How long should a new coach get?

Discussion in 'On The Field' started by ronich, Sep 7, 2015.

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How long should a new coach get to rebuild?

  1. At a school like Texas - 1 Season!

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. 2 Years

    3 vote(s)
    10.3%
  3. 2 Year - if he doesn't embarrass the program (blowouts, off field incidents, poor recruiting, etc.)

    3 vote(s)
    10.3%
  4. 3 Years - no matter what

    7 vote(s)
    24.1%
  5. 3 Years - if we are trending the right way, recruiting, no blowouts, etc.

    13 vote(s)
    44.8%
  6. 3 Years - only if he has been a top recruiter

    1 vote(s)
    3.4%
  7. 4 Years - positive trending, recruiting has been good, and we are at least .500

    4 vote(s)
    13.8%
  8. 4 Years - no matter what

    1 vote(s)
    3.4%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. ronich

    ronich 100+ Posts

    I am not calling for Strong's head (yet), this poll is about how long a coach should realistically get to rebuild.
    My personal belief is that a great coach, at this level, can start winning in their second season regardless of how bare "the cupboard" was left by their predecessor.

    That said, I have always felt a coach should really get a chance to field "his guys"...translation at least one full class cycle (4 years).
    The one exception to this class cycle rule would be negative trending I.E. Year 1 (6-7), Year 2 (5-7), Year 3 (4-8).

    If a coach into season three and is on a negative trend (1-4, etc. ) I think decisive action needs to be taken and a new coach sourced before recruiting season draws to a close. I am not opposed to mid-season hires (which are hard to do for a variety of reasons).

    All of this is why you (University of Texas) interview thoughtfully and meticulously, not last minute with some absurd recruiting firm who knows little about our culture and the nuances of hiring a premier coach.

    (BTW - I still think Strong can succeed but the clock ticks loud and fast...if I am him I throw the kitchen sink at every OL and DLman in the Country and go old school "trenches out", and fire Watson...)
     
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2015
  2. Dionysus

    Dionysus Idoit Admin

    I think great (not just good) coaches can do something with just about any collection of talent. We really need Charlie to be great. I hope he can.
     
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  3. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    Typically a 3rd year is deserved to let a new coach prove what he can do with his own program. However if during the first two seasons you have more losses than wins each time and routinely get blown-out, the grace period would've been exhausted.

    If you can't provide a non-losing season in two tries at Texas you simply don't belong. This team was not some 3-9 pile of rubble when he got here. If so i could maybe understand two losing seasons while showing improvement. But that's simply not the case here.

    Regardless of how much people insist on blaming Mack, his last 3 seasons were 8-5, 9-4, and 8-5. How could a burned out coach top 8 wins in each of his last 3 seasons and the new savior can't even reach 7 wins in two tries after assuming a program that was winning?

    Bottom line is said coach would have failed miserably. I hope CS turns this around and finds 7 wins somewhere this season. At the same time the blowouts must stop.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  4. beer_dog

    beer_dog 100+ Posts

    I think the first years should show some signs of improvement, the second you should show competition at a high level and the third year should be fighting for titles.

    This program is still trying to get to showing improvement.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  5. crizistre

    crizistre 500+ Posts

    During the second season, it's not necessarily about the "record", but more about how the season progresses and upsets. For instance , if Texas goes 1-5 in its first 6 games (one win against Rice) but goes 5-1 in the last 6, with an upset against Baylor in the last game, their record is 6-6 but they are improving.

    The second season has to provide an upset or two and an improvement trend.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. BevoJoe

    BevoJoe 10,000+ Posts

    The first year for a new HC is generally considered a throw-away year, depending on the totality of the circumstances. in 1998 we were lucky and Mack posted 9 wins with a team that was 4-7 the year before. So last year, with all the changes the majority of us let it, 6-7 and horrible last two games, slide, but most expected at least 7-8 wins. We all expect improvement this year. Going to ND was going to be a tough challenge with all the new guys and (supposedly) new offense. I think Texas fans and supporters expected to see a improvement, especially on the O side. But reality was nothing had changed. How the coaches and the team responds going forward will determine how much the heat is turned up on Strong. We all expected more improvement, but overall saw none except for some individual performances and only moments of what was hoped for the last 8 months.

    The minimum goal this year is 7-8 wins and a bowl win. 6 wins or less, is going to be a problem. And I don't think many fans, donors, supporters are willing or have much patience to continue to feed a problem.

    Begin to improve next week, keep improving, look like a real team with direction, be competitive, deliver an improved product by seasons end, then a 3rd year is merited. Go the other direction, the excuses, promises and "gonna fix its" become lame, fall on deaf ears, and more significant change becomes necessary.

    So good luck Chuck...you're gonna need it. And make the right decisions even if they are tough ones.
     
  7. IvanDiabloHorn

    IvanDiabloHorn 1,000+ Posts

    Strong should be allowed to finish the season and then be terminated/bought out.
    Not really his fault he took the job, but he does not have the capacity to coach a tier 1 team.
    He may learn how to accomplish the job, but the head coach at Texas should never be "on the job" training. I could pick his head coaching performance apart, but hiring and retaining deficient offensive and defensive coordinators along with subpar position coaches should not allow a third year. If he couldn't get it right initially when he could hire any coach he wanted and then did not make changes after the bowl game, he does not get year three.
     
    • Like Like x 2
  8. Horn6721

    Horn6721 10,000+ Posts

    Several great replies to this question.
    Part of the concern is HOW Charlie lost the last 3 games especially Saturday. If that is the best he/staff can do after 8 months it is hard to say he deserves more than this year.
    IF he can get it turned around now why didn't he do that in the previous 8 months?
     
  9. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    I can't say I agree with this much simply because of how our season is set up. By losing 5 of 6 of our early games and then winning 5 of 6 of the late ones, there's still no improvement trend over last year. Why? Because we would have again lost to all the capable teams and then beat the patsies we were supposed to.

    If an upset comes our way, then yes I would agree that is improvement over last year with a 6-6 record before the bowl. But if we lose to ND, Cal, OSU, TCU, OU, and Baylor that's not improvement. Just so happens we get KSU, ISU, KU, West Va, and TTU the second half of the season. Merely beating the creampuffs again doesn't show an improvement trend, it just shows our first 6 games were vastly tougher than the last 6.

    I'd be shocked if CS still had a job if we started 1-5 and suffered a few more lopsided losses during. Fortunately OSU is no ND. They looked pretty inept against Central Michigan the other day winning 24-13. Maybe we will squeeze 2-4 out of the first 6 games and only a coordinator will get canned. But I'm almost positive we lose to Cal, TCU, and OU during the first 6 games...maybe each one handily.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2015
  10. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Strong was doomed the moment he brought Watson along. Nothing in Watson's career at top level FBS schools indicated he could handle the Texas OC position. Now one game into his second season Strong is seeing the writing on the wall. An offense failure against Rice or Cal should be the end of Watson. The only question is will Strong have the balls to do what Mack did with Diaz. (Norvell and/or Taylor can handle the offense until the end of the season when a proven Power 5 FBS OC can be hired in.)

    The real issue for Strong is can the team put up a fight at TCU. If no, he will be gone at the end of the year also.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Brad Austin

    Brad Austin 2,500+ Posts

    After watching the DB's on Saturday, Cal has a legit shot of putting the serious wood to us. They may lack some on defense, but it doesn't seem like it would take a world-beater defense to slow our offense. I think the Cal result is gonna go a long way in determining the fate of certain coaches. I sure hope we get some major kinks worked out before facing that offense. That game has the potential to get ugly if not.
     

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