Notice Dantonio Slighted by SI?

Submitted by Robbie Moore on
Just finished reading an article in this weeks SI on Brian Kelly and University of Cincinnati football. Talked about everything Kelly has had to do to get the Cincinnati program righted and pointed upward, get the town excited, etc. And I wondered...who was the mediocrity who left a program as bereft as the one Kelly had to rescue? Oh, yeah. Mark Dantonio.
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Brother Mouzone

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:10 AM ^

"He wasnt that bad at cinci, 7-5, 4-7, 7-5" That's 18-17 - very Sparty like If he can manage to go 1-4 in his next five games he will have the same record at MSU. If that happens I doubt even Sparty would say that their contract extended coach "isn't that bad" Let's help him on his way today.

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Robbie Moore

October 3rd, 2009 at 12:23 AM ^

That's just where I believe Kelly will end up. Makes perfect sense. Career head coach. Guy has won everywhere. Innovative and hard charging. Right name for the job. Decided schematic advantage. But it's better than if he landed in Columbus. But if Notre Dame doesn't act fast, like this winter, they may see Kelly gone to somewhere like, oh, Georgia? Florida State? Maybe Kentucky for a bizillion dollars? Illinois?

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tricks574

October 3rd, 2009 at 12:59 AM ^

None of those schools are really in the mix. Richt isn't going anywhere, Bowdens replacement is going to be Fischer, and neither Kentucky nor Illinois will shell out the right kind of cash. The SEC is where the big cash is, but none of those schools will be looking for coaches. Maybe louisville opens the checkbook, but I doubt it. Nothing is guaranteed though, Kelly doesn't like it at Cincy and everyone knows it. If he takes them to another BCS bowl, or god forbid a title, he might be too tempting to pass up. I don't think its likely, but it could certainly happen. Just to clarify, he is really unlucky with all those SEC coaching spots. Meyer, Miles, and Saban are all safe. Nutt, Petrino, and Kiffin were just hired. Richt is 90% safe, I can't imagine him getting fired. Noone else is shelling out Kelly type cash.

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Robbie Moore

October 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 AM ^

You are correct on Georgia. They're a little crazy in the SEC. They may think Kelly is to good to pass up. But my bet is on Kentucky. They have plenty of bucks if they choose to spend it. And I gotta figure the Wildcats are tired of being a doormat in SEC football. It's a real arms race down there. Kentucky may feel they must keep up. And Cincinnati is right across the river.

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Super J

October 3rd, 2009 at 1:03 AM ^

I cant find the article but it stated that Notre Dame would hire Kelly do to how brash and opposing views on certain issues (abortion). It still is a religious school. They over look charlie's mouth because he is an alum. My money will be on either Georgia, Colorado, or maybe Arizona?

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Scott Dreisbac…

October 3rd, 2009 at 4:46 AM ^

The Colorado Athletic Depatment is something like $8 million in debt and it's estimated that Hawkin's buyout is in the area of $3 million. Coloradao couldn't afford to fire Hawkins (even though they likely really want to), let alone hire a new coach, especially someone who is going to demand the type of money Kelly will.

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Niag

October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 AM ^

I am unsure of the details, and maybe someone with some knowledge can enlighten us all, but there was a reason Kelly was never considered for the Michigan job, and it wasn't due to his ability to win. Possibly that is what may scare (I hope) ND off as well. They ride their high horse better than any other school. Also, yes they deserve to have Weis and the remainder of his contract!

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Tater

October 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 AM ^

"He wasnt that bad at cinci, 7-5, 4-7, 7-5 " You're right; he wasn't bad. But why has the press, both local and national, been kissing his ass since he took the MSU job? How does 18-17 at Cincy translate into becoming "the predominant program in the state of Michigan" by "overtaking UM?" To me, it translates into EXACTLY THE SAME THING SPARTY HAS BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST FORTY YEARS: being a team that is barely over .500 most years. Dantonio is a journeyman coach who won't lose a lot of games for his team, but won't win a lot for them, either. Dantonio is simply average; if he has more talent than you, he will probably win, and if he has less, he will probably lose. He will pull off an occasional upset, but will be upset as many times as he is able to do it to others. With equal talent, his team is a tossup. The bottom line on Dantonio, AFAIC, is to ask yourself "what is his trademark?" What do his teams do that others don't? What about his teams can you watch and say "this is a Dantonio team?" The answer is, "nothing." Dantonio's teams don't really do anything intrisnically better than anyone else. Dantonio is not a "defensive mastermind," nor is he an "offensive genius," nor his he a "special teams guru." Other than the fact that he talks a lot, he really has no distinguishing characteristics as a coach. Consequently, MSU has no distinguishing characteristics as a team, except they use the "hatred" and "no respect" cards incessantly concerning the school they idolize. So, basically, I agree; he isn't that bad. But he isn't that good, either.

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