One name that came up in Georgia Tech's search was that of former Washington and Colorado HC Rick Neuheisel, and our friends over at The Blue Zone are suggesting that he might be a good fit for Duke, and that the University has contacted him on an informal basis already.
I don't know quite what to think about Neuheisel...he's a proven winner at the college level and a current NFL OC with the Baltimore Ravens (although under Brian Billick, I'm not sure he gets the opportunity to make too many decisions). Still, he's got plenty of red flags in terms of past NCAA rules violations, including his decision to participate in an NCAA Tournament betting pool that in part led to his 2003 dismissal from UW. Whether that particular infraction merited his firing is debatable, but the history could scare away Duke.
But in sum, the guy is a proven name who has a Pac-10 title to his name and an overall 61-35 record (which improves to 66-30 if you count the 5 wins his 1997 CU team won before being forced to forfeit all of their games due to an ineligible player). He has to merit significant consideration, and he might be the best available candidate if he is truly interested.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Dorrell Interview Today
Don't expect Vanderbilt HC Bobby Johnson to walk out of Cameron today with a contract offer...this report says that former UCLA HC Karl Dorrell is expected to interview with Duke AD Joe Alleva sometimes early this week.
UPDATE (7:30 pm): Sure enough, this report says that Dorrell was spotted on campus today. Apparently he was spotted in a convertible just outside of Cameron.
UPDATE (7:30 pm): Sure enough, this report says that Dorrell was spotted on campus today. Apparently he was spotted in a convertible just outside of Cameron.
More Thoughts on Bobby
With Vandy HC Bobby Johnson interviewing in Joe Alleva's office today, I've given some thought to how good of a hire Johnson would be, and I'm skeptical about such a move for a few reasons.
To be honest, I'm not sure that Bobby Johnson is a significantly better coach than Ted Roof. I don't know if he has an offensive track record or not or what specifically he brings to the table, but I feel that if you're going to fire an incumbent coach (and one that had the fervent support of many of his players), you've got to bring in someone who either is a better coach, or who will bring about a sea change in terms of a program's culture.
I'm not sold that Johnson is that much of a better coach than Roof, even if he is coaching in the strongest conference in the nation. I just don't think you can pass off the hiring of a coach with a 20-50 record as an improvement to fans.
In the attitude area, It had become pretty clear to me by the end of the season that Duke football more or less had developed a losing culture. Wins weren't expected, and I could tell that both what I saw on the field on Saturdays and from what I heard from players after games and at the mid-week press conferences. I'm not alleging that players quit or gave up on the season, and Roof and his coaches certainly didn't, but it became pretty clear that his approach was taking the team nowhere.
That said, I've been a strong proponent of bringing in a coach that will bring an attitude shock to the program. I think the best example, and most relevant considering the circumstances of Duke as an academic institution, is Stanford's hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Before his team even strapped up their helmets for practice, Harbaugh made headlines calling out USC and Pete Carroll at the Pac-10 Media Day, and of course he backed up his rhetoric on the field when the Cardinal knocked off the Trojans 24-23 this season.
For a Duke football program that has been more or less a running national joke for the past decade, the swagger that a fresh attitude change would provide is, in my mind, imperative in a new hire . Honestly, I don't think the saintly, cursing-averse Johnson would provide enough of an attitude shift to merit his hiring.
Just my two cents. Feel free to comment/respond.
To be honest, I'm not sure that Bobby Johnson is a significantly better coach than Ted Roof. I don't know if he has an offensive track record or not or what specifically he brings to the table, but I feel that if you're going to fire an incumbent coach (and one that had the fervent support of many of his players), you've got to bring in someone who either is a better coach, or who will bring about a sea change in terms of a program's culture.
I'm not sold that Johnson is that much of a better coach than Roof, even if he is coaching in the strongest conference in the nation. I just don't think you can pass off the hiring of a coach with a 20-50 record as an improvement to fans.
In the attitude area, It had become pretty clear to me by the end of the season that Duke football more or less had developed a losing culture. Wins weren't expected, and I could tell that both what I saw on the field on Saturdays and from what I heard from players after games and at the mid-week press conferences. I'm not alleging that players quit or gave up on the season, and Roof and his coaches certainly didn't, but it became pretty clear that his approach was taking the team nowhere.
That said, I've been a strong proponent of bringing in a coach that will bring an attitude shock to the program. I think the best example, and most relevant considering the circumstances of Duke as an academic institution, is Stanford's hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Before his team even strapped up their helmets for practice, Harbaugh made headlines calling out USC and Pete Carroll at the Pac-10 Media Day, and of course he backed up his rhetoric on the field when the Cardinal knocked off the Trojans 24-23 this season.
For a Duke football program that has been more or less a running national joke for the past decade, the swagger that a fresh attitude change would provide is, in my mind, imperative in a new hire . Honestly, I don't think the saintly, cursing-averse Johnson would provide enough of an attitude shift to merit his hiring.
Just my two cents. Feel free to comment/respond.
Duke Pursuing Johnson...the other one
According to this report in the Tom Dienhart's blog on the Sporting News website, Duke will interview current Vanderbilt HC Bobby Johnson on Monday. Johnson's name came up much earlier in the search process, but I hadn't heard a peep about him as a candidate until now.
A hire of Bobby Johnson would be an interesting move on both ends. Duke would be getting more or less what they want—a HC that's shown that he can be at least competitive in the nation's toughest conference, and in spite of similar academic recruiting restrictions.
However, I find the move to be less clear cut from Johnson's end. A jump to Duke would be a lateral move at best, and potentially a downward move leaving the SEC and leaving a program that has been on the cusp of bowl eligibility in that conference over the past few years. That said, Duke has a dedication to athletics that exceeds Vanderbilt's (remember, they don't even have a formal athletic department), and we probably could offer more money than Vanderbilt is paying him right now (the actual number is undisclosed, but its probably at or slightly above $1mil).
UPDATE (9:25 am): Some morning reads on Johnson in the Herald-Sun and News & Observer. Also, here is one from a Vandy perspective in the Nashville Tennessean.
A hire of Bobby Johnson would be an interesting move on both ends. Duke would be getting more or less what they want—a HC that's shown that he can be at least competitive in the nation's toughest conference, and in spite of similar academic recruiting restrictions.
However, I find the move to be less clear cut from Johnson's end. A jump to Duke would be a lateral move at best, and potentially a downward move leaving the SEC and leaving a program that has been on the cusp of bowl eligibility in that conference over the past few years. That said, Duke has a dedication to athletics that exceeds Vanderbilt's (remember, they don't even have a formal athletic department), and we probably could offer more money than Vanderbilt is paying him right now (the actual number is undisclosed, but its probably at or slightly above $1mil).
UPDATE (9:25 am): Some morning reads on Johnson in the Herald-Sun and News & Observer. Also, here is one from a Vandy perspective in the Nashville Tennessean.
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