Hello: Adam Braithwaite, LB/S Coach

YOU SOUND DISPLEASED BRIAN

Someone get me that picture of the laughing pear, STAT.

Welcome to The Program Coach Braithwaite!

I guess we have to trust RR on this one. I hope he isn't just a Yes-Man to RR. It just seems that an elite school like Michgan could get someone with, you know, D1 expirence. Or is that asking too much?

Anyway, Adam welcome to the coaching staff, and don't blow it kid.

Jeff Casteel came from the same and perhaps even less "uninspiring" fabric as Braithwaite.

California University of Pennsylvania (the VULCANS!)
and then small town West Virginia college (Sheperd) and then UTEP.

When Casteel showed up at WVU for the 2001 inaugural season, WVU fans were probably whispering to themselves "WTF" as well. He turned out to be very good DC and LB coach (James "Dirty" Davis, Grant Wiley, among others).

I understand the lack of enthusiasm so I refer to the Zen Master parable:

The Zen Master says: "We'll see."

What's not to like about this. After all, we of all people should understand the growing pains that accompany bringing in a new coach with different philosophies and styles.

This guy has been around and should be able to immediately continue teaching the players in the same manner or at least along the same lines that RR and Gerg want. Sure, they could have tried to pluck some NFL guy, but why? If the staff feels comfortable that Braithwaite can do the job, I'm all for it.

All I want is tackling and coverage to improve, with continued improvement as the season goes on. Is that too much to ask?

OK, if GERG = LBs
And, Tall = DL
And, Gibby = CBs & FS & Spl. Teams
Then, Noob = SS?

If our D only gives up like 35 a game in big ten play next year, this guy will look like a genius.

Also, from the comments above: "...less uninspiring..." and "...immediately continue...." Confusing.

Give the kid a shot, it's not like there is anywhere else to go but up at this point. I say the guy brings some youthful energy to the ranks and steps in right away and helps in recruiting. RR was all over the coaches conference and interviewing people, but maybe he just wanted to hire someone that he KNOWS fits what he's trying to do as opposed to sticking a sqaure peg in another round hole.

Not every hire we make has to be a huge splash; sometimes it the quietest hires we make that make the most difference.

Coach Gibson coaching Special Teams means he better teach someone to CATCH THE DAMN BALL

How could this be? RR blew it again. I really think that he should have gotten Tenuta to be our LB/S coach. He would have taken the job if only RR would have offered.
/sarcasm

Seriously, I don't have any feelings one way or another about this. The guy is a no-name with little experience, but at the same time, all good coaches started out as no-names at some point. Also, he already knows the system and can obviously work with GERG and RR.

cant say im enamored with this hiring. i, like many others, was hoping GERG would have much more of a say in the hiring. and maybe he did, for all i know, but from an outsider perspective it smells like a rodriguez crony.

i guess we'll see how it goes.

There are definitely good reasons for this at times. This has to be weighed against the alternative (whatever that might have been.)

Chip Kelly didn't even play football - came from New Hampshire by way of John Hopkins and Columbia - and he's a pretty good HC for Oregon.

The most interesting thing here to me is Gibson to special teams. That was an issue last Fall. Brandon Smith's glaring oversight on KO coverage vs. PSU comes to mind immediately, as well as the Space Emperor's ill advised fake. We're breaking in new starting FG and Punt specialists. More power to Gibson. At the time of these oversights - there was much discussion about whether we needed a special teams coach. RR said he didn't have the bandwidth (since coaching numbers are limited.) This is his answer. Gibson needs to throw some water on this fire.

as our hockey goalie coach?
http://www.faceoff.com/gallery/storyimage.html?id=5919e1ef-5619-4646-b8d...

THIS GUY CAN RECRUIT!!!!

Wait, who did we hire? Never heard of him, awesome.

This doesn't seem like that much of a reach for me. The guy has already been an assistant at smaller schools and he's only coaching a position with three players. For a guy of his age and level of experience, that seems appropriate and I can't imagine getting an experienced guy to come in and just be a safety coach. I guess what worries me more than his relative anonymity is the fact that he clearly was a Plan C or Plan D.

I could care less, we know nothing about these coaches and their potential effectiveness within the program. A cordinator you can kind of look at the resume, but position coaches no way. I'll assume he's the next Urban Meyer, like when Holtz promoted him to ND's staff from nerd patrol, I mean Quality control, until I see different.

1 note I did see that was odd. So it appears he is responsible for the SS(Deep Coverage) and the LB/S hybrid(run support, Cover TE, Slot). Then it says Gibson is responsible for the corners and FS(run support, underneath coverage). Wouldn't it make more sense for Gibson to have the SS if it is included with the cb's as they are more coverage related positions and the FS and Hybrid are more similar type players playing near the LOS??

This is always the best option if it is available to you (i.e., if you think you have someone who can handle the job). Take it from someone with experience in this area -- hiring people you don't know is a crapshoot. They can look great on paper and/or interview well, but turn out to be completely unable to cope with the particulars of your organization.

This guy comes from "quality control" (whatever that means).

Aren't those the people responsible for the practice log thing? Even if we don't get violations levelled against us, there was major droppage of the ball. Things were not done that should have been done. The fact that not only could we not bring in a bigger name, but that we promoted someone from the department that failed in their responsibility is disconcerting. Maybe brothaman had nothing to do with all that mess, but, I don't know much about him other than that association with the practice log mess.

Secondly, this whole reallignment seems like it might stretch some people thin.

Gerg is DC and coaching LBs.
Gibson is coaching CBs, FS, an coordinating special teams (that's A LOT)
And so, this Adam guy was promoted to coach what... One position? (SS)

The fact we didn't bring in someone that can coach a whole position group leaves a lot on the plates of Gerg and Gibson... That's concerning.

And for that matter, why don't we have a Special Teams coordinator? Don't most schools have someone, who, that's their whole job (just like DC and OC?)

It seems that he actually played the position he is coaching pretty well, and he is smart (W&M grad). That's enough for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The last time a favorite team of mine hired a nobody coach who played ball and coached a little at William and Mary, it didnt work out.

That was the Steelers and Mike Tomlin. Oh, wait, that did work out. Pretty damn well too.

Good to see most people being reasonable about this. I'm pretty sure the people freaking out about this hire will never ever be satisfied in life. Fact is, most folks on this site knows squat about coaching college defensive positions.

Complaining about not hiring Tenuta? Did I really read that? Shit, he should have gone after Muschamp. Rich Rod is clearly an idiot for not hiring a top shelf DC to take a step down and coach just positions under another DC. What the fuck is he thinking.

Bitching about cronyism and UM not having a home run hire? It's a LB coach, for gawd's sake. He needs to fit in, work hard and teach tackling. I'm pretty sure if RR thinks this guy can do it, then he will be able to do it. Coaches hiring people they like, they've worked with before and can be a chemistry fit with the rest of the staff, if thats what cronyism is, then sign me up. Besides, with just one or two exceptions, the concept of coaching cronyism pretty much worked for the 40 years prior to RR coming aboard.

Man, some of you need to find new freaking hobbies.

They need to win now. There's no time for an acclimation curve with an unfamiliar coach. If that curve costs M a game or two, that could be enough to send RR (and his nicely-resume'd LB/S coach) packing by the new regime.