Recruiting Forum Football Talk XVII

[MrVolton]

Unless Debord has just gone completely off the reservation in his time away from football, I find it more likely than not that he'll be a good hire at Tennessee. He's obviously a personality fit with Butch, who has never had an offensive coordinator other than Bajakian. He brings a ton of experience to the table - like Steve Stripling levels of experience. This guy has been around the game a long time at multiple levels. He knows his football. He has experience with both the pro-style O and the West Coast/ZBS attack. He'll run the playbook Jones gives him to run while implementing his own tweaks to improve it. And most importantly, he won't be afraid to run the damn ball.

Why is this the most important thing? Well, as fun as watching MACtion/Air Raid passing attacks can be, the fundamental, proven championship formula is still just as relevant now as it was a century ago:

1. Play physical, fast, suffocating defense.
2. Maintain an efficient offense headlined by a dominant power running game and punctuated with effective downfield passing (yes, both of these are possible from the spread - and if the QB can run too, even better).
3. Put yourself in the best possible field position with special teams.
4. ??????
5. Profit

If Debord performs on par with what Stripling did this year, I don't think anybody will be doing much complaining this year.

 

[LA Vol]

But what would we say if they hired a national championship winning OC with NFL experience?

People talk about our NC being ancient history. Well, DeBord's NC was in 1997-- a year before Fulmer's. And he was a position coach in the NFL, not OC. He went 12-34 at CMU before "resigning." We can cherrypick stats to make any case we want.

 

[OldVol49vfl]

We can spin it many ways, but DeBord is a questionable hire-- not an unsound one, per se, but a controversial one. The cost of Butch's staying 100% within his comfort zone is to squander the opportunity to bring in new ideas and a fresh perspective that could actually enhance Butch's system while working within it.
It's possible to question someone's choices while giving them a chance to play out-- and that's what many of us are doing.

Who can honestly claim that DeBord will not do what you said above? Who can honestly say that he won't do just that?
Like me, no one knows what DeBord is going to do with this offense but what I will say is that I believe that Butch is putting a man in charge of the offense that he trusts and that DeBord is working for a man that he trusts. The two of them trusting each other is clearing one big hurdle.
Everyone has a right to question another's choices but to judge those choices IMO goes beyond the "question" part.

 

[Smokeytom]

People are missing the most important parts of hiring Debord.

1. Butch was his OC at CMU and Butch still runs the same offense as he did with that team. Debord helped put that system in place. Continuity.

2. Debord has been on a NC winning staff. He knows what it takes. Butch can use that knowledge.

Having a coach on staff that has been to the top of the mountain is huge if you ask me.

 

[SSVol]

People talk about our NC being ancient history. Well, DeBord's NC was in 1997-- a year before Fulmer's. And he was a position coach in the NFL, not OC. He went 12-34 at CMU before "resigning." We can cherrypick stats to make any case we want.

Yep. Which is precisely why we should a) pay no attention to what anybody else says, and b) let the man coach a few games before declaring the hire a failure. Butch well knows DeBord's record and the cost of failure, and yet he chose DeBord. I am curious to see why.

 

[Aesius]

People are missing the most important parts of hiring Debord.

1. Butch was his OC at CMU and Butch still runs the same offense as he did with that team. Debord helped put that system in place. Continuity.

2. Debord has been on a NC winning staff. He knows what it takes. Butch can use that knowledge.

Having a coach on staff that has been to the top of the mountain is huge if you ask me.

Butch probably views landing DeBord as a steal. At the time Butch took over CMU in 2007, DeBord was the OC at Michigan and then an assistant in the NFL. He stayed in the NFL until about a month after Butch had already been named head coach at UT.

IMO, he's an upgraded version of Bajakian. He will run the exact same offense but bring more football knowledge to the table and will help out with the OL and hopefully the red zone scoring offense.

 

[LA Vol]

People are missing the most important parts of hiring Debord.

1. Butch was his OC at CMU and Butch still runs the same offense as he did with that team. Debord helped put that system in place. Continuity.

2. Debord has been on a NC winning staff. He knows what it takes. Butch can use that knowledge.

Having a coach on staff that has been to the top of the mountain is huge if you ask me.

People aren't missing these points; they just aren't assigning the same value to them. Saban and Meyer didn't consider them a must when hiring their OC. I get why Butch did it, but playing it safe comes with a cost.

 

[Aesius]

UT President ‏@UTPresidentJoe 6m6 minutes ago
Welcome! “@CoachMikeDeBord: @UTPresidentJoe @josh_dobbs1 @UTKnoxville CANT WAIT TO COACH SUCH AN AMAZING COLLEGE”

UT President welcoming DeBord.

Only problem is that that isn't DeBord. Fake account. Profile picture is of him holding a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

 

[Smokeytom]

UT President welcoming DeBord.

Only problem is that that isn't DeBord. Fake account. Profile picture is of him holding a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

Krispy Kreme donuts. Hahahahaha

 

[VolGee4]

People aren't missing these points; they just aren't assigning the same value to them. Saban and Meyer didn't consider them a must when hiring their OC. I get why Butch did it, but playing it safe comes with a cost.

Saban hired Jim McElwain as his OC several years ago. Did you know his resume?

 

[LA Vol]

Yep. Which is precisely why we should a) pay no attention to what anybody else says, and b) let the man coach a few games before declaring the hire a failure. Butch well knows DeBord's record and the cost of failure, and yet he chose DeBord. I am curious to see why.

IDT anyone's declaring the hire a failure... and of course DeBord will have his day. But it could be a positive thing to branch off a bit from the CMU coaching tree. We were presented an opportunity to upgrade a critical staff position, and I would have liked to see us be a little less inbred-- maybe even find someone with Tennessee ties, an SEC background or experience recruiting in the South.

 

[LA Vol]

Saban hired Jim McElwain as his OC several years ago. Did you know his resume?

Your point?

 

[SSVol]

IDT anyone's declaring the hire a failure... and of course DeBord will have his day. But it could be a positive thing to branch off a bit from the CMU coaching tree. We were presented an opportunity to upgrade a critical staff position, and I would have liked to see us be a little less inbred-- maybe even find someone with Tennessee ties, an SEC background or experience recruiting in the South.

I just wanna win.

 

[delfonic]

I just wanna win.

You probably should've been more supportive of my efforts to become the UT OC. I mean, the objective statement on my resume says it all.

Objective:
All I do is win win win no matter what
Got money on my mind, I can never get enough
And every time I step up in the building
Everybody hands go UP

 

[vol81]

dont feed the troll

 

[BigOrangeVols]

Forget DeBord. Just bring back Bruce already.

 

[butchna]

Saban hired Jim McElwain as his OC several years ago. Did you know his resume?

Hired Major Applewhite the year before that...nuff said. He hired McElwain away from Fresno State BTW.

 

[Ttucke11]

People talk about our NC being ancient history. Well, DeBord's NC was in 1997-- a year before Fulmer's. And he was a position coach in the NFL, not OC. He went 12-34 at CMU before "resigning." We can cherrypick stats to make any case we want.

Good thing we are hiring him as an OC and not a HC. Also our OC just left to be a position coach in the NFL. Don't see how this is a downgrade. Might be safe, but its a guy who's comfortable with the staff, has NFL ties, has recruited at a huge football school, has been an OC at huge football school. Really I think people just need something to complain about.

 

[BigOrangeVols]

Let's start a petition

 

[butchna]

Crickets

 

[VolGee4]

Your point?

Not stellar. Two years removed from being the QB coach for Oakland Raiders and only one year as OC at Fresno State.

Doesn't matter. I just realized that I am tired of this discussion. I have no control over it, and I simply can't judge it until I see the product.

 

[SSVol]

You probably should've been more supportive of my efforts to become the UT OC. I mean, the objective statement on my resume says it all.

Objective:
All I do is win win win no matter what
Got money on my mind, I can never get enough
And every time I step up in the building
Everybody hands go UP

Forgive me...I did not know of your interest or undeniable qualifications. I will start a Fahr Mike petition immediately.

 

[volatil]

I couldn't care less what anyone says about the hire outside VN. People are looking for the weak link in our chain because they are scared.


I know some will complain within our fanbase. Give him a chance. If he sucks, let her rip. If he's good we all win.

Let's at least give him a chance before we declare he sucks.

 

[LA Vol]

Good thing we are hiring him as an OC and not a HC. Also our OC just left to be a position coach in the NFL. Don't see how this is a downgrade. Might be safe, but its a guy who's comfortable with the staff, has NFL ties, has recruited at a huge football school, has been an OC at huge football school. Really I think people just need something to complain about.

Not complaining; just bringing up some points for discussion. The RF has been a great place for that the past few weeks. If everybody agreed on everything, there wouldn't be much to discuss... or learn.

 

[SteensVol]

I couldn't care less what anyone says about the hire outside VN. People are looking for the weak link in our chain because they are scared.


I know some will complain within our fanbase. Give him a chance. If he sucks, let her rip. If he's good we all win.

Let's at least give him a chance before we declare he sucks.

Agreed.