jason3713
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2008
- Messages
- 1,738
- Likes
- 4,057
Up for the longest paragraph in VN history.
QUOTE=Maxwell;11180484]Well you said good or bad but that last one does scare me. I think we are adding a very conservative guy with the lead, to what is already a head coach that has shown a few conservative tendencies with a lead in a few games. Well, I am an old bald guy myself more or less and I know for sure that Bear Bryant himself won a lot of games that way but it was a different era. To get in the playoff teams have to win very convincingly and pour on the points. Not to mention the fact that in this football era large leads can evaporate very quickly. Now I know Jones says he is a full go put the gas on guy all the time. Recruiting wise I believe he is for sure. Scoring in the games the evidence of that has been somewhat limited. The days of looking good like many coaches did just by winning the game are pretty much gone. Teams like TCU and Baylor, whoever Mike Leach is coaching for, will score as many as they can. And the committee last year as much as admitted that if you want in the playoffs that margin of victory is looked at. I have never advocated running up the score in the past but we are living in a different era in football. Margin of victory now matters. If you are up 17 points early in the 4th against say Auburn in the SEC championship game, do we want coaches that are going to go in a shell like a turtle and give Auburn a chance to get back in it? Or coaches that will pour it on as safely as possible and get the touchdown that likely seals the deal getting in the playoffs? This is a bad hire in my opinion, but what do I know? Well maybe not as much as people doing the hiring. But I have been a football fan all my life and I am not football illiterate. I have done some hiring for a fortune 500 company before. Know a little bit about looking for that right individual to fit a certain job. We can make all the excuses we want as to why DeBord is the right guy. There are far more reasons why he may not be. While it is true that it is Jones's job on the line and he is taking all the risk it is also fair to say that as fans we are invested in the program as well. If you are a serious fan and spend significant time or monies supporting the program than you are invested. Time is ultimately more valuable than any money you invest. Our rate of return has really suffered in the last few years. Now that we are on the brink of something that could be truly wonderful, even magical, it seems that it was imperative to get this hire 100% correct. If anyone can look at this hire and say it is a 100% home run, power play, winning shot, can't miss hire, than more power to you. With the talent coming back and the stated interest in the job I have to feel the applicant that would make me feel that way was out there. I'm just not feeling that way. Hope with all my heart I am wrong. Jones has recruited well enough to see his last 2 classes compete the next 2 and maybe 3 years. I hope the on the field performance improves due to coaching and not just a talent upgrade during this time. Jones may not realize it but his confidence in DeBord is shortening his "rope" somewhat. He may succeed with DeBord, but it will get ugly quick the first time ( and each additional time ) that there is a perception DeBord has a bad game plan. One that costs us a game against a Florida, a Georgia, A Missouri. What if he drops a game to South Carolina in the next two years? Or we come out conservative and get beat by Arky by 21? What if we never close the gap against teams in the west? DeBord has attributes that can help the team next year. It is difficult to not think that by hiring him we are walking a very slippery slope. The fans deserved more.[/QUOTE]
QUOTE=Maxwell;11180484]Well you said good or bad but that last one does scare me. I think we are adding a very conservative guy with the lead, to what is already a head coach that has shown a few conservative tendencies with a lead in a few games. Well, I am an old bald guy myself more or less and I know for sure that Bear Bryant himself won a lot of games that way but it was a different era. To get in the playoff teams have to win very convincingly and pour on the points. Not to mention the fact that in this football era large leads can evaporate very quickly. Now I know Jones says he is a full go put the gas on guy all the time. Recruiting wise I believe he is for sure. Scoring in the games the evidence of that has been somewhat limited. The days of looking good like many coaches did just by winning the game are pretty much gone. Teams like TCU and Baylor, whoever Mike Leach is coaching for, will score as many as they can. And the committee last year as much as admitted that if you want in the playoffs that margin of victory is looked at. I have never advocated running up the score in the past but we are living in a different era in football. Margin of victory now matters. If you are up 17 points early in the 4th against say Auburn in the SEC championship game, do we want coaches that are going to go in a shell like a turtle and give Auburn a chance to get back in it? Or coaches that will pour it on as safely as possible and get the touchdown that likely seals the deal getting in the playoffs? This is a bad hire in my opinion, but what do I know? Well maybe not as much as people doing the hiring. But I have been a football fan all my life and I am not football illiterate. I have done some hiring for a fortune 500 company before. Know a little bit about looking for that right individual to fit a certain job. We can make all the excuses we want as to why DeBord is the right guy. There are far more reasons why he may not be. While it is true that it is Jones's job on the line and he is taking all the risk it is also fair to say that as fans we are invested in the program as well. If you are a serious fan and spend significant time or monies supporting the program than you are invested. Time is ultimately more valuable than any money you invest. Our rate of return has really suffered in the last few years. Now that we are on the brink of something that could be truly wonderful, even magical, it seems that it was imperative to get this hire 100% correct. If anyone can look at this hire and say it is a 100% home run, power play, winning shot, can't miss hire, than more power to you. With the talent coming back and the stated interest in the job I have to feel the applicant that would make me feel that way was out there. I'm just not feeling that way. Hope with all my heart I am wrong. Jones has recruited well enough to see his last 2 classes compete the next 2 and maybe 3 years. I hope the on the field performance improves due to coaching and not just a talent upgrade during this time. Jones may not realize it but his confidence in DeBord is shortening his "rope" somewhat. He may succeed with DeBord, but it will get ugly quick the first time ( and each additional time ) that there is a perception DeBord has a bad game plan. One that costs us a game against a Florida, a Georgia, A Missouri. What if he drops a game to South Carolina in the next two years? Or we come out conservative and get beat by Arky by 21? What if we never close the gap against teams in the west? DeBord has attributes that can help the team next year. It is difficult to not think that by hiring him we are walking a very slippery slope. The fans deserved more.[/QUOTE]
