The coach at Cincinnati's Bear-cats go undefeated and gains a BCS game and how does he repay his players? He leaves to greener pastures (Notre Dame) before the teams biggest bowl game in history. I personally hope ND goes under 6 wins and no bowl games next year (or two). Urban Myers retires from Florida due to health reasons, okay but why announce it before your bowl game, why not wait another week? Mike Leach gets fired today from Texas Tech for endangering a player's heath (or so the story goes). The other coaches, trainers, and players said Coach Leach did nothing to endanger the player. The player (Adam James) son of ESPN's Craig James, The coaching staff was quoted as saying James was up set about the lack of playing time he had been receiving. Now a popular coach (one that has taken TX Tech to 10 straight bowl games) gets fired. Don't be surprised to see Mike Leach taking over at Florida. Leach is known as one of the best offensive coaches in the nation.
Jeez Tex Accusations of Leach are horrific. Yet your texas bias gives him a pass. While ND conducting business as any one else, gets your curse. Cincci should do just as well with the interm coach, against who, OH Florida. And Meyer recants his resignation. But, will he coach THE game. Make up his mind will you. There's two of three basic strategy flaws in your post. Not like you
Just venting Tech screwed up, they were suppose to have a hearing at 8:30 am and they canceled it and just fired Leach. I love the story about Adam James being put in a dark eletrical closet, yet they show his mobile phone video and he is in a big room with lights on, plus he had his phone with him and didn't call for help? Whats wrong with this story? Did Leach do anything wrong, maybe, but so far non of the stories add up to what Adam James has been claiming happened really happened. Next, I'm not against ND, just the coach who jumps ship. I have no problem with him leaving, but at least wait until your season is over with Cincy and the bowl game with the team that allowed you to get the ND job in the first place. Finally, Urban Meyers may not be coaching the bowl game, he had to go to the hospital with chest pains the other night.
Just the facts. Mam The video, audio of Leach calling his players' girlfriends, little fat girls. And "the little fat girls are not going to dictate how this team operates," which occurred before the James incident tilt the judgement against him and tech saw it that way. He clearly was a man out of control. Until that video/audio was aired, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, that it was just a disgruntled player. But the evidence is coming out, overwhelmingly. There is a littany of coaches jumping ship when offered, to them, a better oportunity. Any one know someone called Saban. He is just one of at least 10 who jump at a better(mo money) opportunity. And history. Heck Meyer left for Florida and didn't coach his bowl game. Recruiting for the "new" school is the priority. A coach, who coaches a team into a bowl game(undefeated at that) has put the ground work in for that team to succeed. And if those players who went all that far and proved so much piss a hissy fit, instead of wanting to show "everyone", then they deserve a loss. It's the players who responed to the coach and succeeded. Finish it off. USC was down for 10 years, before Carol. But even with him they didn't fare that well this year. Alabama was down for some 10 years. (And I might add, even when they were what they were supposed to be they lost 3 of 4 to Notre Dame, regular season home and home and one gigantic bowl game. Oklahoma has a losing record to ND. What happened to Florida State. Michigan. Ohio state. Notre Dame had three mediocre coaches over the last fifteen years. Every parent knows what it takes to instruct and discipline their own kids, try doing it to over 100 pampered athletes. Elite talent is one thing. Coaching elite talent is another. Meyer may have health problems. Many big time college coaches encounter it at one time or another. But the Meyer deal is no different than the coaches who say "I'm stayin here, this is my life long dream" and then bolt for the money. It's a "TODAY" problem when someone says one thing and does another. Or just says one thing one minute and another thing another minute. The Cinci/Fla game should be a great contest with great talent against great talent. Who wants it more? Who wants to prove it more? I'm not a total ND fanatic. What they have done to season ticket holders is a shame, but no different than many other big time programs and pro teams. But what "ticked" me off was cursing them for doing what everybody else does. Try to get the best guy to resurect their program. And by the way, Forbes listed ND second in generating revenue from their football program, without sky boxes, elite suites and in/on field advertising. Yeah they have NBC. Who was first? Texas.
Leach update Noman I haven't heard or seen anything about Leach negatively (so far anyway). My comments were from past and current players who I've either met or knew their parents. Now if information comes out to prove he did endanger the health and well being of any of the players I would agree on his dismissal. What I don't understand is why Tech & Leach had a scheduled hearing at 8:30 am that was canceled the day of his firing. Why didn't the school at least go through with the hearing and then they could have fired him after evidence was prosented against him and he had his chance to defend himself. Just looks bad on the school the way they handle the situation. As far as Brian Kelly leaving Cincy, other coaches have jump ship early before as well. But I hated all those as well. Wonder what would have happened if Texas had lost and Cincy and Bama would have been playing for the National Championship? Bet he would have stayed and not announced going to ND until after the game. I loved the pre-game show for tonights game and all the recorded comments Brian Kelly was saying that he loves Cinicy and wouldn't leave. Made an ass out of himself, but as we all know, all he has to do is have a winning record at ND and everybody will forget what he did to Cinicy (except Cinicy). On another note: I don't think Bobby Bowden was treated fairly, 32 straight bowl games and the school wouldn't let him finish his last year of his contract. Won't it be funny if Florida offered him their head coaching job should Meyers not come back, Florida St. would.....SHI*!...lol PS. Florida is up 9 -0 in the 1st and should win this game by 24 points or better.
Coaches leave all the time and it is often after making some kind of undying love statement about the place they left. Tubberville did it to us years ago. It is just the way the coaching game goes these days. Not a lot of loyalty on the coaches part but many of the schools don't show a lot of loyalty either. FWIW- I doubt the coaching was that big an issue but Cincinatti is getting creamed so bad in the Sugar Bowl that I quit watching and came back here to browse the web.
Simple changes needed I think coaches should not be allows to be contacted by other schools until after the season. The players are not allowed to talk to agents until then so the same should apply to the coaches. Yea the game last night was a joke, the best four teams in the nation are: Texas, Alabama, and TCU for a national championship (Florida is the 4th team, but Alabama already knocked them out of the running).
coaching moves What is the problem people have with coaches changing jobs? How many people on this site have worked for only one employer in their whole life? We have all changed jobs. And most likely each job we have had we have talked up as being a great job while we had it, then, when someone comes along and offers us a 50% pay raise to change jobs, we're gone. That's one way people advance in their careers, to move up by changing jobs. No reason coaches should be different from you or me. And isn't two-week notice standard? for most jobs? The last time you quit a job to take a new one, did you stick around for a couple of months to 'finish a project'? or were you just out the door for the extra money? Don't apply standards to a coach you don't apply to yourself.
Well, the main thing is called a Contract. If you agree to work at a place for five years and sign a contract to that effect, I believe you are legally obligated to live up to the agreement. I sign a new contract in June to work for my school district for the following year. I am legally bound by that document. Why shouldn't a coach be?
Different situation The problem I have with a coach leaving before the end of the season is, we're only talking less then a month from the last regular season game until their Bowl game. Brian Kelly would have had to wait from Dec. 5th until Jan. 1st for their Bowl. I think the kids from Cinicy desevered to have their coach with them, I don't have a problem with Brian Kelly leaving for a better job and more money, but when he left. Honestly a couple of weeks would have kill him or ND?
