Golden Nugz for 2.19.09

by PJS on Feb 19, 2009 3:00 AM CST in Golden Nuggets Comment 7 comments

Interesting article from the New York Times on a couple different fronts.

First, it deals entirely with former Minnesota quarterback and Super Bowl winning head man Tony Dungy. But it also discusses what will apparently be Dungy's charge now that he's off the sidelines, that is pushing for diversity among coaches at the highest of levels in college football.

From the article.

When the University of Minnesota was looking for a head coach two years ago, Joel Maturi, the director of athletics, called Dungy, who had been a star quarterback at Minnesota in the early 1970s. Although he wasn’t interested, Dungy recommended Mike Tomlin, then a defensive coordinator with the Vikings, and Leslie Frazier, then an assistant with the Colts.

Minnesota hired Tim Brewster, a former tight ends coach with the Denver Broncos, whose teams have since gone 8-17 in his two seasons in college football.

In a phone interview on Tuesday, Maturi said that on Dungy’s recommendation he contacted Tomlin and Frazier. He said they were also contacted by the university’s search firm. “Neither of them wanted a college job,” Maturi said. “They wanted to stay in the pros.”

Maturi said he interviewed two African-American candidates: Mike Haywood, now the head coach at Miami of Ohio, and Charlie Strong, the University of Florida defensive coordinator.

“I hired the best football coach who was available; I hired the best basketball coach that was available,” he said.

It's not surprising that Tomlin and Frazier said "Thanks, but no thanks." Tomlin was a hot prospect in NFL circles even before he was a coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and Frazier was moving quickly up the ranks as well.

I wish Dungy well in his attempt to bring diversity to the sidelines of major college football. He could lead by example and take just about any opening in the country.

As for Maturi's comment that he hired the "best football coach who was available." I'm not sure I buy that. Maturi hired a man with upside and a track record of recruiting who would take the job.

This blog calls into question Big Ten basketball official ~~Ted~~ I mean Ed Hightower for inconsistency during the Michigan State-Purdue game Tuesday night. Didn't see the game, but thought I'd ask what everyone thinks of the Big Ten officials. Not individually, but the way they call the game.
I find the headline of this article at NCAA FanHouse by Brian Cook to be tremendously inappropriate. "God Not a Big Fan of Sam Maresh." I know it was an attempt at humor, but it's not funny considering what this kid (yes, he's a kid after all) has gone through.
I hadn't realized Michigan quarterback Steven Threet has decided to transfer. ESPN's Rittenberg has all of the reaction here. It looks like Threet might not be too intersted in playing in the spread.
Kevin HD at Black Shoe Diaries likes the idea of a Big Ten Conference for hockey. I do too, but I imagine many WCHA fans wouldn't like the idea. Especially in Minnesota there are fun built in rivalaries like UofM vs. UMD and St. Cloud State, not to mention North Dakota. I don't see it happening, though it'd be nice so the Big Ten Network would televise more games. It's pretty annoying they only televise match-ups when they are between two Big Ten teams.
Finally, it's gameday for the men's basketball team. GN will be by with a preview if it isn't up already. I'm going to expect the worst and hope for the best! The game thread will be up a couple hours before the game but I have a stupid meeting that I'd really like to skip that I can't. I'll catch the replay on the BTN, assuming there is one, and have your review in the morning. Go Gophers! Time to get on a run for the tourney.

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Ed

Hightower, though Ted Valentine is absolute train wreck too. Perhaps Ted Hightower can be the new Bennifer.

by From The Barn on Feb 19, 2009 7:01 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Dungy -

Please lead by example and take the Minnesota job.

As for Maturi – his credibility is completely shot with his comment in the New York Times article. Anyone who honestly believed that Tim Brewster was a better head coaching candidate than Charlie Strong when Maturi made the hire is outright lying. Let’s not forget that Minnesota made its hire 7 days after Florida’s defense completely embarrassed Ohio State’s offense, which was led by a Heisman Trophy winner and also had Beanie Wells and Ted Ginn, Jr.

The only way Maturi’s quote is accurate is if he meant by “available,” a coach willing to come to Minnesota. I hope he offered the job to Strong but he turned it down. Because if he meant “I offered the job to the best person I interviewed,” well, I’m not convinced Maturi should retain his position as athletic director. Any rational view of Strong’s recruiting (Brandon Spikes, Will Hill and Jelani Jenkins, anyone?) and defenses the past 3 years shows he is miles ahead of Brewster both as a recruiter and as a coach.

by JG2112 on Feb 19, 2009 7:31 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

What do you expect Maturi to say?

I wish I had hired Strong? Of course he isn’t going to say anything but positive things about his current coach; anything else would be blatant disrespect to his employee. Plus, there is no way to know that Strong would be doing any better than Brewster right now.

Furthermore, I don’t know that Brewster should be judged on his win-loss record alone at this point. He was hired because of his recruiting prowess and he has lived up to those expectations—he has markedly improved our talent level over the last two years. I’m not saying he hasn’t had his shortcomings, nor am I saying that he can have any more losing season, but I don’t find anything wrong with what Maturi said. At the time of the hire, there isn’t much difference on the surface between an NFL position coach and a college coordinator. If anything, Brewster probably had greater acclaim from his personal references (I recall that being said at the time of his hire), and that may be what got him the nod.

by rencito on Feb 19, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The better route...

…is not to lie. Maturi is lying by claiming he hired the best football coach.

Here’s an interesting article – someone called him about Brewster – Maturi had never heard of him before interviewing him. And, the final two interviews were Charlie Strong and Tim Brewster:

http://www.footballrumormill.com/2008/10/22/strong-almost-landed-minnesota-fran-wants-back-in/

There is absolutely no contest between Strong’s resume and Brewster’s. I’d take the guy who has been the defensive coordinator for a team that has won (at the time) one national title and with 10 years’ coordinator experience, Charlie Strong, over a guy coaching tight ends for 5 years any day. Look at the number of defensive players Florida has put in the NFL the past two decades – a lot of those are a direct result of Strong’s coaching. The fact he’s not a college head coach is scandalous. The fact that Minnesota again passed over a Florida assistant (before, Bob Stoops for Mason, now Strong for Brewster) is ridiculous. And, he just coached an entire defense with no upperclassmen to a national title. The guy can coach – we have no evidence Brewster can after 2 years.

And there is no contest between Florida’s recruiting the past 10 years, and Minnesota’s the past 2. Or even between Florida last year and this year and Minnesota.

References? Strong’s were probably Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, Ron Zook. I don’t see how that would hurt him vis a vis Brewster.

And the last place, if I were Maturi, I’d make the claim that I hired the best available coach is in an article about the lack of black head football coaches in Division I-A. Anyone who bothers to look at the resumes, the recruiting prowess, the coordinator experience and the successes of Strong as opposed to Brewster would only be left asking himself what caused Maturi to hire Brewster.

by JG2112 on Feb 19, 2009 7:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As for Steven Threet at Michigan.....

…..he was going to be on the bench by the third game this year and would never see the field again. Michigan recruited Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson this year, and are looking for 2 more dual threat QBs for 2010. Threet needs to move for his NFL future – he is certainly good enough in a pro-style offense, and the rumors floating around are suggesting he’s looking at North Dakota State.

by JG2112 on Feb 19, 2009 7:32 AM CST reply actions 0 recs