CC- What I want (In coach quotes)

Submitted by Ron Utah on

Inspired by Eye of the Tiger  's wish list, I decided to put together what I'm hoping for in the next head football coach at the University of Michigan.  And, rather than say it all myself, I'm calling on some ultra-successful coaches to help me explain what I want.  

“We’re not sustaining a gosh darn thing. We despise the word sustaining. We despise the word satisfaction.”

Appropriately, I'll open with a Jim Harbuagh quote.  Michigan football has a rich tradition, and that tradition was not built by repeating the past, but by surpassing it.  We should not stubbornly adhere to old strategies or only consider coaches who have spent time at U-M.  What made Michigan great is what will make it great again: being willing to push outside the box to do whatever is necessary to achieve success.

I want more than B1G championships--I want CoFoPo appearances, All-Americans, Heisman contenders, and coaches that are the envy of the nation.  That's what it means to be the Leaders and Best.

"Schemes and play calls don't win games, Execution wins games."

Chip Kelly knows scheme matters.  The guy is a football mad scientist who cooks-up complimentary plays better than anyone else in the business--pro or college.  What he means is that no matter what system you run and no matter how witty the play call, the players must be able to execute the play.

I would love a spread, no-huddle offense.  I would prefer a blitzing, hyper-aggressive defense.  But whether we get that or I-form and Cover Two, all I really care is that our players can consistently and effectively execute the scheme.  Everyone can run the plays Chip Kelly runs, but few coaches can get their players to execute the way he does.  Building a system that fits your players and makes it as easy as possible for them to be successful is what coaching is all about.

It's important to note that Kelly's attention to detail and specific instruction, combined with fast, high-stress training methods are essential to his success.  He creates an environment where the players can learn quickly and builds a culture of attention to detail.  It's that laser-like focus on execution that separates Kelly from his peers, and he simply uses the scheme that he believes makes it easiest for his players to execute.

Player development is not about telling a player he MUST do thing X or he will be benched.  It's about getting a player to see what he's capable of and putting him in a position to capitalize on his talents.  This means high expectations and demands are put on players, but that it's done in a constructive way that fits your roster.  

Part of this is impatience--you must ask your players to do what they're capable of each and every day, and not be satisfied with less.  Plenty of programs around the country are getting big contributions from younger players by showing them how they can be successful right away, not just as upperclassmen.

"You can't afford to have one bad coach on your staff."

Loyalty is a virtue, but if not you're being loyal to anything less than excellence.  Jim Harbaugh knows that, and it's why many of his assistants are talked about as some of the best in the business.  Building a great staff is vital when you have 100+ players to manage, and the next coach should expect and demand results every day.  If it's not working, find some one who can make it work.

Bielema didn't hesitate to fire his O-Line coach when his O-Line wasn't producing.  Beilein made drastic changes when his staff wasn't getting it done.  While Hoke did fire a friend and hire what appeared to be the ideal fit, he only did it at one position.  We need a coach that will find the right leaders for the team at EVERY post.



While I don't necessarily think we should stick with MANBALL and "physicalness" as the cornerstones of our program, we should always have a coach that understands college football's greatness is rooted in getting a bunch of young men to work as a team.  This means self-sacrifice, integrity, and hard work.  It means playing not just with each other, but for each other.

There are some winning college coaches out there I wouldn't want (Saban, Meyer) to coach at Michigan because they have reputations that are focused on individual, win-at-all-costs success instead of building a program of young men that carry each other to victory.  It's a lot to ask, but I want a great coach who also understands Bo's ultimate speech--and that it applies to the coaches as well as the players.

These five quotes sum-up what I'm looking for in the next Michigan Head Coach: a willingness to adapt to think outside the box to find success; a detail-oriented culture with a focus on designing a scheme that compliments the talents of the players; player development that helps players see and realize their potential, and starts doing that as soon as they arrive on campus; a staff that is second-to-none in the country with no weak links; and a commitment to team that fosters a high-character environment where nothing but success is tolerated.

And as you can tell from my quotes, there seems to be one guy that certainly meets that criteria.  But I'm not stubborn--I'll take any coach that can do all these things, win the B1G, go to the CoFoPo, produce All-Americans consistently, and have regular Heisman contenders.  Oh yeah, and winning the playoff--he should do that, too.

Comments

Sledgehammer

October 22nd, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^

Sounds like you are asking for a coach that would eventually be on legendary status. Sounds an awful like a certain Jim that currently is employed in the state of California. Call me an optomist, and I know it is highly unlikely that it happens, but I have a feeling that a Harbaugh and Long will be here for next season.

 

I think the best thing to come out of the switch to a playoff is the acronym thing, CoFoPo. Now that is just fun to say. 

991GT3

October 22nd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^

Let's hope the MIchigan AD has your apporach in mind when hiring a new football coach.

I remain skeptical that the recent happenings in AA will bring personnel change. Marcus Ray on radio was saying that stability of coaching staff is the key to success. In essence, he was lobbying for Hoke and staff to stay.

Be prepared.

Eye of the Tiger

October 23rd, 2014 at 1:33 PM ^

My conclusion from this is the same one I came to at the end of my wishlist--that we really need to find a way to hire the guy whose name begins with a "J" and ends with an "im Harbaugh."

GoBlueTal

October 24th, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^

"I want more than B1G championships--I want CoFoPo appearances, All-Americans, Heisman contenders, and coaches that are the envy of the nation.  That's what it means to be the Leaders and Best."



You want pipe dreams.  You're not entitled to pipe dreams.  By the way, guess what, you HAD this coach.  He got run out of town with a lot of help from this here blog in '07.  



Control what you can control.  Let the subjective nonsense happen.  Guess what, win your games, CFP appearances will happen.  Play good sound football, All-Americans will happen.  Coaching consistency (which even this site has discussed as a net positive) breeds Heisman contenders.  



Give me a coach who helps create young men who actually thrive in the NFL, who creates young men who leave here and become good quality people.  THAT SIR, is what it means to be the Leaders and Best.  To hell with the cheating worthless nonsense that is the SEC.  They are what's wrong with the system.  Do you want to be what's wrong, or do you want to be Michigan?  Subjective nonsense does not a program make.  



I want a program, not an insult.  Control what you can control, ignore the bs.  That's what men do.