Post by Bornthrilla on Nov 25, 2007 2:17:47 GMT -5
Nov. 22, 2007, 10:53PM
Franchione needs to get with the times
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Mack Brown may fire one of his defensive coordinators sometime in the next few weeks, and there's a message for Dennis Franchione in there somewhere.
It won't save his job at Texas A&M, but it might prove useful next season at SMU or wherever he lands. It's a message every good coach eventually gets.
Once upon a time, Brown resisted change every bit as much as Franchione. He saw it as a matter of loyalty to his assistants or pride in his core beliefs. He didn't want to be known as a head coach who threw assistants under the bus.
That is, until 2003. Brown was close to desperate after that season, his program having hit a wall. He showed two defensive coaches the door and brought in Greg Robinson and Dick Tomey. With them came a toughness and an accountability Texas football hadn't had enough of under Brown.
The Longhorns enter today's game against the Aggies at Kyle Field 43-6 since Brown made those changes. He came to understand that change can be a good thing, that new coaches sometimes bring fresh ideas and energy. At one point, Tomey told Brown he spent too much time worrying about things that didn't matter. Like media criticism and Internet gossip.
"If you're not careful, over time, the job will beat you down," Brown said during an interview in 2005. "Every day, football is important at Texas. Every day, everything here is magnified. Every little rumor is magnified here. You have to be able to deal with the place. ... If you're not careful, it wears on an assistant coach, and they'll give out."
Business of winning
Is it a cold-blooded way to do business? It sure is. It's also the only way to survive at a school that considers 10-2 a rebuilding season.
When Robinson and Tomey left after one season to take head coaching jobs, Brown again went outside the program to hire Gene Chizik from Auburn. When Chizik left to become the head coach at Iowa State last winter, Brown promoted two assistants — Duane Akina and Larry Mac Duff — to the position of defensive coordinator.
Oops. Texas is ranked 45th out of 119 teams in total defense. The Longhorns are 103rd in pass defense and have allowed their last three opponents — Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — to roll up an average of 506 yards of total offense.
Combine those three games with poor defensive performances against Arkansas State, Central Florida and Oklahoma, and it's easy to understand why Akina, the defensive play-caller and secondary coach, appears to be in trouble.
Franchione hasn't failed at Texas A&M simply because he refused to make staff changes. In fact, he did fire defensive coordinator Carl Torbush and replace him with Gary Darnell after the 2005 season. Franchione could have hired someone better than Darnell, but that's beside the point.
Franchione has been unwilling or unable to grasp how much college football has changed in the last decade. It's not just about defense, turnovers and the kicking game anymore. It's about speed and big plays. It's a game Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler might not understand, either.
Franchione's option offense sometimes resembles something from the Eisenhower administration. In five seasons at A&M, he has recruited too little speed. And the speed and playmaking potential he did recruit — Mike Goodson, for instance — hasn't been fully utilized.
Even as he lost consistently to Texas, Oklahoma and others, Franchione continued to do things the way he'd always done them. If you want to believe he's getting fired because of that silly newsletter or because he doesn't walk and talk like other Aggies, you're missing the point.
Franchione, who is 31-28 at A&M, will be fired because his teams haven't won enough. He hasn't won enough because the best recruits believed their skills would be utilized better at Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech.
Formula for success
A&M has the facilities, financial backing and fan support to win and win quickly. If athletic director Bill Byrne hires the right guy — and it says here he will — the Aggies should consistently be among the nation's top 25 teams.
A&M needs a coach who will bring its program into the 21st century. Aggies who are building their hopes around the possible hiring of Tom Tuberville, Steve Spurrier or Rich Rodriguez are missing the point.
For one thing, those three coaches may not be available. For another, there are plenty of other coaches capable of transforming A&M football faster than some think possible. Boise State's Chris Peterson can do it. So can Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.
There are at least a dozen others who won't make the same mistakes Franchione made. Better than almost anyone else at Kyle Field this afternoon, Mack Brown will understand what went wrong.
Franchione needs to get with the times
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Mack Brown may fire one of his defensive coordinators sometime in the next few weeks, and there's a message for Dennis Franchione in there somewhere.
It won't save his job at Texas A&M, but it might prove useful next season at SMU or wherever he lands. It's a message every good coach eventually gets.
Once upon a time, Brown resisted change every bit as much as Franchione. He saw it as a matter of loyalty to his assistants or pride in his core beliefs. He didn't want to be known as a head coach who threw assistants under the bus.
That is, until 2003. Brown was close to desperate after that season, his program having hit a wall. He showed two defensive coaches the door and brought in Greg Robinson and Dick Tomey. With them came a toughness and an accountability Texas football hadn't had enough of under Brown.
The Longhorns enter today's game against the Aggies at Kyle Field 43-6 since Brown made those changes. He came to understand that change can be a good thing, that new coaches sometimes bring fresh ideas and energy. At one point, Tomey told Brown he spent too much time worrying about things that didn't matter. Like media criticism and Internet gossip.
"If you're not careful, over time, the job will beat you down," Brown said during an interview in 2005. "Every day, football is important at Texas. Every day, everything here is magnified. Every little rumor is magnified here. You have to be able to deal with the place. ... If you're not careful, it wears on an assistant coach, and they'll give out."
Business of winning
Is it a cold-blooded way to do business? It sure is. It's also the only way to survive at a school that considers 10-2 a rebuilding season.
When Robinson and Tomey left after one season to take head coaching jobs, Brown again went outside the program to hire Gene Chizik from Auburn. When Chizik left to become the head coach at Iowa State last winter, Brown promoted two assistants — Duane Akina and Larry Mac Duff — to the position of defensive coordinator.
Oops. Texas is ranked 45th out of 119 teams in total defense. The Longhorns are 103rd in pass defense and have allowed their last three opponents — Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech — to roll up an average of 506 yards of total offense.
Combine those three games with poor defensive performances against Arkansas State, Central Florida and Oklahoma, and it's easy to understand why Akina, the defensive play-caller and secondary coach, appears to be in trouble.
Franchione hasn't failed at Texas A&M simply because he refused to make staff changes. In fact, he did fire defensive coordinator Carl Torbush and replace him with Gary Darnell after the 2005 season. Franchione could have hired someone better than Darnell, but that's beside the point.
Franchione has been unwilling or unable to grasp how much college football has changed in the last decade. It's not just about defense, turnovers and the kicking game anymore. It's about speed and big plays. It's a game Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler might not understand, either.
Franchione's option offense sometimes resembles something from the Eisenhower administration. In five seasons at A&M, he has recruited too little speed. And the speed and playmaking potential he did recruit — Mike Goodson, for instance — hasn't been fully utilized.
Even as he lost consistently to Texas, Oklahoma and others, Franchione continued to do things the way he'd always done them. If you want to believe he's getting fired because of that silly newsletter or because he doesn't walk and talk like other Aggies, you're missing the point.
Franchione, who is 31-28 at A&M, will be fired because his teams haven't won enough. He hasn't won enough because the best recruits believed their skills would be utilized better at Oklahoma, Texas or Texas Tech.
Formula for success
A&M has the facilities, financial backing and fan support to win and win quickly. If athletic director Bill Byrne hires the right guy — and it says here he will — the Aggies should consistently be among the nation's top 25 teams.
A&M needs a coach who will bring its program into the 21st century. Aggies who are building their hopes around the possible hiring of Tom Tuberville, Steve Spurrier or Rich Rodriguez are missing the point.
For one thing, those three coaches may not be available. For another, there are plenty of other coaches capable of transforming A&M football faster than some think possible. Boise State's Chris Peterson can do it. So can Wake Forest's Jim Grobe and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly.
There are at least a dozen others who won't make the same mistakes Franchione made. Better than almost anyone else at Kyle Field this afternoon, Mack Brown will understand what went wrong.
