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For those uneasy about Torbush...

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maroonmania

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Feb 23, 2008
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was a big time DC and of course even made it to the HC level at NC. However, I guess the concern would be whether or not he is now a "has been"? We seem to be rescuing him from 3 years in coaching exile. I realize he is coming from his alma mater, but he's definitely not been coaching any big time programs lately and you wonder why nobody else gone after him in the last few years. Also, Mullen spoke of wanting an attacking defensive style. Do Torbush's defenses play that way? I don't really know. Of course, we are not even certain he will be the DC. He could be coming in as a linebackers coach.
 
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8dog

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nothing can change my mind until our defense plays well.
 
Shmuley

Shmuley

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if the man has top talent, he puts together a good D. The converse appears to be true. We're about to find out what sort of D he can manufacture when the talent is ... um .... average.
 
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Coach34

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especially at this point? He's been successful before.

Hell, you defended making a WR's coach from Alabama our DC but Torbush is a bad hire? Wow
 
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8dog

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at A&M finished 109th in the country. And the fact that he has been at Carson Newman as an assistant for 3 years and no one else has hired him. And the fact that A&M fans reaction to our potential hire of him was about like Louisville fans reaction to our hiring of Ron Cooper.
 
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8dog

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coach. And Harbison didn't have the 109th defense in the country at a school like TX A&M. Even you said this hire didn't excite you the other day. Should we hire sherrill b/c of what he did from 97-2000?

I would rather have Cheese. At least I know he can recruit.
 
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Coach34

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but I think he has earned the benefit of the doubt to be given a chance. Cheese turned out to be a ****** coordinator as I expected he would. Torbush may be just as ******, but I can be open to seeing what he does
 
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maroonmania

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and is in a different league than Ron Cooper ever thought about being in. That being said though, I would like to understand how the wheels fell off on him at A&M and why he's been stuck at Carson Newman for 3 years and I don't even believe he was the DC there.
 
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MadBarrister

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is this the same guy that worked for Dog Brewer at Ole Miss 20 years ago or so? i remember him being OK but not spectacular, maybe because the whole program was so-so from year to year.
 
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TR.sixpack

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Feb 14, 2008
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but I can be open to seeing what he does
Click to expand...

That's mighty big of you.

Had he not stunk it up at TAMU, most people would think this was a fabulous hire. He did good job at UNC and Bama defensively, not that long ago.
 
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Optimus Prime 4

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Practically their entire defense for Brown's good teams started in the NFL. Greg Ellis, Vonnie Holliday, Dre Bly, Ebenezer Ekeuban, and on and on. Heck, didn't y'all play against his defense in the Peach Bowl? Bracey Walker blocking punts?

I don't know who recruited those guys though, whether it was Brown or Torbush. As a UNC fan, I have mixed feelings about him. I thought he'd be a good HC, but he was terrible. Maybe that was just too much responsibility though.
 
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Columbus Dawg

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8 years ago, I would have said that Torbush is one of the top 3 defensive coordinators in college football. Of course, I would have said the same thing about Joe Lee Dunn.

We do need an explanation on why he wasn't the d-coordinator at Carson Newman. And I would like to know who is making these hires. Is it Mullen or Byrne. The Les Koenning/Carl Torbush hires are too much of a coincidence to ignore.
 
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Big Sheep81

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Feb 24, 2008
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but basing part of the conclusion on fan reaction from A&M is like asking Al Gore what he thinks about canning @$%$$!@. Torbush's over-all record is pretty good and A&M hasn't exactly been a hotbed of talent over the last several years. Nobody else has hired Mullen til now either. Considering all the rocks thrown at coaching staffs by expert fans, he might have wanted a job where the successful splitting of the atom did not ride on every game. Burnout can be tough and even tougher to overcome. Right now, without having seen anything this staff has put on the field, I am inclined to give Mullen the same benefit of the doubt I gave Croom. If time proves you right, you need to join Byrne's ofc and tell him who to hire.
 
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8dog

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the A&M fans reactions b/c

a. They are the ones that actually saw his defenses play, including giving up nearly 500 yards to Texas State.

and

b. The Louisville fans were right.

And I don't think you can consider our returning personell on defense a hotbed of talent either.
 
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8dog

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it reminded me so much of the 03 Oregon game. A&M couldn't stop Utah in the first half. Utah put up 27 points in that half. Maybe he liked Torbush's halftime adjustments.
 
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Big Sheep81

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Ok. Then in fairness you have to give whoever the DC time to bring in adequate talent. If our defense sucks mule eggs in 2009, that falls back on the previous staff's recruiting. Overall, our defensive group returning is weak, agreed, but this same group played decently in 2008 especially considering they were on the field for 3/4's of every game. Unlike C34, I say Harbison did a decent job. Not great, but decent. Besides, nobody knows what jobs any of these guys will have until Mullen releases his list. Torbush may only be a position coach.
 
was21

was21

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not every coach jumps at the opportunity to move to Starkville. As much as I hate to admit it, I accept it. So far, none of the hires appear to be bad hires...they've all achieved some degree of success, and some may appear to be over the hill, but time will tell. He has to start somewhere and assemble a staff. If they don't work out, we have to believe that he won't pull a Croom and keep the nonperformers.
 
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8dog

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to come here.

Torbush was not hired b/c other coaches didn't want to come to Starkville.
 
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Columbus Dawg

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That's true except this was THE most crucial hire. We needed to throw some serious money around if need be. Mullen is giving the D-coordinator complete control of the defense. We needed a homerun and it looks more like a sacrifice bunt.

It's a shame because I like the way the rest of the staff is shaping up with recruiters.
 
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Big Sheep81

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Feb 24, 2008
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Because the guys he picks aren't the ones you would hire? Those picks are his to make. I have guys I would like to see coaching in Starkville, but I don't get to make that choice. Bottom line is he will have to make his hires work. Croom, for the most part didn't. Jackie didn't the last three years he was here. Bob Tyler, Rockey Felker, Emory Bellard all had the same thing happen to them. Mullen ain't plowing no new field here.
 
was21

was21

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because of that, unless you're Dan Mullen. I'm just stating a fact that many coaches don't want to move to Starkville. Maybe Torbush was not the first choice, and we don't know if he's been selected as the DC at this point either.
 
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TR.sixpack

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But, you're right; it hasn't been officially announced what his job title is.

[edit: ooops. he was reassigned, meaning Torbush could be LB coach.]
 
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8dog

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but we got one of the top offensive coordinators in the country to move to Starkville, I imagine there was someone out there better than Torbush to be DC (if that's his role)

The Starkville card is such a "woe is us" line of reasoning. Sure, there are some people that don't want to move to Starkville. Hell, I don't want to move to NYC, LA, or Chicago. So certainly that can be a reason for some, but not everyone.
 
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AzzurriDawg4

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Nov 11, 2007
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How about just making good hires to start with? Thank you for reminding me that I am not Coach Mullen and that they are his hires to make - I almost forgot that.

It is not that Jackie didn't "make his hires work" - it is just that he hired ****** coordinators. Croom hired one good coordinator and either 17'ed the offense on his own or allowed Woody to do it.

The reason I said it doesn't make sense is because Mullen just hired a guy who he dismantled while he was coaching at Utah. Torbush was coaching at A&M. That doesn't make sense.

I am not saying he hasn't been (or can't be) successful, just that on its face it is not a good hire. One thing is certain, Torbush at this point is not "on his way up." Why not snag a DC that is on the rise, that people envision as a future HC - or at least someone that hasn't been coaching at William Carey University or wherever the 17 he has been coaching the last 3 years.
 
was21

was21

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preferences. I also agree that the "woe is us" approach is all too prevalent, but the damn media does its best to keep the Starkville card alive, and it has a lot of influence.
 
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Sarc Dawg

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I'll wait and see if Torbush is declared the DC before I start claiming the sky is falling.</p>
 
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