(12-09-2016 02:02 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  I disagree...Taggart has a history of improving programs. And better still...when he left WKU, they didn't fall off a cliff. He leaves programs in decent shape too.

I think its an interesting hire, because Taggart appears to accept a transitional year (e.g., losing) while he puts his system and recruiting in place. I'm not sure Oregon is going to give him the time to do that.

I never said he didn't improve programs, just that he's done nothing special in his career, certainly not special enough to warrant such a promotion. Will he be able to recruit Florida at Oregon as he did at Western and USF?

(12-09-2016 02:38 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  His resume at WKU and USF is one of dramatically improving woeful programs. WKU was winless and the worst team in FBS (0-12) the year before he took over. Had them bowl eligible in 2 years. At USF, he took over a pathetic program that was left decimated by Skip Holtz, and bereft of talent. Had them winning within 3 years and 10 wins in year 4.

He'll do the same thing at Oregon. Question is, will Oregon be patient for 2 or 3 years while he stockpiles talent and implements system or will they demand immediate results.

Yeah, he can improve programs that compete against teams that can't just reload every year but can he build and maintain a program? Will he recruit as well so far from his primary base? It hasn't been proven, he was under .500 at both stops and benefited greatly by being in Florida at USF. His best win is over a system/gimmick team where they built a lead and hung on.

Like I said, they're banking on someone who had one really good season in all his career, a season where he pretty much turned zero heads nationally.

(12-09-2016 02:49 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  You are the only person on earth that believes this.

USF was routed by Florida State (although had no problem scoring on FSU). The Temple game was a one score game with 5 min left in 4th and USF having the ball with chance to tie when Quinton Flowers went down to injury and his backup who has played probably 25 snaps in his life threw an INT returned for TD. QF sat out rest of game. Game was not rout. Learn the facts.

Was South Florida inherently better than Temple? Houston? Navy (they won but that was just one game at home)? Memphis? Tulsa?

There's not a team in the top 6 of the AAC that South Florida was clearly better than, so they may have been the sixth best team. Many of their points against Florida State came after FSU took their foot off the gas (38 straight points at one time to take a 31 point lead).

USF was good this year but nothing special.

(12-08-2016 01:57 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(12-08-2016 10:58 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(12-08-2016 08:21 AM)_C2_ Wrote:  Awful move by Oregon, they could have done much better. Taggart has proven nothing at USF, at least nationally.

Not an "awful" move, that can't be known until we see how Oregon's teams perform under Taggart.

But given his spotty record at USF, it definitely is a risky move. They are rolling the dice here.

I also find it to be complementary to USF, as it indicates that USF has enough stature and prominence such that winning even modestly at USF means you are qualified to be promoted to a job at a big-time P5.

At best we can say there were probably better candidates they could have hired. There's a difference between being an upper level team at USF and winning in the Pac-12 and nationally. To just grab some coach because he happens to have a good record while you have a vacancy is silly. He has no wins over his career to suggest he's any great. That win over Temple last year was seen as a sizable upset and dare I say fluke. Navy wasn't a fluke but if that's what you're hanging your hat on, it's not much. He was below .500 overall at USF (24-25). He's under .500 overall, heck, I'm looking at his resume at WKU trying to figure out how he was promoted to be USF's HC. What, that he took a minor, transitioning school and made them mediocre in the lower end of of FBS?

This was his first 10-win season and the only win of any note was Navy, when they built a lead and coasted rather than dominated them from start to finish. They were Blitzkreig'd by Florida State and Temple, the only other teams with a pulse that they played except maybe Memphis.

Like I said, an awful hire, he's done nothing to earn a shot at a big time job, not even compete for a conference title. You have to hope that he overcomes his lack of accomplishment to do a bang up job. Riley, Miles and numerous others would have been better candidates for the vacancy.

Sorry, but jabbering your opinion about the nature of some of USF's wins and losses doesn't show Oregon made an awful hire. Only the future can do that.

Luke Fickell to be announced as UC head coach tomorrow. As a Miami fan I am pleased.

http://www.fox19.com/story/34019039/sour...cincinnati

Edit: Sorry, wrong thread.

(12-09-2016 10:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Sorry, but jabbering your opinion about the nature of some of USF's wins and losses doesn't show Oregon made an awful hire. Only the future can do that.

You're exactly right. That said, what has Taggart done in his career other than improve the teams who took over? What are his big wins and major accomplishments? I can go on rambling in long form like above or ask it in a nutshell like here.

(12-09-2016 11:44 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(12-09-2016 10:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Sorry, but jabbering your opinion about the nature of some of USF's wins and losses doesn't show Oregon made an awful hire. Only the future can do that.

You're exactly right. That said, what has Taggart done in his career other than improve the teams who took over? What are his big wins and major accomplishments? I can go on rambling in long form like above or ask it in a nutshell like here.

I've already answered that. I noted that Taggart is just 24-25 at USF, never won a bowl game, and never won a division much less a conference title with us.

So yes, he is a RISKY hire for Oregon.

He is manifestly not a coach with a sterling record of consistent high-level achievement. He's had his downs and ups, what has helped his career immensely is just that - his downs have come before his ups, thus giving the impression that he makes things better than when he found them.

That can make a huge difference. E.g., in 1999, LSU fired Gerry Dinardo and hired Nick Saban as his replacement. At the time, Dinardo had been LSU's coach since 1995, while Saban had been Michigan State's coach the exact same length of time. Each was at their first Power-level head coaching job.

If you compared their overall records, they were remarkably similar. They both had about the same overall won-loss record. Dinardo was 33-22, Saban was almost identical 35-24. Beyond that, Dinardo was better, having gone 3-0 in bowl games, whereas Saban was 1-3 in bowl games, including, ironically, a loss to Dinardo and LSU in the 1996 Independence Bowl.

So you would never expect that one guy would be fired in favor of the other. Difference was, whereas Dinardo started with 3 straight winning seasons, he finished with two losing ones, whereas Saban started with two losing and one .500 seasons, but his last two seasons were winners, including 10-2 in 1999. And no, Dinardo didn't start with any advantage. LSU was 4-7 the year before he took over, MSU was 5-6 the year before Saban took over.

So Dinardo was fired, and his career never recovered, and Saban got a new job, the critical one that led to his booming career, just because Saban was perceived to be on the upswing.

The difference being people at least knew Saban was the next big thing. He was widely credited with a big win at Ohio State that cost them a national title.

Taggart is an up and comer, I'll give him that but there's nothing on his resume to suggest he should get a shot at a program that nearly won thee national title very recently. We shall see.

(12-10-2016 04:03 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  The difference being people at least knew Saban was the next big thing.

Nobody knew that. Lots of doubters at the the time. Saban was a BIG risk for LSU. That it turned out to be one of the hires of the century was only something known in retrospect.

You know what I mean by "everybody." During that game I mentioned, Brent Musburger suggested that the reborn Cleveland Browns may have interest in him after that "masterpiece."

Saban had lots of hype. Taggart has little outside Florida and Kentucky.

Taggart just made a move that drastically increases his chances of success at Oregon. He hired Jim Leavitt (also a former South Florida head coach) as his defensive coordinator.

If Leavitt improves Oregon's defense as much as he improved Colorado's, the Ducks will become very tough to beat.

Quote:Bruce Feldman
‏@BruceFeldmanCFB

BREAKING #CU defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt is going to #Oregon as the Ducks new DC gets a 4-year deal, source tells @FoxSports.

1:37 PM - 14 Dec 2016

Quote:Bruce Feldman
‏@BruceFeldmanCFB

HUGE hire for #Oregon & Willie Taggart. The deal Jim Leavitt gets will make him the highest-paid coordinator in Pac-12 history, per source.

1:42 PM - 14 Dec 2016

Quote:Bruce Feldman
‏@BruceFeldmanCFB

How great a job did Jim Leavitt do at CU? Buffs ranked No. 8 in fewest yds per play. 2 years ago, before Leavitt arrived, CU ranked No. 120.

1:47 PM - 14 Dec 2016

That's dumb.

If they were willing to pay 4x what Colorado was paying, why not just hire Colorado's whole staff at 4x ????


Obviously was only about money, as Leavitt has no ties to the west coast before he went to the 49ers and then Colorado.

Come on Buffs Boosters, you're gonna let some Shoe School out in Oregon outspend you??

That boosts my belief, he really does want to win.