I bet I'm not the only one in ND Nation suddenly very interested in the NFL coaching carousel, particularly what just happened in Tampa. Head Coach Jon Gruden - he who led Tampa to it's only Super Bowl title in 2003, who was raised in South Bend, who's dad was a former Notre Dame assistant, and who was rumored to be Tyrone Willingham's successor - was fired this week. Odds are it's too late for him to find another NFL job for next season, meaning he could still be a free agent come next winter. Suddenly the stress meter for Charlie Weis just cranked up a few notches.
Gruden reminds me a lot of Pete Carroll, except he's succeeded at the top in the NFL where Carroll failed. He's young, energetic, enthusiastic, and a so-called "mastermind" on one half of the ball - offense, as opposed to Carroll's defensive background. If he's still available and Notre Dame doesn't come out of the gates next season like a house on fire, I hope to God that Swarbrick and the other administrators pick up the phone and start cozying up to Gruden.
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3 comments:
I agree. The timing is almost perfect should Weis falter. We could talk to him without any conflicts, and have him in place to step in whenever we decide to let Weis go. I will go on record saying that I think our team will be good enough next year to save Weis' butt, despite some of his coaching deficiencies.
That being said, I just have never been that impressed with Gruden. His offenses haven't ever lit the world on fire, so what makes me think that he would do a better job than Weis who did have some great O's at New England. Also, his temperament just doesn't seem to fit with the college game. He motivates through fear and intimidation.
Finally, one of the biggest knocks on Gruden was his inability to develop young players, particularly at QB. That seems like a big red flag for the transition to college.
"He motivates through fear and intimidation."
Sounds a lot like Nick Saban. If so, sign me up.
I'm not sold on Gruden. Personally, I'd rather have an up-and-comer from a small school that developed the program from not-good to really good. I'd like the coach from Cincinnati (Bearcats). Heck, maybe we could even lure Mark Dantonio for MSU! Those are guys I think would be good at ND.
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