OT - Why Bill O'Brien left PSU
I'm not sure if it should be a separate topic from O'Brien to Texans thread below, but I thought it's worth mentioning because the situation seems very similar to what we went through with RR and the factions.
Here's the article in question: Bill O'Brien
That should make for an interesting discussion about the future of PSU football program.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:06 PM ^
Hmmmm.....the story seems vaguely familiar to me.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:24 PM ^
The difference is O'Brien did a good job and left because a NFL team offered, rather than getting canned.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 1:57 PM ^
Yep. O'Brien took over a program that was decimated and salvaged a lot. RichRod actually did the damage.
January 1st, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
No, he didn't. Neither have I.
RR recruiting = 2013 results!
January 1st, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 4:00 PM ^
At least five people actually like this comment. Simply incredible.
January 1st, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
The similarity is that if RR had done well here, he also would have had reasons to move on when another opportunity came.
January 1st, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
...is that the parallel between the situations BOB and RR stepped into escapes me. I don't recall Carr being accused of covering up for a felon on his staff.
Infintiely worse situation, better results.
January 1st, 2014 at 6:33 PM ^
How many points did the actions of Jerry Sandusky cost Penn State in the 2012 and 2013 seasons? At least Penn State could say their situation - unspeakably horrid as it was - was in the past and all the key actors were gone. Not so with RR/Michigan. He walked into work every day and saw people who wanted him gone. It was a truly toxic environment with no end in sight. UM football still has massive political issues to this day.
January 1st, 2014 at 4:32 PM ^
It was about the culture at Penn State. The fact that O'Brien's complaints sound so similar to those of another school detailed by some guy named John Bacon is just what might make it relevant here. It wasn't about anyone's record.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:12 PM ^
However, if Rich Rod would've won to the extent that O'Brien won when you consider the teams and the circumstances. He'd be the head coach at Michigan.
Rich Rod was FIRED.
O'Brien LEFT on his own.
If Rich Rod goes 5-7, 7-5, 9-3...he would've kept his job at least one more year. Likely at least 2 more years.
If Rich Rod won a B1G Championship, beat MSU and OSU and went to a Rose Bowl he'd certainly still be here.
Look at all the recent fuss about Hoke, who's a "Michigan Man" and one of "us." That doesn't mean shit if you don't win, beat your rivals and surpass expectations.
All Rich Rod had to do was JUST WIN and people would've shut up. At PSU, OB was doing the best with what he had and they still wouldn't give him a break and let it go. He was 2012 Coach of the Year! Rich Rod never won more than 3 B1G games in 1 season.
It's similar, but it's waaay different.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
The only reason people started to get pissy about being a "Michigan Man" was because Richrod didn't win. Beilein isn't a Michigan Man. Carol Hutchins went to State! Maybe he wasn't as great at being a public figure as those two are, but if he had just won, it would've been a moot point
January 1st, 2014 at 1:43 PM ^
I get your point, but (a) their is a mountain of difference in relevance on this campus between the basketball/softball coaches and the football one, and (b) at least with basketball, that was a trainwreck for so long that people were happy with a winner, and the sport in general has always been more accepting of outsiders.
January 1st, 2014 at 2:36 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 6:31 PM ^
Dumb reporter at Rodriguez's press conference: "Can you coach at Michigan if you aren't a Michigan Man?" Opening line from Mitch Albom's column the next day: "A West Virginia Man is coaching Michigan."
So it was always a trumped up issue. Not Beilein nor any coaches in any other Michigan sports have had to deal with this stupid crap.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^
Good points all.
I've been thinking too this morning about where we'd be right now if, back in 2011, Brandon had decided to keep Rich and gave him the money to hire Casteel as his DC. After watching Arizona yesterday I couldnt help but get a bit sentimental about what our offense could've been with a Jr & Sr Denard running it and a half-way competent defense on the other side.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:35 PM ^
Not sure Casteel would have come. He was asked in 2007 and again in 2008 and said no both times. That was when RichRod's job status was not in question. By 2011, Casteel would have been stepping into a potential lame-duck coaching situation, which couldn't have been too desireable.
I think the bigger problem was Rich Rod's insistence on the 3-3-5. Yes, that was Casteel's preferred defense, but most DCs don't like to run it. Rich Rod should have just let his DC, whomever it was, run whatever he wanted to run.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
Casteel was making 350k in 2010 at WVU and we paid Mattison more.... a LOT more so we could've gotten him - especially with the entire situation at WVU being so unsettled with Snyder. And both times "we asked him" we asked him to come and take a pay cut to do so. Not very appealing to be sure.
It would've taken just a fraction of the money we gave Hoke for his assistants to get Casteel.
January 1st, 2014 at 5:35 PM ^
He stayed with Stewart at WVU. After it became quite clear that he would not be getting that opportunity with the momentary success of Holgerson he left.
January 1st, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
I don't think scheme per se was the issue, it was forcing a DC to run a scheme he was unfamiliar with and not giving him choice of or control over his position coaches.
January 1st, 2014 at 5:00 PM ^
Casteel and RR were both still at WVU in 2007. I doubt Michigan was trying to get Casteel here that year.
January 1st, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 2:45 PM ^
interested in Michigan before RR was fired and the interest disappeared overnight.
January 1st, 2014 at 3:10 PM ^
That 2010 recruiting year stands on its own. Nobody failed to sign because he was fired, because he wasn't fired that year.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:12 PM ^
I'll use it to say that...
Pat Narduzzi, Greg Schiano and Al Golden have to be the 3 candidates for the job.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
And I'll use this to say we overestimate Narduzzi's viablity as a head coaching candidate. He never gets mentioned for a job like PSU. He has to start at UConn, a MAC school, or maybe a dreg in a major conference.
January 1st, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
So you are saying he should start at Purdue?
January 1st, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
And fail miserably? Yes, please.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:13 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 1:57 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
They should build a statue of Bill to replace the old Paterno's. What he did with that program in two years is just unreal. It is a shame BIG is losing such a good coach.
By the way, there is no guarantee that he would be succesful as Texans coach. Some coaches are meant to be college coaches and Bill could be one of them.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:13 PM ^
O'Brien was going to back to the NFL sooner or later and his stock is pretty high right now. I think the people looking for a "Penn State Man" only helped make the decision easier for him
January 1st, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
he was really open about his desire to come back to the NFL as a HC.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
January 1st, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
The article mentions that the interview was off-the-record but doesn't mention any sort of expiration for that agreement. Am I missing something?
January 1st, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
Yeah, that seemed like a real dick move.
January 1st, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
I'm sure it was a calculated decision on the reporters part. BOB is gone, so that part doesn't really matter to a local guy. He gains some goodwill (or at the very least, clicks) from his readership. It's clearly unethical, and wrong, but I can see how he could decide to say "fuck it".
January 1st, 2014 at 1:15 PM ^
Give him a lot of credit. This played out almost exactly how it was expected, but he won games. He was supposed to be the fall guy.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
I'd love to see Narduzzi take this job. BOB didn't have any head coaching experience before getting the job. Maybe they can go that route again?!
January 1st, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^
I think Narduzzi would be a great head coach. I don't want him leaving to coach anywhere in the east division unless it's here.
January 1st, 2014 at 1:39 PM ^
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January 1st, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^