Kibbles and Bits
by John Berkowitz on Nov 18, 2008 8:01 AM PST
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The main recruitment activity for Woodward is for a new head football coach. You would think that bringing in a top notch coach to repair a currently 0-9 program wouldn't create a lot of interest from the coaching elite. That isn't the case because coaches around the country consider UW top 15-20 type of job. As Kyle Whittingham said on KJR a week or two ago it is still Washington.
The scuttlebutt out there seems to think it will be one of these five coaches who will agree to take the reigns in the next couple of weeks.
1. Jim Mora...Sure he publicly stated he wasn't a candidate but he also hadn't been contacted. From what we are hearing they have been pursuing him with a full court press. Expect speculation to heat up this week regarding Mora.
2. Gary Pinkel...The Missouri Tigers won't be playing for a national championship this season after going through the gauntlet in the nations best football conference this season. Many say Pinkel would be crazy to take the UW job but this is his last chance if he truly wants it.
3. Jeff Tedford...Wouldn't it be great at halftime during the California game in December if Tedford switched sidelines? Word has it that Tedford is very interested and maybe he desires a change in scenery after rebuilding the California program. Jeff would be my personal top choice because he has a West Coast staff in place and would be able to salvage the recruiting class. Don't forget that Tedford is also is one of the hardest working coaches in the country.
4. Chris Petersen...The Boise State coach isn't saying anything publicly but it is known that Husky boosters admire what he has done since he was named head coach at Boise. That includes a BCS Bowl win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This season his team is undefeated and could gain another BCS berth if Utah slips up.
5. Kyle Whittingham...Speaking of Utah Whittingham would be willing to listen if contacted. I am not sure of the interest on UW's part at this time but he said on KJR that he would be honored to be considered if it came up.
Jake Locker out for the rest of the season
One of the more interesting stories I read yesterday was the announcement that Jake Locker was likely finished for the year. Did anyone out there really not know that Jake Locker was finished for the year? Didn't the word shattered not broken thumb mean anything?
Jake will be ready by next spring after plenty of physical rehab to get the thumb back in shape enough to grip a football without pain.
Hopefully Jake will also have a real QB coach who can take him to the next level. One of the surprises of this season was the fact that he didn't seem to improve between his RS and Sophomore years.
Northwest QB guru Greg Barton had commented last season that Jake needed a lot of work with his throwing motion. The UW coaching staff didn't want anyone working with Jake from outside the program. They also didn't make an effort to hire a real QB coach which was a real mystery.
If you want to point to one thing that brought the staff and team down in 2008 it was the failure to develop Locker as a bigger passing threat. That failure of course exposed him to the potential for injury such as when he threw a block during the Arizona game.
Another case in development as far as QB's go is Ronnie Fouch. Does anyone really think that Fouch is getting better as the season progresses? He isn't and the absence of a true QB coach is one of the main reasons. Job number one for whoever is the new head coach is to bring in a QB guru to develop UW's QB's
Wouldn't it be great to watch someone like Jeff Tedford or Chris Petersen work with our QB's?
Quote of the week
"Coach really didn't want us to get too emotional,'' Gottlieb said. "He wanted us to approach it like it was any other game, so I tried to choke back the emotions a little. I was a little emotional, a little sentimental, but for the most part, I just tried to approach it like it was any other game.''
If you really want to know the single most important reason that Ty Willingham has not been successful at Washington this quote sums it up nicely. Washington teams under Jim Owens, Don James, Jim Lambright, and Rick Neuheisel all played the game with a lot of emotion. They may not have had as much talent on the field as some of there opponents but they made up for it in many cases with the way they approached the game.
As one player who graduated last year recently said, "Willingham sucks all the fun out of playing football!"
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What about...
Leach? Is he already off the top 5 list? If we need to go hard after anyone its Leach. He has publicly stated he’s not happy they didnt give him the extension before the season started and he has never had a losing record. If anyone deserves top consideration its him. Can you imagine the recruiting boost he would give the second he unloaded the first box in his new office. He is becoming a house hold name and if you are a top QB/WR why on earth would you not want to play for this guy?!?!? He is the only name that gets me excited.
Mora – Never been a head coach in the college ranks and has one successful year in the NFL with Vick at the helm.
Petersen – Was left a very strong program and might consider jumping ship if the Oregon job opened up
Whittingham – Would we be buying high because of this years success??
Tedford – Never got Cal over the hump. Top 3-4 program in the Pac 10 but never really took the next step.
Pinkel – Took him 6 years to get Missouri where it is and had one great year (last year) and has slipped this year, though they are still a very very good team. Could you potentially wait another 6 years before we are good again??
All roads lead to Leach!!!
BigDave – Mora is what UW needs right now. He played at U-Dub, knows the tradition, history, would unite the fan base and tyee, would create a huge buzz and a lot of excitement, this program is dead right now. He would for sure help bring in the $ to help the stadium renovation. He would be a monster recruiter, ever listen to one of his interviews? he’d get recruits fired up. As far as coaching ability, i think he is a solid coach, with a lot of upside and potential to be a great coach, with a good staff in place, I think he would be very successful.
Whittingham – I like him a lot, I was impressed with him from his KJR interview the other day, and a lot of people say he’s only benefiting from Urban Meyer’s success, but Meyer was only at Utah for what, 2 seasons? Whittingham has been there a LONG time and was one of their main recruiters before Meyer got there. He would be a good hire.
Tedford – Cal was what, 1-10 the season before he was hired? he’s done a great job turning around that program, they were rock bottom. he is a very good recruiter, hard worker.
Pinkel – Should not even be considered. Just because he coached here before doesn’t mean anything to me, He would not unite the fan base, or get them excited, maybe some alums and tyee, but the majority? no way. He’s a bore and would be a dud. Take away last season and his record is far from impressive.
by dawgdays240 on Nov 18, 2008 10:12 AM PST up reply actions
Leach is okay...
…and I wouldn’t really complain that much about it. But, here are my concerns:
1. his whole philosophy is about a gimmicky air-attack and I’m not sure that we have the personnel to compete with in the short term (or a cooperative climate that seems more adaptable to a defense-first mentalities and offenses with a more focused ground attack)
2. he has no connections to recruiting pipelines on the west coast – he’d have to build them up from scratch
3. his career conference record before this season was just above .500 which is not any better (or worse) than what his two predecessors had accomplished in the same program
4. before this season, he’s had very few flirtations with the top 20 and never the top 10.
I don’t get the all roads lead to Leach comment – he seems like a good coach, but the job he’d have to do would be bigger than it would be for a guy like Tedford (who knows the opponents, knows the recruits and knows the high school coaches in the Pac 10 areas) and his W-Lrecord isn’t blow-you-away amazing like the one that Chris Petersen sports.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Gimmicky???
That gimmicky air attack is brilliant. He is an innovator on the offensive side of the ball and his defenses are respectable, but over looked because of the high flying offenses of the Big 12. Look at his stats…
9 consecutive winning seasons
7 consecutive seasons with at least 8 wins
4 seasons with at least 9 wins
1 season with at least 10 wins
8 consecutive bowl appearances
5 bowl wins (most by any individual coach in the history of the program)
3 seasons completed with team ranked in the Top 25
17–9 record against in-state conference rivals Baylor, Texas, and Texas A&M
45–10 record at Jones AT&T Stadium, home of the Texas Tech Red Raider football team
Coached 1 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner: Michael Crabtree
Coached 1 Mosi Tatupu Award winner: Wes Welker
Coached 3 Sammy Baugh Trophy winners: Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, and Graham Harrell
More than 150 NCAA, Big 12 and school records broken25
And his teams have only gotten better every year. Recruiting would take care of itself once high school kids realized they could come in here and have fun while breaking school records.
You see Gimmick, I see Winner!
two questions then ...
… and, mind you, I would have no issues if he were our coach, but …
1. don’t you think that the “brilliant air attack” would be naturally blunted by the Northwest weather?
2. how do you explain the fact that his winning percentage is not markedly different than any of his previous two predecessors (the implication being that he has not improved the lot of the program)?
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
two answers!
1. That pass attack works in the highly windy area of Lubbock Texas. I wonder how many games this year has it rained to the point it would slow down a passing attack. We only play 5-7 home games a year.
2. Texas Tech has had success before Leach arrived but he has taken them to a whole new level. They had winning seasons but were never considered part of the elite. Now they are a threat to win every game they play and that has come under Leach’s watch.
Texas Tech since Leach’s arrival has been committed to winning football games, much like Emmert and Woodward have stated (and track record shows). He has been through the fund raising for the football stadium aspect that we also need from our head coach. Since he has been at Tech they have raised over $75 million for stadium renovations and that is at Texas Tech. Can you imagine what he could accomplish at UW. He has taken a middle of the pack team with little history and made them a national power. I want UW to become a national power and so far out of all the candidates he is the ONLY one that i see with that potential. All the others are names and faces of mediocrity.
Also...
Leach has stated that he likes the bad weather because other teams aren’t used to it. We should embrace the rain and use it to our advantage!
true, we only play 5-7 home games a year in Seattle ...
but we are also guaranteed to play up to two more games in the NW. So, in a worst case, we could end up playing 3/4 of our games in the NW where wind, rain and cool conditions can affect the play on the field.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
That is a good point...
but UW has had some very successful passing attacks in the past. I dont think you worry about weather when it comes to hiring Leach.
How many games on UW’s schedule has it rained at (drizzle all the way through pouring) and how many has the rain been a factor (rainy enough to make an impact on the passing game)? Seahawks run a pretty efficent passing game, well not this year but in years past. I dont think that would be an issue.
JB and I agree
I also would put Tedford in as my top choice. I think BigDave’s comment about not getting Cal over the hump is misguided. Does anyone remember what a doormat that program was before he arrived? He made them a competitor in a situation where academics is more important than football, the facilities are much worse than UW (and that is saying something) and he has stiff competition for the top in-state talent. For a few years in the early part of this decade, Cal was the only real competition that USC had in the entire Pac 10. He is a winner, he is a tough guy and he has a west coast organization already in place.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
I am not looking for...
second best and thats what a Tedford hire would be. If he comes here we will be a solid program but never reach ELITE status. Leach gives us that potential. Don’t forget that we have won more Rose Bowl’s this decade than Cal has…
I think he would do fine at UW, but never really get us to the level we desire. Anything but Rose Bowl championships is unacceptable!
a few final UCLA comments
Did anyone notice we ended up with another delay of game penalty after a change of possesion in the second half. I’m glad our coaching staff has it together (sarcasm). I thought it was nice that Luckevich got to play 2 snaps in the final moments, albeit as a defensive tackle. Lastly, I had no problem with Taylor Bean running out the game as QB, but what bugged me is letting a walk on throw a deep pass (20 yds or so) which got intercepted (duh). Couldn’t they have let him throw a 2 yarder liike they attempted all night long anyway. It was a sign to redo Husky Stadium, never in its history since 1923 birth, has a home game NEVER been won. Thank you, coach whatever your name was . I think the stadium wanted to die too on saturday.
Mora hasn’t accomplished anything.
Your list to be accurate, must include diversity, like the one 4 years ago.
Diversity?
Do you want to expand on what you mean by diversity?
by John Berkowitz on Nov 18, 2008 1:30 PM PST up reply actions
“Diversity is very important and key to the way we run our department.” When asked if he will interview a minority candidate, Woodward said, “We usually do, but we’re going to hire the best person available — and there will likely be minority candidates in that pool.”
Emmert has pushed for diversity and wants to use race as a factor for University admission.
They all want big raises by being the most politically correct……….
Common' Norm...
What is he suppose to say? , "We usually do, but we’re going to hire the best person available — and there will likely be NO minority candidates in that pool." He’d be killed by the media if he said that and rightfully so.
If it wasn’t the major consideration as it has been in the past, he would have said “We are going to look at everyone to find the best available Coach.”
He says what Emmert wants him to say although I have no reason to believe that he doesn’t believe the same thing as most liberal government college Administrators.
and I believe him when he says Diversity is key to the way he and Emmert run the UW.
So it isn’t the best qualified person who gets employed/scholarships/perks, it’s the person who gets the most points……….
Really, Norm
I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt a couple of times, but you are obsessed with this racial theme and it is making me question to what level of ignorance you subscribe.
You seem to believe that “pushing for diversity” somehow equals “settling for mediocre results”.
Apparently, minorities are fine if they want to play ball. But even considering them to use their minds and to coach is somehow out of line. That’s just not right, brother.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
The University wants to use that “theme”. They call it Affirmative Action and they want to use it even against the law in case of admissions.
I believe “pushing for diversity” does not equal “getting the best possible results”, in terms of coaches.
Maybe we’ll settle for 4, 5 or 6 wins in a season. A lot better than the last 5 or 6 years but hardly anything to get excited about.
It means possibly settling for less than than the top candidate, for political reasons.
Let’s see who they pick. The best results are all I care about.
Norm
They aren’t going to hire another black football coach unless Tony Dungy is available.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 18, 2008 8:15 PM PST up reply actions
I have no idea???
Who is available that would fit the “minority” tag?
Me neither
I can’t think of anyone out there other than DeWayne Walker who would get a sniff.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 19, 2008 10:23 AM PST up reply actions
UW has a QB coach...
Unfortunately, he’s currently coaching running backs and won’t be here next season. Gervais is one of two coaches (along with Baggett) that I would like to see retained, but it most likely won’t happen.
What really amazes me is how much traction this Mora thing is getting – even after he said he wasn’t a candidate! People just can’t seem to let it go, and maybe it will happen, but who in his right mind would give up the money he’s getting from the Hawks for this job?
yeah, Mora said he wasn’t a candidate, so what? That’s not the same as “I am not interested” or flat out “no”. He said it’s his dream job, etc. To come out with a two sentence statement about your alma maters coaching vacancy that you were just drooling over not that long ago….i’m not buyin’ it. He’s very much still in play.
by dawgdays240 on Nov 18, 2008 12:25 PM PST up reply actions
Baggett
Baggett is one of Willingham’s closest froends so don’t expect him to be looking to stay. I am not sure what to think about Gervais since he is just finishing his first year at the college level.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 18, 2008 1:28 PM PST up reply actions
Dave
I did read that and I have a feeling that Tedford is getting stale at California. Do you realize that they have the worst facilites in the Pac 10?
by John Berkowitz on Nov 18, 2008 1:29 PM PST up reply actions
so what...
great coaches have fund raised for those things and considering we will need a coach willing to do that makes him less attractive as our next coach. Plus i cant wait for 7 years down the line when people are saying that he has “gone stale” at Washington!!! I dont want a coach who will go stale. I want someone who will win on a regular basis and never settle for second best. Tedford being stale seems to have settled…
A few comments
Leach would be awesome, we have a lot of potential in young WR’s and our QB’s.
All 5 candidates John mentioned would be really good hires, we can debate all day long who would be best, but all of them could be quite succesful here.
Anybody who thinks Mora hasn’t accomplished anything need to go get their head examined. He had success at Atlanta, historically a piss poor franchise, and he did it with a QB that was a great athlete, but a very poor NFL QB. By the way, he just happens to have the BEST winning percentage of any Atlanta head coach that coached a minimum of one year. Oh, that 11-5 season was right after a 5-11 season, it wasn’t like he took over a successful team.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
"traditionally piss poor franchise"
yeah, they sure were horrible when they went to the Super Bow in ’98 and back into the playoffs in 2002. By the way, your quote about the “best winning %” is very funny. Makes you wonder why they canned him after only three seasons (maybe it was because he only had a winning record in one of them).
I’m giving you grief – I’d love to see Mora here, too. But, those that say he hasn’t proven all that much have a legit point.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
You wouldn't be the first to give me grief.
Mora was a NFL head coach, took his team to the NFC Championship game, and was actually fired more for his UW comments than his performance.
Atlanta is a “piss poor” franchise. They have only won their division 3 times in 42 years, hhmmm. You don’t like the winning percentage quote, but you should really look at the team history, he is the most successful coach in franchise history. Dan Reeves was 49-59 and a Super Bowl loss. Mora was 29-22, with a NFC Championship loss. Nobody else is even close.
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Nice Job Lear
Mora is the all time winningest coach percentage wise in Atlanta frnachise history.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 19, 2008 7:26 AM PST up reply actions
You've got to consider the franchise
You should check out Atlanta’s season by season records, think Seattle Mariners before the 1995 season, a .500 season was a considered a great year.
His three year stretch was by far the best three year stretch in franchise history. Take a look it’s really worth it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Falcons_seasons
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
Thats like saying his the best of a bunch of losers, the smartest idiot, etc
He had one good year at 11-5 (?) but not the best year when they went to the Super Bowl. They are doing pretty darn good this year too.
Mora is a name with no legit body of work to go off of. He has been a head coach for only 3 years and was let go after the third. How can you say this is the guy to save this program?!?!?!?
Now I know that you are not just a racist, but an idiot who believes everything he reads on the Internet
Ty has, in fact, hired minority coaches AND has offered coordinator positions to minorities who have turned him down including Dewayne Walker last year.
Thanks for reminding us that ignorance still reigns in pockets of our society.
The fact that Woodward is interviewing Mike Haywood must be killing you.
"Greed is Good."
So is Rudy.
Their is no more ignorance in society
Willingham has removed all segments of ignorance. I highly doubt anyone is still ignorant enough to believe that he can coach!!!
"Bow Down to Washington"
"Kick the tires and light the fires!"
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