• Hi Guest, want to participate in the discussions, keep track of read/unread posts access private forums and more? Create your free account and increase the benefits of your eGriz.com experience today!

Now Things Get Complicated

A

Art Spooner

Well-known member
First, all the Hauck brothers haters should now be satisfied. Both gone along with the entire defensive coaches responsible for the dreaded 3-3-5. The slate is clean. So now the dilemma that Haslam most likely never thought through. How do you hire a completely new defensive staff on a one year contract with spring football right around the corner? Who wants to sign up for that? Probably add to that a strength and conditioning coach as well. If I’m Haslam, I would be looking for a head coach in waiting that can provide a smooth transition should Kennedy not be renewed. This assures a contract extension and makes a great hire easier.

This whole situation is a result of Hauck’s contract not being extended in my opinion. Winningest coach in Montana and Big Sky history, 13 wins, over 20,000 season tickets sold ( more than WSU and every Mountain West team), almost 25,000 average attendance which is Haslam’s lifeblood, highest team gpa and graduation rates. And you’re told, “ no extension, let’s see how the last year of your contract goes “. Another way of saying, “I can’t fire you now without paying you for your last year”. So why is everyone so pissed when Bobby retired and then turns around and immediately takes a new job without owing a buyout? Isn’t it the same type of posturing? I think Haslam is absolutely relived that he didn’t have to make any tough decisions. Bobby made them for him. Who cares when the decision was made to go to Illinois. And taking his defensive staff…good for all of them. More salary and opportunities. And bringing Bradford along is a very smart move.
Now we wait. Kent, it’s your move. Think it through, buddy.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
Art, you hit on something that many will dismiss, but by not extending Bobby, why wouldn't he jump at a better opportunity. Same goes for all the other coaches that were now on that same 1 year. The reality is Kent botched this, zero foresight on what may transpire by his decision.
Click to expand...
So you would've extended Bobby?
 
Griz til I die said:
Well you're saying Haslam botched the situation, so the only other option would be to extend him. He couldn't fire him this year without having to pay the buyout so what other option did we have?
Click to expand...
Is that really what this sentence suggested? "The reality is Kent botched this, zero foresight on what may transpire by his decision."
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
Seems to me if you aren't willing to go 3, then maybe he shouldn't have been the guy. It could work, but I think that becomes more difficult when you have to replace the entire defensive staff when coaches are on a 1 year deal.
Click to expand...
There was really no good option. I wouldn't have supported Haslam giving BK a 3 year contract given that he's been on staff one year and has never been a head coach, let alone an OC. The whole point of going with him for one year was to stabilize the program, and although that hasn't worked out with the coaching staff, so far it has worked out with the roster. We can always conduct a national search next year if it doesn't work out. The roster is still very talented and I tend to think this team can still be really good next year. Just gotta get through this season as best as we can and then re-evaluate next December where we're at.
 
HelenaHandBasket said:
Seems to me if you aren't willing to go 3, then maybe he shouldn't have been the guy. It could work, but I think that becomes more difficult when you have to replace the entire defensive staff when coaches are on a 1 year deal.
Click to expand...
Seems like poor foresight on Haslam’s part to assume that Hauck wasn’t going to get another and take a lot of the staff with him if the right opportunity came up. Sure I thought Hauck was actually retiring but Haslam has been working with Hauck for years. Seemingly even the majority of egriz knew Hauck was getting back into coaching sooner rather than later.
 
Griz til I die said:
There was really no good option. I wouldn't have supported Haslam giving BK a 3 year contract given that he's been on staff one year and has never been a head coach, let alone an OC. The whole point of going with him for one year was to stabilize the program, and although that hasn't worked out with the coaching staff, so far it has worked out with the roster. We can always conduct a national search next year if it doesn't work out. The roster is still very talented and I tend to think this team can still be really good next year. Just gotta get through this season as best as we can and then re-evaluate next December where we're at.
Click to expand...
You mean like looking for a head coach you felt comfortable enough with that a 3 year deal would be offered?
 
We've been down this road before. When Pflugrad was fired, we hired Delaney for a 3-year contract. His hire was essentially to keep the entire ship from sinking. Those teams he managed weren't going to be anything other than "good" under Delaney. And in my opinion, we should have just ripped the band-aid off at the time and given Delaney just one year and then found a long-term coach after the 2012 season ended. Delaney was never going to be the long-term coach. I feel like that indecision (keeping Delaney for 3 years) played a role in us landing Stitt vs potentially having found someone better had we done our national search in 2013.

The Bobby Hauck / BK situation feels very similar. Hauck announced his resignation very late, which left us having to fill in his spot with someone on short notice. No way were we going to be able to find someone, especially if we're wanting to do a true national search, so late into the season. And so this makes complete sense why we would have BK on a one-year contract right now.

The way I look at it, if BK wants to be the long-term head coach for the University of Montana, he can apply and interview with everyone else if we do a national search after the 2026 season. If anything, he will have a leg up on others due to having actual results from this upcoming season. But I don't think we should just give him a 3-year contract just because he was placed into this position.
 
get'em_griz said:
The way I look at it, if BK wants to be the long-term head coach for the University of Montana, he can apply and interview with everyone else if we do a national search after the 2026 season. If anything, he will have a leg up on others due to having actual results from this upcoming season. But I don't think we should just give him a 3-year contract just because he was placed into this position.
Click to expand...
He's not an interim coach. He's the full-time head coach. UM can either choose to renew his contract, or not. There won't be an open search/application/interview that would include him.
 
wbtfg said:
He's not an interim coach. He's the full-time head coach. UM can either choose to renew his contract, or not. There won't be an open search/application/interview that would include him.
Click to expand...
Thank you sir. You are correct. He was not put in the position to just fill out a season but to put his style and brand on the program and try to move it on and up. We will see but his energy is encouraging.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top