I can understand's Silvertips concerns, Delaney is not a "flashy" hire and giving him a contract through Jan 2014 is a gamble especially if the 2012 team goes into disarray on the field.
However I would counter with the concerns of what might've taken place if the school announced Mick would remain interim through the season and then hired a new coach during the winter;
- More de-commitments by this years incoming freshman class
- A fall of poor recruiting, the staff could not represent that they'll be there, recruits only assurance is that they'd be going to Montana. They'd be stepping into a program not knowing the coach or system.
- Transfers at the end of the semester or a post spring-camp purge of a few players
- Termination/dismissal of most assistant coaches
- System change, presumably
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That would probably have a tremendous negative impact on the team if it were to occur. This is the absolute worst-case scenario as a lot of this could not come to fruition as well.