Do you blame Stoops at all for letting Coen hold the program hostage like he has ?

Aug 9, 2019
2,379
12
0
The 'interviewing' process has been going on for about three weeks now. At some point should he have told Coen I need to know right now are you staying or going.
I have to look out for the well being of the FB program not waiting for you to go through this song and dance for ever.
I still have to wonder if there are things that have happened behind the scenes that we will never know about.
I guess one persons idea of putting down roots and another persons idea of it are different.
The timing of this is horrible.
 

K_TIME

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2003
18,040
1,485
113
Good question...not sure I can answer confidently.

But here is one question I have...what were Stoops options? He could have fired Coen (but wouldn't we have owed his contract?.....which is a no-way option if we are the hook for his salary).

Maybe the answer is these contracts have to have stipulations if you're looking...we can fire you w/o havign to payout. which no coach would sign to begin with.
 

Mr Schwump

Member
Nov 4, 2006
29,570
2,337
18
I'll always wonder if Coen's health scare figured into putting rabbit in his blood.

Have to figure Coen's probably not real keen on recruiting...and who could blame him? Leaving your young family to jump on a plane to fly to BFE to kiss the *** of some 18y/o can't be real enjoyable.

Seems to me UK/Stoops/Coen need to have a come to Jesus meeting. Time to **** or get off the pot.
 
Aug 9, 2019
2,379
12
0
I'll always wonder if Coen's health scare figured into putting rabbit in his blood.

Have to figure Coen's probably not real keen on recruiting...and who could blame him? Leaving your young family to jump on a plane to fly to BFE to kiss the *** of some 18y/o can't be real enjoyable.

Seems to me UK/Stoops/Coen need to have a come to Jesus meeting. Time to **** or get off the pot.
Makes sense to me
 

ewf

New member
Oct 18, 2020
41
0
0
The 'interviewing' process has been going on for about three weeks now. At some point should he have told Coen I need to know right now are you staying or going.
I have to look out for the well being of the FB program not waiting for you to go through this song and dance for ever.
I still have to wonder if there are things that have happened behind the scenes that we will never know about.
I guess one persons idea of putting down roots and another persons idea of it are different.
The timing of this is horrible.
Remember the Stoops to Texas A&M fiasco. At the time it was reported the assistants didn’t want to follow. I may be wrong but I’ve often thought about the relationships between Stoops and his assistants afterwards.
 

Bigtyrone

Active member
May 21, 2002
10,491
263
68
It’s a mess and I don’t know what to think of it. Who know what crazy **** has gone on behind the scenes.
 

doc4UK

New member
Aug 14, 2003
2,662
9
0
The contract Coen signed was the problem. It allowed him way too much latitude to terminate his contract at any time
 
Mar 26, 2003
5,688
170
0
Not at all, I don’t see where Coen was “holding the program hostage” at all, he was very open about interviewing. Even going back to when Neal Brown came on as OC, Stoops said he wasn’t going to hold any coach back from a career move (in so many words), which is how it should be. Why should Stoops try to hold a coach hostage?
 
Jul 31, 2004
3,285
38
28
I don't blame Stoops for Coen being what he is, a serial job-hopper with a fairly ho-hum body of overall work if we're being honest. I DO blame Stoops if he's been caught with his pants at his ankles after all these interviews and he doesn't have a replacement lined out. The minute Coen started his grand tour of NFL offices, I hope Stoops was hammering out handshake deals to replace him.
 

Rembrandt90

New member
Jun 25, 2018
6,758
8
0
The 'interviewing' process has been going on for about three weeks now. At some point should he have told Coen I need to know right now are you staying or going.
I have to look out for the well being of the FB program not waiting for you to go through this song and dance for ever.
I still have to wonder if there are things that have happened behind the scenes that we will never know about.
I guess one persons idea of putting down roots and another persons idea of it are different.
The timing of this is horrible.
LOL. Coaches come and go. For sure, the decision to bring Coen back is more interesting now in hindsight. Hindsight is always 20-20. The optics of having 6 OCs in 6 seasons are not optimal. But SEC teams lose coordinators like trees lose leaves. Kirby lost Monkin and Lanning. It's a business. Our fans need to look around and understand how common this is. Comparatively, UK actually has one of the more stable SEC staffs. People could choose to be happy we aren't losing Marrow or White.

Having said that, the best head coaches address these situations by upgrading. I hate the lack of continuity but this is an opportunity to do better. The SEC is an attractive coaching environment, and UK is paying coordinators enough money to be a player for top candidates. Stoops needs to score here. We can't expect every coach to stay indefinitely, but this doesn't have to be a stepping stone job either.
 
Aug 9, 2019
2,379
12
0
LOL. Coaches come and go. For sure, the decision to bring Coen back is more interesting now in hindsight. Hindsight is always 20-20. The optics of having 6 OCs in 6 seasons are not optimal. But SEC teams lose coordinators like trees lose leaves. Kirby lost Monkin and Lanning. It's a business. Our fans need to look around and understand how common this is. Comparatively, UK actually has one of the more stable SEC staffs. People could choose to be happy we aren't losing Marrow or White.

Having said that, the best head coaches address these situations by upgrading. I hate the lack of continuity but this is an opportunity to do better. The SEC is an attractive coaching environment, and UK is paying coordinators enough money to be a player for top candidates. Stoops needs to score here. We can't expect every coach to stay indefinitely, but this doesn't have to be a stepping stone job either.
I pretty much agree with you but the timing and the optics here are terrible.
Coen just comes over as being desperate to get out of town to anyplace he can
He has interviewed for so many jobs that it seems the fanbase after awhile seem to be taking it personally which I agree is silly in this business.
 
Feb 21, 2006
8,403
942
0
Guys, Nick Saban and Alabama can't keep coaches.

It is the nature of the beast. Staff, whether it's position coaches or coordinators, generally speaking are guys climbing the ladder looking for opportunities.

Also, until administrations want to fully commit to coaches, and coaches to admins/programs. Then this is what it's going to be.

We're mad at LC? Dude has no loyalty to us or UK. He really doesn't owe us anything. He did us the favor by even considering us in the first place. Dude is from the hottest coaching lineage in all of football he's got a job whenever and wherever he wants...especially pros.

How about an HC who's been here 12 years, extended, and paid top dollar for mediocre football looking around?!

Until coaches, athletic/admins, conferences, BCS, NCAA, etc...all want to get together and hammer out a concrete framework for more secure employment. It's going to be silly carousel season, every season, all season long.

Some sort of collective bargaining that agrees to 4-5 year, admins can't fire, and coaches can't sniff around no matter what. Meaning 1-11 in year 2, coach can't be messed with for another couple of years.

Same goes for staff. **** offense, OC can't find the endzone with google maps and flashlight...too bad...he's a first-year guy with 4 more years left.

Are we fans ready for that? We want guys fired on game day for single play calls.
 

Randy Bob

Active member
Jun 14, 2009
7,170
352
83
Stoops is in charge of what goes on in the Ky FB program, Coen after all the commotion he has caused should have been fired and not let him come back.
 

wildcatdon

Active member
Oct 17, 2012
9,703
456
83
I'll always wonder if Coen's health scare figured into putting rabbit in his blood.

Have to figure Coen's probably not real keen on recruiting...and who could blame him? Leaving your young family to jump on a plane to fly to BFE to kiss the *** of some 18y/o can't be real enjoyable.

Seems to me UK/Stoops/Coen need to have a come to Jesus meeting. Time to **** or get off the pot.
Stoops and Coen already did ****. Right in our program. Screw the both of them.
 

Nawlij_rivals71126

New member
Sep 7, 2011
1,688
55
0
I don't blame Stoops for Coen being what he is, a serial job-hopper with a fairly ho-hum body of overall work if we're being honest. I DO blame Stoops if he's been caught with his pants at his ankles after all these interviews and he doesn't have a replacement lined out. The minute Coen started his grand tour of NFL offices, I hope Stoops was hammering out handshake deals to replace him.
Fair take…simple truth of the mater is that the ”legend” on Liam Coen was based upon him being McVay’s boy (and isnt it interesting that McVay really didnt try to keep him) and 1/2 of a season with Levis, Wandale, CROD, and a number of NFL’ers on the OL. If we are being honest with each other, the O disappointed in 2023 and there were rumors of discipline problems and lack of cohesion, which are 100% ultimately on Coen.

Now the real question to me, is what does Stoops do next? Go for another high ceiling low floor NFL coach, or go after a solid but unspectacular guy like Moorhead?
 

Tedington68

New member
May 6, 2018
257
0
0
If Stoops had anything remotely resembling a pair.... he would just let Liam go NOW . Dude doesn't want to be here so leadership should help him achieve his goal. But I know neither Stoops or Barnhart have the leadership abilities to make that move
 

Rembrandt90

New member
Jun 25, 2018
6,758
8
0
I pretty much agree with you but the timing and the optics here are terrible.
Coen just comes over as being desperate to get out of town to anyplace he can
He has interviewed for so many jobs that it seems the fanbase after awhile seem to be taking it personally which I agree is silly in this business.
Then when is a good time to lose a coordinator? The silver lining is that a lot of candidates are available now.
 

Rembrandt90

New member
Jun 25, 2018
6,758
8
0
If Stoops had anything remotely resembling a pair.... he would just let Liam go NOW . Dude doesn't want to be here so leadership should help him achieve his goal. But I know neither Stoops or Barnhart have the leadership abilities to make that move
Liam Coen is gone. They are just working out the last details of his contract. The optics are already bad. Firing him when he is already out the door is a ridiculous, self defeating idea.
 

Rembrandt90

New member
Jun 25, 2018
6,758
8
0
Fair take…simple truth of the mater is that the ”legend” on Liam Coen was based upon him being McVay’s boy (and isnt it interesting that McVay really didnt try to keep him) and 1/2 of a season with Levis, Wandale, CROD, and a number of NFL’ers on the OL. If we are being honest with each other, the O disappointed in 2023 and there were rumors of discipline problems and lack of cohesion, which are 100% ultimately on Coen.

Now the real question to me, is what does Stoops do next? Go for another high ceiling low floor NFL coach, or go after a solid but unspectacular guy like Moorhead?

Right. Stoops should take whatever time he needs and apply what he has learned. The perceived rush to hire right away that some posters are expressing is contrived. Stoops has until the second half of February to hire a replacement if he needs that long. I could be wrong but I can't see Stoops actually hiring Moorhead even though I know they have discussed the position in the past. I don't think you can hire a coordinator specifically because you don't think he will leave. First of all, any coach can leave. Besides that, it is better when other programs like your coaches. It is bad when they don't.

Stoops is right to hire young coaches who can recruit and develop talent. Dawson and Scan were stylistic mistakes. In both cases, Stoops mainly trusted a single reference from a credible person and hired without enough background. Coen checked all the boxes but has some personal idiosyncrasies. You can't always see that coming, but I think it's fair now to look back at the decision to bring Coen back from LA and ask whether this outcome was inevitable. At the end of the day, every SEC program loses coordinators, but Stoops must do a better job of hiring guys who move the program forward. It's a challenge for every head coach.

Stoops will hire someone we don't expect. Always happens. Someone like KSR will get a leak and break the news but that won't happen until the deal has already been struck. Until then, we can talk about who we might prefer, but it is unlikely that we will guess correctly.
 

Grumpyolddawg

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2001
404,177
18,057
113
I know it's frustrating to lose an assistant at what seems like a bad time. I know UK fans were excited about getting him back. But I was never impressed with him, yes he was the OC of a 10 win team, but how much of that success was because of the personal than him? I think he got much more credit for that team than he deserved.
 
Aug 9, 2019
2,379
12
0
I know it's frustrating to lose an assistant at what seems like a bad time. I know UK fans were excited about getting him back. But I was never impressed with him, yes he was the OC of a 10 win team, but how much of that success was because of the personal than him? I think he got much more credit for that team than he deserved.
In hindsight, I think you are right
 

Tedington68

New member
May 6, 2018
257
0
0
Liam Coen is gone. They are just working out the last details of his contract. The optics are already bad. Firing him when he is already out the door is a ridiculous, self defeating idea.
It wasn't about firing Liam but about hiring his replacement and if Liams deal had fallen through....well....sucks to be him , he was already replaced.
But you are correct, it's over now and pointless
 

Wildcats1st

New member
Sep 16, 2017
18,949
0
0
Stoops leaving and being rejected is why coen left. Stoops hired coen multi year then pulled a jack move on coen. I don’t think coen wanted any part of more drama like that. He’s career driven and stoops pulled the rug. If stoops hadn’t tried to leave coen would still be here another season.
 
Apr 28, 2023
1,551
10
38
Liam Coen is gone. They are just working out the last details of his contract. The optics are already bad. Firing him when he is already out the door is a ridiculous, self defeating idea.
Agreed, not to mention it would cost us whatever Tampa Bay owes us for the buyout and probably sticks US with paying a buyout.
 
Apr 28, 2023
1,551
10
38
Stoops leaving and being rejected is why coen left. Stoops hired coen multi year then pulled a jack move on coen. I don’t think coen wanted any part of more drama like that. He’s career driven and stoops pulled the rug. If stoops hadn’t tried to leave coen would still be here another season.
Maybe, but we'll never really know that.
 

NoDef

New member
Sep 1, 2001
5,057
134
0
I'll always wonder if Coen's health scare figured into putting rabbit in his blood.

Have to figure Coen's probably not real keen on recruiting...and who could blame him? Leaving your young family to jump on a plane to fly to BFE to kiss the *** of some 18y/o can't be real enjoyable.

Seems to me UK/Stoops/Coen need to have a come to Jesus meeting. Time to **** or get off the pot.
Not only that, now they are having to kiss the *** of unhappy college players .
 

Lost In FL

Well-known member
Oct 5, 2001
19,305
2,569
113
Remember the Stoops to Texas A&M fiasco. At the time it was reported the assistants didn’t want to follow. I may be wrong but I’ve often thought about the relationships between Stoops and his assistants afterwards.
Do we know that there is a problem between the two? or is this just our interpretation/message board fodder.

it seems CMS interviews every chance he gets. Maybe it is "normal" to these guys and they expect it.
 

notFromhere

Well-known member
Sep 7, 2016
19,779
2,356
113
Guys, Nick Saban and Alabama can't keep coaches.

It is the nature of the beast. Staff, whether it's position coaches or coordinators, generally speaking are guys climbing the ladder looking for opportunities.

Also, until administrations want to fully commit to coaches, and coaches to admins/programs. Then this is what it's going to be.

Exactly. We can ***** about it all we want. Won't change it. We could stop being immature about it, and accept it for what it is.
 

Grumpyolddawg

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2001
404,177
18,057
113
Stoops leaving and being rejected is why coen left. Stoops hired coen multi year then pulled a jack move on coen. I don’t think coen wanted any part of more drama like that. He’s career driven and stoops pulled the rug. If stoops hadn’t tried to leave coen would still be here another season.

I don't think that was it. But as you said Coen was/is carrer driven. He was very popular with the UK fanbase until he starting applying for every NFL opening. It is just as likely CMS was gone and Coen was going to be named head coach. The new job fell through and Coen started looking around.