This is what happens when coaches get along and staffs are cohesive

[RoofBeam]

Narduzzi and Dantonio showing how it is done...Meanwhile, back at the dysfunctional ranch, McDonald is sticking his tongue out at Shafer with a lateral move in the same conference and recruiting a DE currently committed to SU. What a mess.

http://coachingsearch.com/article?a=Pat-Narduzzi-I-would-never-do-that-to-Mark-Dantonio

 

[kcsu]

McDonald often came across as arrogant and very insecure. Im sure that he is upset over the demotion still no reason to poach a recruit. I hope he coaches as well for NCState as he did for us.

 

[TheCusian]

Kids get poached all the time. You win some you lose some.

 

[baggerbob]

Mcdonald is burning bridges everywhere he goes, and his job now is a downward trend, from both previous jobs.

 

[RoofBeam]

The more I have thought about this the more I consider it Shafer's failure. I don't think McDonald handled the demotion well but the buck stops with Shafer. McDonald was his hire and it was Shafer's decision to relieve McDonald in the middle of a season that was going nowhere fast. It is the head coach's responsibility to have a vision of the offense and to hire the right person to implement it. If Shafer had changed his mind about McDonald's capacity as an O Coordinator or had changed his mind about the kind of offense he wanted to run (if he actually had in mind an identity for the offense) it was his job not to make a bad situation worse.

McDonald often came across as arrogant and very insecure. Im sure that he is upset over the demotion still no reason to poach a recruit. I hope he coaches as well for NCState as he did for us.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

The more I have thought about this the more I consider it Shafer's failure. I don't think McDonald handled the demotion well but the buck stops with Shafer. McDonald was his hire and it was Shafer's decision to relieve McDonald in the middle of a season that was going nowhere fast. It is the head coach's responsibility to have a vision of the offense and to hire the right person to implement it. If Shafer had changed his mind about McDonald's capacity as an O Coordinator or had changed his mind about the kind of offense he wanted to run (if he actually had in mind an identity for the offense) it was his job not to make a bad situation worse.

Dude, I've been one of the loudest on here to blame coaching for last year's performance, but not every hire at every school works out. There are people replaced annually on the top teams' coaching staffs and that doesn't make the HC at fault. You fix your mistakes. That's what happened with the mid-season demotion. I hire people. Not all of them work out the way I expected. Anyone whose ever hired anyone knows that. I am more critical of HCSS for hiring Adam than GMcD and I really, really, really, really, really dislike GMcD. It makes logical sense to me why HCSS would have hired GMcD, but Adam's hiring made absolutely no logical sense to me. The bottom line is that HCSS has invested his future as SUHC in Tim Lester at OC this year. If it works out, I'll be happy as a clam. If it doesn't, I'll cry myself to sleep just like I have this entire year.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

Kids get poached all the time. You win some you lose some.

Yup, and when coaches leave one school for another and do that, you lose any respect for them that you once had and they deservedly become as hated as can be. If GMcD is doing that, then I hope NC State's WR forget how to catch the ball, how to block and how to run routes and that he gets fired at the middle point of this season and that no recruit listens to him or follows him to any school ever again in the future.

 

[CuseOnly]

I am praying NC State makes him their OC. Couldn't be a better situation for everyone in the conference.

 

[TheCusian]

Yup, and when coaches leave one school for another and do that, you lose any respect for them that you once had and they deservedly become as hated as can be. If GMcD is doing that, then I hope NC State's WR forget how to catch the ball, how to block and how to run routes and that he gets fired at the middle point of this season and that no recruit listens to him or follows him to any school ever again in the future.

Oh, I agree. I just don't get all that upset that he's trying to poach some of our guys. Roles reversed, we'd be cheering the guy on.

That said - hope we destroy their passing game next season .

 

[OrangePA]

The more I have thought about this the more I consider it Shafer's failure. I don't think McDonald handled the demotion well but the buck stops with Shafer. McDonald was his hire and it was Shafer's decision to relieve McDonald in the middle of a season that was going nowhere fast. It is the head coach's responsibility to have a vision of the offense and to hire the right person to implement it. If Shafer had changed his mind about McDonald's capacity as an O Coordinator or had changed his mind about the kind of offense he wanted to run (if he actually had in mind an identity for the offense) it was his job not to make a bad situation worse.

Not knowing of course what happened behind the scenes, I disagree with the manner in which the situation apparently was handled.

A man was publicly and professionally embarrassed and that should not have occurred in my opinion - at least not in the middle of the season.

 

[RMH44]

Not knowing of course what happened behind the scenes, I disagree with the manner in which the situation apparently was handled.

A man was publicly and professionally embarrassed and that should not have occurred in my opinion - at least not in the middle of the season.

He brought much of that humiliation onto himself by throwing a public temper tantrum. I always thought he was the weakest link in HCSS's staff.

He was given a shot at OC because of his recruiting prowess...which failed miserably. It will be interesting to see if/when he ever gets another shot as an OC at a P5 school.

 

[Whitey23]

Still don't get why Shafer let him leave before signing day.

 

[RoofBeam]

I have no problem with Shafer deciding to replace McDonald. What is problematic for me is that the decision was made after 5 games in McDonald's second year as O Coordinator after the first string qb was lost for the season and after it became clear that in addition to beginning the year with a qb whose D1 potential was questionable the backups were definitely not ready to play and may never be ready to play (to say nothing of all the injuries on the O line and the hire of an O line coach with no previous experience coaching the O line). To me, this screams a lack of insight and resolve on the part of the head coach. Shafer has to do better.

Dude, I've been one of the loudest on here to blame coaching for last year's performance, but not every hire at every school works out. There are people replaced annually on the top teams' coaching staffs and that doesn't make the HC at fault. You fix your mistakes. That's what happened with the mid-season demotion. I hire people. Not all of them work out the way I expected. Anyone whose ever hired anyone knows that. I am more critical of HCSS for hiring Adam than GMcD and I really, really, really, really, really dislike GMcD. It makes logical sense to me why HCSS would have hired GMcD, but Adam's hiring made absolutely no logical sense to me. The bottom line is that HCSS has invested his future as SUHC in Tim Lester at OC this year. If it works out, I'll be happy as a clam. If it doesn't, I'll cry myself to sleep just like I have this entire year.

 

[SUFan44]

Not knowing of course what happened behind the scenes, I disagree with the manner in which the situation apparently was handled.

A man was publicly and professionally embarrassed and that should not have occurred in my opinion - at least not in the middle of the season.

Off base with this criticism. He (McDonald) did it to himself.

 

[CuseLegacy]

Still don't get why Shafer let him leave before signing day.

Probably his contract was up.

 

[dinosaurbbq]

Probably his contract was up.

No. He was actually under contract for next season. However, you can't make someone stay as a WR coach even with a contract in place and I'm guessing he and HCSS talked it out before he left and HCSS would rather have the money to spend elsewhere than to have the he highest paid malcontent WR coach in the country.

 

[CuseLegacy]

No. He was actually under contract for next season. However, you can't make someone stay as a WR coach even with a contract in place and I'm guessing he and HCSS talked it out before he left and HCSS would rather have the money to spend elsewhere than to have the he highest paid malcontent WR coach in the country.

I thought the assistants were only one year contracts. Also his contract was for a different position/salary so once he was demoted would that technically not void his existing contract?

 

[cuseincincy]

Oh, I agree. I just don't get all that upset that he's trying to poach some of our guys. Roles reversed, we'd be cheering the guy on.

That said - hope we destroy their passing game next season .

Cheering the guy on ?? Hell we'd be asking what recruits he's bringing with him as justification for his hire. If the kid was coming here just because of McDonald who cares? He gone.

 

[TheCusian]

I have no problem with Shafer deciding to replace McDonald. What is problematic for me is that the decision was made after 5 games in McDonald's second year as O Coordinator after the first string qb was lost for the season and after it became clear that in addition to beginning the year with a qb whose D1 potential was questionable the backups were definitely not ready to play and may never be ready to play (to say nothing of all the injuries on the O line and the hire of an O line coach with no previous experience coaching the O line). To me, this screams a lack of insight and resolve on the part of the head coach. Shafer has to do better.

The guy froze in the box making calls. We lost red zone points and maybe games figuring that out.

If he was showing improvement, then whatever. But if he's costing you games? Proves he can't hack it? Do you just ride it out?!?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The guy froze in the box making calls. We lost red zone points and maybe games figuring that out.

If he was showing improvement, then whatever. But if he's costing you games? Proves he can't hack it? Do you just ride it out?!?

Shafer is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

He gets criticized for making the change, but if he sticks with McD for the whole season and we only win 3 games, he'll get blasted for being too loyal and not having the balls to make a change.

 

[TheCusian]

Shafer is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. He gets criticized for making the change, but if he sticks with McD for the whole season and we only win 3 games, he'll get blasted for being too loyal and not having the balls to make a change.

And most people think that McDonald was the leak on his demotion. Had he handled it better, who knows how it would be reflecting on the HC.

 

[Orijinal]

You know, a midst McDonald spitting sour grapes, saying "I would never have come to Syracuse" after his demotion (which, I thought, was classless by the way) he did say something else interesting that made me pause and say, "this was the wrong move by Shafer." McD was talking about the offense's improvement from his first year to 5 games into his second year. And he made all valid points. Yes, the offense wasn't scoring as much as we would want it to but it was improving and improving will eventually lead to scoring. So I had a few thoughts after his mini-vent/rant:

1) This guy has the character that we thought he had

2) He's in this only for his next job (which, if anyone was paying attention to how much he moved around before he came to Syracuse, knew very well)

3) You NEVER fire a coordinator, especially one who is showing improvement and playing with a bunch of injured starters, after 5 games into a season. Plain wrong. Completely, totally, obviously, wrong. Clearly, transparently, unequivocally, head-scratchingly, what-the-H-is-Shafer thinking wrong. And I can ONLY comprehend Shafer (A Power 5 Football coach) making such a move if it was a reflection of point 1 (many things going on behind the scenes we are not aware of).

 

[IthacaBarrel]

this whole thread is absurd. GMC sucked, improving from beyond horrible to still beyond horrible still leaves you with horrible. He blows, all hat no cattle. Screw him. lester gets one year to put system in place and Shafer has to win games or he will be looking for a job as well. Why waste time worrying about the whining used car salesman that is GMC. Go find some NC ST camo to wear dink.

 

[OrangePA]

Off base with this criticism. He (McDonald) did it to himself.

In what way?

He did what to himself?

Serious questions.

 

[OrangePA]

Shafer is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

He gets criticized for making the change, but if he sticks with McD for the whole season and we only win 3 games, he'll get blasted for being too loyal and not having the balls to make a change.

We rarely see college programs fire coordinators in the middle of seasons.

I do not recall an outcry for McDonald being fired mid-season.

And I have never been a fan of the criticism that some coach or manager has been "too loyal," especially when I don't know the facts or have bona fide inside factual information.

Shafer would not have been damned if he had kept McDonald for the rest of the season. He would have been damned for the same reason he was damned - at the end of the season. He had a lousy season.

The situation was handled poorly and suggested that Scott Shafer lacks or needs managerial experience/skill.

It was a telling moment I think.