Eagle in Atlanta -- atleagle.com: It is Spaz

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

It is Spaz

3 PM press conference. Much more to come.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...: the sky is falling..............It is obvious that Gene and Jags was the problem.; 11:14 AM
Soxx22 said...: I'm fine with Spaz if they sign him for 3 years and give Bick a "coach in waiting" title. That way they do right by Spaz and he gets three years as the HC but they can have Bick do all of the recruiting since he'll be the head coach in 3 years. So the guys he is recruiting now will be seniors or red shirt juniors when he becomes coach.

that being said, i doubt it will happen.; 11:20 AM
Southern_EAGLE said...: certainly not the splash we would have liked...we'll have spaz for a couple of years and go through this entire process again...; 11:21 AM
Wesley said...: ATL, time to post your why spaz is not the best choice article?

I think I would have preferred logan, but whatever, I'll give Spaz a try...; 11:24 AM
ATL_eagle said...: Wesley: I am not going to be rash. I strongly preferred other hires. That is clear. I will approach this just like I would have with any other and hopefully add some perspective and fair analysis to the process.; 11:27 AM
America said...: I LOVE THE MOVE!!!! GREAT HIRE!!!; 11:27 AM
BCMike said...: This is me acting like I love the move.

Go BC.; 11:29 AM
flutie22phelan20 said...: I am fully on board the result of this hire, but I hope that Gene did it the right way.

My educated guess would be that most of the staff stays on. They did one hell of a job coaching this year's team, and there is a lot of coaching talent out there. All accounts are that Jags was totally hands-off from the defensive side of the ball (and that he had some very ugly verbal confrontations with the D guys after last year's Maryland game). I sure like what Spaz and McGovern have done in that part of the game -- without that D, this year would have been scary bad. If Bicknell and Day stay on too, this is a very good coaching staff.

Now, they need to light a spark under their absolutely horrid recruiting efforts, or it won't matter if they're 8 Bill Belicheks.

I've yet to hear one rationalization about why Spaz is a bad fit that doesn't amount to: he's not a splashy hire. He was probably the right guy last time around too, but didn't present a big enough break from the past. Now he's the right guy that presents the exact continuity and commitment to the school that BC is looking for. I'd expect you will see a lot of current and former players supporting this move -- many people associated with the team during the O'Brien tenure always thought the better coach was handling the defensive side of the ball. I think that held true over the past two years too -- even though the big name was on the other side.; 11:30 AM
Anfield10 said...: I am not over the moon with the hire, but I don't think I would have been with any of the options I have heard touted (Brian Kelly is the only one I would have celebrated). I have to agree with others when I say I don't get why so many are so against this hire. First, Spaz has earned it for what he has done and his loyalty. I realize that isn't the way to run a program, but it should count for something. Secondly, he knows the program, recruiting trail, and school. Thirdly he loves the school. The argument that he would have got it last time if he was right is flawed on two counts: (1) The best person doesn't always get the job; and (2) The same people making this argument decry Defilipo's ability, so why would they put so much faith in his decision to overlook Spaz last time?

Like I said, does this move bowl me over? No. But I certainly don't see the massive negativity here others will do. Spaz deserves his shot. He is a good coach. He will learn his new role and I am sure the staff around him, which will hopefully remain pretty much status quo, will make the transition easier. Best of luck to him, I hope he proves these doubters wrong.

GO BC; 11:46 AM
eaglephile said...: I am ok with this hire, I like Spaz and he has earned his shot. Hopefully his personality comes through with the players more than it has with the fans.

My biggest concern now are the coordinators. I hope that Logan stays on board. I don't know enough about Bicknell to say whether or not he'd be a good fit at OC, but if people thought he was qualified for the HC position, there is no reason to believe he can't run the offense.

Any idea who will take over as DC?; 12:04 PM
Rob said...: This is make-or-break for Gene right here. If this does not pan out, it's all on him.; 12:13 PM
Unknown said...: terrible, terrible, terrible decision - this decision has me seeing red. This should usher in another decade of mediocrity.

Why didn't BC interview Charlie Strong?? Did BC even interview Aggagio or only express interest. I hope Gene gets fired along with Spaz next year, terrible call.

Gene wants a lifer? At what price? The price of remaining a Mickey Mouse program? This assures BC that the football team will never get over the hump.

Spaz is 61, how is he going to recruit big time talent?? Addaggio and Strong are great recruiters, what a missed opportunity for Gene - way to set the program back again.; 12:16 PM
Anonymous said...: Here are my two morning posts before this horrendous decision was announced...oh how i wished it would not come true.

Post 1

Two Sun Tzu quotes come to mind this morning:

#1 Opportunities multiply as they are seized.

#2 Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance.

Both these quotes relate to what is going out at the Heights.

First, Gene has managed to bungle the coaching hire. Let's face it, Gene is not going to pull a "rabbit out of his hat" in the next 24 to 36 hours. His thick headedness has him focused on hiring only one candidate and that is Spaz. Any talk of external hires is just to keep the boosters happy and make him look good in front of father leahy. His deadline of getting this done quick is going to doom the program for years to come.

Second, our "inferiority complex" when it comes to BC Football only helps to encourage Gene's arrogance and bad decisions. Since we only expect to have a great season every 8 to 10 years and settle in the middle of the pack the rest of the years, we sit silent and don't question the decisions that Gene is making.

If we were more focal alumni, we might actually get a better coach, lower the academic standards for athletes, and win a national championship. Instead, we focus on the idea that we are inferior...a good school/good atheletic program but always in the shadows of Harvard and other ACC schools.

Post 2

I don't disagree that our academic reputation is very important but the standards we put on atheletics keep the potential reach of the school limited.

Sports means money...more money for scholarships and capital improvements on campus (without asking alumni for their money to expand the school)..and most importantly wider recognition in the world which means MORE Opportunities in the world for BC grads.

Why does that smart Chinese kid in Hong Kong choose USC over BC? Academics??? No, we are both the same rankings. Location??? Ok, it is closer to Hong Kong. Sports??? Of course, that is his first taste of USC. He never got that from BC because we are in the middle of the pack every year.

What is the problem with letting some atheles that are below the academic standards we hold for everyday students? A degree is a degree...Holding pride in that standard we put on athletes is just a crutch...How many unqualified athletes went to your prep school??? Many, did it dilute your education or school reputation??? Of course not.

Get a grip and let's get over it. It is time for us to kick some ass and let the world know about us. We need to stop living in this cave and realize that we need to adjust our value to the times.

Kids that are not smart in high school can bloom and become great students and "game breakers." I would rather have one of those types then a "Mark Chumura" type that is going to disappoint us in the end.; 12:27 PM
eagle1331 said...: Tim - it's Addazio. If you're going to argue that a guy should have been hired, at least spell his name right.

Strong told BC 2 years ago he wasn't interested in interviewing. Something tells me that means he doesn't fit what Gene was looking for. I know he would have been a splash, but I bet his name would have never surfaced if he didn't speak out to a reporter 2 weeks ago.

Addazio has been in the hospital and probably wouldn't be ready to interview for a week+ considering he just got out. That would leave 2 weeks to interview, hire a staff, and recruit BC before signing day.

I would have preferred London, Kelly, or Fulmer to Spaz... but it is what it is. We can't do anything about it now so let's get behind him. I've talked to two players already that are ecstatic about it and said it should have happened 2 years ago.

Go BC.; 12:33 PM
Erik said...: I'm fine with it. I'm ready to move forward. He's a good coach and a good man.; 12:40 PM
Unknown said...: Come on now, let's not get hung up on spelling. Addazio.

As a UF grad student I know a lot about "Addazio" and "Strong." I know that almost every UF fan is probably ecstatic right now that these two guys didn't even get interviewed by BC. These two guys are great recruiters.

Who cares about signing day being in two weeks? If we have to lose some recruits for this year so that we can build a better program, that is not viewed as a joke nationally, so be it.

I think Gene made a huge mistake, huge, and i think that we will see the reprecussions of that mistake for much longer than Spaz's tenure lasts.; 12:41 PM
Eagle in Somerville said...: Bill,

Love the pic of white smoke.; 12:42 PM
Eagle in Somerville said...: I would have preferred Brian Kelly, but this is fine. They should offer both Logan and Bicknell pay raises to stay. This doesn't even involve spending more money, as they probably can get away with paying Spaz a little less.
I hope that they stay with the zone blocking scheme.; 12:44 PM
Nick P. said...: Spaz could coach the team for the next 15 years and still not be as old as Joe Paterno is now. Point being that Spaz in not necessarily a short term solution. I'm really curious what Logan feels about all of this. I hope he stays as his tallents workings with QBs will be desparately needed this coming year.; 12:52 PM
Eagle1 said...: I don't understand all of the negativity about this pick. Spaz's defenses consistently are the best in the country, and, without them, we'd be 100%nowhere the last two years.

As far as his age is concerned, he looks like a young 61 to me, and one need look no further than FSU and Penn State to see that NCAA football programs can be successful with old farts running the show. Also, BC players reportedly love him.; 12:52 PM
Anonymous said...: FWIW, a buddy of mine is an insider in the Michigan athletic department and when Kelly was considered for that HC job there, it came out that he's known for kind of being a dick, and that turned a lot of UM decision makers off.

Speculation? Yes, but the type of thing that might make him not the right type of "BC guy."; 12:54 PM
WI_Eagle said...: Timothy J, how is our program viewed as a joke nationally? Ten consecutive bowl invites, two consecutive division titles, 30 wins in 3 years, etc. And the program graduates 95% of its players. There are some, but not many, programs that can match that. I view every SEC and Big 12 school besides Vandy, Florida and Texas as a joke. If you can fart you can get into the rest of those schools, my dog could graduate summa and yet they graduate +/- 50% of their players. That is the joke.; 12:56 PM
BeantownBC85 said...: Brian Kelly already said he wasn't even interested in BC, so I don't know why people talk like "we could have had him, but he just didn't fit our mold."

He wants the other Catholic school.

As long as we're talking about coaches that do not want to come to BC in the first place, man, I wish we would have hired Pete Carroll, Mack Brown, or Urban Meyer, but it's too bad they don't fit the mold for "BC man."; 1:03 PM
Eagle1 said...: WI_Eagle is dead on. The day I start worrying about what the retarded masses think about BC football is the day I ask Jags to give an in-office presentation to my employees about loyalty and honesty in the workplace.

I also love the Vatican smoke pic.; 1:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Hey BeantownBC85,
Why don't you just calm down for a second and breathe? Nowhere did I say that we could have had Kelly. All I said was that word is the guy's a dick, meaning we shouldn't want him anyway. ND can have him. It'll be a great fit.; 1:18 PM
Eagle0407 said...: I think it's a great hire. Good in the short term for continuity, good in the long term because of commitment to the program. I don't see why people think 61 is really that old. He could coach here for a decade and beyond. I haven't heard a single reason for concern that relates to anything on the field. I'm glad we looked (to whatever degree) outside the program, but who out there has done their job as well as Spaz has done his? He's proven he can run a dominant defense with the guys we are able to recruit. I don't think we're settling, talent wise, one bit. I'm really happy for Spaz and for BC.; 1:22 PM
BeantownBC85 said...: You can calm down too, anonymous, because I wasn't even talking about your comment.

I was talking about people who say "Yeah, I'm fine with Spaz, but Brian Kelly is the only coach I would have loved."; 1:29 PM
Anonymous said...: 2009 BC Football team:

3 Wins 9 Losses (ACC Record 1-7); 1:40 PM
mmason said...: If defense wins championships, and our BC defense has thrived under Spaz, with this year being a clear indication that our D kept us alive, it seems our problems were more about Jags than Spaz. If the kids like Spaz, there's a big plus. If Spaz bleeds BC maroon & gold, there's another plus. If Spaz has recruited our defenses over the last few years, we all should be thrilled--he's how we got Toal, Herzy,Raji,Kiwi & the rest--man, that recruit list is long and impressive. We'd be a four win team without the defense, and would have lost atleast 5 more games this year than we did. Thank Spaz for that.

The most aggressive dominant play these past years has come from Spaz' side of the ball. The D kept us in games, and were feared. Nobody feared our offense at all...not even Vandy.
Offensively, we sucked this year--c'mon let's be real. Our kicking game was aweful and we needed it 'cuz we couldn't score in the air or on the ground in the red zone consistently. But Spaz' guys scored for us. They were coached.

That's who our new coach is. A coach who's not a primadonna. And his age has nothing to do with recruiting. Ask the guys he brought to BC if that was a problem. He's not on the phone trying to test the NFL waters. We've got a very good football team at BC, with Mr. Tuggle waiting in the wings to win us some games(checkout that Tuggle film that ATL put up a few weeks back--I showed it to some excellent coaches and they all saw something very special there. Watch his feet and his arm. He's no Davis or Crane in panic mode--the QB of the future is Tuggle.)

So now we have our coach, a guy who has repeatedly won at BC and wants this job. He's smart and tenacious, and ain't no kid. We've got a defense that's feared, and a QB who'll rock if our O Line protects. We've got some great young backs who can crank out yards. I like our chances. (The offensive coordinator is really our only question mark, and the film doesn't lie.)

We saw what Jags could do without Matt Ryan. Spaz' D saved him and he bolted. My money's on the veteran coach who wanted this job enough to wait it out behind the golden boy. Maybe Spaz saw something some of us missed. He deserves his shot and earned it the hard way--on the field, winning games for BC with "tenacious D." (thnx Jack Black)

Go Eagles! Let's sign those recruits and Rock'n Roll BC!
Good blue collar pick, Gene!

Believe, Eagle Nation. This is a good thing.; 2:04 PM
Unknown said...: mmason: Spaz wasn't my first choice, but I feel your comments are right on the money.; 2:23 PM
Big Jack Krack said...: Looking forward to the 3:00pm press conference.

Best of luck, Spaz; Best of luck Gene - congratulations for making a difficult decision while under the spotlight; best of luck BC Football coaching staff - there's some opportunity here. Best of luck BC football players.

We love BC - let's build some positive energy around this pick.; 2:25 PM
Greg said...: Well, mmason, you've got me excited for next year.
I hope Spaz performs as well as you predict, I do think he has the potential to be great HC, we'll just have to see how it plays out.; 2:25 PM
BCNorCal07 said...: As one of the more vocal advocates of an outside coaching search, I will say that I'm glad the indecision is done with. It is time to move on and cheer on this team. I'm very excited for next year, now that Herzy is definitely coming back and I can't wait to see what Tuggle can do at quarterback. That said, I think the search was half-assed. If Spaz was the guy Gene really wanted all along (to the point that deck was obviously stacked in his favor), then why the farce? I don't think Spaz will fail epically - or even at all, really. I just don't know if he's the guy to take us to the next level. Basically, I think we could have done better. That said, the man is the head coach and I'm done complaining about the hire. It's his team now. Let's see what he does with it.; 3:22 PM
Unknown said...: WI_Eagle -

The fact that we, as BC fans, are touting 10 straight mediocre bowl appearances and two "division" titles reflects the low level of success that we will accept from our football program.

I love BC athletics - but the lack of national success gets frustrating, especially when our fans are satisfied with 2nd tier bowl appearances and victories over 3rd tier programs, and then lauding the FB team's academic success.

I think Gene is content with hiring a long term coach who will deliver 6-8 wins a season and he is content scheduling Kent St and Syracuse (he should schedule more teams like he did with USC). Gene is content with status quo, I don't believe he cares about our program getting better.; 5:59 PM
billg said...: Brookline:

>>2009 BC Football team: 3 Wins 9 Losses (ACC Record 1-7)<<

I'll take that bet.

How much?; 6:03 PM