Back when things started to go south for the Orange and Paul P. was coach, he was asked by the press, "What happened?"
Pasqualoni told the reporter, "I have absolutely no idea."
I can remember shaking my head and saying, "P, that is the wrong answer to give."
This had to be a completely candid and honest answer from Pasqualoni. In fact, all the reasons and factors for the quick decline might even have been unknowable. But that doesn't matter. Because as the one responsible you just cannot admit to that. You are paid to know the answer to that AND you had better come up with a plausible strategy for fixing it.
It may be unfair, but that's the way the world works.
It's premature right now because the season isn't over. Who knows, we might yet see a remarkable turnaround.
But, if it continues along its current path, Dino is going to have to come up with the answers to two questions:
1. What happened?
2. What are you going to do to fix it?
We are just about beyond "Faith without evidence.)
And this might be extremely difficult and even painful to do. He has to walk the line between being brutally frank and demotivating people he needs to depend on in the future.
He needs to do this for the fans, the press, the team and any recruits on the horizon.
He's very good at diverting direct questions, sometimes by moving things onto a higher intellectual plane. (As in "I don't think about it that way …" And because people genuinely like the guy, they frequently allow him to float above the fray. I know I do.
I hope he does know what the problems are and that he can come up with a plan to fix them.
I hope he doesn't fall victim to the do things just to show he is doing things (Like fire all the Assistants). Although the temptation and pressure to do this is going to be tremendous. That's not to say that some, much or all of this spectacular failure isn't the fault of the coaches. Just that if you don't know it is, then don't start firing people just to show you are doing something.
I'm sure he knows this and I'd be willing to bet Wildhack does. I sure am curious as to how we got to where we are and what the plan is for fixing it.
