SI.com grades the coaching hires

[volroadwarrior]

Opinions are like axx----. Everybody has one.

[voldawgforever]

Grading is ridiculous.

[TNRazor]

Originally Posted by bamawriter

To further my point about Malzahn:

I think everyone can agree that the Cam Newton year should be set aside. So we're really looking at 2009 and '11 with AU, and '12 at Arkansas St.

In 2009, AU's offense put up impressive numbers. But those were all players that were recruited, and developed, by the previous staff. In 2011, Malzahn was dealing with players that he and his co-workers recruited and had three years to develop, and they were god-awful. In 2012, again, he was coaching the players recruited and developed by the previous regime (two regimes, actually), and they had a great year. And over on the Plains, the guys in his first couple of recruiting classes were Juniors and Seniors, and they were fricking terrible; they hadn't developed a bit.

Malzahn has never shown any ability to develop guys over time any more than Chizik could. Maybe Malzahn hired a stellar staff, but I don't see how you can rank his hiring any more than a B-.

I was in the minority around here in wanting UT to take a look at Malzahn. His track record before was '09 was impressive too. In his time at Arkansas he turned around a mediocre offense into a really good one. Then at Tulsa they led the nation in offense. Then you throw in his time at Auburn and Ark. St. and it seems like everything this guy touches turns out successful. I don't know how good of a hire he'll turn out to be, but I can see where he gets a high grade.

[oregonvol]

Wow, reading between the lines in that list, it appears that SI really doesn't like this hire. Sure they give it a "B", but that's pretty much their lowest rating. While I would obviously expect a guy like Bielema to be out in front (that was a great A-list hire by a program that has never even won an SEC title. Shows what a real AD can accomplish), but I'm very surprised to see guys like Andersen and MacIntyre well above Jones. Those guys seem to have alot more question marks than Jones at this point (I'm guessing the only reason Rhule, Kingsbury, and Stoops are above Jones is that they're considered the best their lower level programs could hope for).

Maybe SI is wrong or maybe they know something we don't? I'd say we'll have a pretty good indication of how this thing is going to go come signing day (if he can't get talent here, I can't see Jones really competing in the SEC going forward).

[fade route]

Shouldn't grades be handed out after we actually see what they can produce on the field?

[jps2194]

At first, I was upset with the hire. It was mostly because I didn't know anything about him. However, as I've learned more about him, there is no way he is the lowest rated hire in the SEC. I have high expectations for him.

[Rechoryan]

Originally Posted by volroadwarrior

Opinions are like axx----. Everybody has one.

And most think everyone's except theirs stinks.

[mtowntim]

Originally Posted by fade route

Shouldn't grades be handed out after we actually see what they can produce on the field?

Yes, sounds reasonable to me.

[oregonvol]

Originally Posted by fade route

Shouldn't grades be handed out after we actually see what they can produce on the field?

Well, we've actually seen what they produce on the field, just at other jobs. And even now, we're hearing daily about what they're doing with staff decisions and recruiting. There's alot of info on which to base expectations. It's important to keep your head out of the sand and to evaluate early and often, otherwise you get...

1."wait until he coaches his first game before you say anything"

2. "you have to wait until the season is over before you evaluate it all"

3. "just wait until he has all of his players..."

...and so on and so on...in other words, "The Dooley Era".

[photovol]

Who know how these recent coaching hires will play out?
I think after this comming season we'll have a better idea, I also think Auburn with the talent already there will have the best chance to improve upon last year...but we'll see how things play out....I think Butch Jones has the most difficult challenge due to the lack of SEC talent presently at UT, again time will tell but I don't expect to win any more than 4-5 games at most this season
Go Vols

[AshG]

Originally Posted by fade route

Shouldn't grades be handed out after we actually see what they can produce on the field?

I agree. I also believe in ranking recruiting classes after their freshman year for the same reason; a hire / class can look very different once there's a season behind them.

The problem is that presenting this material prior to a season moves a greater amount of copy and draws significantly more hits than trying to do it after the season when most people have figured things out for themselves. It preys on the two most vocal groups of inerudite fans: those who want someone - anyone - to confirm that they got a great hire or recruit so they can feel better about themselves and their team; and those who want someone to confirm their fear that the sky is falling, all hope is gone, and they should just burn down the stadium and go home forever.

Oh, for the days when I was content for someone to do my thinking for me. Articles like this might have actually made me a little bit upset or worried back then.

[triadvolfan]

Luckily, Mandel is always right.

"Notre Dame will beat Alabama in Monday night's BCS National Championship Game, at which point everyone who predicted that the Tide would roll -- myself included -- will slap ourselves for our stupidity."

Notre Dame vs. Alabama BCS preview: Don't crown the Tide just yet - College Football - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

[CHeightsvol]

Originally Posted by mgu7

FWIW a year ago ESPN graded DC Sal Sunseri hire as grade A

'nuff said!

[In the Boro]

The grade could be argued, what what he said is true. "He'll need immediate success in the SEC East to win over a skeptical orange fan base." An A or B grade doesn't matter. Success in the next 3 seasons matter.

[terrypedigo]

Originally Posted by KingtUT

I see Butch Jones as a B+.

A+ would have been Patterson ,Peterson, or Stoops
A- would have been Fisher
B+ is Jones and Strong

Jmo

Why is so many people high on stoops, look at them now he won it with someones else players, look at them now they will be putting the heat on him in a year or 2 im glad we didnt get him, and all these polls is a bunch of bs lets see the product on the field, then in a year or 2 we can grade them.