Monday, March 31, 2008

2nd annual Tom Dienhart ACC Coach Rankings Rebuttal

Don't worry, there will not be a third addition of this feature as the predictable Dienhart doesn't deserve another response after this one.

Here is his newest rankings. Jags comes in at 11. A big jump from the 12 spot Dienhart gave him last year. The biggest surprise is that Dienhart actually moved TOB down one slot from 3 to 4. I guess a 5-7 season will do that. However, Dienhart is still steadfast in his support of TOB.
Just imagine if Notre Dame or Washington had hired him. I still think it's a lead-pipe cinch that O'Brien will have the Wolfpack playing in the ACC title game within three-to-five years.


Because these things are so subjective, I tried to put some real measurements to them last year at AOL.

As for Jags, last year Dienhart had this to say:
He's familiar with the terrain at The Heights. And his NFL background will make him attractive to recruits. But can he run the whole show? The jury is out. But know this: Jags inherited a loaded deck and needs to win big this fall. And if he tastes success, will he bolt back to the NFL.


Let's look at the results from Dienhart's critiques from a year ago. Can he run the whole show? So far, so good. Jags inherited a loaded deck and needs to win big this fall. Division champs. Exciting wins over VT and Clemson. Beating Notre Dame. Most wins in a season since the '40s. More wins than TOB's proclaimed 10-win ceiling for BC. Looks like Jags answered some of Dienhart's gripes. Yet, this is what he has to say this season:
He enjoyed a wildly successful debut season. Now, the hard part: maintaining the level of excellence. If he backs up last year's magic with another contending team, I'll stamp Jags as "legit."
Fair enough. He wants to see Jags do it again. All BC fans do. But don't you have a funny feeling that if BC goes 14-0 next season, Dienhart will still be saying "yeah, but..."

7 comments:

Big Jack Krack said...

What does Dienhart have to do for us to stamp him "legit"?

It's a stupid exercise on his part anyway.

Eagle in Brighton said...

What an asshat.

To show Dienhart's complete disconnect from reality, Fox Sports ranksJags as the top coach on "the verge of stardom" in not the ACC, but the NATION.

To each his own, but Jags should easily be a top 5 coach in the league on potential alone (if simply because he was able to get more out of TOB's talent than TOB ever could).

Eagle in Brighton said...

Granted, Jags still needs to prove himself as a recruiter, but on energy/charisma/and ability to win with talent (unlike, say ND, Miami, FSU, etc. as of late) he's been sensational.

bceagle08 said...

What a joke. I would love to find just one person who legitimately takes this guy seriously. I used to be the Sports Editor of my high school newspaper and I'm pretty sure I had more readers than this hack.

X said...

Hmmm, I realize 11th is wild---

where would you rank Jags among the other coaches in the ACC?

Eagle in Brighton said...

Best ACC Coaches:

1.) Frank Beamer: Great coach, consistent, gets "5 star performance" from "4 star" recruits.

2.) Bobby Bowden: I know, I know he's been abysmal the past few seasons, but the man can recruit, hands down. Like a Duke in basketball, beating his team even in a down year is notch in your belt.

3.) Jim Grobe: Will agree with the "gets most from least" amount of talent arguement.

4.) Tommy Bowden: Iffy, but has made Clemson consistent with crazy expectations abound. Would drop considerably if chokes with this years talent.

5.) Jagz: The man can coach and is a great ambassador to the school. Can he recruit?

6.) Paul Johnson: Won at Navy. But at the end of the day, it's still only Navy and he didn't win much.

7.) Tom O'Brien: Steady and conservative, his play/personality will bore you out of your gourd. Can't make the next step. Defeatist.

8.) Al Groh: NFL pedigree, high expectations...little to show.

9.) Butch Davis: Great recruiter. Time will tell if translates at Chapel Hill.

10.) Randy Shannon: Rough patch post Larry Coker, but has had great recruiting classes as his background lends itself to connecting with in-state talent. Grace period: 2 more years.

11.) David Cutcliffe: To be honest, beyond his coordinator days, a mystery.

12.) Ralph Friedgen: The man needs a diet and the hook.

LAEagle said...

my man, how can you put the creator of that 2001 UM team at #9? I understand the creation of that team is not necessarily the work of a great coach, but a college coach is as much about good gameplans as it is bringing in stellar athletes. Butch has got to move to the top 3-5 of that list.