If NIU hires Mike Leach...

[Sparlimb]

Would you feel it like a punch in the stomach? Many of us aren't happy with the Kill hire, although he obviously will be given his chance. There are, as usual, plenty of kool-aid drinkers who will tell us he needs a 4th and 5th year even if he's 0-36 after 3.

But the sad point is NIU may hire the coach we should have (imho) and will continue to have success where ours is no shoe in. Personally, I will really be disappointed if I end up liking their new HC more than ours.

Good luck to Kill by the way. I'd be entirely happy if he succeeds here. I don't think he will, and I know the U could have done better, but whether we like it or not he will get his chance.

 

[97alumni]

I don't care. We have a coach, who has a record of winning, who WANTS to be here.

Unlike you and the rest of the naysayers I'm willing to see what he can do before I call him an utter failure.

 

[MrGopher]

When it comes to Mike Leach, it pains me to say it (because I really wanted him), but Maturi deserves one veto.

Thats right: any guy, even one who messed up once before, should be able to have one person who, for whatever reason, will not even be considered. Remember that Maturi will have to work with this person, and a bad relationship with minimal accountability between coach and AD would have abrasive results for the university, its team, and its fans. Even if Maturi should not have the job to begin with, nobody should be expected to hire a guy who they detest (justly or unjustly). And most importantly, he should have his veto even if every other A-list guy has turned us down.

I'll always wonder for sure why exactly Leach was not an option, and I am really disappointed with Maturi overall, but I will not be bitter at him for passing on one particular guy (even one I really hoped for).

 

[50PoundHead]

I wasn't particularly enamored with Leach, but would have accepted him as our coach the same way I'm accepting Kill. I think a lot of people are going to wonder why Leach didn't get this job (or the Colorado job or is not being targeted by Indiana and appears to not be on Miami's radar). Maybe it's the pending litigation against his former employer and ESPN or maybe it's something else. Maybe we'll never find out.

 

[scools12]

not a big Leach fan as I believe his gimmick offense and lack of defense would not work in the B10

beyond that I highly doubt he will get a BCS or any job this year whether it be Indiana, Miami or NIU.

 

[husker70]

With Miami open its a perfect match but it doesn't seem to be happening. Leach is certainly available, but it could be no one is willing to turn over the program base on his handling of a concussion. Especially now, with the NFL program and guidelines for playing. He typifies an ignorance to a critical problem for football players. I doubt he will ever get another College head coaching job. Harsh, but you cannot do it his way.

 

[glovedgopher]

When it comes to Mike Leach, it pains me to say it (because I really wanted him), but Maturi deserves one veto.

Thats right: any guy, even one who messed up once before, should be able to have one person who, for whatever reason, will not even be considered. Remember that Maturi will have to work with this person, and a bad relationship with minimal accountability between coach and AD would have abrasive results for the university, its team, and its fans. Even if Maturi should not have the job to begin with, nobody should be expected to hire a guy who they detest (justly or unjustly). And most importantly, he should have his veto even if every other A-list guy has turned us down.

I'll always wonder for sure why exactly Leach was not an option, and I am really disappointed with Maturi overall, but I will not be bitter at him for passing on one particular guy (even one I really hoped for).

I was ready to dub Joel Maturi "The Dark Knight" if he would have fallen on the Mike Leach sword. Now he is just the Joker. Okay, that was lame.

 

[gopherluv]

I don't care. We have a coach, who has a record of winning, who WANTS to be here.

Unlike you and the rest of the naysayers I'm willing to see what he can do before I call him an utter failure.

Excellent post!

 

[Sparlimb]

I don't care. We have a coach, who has a record of winning, who WANTS to be here.

Unlike you and the rest of the naysayers I'm willing to see what he can do before I call him an utter failure.

I certainly haven't called him an utter failure. Just an unproven commodity when we needed more.

And as far as WANTING to be here, what a naive statement. He WANTS to be here because it is a job and he was paid what he WANTED. If we'd of offered $50,000 per year, he wouldn't WANT to be here either. Just like if we'd offered Harbaugh 10 million per year, he'd WANT to be here too.

 

[howeda7]

I'm willing to give Maturi a pass on Leach specifically. It's obvious Bruinicks would not allow him to be the guy. I don't agree but I understand why. That still doesn't excuse the overall excecution of this search, which was awful.

 

[GopherFB]

I hope Leach gets hired at NI. That way when he doesn't have the level of success that people think he'd have had here they can all shut up about it.

 

[gopherluv]

I certainly haven't called him an utter failure. Just an unproven commodity when we needed more.

And as far as WANTING to be here, what a naive statement. He WANTS to be here because it is a job and he was paid what he WANTED. If we'd of offered $50,000 per year, he wouldn't WANT to be here either. Just like if we'd offered Harbaugh 10 million per year, he'd WANT to be here too.

Naive...really? How may coaches turned us down before Kill was hired?

 

[glovedgopher]

Naive...really? How may coaches turned us down before Kill was hired?

We don't know. We don't know what they were offered either. Sparlimb is right. Do you think Joe Mauer would want to be here if we didn't pay him $184 million?

 

[Sparlimb]

Naive...really? How may coaches turned us down before Kill was hired?

THey turned us down because the offer wasn't enough. When you are tough to recruit to, when you are always a down program, when you have little to offer that differentiate's you from many other schools, you have to make up the difference with the smell of money. Pay enough, anyone will come.

 

[Iceland12]

Would you feel it like a punch in the stomach? Many of us aren't happy with the Kill hire, although he obviously will be given his chance. There are, as usual, plenty of kool-aid drinkers who will tell us he needs a 4th and 5th year even if he's 0-36 after 3.

But the sad point is NIU may hire the coach we should have (imho) and will continue to have success where ours is no shoe in. Personally, I will really be disappointed if I end up liking their new HC more than ours.

Good luck to Kill by the way. I'd be entirely happy if he succeeds here. I don't think he will, and I know the U could have done better, but whether we like it or not he will get his chance.

If ends up at any non-BCS school it would prove he was poison.