SoldierGriz said:MissoulaMarinerFan said:CDAGRIZ said:poorgriz said:Ya, just getting to the playoffs isn't nearly good enough for what Choate is going to do.
That is incorrect.
With his demonstrated ability to get to the playoffs 1/3 of the time and rack up a stunning 17 wins in a mere three seasons, Choach is right in the sweet spot in Bozeman. He has that fan base and community figured out, and will be the coach for many years. It's a freakin' case study, actually. Here's how he's done it thus far:
I. Introduction:
With a historically middling program like MSU, a new HC has an incredible opportunity to maximize his longevity. Fans, and more importantly, administrators, will show amazing patience if you can (1) Manage expectations, and (2) Always have a scapegoat.
II. Method
A. Managing Expectations:
-First, you must manage the expectations of the fans and administration. This begins from the first time you step on campus after accepting the offer. In every interview or press conference, the key is to indirectly trash the previous coach by indicating that the "dramatic change in program culture" will "take some time". It's critical to point only to intangible things at this stage. "Bringing the toughness back" and "Playing with discipline for a change" are two great lines. Do NOT be afraid of throwing in "hard-nosed" or "grit" whenever you can. These things allow you to differentiate yourself from the guy who got fired without directly saying he sucked (you cannot afford to alienate the ~25% of fans who liked the last guy and are skeptical of you at this stage), without actually doing anything at all.
Going into your first two seasons, you simply cannot afford to have a lot of early success. Your mantras are "baby steps" and "improve every day" and "something about the speed at which Rome was constructed". Remember, these are not "your guys". They are the last guy's guys. Going over .500 with them can set you up for later failure. You don't want to wake up in year 5 with all of "your guys" in place and do worse than you did with the last guy's guys. Winning too early is preemptive job suicide. If you have your first losing season in year 5 or later, you've failed to manage the expectations for a historically middling program, and will likely be shown the door. Remember the last guy? The great thing about your position at a historically middling program is you have the unique opportunity to secure the fan base's devotion by beating a rival who has dominated your program for decades. Do that, and all will be forgiven. You can point to that as "progress" without peaking too early. The state of the rival's program doesn't matter. Yours is a historically middling program, remember? Your fans are not used to beating the rival. Don't be surprised if you get offered an extension. Finally, schedule a can't-win game for year 4. More on that later.
By year 3, you've had a chance to install your "culture of toughness and passion", you've received your extension, so the fan base and administration will want to see some results. You have a good mix of your guys, and now would be the perfect time to have your first winning season. BUT, it's absolutely vital that you DO NOT to do too much at this stage. All you have to do is throw them a bone to show you're getting it. A gentleman's 7-4 will do nicely. You can take all the credit, and the fan base will believe you. Beating the rival in year 3 is not as important as it was the first two years, but it's a nice plus. Go 9-2 and make a deep run at this stage, and you dig your own grave. You could easily and unintentionally regress the next year, and it's curtains for you. Remember the last guy? To that end, If you can manufacture an overarching excuse to make the base believe you could've easily gone 9-2 "if only . . .", you're golden. A good way to achieve this is to make a defensive star play QB. You're the HC, he's your guy, and you make the decisions. This leads nicely to Always Have a Scapegoat.
B. Always Have a Scapegoat
You've done your job perfectly to this point. Congratulations! The upside, is the fan base is riled. The downside is the fan base is riled. But, you need a new Scapegoat. The last guy's damage to the program culture will no longer fly. Luckily for you, you bought some insurance last season that will come in very handy. Remember that defensive star you demanded play QB last season? Yeah, well, that gives you the Genesis of your season 4 Scapegoat; an oft overlooked building block to job longevity at a historically middling program.
With any luck at all, the DC will not have been too pleased that you took his best player on D and put him behind center all season in year 3. If you can have a few dust-ups behind closed doors, it will hopefully lead to the DC's departure. The reason will not be important. Whose decision it was will not be important. Your fans trust you now, so don't ever give away that it's a part of the plan. With the DC leaving, it will be a perfect time to shake-up the staff in the offseason between years 3 and 4. Maybe have 4 new coaches, have a large percentage of existing coaches change positions, and generally Now, you've purchased a full insurance policy for year 4, or, what we call in the biz: A Scapegoat. You still have to produce in year 4, but any step back can now be blamed on the coaching shake-up. The new coaches have to get used to their new roles, but that's not your fault. That can't-win game you scheduled way back when will come in handy here, as well. 5-7 or 6-6 will do nicely here. Remember, nobody will blame this setback on you.
III. Conclusion
Hopefully, by the end of year 4, you'll be set up nicely at your historically middling program. You still have time left on your contract extension. You've made sure the fan base and administration still believes in you because (a) you've managed their expectations, and (b) you've always maintained a scapegoat. Further, you haven't really had to do anything of note. Hell, you're still under .500 as a coach, and still going strong! You can start the "process" over to some extent now. Repeat this process as necessary. You've successfully laid the groundwork for your fans to believe this simple truth: Any step forward is to your credit, and any step back is not your fault. It's not a lie if the suckers believe it. Do this correctly, and you'll likely get a statue by being barely over .500. Good luck!
HOLY SHIT! POTY. :lol: :clap:
This might be the best post ever placed in the interwebs. Wow. POTY.
It may also be the first post edited 7 times in first day. It gets better every hour. Ha.
Sorry, PR! Had some very unbecoming typos in there that simply couldn't stand, and I wanted to add some words. I should've done it all at once.
