Has this ever worked?

[supp]

Not doubting the coaching moves that have been made the past two years. Essentially, we've rebuilt the staff from top to bottom. The signs are positive on the defensive side. Hopefully the same on the offensive side. What I'm wondering though is if there was ever a situation like this where a HC in trouble is thrown a lifeline at this stage in their tenure and remakes his staff and his o and d philosophies back to success? Coach Mac started out pretty mediocre before hooking up with DeLeone and installing the freeze option 4-5 years in. Can't think of other examples. Maybe because head coaches usually don't make it this far in neutral without getting fired.

 

[Stevenson]

No

 

[PAcuse]

Harbaugh did it last year and Michigan fans have wanted him fired for years.

 

[TheCusian]

Narduzzi did it with his O

 

[supp]

No

That avatar is going to haunt my dreams.

 

[TheCusian]

I think Dino’s long tenure prior as an assistant not married to the Baylor system helps here. He’s won on other staffs in different ways.

 

[Scooch]

Frank Beamer? But that was a lifetime ago.

 

[sufandu]

Harbaugh did it last year and Michigan fans have wanted him fired for years.

It's hard to say Michigan has been bad under him though. Last year was rough, but aside from that, his worst record there was 8-5 and he's had three 10 win seasons.

 

[sufandu]

If this all works out it would speak to Wildhacks understanding that the patience of a prior era is a good thing. Sometimes you need to keep tweaking rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater.

 

[PAcuse]

It's hard to say Michigan has been bad under him though. Last year was rough, but aside from that, his worst record there was 8-5 and he's had three 10 win seasons.

Didn’t say bad, just stating the fan base wanted him out and I’m sure the AD was getting a ton of heat from donors etc.

 

[JackBauer44]

I would say not much has worked since 2005, so at this stage, I’m all for doing things a little different to see if something can get us to more sustained success.

 

[kcsu]

We kept Dino the leader and replaced both of his schemes. If he lets them run the offense like he has with White we are going to have a vastly improved team.

 

[SU68]

It's hard to say Michigan has been bad under him though. Last year was rough, but aside from that, his worst record there was 8-5 and he's had three 10 win seasons.

True, but when your benchmark is beating tOSU and winning the B1G every year, he has been a dismal failure most years.

 

[DoctorBombay]

True, but when your benchmark is beating tOSU and winning the B1G every year, he has been a dismal failure most years.

Beat me to it.
“Bad” is sometimes relative, like on the basketball board Sweet16’s and Final4 runs are considered “meh” by some, if the team had a mediocre regular season and snuck into the tournament on the bubble. Meanwhile, most schools would kill to be that “bad” year after year. Such are the ways of fandom.

 

[721Comstock]

I would say not much has worked since 2005, so at this stage, I’m all for doing things a little different to see if something can get us to more sustained success.

Agreed 144%.

The whole we didn’t win enough games so fire everybody!! attitude of some fans is absurd.

And, especially in this new portal era, we would have completely nuked our entire program had Dino gotten canned after this last season.

Just look at UVA - they had an amazing offense, and overall a winning year, but finished on a down note.
It’s now a total reset there - and they’ve lost a TON of players to the portal, in spite of quickly making what (on paper, at least) looks like a good hire.

ADJW said that Dino needed to hire top OC, QB coach, ST coach -
And that’s exactly what he did.
NAILED IT.
Literally cannot imagine a better scenario than what we got.

Dino seems ready to accept that he’s now a CEO coach, and to let his Coordinators actually run the show.
And it puts him in the best position to succeed, as he is an amazing representative of the program, University, and Cuse Nation.

 

[sufandu]

True, but when your benchmark is beating tOSU and winning the B1G every year, he has been a dismal failure most years.

Sometimes fanbases need to know when to appreciate what they've got. If the elite of the elite is the lowest expectation, you'll have a lot of disappointment.

OSU's recent success over Michigan predates Harbaugh and Michigan has been better under him than they were for about a decade prior to him.

 

[All4SU]

If this all works out it would speak to Wildhacks understanding that the patience of a prior era is a good thing. Sometimes you need to keep tweaking rather than throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Exactly. We know statistically that most times when you toss the HC and start over it doesn’t work out any better than before. That has been demonstrated. So the question JW had to answer was, What gives us the greatest chance of success, building on the good parts to shore up our weaknesses, or wiping the slate clean? If this works, it speaks volumes about his insight and as you say, patience, and should probably be a model for many FBS football schools.

 

[sufandu]

Didn’t say bad, just stating the fan base wanted him out and I’m sure the AD was getting a ton of heat from donors etc.

Fair enough. In the context of the OP, however, Michigan/Harbaugh doesn't really fit. I believe he was talking about coaches with losing records being given time and opportunity to make changes and turn things around. That's different than having to make tweaks to get over the hump of losing to a rival and winning conference championships.

 

[baggerbob]

Agreed 144%.

The whole we didn’t win enough games so fire everybody!! attitude of some fans is absurd.

And, especially in this new portal era, we would have completely nuked our entire program had Dino gotten canned after this last season.

Just look at UVA - they had an amazing offense, and overall a winning year, but finished on a down note.
It’s now a total reset there - and they’ve lost a TON of players to the portal, in spite of quickly making what (on paper, at least) looks like a good hire.

ADJW said that Dino needed to hire top OC, QB coach, ST coach -
And that’s exactly what he did.
NAILED IT.
Literally cannot imagine a better scenario than what we got.

Dino seems ready to accept that he’s now a CEO coach, and to let his Coordinators actually run the show.
And it puts him in the best position to succeed, as he is an amazing representative of the program, University, and Cuse Nation.

I said before that he shouldn't be involved in game day situations, except for talking to the refs. If you hire good assistants let them take care of calling the plays.
Dino should be great at being the CEO, a great personality, and well liked by other coaches.

 

[DoctorBombay]

Sometimes fanbases need to know when to appreciate what they've got. If the elite of the elite is the lowest expectation, you'll have a lot of disappointment.

OSU's recent success over Michigan predates Harbaugh and Michigan has been better under him than they were for about a decade prior to him.

I’m glad Dino’s still around- I always felt that was the best move.
Anae will most likely run the show on play-calling and in-game decisions, I’d bet that was a big part of the job description/offer.
Dino can play hype man, give speeches, set the program tone, and delegate. Better for him, better for the program. And a true leader knows when to let go and let others take the reins.
JW hit a home run/touchdown/slam dunk/goooaaaaaaalll with this move. LGfrickenO!

 

[Newhouser]

So am I understanding that the view is Dino doesn't have to coach, just lead and give pep talks? Think that is what his peers do? That's insane.

 

[All4SU]

So am I understanding that the view is Dino doesn't have to coach, just lead and give pep talks? Think that is what his peers do? That's insane.

No, I don’t think that’s it. But the CEO role is pretty accurate.

 

[rocklloyd]

For as down as I was at the end of the season, I’m glad Dino is still here. He’s a very likable dude. Happy for coaching moves. I don’t know if these new guys are proven recruiters, one would have to assume they are. So let’s see what they can do.

The only other comment i’ll make re: Dino is his documented hesitancy around the use of transfer portal. Yes, I know he’s using to plug holes, but I think it need to be an integral part of how coaches build a team. We’ll see how this whole portal thing plays out but right now it’s the Wild West and our buggy hasn’t crossed the Mississippi yet.

 

[DoctorBombay]

So am I understanding that the view is Dino doesn't have to coach, just lead and give pep talks? Think that is what his peers do? That's insane.

By definition that’s what a coach does; “lead and give “pep” talks”.
He’s done the hands-on micromanagement thingy and it hasn’t really worked out. You don’t hire proven commodities like Anae/Beck and then tell them how you want things done. Dabo & Saban are masters at this.
And I’d also bet JW made it very clear to him that these hires didn’t mean “business as usual” moving forward. If he’s smart, and he obviously is, he’ll alter his role and keep it moving.

 

[JRHEETER]

I still stand by my opinion to essentially nuke the program after the end of the season. At that time, I assumed Syracuse wouldn’t go spend $$$ on assistants for Dino due to previous times within the program.

I am happy with these hires and very excited to see where this team goes. I think Dino should probably get to 2023 now with these hires