State of Grizzly Football - a counter statement

[BWahlberg]

My take:

This year UM will be fine. Barring a massive plague of injuries (like what happened in 2010), I think the griz will end up 1st or 2nd in the conference and make a run in the playoff. I don't think UM will contend for a national championship, but I don't think another semifinal game is out of the question.

For now I would agree with that, I think this team could be like the 2008 and 2011 teams that slog through the first few months, get a wake up call, and then catch fire.

I think the real potential damage could occur with the recruitment of future classes. There are still a lot of unanswered questions floating around about what UM Football and UM Main Hall is going to look like 2-3 years down the road.

Spring is a critical time for getting on the radar and cultivating relationship of future recruits. This spring was obviously a difficult time with the firings of O'Day and Pflugrad, the Jordan Johnson restraining order, and the weekly bad press in the Missoulian.

Right now a lot of the assistant coaches are out working on that right now, while I know it's one thing to hear it from the assistant or interim, it's at least good to know rather than to hear nothing at all. While this is just me personally speaking I really wish Engstrom and Gee would announce Delaney the coach THROUGH 2013 and sign him. Regardless of the season's results this at least gives some security for recruiting and the staff. If that step isn't an option then at least monitor the team's success on and off the field for the first few months and then name him the permanant head coach. Waiting until the off-season and then doing a national search would be a mess and totally nuke that recruiting class.

Delaney was hired as an interim coach. How will this play out when recruiting between now and when a full time coach is hired? I imagine it will be really difficult to go into the homes of potential recruits this fall and sell yourself as a coach as well as the program, when it's unclear what the program will look like and who the coaches will be.

I believe that's why Mick is saying at every public event that he wants to be HC for 2-3 years.

(if the team has a season similar to 2010 and misses the playoffs, things could get ugly)

For the bandwagon fans yeah probably, however I think for most expectations will be lowered this year just due to the fallout. I think a lot will give it another year before things get real ugly. There will be the wringing of hands/gnashing of teeth but I think that if 2012 is not a great season many people will not blame it directly on the staff but on the events unfolding right now especially if JJ is not our QB.

 

[MrTitleist]

Sugar coater.

 

[BWahlberg]

Courtesy of Ryan Fetherston. Through ups and downs the Griz of the years past have come out champions, I expect this team to continue that.

 

[EverettGriz]

Courtesy of Ryan Fetherston. Through ups and downs the Griz of the years past have come out champions, I expect this team to continue that.

:clap:

 

[Grizzoola]

Re: effect on recruiting. I think, by now, that most athletic recruits are or should be mature enough to understand the volatility of coaching positions. Any recruit who turns down a college due to uncertainty about the coaching status is either immature and/or insecure. His/her first consideration should be whether or not he/she can get a good education, relatively cheaply, by winning a scholarship at that institution. The second consideration should be the quality of the program of the sport, and at what level the athlete wants to compete. Just being offered a scholarship by a school should be a helluva boost to any athlete's ego.

Recruits are like investors: Past performance of a program is no guarantee of future performance. Unfortunately, all any of us have is the record, but I believe, regardless of the coaching situation at UM, that any recruit who accepts a scholarship at UM will be a part of a great and long-lasting enterprise, and will get a quality education, to boot.

 

[WILD_CAT]

I would think you guys would have more to talk about than football right now. How about the State of the University of Montana. :roll:

Once again, it is all about Football (how you guys got in this mess).

 

[ilovethecats]

Re: effect on recruiting. I think, by now, that most athletic recruits are or should be mature enough to understand the volatility of coaching positions. Any recruit who turns down a college due to uncertainty about the coaching status is either immature and/or insecure. His/her first consideration should be whether or not he/she can get a good education, relatively cheaply, by winning a scholarship at that institution. The second consideration should be the quality of the program of the sport, and at what level the athlete wants to compete. Just being offered a scholarship by a school should be a helluva boost to any athlete's ego.

Recruits are like investors: Past performance of a program is no guarantee of future performance. Unfortunately, all any of us have is the record, but I believe, regardless of the coaching situation at UM, that any recruit who accepts a scholarship at UM will be a part of a great and long-lasting enterprise, and will get a quality education, to boot.

:shock:

first, on this board of all places i find it so ironic you say these college kids should be "mature" enough to deal with his situation. do you read this board?! it's filled with grown men who act like whiney little elementary school bitches. this is not the group of people who should be telling 17-18 year olds they should be mature.

and your view that if they have a problem with a situation such as one um is dealing with right now...that they are "immature" or "insecure" is laughable. give me a break. these kids have opportinities to play football and get their school paid for. that was about the only factual thing you posted. but that doesn't mean they need to go into a shitty situation just because they have a scholarship. college is also supposed to be about having fun and making lasting memories. and for some of these players, football takes up a huge part of their time. shouldn't they be comfortab;e with who they will be playing for? shouldn't they like their situation and security that comes with KNOWING who will be coaching you?

my god. this is pretty incredible.....

 

[BWahlberg]

I would think you guys would have more to talk about than football right now. How about the State of the University of Montana. :roll:

Once again, it is all about Football (how you guys got in this mess).

Right how dare we want to talk about football on a football message board. Especially when the original post was meant as a counter statement to another one discussing concerns of a decline in the football program. How dare we - I should've have posted this football thread in a football forum.

 

[Grizzoola]

I would think you guys would have more to talk about than football right now. How about the State of the University of Montana. :roll: Once again, it is all about Football (how you guys got in this mess).

Nice try. You can't divert the focus of the Griz. We'll beat you year in & year out on the field. Never mind the "mess." We'll handle it. Just be concerned you don't have any messes around that you don't know about.

 

[Grisly Fan]

I would think you guys would have more to talk about than football right now. How about the State of the University of Montana. :roll:

Once again, it is all about Football (how you guys got in this mess).

Right how dare we want to talk about football on a football message board. Especially when the original post was meant as a counter statement to another one discussing concerns of a decline in the football program. How dare we - I should've have posted this football thread in a football forum.

As bad as this sitation is and as tough as it will be to slog through, it doesn't define "the state" of the University of Montana. If you count the actual number of people involved with what happened or was alleged to have happened -- and I do mean every single person involved at the U -- maybe you are talking one hundred maybe two hundred? Given that every single person involved with the U of M (i.e. students, faculty, and administration) you maybe talking near 20,000 people. A couple hundred is a big problem but is also something like 1% (or probably much less). These few do not define the state of the University of Montana. I am not trying to minimize the magnitude of the possible problem and it needs to be resolved to ensure all students are as safe as possible but the U of M is hardly about to implode. For the vast majority of law abiding citizens, life will go on as usual.

 

[mikegriz]

Dude, this board would be lost without you. Thanks for the analysis. The Griz will soldier-on, and weather this adversity just like they have weathered other adversity. Keep the faith! Go Griz!

 

[mikegriz]

I would think you guys would have more to talk about than football right now. How about the State of the University of Montana. :roll:

Once again, it is all about Football (how you guys got in this mess).

Apparently missed the title of the forum "Montana Grizzlies Football and the FCS"

 

[Spanky]

Grizzola....I agree with some of your points, however, the coach is very important to the student-athlete in his/her selection of a college. Further, the turmoil at UM can be upsetting to the parents of the student-athletes who have an influence regarding the decision. Finally, no doubt the scholarship is important, but the best student-athletes have many choices during the recruiting process, thus, they don't have to settle for just any offer, especially, when problems exist and don't seem to improve.