I don’t think he gets OUTSCHEMED. Yes, his offense isn’t the instant mismatch it once was but all the guy does in the offseason is sit in his hermit cabin in NH and tinker. What has always been lacking with him is that he’s an empowered OC. Never more than that in lower division football before Oregon handed him a Mike Bellotti developed program and he added NOX to the attack. To his credit, he retained or hired very good recruiters and they tapped that California pipeline for talent. But even at his best, his teams were at a disadvantage against elite defensive (i.e SEC) squads. That’s why when a certain poster droned on and on about offering him $10 mil a year and keep adding until he says no? I knew he wouldn’t take Florida or us or any program other than PAC 12 because he knew his limitations would be unmasked way too quickly. Will admit that I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten UCLA to click at all but truth is after Oregon he’s been stealing money from every team that begs him to head their program.
I don't doubt he sits at home in the offseason and tinkers...my point is that I just don't think whatever he's doing works anymore. When he was at Oregon, what he was doing was just so different from what everyone else was doing, particularly the HUNH aspect of it. That offense ran a million miles per hour...now at least half of college football does that. Defenses have adapted, particularly as it relates to recruiting smaller, faster LBs to defend spread attacks. Defenses are way better conditioned today to deal with that than a decade ago. A huge factor in his offensive success at Oregon was due to the fact he simply wore defenses out. I don't think that happens as much anymore - these defenses today see spread offenses that run fast all the time.
And related to that...I think the reason Harbaugh did so well at Stanford is because he was doing something the rest of the Pac 10 wasn't doing - namely, playing very physical at the LOS on both sides and having a very physical, run-oriented offense that bullied smaller, less-physical teams around. Even when Andrew Luck was there, Stanford was a running team that used the run to set up the play-action pass. As successful as Kelly was at Oregon, Stanford was able to beat him twice in 4 years. With the 49ers, Harbaugh was part of that initial wave that brought the read option into the NFL and defenses didn't really know how to stop it - again, doing something not many other teams were doing.
We disagree on technical points. The better teams were never at a conditioning disadvantage...see LSU and Auburn. Dooley’s UT team (with a different S&C coach every season) was both outconditioned and a physically slow team. When Helfrich took over, Butch’s team didn’t wear down...they were the remnants of Dooley’s recruited caliber of athlete, and numbers happened. Last season Kelly beat Leach’s better team and last team that scored wins type of stuff. Let him call your offense and you more than belong on the field with anybody. It’s the other details required of an elite HC where he always fell short. Recruiting, development, relating to athletes and with this latest revelation...public relations. Pruitt seems to have been a quicker study in that last category than the “Home Run Hire” seekers were willing to consider. Pruitt’s not “proven” yet but is already better than Kelly overall.
I think that basically every team that played them at that time was at a conditioning disadvantage. The defenses that weren't simply roasted by their speed (like Dooley's Tennessee team) were eventually worn out by the pace of play. Correct me if wrong, but I think at some point during Kelly's tenure they tweaked the substitution rule where if the offensive substituted, then the defense had to be given a chance to substitute (official would stand over the ball at the LOS and allow the defense's subs to come onto the field). That of course is the way it should be, but initially that was an even bigger advantage for offenses that ran a HUNH - they would be able to substitute and the defense wouldn't.
I’ll do what I want. I’m talking aspects of a coach. On the record saying Pruitt isn’t yet a proven HC, but he’s taken a poorly conditioned, slow, bad fundamental, poorly disciplined program and made drastic improvements in year two. Chip Kelly took over an already developed squad and amped them up for your listed achievements. Hasn’t done SHIZZ at any stop thereafter. He’s not a builder and/or developer and would not have been so in Knoxville. In that aspect Pruitt is waves better. Good luck changing my opinion.
We'll see. Another way of describing Pruitt is that after suffering 2 really embarrassing losses right off the bat in year 2, including perhaps the most embarrassing loss in the recent history of the program, and getting destroyed by every "good team" he played (again), he was able to keep the wheels on the bus by beating some lesser competition in the second half of the season and rattling off a nice little 6-game winning streak. You can have whatever opinion you want, but to say he's a better HC than Kelly based on what the two of them have done thus far in their careers is hilarious.
Laugh in your corner and I’ll laugh in mine. I judge coaches by their performances AFTER letdowns. Kelly’s rolled into the fetal position...Pruitt got his team to buy in and from the Mississippi State game on, they’re a team that doesn’t fold. We’ve seen teams that beat UGA and Florida lose to SC and Vandy. So there’s a difference to be known. Kelly took over a more talented team with a higher rated recruiting class that he lost after the hire announcement. Pruitt took over a recruiting class ranked in the 60’s and a 4 win squad...which is what Kelly’s produced in the two intervening years. Pruitt’s a better COACH...har har!
