A New Poll is Up...Who Gets the Next "Official" Head Coach Slot?
by Train Island on Jul 19, 2010 2:43 PM EDT
in Vanderbilt Commodores Football
9 comments
Don't forget to vote in our new poll and voice your opinion of who the next lucky man will be to earn the Head Coach title without that pesky "Interim" tag. Keep in mind that fictional characters are eligible, and last we saw Coach Bud Kilmer, he was available to interview. However, his prejudice against smart athletes and reading books on the sideline has been noted.
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If not Caldwell then who
Let’s start discussing who we think should get the first “official” head coaching job. I’ll get it started with a strong vote for Mike Leach.
He makes great sense. 1. He’s coached in the SEC East before as OC at Kentucky so he knows what it takes to compete not just in the SEC East, but also for a team that is not a traditional power. 2. He had the highest graduation rate in the Big 12 during his time at Texas Tech, which means he won’t mind meeting Vanderbilt’s well chronicles academic hurdles. 3. He’s an offensive mastermind, and I don’t think anyone can question what Vanderbilt’s problem under CBJ was. Bruce Fowler/Jamie Bryant and the rest of the defensive staff have done an outstanding job, but unfortunately our offense barely had a pulse last year. Leach would solve that problem first and foremost.
Niumatalolo
from Navy would be my #1. He understands how to win at a school with no passing game and insane recruiting standards, and could be looking to follow in Paul Johnson’s footsteps to a BCS school – though he lacks the experience to jump to a perenially top 25 team like Johnson did at GT.
Plus, he has proven that he can beat Army, so there’s already one marked improvement.
http://www.anchorofgold.com - For all 27 Vanderbilt fans out there.
by Train Island on Jul 19, 2010 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions
What kind of influence do
the other SEC schools have on your selection? Do you think they would pull the money strings to keep you guys from getting a wild offense like June Jones/Mike Leach or one of GT’s assistants? Vanderbilt was always a headache for the SEC. I imagine installing a radical offense would really ruffle some feathers amongst the mouth-breathers.
I write stuff From the Rumble Seat.
Honestly, I'm not certain...
But I don’t think we’d see a blacklist style offensive from opposing coaches. I think the other SEC schools would rather see Vandy throw good money after a wildcard, big name coach who would be no guarantee (worse than 50/50, in my opinion) to make the team any better. It might be more prudent for them to allow the Commodores to hire whoever they want, with the prospect of seeing a big name coach implode and flush their name down the toilet (…a bit further).
I think Leach would be the only name to garner opposition from other coaches, given what a headache he was in the Big 12, though Niumatalolo would be an even bigger threat, in my opinion, for his ability to coach to Vanderbilt’s strengths while absorbing their weaknesses. That said, what was the ACC reaction when you guys hired Paul Johnson? The SEC would probably react similarly, but ultimately on a smaller scale since it’s a conference that cares more about football but less about VU than a team like GT, if that makes sense.
I think you’d see a very small scale reaction from the SEC, even behind the scenes, unless Vandy was bringing in a big, somewhat controversial name like Leach. I think June Jones has had the heat off him for long enough in C-USA to bring about a resounding “Meh” from fans and pundits alike.
http://www.anchorofgold.com - For all 27 Vanderbilt fans out there.
by Train Island on Jul 19, 2010 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
The response to Johnson
Initially it was apathetic because the ACC teams thought he’d need a few years to recruit but the 2006 recruiting class was so good it didn’t matter what system they were in because they were so talented (hence 2 first rounders and a 2nd rounder).
Now, we’re seeing more and more complaints to the ACC offices about our system (particularly blocking schemes). Mostly from VT and Clemson (schools that care about fball).
Generally speaking, there is no pressure from the ACC concerning football because the offices are in Greensboro. If the offices were in Atlanta or Baltimore or DC, then we’d probably see more of the complaints blossoming into actual issues. Right now, I think, the ACC is just happy GT is generating attention for the football conference.
I only wonder about Vanderbilt because you guys play teams competing for an MNC weekly and an off-the-wall offense run by a good coach could really generate some hate mail for Vanderbilt especially if you knock off a UF, LSU, etc.
I write stuff From the Rumble Seat.
What kind of strings?
First of all, Vanderbilt is a charter member of the SEC and according to the bylaws can’t be thrown out. So the public perception that the league can somehow decide to replace VU with Virginia Tech or something is just misinformed.
I suppose they could change the revenue distribution to something more like the new Big 12ish-whatever where each school negotiates its own deal. They’re not going to do that over the difference between VU’s revenue and an average school’s, divided by 11 for each school’s share of it, though.
It’s not like a Vanderbilt that wins 6 games a year instead of 2 is that much of a threat, anyway. The biggest victims would be Ole Miss, Kentucky, and occasionally Miss State and South Carolina. None of those football programs is very influential in the league.
I am still learning about Vanderbilt Football
But I would like to see a solid offensive coordinator like a Norm Chow at UCLA or a Mark Whipple at Miami. I would think both would be interested in an SEC coaching job and both bring “real” offenses to the table. I am not a fan of the gimmick type offense like the one GT runs. Solid defenses, ones that stick to their assignments can usually shut down the run.
by Nolegrad89 on Jul 19, 2010 9:37 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Define solid defenses, please
Defenses that shut down GT:
1. Iowa (3 2010 Draft picks and at least 3 more 2011), top 10 scoring and yardage allowed defense.
2. LSU (3 2009, 3 2010 Draft picks, and who knows in 2011)…
So, if you get the best talent available in your region and hire a top notch defensive staff, you can shut down a “gimmicky” offense like GT. Otherwise, you give up 30+ points a game and 400 yards of offense like everyone else. Teams like Vanderbilt would definitely benefit from an unusual offense. Wake Forest built up their recent success on option football and they’re comparable to Vandy in terms of fan base size and revenues.
I write stuff From the Rumble Seat.
by BirdGT on Jul 20, 2010 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You forgot
Miami. I think it was 95 net rushing yards. Once the run was stopped, the game was pretty much over. The Hurricanes played hard, smart, athletic defense. They stayed with their assignments and did not fall fakes, etc. That is what i define as solid defense.
Now I’ve seen the other side as well where the triple option runs up and down the field (like against FSU) and I am sure it is fun to watch if it’s your team running it. I am just not a fan of it.
If you consider .500 over the past three seasons success, then you are correct about Wake Forest.
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