There's always one What game every year - this year it was West Virginia

[thebigeast44]

Fortunately it went our way. Let's face it - the West Virginia game was an aberration. I watched that game pleasantly shocked at what I was seeing. However, today was just a repeat of what we have seen most of the year - a painful to watch root canal type of game.

Marrone has 2 years to turn it around. I hope he does. However, if we are the same team in 2 years, he and Gross need to be fired - simple as that.

Let's Go Orange!

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Fortunately it went our way. Let's face it - the West Virginia game was an aberration. I watched that game pleasantly shocked at what I was seeing. However, today was just a repeat of what we have seen most of the year - a painful to watch root canal type of game.

Marrone has 2 years to turn it around. I hope he does. However, if we are the same team in 2 years, he and Gross need to be fired - simple as that.

Let's Go Orange!

I agree with you that WFVU was an abberation, but Gross has been far better as AD than Marrone has as HC.

 

[thebigeast44]

You may be right Otto - however, if Marrone does not get the job done and I hope he does, Gross would have hired 2 unsuccessful coaches. Gotta go if that is the case. And bring back the Orangemen and #44!

 

[Chip]

I still think we win the next 2 at home.

 

[rrlbees]

I still think we win the next 2 at home.

I agree on USF but Cincy is going to be 1 tough game.

 

[orangepassion]

Cannot argue that the WVU game seems to be the one aberration of the season. We have not played 2 decent halves in any other game. And when the offense plays well, the defense stinks. When Defense plays well, the offense stinks.

 

[SaltineWarrior]

The scary thing is WVU might not be as impressive a win as we originally thought. Think about each of the other wins and how close we were to a 2-7 or even 1-8 record at this point in the season. The lack of impressive wins over what we thought was inferior competition is what scares me. USF will be pissed and ready to play next week and Cincinnati looks good. The only good news there is we are at home and have a week of to get healthy and prepare. Pitt is on the road so who knows what we will see there.

I want to be optimistic; there are still many signs that give me concern.

 

[Dnyr85]

You may be right Otto - however, if Marrone does not get the job done and I hope he does, Gross would have hired 2 unsuccessful coaches. Gotta go if that is the case. And bring back the Orangemen and #44!

If I remember correctly, the HCDM hire was done by committee. A lot of voices helped sway TGD in his decision to hire HCDM. The Grob hire was seemingly a favor hire, one that I wasn't happy about when announced.I am not giving up on HCDM. He has done a good job IMHO so far. I have faith in him and his staff to get things righted (more) soon.

 

[rrlbees]

If I remember correctly, the HCDM hire was done by committee. A lot of voices helped sway TGD in his decision to hire HCDM. The Grob hire was seemingly a favor hire, one that I wasn't happy about when announced.I am not giving up on HCDM. He has done a good job IMHO so far. I have faith in him and his staff to get things righted (more) soon.

Done by committee after TGD's first 2 choices declined. Then he was convinced by the committee on Doug. Also, I wouldn't agree that GROb was a "favor" hire. He may have listened to people he trusted more than others, but he went through a process that identified 4 candidates which resulted in 2nd interviews with he and Cantor with 2 of the candidates.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I still think we win the next 2 at home.

USF has looked horrible in conference play, and even Pitt isn't invincible lately.

 

[ClkWrkOrange]

The Grob hire was seemingly a favor hire.
I always saw it as a lack of clearly better options at the time.

 

[Dnyr85]

Done by committee after TGD's first 2 choices declined. Then he was convinced by the committee on Doug. Also, I wouldn't agree that GROb was a "favor" hire. He may have listened to people he trusted more than others, but he went through a process that identified 4 candidates which resulted in 2nd interviews with he and Cantor with 2 of the candidates.

I must not have followed the process close enough then. I thought HCDM was the only choice that was offered after several meetings and interviews. Sorry about that, but....
On the Grob hire, I believe that no matter who was available or interviewed that he was gonna land the job as TGD had his mind set up after talking with Pete Carroll and others that Grob was the right man for the job. That's why I am convinced that it was a "favor hire".

 

[rrlbees]

On the Grob hire, I believe that no matter who was available or interviewed that he was gonna land the job as TGD had his mind set up after talking with Pete Carroll and others that Grob was the right man for the job. That's why I am convinced that it was a "favor hire".

TGD had his mind made up that what he had seen work at USC, an NFL coach with a defensive background, is what he wanted at SU. Thus, after consulting many people, he decided on 4 guys with that exact background, GRob, Lewis, Henderson and Gray. He spoke with all 4, he and Cantor spoke with GRob and Gray. Did he take Carroll's and Kiffen's recommendation more heavily than others who supported the other 3? No doubt. But just the fact he didn't just go out and hire GRob after the recommendation says he didn't just do it as a favor per se. But people do tend to trust the opinions of those they trust more so than others. The only thing he had his mind set on completely was an NFL coach with a D background.

 

[GoSU96]

I agree with you that WFVU was an abberation, but Gross has been far better as AD than Marrone has as HC.

What nonsense. Why not compare where each was in year three of their tenures.

It terms of degree of difficulty the jobs to start weren't even close. Gross was handed a job where two of it's three major programs were best in breed and running themselves and the third that needed some fixing. The one decision he had to make drove that third program off a cliff.

Marrone was handed a gutted worst in breed program and is now about where the program was in 2004, which is still significantly better than when he started.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

What nonsense. Why not compare where each was in year three of their tenures.

BECAUSE BOTH AREN'T IN YEAR THREE OF THEIR TENURES.

It terms of degree of difficulty the jobs to start weren't even close. Gross was handed a job where two of it's three major programs were best in breed and running themselves and the third that needed some fixing. The one decision he had to make drove that third program off a cliff.

Irrelevant. Gross put us in the ACC. That's his superbowl. Marrone will never have an equivalent achievement. Short of winning a national championship, Marrone's accomplishments will always fall short of what Gross has done, and even then I'm not certain that having a strategy and executing us to get us out of the crap fest that is the Big East and into the ACC isn't bigger than an NC.

Marrone was handed a gutted worst in breed program and is now about where the program was in 2004, which is still significantly better than when he started.

I really can't take you seriously anymore. You have no credibility. I know you think I lost mine a long time ago, but I never really pretended to have any. Now you just post lunacy.

 

[Bayside44]

I really can't take you seriously anymore. You have no credibility. I know you think I lost mine a long time ago, but I never really pretended to have any. Now you just post lunacy.

I like Gross, find him engaging and candid, but, JB put us in the ACC. JB built the brand, JB fills the Dome.

 

[GoSU96]

I really can't take you seriously anymore. You have no credibility. I know you think I lost mine a long time ago, but I never really pretended to have any. Now you just post lunacy.

I could care less what you think of me, seriously.

If Marrone was in year seven and the team was playing like this and had never been much better before then, you might have a point.

You want to compare the two, but how long they have each been in their jobs and the relative difficulty of those job are irrelevent. That's bringing some quality thought to the board.

As for getting into the ACC, good for him, he accomplished what Jake and Buzz were one vote from the last go round. He gets alot of credit for getting it done now, but don't go overboard. It's not like he was representing Rutgers. If the ACC expanded SU was always going to be included.

It terms of degree of difficulty Marrone 8-5 year two was harder than getting SU into the ACC.