Coach Envy

Submitted by cjpops on
OK, I'll admit it. I have coach envy! I would really like to have Chris Petersen (Boise State) as the coach at University of Michigan. 1) He is a good recruiter and seems to get the most out of the talent he has. 2) His players make plays UNDER PRESSURE...something UM players DON'T. See: fumbles... 3) His offense and play calling is as innovative and unpredictable as any out there. 4) He seems like a stand up guy that the players, media and other coaches really like. Was he ever considered for the UM opening after Carr? It's entirely possible that UM could be searching for a new coach in the next year or 2. Not hopin', just sayin...thoughts?
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Simi Maquoketa

January 7th, 2010 at 1:56 PM ^

theres gonna be a hard rain A-fallin' and plenty of carnage. But hey, it's about -40 here and I'm shut in for the day, so there's actually nothing better to do. NO I do not ant Chris Peterson. he is holed up in a nice part of the country and has (IIRC) a publicly-stated prefeerence to stay west of the Rockies. How do we know he can recruit? He coaches at Boinky State amongst teams that think football is a break from skiing.

Joined: 12/03/2009

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Simi Maquoketa

January 7th, 2010 at 2:36 PM ^

It's COLD and we're dialing up 40 MPH winds. BUT you got me. The morning Metroplex drive time mega rush hour temperature was -35 with windchill. Now it's -16. And by rush hour--that means your Omaha morning commute has gone from being the usual 8 minute drive to work to being 12 minutes.

Joined: 12/03/2009

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:19 AM ^

Clarkie - thanks for the comment. What I meant was that Petersen's teams are clutch performers. They make heady, fundamentally sound plays when it matters the most and rarely make the big mistake. Yes, there are interceptions and fumbles during the play of the game, but, BSU seems to be make few mental or fundamental mistakes that we see UM make all to often. Fumbilng/muffing punts, snaps over the head of the QB, ill-timed fake punts (@ MSU), etc. Sorry you misunderstood my attempts to emphasize my point. It's honest analysis of the difference in the fundamental preparation between 2 different coaches and their teams.

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jb5O4

January 7th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^

Rich Rods teams at WVU were outstanding (see the ass beating they put on Georgia in the Sugar Bowl or the performance they had against OU even after he left?) It's only a matter of time before we are competitive again. I have no coaching jealousy and neither should you.

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Don

January 7th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^

But his roots are solidly out west, and I'd bet that if he ever leaves BSU he'll go to someplace like Wazoo or Oregon State or Arizona. Ordinarily I'd also think he would be perfect for Colorado, but since Hawkins has been such a bust it's likely that the CU folks are disinclined to take a chance on another BSU guy.

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Tater

January 7th, 2010 at 1:56 PM ^

I had Meyer and Peterson one and two, but thought there was no way the person at WVU who created their offenses would quit his dream job and come to UM. Funny how things work out.

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mjv

January 7th, 2010 at 1:58 PM ^

It certainly helps when the schedule BSU plays consists of one decent team that was in its first game under a new head coach (Oregon) and then a long bunch of stiffs. The win against OU is one for the ages, there is no question about that, but BSU plays in a laughable conference. Witness the pounding Hawaii took when it swiped a BCS birth.

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:23 AM ^

I agree, the BSU schedule/conference is definitely weaker in some respects. However, UM has their share of cupcakes as well (Del State, WMU, EMU, and various Big 10 teams that are consistently weak IU, NW, Minn). However, I will say this: 1) I would refer more to the conduct of the team in regards to fundamentals, clutch performance and mental preparation/toughness. Petersen gets this done. 2) BSU would beat UM 10 times out of 10 right now, weak conference or not.

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Beavis

January 7th, 2010 at 2:01 PM ^

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The reasons why schools like Boise State can use "inferior talent" to be successful: - These kids don't have the egos of 4 or 5 star players - Less ego = more coachable - They play in a shitty conference - They only really have to focus on heavy, heavy due diligence for one opponent every year (early on, like Oregon) and for a BCS bowl game (given more than a month off to do that) - Their fan base doesn't care if you start out 3-9 - The local media is the only thing covering you Basically, it's much easier to succeed at a smaller school if you are in fact a good coach. However, a good coach doesn't translate to every conference in college football. Dealing with the egos, the insanely competitive recruiting process, the national media, the boosters, the tougher games, etc. make it harder to succeed at a Michigan. I'd bet if you stuck RR at BSU, he'd have just as much success, if not more.

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cjpops

January 7th, 2010 at 3:22 PM ^

I don't think BSU's talent is inferior. They clearly have better players on defense and at QB. Kellen Moore threw for 3,500+ yards, 39 TDs and 3 INTs in 2010. Almost as impressive in 2009. Saying that his kids are more coachable because they are not 4-5 stars is a cop out. Are the Alabama , Texas, Florida kids just luckily coachable? I doubt that their fan base "doesn't care" I would say that the expectations are pretty high, especially given his track record in the last 4 years. BSU got as much media attention as UM this year. Petersen is a winner. Plain and simple. He has lost 4 games in 4 years. He is a great coach and I feel like BSU hit the lottery when they hired him from OC. That said - he's not coming to UM. I guess he just re-upped a contract extension on 1-1-10. I'm just envious, that's all.

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Beavis

January 7th, 2010 at 3:33 PM ^

You missed my ENTIRE point. Wow. OK... 1) "Inferior talent" was referring to recruiting rankings. You'll never see BSU in the top 5, but they always turn out good seasons. This is my point. 2) On the more coachable theory - it's debatable, but look at all of the 4 and 5 star players that fail. You're telling me that in every case these kids had unfair (too high) ratings? Please. (whether it's off-the-field issues, playing time issues, or whatever, the egos of these kids is superhuman and can cause issues - just look at Michigan's 4/5 stars over the last 10 years that didn't make it. These kids should make it, and if they applied themselves 100% to football they would have (barring injuries of course). 3) BSU as much attention as Michigan this year? Yeah maybe just because of the Blount Punch and the BCS game. But you didn't see ESPN reporting their "overworked" practice schedule 24/7 for a week straight, a new AD at BSU wouldn't have gotten as much pub, and if Michigan had the same record as BSU - guess who would have gotten more attention?

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raleighwood

January 7th, 2010 at 5:57 PM ^

I think that you're missing the point as well. "if Michigan had the same record as BSU - guess who would have gotten more attention?" Michigan DIDN'T have the same record as BSU this year. Isn't that the whole point behind the "envy" question? If Michigan had the same record (or maybe even a winning record), the topic probably never would have been posted. Somebody earlier had posted the "BSU Kool-Aid" versus the "WVU Kool-Aid" theory and I think that's pretty accurate. You can't just chase the "hot" coach because it might not work out. It worked for Meyer at Florida (just a couple of years removed from BGSU). It didn't work for Hawkins at Colorado. It'll be interesting to see how it works for Kelly at ND. The jury is still out in A2 but I think that we'll have our answer this season (one way or another).

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:38 AM ^

Everyone chases the "hot" coach. Hot coach = successful coach. That's how "hot" coaches get top jobs and how RR got hired at UM (after they courted Miles, et al). Nobody wants to hire the coach who wen 3-9 for 4 seasons and was just fired. Unless, of course, you are Army and decide to hire Bobby Ross after his tenure with the Lions. :) I think Petersen is the real deal. One of the top coaches in college football. Something much more substantive than Kool-Aid.

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:33 AM ^

Beavis - thanks for the clarification. I did misunderstand your point. Now I see what you're saying...I guess. I don't pay any attention really to high school football players and rankings, but I would hazard a guess that UM gets more "high star" players than BSU. My point is that I think Petersen is a better coach than RR. His teams are consistently fundamentally sound, don't make big mental errors and rarely fold under pressure. I don't care what conference you're playing in, that's impressive and a sign of good coaching to do that stuff consistently. Even more impressive to do it on a national stage in BCS bowls and during regular season games vs. top competition. Media attention: I would say that Oregon/Blount got the attention for the punch. BSU got attention for beating a top quality opponent...again. If BSU and UM had the same record they might've played each other in a bowl. Then BSU would've gotten attention for beating another quality opponent on a big stage.

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mstier

January 8th, 2010 at 11:54 AM ^

Just curious, but did you ever watch WVU while Rodriguez was there? I'm from southern Ohio, and my favorite teams in order are: 1.) Michigan 2.) WVU I've watched nearly every WVU game this decade. Terms like "fundamentally sound" and "clutch under pressure" are EXACTLY how I would describe Rodriguez's West Virginia teams. They were methodical. What's the difference? Experience! Seriously, I would venture to guess that Boise State teams aren't starting true freshman and sophomores all over the field. We all saw what happened last night when consensus 5 star freshman quarterback Gilbert trotted out onto the field. I don't care how good you are, there is an adjustment going from high school to college that takes TIME to occur. Petterson has had that time, while Rodriguez hasn't.

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cjpops

January 9th, 2010 at 3:37 PM ^

Nope, haven't watched WVU too much at all. I pretty much just follow the Michigan teams for the most part. I'm sure what you say is true about RR and those are some of the reasons that he got the UM job. Wasn't he in the running for another job the year prior to being hired at UM? Alabama or Oklahoma, maybe? I seem to remember him being a hot commodity at the time. Finally, I agree that experienced players make better decisions than younger ones. Certainly, youth and inexperience have played a role in the UM issues thus far under RR. I'm not sure what the depth chart looks like for Boise as it relates to under/upper classmen, but, the QB is a true sophomore and, from his numbers anyway, should've been in the Heisman conversation. Also, Petersen has been head coach at BSU for 4 seasons. Plus, he was also OC before that I think. Certainly more than RR has had at Mich, I just can't get over the mistakes that have plagues UM football for the past 2 seasons. Much of which can be explained by inexperience to be sure. However, I have to put some of it on the coaching staff and preparation.

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david from wyoming

January 7th, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^

Hawkins was a pretty darn good coach at BSU. Look at his time at Colorado. Dirk Koetter was good at BSU too, but then fired from Arizona State. Houston Nutt was before Koetter.....and that guy is just crazy. Want me to go on? Boise State coaches have a pretty bad track record once head coaches leave for bigger programs.

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:41 AM ^

Can't argue with you there - that's a good point. I've just been very impressed with Petersen. The same way I've been impressed with Tressel. Good coaches who have solid teams who are consistently well prepared.

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Huntington Wolverine

January 7th, 2010 at 2:04 PM ^

Admitting it is the first step to recovery: 1) RR is a proven recruiter and developer of talent 2) In general, seniors and juniors make plays under pressure and younger players aren't as consistent in that area... 3) "Innovation" and "unpredictable" are flashy and sexy but overrated in our entertainment driven culture. A TD is a TD, whether Cam Cameron or Sweatervest dialed it up. Consistent execution (which has been admittedly lacking the last two seasons) wasn't a problem for RR's other teams as long as he had experienced players 4) His players and other coaches (except anyone affiliated with Purdue because RR steals their lunch money) seem to like Rodriguez. You win on the media. You always do.

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cjpops

January 8th, 2010 at 8:45 AM ^

1) Agreed. RR has proven to be a good recruiter. Hopefully, that will start paying off at UM soon. 2) Also agreed as the players in the '07 Fiesta were mainly upperclassmen. However, BSU QB this past year was a true soph so he would be an exception to that rule. 3) RR is the king of "innovation" with his offense. What I was going for here is that I think Petersen's offense is just as innovative as RR's and very potent. His playcalling is also excellent and timely. 4) Also agreed - his players and other coaches (though, I think they tend to stick together generally, kind of a fraternity).

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CRex

January 7th, 2010 at 2:40 PM ^

Why set the bar so low? I'd prefer to have Bo brought back to life and still roaming the sidelines. While I'm dreaming out entire secondary can be made up of clones of Woodson, Jackson and Shazor, with a few Leon Halls for depth. Seriousily we blew all that money on the Life's Science Complex and I have yet to see one Woodson clone get cranked out. What gives with that place?

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