2003 between LSU (BCS) and USC (AP).

[jkflamebo]

Tulsa's Todd Graham, Buffalo coach Turner Gill, Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner and University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix.

only one i'd take from that list is turner gill. pompous [deleted] graham doesn't deserve a promotion with that flimsy high school offense he and malzahn run. i dont care if they have the stats, when they play a decent defense they turn into nothing.

on another note i think c-usa has a real shot of taking down the liberty bowl this year, will be close though.

[George S. Patton]

Tulsa's Todd Graham, Buffalo coach Turner Gill, Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner and University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix.

only one i'd take from that list is turner gill. pompous [deleted] graham doesn't deserve a promotion with that flimsy high school offense he and malzahn run. i dont care if they have the stats, when they play a decent defense they turn into nothing.

See the Arkansas game

[jkflamebo]

Tulsa's Todd Graham, Buffalo coach Turner Gill, Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley, Ball State coach Brady Hoke, Georgia assistant Rodney Garner and University of Miami offensive coordinator Patrick Nix.

only one i'd take from that list is turner gill. pompous [deleted] graham doesn't deserve a promotion with that flimsy high school offense he and malzahn run. i dont care if they have the stats, when they play a decent defense they turn into nothing.

See the Arkansas game

i did, they lost

[SMUtrojanFAN]

That's right, he won that AP national championship, not the Coaches Poll National Championship. Sort of like our 1935 National Championship and our 1982 National Championship.

Actually, USC won the AP and BCS in 2004. Auburn played Virginia Tech in a bowl game and won 14-7. USC played Oklahoma in the title game and won 55-19. There was a split in 2003 between LSU (BCS) and USC (AP).

Auburn beat VA Tech 16-13. USC beat VA Tech in the season opener in Washington DC 24-13.