M-Borg vs. THE Flavortown U Thread, Orig. by Buckeye Paul, absconded w/by talent.

[whodean]

Did Fickell call the 3rd down spike? What a monumental blunder.

[iam416]

Someone did. And monumental isn't strong enough. I actually chuckled and shook my head. Did the same thing when Braxton missed Posey. Just too inexperienced -- both coaches and players.

[iam416]

The only way this day gets better is if UM3 stands up at the press conference and fires Gene Smith. Fingers crossed.

[Jamie H]

Expecting Meyer to run a clean program at OSU is a pipe dream. Why would he? He ran convict U down at Florida and the NCAA has proven that they have no interest in actually trying to find out if you are cheating. All Meyer has to do is make sure he never creates a paper trail like Tressel did and he'll be fine.

[entropy]

RappUp Jeff Rapp
For those who are wondering, #OhioState did interview a minority candidate (working on that name) and Bo Peilini officially for the job.

[SeattleLionsFan]

He's got the lying part down that's for sure.

[iam416]

I heard two things from "insiders".

(1) Pellini was very interested, but he knew it was UM's job.

(2) Gene Smith wanted Pellini.

Thank god this is what happened: Les Wexner and BoT walks into "search committee" meeting: I'd like you to meet UM3 -- he's our new head coach. Deal with it.

[Jeff Buchanan]

So, if true, the BoT undercuts the search committee, I guess formed by smith, undercuts smith and announces this is who is getting hired.

Have I got this right?

Are you sure this isn't the blueprint from the University of Michigan's hiring process?

Sounds totally f'ed up. Know you like the outcome. I respect it but man-o-man what a cluster. Who is turban's boss? Who do the people in the athletic department below smith now answer to? The BoT? Does furbin have control of who he hires on his staff? Who is setting the budget for these hires?

Good God, man.

[iam416]

The BoT is who Coach Meyer answers to. The Search Committee was a farce. Gene Smith had zero to say about it. And, from what I understand, won't be around much longer.

Gee was, at least, involved. That's because Wexner loves Gee and, tbh, Gee is very good at being a University president. He's lousy when talking football, but, as we all know, AD budget doesn't really compare to the University as a whole.

Coach Meyer picks his staff. Money won't be a problem.

I look at it this way, for 10 years they had a tremendous value in Coach Tressel and his staff. They saved tons of money. It's time to pay market value. And the SEC sets the price.

[Jamie H]

It's pretty obvious that whoever is the football caoch at OSU doesn't report to anybody unless he starts losing. That's why the whole "We fired Tressel, and no one else knew anything about the bad stuff" routine is such a joke. The reason no one else knew is that Tressel was king. He reported to nobody. Now Meyer will be king in the exact same position and OSU will continue cheating just like they did under Tressel, except that they will make sure that no one can get Meyer's email address to ever mail him anything that could create a paper trail. And no one will care because now that Penn State has raised the bar on inappropriate activity, no one even cares about cheating anymore. Now, unless your coaching staff is actively molesting children, you are pretty much fine.

[entropy]

HuskerExtraSip Steven M. Sipple
Tom Osborne backs up Pelini's denial regarding report Bo interviewed at Ohio State. "Looks like somebody made up a story," Osborne says.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I listened to Mike Leach and Jack Aroot today on the radio. They were talking coaching hires. Leach made the comment that the hiring process for any coach from any big time program makes no sense to any one who is seeking a job as a HC. It's crazy.

Until I read bacon's Three and Out, I was terribly naive about how political the hiring of head coaches and ADs actually is.Of course, Bacon could be out in left field about how M's hiring, firing of RR and hiring of Hoke went down but he is a pretty credible journalist.

Denis Illitch, daughter of Mike and owner of the Wings and Lions is the Chairmen of the UM BOR. She is immensly powerful and politically astute according to those that watch this stuff. She has a long reach that obviously extended to finding an AD to replace Martin and probably was a major player herself in DB's selection of BH. Now, being politically astute when it comes to football is about as useful as a fart filled aqua-lung. It doesn't belong which helps explain M's hiring process of RR and BH and the anointment of DB as M's AD and probably sheds some light on the hiring process of turbin meyer by osu. Basically screwed up and, like Mike Leach said, makes no sense to anyone who coaches football for a living.

Rodriguez was dead meat in a situation like this. He was terribly naive himself, a crude football coach to boot and although he understood the politics in WV he played those poorly it turns out, he had no clue about it in Michigan. I'm not sure about meyer. I just don't know enough about what goes on with the BoT at osu or how good meyer is at handling these kinds of people. But rest assured, these days, you might end up spending less time coaching 19-22 year old football players than pleasing people like Denise Illitch who seems to enjoy f'ing with people which it is pretty clear to me that she f'ed with both RR and his wife Rita.

Does anyone in ohio have a feel for this as it applies to osu's BoT? Does it make any difference to how furbin will function? Are these people as involved with football at osu as they appear to be (according to Bacon) at M?

[Jamie H]

I highly doubt Ohio State's hiring process is as political as Michigan's. As long as Urban wins football games and doesn't personally commit a felony, he will be king.

[lineygoblue]

Meyer will have carte blanche at OlieO. I think he will be even less supervised than Tressel was. This is about an OlieO athletic department attempting to make a leap past Michigan in the coaching department. With the loss of Saint Jim, OlieO took a step backward, when Michigan hired Hoke and Mattison. OlieO realized this, and went all-out to get Meyer in the fold, because Meyer is perceived as Tressel Act II. He is considered to be a super recruiter, and a guarantor of more MNC's for OlieO. Even ESPN contributor Robert Smith alluded to the "fact" (in his mind) that Meyer will "lock down" Ohio and that Michigan will not be able to get the "best" talent away from Meyer. That's what this hire is all about. Circle the wagons.

I suspect he will have some success, but he will also have games where even the most faithful OlieO fans will wonder what he was thinking. He's not infallible. He is not unbeatable.

And then, how long will he stay? How long before his health issues and/or family issues crop up again?

[paul daugherity]

Liney, I have always loved the "Saint Jim" moniker you came up with. It is even more brilliant given everything that has happened. In that vein, I want to suggest that we refer to Urban Meyer as "Pope Urban". Any thoughts or other suggestions?