Fisch buyout?

[FreakyDeke]

Does anyone know if Fisch has to pay any kind of penalty for bailing after 1 year? I've never heard of a coordinator's buyout, but it can be very disruptive to a program, you'd think it wouldn't be a bad idea. Please put aside any disdain for Jedd in answering this question.

 

[harrys ghost]

Does anyone know if Fisch has to pay any kind of penalty for bailing after 1 year? I've never heard of a coordinator's buyout, but it can be very disruptive to a program, you'd think it wouldn't be a bad idea. Please put aside any disdain for Jedd in answering this question.

Yeah, he doesn't get the $125,000 he is due in March.

 

[gophmeister]

I think he's off scot free. Although, he does lose some serious cash for not staying with the team for another year. And I will not put aside my disdain, Fisch is a dink.

 

[50PoundHead]

I'm not going to dog on Fisch, but this is the problem when you hire someone this young and this obviously ambitious. I frankly don't know if all the buzz on the guy is accurate or not, but he obviously has some fans in high places.

I don't know if I'm disappointed by his leaving or not. I thought from the get-go that he appeared to believe he was working with professional players who have time to sit and watch film and attend OTAs and the like instead of college kids who have to go to class. It doesn't mean he's a bad coach, he was just, pardon the pun, a "Fisch out of water."

 

[wait!what?]

What kind of 2009 season results would have had Fisch stick around? Answer: Didn't matter.

This is the current coaching atmosphere in the NCAA and NFL, but the emails on GH should be overjoyed if posters stay true to the feelings they had during and after the 2009 season.

 

[FreakyDeke]

I'm not going to dog on Fisch, but this is the problem when you hire someone this young and this obviously ambitious. I frankly don't know if all the buzz on the guy is accurate or not, but he obviously has some fans in high places.

What I don't get is, how is this a step up? He was a position coach (wide receivers) at Denver and took a college OC position here, I consider that a step up. So why is another position coaching position (QBs this time) in the NFL considered a step up for him? Or was he leaving to work with his pal or because he realized he doesn't like coaching at the collegiate level?

 

[zman]

What I don't get is, how is this a step up? He was a position coach (wide receivers) at Denver and took a college OC position here, I consider that a step up. So why is another position coaching position (QBs this time) in the NFL considered a step up for him? Or was he leaving to work with his pal or because he realized he doesn't like coaching at the collegiate level?

Who knows other than him? Could be any number of things:

He thinks it is a better career decision long term
He prefers the talent level of the NFL
Job security
More money
Doesn't like recruiting
Doesn't like Brew
Fill in the speculative blank

 

[tjgopher]

If Fisch has stayed this year, he would have received $450,000 from the Gophers ($325,000 salary and $125,000 bonus). I don't believe a QB coach in the NFL makes that kind of jack.

So, he not only took a new coaching position with LESS responsibility (and yes, I'd call it a step back), but if I had to guess, I'd guess he also took a pay cut. That leads me to believe one of two things happened:

1) Brewster didn't like what he saw from Fisch and encouraged him to go
2) Fisch sees the writing on the wall here for Brewster and jumped on his own, leaving almost a half-a-million dollars on the table

 

[harrys ghost]

If Fisch has stayed this year, he would have received $450,000 from the Gophers ($325,000 salary and $125,000 bonus). I don't believe a QB coach in the NFL makes that kind of jack.

So, he not only took a new coaching position with LESS responsibility (and yes, I'd call it a step back), but if I had to guess, I'd guess he also took a pay cut. That leads me to believe one of two things happened:

1) Brewster didn't like what he saw from Fisch and encouraged him to go
2) Fisch sees the writing on the wall here for Brewster and jumped on his own, leaving almost a half-a-million dollars on the table

or

3) Fisch is hitching his wagon to his buddy Bates. If Bates can somehow get an HC gig, Fisch will be his OC.

4) Some combination thereof.

 

[minibeaver]

I don't have any inside information, but wasn't their talk of how stressed out this job was making him? hell I don't bame him for that. that could have been another reason

 

[station19]

The questions on why Fisch left and step-up or step-down are some of the same questions I have.

BYW I hope we have a new OC asap.

 

[wmpp]

Who knows other than him? Could be any number of things:

He thinks it is a better career decision long term
He prefers the talent level of the NFL
Job security
More money
Doesn't like recruiting
Doesn't like Brew
Fill in the speculative blank

With the staff turnover since Brew took over, I don't think it's out of the question that he might be a difficult person to work for/with. He strikes me as the kind of person who talks at you rather than to you. Sometimes when you look him in the eyes you get a feeling someone else is driving.

 

[tjgopher]

or

3) Fisch is hitching his wagon to his buddy Bates. If Bates can somehow get an HC gig, Fisch will be his OC.

I suppose he could be hitching himself onto Bates. But, Bates seems to be a long way from a HC gig in the NFL. He's 33 years old and his only year EVER of being an offensive coordinator happened to coincide with USC's worst season since 2001. Bate's never been an NFL coordinator, either, and he's walking into a sticky situation at Seattle under a HC who hasn't had much success in the NFL. But, hey, if Fisch wants to hitch his wagon up to Bates, more power to him. Frankly, if he sees a brighter future as a position coach in that situation over being an offensive coordinator at a BCS Big Ten school, then he must really think the current situation at the U is shaky.

 

[harrys ghost]

I suppose he could be hitching himself onto Bates. But, Bates seems to be a long way from a HC gig in the NFL. He's 33 years old and his only year EVER of being an offensive coordinator happened to coincide with USC's worst season since 2001. Bate's never been an NFL coordinator, either, and he's walking into a sticky situation at Seattle under a HC who hasn't had much success in the NFL. But, hey, if Fisch wants to hitch his wagon up to Bates, more power to him. Frankly, if he sees a brighter future as a position coach in that situation over being an offensive coordinator at a BCS Big Ten school, then he must really think the current situation at the U is shaky.

I didn't say I thought it was a good plan.

 

[Bo Darville]

Sometimes when you look him in the eyes you get a feeling someone else is driving.

Now Brewster's body is being controlled by Satan?

 

[ditt1605]

What I don't get is, how is this a step up? He was a position coach (wide receivers) at Denver and took a college OC position here, I consider that a step up. So why is another position coaching position (QBs this time) in the NFL considered a step up for him? Or was he leaving to work with his pal or because he realized he doesn't like coaching at the collegiate level?

The bottom line is that the NFL is a step up from College. Just like college is a step up from high school. We see high school head coaches take position jobs in college all the time and it is always considered a step up. I would have to think the same thing would apply here. Also, we know that Fisch wants to be a NFL head coach someday. There aren't many college head coaches that go straight to becoming NFL head coaches that have success (at least recently). He needs to get the experience in the NFL if he wants to be an NFL head coach. I was hoping that the incentives he got would keep him around, but obviously, he values experience over money.

 

[FreakyDeke]

The bottom line is that the NFL is a step up from College. Just like college is a step up from high school. We see high school head coaches take position jobs in college all the time and it is always considered a step up. I would have to think the same thing would apply here. Also, we know that Fisch wants to be a NFL head coach someday. There aren't many college head coaches that go straight to becoming NFL head coaches that have success (at least recently). He needs to get the experience in the NFL if he wants to be an NFL head coach. I was hoping that the incentives he got would keep him around, but obviously, he values experience over money.

The point I was trying to make was that he already had an NFL positions coaching job before he came here, so if that was considered a step up, then going back to being an NFL positions coach would be a step down. Unless he perceives NFL QB coach > college OC > NFL WR coach, or there is another reason.

 

[JAYMEDINC]

He probably feels that working for Carroll is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And the chance of something like that happening again is slim.

 

[Rosemountian]

The point I was trying to make was that he already had an NFL positions coaching job before he came here, so if that was considered a step up, then going back to being an NFL positions coach would be a step down. Unless he perceives NFL QB coach > college OC > NFL WR coach, or there is another reason.

Wasn't the entire Denver staff fired....which is why he came here...cause he was unemployed at the time?
So he did not leave Denver for a "step up" in his mind. He left Denver because he had to move to MN in order to have a salary.

 

[GopherGod]

I would be curious to find out what his salary is going to be in Seattle especially when it looks very likely that there will be a NFL lockout in 2011 and the instability and financial burden that this will create for assistant coaches especially. He is not exactly moving into a stable situation.

 

[bankonit]

Position coach in the NFL is a step up from college OC. You are coaching better talent and have better connections with those who will get you the NFL coordinator positions and then the NFL head coaching positions. High school < College < NFL. NFL is the top league just in case some of you did not know that.

 

[FreakyDeke]

Wasn't the entire Denver staff fired....which is why he came here...cause he was unemployed at the time?
So he did not leave Denver for a "step up" in his mind. He left Denver because he had to move to MN in order to have a salary.

Position coach in the NFL is a step up from college OC. You are coaching better talent and have better connections with those who will get you the NFL coordinator positions and then the NFL head coaching positions. High school < College < NFL. NFL is the top league just in case some of you did not know that.

Rosemountain - That may be, I don't follow the NFL to closely, that's kinda the type of answer I was looking for. Makes sense if true, thanks.

bankonit - Work on reading comprehension, you completely missed the point.

 

[dpodoll68]

Rosemountain - That may be, I don't follow the NFL to closely, that's kinda the type of answer I was looking for. Makes sense if true, thanks.

bankonit - Work on reading comprehension, you completely missed the point.

NFL "position coach" (generic) ≠ better than college OC.

NFL WR coaches are not "heavy hitters." When's the last time you remember a former WR coach becoming a head coach? I can't think of one. In fact, there seems to be a bias against them. James Lofton, for one, has been interviewing for head coaching jobs for years, and has yet to be hired.

On the other hand, most (if not all) current NFL head coaches with an offensive background were at one time QB coaches. Whether it's actually true or not, there is a perception that QB coaches know the whole offense (and defense, for that matter) better than other position coaches. This is why, as I stated in another thread, that QB coach is probably a step up from college OC. I don't think you can make that argument for other position coaches.

EDIT to above:

Of all current NFL head coaches who were on offense: two were WR coaches (Coughlin, Haley); two were OL (Sparano, Cable); and one was a TE coach (Whisenhunt). The rest were all QB coaches. Which means, by current standards, you have a better shot eventually becoming an NFL head coach via the QB coach route than all the rest of the offensive position coaches combined.

 

[ditt1605]

The point I was trying to make was that he already had an NFL positions coaching job before he came here, so if that was considered a step up, then going back to being an NFL positions coach would be a step down. Unless he perceives NFL QB coach > college OC > NFL WR coach, or there is another reason.

In retrospect, I think we could determine that he came here to collect a paycheck since the NFL wasn't offering. Instead of this job being a "stepping stone" to help him gain experience and develope his offense, he just used it as a stop gap. At this point, I would bet that he thought the gopher job was a step down from his previous NFL gig.

 

[ofergopher]

Shanahan precedent

Out of curiosity, does anyone remember if there was any great sense of loss and angst when Mike Shanahan left Joe Salem's staff as Gopher offensive coordinator after one season in 1979? Obviously there were no internet boards to beat the subject into the ground then, so I don't know what the anguish indicators would have been. I don't recall the subject coming up all that much until Shanahan made a real name for himself as an offensive genius at Florida and then in the NFL that we came to remember, "oh, yeah, he was one of us." Maybe Fisch's exposure to Shanahan with the Broncos inspired him to understand that Minnesota could be a good place to be from.

Lest anyone think I am trying to push the Shanahan-Fisch comparison too far, I DO remember that Shanahan's run-and-shoot trickery enjoyed more success during that one year than we saw in 2009.