You take the good with the bad with Franklin— for me the positives outweigh the negatives

[Texas Lion]

I also think 100% this season went down the tubes as Franklin was "iffy" about the rumors at other schools. I don't give a rats ass what he tells his players if outside the Lasch everyone and their brother is talking about him staying or going. Say what you want but that is a serious distraction. A distraction that could have been handled with a more calculated answer than what he gave.

 

[bdgan]

To answer the main point of the post. Yes, the positives for JF grossly outweigh the negatives. The problem is all his negatives happen on game day when most of the eyes are on the team. I wonder how much of a "challenge" culture there is within the staff. I wonder if there is anyone of the staff willing to stick up and argue for something they believe in. I knew a high school football coach that surrounded himself with nothing but "yes" men and thus never had good dialogue with his staff.

Indirectly related: IMO Franklin is in a bad place mentally wrt how to handle his players. Remember how he said he was going to get tough after a 1 pt loss to OSU? After the loss to Illinois he talked about not wanting to rant and allow his emotions get the best of him. I think he's struggling with how much to get tough and how much to encourage and show love for his players.

I suspect his uncertainty about how to handle his players carries over to his staff. It would be difficult for them to act one way when the head coach acts another way.

 

[danvillenit]

I also think 100% this season went down the tubes as Franklin was "iffy" about the rumors at other schools. I don't give a rats ass what he tells his players if outside the Lasch everyone and their brother is talking about him staying or going. Say what you want but that is a serious distraction. A distraction that could have been handled with a more calculated answer than what he gave.

Totally disagree.

 

[The Spin Meister]

Indirectly related: IMO Franklin is in a bad place mentally wrt how to handle his players. Remember how he said he was going to get tough after a 1 pt loss to OSU? After the loss to Illinois he talked about not wanting to rant and allow his emotions get the best of him. I think he's struggling with how much to get tough and how much to encourage and show love for his players.

I suspect his uncertainty about how to handle his players carries over to his staff. It would be difficult for them to act one way when the head coach acts another way.

There is some truth to this. CJF loves to create a family atmosphere and that is probably the biggest reason for success at recruiting. Lots of players and their families even say so. But he is like the modern father that wants to his kid’s best friend instead of being a father. Sorry, but Dad needs to be a disciplinarian, not a bestie!

Of course, none of us are behind the scenes and know how he walks that line. Balancing the two is very difficult and he may actually be doing a great job of it.

 

[drpops]

Are you telling me Franklin is a psychology major? In other words, are you telling me Franklin is not very smart?

I hope not.

Franklin earned a college degree in Psychology in 1995. That doesn't mean he isn't smart (don't know why you would think that ). but it does mean he is trained to think and view behavior through a social lens. Psych people view things differently than say .... an engineer! Yes, I think this may influence his decision making and strategy.

 

[PSUEngineer89]

Franklin earned a college degree in Psychology in 1995. That doesn't mean he isn't smart (don't know why you would think that ). but it does mean he is trained to think and view behavior through a social lens. Psych people view things differently than say .... an engineer! Yes, I think this may influence his decision making and strategy.

In GENERAL (and who knows, Franklin could be the smartest Psych major ever), Psych majors aren't the "best and brightest".

That all - now I'm really underwhelmed by Franklin.

I guess I can get ready for all of the offended people with degrees in the weaker majors to babble about anecdotal stories of stupid engineers and so forth.....sigh.

 

[drpops]

In GENERAL (and who knows, Franklin could be the smartest Psych major ever), Psych majors aren't the "best and brightest".

That all - now I'm really underwhelmed by Franklin.

I guess I can get ready for all of the offended people with degrees in the weaker majors to babble about anecdotal stories of stupid engineers and so forth.....sigh.

Well ..... Franklin is a warm and fuzzy guy. Psych major. Sabin - business administration with masters in sports administration. Belichick - economics major. I only looked up those two successful coaches. But warm and fuzzy works for high school kids and their parents so he is a people person coach and likable . I don't think the MFer personalities will align with Franklin's style and my guess is he doesn't want those guys and their potential problems. ie Antonio Sheldon.
I simply want Franklin to not overthink the game. Stop being cute or tricky and take what you're given/play to your strength.
For example: Franklin wants explosive plays. Great, so do the fans. But we only have one explosive player! So play the game with what we can do pretty well. Control the ball. Move the chains down the field and take any points when we can get them. Take a big shot once in a while..... but that isn't who this team is this year. Our strength is D so control the ball, play field position and take points when we can. Let the players decide the game.

 

[PSUSignore]

But last year was a losing season, this looks like 7-5, and if next year is 7-5 again I do not know what would happen to him.

Franklin has a top 10 salary. We now have 2 consecutive seasons where he clearly isn't performing at the level he's being paid for. He would have been able to escape one via the Covid card, but not the 2021 season. Another mediocre season in 2022 and he better be ready for a pay cut, especially now that there's precedence for it with the recent Harbaugh and Frost restructured contracts. I generally like Franklin and want him to stay but when his salary is up there with the coaches that are making the playoff appearances and he keeps applying leverage for more spending then he has to perform. He did not meet expectations in 2020 or 2021. One more year and if I'm the AD I'm reducing his pay with a more incentive-laden deal and reducing his buyout, while leaving the other investments in the program like facilities and assistant salaries intact.