Archive for October, 2006

Rich Rodriguez Is Not a Good Choice

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 31, 2006
in Coaching Search and UNC Football
. 1 Comment

I have always wondered about situations where a single guy likes a girl but she is happily dating some guy who treats her well. Then all of sudden the girl decides to leave her boyfriend and date the guy that likes her. My question for the first guy is why would you go out with a girl who would leave a happy relationship for you? Wouldn’t you be afraid she would do the same thing to you at some point down the road?

This is how I feel about West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez. Yesterday he gave a less than passionate effort in deflecting UNC coaching search talk which sent the whole world into a frenzy. Later on though he clarified his remarks later and gave the standard “I love my school and we are focused on the next game” statement.

The first question everyone is asking about Rodriguez is why he would leave his national title contending alma mater to take on a rebuilding project at UNC? The answer is he wouldn’t and the issue of his salary a la Frank Beamer in 2000 comes to mind. Then I started thinking about the girl leaving the guy for the other guy scenario which leads me to an even better question. If Rodriguez is willing to walk away from his alma mater and the national contender team he built to take the UNC job then what do you think the chances are he will do the same thing to UNC when a job opens up in the SEC, Big 10, or Big 12? I would say the chances are really good that would be the case. Look at it this way, if Rodriquez walks away from West Virginia for UNC then he is saying that all of the ties that keep him at West Virginia such as being an alum and being a national title contender in an easier conference are meaningless. Such a move would clearly illustrate that Rodriguez is concerned about one thing and that is the size of his annual salary. So the only interest the present West Virgnia coach has in this process is growing his bank account and if West Virginia will not do it then he would be happy to take the UNC job to get it done.

And do it again when the opportunity arises.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

The Coaching Search: Day 8

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 30, 2006
in Coaching Search and UNC Football
. 0 Comments

According to the ACC Now blog, Tulsa’s Steve Kragthorpe has said, in a press conference, that he is not interested in the job at UNC.

“I think the job at North Carolina is a great job,” Kragthorpe said, according to the Tulsa World. “Chapel Hill would be a great place to live. But I’m not interested in being the head coach at the University of North Carolina. I want to be the head coach at Tulsa.

“I love it here. It’s a great place to work.”

I’d give my left pinkie if someone in the media would have asked him if he intended to stay at Tulsa for the rest of his coaching career. That last line, besides being total poppycock, also convinces me that this is your standard “denial of interest in a job because I am in the middle of the season” statement from a coach. It also is a fairly worthless statement because we do not know how much interest UNC has in him or vice versa. It is possible he was being considered and but has now moved down on the list and chose to make this statement as a way of getting ahead of that news. It is also possible he may be waiting for a Big 12 or Big 10 job and really does not have an interest in UNC. At any rate I think it is wise to keep him on the radar for now, albeit a little lower than before. With all of the secrecy surrounding the search, nothing official can be said from either UNC or the coaches whose names have been mentioned in connection to the search so what we get are statements which tend to ring hollow.

Of course the best source of informed speculation during a coaching search in these parts comes from David Glenn. According to Glenn there are two sets of names right now. One set was assembled based on the preferences of UNC officials and trustees.

Among the coaches various high-ranking UNC officials have asked to be included in the information-gathering process of the search are former Miami coach Butch Davis, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, Navy coach Paul Johnson, Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson and former Mississippi coach David Cutcliffe.

A second list of names can be culled from coaches who have contacted UNC, through back channels, and expressed interest in the job:

Among the coaches who have initiated “unofficial” contact with UNC, mainly through their agents or other intermediaries, are Davis, Johnson, West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, Boston College coach Tom O’Brien, LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, Texas co-defensive coordinator Gene Chizik and Denver Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster. Brewster was an assistant coach at UNC during the Mack Brown era.

The only overlap between the two lists are Davis, Johnson, Rodriguez, and Chizik. You will also notice that Kragthorpe’s name shows up on the official list but not on the list of people contacting UNC which somewhat supports his statement that he is not interested(not the part about wanting to stay at Tulsa, that is still poppycock.) I was surprised to see Tom O’Brien’s name on the list of people who have expressed interest. I still think Rodriguez is playing the leverage game with West Virginia and is not really interested in coming. Jimbo Fisher has been lobbying like mad for the job, even doing an interview for 680 AM in Raleigh last week.  Unfortunately for Fisher, UNC seems set on the next coach being experienced as a head man which would make him a long shot.  Another nice tidbit is the alleviation of a worry/misconception that Dick Baddour is the final word on this hire. This is apparently not the case:

Meanwhile, the mechanics of the hiring process will require Baddour to forward a candidate to Moeser, who then will forward the name to the Board of Trustees. The BOT will have the final say on the matter.

I am not sure whether this was the case in 2000 or not. It seems that the BOT is particularly interested in how this is resolved so if Baddour sends them a bad hire they could very well not approve it. Something tells me Baddour will know pretty quick whether his choice has the backing of Moeser and the BOT before anything moves through official channels.

So on Day 8 we have one coach allegedly pulling his name out and still a lot of focus on Davis, Johnson, and Rodriguez.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

Some Basketball News

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 30, 2006
in UNC Basketball
. 1 Comment

Actually just one tidbit ahead of the first “real” action UNC will see this season when they play D-II St. Augustine’s in an exhibition on Wednesday.  Eddy Landreth at the Chapel Hill News takes a look at the Tar Heels during their open to the public scrimmage on Friday. 

They can go somewhere between 10 to 13 deep with quality players in the regular rotation. In the early stages of practice, Williams has used the depth to work his team rigorously.

“We’ve got three real walk-ons plus Wes [Miller], so we’ve got 17 guys” Williams said. “I can push them as hard as I want to push them and barely make them tired, because there are so many substitutes.”

Williams plans to use this depth to torment opponents with aggressive defense and run them into the court with up-tempo offense. It should make for exciting shows and wide margins of victory.

“Hopefully,” Williams said, “we will be able to extend our pressure some. Hopefully, we will be able to pressure more without fouling. We want to play defense; we want to pressure; we want to trap a little bit more. We’re not going to go crazy and do things I’ve never done. I’m not comfortable with it. But we’ll do a little more and hope our depth will give us more stamina and energy so that we can move people in and out.”

Okay that is pretty freaking scary. Two things here.  First, no one is getting tired because Williams has so many quality players that not only can they work hard all practice but there is little concern he will wear them out.  This may not be important now but it will be come March when the miles of the season may start to wear on teams with little depth.  Physical fatigue will not be an issue at UNC this season though I suppose being emotionally fatigued could play a role. The second aspect of this is the fact there are so many quality players in practice, they get to work every day against good competition.  Taking the court in practice against guys who will push you will only make you that much better in real game situations.  I would also think that with the high head count of good players it means Williams can run certain lineups through scrimmages against other units and get a better sense of what they are capable of versus teams which play their starting five against their second five.

Williams also answered the chemistry question, which apparently he is tired of talking about.

“I have answered that question 8,000 times,” Williams said. “I am not frigging worried about it. I’m really not. [The players] have to worry about it, number one. Number two, they are such good kids that they worry about what is on the front of the jersey. If our team wins, chemistry is going to take care of itself. If our team doesn’t win, everybody will point at chemistry. The bottom line is North Carolina has to score more points than the other team. Worrying about chemistry is not going to help us figure out how to do that.”

That being said, he still thinks about it.

“Chemistry is a concern,” he admitted. “Chemistry is something every coach is concerned about, but if I go to press conferences or alumni events, they forgot the chemistry they took in school or they didn’t take any in school, because that is all the hell they want to ask me about.

“H20, sodium chloride, that’s all I know about chemistry.”

I count myself as one of those fans worried about the chemistry.  However, chemistry is not an issue at this point in the season.  Chemistry issues become more prevalent when the playing time is being doled out or they end up dropping a game or two.  So, asking Williams about chemistry right now is pointless since there is nothing happening at the moment to foment bad chemistry.  Williams is right in that winning will take care of any potential problems players might have with each other and losing tends to bring them out more.

Then again the media and fans have to find something to quibble about with this team because there is not much else we can find wrong here.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

Is Caulton Tudor Trying to Play King Maker?

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 30, 2006
in Coaching Search, Local Media/Blogs and UNC Football
. 3 Comments

I am beginning to think that is the case. Last week he said UNC should pursue Butch Davis but made it known he had reservations. On Sunday, Tudor said that Paul Johnson would bring a similar offense to what Jim Grobe is running at Wake Forest and that will not get the job done.

Also mentioned have been several other possible candidates, one being Navy’s Paul Johnson, a North Carolina native and Western Carolina graduate.

Where offensive systems are concerned, Johnson and Grobe are virtual carbon copies.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Johnson would install the same run-oriented, misdirectional, low-risk schemes should he wind up in Chapel Hill. But first-year coaches normally don’t stray far from their comfort zone, and the tactics that have generally worked for Johnson at Navy are much the same as those of Grobe.

No one is complaining at Wake Forest, of course.

Saturday’s win sent the Deacons to 7-1 overall, 3-1 and tied for first place in the ACC’s Atlantic Division, and all but locked up the league coach-of-the-year award for Grobe.

…

Grobe, at Wake, has kept it simple in blueprinting and complex in ground-game attacking. He is a good coach by anyone’s definition and a great one by Wake Forest’s standards. There have been long stretches in Deacons football history when seven wins would have been considered a big haul over a two-season period.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Grobe has done it without an overwhelming degree of rancor in the stands or within the ranks. From the start, he had the solid commitment of the one person — athletics director Ron Wellman — who really counted. Most of the pressure to produce was placed on Grobe by Grobe.

The next coach at Carolina won’t have that luxury. It’s doubtful that the next coach will get as much as of a cushion as Bunting, whose record at the school fell to 25-43 overall and 1-7 for the season. Bunting and Grobe are in their sixth seasons, and while Bunting would be safe for at least another season at 33-33 overall, Carolina fans expect a good deal more than a break-even record from a coach on the job that long.

That brings us back to Johnson.

While it’s probably harder to win games at Navy and Wake Forest, it’s much more difficult to win and keep friends at Carolina. Even at the height of his success with the Heels, Mack Brown caught some grief in the stands for not being able to beat Florida State. That same situation won’t return for years — possibly ever — but Carolina’s next coach will have to do better than average over six years to genuinely energize the fan base.

I am really not sure what the real complaint is here because looking at Johnson’s bio it is clear to me that while Navy is a ground attack is it also extremely productive. I am also not sure how you even compare the two coaches when you consider Navy is the 2nd in rushing behind #3 ranked West Virginia. Wake Forest is ranked 55th in rushing offense. Both teams ranked on the low end in passing offense. The point is that Navy, with possibly less talent than Wake Forest, is running the ball at will. Now, to be fair, the issue most people raise is that Navy is not facing the same talent levels as Johnson would in the ACC and such a rushing attack would be less successful against some of the defense in this conference. Of course 7-1 Wake does not seem to have a problem with it, which Tudor points out while also pointing out that Wake and Navy operate under far less stress than UNC does in this area. The contention Tudor makes is that Johnson would not have enough time to make it work since patience in Chapel Hill will be thin.

Over six seasons, he’ll almost certainly win more than 25 — even 33 — games at Carolina. But odds are, the offensive system he has now won’t win enough to make the Tar Heels a regular visitor to the nation’s top 25.

And this is where I call foul, first on the sheer idiocy of the statement and secondly on Johnson’s record at I-AA Georgia Southern with Tudor fails to mention a single time throughout the article. Now, I know I-AA is a different division but I also think matters of this nature are relative. Georgia Southern won back-to-back I-AA titles under Johnson and during the course of his tenure were one of the most powerful offenses in I-AA:

After Johnson took over as head coach at Georgia Southern in 1997, he returned the Eagle program to national prominence statistically and in the won-lost ledger. In addition to Georgia Southern’s 62-10 mark, the Eagles scored 2,855 points (39.7 points per game), picked up 25,941 rushing yards (360.3 yards per game), 7,816 passing yards (108.6 yards per game) and 33,757 total yards (468.8 yards per game). GSU scored 380 touchdowns in the Johnson Era, an average of 5.3 per game. The Eagles’ scoring margin under Johnson was +21.5 (39.7-18.5).(Source: Navy Sports)

What this tells me is that Johnson is a winner and is capable of coaching some extremely powerful offenses no matter what the level. In addition, the defensive units under Johnson have been anywhere from decent to very good, statistically speaking. Johnson did it at I-AA and now he has done it at Navy. In both cases not only have his teams become statistical offensive leaders but they also have begun winning an higher levels. In the case of Navy they went from 1-20 in the two years before Johnson to 2-10 in his first season and 31-14 since. Some coaches are just winners, period. Do we know Johnson will be one at UNC? No, because the whole thing is a crapshoot. However, Johnson’s penchant for winning and fielding great offenses, even if they are running teams, is unmistakable.

No, the real agenda here rests on Tudor’s apparent desire to be a king maker. What Tudor has given us is tantamount to the same kind of fear mongering politicians use to win elections. Tudor comes out and weaves this horrific tale of Paul Johnson bringing a running attack similar to Wake Forest which is largely seen as bruising and boring without telling us it is not the same thing and in fact is far more powerful. He dresses this up and tries to tell his readers that such an offense would be insufficient in winning games even though the record at Navy is contrary to that thought. Tudor fails to make any mention of the success at Georgia Southern which is an absolutely relevant point in demonstrating Johnson’s pedigree as a winner and dealing Tudor’s premise a serious blow. Tudor also slides a nice little paragraph in about how Mack Brown had trouble with the UNC fans because of his losing streak to FSU, which I remember was an annoyance but nothing more. He even goes as far as to mention Butch Davis again in a manner which makes him look less like a viable candidate. The point of this column was not to raise salient points about Paul Johnson or “concerns” about his offensive schemes, which by all accounts are winning football games both for Johnson and Grobe. No, Tudor’s focus is to turn his readers off to Johnson and to a lesser extent Davis but only because already wrote about Davis last week.

Back in 2000, Tudor wrote an article advocating Mark Richt for the vacant UNC football job and in that case he was right. Richt actually got an interview because of the column but was not hired and then took the job at Georgia. Tudor seems to think that it is his responsibility to influence the coaching search by offering up pieces like this designed to cast a leading candidate in an unfavorable light.

So the real question here is who does Caulton Tudor want to be the next football coach at North Carolina?

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

ACC Football Week #9: Review

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 29, 2006
in ACC Football
. 0 Comments

So we have about four games left and this is how the road to Jacksonville looks.

Contenders

1. Boston College, 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the ACC

This past week BC stepped out of the conference and might as well have played a high school team in MA considering the way they trounced Buffalo, 41-0. The best part of BC’s weekend came before it even started when Clemson lost in Blacksburg and handed the Eagles a one game lead in the loss column over Clemson over whom they also hold the tiebreaker. So at this point BC has a two fold task. The first is to finish the season with a 3-1 record to get to 6-2. The second part is to make sure that one loss is not Wake Forest next week since the Deacons are also in the Atlantic division and only have one loss. If Wake wins they would hold the tie breaker on BC but not on Clemson creating the potential for a three way tie which could be get very dicey. BC has Duke and Maryland at home before going to Miami. I think a win in Winston-Salem seals the deal as much as it can be sealed with game still left on the schedule.

Wake Forest, 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the ACC

Wake got past a trap game in Chapel Hill and now host BC for the Atlantic division lead or a share of it if Maryland wins at Clemson which is not likely. If Wake wins they will be 4-1 and hold the tiebreaker over BC but not Clemson. The Demon Deacs would then need run the table which includes winning at FSU, beating Va Tech at home, and then at the aforementioned Terps, who appear to be vastly improved. Call me skeptical but I see more of chance that Wake will slip up more so than Boston College.

Maryland, 6-2 overall, 3-1 in the ACC

The Terps put in a gutsy performance against FSU and are now the surprise team in the Atlantic division at 3-1. The game at Clemson, especially with the way the Tigers lost last week, is not going to end well for Maryland. They also must play Miami, at BC, and then Wake Forest. It is possible they could lose every game they have left to end up 6-6 and 3-5 in the ACC. I think they will pull one of those out however the dream of an ACC title game is looking bleak if the upcoming games break they way most people think they will.

Georgia Tech, 6-2 overall, 4-1 in the ACC

The win over Miami this weekend ensured GT two things. A one game lead in the lost column over Miami and Virginia Tech. They also own the tiebreaker over both teams. This means GT would have to lose twice with both Miami and VT winning out for them not to win the Coastal division. And since Miami and VT have to play each other, the Yellow Jackets only need to concern themselves with one of those teams. GT’s schedule is favorable: at NC State, at UNC, home to Duke. They should be 9-2 heading into the game with Georgia prior to their date in Jacksonville.

Teams Needing Help

Clemson, 7-2 overall, 4-2 in the ACC

The Virginia Tech loss was shocking on a variety of levels. Not only did they put themselves out of control of their own destiny but it squashed the idea that Clemson had arrived as a top 10 team. Now Clemson needs BC to lose twice(Wake and Miami?) and then for Wake to lose at least once in order to get to Jacksonville. All of this is possible, though I honest believe BC at least wins three of their last four sending Clemson on to the bowl season.

Virginia Tech, 6-2 overall, 3-2 in the ACC

VT did themselves a huge favor by beating Clemson and now look forward to next week’s showdown at Miami in a Coastal division elimination game. The loser of that game will have three losses and be on the wrong side of the tiebreaker with the two teams above them. Long odds to be sure as though the odds of overcoming GT with the Jackets’ schedule was not bad enough.

Miami, 5-3 overall, 2-2 in the ACC

Miami missed their chance to get control of the Coastal and now face do or die at home with VT. Even after that the Canes still face a tough road going to Maryland and a better-each-week Virginia. They conclude the season by hosting BC. Miami’s play this season offers little evidence that they will be able to run the table and even if they did, GT has to lose twice which is not going to happen.

Teams Needing A Lot of Help Just to Get to a Bowl

Virginia, 4-5 overall, 3-2 in the ACC

Two weeks ago Virginia had a nice fork sticking out of them now after beating the UNC and NC State in consecutive weeks the Cavs are two wins short of bowl eligibility. UVa’s only problem is their schedule looks like this: at FSU, Miami, at Virginia Tech. It is possible they could win two of those three. FSU is looking pretty pale right now, Miami is inconsistent, and VT is a rivalry game. However, I would not place one red cent on a 2-1 mark to finish the season. It looks like UVa will come up short.

NC State, 3-5 overall, 2-3 in the ACC

You remember when NC State beat BC and FSU on national television bringing forth the idea that by this point the Pack could be 5-0 in the ACC barreling towards a showdown with Clemson? No, that must have been a mistake because the wheels have officially come off in Raleigh. In fact, as far as the offense goes, they may have never been on. The offensive line is suspect, the play calling is suspect, the QB is smart and will continue to gain experience while the two talented running backs cannot get going because of the aforementioned O line. State needs to go 3-1 to get to a bowl. Clemson and GT are on the schedule, UNC is playing for fun and will be dangerous despite the Pack’s offensive woes and ECU is on the rise. No, Amato will not be on the hot seat, but at the same time Wolfpack nation will not be happy, especially if they do not beat UNC.

Florida State, 4-4 overall, 2-4 in the ACC

The fact that FSU has four ACC losses makes me think I have wandered into some Bizzaro ACC. Of course a Bizzaro ACC would probably have UNC at 8-0 so I guess that is not the case. FSU should beat Virginia and Western Michigan to get bowl eligible. They have WF at home, but could easily lose that one. And Florida? The Gators will probably smack them around though rivalry games are nothing to be trifled with to say the least.

Teams That Need Serious Professional Help

North Carolina, 1-7 overall, 0-5 in the ACC

I have been through this more times than I can count. Just read the blog, I am not going over it again.

Duke, 0-8 overall, 0-5 in the ACC

Before this week’s game there was a lot of thought that Duke might get the best of Vanderbilt. Then the Commodores came in and won 45-28, so much for that thought. Of course just when it seems like Duke might find a way to win or be at place where they can win the next game they end up laying an egg. So you can expect an 0-11 Duke versus 1-10 UNC on November 25th. Loser finishes last in the Coastal division.

Last Week: 5-2
This Season: 51-17

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

Wake Forest 24 UNC 17

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 28, 2006
in UNC Football
. 2 Comments

I listened to this on the radio, well most of it anyway and I can tell you I heard both the least used and most used phrase by a UNC play-by-play announcer this season and they were:

“Touchdown, Carolina”

and

“Dailey throws….INTERCEPTION”

Can you guess which one is which?

It was a better effort today, which I stated in the preview would actually be a little sad considering it took firing the coach before you actually saw a competitive UNC team on the field.  Then again Joe Dailey remains arguably the worst passing QB in the country throwing two more interceptions as Dailey and Cam Sexton spent the day rotating in and out at QB.  Wake Forest in undoubtedly happy to leave Chapel Hill with a win and just in case you hadn’t noticed, Wake went 3-0 against the other members of the Big Four making them the de facto state champions.  Though it should be noted Appalachian State throttled Furman today 40-7 in Boone which means if UNC played App it might be uglier than the Clemson game.  ECU is also playing some good ball, just ask Virginia.

Anyway, I think many people have discussed and will continue to discuss the concept that UNC players are now playing with emotion.  I honestly cannot think of a bigger  indictment of John Bunting or the way he prepared a football team than having his 1-6 team come out and play their best game all season after he has been fired.  In my opinion Bunting never had this team’s attention and for whatever reason anything he did to get them ready to play competitively on the field was insufficient.  I am not sure how much Bunting can be blamed for that aspect of the situation.  However, he does catch some flak for that considering it is his responsibility to not only put a good team on the field but one that is mentally/emotionally ready to play at a high level.

Not that it matters too much now.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

Wake Forest at UNC

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 27, 2006
in UNC Football
. 2 Comments

Where: Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, NC
When: Saturday, October 28th, 3:30 PM
TV: ESPNU
Records: UNC 1-6, 0-4 ACC Wake Forest 6-1, 2-1 ACC

The talk this week concerning this game has been about UNC playing with emotion and all I will say to that is if the Heels come out playing competitive football or even win the game it will be all the proof you need Bunting needed to go. Why? Because he should be able to motivate his players and maximize the talent he has and if it happens now with the emotions of Bunting’s dismissal surrounding the team I honestly think that will be very sad both for Bunting and for the players themselves.

However, the thing that really bothers me is that Bunting said this week he would do nothing different for the rest of the season. This is a huge mistake and here is why. There is an episode of “Seinfeld” in which George Constanza realizes his life is almost a complete failure.

“Why did it all turn out like this for me? I had so much promise. I was personable. I was bright. Oh, maybe not academically speaking, but I was perceptive. I always know when someone’s uncomfortable at a party. It all became very clear to me sitting out there today, that every decision I’ve ever made in my entire life has been wrong. My life is the complete opposite of everything I want it to be. Every instinct I have in every aspect of life, be it something to wear, something to eat… It’s often wrong.”

So what is Jerry’s advice for his friend?

“If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.”

So George decides to “ignore every urge towards common sense and good judgement [he's] ever had” and it results in a job with the New York Yankees, a new apartment, and a date with a beautiful woman.

So John Bunting, for at least one game, should do the opposite of what he normally does. If he thinks he should punt, then he should fake. If he thinks the linebackers should drop back into coverage, he should blitz four. If he thinks it should be a running play he should pass and vice versa. If everything that UNC has done all season long has been wrong and based on the record that is a fairly true assessment then the opposite of what UNC has been doing must be right. I am not really sure what the problem is here. Why not go absolutely nuts and try all of the stuff in your playbook you never try for whatever reason? I mean can it really get any worse? Trying to do everything right has garnered one of the worst defenses in the nation, an offense that is not much farther ahead and a 1-6 record. So let’s do everything wrong. I do not think the losing will be any worse but at least it will be entertaining to watch.

I mean it is not like they can fire Bunting or anything.

Wake Forest 35 UNC 10

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

UNC Ranked #2 in Coaches Poll

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 27, 2006
in NCAA Basketball and UNC Basketball
. 2 Comments

The first preseason poll is out for basketball and UNC is right where most everyone expected them to be at #2 behind defending national champion Florida in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Kansas is third, Ohio State is fourth, and Pittsburgh and NCAA runner-up UCLA tied for fifth. Other ACC schools in the rankings are Duke at #11, Boston College at #15, and Georgia Tech at #21. Maryland received 12 votes and Florida State received nine.

LSU and Wisconsin being in the top ten raises some flags with me which really means I think they need to prove they belong there. Georgetown also falls into that category somewhat but that is what makes preseason polls fun.

As for UNC’s schedule versus teams ranked in this poll, UNC plays Kentucky, at Arizona, Duke(twice), Georgia Tech(twice), and at Boston College. UNC could also meet Tennessee in the NIT Season Tip-off should both schools make it to New York.

USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll

1. Florida
2. UNC
3. Kansas
4. Ohio State
5t. Pittsburgh
5t. UCLA
7. LSU
8. Georgetown
9. Wisconsin
10. Arizona
11. Duke
12. Alabama
13. Texas A&M
14. Mempis
15. Boston College
16. Washington
17. Marquette
18. Connecticut
19. Texas
20. Syracuse
21. Georgia Tech
22. Kentucky
23. Creighton
24. Tennessee
25. Nevada

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

Mike Paulus is Not Running the Show

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 27, 2006
in Coaching Search and UNC Football
. 13 Comments

One part of a coaching transition is how the recruits presently committed to the school react to the loss of the coaches that recruited them. This was and still is a side effect of the coaching change at NC State and will undoubtedly have an impact here. It is expected some recruits will jump ship and the best hope you have is that it will not be any of your top recruits. So needless to say there has been a great deal of fear and trepidation from UNC fans that QB Mike Paulus will change his mind if the coaching situation is not settled to his liking. In fact we know this because he went as far as to tell us so:

Paulus, whose brother, Greg, plays basketball at Duke, made it publicly known he wants assistants Frank Cignetti Jr. and Dave Brock to stay, and he told athletics director Dick Baddour as much Monday.

“It seemed like it really did matter to him,” Paulus said. “He understands I’m the ringleader, and if I de-commit, others might step back.”

Now, Paulus was apparently instrumental in bringing other players in once he committed in April, so in one respect he feels he has a certain degree of power in regards to some of the other members of the recruiting class.

On the other hand, who does Paulus think he is Archie Manning? At the risk of sounding extremely unpopular among my fellow Tar Heel fans, but I am of the opinion that a high senior recruit has no business attempting to influence the coaching transition at UNC. Who UNC hires and which coaches are ultimately retained in that hire are decisions which have a deep and very long term impact beyond Mike Paulus’ potential career at UNC. Paulus made a commitment to the University of North Carolina, not to John Bunting. Now I understand that players will make recruiting decisions as much on the connection with the coach as they do the school itself. However in this case Paulus has declared himself a “ringleader” and has essentially dictated a set of terms to Dick Baddour. Those terms state that if UNC does not retain Frank Cignetti and Dave Brock as assistants, then Paulus might be inclined to look elsewhere.

I do not know about anyone else, but that is exceptionally arrogant on his part. Someone tell me what the difference is between what Paulus said and straight up blackmail? And when are you are talking about an AD who, one at least previous occasion, deferred to the players over a coach, it is even more frightening. Basically Mike Paulus is out there dangling his commitment in front of UNC in an effort to influence how the program’s coaching staff should be built. What’s more he is also saying that other recruits might be inclined to follow his lead if he is not satisfied with what happens.

Now, I want Paulus to come to UNC just as much as the next Tar Heel fan. He is as good a QB recruit as UNC has seen in a very long time. At the same time I also understand that the program is bigger than one player. The decision being made by UNC officials is about building a successful program of winning football not just for the next four or five years of Mike Paulus and this class but for years beyond that. Those of us who advocated Bunting’s dismissal fully understood that losing recruits would be a part of this equation, much the same way NC State fans did when they pushed Herb Sendek out the door. We also advocated that change in hopes the next coach could not only recruit the Mike Pauluses of the world but implement such a player to the tune of 8+ wins a season. So in my mind whatever Paulus decides to do will ultimately be inconsequential if the correct personnel decisions are made by Baddour. The attention of this search should be devoted to ascertaining what kind of program UNC wants and hiring the coach that will make that happen. If Cignetti is part of that plan, that’s great. If that coach brings in his own assistants which have been a part of his previous success, then that is what needs to happen. And if Mike Paulus wants to get on board with whichever coaching staff takes the job in Chapel Hill in the near future then that is fine.

If Mike Paulus does not like the coaches that are hired, then he can take his ball and go home because I personally have no time for an 18 year old with the degree of arrogant self importance this one is showing right now.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]

The Coaching Search: Day 4

Published
by
Tar Heel Fan
on October 26, 2006
in Coaching Search and UNC Football
. 5 Comments

To this point there has been a lot of talking, many trees killed in the name if speculating on who UNC officials might be considering, and really nothing new.  As of this morning we had four candidates that are allegedly at the top of the UNC list according to the always reliable “source familiar with the situation.”  Also inherent in these sourced reports are various contradictions with are too numerous to delve into here.  Since UNC is making use of a consultant who can make contact with candidates and gauge interest there is no need to broadcast any news and in my opinion, unless these so-called sources are working directly with Chuck Neinas, then I will always doubt the firmness of their information.  Nevertheless the speculation goes on and the N&O’s Caulton Tudor, has rightfully pointed out, that UNC can take a run at Butch Davis right now.  Davis is not presently coaching and has expressed an interest in returning to coaching while calling the UNC job a good one.   According to Tudor there are no obstacles here to overcome in immediately putting an offer on the table and getting an answer, all outside the public eye.

Honestly, I am not enamoured with Davis.  I know that he has a lot of play on the message boards.  Everyone looks at his body of work at Miami and assumes he us not only a perfect fit for UNC but can duplicate that success in Chapel Hill.  Tudor points out that Davis might be prone to step right on top of UNC’s collective heads on his way back up the coaching ladder to a football school or NFL team.  I also think there are salary limitations where Davis is concerned.  And as much as I do not necessarily mind a coach who might leave after 8-10 years for somewhere like Texas, I get the feeling Davis would leave a lot sooner than that.  I have also pointed out previously that Davis’ public comments can only be construed as self-serving and not in the best interest of UNC.

As for the other candidates, the Winston-Salem Journal, had the article of the day saying that UNC was most interested in Navy’s Paul Johnson, West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez, and Tulsa’s Steve Kragthorpe.  Perhaps the most humorous part of the article was the source citation:

…according to sources who say that they are familiar with the situation.

Just so we are clear, these are not sources who are familiar with situation.  No, these sources say they are familiar with situations.  I guess that sounds better than saying:

…according to sources who are speculating just like the rest of us and came up with three names that everyone had assumed would be on the list

Anyway.  I agree with two names on that list.  I am have no idea why Rodriguez’s name keeps popping up since he is a West Virginia grad and is coaching the #4 team in the nation right now.  Yes, he may have expressed interest but something tells me it is that Frank Beamer kind of interest because Rodriguez also happens to be only the fourth highest paid coach in the Big East.  So luring a coach, who may be on his way to posting back-to-back 11 win seasons at his alma mater, into making what amounts to a lateral move is bound to be a nearly impossible task.  As for Paul Johnson and Steve Kragthorpe, I think that is where the real focus is at depending on their interest.  I think Rodriguez made be a red herring and UNC probably realizes Davis is playing for a better hand.  Johnson and Kragthorpe have turned perpetual losers into winners and in case you have not noticed UNC is a perpetual loser at the moment.  The fact these guys know how to step into a situation, right the ship and get it moving in the right direction should be a huge selling point.  And it is not like the cupboard will be bare at UNC either.   Both these coaches should also be immeniently affordable although not available for another five weeks.

So, I think we should hunker down for a long wait.  With some of the candidates still coaching their teams and trying to get into a bowl, we should prepare for a extended period of slow news and more sources telling us what they say is happening.

Share This Post:
[Bloglines] [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [MySpace] [Technorati] [Windows Live] [Yahoo!] [Email]