The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance

Ocelots wrote:Now if Texas would just fire Charlie Strong. *sigh*

Being a Louisville guy, I pretty much scratched my head at the idea of Strong in Texas. It seemed like a match made to implode. I mean, I was happy enough with him at Louisville, but ... Texas?

Cliff Hangers wrote:

Ocelots wrote:Now if Texas would just fire Charlie Strong. *sigh*

Being a Louisville guy, I pretty much scratched my head at the idea of Strong in Texas. It seemed like a match made to implode. I mean, I was happy enough with him at Louisville, but ... Texas?

So, to take this message completely off-track, why do you say that? I ask, because if Strong is hired, I suspect he would be on Mizzou's long list (maybe their short list), in the aftermath of the surprising resignation of Gary Pinkel.

Cliff Hangers wrote:

Ocelots wrote:Now if Texas would just fire Charlie Strong. *sigh*

Being a Louisville guy, I pretty much scratched my head at the idea of Strong in Texas. It seemed like a match made to implode. I mean, I was happy enough with him at Louisville, but ... Texas?

He is such an awful fit in Austin. This program is too big for a Charlie Strong. I felt that when he was hired. Now the product on the field has become unwatchable, we might be on our way to an 8 loss season. Unacceptable. And the way we are losing games.. that's not Texas football. The team has lacked motivation, at times discipline, and there is zero identity on either side of the ball. It just looks like one big charlie foxtrot week after week. Iowa St manhandled us. Let that sink in.

Ocelots wrote:

Cliff Hangers wrote:

Ocelots wrote:Now if Texas would just fire Charlie Strong. *sigh*

Iowa St manhandled us. Let that sink in.

[points and laughs]

Charlie Strong understands defense. That's clear. And I think he can create a feel of togetherness for a team.

But he's very poor at handling the media (which got him in trouble at times with UL's fanbase, but which was obvious was going to get him fried at a program like Texas where the backers do not come off as particularly nuanced :) ), and he's no great strategic mind in the middle of the game (so he always has a lot of questions to field). Offensively, his teams at Louisville were hot and cold...but he had one mega-success in that he convinced a Florida quarterback to come play for us. His name was Bridgewater. You might have heard of him. Bottom line, any team college team that Teddy Bridgewater is at the helm of was going to score fairly often most of the time. But the bottom line is that he does not leave the appearance of understanding offensive football--and that he leaves that to his coordinator until the heat gets too hot, and then he meddles with things and it all starts to fall apart.

There were times where his teams really struggled to score--especially if Bridgewater was not behind center.

Bottom line positives: Strong is a good recruiter in the southeast, and he's an A++ hands on defensive guy. But as a head coach outside the southeast, those positives are minimized.

Louisville was a great place for him, really. Almost tailor-made. We have a long history of recruiting Florida that he just amped up to 11. We have a history of very good, but not dominant teams, often with outstanding defensive talent (which allowed him to fail a bit and still succeed, and which allowed him to build a really outstanding defensive club). And we have a reputation for pro set offenses that attract quarterbacks who like to throw (which allows us to bring in enough above average talent at the skill positions to be dangerous).

If he was smart, he would never have left ... which is really what Bobby Petrino discovered through his own mis-adventures.

There is some discussion, as I understand it, of Charlie Strong taking the Miami head coaching job. This would be a much better fit for him than Texas.

Ocelots wrote:He is such an awful fit in Austin. This program is too big for a Charlie Strong. I felt that when he was hired.

Yeah, it's easy to say that now. But it is hard to say that going in. I think it was easy to say that tOSU was too big for Jim Tressel, but he managed just fine.

(well, until he didn't, but that is a different story...he managed the on the field part fine...)

I'm sure they will find a suitable replacement. Seems like they should just be able to double Art Briles' or Gary Patterson's salary and bring one of them in.

No, actually a lot of people did question Strong's fit at the time. And some of those shortcomings that people questioned at the time, such as his inability to work the press and some amount of disdain for working with boosters and fundraising, are what is going to cost him his job quicker than he would have lost it otherwise.

Now the politically incorrect part. UT has a very white culture. It is what it is. I don't agree with it, but I felt at the time of his hiring he was doomed to failure because of this more than anything else. Strong is a good man and a good coach, but I can't help but think he feels an extraordinary amount of pressure in that environment. I feel for the guy because it's not a fair deal at all. I think for him UT was a mistake, and he will move on and have success elsewhere.

Yeah, I remember the hubub around his hire too. While I love to think the racial element isn't an issue, I think it probably is too.
I'm glad they gave him a shot, but yes, it seems to be only a matter of time until he gets fired. You just can't win 6 games at Texas.
I think Texas will find a better coach. And Strong will probably get another shot somewhere else.

Cliff Hangers wrote:If he was smart, he would never have left ... which is really what Bobby Petrino discovered through his own mis-adventures.

Petrino. . . Pitino. . . kinda makes you wonder which Louisville program Hugh Hefner gets to coach.

Anyway, it sounds like Charlie Strong might not be a good fit at Mizzou, not for the race stuff, which wouldn't be a problem (despite, ahem, the recent press that the institution is getting). No, Mizzou needs an offensive-minded coach who won't be allowed to touch anything on defense. Heck, to bring this thread full circle and tie it all up in a nice bow, I'm pining for Chip Kelly to pull a Petrino (the short-sojourn-into-the-NFL part of Petrino, not the wreck-a-motorcycle-with-your-girlfriend-employee part of Petrino) and come back to the college game with Mizzou.

Ocelots wrote:No, actually a lot of people did question Strong's fit at the time. And some of those shortcomings that people questioned at the time, such as his inability to work the press and some amount of disdain for working with boosters and fundraising, are what is going to cost him his job quicker than he would have lost it otherwise.

Now the politically incorrect part. UT has a very white culture. It is what it is. I don't agree with it, but I felt at the time of his hiring he was doomed to failure because of this more than anything else. Strong is a good man and a good coach, but I can't help but think he feels an extraordinary amount of pressure in that environment. I feel for the guy because it's not a fair deal at all. I think for him UT was a mistake, and he will move on and have success elsewhere.

There were a lot of Louisville people scratching their heads at the Strong/Texas fit, too. Strong was courted heavily by Tennessee first, and turned them down. That would have been a better fit, but truthfully, Louisville was a better fit than Tennessee. I always figured Strong would leave Louisville as soon as the Florida job opened up...that would have been a big program much better designed for him.

Longshoremen wrote:Petrino. . . Pitino. . . kinda makes you wonder which Louisville program Hugh Hefner gets to coach.

Oddly, I think both men are much better people for what they've gone through. I've always been impressed with how Pitino handled his personal error--zero cover up. I think a lot of his personality change has come as a result of 9/11 and losing his brother-in-law.

I wasn't much of a fan of bringing Petrino back, but after two years he's definitely got a different vibe about him now. And his wife and family haven't discarded him. The jury is still out for me, but I've opened my mind to the idea that he may be okay--beyond the fact that he can coach.

Yeah, ultimately both Bradford and Foles are best as back-ups. And speaking of back-ups, the Eagles must now start old Mark Sanchez.

Find Mark Sanchez on this chart. Hint: look down. Way down.

(click on it twice to make it readable)

I'm not that familiar with some of the older guys, but seeing Rich Gannon in 7th is really surprising. Also surprised how high up Tony Romo and Jeff Garcia (2 slots behind Marino) are.

Gotta love the two at the top of that list!!!

That'll renew the Big Question here in The Bay Area: Joe or Steve??