A very interesting column from CN. I especially appreciate the breakdown of the O-line and players who didn't pan out...
Link: CycloneNation
Link: CycloneNation
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Blum: "You can't blame Mac"
- Thread starter Nedrick
- Start date
Good post, although I still blame Mac, because he hired the guys that brought the guys here that either left or stunk up the joint.
I believe Mac is the person responsible for all the assistant coach hiring. I wonder how ISU stacks up with other Big XII teams as far as player defects or no-shows??
While I like the article and for the most part i agree with Blum on the topic, Mac can't get off spot free on this. Sure a lot of players left or didn't pan out but the same goes for every other team in the country. He hired the assistant coaches and he should look over there shoulder and make sure they are doing there job like most managers do.
I do think if we can get in some good coordinators that Mac can flourish though. I think he is a very good motivator (although i have doubted it lately, as he is not as forceful as he used to be), and is a good leader. You get someone that can do the X and O's and someone who can recruit better we would be great under MAC. A lot of college coaches nowadays are more the face of the program and leader than the guy who is calling plays and writing on the chalk board.
I do think if we can get in some good coordinators that Mac can flourish though. I think he is a very good motivator (although i have doubted it lately, as he is not as forceful as he used to be), and is a good leader. You get someone that can do the X and O's and someone who can recruit better we would be great under MAC. A lot of college coaches nowadays are more the face of the program and leader than the guy who is calling plays and writing on the chalk board.
Mac does all the hiring of his assistant coaches, as does every other coach on the Staff. I think Pollard mentioned that in one of the articles this week about Mac's job...
Pollard handles all the Head Coaches and leaves it up to them for the Assistants. I'm sure that he has some say, but leaves most of it up to the HC.
Here is the way I look at: If a coach has a team that does all of these things well (great O-Line play, backups that are prepared, kickers that make kicks, defensive play, etc), then that coach gets the recognition and rewards (higher pay, or better job elsewhere) that goes with all those things. It needs to work both ways. If a coach get kudos when things are going right, they also deserve ALL the blame when things are going wrong.
That seems like a TON of legal trouble.
Could it be that we're taking too many guys with marginal character? I find it hard to believe that Ames is corrupting most of them. It's a nice, laid back town.
Coleman certainly had more than his fair share of legal baggage and I was surprised he even garnered a legitimate D-1 offer based on his past as well as questionable football skills. All indications are that he's just a bad guy.
The JUCO route that we're going now doesn't leave me with a very good feeling in my stomach based on our history.
Could it be that we're taking too many guys with marginal character? I find it hard to believe that Ames is corrupting most of them. It's a nice, laid back town.
Coleman certainly had more than his fair share of legal baggage and I was surprised he even garnered a legitimate D-1 offer based on his past as well as questionable football skills. All indications are that he's just a bad guy.
The JUCO route that we're going now doesn't leave me with a very good feeling in my stomach based on our history.
That's definately possible since we are trying to get the best players we can, some of the best players may not have the best attitudes or morals. We pretty much have to make a few gambles on sketchy players and find out if they pan out into what they are capable of or not. I do tend to agree that it's hard to blame anyone who is trying to build a program with the best players possible for all of the problems of late. I would take most of those chances myself.
Blum point out the kicking problems: I thought that the UNI kicker that has made everything except the winning kick against ISU was a walkon at ISU his freshman year? Nothing against Culbertson, but it makes you wonder how good ISU is using the guys they have when they let a guy that good leave for UNI.
Notice also that we have a kicker who can't get a kickoff into the end zone unless he has a strong breeze/wind at his back, while UNI's kicker (and everyone else we've played) is pounded kickoffs through the end zone. Yes, I realize that the tee was shortened, but if other teams can get kickoffs into the end zone, why can't we?
Another Homer article, "Can't blame Mac for that" My objection to Mac for years is that his JC record has created a "gagging" effect with me. Look at what Synder did a in place like Manhatten, KS! JC players put K-state on the map faster than any program in history! Can't recurit to Ames, HA! Have your ever been to Manhatten? D-Mac has punted on 4th and 1 80% of time with JC recurits. Horrible track record!!!
How many of you posters made $1.1 million last year? Anyone? How about half that, a fourth, 20%? I realize that the coaching profession for D-1 has a pretty high pay scale, but for that very reason, coaching tends to have a lot of turn over. Mac is making a lot of money to run the FB program, and in the end he is the one reponsible for what happens. If he has some Asst. coaches (employees) working under him that are holding the company back then he needs to do what everyone else in his postion does. Fire them and make changes.
The fact that alot of players have left (or never made it into school)for various reasons shows that Mac and his coaches are not doing ther part as coaches, mentors, leaders,teachers and most of all recruiters.
The fact that alot of players have left (or never made it into school)for various reasons shows that Mac and his coaches are not doing ther part as coaches, mentors, leaders,teachers and most of all recruiters.
The article makes Marty Mighty Fine look like Marty Pretty Lousy. The recruiting problems and loss/waste of schollies when people disappeared into the hinterland sounds like the whole team concept is in jeoaprdy. With that many crapolas/quitters makes you understand why the team pysche is not where it should be. So how did these jucos survive in jucoland. Robbery in Ames is not a good idea if you are on the football team.
The juco route is fine. Perhaps hall monitoring is then required. Seriously, we are recruiting juco because our freshman and sophomores are busts. The bigger question is can we recruit worth beans against all the other nearby programs. Jordan Bernstine is best player in Iowa and not considering Ames at all. He wants tradition at EIU or Nebraska. Jeremy Crabtree said yesterday he is going to Iowa.
Dan Hawkins just successfully best player in years from Colorado (#17 in Rivals) and this will bolster his other recruiting. He is stockpiling oline people galore is jerrmey take. The North olines are getting better except for ours. Look at Nebraskja - they had 11 oline players come to play in Ames. On a good day, we have 6.