With all the negativity swirling around this week, all eyes will be on our head coach to see what direction he takes things.
I don't claim to be an "insider," yet I heard from credible sources that there would be a shakeup after the bowl game. Yes, some would have to do with the expected exits of players looking at the handwriting on the wall with respect to their individual situations. Some would have to do with "trust" in the sense that things have not gone as they were led to believe. I take those things with a grain of salt, because what you are told as a recruit nowadays (specifically "how I will be used") and even as a young player, does not always come to pass. I blame that on both sides in the process: players/parents insisting on knowing the plan, and coaches giving into that despite knowing in their hearts that in most cases the plans go out the door based on factors that cannot be predicted. And of course, some player moves would be based on the old regime/new regime tensions that go with coaching changes, a phenomenon we had been insulated from since a bunch of sophomores leapfrogged older players in 1967. The firing of Donovan was problematic for Franklin in more ways than one, since it ran counter to his claims of intense loyalty and probably shook up his staff in ways not mentionable in public. But did anyone question that change on that side of the ball needed to be made, and would anyone expect Franklin (or any head coach) to fall on his own sword?
Yet, things are so much different today, with things like this message board, twitter and the need for immediate gratification so much more in play. I think no one is more aware of this than James Franklin. How he responds over the next week and month will tell us if we have the right guy in place. "Sources" can talk all they want, and may in fact have valid info, but generally from only one point of view (or from an agenda). I have been around the block enough times to know there is almost always another point of view on virtually every issue. Again, there is one figure in a position to know those viewpoints in almost every case. All eyes will be on him to lead the way forward: that I think we all can agree upon. Almost all of us are hoping for the best, and that all of this is a tempest in a teapot, or at least no more than a "controlled burn" such as used to clear the underbrush in fire prone areas.
The few among the fan base who have wished him to fail from the beginning because he was "not one of ours" should look to Alabama, unquestionably the most successful college football program of the modern era. Their first hire to replace the unreplaceable Bryant just "had to be one of ours." That did not work. I loved Joe Paterno, not because he was a perfect individual or an infallable coach or even always truthful. I loved him because he devoted himself to "make a difference" and in the big picture, succeeded beyond anyone else in his profession despite the temptations of money. He is gone and I still have hope that the program is in good hands, albeit very very different ones.
I don't claim to be an "insider," yet I heard from credible sources that there would be a shakeup after the bowl game. Yes, some would have to do with the expected exits of players looking at the handwriting on the wall with respect to their individual situations. Some would have to do with "trust" in the sense that things have not gone as they were led to believe. I take those things with a grain of salt, because what you are told as a recruit nowadays (specifically "how I will be used") and even as a young player, does not always come to pass. I blame that on both sides in the process: players/parents insisting on knowing the plan, and coaches giving into that despite knowing in their hearts that in most cases the plans go out the door based on factors that cannot be predicted. And of course, some player moves would be based on the old regime/new regime tensions that go with coaching changes, a phenomenon we had been insulated from since a bunch of sophomores leapfrogged older players in 1967. The firing of Donovan was problematic for Franklin in more ways than one, since it ran counter to his claims of intense loyalty and probably shook up his staff in ways not mentionable in public. But did anyone question that change on that side of the ball needed to be made, and would anyone expect Franklin (or any head coach) to fall on his own sword?
Yet, things are so much different today, with things like this message board, twitter and the need for immediate gratification so much more in play. I think no one is more aware of this than James Franklin. How he responds over the next week and month will tell us if we have the right guy in place. "Sources" can talk all they want, and may in fact have valid info, but generally from only one point of view (or from an agenda). I have been around the block enough times to know there is almost always another point of view on virtually every issue. Again, there is one figure in a position to know those viewpoints in almost every case. All eyes will be on him to lead the way forward: that I think we all can agree upon. Almost all of us are hoping for the best, and that all of this is a tempest in a teapot, or at least no more than a "controlled burn" such as used to clear the underbrush in fire prone areas.
The few among the fan base who have wished him to fail from the beginning because he was "not one of ours" should look to Alabama, unquestionably the most successful college football program of the modern era. Their first hire to replace the unreplaceable Bryant just "had to be one of ours." That did not work. I loved Joe Paterno, not because he was a perfect individual or an infallable coach or even always truthful. I loved him because he devoted himself to "make a difference" and in the big picture, succeeded beyond anyone else in his profession despite the temptations of money. He is gone and I still have hope that the program is in good hands, albeit very very different ones.
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