For Those Who Will Be Unhappy With Stitt as Coach

[b_f_c_99]

Hauk was hired because he was more organized in the interview than the other candidates. Winning here was easy, Don Read and Joe Glenn made sure he could easily out recruit everyone else so it was possible to player power "bobbyball" on the rest of the Big Sky. When he hit UNLV he couldn't out recruit the other teams, and since he is creative as a bowl of dry dog food, coupled with his control freak nature of wanting to call the plays himself (don't kid yourself Phenicie wasn't the problem) he had no chance but to crash and burn.

 

[stubbins]

Hardly. 80-17 (7 years) with 11 playoff wins at the FCS level solidly trumps 108-62 (15 years) with 1 playoff win at the DII level. Maybe BH was over his head in FBS; maybe Stitt will be over his head in FCS. It's a risk with which I'm not comfortable.

Bob Stitt 108-62
Bob Hauck 95-67

Might want to double check your math. Hauck was 95-66.

80-17 with the Griz. 15-49 with UNLV.

Who thinks Stitt will be better than 80-17 with the Griz? What will be UM's record in the first 3 games? Tough start without a proven qb currently on the roster. If Stitt beats NDSU in the first game, everyone will love him.

Bobby couldn't beat NDSU in his first game...and they were D2.
Also, can someone share with me the crystal ball in which they know Bobby would've come in and been as good as he was last time...I'd like to look up some lottery numbers.

 

[CV Griz Fan]

I have not commented on this debate before, but I have read everything that has been posted for and against Coach Stitt. I find myself being worried about several things if indeed he is the new UM coach. Here are just a few.

1) Longevity -- While he has been at Colorado Mines for 15 years, that is no guarantee he will commit to being here for any extended period. As the saying goes, "Past performance is not representative of future results." While his tenure at Mines has been impressive it begs the question that if this man is as brilliant offensively as some tout, why hasn't he moved on? You can't tell me that in 15 years he hasn't had some better offers than the School of Mines. If he has turned those down why? Lack of confidence and/or lack of motivation? If on the off chance he has not had any offers, what are we missing that other administrators saw that would cause them not to offer.

Offensive Minded -- This is a Catch-22 if I ever saw one. Coach Stitt may be an offensive genius, but he is coming in to a situation where, with a couple of notable exceptions the present offense returns pretty much intact. If he comes in here trying to establish his system with the existing personnel, who have all been recruited for and trained for a completely different scheme there are going to be problems. These may be able to be resolved given time, but 2015 could be a gigantic cl***** f***. Another concern with regard to an offensive minded coach is how the other units on the team might fare? While there is really no reason why Defense or Special Teams should suffer, past history often indicates that they may. One area this occurs in is recruiting.

Recruiting -- This category seems completely untested with Coach Stitt. He has been hampered by the strict requirements of the institution he serves which has been both a blessing and a curse. Recruiting on this level however will be a completely different animal than Coach Stitt has experienced. He may be able to open up some new area's for recruiting but so would any other candidate. We will still need to recruit against the Pac-12, the MWC and the BSC in the West and equally as stiff competition in the rest of the country. A concern here is what contacts he has in Montana for recruiting purposes.

Coach Hiring/Retention -- Whenever you are hiring a new coach, particularly one from a lower division the question arises how he will go about rounding out his staff. I've read the post's about who will be, who should be and who won't be retained from the current staff. But I question whether this will play out as advertised. I have no doubt that Coach Stitt will want to have the ability to hire people who he is familiar with and who may have worked with him in the past. When it is suggested that he has agreed to keep Ty on as DC or someone else as recruiting coordinator as part of the agreement I have a concern about that. While the idea seems good on paper we have no idea how these various personalities will gel. Regardless of the criticism's of the coaching the past 3 years there has been precious little noted regarding internal conflicts with the staff. The quickest way to go from 10-5 to 5-8 is dissension in the coaching ranks. The other concern here is with regard to the question of whether or not the coaches Stitt brings in are ready for the challenge at the D-1 level? He may well be, but what about them?

Overall record -- At the School of Mines he is 108-62 all time, 83-44 in conference with only three conference titles in 15 years. While he has a winning record, I certainly would have liked to see more conference championships. In addition his history in the post-season is 0-3 including a first round loss this year. While his record is acceptable it is by no means stellar! Personally, 3 conference championships in 15 years suggests to me more mediocrity than success.

While I wish him well and will support the team and the coach whoever it may be, I remain unconvinced that Bob Stitt is the best choice for UM. If I'm wrong, I'll be more than happy to admit it.

What Is interesting is that Stitt has a strong track record in the areas that you're most concerned about. So that should at least calm your nerves on those issues. Nobody has a crystal ball. Coach Stitt may fall flat on his face as the Montana HC but it won't be because of your concerns IMO.

Longevity- The guy was at CSM for 15 years. What more would a coach have to do to prove to you that he isn't a "job hopper". Many in Griz nation are worried about a coach that would only stay a few year before moving on. This is a non issue.

Offensive Minded- Are you really worried that Stitt isn't focused enough on the offense? That is his "calling card". The Griz have been built for the "spread" for five year now. Having the talent to run Stitt's offence shouldn't be a worry.

Recruiting- Maybe an issue here but recruiting engineers to play "fast break" football can't be
easy. I'll give Stitt a "pass" on this concern.

Coach Hiring/Retention- Stitt is reportedly keeping three of the most popular Griz coaches in
Legi, Justin and TG. That has to make you happy initially. Sure the staff may not gel completely but that is a nice hedge of a bet.

Overall Record- I am sorry but his overall record is solid. I know it was at the D2 level but that
Program was a Joke before he got there. Some how I just don't see this as a problem. From being a "laughing stock" to being a conference title contender every year is impressive to me.

Stitt deserves a shot IMO. Again, he may fail miserably. But I feel good on the above issues at least......

 

[AZGrizFan]

What a first game Stitt gets to look forward to. ESPN opener, running out of the tunnel at Grizzly Stadium in front of 26,000 fans against what might be the 4 time national champions north dakota bison. That's intense!

And if he doesn't win that game I guarantee someone bumps the "Fire Stitt" thread... :lol:

 

[rimrockgriz]

Again, people are not understanding that he did almost the impossible at CSM by transforming a team that was at one point one of the worst programs in DII into a pretty good one, and the school is extremely difficult to recruit to. A school like CSM is somewhat difficult to consistently win conference titles and succeed in the playoffs because the talent pool to recruit from is much smaller than the rest of the conference. His ability to develop players to their full potential to be competitive is exactly what we should want out of a head coach. If he could do that at CSM with a limited talent pool to recruit from, he'll excel at Montana in that regard.

It takes 15 years to coach up a program to 1st round playoff loses?

Bob Stitt (15 seasons) 108 - 62 (.635 winning percentage)
Versie Wallace (5 seasons) 11-41 (a robust .211 winning percentage)
Marvin Kay (26 seasons) 84-157 (.325 winning percentage)
Fritz Brennecke (22 seasons) 78-113 (.412 winning percentage)
John Mason (8 seasons) 23-25 (.480 winning percentage)

What you'll notice is that EACH coach prior to Stitt over the past 63 years had a worse winning percenrtage than the coach prior. Hell, they let a guy with a history of winning 3 games a YEAR stick around for 26 frigging seasons!

Stitt took a 1999 team that scored 100 points TOTAL in 10 games and scored 462 points two years later. He is the Don Read of CSM--took a moribund program and made them a consistent winner--despite having HUGE recruiting disadvantages. Take off THOSE shackles and I think he'll soar at Montana. :thumb: :thumb:

So...are we soaring yet? I'm sure you have plenty to say after 3 years on the job... :egriz:

 

[AZGrizFan]

Again, people are not understanding that he did almost the impossible at CSM by transforming a team that was at one point one of the worst programs in DII into a pretty good one, and the school is extremely difficult to recruit to. A school like CSM is somewhat difficult to consistently win conference titles and succeed in the playoffs because the talent pool to recruit from is much smaller than the rest of the conference. His ability to develop players to their full potential to be competitive is exactly what we should want out of a head coach. If he could do that at CSM with a limited talent pool to recruit from, he'll excel at Montana in that regard.

It takes 15 years to coach up a program to 1st round playoff loses?

Bob Stitt (15 seasons) 108 - 62 (.635 winning percentage)
Versie Wallace (5 seasons) 11-41 (a robust .211 winning percentage)
Marvin Kay (26 seasons) 84-157 (.325 winning percentage)
Fritz Brennecke (22 seasons) 78-113 (.412 winning percentage)
John Mason (8 seasons) 23-25 (.480 winning percentage)

What you'll notice is that EACH coach prior to Stitt over the past 63 years had a worse winning percenrtage than the coach prior. Hell, they let a guy with a history of winning 3 games a YEAR stick around for 26 frigging seasons!

Stitt took a 1999 team that scored 100 points TOTAL in 10 games and scored 462 points two years later. He is the Don Read of CSM--took a moribund program and made them a consistent winner--despite having HUGE recruiting disadvantages. Take off THOSE shackles and I think he'll soar at Montana. :thumb: :thumb:

So...are we soaring yet? I'm sure you have plenty to say after 3 years on the job... :egriz:

I’ll assume this is rhetorical. Unless you have me blocked and haven’t read any of my posts.

 

[PlayerRep]

What are their Montana records? That would seem to be the closest to apples to apples? Conf. championships. Playoff results.

 

[rimrockgriz]

It takes 15 years to coach up a program to 1st round playoff loses?

Bob Stitt (15 seasons) 108 - 62 (.635 winning percentage)
Versie Wallace (5 seasons) 11-41 (a robust .211 winning percentage)
Marvin Kay (26 seasons) 84-157 (.325 winning percentage)
Fritz Brennecke (22 seasons) 78-113 (.412 winning percentage)
John Mason (8 seasons) 23-25 (.480 winning percentage)

What you'll notice is that EACH coach prior to Stitt over the past 63 years had a worse winning percenrtage than the coach prior. Hell, they let a guy with a history of winning 3 games a YEAR stick around for 26 frigging seasons!

Stitt took a 1999 team that scored 100 points TOTAL in 10 games and scored 462 points two years later. He is the Don Read of CSM--took a moribund program and made them a consistent winner--despite having HUGE recruiting disadvantages. Take off THOSE shackles and I think he'll soar at Montana. :thumb: :thumb:

So...are we soaring yet? I'm sure you have plenty to say after 3 years on the job... :egriz:

I’ll assume this is rhetorical. Unless you have me blocked and haven’t read any of my posts.

I haven't blocked anyone's posts. Only a chicken sh!t c.......er does crap like that. I'm not sure who has time to read all 19,000 of anyone's posts? What in the hell does soaring mean? We have a sustained body of work with this head coach and his staff.To be honest I think we could've brought in a couple dozen candidates and came up victorious over the .500 teams and the cupcake games that were on the schedule this year. I watched pelicans drifting above the Madison at 1000 ft. this summer. They weren't soaring...they're pelicans, catch my drift?... :egriz:

 

[AZGrizFan]

Bob Stitt (15 seasons) 108 - 62 (.635 winning percentage)
Versie Wallace (5 seasons) 11-41 (a robust .211 winning percentage)
Marvin Kay (26 seasons) 84-157 (.325 winning percentage)
Fritz Brennecke (22 seasons) 78-113 (.412 winning percentage)
John Mason (8 seasons) 23-25 (.480 winning percentage)

What you'll notice is that EACH coach prior to Stitt over the past 63 years had a worse winning percenrtage than the coach prior. Hell, they let a guy with a history of winning 3 games a YEAR stick around for 26 frigging seasons!

Stitt took a 1999 team that scored 100 points TOTAL in 10 games and scored 462 points two years later. He is the Don Read of CSM--took a moribund program and made them a consistent winner--despite having HUGE recruiting disadvantages. Take off THOSE shackles and I think he'll soar at Montana. :thumb: :thumb:

So...are we soaring yet? I'm sure you have plenty to say after 3 years on the job... :egriz:

I’ll assume this is rhetorical. Unless you have me blocked and haven’t read any of my posts.

I haven't blocked anyone's posts. Only a chicken sh!t c.......er does crap like that. I'm not sure who has time to read all 19,000 of anyone's posts? What in the hell does soaring mean? We have a sustained body of work with this head coach and his staff.To be honest I think we could've brought in a couple dozen candidates and came up victorious over the .500 teams and the cupcake games that were on the schedule this year. I watched pelicans drifting above the Madison at 1000 ft. this summer. They weren't soaring...they're pelicans, catch my drift?... :egriz:

You don't need to read 19,000. Just the last couple hundred. :thumb:

 

[i_the_sky]

To do this right we need to wait until January first and let Seth Bodnar (new president) look at both Haslam and Stitt... They both should both be fired! Engstrom was a good start but the swamp still has dead weight to get rid of! = Stitt and Haslam!!! If the university needs to cut back this is a great place to start! Go Griz!!!

 

[i_the_sky]

To do this right we need to wait until January first and let Seth Bodnar (new president) look at both Haslam and Stitt... They should both be fired! Engstrom was a good start but the swamp still has dead weight to get rid of! = Stitt and Haslam!!! If the university needs to cut back this is a great place to start! Go Griz!!!

 

[i_the_sky]

To do this right we need to wait until January first and let Seth Bodnar (new president) look at both Haslam and Stitt... They both should both be fired! Engstrom was a good start but the swamp still has dead weight to get rid of! = Stitt and Haslam!!! If the university needs to cut back this is a great place to start! Go Griz!!!

 

[kemajic]

That point is pretty well reinforced.

 

[jcu27]

I don't think Stitt will be a good hire. But, if he ends up being next head coach. I will support him because I support the program. And if he does end up being great, which I hope for. Then I'll gladly admit I was wrong. But, jcu never be wrong so bank on it.

told ya

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

I don't think Stitt will be a good hire. But, if he ends up being next head coach. I will support him because I support the program. And if he does end up being great, which I hope for. Then I'll gladly admit I was wrong. But, jcu never be wrong so bank on it.

told ya

Nailed it. Congrats.

 

[mtgrizrule]

I don't think Stitt will be a good hire. But, if he ends up being next head coach. I will support him because I support the program. And if he does end up being great, which I hope for. Then I'll gladly admit I was wrong. But, jcu never be wrong so bank on it.

told ya

Nailed it. Congrats.

Shouldn't you be working on bringing down Dan Moore? :lol:

 

[AZGrizFan]

I don't think Stitt will be a good hire. But, if he ends up being next head coach. I will support him because I support the program. And if he does end up being great, which I hope for. Then I'll gladly admit I was wrong. But, jcu never be wrong so bank on it.

told ya

Nailed it. Congrats.

Shouldn't you be working on bringing down Dan Moore? :lol:

Piece of cake, rule. Piece of cake...

 

[mtgrizrule]

told ya

Nailed it. Congrats.

Shouldn't you be working on bringing down Dan Moore? :lol:

Piece of cake, rule. Piece of cake...

:thumb:

 

[grizcountry420]

I don't think Stitt will be a good hire. But, if he ends up being next head coach. I will support him because I support the program. And if he does end up being great, which I hope for. Then I'll gladly admit I was wrong. But, jcu never be wrong so bank on it.

told ya

Nailed it. Congrats.

Shouldn't you be working on bringing down Dan Moore? :lol:

Well played... :lol:

 

[jcu27]

Shouldn't you be working on bringing down his pants?