Smart and Miss Southern talking in Atlanta today. ...
- Thread starter Shmuley
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Smart need to keep his gig with Saban and ideally try to parlay it into a bigger pay day with some larger program that might be fooled into trying to hire the next up and coming Saban.
USM would be stupid to try to take the Saban path to success in CUSA, so I say if it happens, it's dumb for both parties.
I, for one, am glad we didn't get fooled into going after Smart because the media says he's the next big thing.
USM would be stupid to try to take the Saban path to success in CUSA, so I say if it happens, it's dumb for both parties.
I, for one, am glad we didn't get fooled into going after Smart because the media says he's the next big thing.
As long as he gets somebody competent to run the offense, this would be an outstanding hire for USM. Smart is young, energetic, has a known name, and knows the recruiting area. Saban might be a micro-manager, but Smart has still learned defense from the best.
It wouldn't necessarily be a bad decision for Smart either unless Richt really is on the edge of retiring. He'll field quality teams at USM and put them in a position to win the CUSA. Give him two - three quality seasons at USM and he'll be in a good position to get a great HC job while still being younger than 40.
It wouldn't necessarily be a bad decision for Smart either unless Richt really is on the edge of retiring. He'll field quality teams at USM and put them in a position to win the CUSA. Give him two - three quality seasons at USM and he'll be in a good position to get a great HC job while still being younger than 40.
Saban assistants have a very spotty record as head coaches, and that's being generous to them. Smart is basically nothing more than a glorified position coach. We all know who the defensive coordinator of that team is. I think USM should, and will, promote their offensive coordinator and keep the rest of the staff intact.
ckDOG said:
The bolded part is exactly the reason why you don't hire him. You don't hire a guy with an expectation that he could be good if he gets the right assistant at the right coordinator spot.
You hire a guy because he brings the whole package and wants to run the type of system that you know you need to win. That's like hiring a recruiter and saying, if he hires good coordinators, it'll turn out great. Trust me, that doesn't work. The reason it doesn't work is because the guy you hire has a plan for how he wants the program to look, and more than likely that's going to be based on his experience. Even if you force a certain coordinator on a guy, it's not going to work. It's been tried over and over, and it fails every time. See Malzahn/Nutt, Franklin/Tuberville, just to name a few.
Also, you state the fact that he has a known name as being a positive. That's by far the dumbest reason to even consider a coach. You want to make a bad hire? Hire a guy because his name is well-known.
Smart has never coached a defense that didn't have Nick Saban talent on it. He's not going to get that at USM. Is he going to be able to adapt his defense to cover up weaknesses? He's never had to do that before, so how do we know he'd even know what to do if he has youth or lack of talent at a position? On top of that, he's proven himself as a recruiter recruiting for Nick Saban's program. That's a big selling point, and it makes your job as a recruiter a lot easier to have Saban follow you up with a home visit to sell his program. Will he recruit that well on his own, and will he be able to recruit to a program that doesn't get to be picky with its talent evaluations?
ETA: It's clear that a lot of you fall into the category of fans that judge coaches by whether the media tells you they should be a hot commodity. Smart may turn out great, but there are huge risks with a hire like that. If USM is going to go after a highly paid coordinator, they'd be better off going after a guy like Chad Morris.
The bolded part is exactly the reason why you don't hire him. You don't hire a guy with an expectation that he could be good if he gets the right assistant at the right coordinator spot.
You hire a guy because he brings the whole package and wants to run the type of system that you know you need to win. That's like hiring a recruiter and saying, if he hires good coordinators, it'll turn out great. Trust me, that doesn't work. The reason it doesn't work is because the guy you hire has a plan for how he wants the program to look, and more than likely that's going to be based on his experience. Even if you force a certain coordinator on a guy, it's not going to work. It's been tried over and over, and it fails every time. See Malzahn/Nutt, Franklin/Tuberville, just to name a few.
Working okay for us. We hired an offensive guy with no defensive experience. Defense is our strength. Why? He's put together a competent staff. That's what HC's are paid to do.
ETA: Wait just a damn minute. Look who said this:
Right here: Link
Also, you state the fact that he has a known name as being a positive. That's by far the dumbest reason to even consider a coach. You want to make a bad hire? Hire a guy because his name is well-known.
You are either rationalizing your no-name outside of Oxford and Jonesboro hire or you are lumping being well-known in with being a retread. Smart's name is well known because he's associated with winning and high performing defenses - not because he's a crusty old fart that needs a new job.
Smart has never coached a defense that didn't have Nick Saban talent on it. He's not going to get that at USM. Is he going to be able to adapt his defense to cover up weaknesses? He's never had to do that before, so how do we know he'd even know what to do if he has youth or lack of talent at a position? On top of that, he's proven himself as a recruiter recruiting for Nick Saban's program. That's a big selling point, and it makes your job as a recruiter a lot easier to have Saban follow you up with a home visit to sell his program. Will he recruit that well on his own, and will he be able to recruit to a program that doesn't get to be picky with its talent evaluations?
Fair point, but Alabama's defense are known for their scheme just as much as their talent.
ETA: It's clear that a lot of you fall into the category of fans that judge coaches by whether the media tells you they should be a hot commodity. Smart may turn out great, but there are huge risks with a hire like that. If USM is going to go after a highly paid coordinator, they'd be better off going after a guy like Chad Morris.
2 things 1) This is USM we are talking about. How many head coaches worth hiring are they going to be able to choose from? 2) I suppose you pulled Chad Morris' name from you little black book coaching commodities?
You hire a guy because he brings the whole package and wants to run the type of system that you know you need to win. That's like hiring a recruiter and saying, if he hires good coordinators, it'll turn out great. Trust me, that doesn't work. The reason it doesn't work is because the guy you hire has a plan for how he wants the program to look, and more than likely that's going to be based on his experience. Even if you force a certain coordinator on a guy, it's not going to work. It's been tried over and over, and it fails every time. See Malzahn/Nutt, Franklin/Tuberville, just to name a few.
Working okay for us. We hired an offensive guy with no defensive experience. Defense is our strength. Why? He's put together a competent staff. That's what HC's are paid to do.
ETA: Wait just a damn minute. Look who said this:
Right here: Link
Also, you state the fact that he has a known name as being a positive. That's by far the dumbest reason to even consider a coach. You want to make a bad hire? Hire a guy because his name is well-known.
You are either rationalizing your no-name outside of Oxford and Jonesboro hire or you are lumping being well-known in with being a retread. Smart's name is well known because he's associated with winning and high performing defenses - not because he's a crusty old fart that needs a new job.
Smart has never coached a defense that didn't have Nick Saban talent on it. He's not going to get that at USM. Is he going to be able to adapt his defense to cover up weaknesses? He's never had to do that before, so how do we know he'd even know what to do if he has youth or lack of talent at a position? On top of that, he's proven himself as a recruiter recruiting for Nick Saban's program. That's a big selling point, and it makes your job as a recruiter a lot easier to have Saban follow you up with a home visit to sell his program. Will he recruit that well on his own, and will he be able to recruit to a program that doesn't get to be picky with its talent evaluations?
Fair point, but Alabama's defense are known for their scheme just as much as their talent.
ETA: It's clear that a lot of you fall into the category of fans that judge coaches by whether the media tells you they should be a hot commodity. Smart may turn out great, but there are huge risks with a hire like that. If USM is going to go after a highly paid coordinator, they'd be better off going after a guy like Chad Morris.
2 things 1) This is USM we are talking about. How many head coaches worth hiring are they going to be able to choose from? 2) I suppose you pulled Chad Morris' name from you little black book coaching commodities?
Fair enough on your first two points.
On Bama's defense, it relies on a front 7 with very specific skill sets. It's complex in nature, but how does that defense work if you have a weakness at one of those points? What if you don't have a dominant, large nose tackle that requires a double team? What if you don't have OLBs that are fast but have DE type bodies? What if you don't have MLBs that can fly sideline to sideline? Will the defense look so good? Is it adaptable when those pieces aren't there? We don't know because Alabama just replaces one NFL talent with another with the specific skill set and size they need. What we do know is that you'll never have all of those pieces hand-picked at the same time at any of the Mississippi schools.
Personally, if we were going to hire Smart, I'd want to see him make it work at a school where he doesn't get to hand pick his players, because you don't get to do that most places.
I think Smart could be a solid hire for a school like Georgia, because if you can lock down that recruiting territory and take a good strategy to do that, you can run his style and make it work. It's one of those jobs. There aren't many jobs out there like that.
On Morris, he was one of the guys I really wanted us to consider early on. I don't know if we made a call to him. I know he's only been in the college game two years, former high school coach, but he's one of the great young offensive minds. He's not a big name, but he's making a name for himself quickly. The thing about him is that if he leaves Clemson tomorrow, their team takes a huge hit. If Smart leaves Alabama tomorrow, Alabama won't miss a beat. Morris is a big part of the talent driving Clemson's success this year. Not that it matters, but he, Freeze, and Malzahn are friends and share ideas offensively. They all run similar systems, and they've all moved up the ladder pretty quickly since moving from high school football coach to college. Morris has moved more rapidly in large part because Malzahn recommended him and Morris essentially got to follow Malzahn and make his name in Malzahn's wake. Offensively, I consider them all on the same plane when it comes to what they do.
If you watch their offenses, you'll see the similarities.
On Bama's defense, it relies on a front 7 with very specific skill sets. It's complex in nature, but how does that defense work if you have a weakness at one of those points? What if you don't have a dominant, large nose tackle that requires a double team? What if you don't have OLBs that are fast but have DE type bodies? What if you don't have MLBs that can fly sideline to sideline? Will the defense look so good? Is it adaptable when those pieces aren't there? We don't know because Alabama just replaces one NFL talent with another with the specific skill set and size they need. What we do know is that you'll never have all of those pieces hand-picked at the same time at any of the Mississippi schools.
Personally, if we were going to hire Smart, I'd want to see him make it work at a school where he doesn't get to hand pick his players, because you don't get to do that most places.
I think Smart could be a solid hire for a school like Georgia, because if you can lock down that recruiting territory and take a good strategy to do that, you can run his style and make it work. It's one of those jobs. There aren't many jobs out there like that.
On Morris, he was one of the guys I really wanted us to consider early on. I don't know if we made a call to him. I know he's only been in the college game two years, former high school coach, but he's one of the great young offensive minds. He's not a big name, but he's making a name for himself quickly. The thing about him is that if he leaves Clemson tomorrow, their team takes a huge hit. If Smart leaves Alabama tomorrow, Alabama won't miss a beat. Morris is a big part of the talent driving Clemson's success this year. Not that it matters, but he, Freeze, and Malzahn are friends and share ideas offensively. They all run similar systems, and they've all moved up the ladder pretty quickly since moving from high school football coach to college. Morris has moved more rapidly in large part because Malzahn recommended him and Morris essentially got to follow Malzahn and make his name in Malzahn's wake. Offensively, I consider them all on the same plane when it comes to what they do.
If you watch their offenses, you'll see the similarities.
when you find out Bruiser is a low functioning, abused, Arby's worker. No offense to you high functioning Arby's workers.
No coach is going to be immune from personnel "what ifs?" This is exactly what Smart would be trying to do should he go to a school like USM. He needs to prove he can run a system with his own players. He won't look like a fool if they don't end up as world beaters and he'll prove himself as a high quality HC should he have them in the CUSA championship game.
Sure, there is risk hiring a coordinator, even at USM, but I don't think they have any issue with taking the gamble. They did with Fedora and it worked out great for both parties.
and how he does. Not that it means a damn thing, but he is perceived as a solid recruiter. [insert reference to a monkey being able to pull kids to T-town].
I think it means a helluva lot more to us what is happening at AU. There's an opening there for sure. I fully expect them to be average to below average for a couple of years.
It won't mean a damn thing in Tuscaloosa. They lost their OC and three days later there's talk that they are back in the game for Beckham, Yeldon may flip, and Cyrus Jones is likely to commit. That's three low double digit offense side kids in the space of a week after losing their OC.
I think it means a helluva lot more to us what is happening at AU. There's an opening there for sure. I fully expect them to be average to below average for a couple of years.
It won't mean a damn thing in Tuscaloosa. They lost their OC and three days later there's talk that they are back in the game for Beckham, Yeldon may flip, and Cyrus Jones is likely to commit. That's three low double digit offense side kids in the space of a week after losing their OC.
Saban goes through assistants like crazy and not much changes.
Chizik though will have a hard time replacing Malzahn and the other assistants he's going to lose.
Chizik though will have a hard time replacing Malzahn and the other assistants he's going to lose.
really all 3 years Chizik has been there. Take away Malzahn's offense which has been pretty consistently good until the last half of this year and Auburn could be in real trouble if they don't come up with another dynamic OC somewhere.