Dear Joe,

I want to recognize the great work you have done. Rice Athletics in September 2016 is overall materially better than what you inherited.

However, we do have to recognize the football program has regressed over the past few years. We are in year-10 of the current football leadership.

We just lost at home to # 157 Sagarin Ranked North Texas. It was a tough loss. But it was not a loss to a P5 opponent like Baylor, or a 2nd tier P5 opponent like Wake Forest or Purdue, or even to a top-tier C-USA team like La Tech or WKU. This was a loss at home to a bad 'directional U' football team that was blown-out at home by SMU who we all know is also not a good football team. This is not moving forward. It is moving backward.

We lost because of the same things we have always lost by over the past decade… poor in-game adjustments, poor defensive fundamentals, poor execution, and lack of playmakers. As usual, we played hard but there is something that needs deeper reflection as we approach a decade with the same football leadership in place. Is the current staff going to get Rice to its declared goals of Top 25, better conference, and put Rice on that national stage in a positive way?

If you believe the answer is 'yes' than I think you owe it to the small but passionate base of Rice fans to explain why you believe that. I'm not sure any of us see hope right now with 10-years of data. And without specific results/wins to fund the larger goals, hope is key. If the answer is 'no' than you should make a change ASAP and send a clear message regarding Rice's commitment to its larger goals. If the answer is 'we shall see', I ask you what do you think you will see in the next two months that will be different and has not already been seen?

David Bailiff is Rice's version of Jimmy Carter. Just as Jimmy Carter was the USA's solution to heal a torn nation, David Bailiff was the perfect solution to a problem in 2006-7 that the Rice Community needed to heal as a result of Todd Graham's shenanigans. It was desperately needed for a brief moment in time but over the long-term is no longer the best solution.

What makes this very difficult is that just like Jimmy Carter, David Bailiff is a great man. He teaches young kids to be great men. He is a great ambassador for Rice. He graduates his kids. He does things the right way without shortcuts. I hope you can find him a tenured position (albeit not at same salary) for all he has done for Rice. His accomplishments of doing things the right way and his commitment to the University should be celebrated and he should know he has a long-term home here. He has earned that. However in my opinion, he is not the leader to get us to the next level/chapter that we all aspire to and be the best solution to accomplish your larger goals for Rice Athletics.

The body of work is complete and thorough. Zero Top 50 wins in 10-years. Zero competitive games against the top-25 within 20-points in 10-years. Despite a few bowl appearances due to soft scheduling, Rice is still seen as a laughingstock on the national stage due to these consistent blow-outs and lack of competitiveness against respected football teams. But Rice/Bailiff does have many wins over the past 10-years against teams between 75-125 in FBS. Rice has shown it can beat bad football teams. However, tonight we did not even do that. Next week Rice will be #1 ranked in the dubious 'Bottom 10' FBS football teams.

We know what we have….good and bad.

Tonight showcased why a change needs to be made for the greater good and greater goals of Rice Football which are a major subset of the larger Rice Athletics goals. It is difficult as we all know the budget/financial constraints and realities you have but for better or worse, it is on your watch.

Thank You,

Owl Fans

+1. Well stated. Tonight was the bookend to Nichols State. It needs to end here.

I agree with everything you said EXCEPT calling DB "a great man" (which I think is overstating things more than a little bit), and suggesting that we find him a tenured position. Why exactly do we owe him anything? It should be the other way around. Save for two years out of 10 here at Rice he has provided sub-par performance (i.e., finishing the year ranked outside the Top 85), and it's not like he's underpayed at $800,000+ per year.

(09-24-2016 10:57 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I agree with everything you said EXCEPT calling DB "a great man" (which I think is overstating things more than a little bit), and suggesting that we find him a tenured position. Why exactly do we owe him anything? It should be the other way around. Save for two years out of 10 here at Rice he has provided sub-par performance (i.e., finishing the year ranked outside the Top 85), and it's not like he's underpayed at $800,000+ per year.

Walt,

I'm okay with calling him a great man. I don't think we need to quarrel with that. Let him save as much face as he can.

He's just not a very good football coach. Certainly not as good as we need if we are to achieve our goals.

(09-24-2016 11:09 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 10:57 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I agree with everything you said EXCEPT calling DB "a great man" (which I think is overstating things more than a little bit), and suggesting that we find him a tenured position. Why exactly do we owe him anything? It should be the other way around. Save for two years out of 10 here at Rice he has provided sub-par performance (i.e., finishing the year ranked outside the Top 85), and it's not like he's underpayed at $800,000+ per year.

Walt,

I'm okay with calling him a great man. I don't think we need to quarrel with that. Let him save as much face as he can.

He's just not a very good football coach. Certainly not as good as we need if we are to achieve our goals.

OwlNumbers, question I had on one of your posts in one of the other threads that I think is easier to bring here.

I agree with you that Jasper should be a prime target, but... How would you feel if we were to "pull a Braun," of sorts, and pick up a (recently bought-out) Paul Johnson (if this season goes for GaTech the way it looks like it will)?

Will take a lot more than throwing money at a coach. Need lots of improvement in athletes as well.

(09-24-2016 11:13 PM)baker-13 Wrote:  OwlNumbers, question I had on one of your posts in one of the other threads that I think is easier to bring here.
I agree with you that Jasper should be a prime target, but... How would you feel if we were to "pull a Braun," of sorts, and pick up a (recently bought-out) Paul Johnson (if this season goes for GaTech the way it looks like it will)?

I have been a huge Paul Johnson fan ever since he combined the wishbone and the run and shoot for Tracy Ham at Georgia Southern under Erk Russell in the late 80s, and then did the same for Garret Gabriel at Hawaii under Bob Wagner in the early 90s. There has been no point during the last 25 years when I would not have been happy to have him.

By the way, how many of you knew that his daughter is a Rice alum (Shepherd School)? So there is a connection of sorts.

But we won't get better players without throwing money at a good coach. And the problem isn't just better players but good or bad the players almost always fail to improve under this staff. Players like Gaines, Covington, and the other seven who are in the NFL shows they are good players, but their improvement came because of their ability to be selected by an NFL team and then they improved.

(09-24-2016 11:23 PM)ETx Owl Wrote:  Will take a lot more than throwing money at a coach. Need lots of improvement in athletes as well.

I think there is a lot that can be done with development. I think our S&C has done nothing but bulk people up and make them slower. I think we could benefit greatly from a shift in focus from bulk to speed and agility.

The only edit I would make is add the word "dwindling" after "small but passionate". And I agree that Walt is being harsh.

And yes, this just might be the bookend to Nicholls State, but PVAMU may well be instead. And just to think that at one time, we thought that losing to SW Texas State was the bottom. Would we be able to stay on the field with Sam Houston?

Finished watching the archived game on CUSA TV. The audio and video were perfectly synced in the archived version, the camera shots were overall good, pleased with the product. I assume they will get some graphics for score and down/distance in there soon.

What a miserable game. 1st quarter looked good and I didn't think North Texas had the athleticism to slow the east-west passing attack that is Rice football's offense. But then Stehling's accuracy went to crap and Rice turned the ball over, so North Texas didn't really have to worry about it. I didn't see a single thing North Texas did than impressed me, and Rice just lost to them.

Part of an email I sent to Leebron follows. I sent the email on 10/8/12, after the Memphis loss. Still pretty accurate. I emailed Leebron and JK after the Army loss and the Baylor loss this year. And other times between the Memphis loss and the Army loss. I need to win the powerball and become a donor$$$ so they start giving a $h!t about what I write

mrbig Wrote:President Leebron,

I imagine you are receiving an inordinate number of calls and emails about Rice football, as least I certainly hope you are. It has been apparent to some of us for at least a few years now that, while David Bailiff is a very good human being who clearly "gets" Rice, he just isn't a good enough coach to make Rice a consistent winner. Rice strives to achieve excellence in everything it does, and honestly, I have no idea why the university doesn't expect and demand more of the athletic program. I'm not saying Rice should be able to compete with LSU and Alabama at football, but certainly Rice should strive to blow-out the lower tier CUSA teams like Memphis.

The level of production Bailiff has achieved over the last few years would get him fired if he were working in the physics, mechanical engineering, sociology, or any other department at Rice. I have no idea why Rice has set such a low bar for athletics that this kind of performance is deemed acceptable. But I beg you to make the necessary change and remove David Bailiff as head coach. I sincerely hoped he would be successful because of his many positive attributes, but at this point it is beyond clear that the negatives out-weigh the positives.

[]

Thank you for your time and consideration. I think you are doing a very good job as Rice's President and have full confidence that you will make the right decisions to help lead Rice football toward more sustained success.

Sincerely,

[mrbig]

Unconventional wisdom strikes again.

Only at Rice, would an AD not fire him. I'm forwarding JK's response to me after last season. It said to trust his judgement on retaining Bailiff....

Bailiff needs to be fired, but the AD needs to take a ton of heat for allowing this type of year during realignment.

(09-24-2016 11:24 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 11:13 PM)baker-13 Wrote:  OwlNumbers, question I had on one of your posts in one of the other threads that I think is easier to bring here.
I agree with you that Jasper should be a prime target, but... How would you feel if we were to "pull a Braun," of sorts, and pick up a (recently bought-out) Paul Johnson (if this season goes for GaTech the way it looks like it will)?

I have been a huge Paul Johnson fan ever since he combined the wishbone and the run and shoot for Tracy Ham at Georgia Southern under Erk Russell in the late 80s, and then did the same for Garret Gabriel at Hawaii under Bob Wagner in the early 90s. There has been no point during the last 25 years when I would not have been happy to have him.

I can't think of a time in my adult life where I wouldn't like to earn $2.6 million, but can Rice raise the funds to pay for that kind of salary?

edit: I know that GaTech will struggle in perpetuity to raise the high water mark from their epic victory over Cumberland, but I suspect there are a lot of GaTech alumni who would bow towards the southwest if Rice made a serious play for him. Still, I don't think he'd be as affordable as when Rice lured Ken Hatfield away from Clemson (noting that Hatfield had a history with Rice in the Southwest Conference).

College football coaches salaries in NCAA FBS - Paul Johnson

http://sports.newsday.com/long-island/da...l-johnson/ Wrote:Base compensation
2014 guaranteed money: $2,588,000
Contract guaranteed money $19,894,700
contract length: 7 years
start date: Dec. 10, 2007
amended: twice
end date: Dec. 31, 2016
2014 base salary: $325,000

(09-24-2016 11:48 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  I agree that Walt is being harsh.

I don't (and it's rare for me to defend Walt).

I don't really care whether anybody calls Bailiff a "great man." I don't know one way or the other.

But the suggestion to give him a tenured position might be the kookiest idea ever written on this board.

(09-25-2016 03:12 AM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 11:48 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  I agree that Walt is being harsh.

I don't (and it's rare for me to defend Walt).

I don't really care whether anybody calls Bailiff a "great man." I don't know one way or the other.

But the suggestion to give him a tenured position might be the kookiest idea ever written on this board.

Professor of Clapping at Shepherd School?

College head coaching jobs are not lifetime appointments. In no way would it be an indictment of David Bailiff as a person to remove him as the head coach. The situation of Rice Football today is simply not healthy and if this continues for any meaningful amount of time, then it will put us on a destructive path that may prove irreversible considering the ongoing conference re-alignment activity.

Yes, let Bailiff save face as best as possible, but do not do this to the detriment of rapidly finding a successor.

(09-25-2016 03:12 AM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  

(09-24-2016 11:48 PM)texowl2 Wrote:  I agree that Walt is being harsh.

I don't (and it's rare for me to defend Walt).

I don't really care whether anybody calls Bailiff a "great man." I don't know one way or the other.

But the suggestion to give him a tenured position might be the kookiest idea ever written on this board.

I'm with Walt as well. While for the most part performing at a substandard level, DB has made over these last ten years far more money than most college educated people will earn in a lifetime. It has been the biggest "get over" ever.

WI is spot on. Only at Rice would he have gone this long without being fired.

If I heard of a school that retained him so long with his performance level, I would assume the school was either trying to kill the football team or simply did not care about it.

Gravy is also on point. A tenured position. Incredible.

I wonder what our professors think. Many of them are outstanding in their fields (and probably held to high standards.) Yet they make significantly less money I would think than someone who is not only at the top of his field, but not even average. And it is tolerated.

We need to send a message to the world that we are serious about excellence in everything we do, on and off the field. And that includes football. Good enough is not good enough, and below average is certainly not good enough.

Incidentally, not long ago, Rice football could have creamed Duke. Yesterday Duke beat Notre Dame on the road.

(09-24-2016 11:23 PM)ETx Owl Wrote:  Will take a lot more than throwing money at a coach. Need lots of improvement in athletes as well.

You're grossly underestimating the impact that a head coach has on the success of a college football program.

(09-25-2016 07:35 AM)Ranger Wrote:  

(09-25-2016 03:12 AM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  [quote='texowl2' pid='13611025' dateline='1474778886']
I agree that Walt is being harsh.

If I heard of a school that retained him so long with his performance level, I would assume the school was either trying to kill the football team or simply did not care about it.

An analysis that I have long believed to be true, maybe the tide has changed, but it may be too late........

Apologies as 'tenured' was not the proper choice of words. It is not uncommon for Universities to find homes for ex-coaches/players that brought something to the University. He may not want one but I do think he has earned a home.

It is unfair and wrong to make the attacks personal on DB. We all may not like the results on-the-field over past couple years but I do think he is a great man. Unfortunately, he is just not the right person for the next chapter/level for Rice Football that align with the goals of Rice Athletics. He did stabilize a situation and there are many facts/accomplishments on his watch (e.g., nominated for a Bear Bryant Award, Bowl Appearances, Conference Championship, no monkey business, etc, etc.).

On the field last night, it was maddening once again to see us come out for the fourth straight game solid for the first part of the game then to see a bad football team make adjustments and we did not adjust to their adjustments.

In all four games this year, we have come out of the tunnel in the first quarter ready-to-play with a gameplan that had initial success. For those on Parliament that like to blame 'preparation' as the issue, i would disagree that has been the problem this year. However, that initial success has quickly faded in all games and our in-game coaching adjustments are not there and then the basic fundamentals of throwing, running right angles, catching, and tackling disappear. It can get masked for a period of time given how hard the kids play, but eventually gets exposed/gashed for big plays. If NT were not a bad football team and did not have their own penalties/gifts and poor execution it would have been a 3 TD loss after coming out strong 17-0.

What also appears to have really regressed and lag effect now showing on-the-field is the recruiting. All of the NFL guys of years past plus solid All-CUSA guys like McH, CC, Bradshaw, Raines, etc. could make plays. We don't have those guys on-the-field anymore and now talent level is being exposed even in the depths of C-USA.

That is what made me start the initial post game post on the thread....lack of hope. If we lose to NT b/c of young guys who are really talented and you see glimpses of the talent but they just need the seasoning, then you can be patient and have some hope. That was last year as we rationalized all the young guys playing and EZF creating some hope this year for a 7-win season and competitive in the other games. Now a year later, it just looks like we are out-coached with in-game adjustments, out-talented/no playmakers, and other teams have better fundamentals of blocking, tackling, throwing, etc..

Maybe the ghost/legend of Philip Gaines in Memphis can come back and lead us to 7 W's but not betting on that...hope has faded and other than a leadership change, not sure where hope is going to come from...