(12-08-2017 05:59 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Official-- just posted on ESPN...

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-07...64918961-4

Quote:New Rice head coach Mike Bloomgren is hiring Michigan secondary coach Brian Smith as his defensive coordinator and North Carolina Central head coach Jerry Mack (31-15, four seasons, three MEAC titles) to run the Owls' offense. Bloomgren worked with Smith at the New York Jets a decade ago, and with Mack at Delta State prior to that.

Haven't been this excited about next season in... well, ever.

(12-08-2017 06:14 PM)HawaiiOwl Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 06:01 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Look for former Oregon State OC Kevin McGiven to perhaps join the Rice staff as the QBs coach.

Was FootballScoop's 2014 QB COY while at Utah State.

sounds like he would have to take a pay cut

Well, Oregon State hired a new head coach so I’m not sure that McGiven was going to be retained as OC.

(12-08-2017 06:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I predict Rice football practices will look very different next year.

(12-08-2017 06:14 PM)HawaiiOwl Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 06:01 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Look for former Oregon State OC Kevin McGiven to perhaps join the Rice staff as the QBs coach.

Was FootballScoop's 2014 QB COY while at Utah State.

sounds like he would have to take a pay cut

Bloomgren mentioned on the radio interview that some of the staff would be taking pay cuts. McGiven doesn't have a job with the change at Oregon State, so maybe in his eyes it's not really a cut.

(12-08-2017 06:01 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Look for former Oregon State OC Kevin McGiven to perhaps join the Rice staff as the QBs coach.

Was FootballScoop's 2014 QB COY while at Utah State.

Thanks for that. It allows me to say chuckie keeton!! For the first time in three years

Article with a few quotes from Coach Mack on the move.

(12-08-2017 06:29 PM)MemOwl Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 06:01 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Look for former Oregon State OC Kevin McGiven to perhaps join the Rice staff as the QBs coach.

Was FootballScoop's 2014 QB COY while at Utah State.

Thanks for that. It allows me to say chuckie keeton!! For the first time in three years

I don’t think McGiven is confirmed yet, just basing it on some Twitter activity.

Mack now following McGiven on twitter....

(12-08-2017 06:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I predict Rice football practices will look very different next year.

Be honest -- how many Rice football practices have you been to in the past 10 years?

Quote:Glynn Hill‏
@RiceChron
4m4 minutes ago
More
Just got done chatting with Rice's new OC Jerry Mack & new DC Brian Smith. They're already on campus to meet recruits and parents at an event tonight.

Not wasting time hitting the ground running.

Quote:Glynn Hill‏
@RiceChron
2m2 minutes ago
For those unfamiliar w/ Mack, he was the head coach at an HBCU in Durham, NC. More of a spread-guy, likes a mobile QB, 3-4 WR sets. He'll blend his style w/ Bloomgren's power/west coast style to best utilize the roster's current talent.

I can't think of a profession where hiring people based upon personal history/experience (friends?, your boys?) vs. actual performance/skills is more prevalent than football coaching at all levels (HS, College, NFL).

Good and bad to see Bloomgren not breaking any trends and focused on hiring his boys from the past. Good that he has a deep bench to draw from and confidence from others to uproot their lives and follow him. Also, likely they will be on the same page which is good.

But not sure if it this is the 'best' or most qualified group of coaches. My concern is that if he leaves after some success, will this group stay? I like people whose loyalties are to Rice, not loyal to a single individual where there is no Rice affiliation/loyalty.

He is not the first or last to do this approach to build a staff. But clearly he has a low bar as his comp.

(12-08-2017 08:26 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

Quote:Glynn Hill‏
@RiceChron
4m4 minutes ago
More
Just got done chatting with Rice's new OC Jerry Mack & new DC Brian Smith. They're already on campus to meet recruits and parents at an event tonight.

Not wasting time hitting the ground running.

More good news.

(12-08-2017 08:31 PM)owl40 Wrote:  I can't think of a profession where hiring people based upon personal history/experience (friends?, your boys?) vs. actual performance/skills is more prevalent than football coaching at all levels (HS, College, NFL).

Good and bad to see Bloomgren not breaking any trends and focused on hiring his boys from the past. Good that he has a deep bench to draw from and confidence from others to uproot their lives and follow him. Also, likely they will be on the same page which is good.

But not sure if it this is the 'best' or most qualified group of coaches. My concern is that if he leaves after some success, will this group stay? I like people whose loyalties are to Rice, not loyal to a single individual where there is no Rice affiliation/loyalty.

He is not the first or last to do this approach to build a staff. But clearly he has a low bar as his comp.

I get what you're saying, but frankly, if these guys' highest ambition is assistant coach at a G5 cellar-dweller, they aren't motivated enough for the job that needs to be done.

(12-08-2017 08:00 PM)InterestedX Wrote:  

(12-08-2017 06:16 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I predict Rice football practices will look very different next year.

Be honest -- how many Rice football practices have you been to in the past 10 years?

A bunch while I still worked in Houston. Not many since.

But I've made it pretty clear that my comments about practices were based upon observations of others passed along to me, and have accompanied such comments with a request for anyone who did attend regularly and had a different take to speak up. You've noticed there have been no takers on that.

And you can tell how a team practices by watching how it plays. We play like a team that doesn't practice hard.

Why the "Be honest" comment anyway?

Here's the full Chronicle article on Mack and Smith...

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/r...ium=social

Quote:"I'm really excited about it. I left a great situation in Michigan; I feel like they have a lot of talent and a bright future, but the opportunity to work with coach Bloomgren is just too good to pass up," Smith said.

"You knew early on that he'd be a head coach someday. The way he carries himself; his knowledge of the game; the way he relates to people; the way players feel about him, you don't see that in every coach. Whatever that 'It' factor is, he's got it and I want to be with a coach like that," he said.

"We used to dream of this situation being the head coach and the coordinator together."

(12-08-2017 08:31 PM)owl40 Wrote:  I can't think of a profession where hiring people based upon personal history/experience (friends?, your boys?) vs. actual performance/skills is more prevalent than football coaching at all levels (HS, College, NFL).
Good and bad to see Bloomgren not breaking any trends and focused on hiring his boys from the past. Good that he has a deep bench to draw from and confidence from others to uproot their lives and follow him. Also, likely they will be on the same page which is good.
But not sure if it this is the 'best' or most qualified group of coaches. My concern is that if he leaves after some success, will this group stay? I like people whose loyalties are to Rice, not loyal to a single individual where there is no Rice affiliation/loyalty.
He is not the first or last to do this approach to build a staff. But clearly he has a low bar as his comp.

I think it's a problem when the head coach hires based on friendship rather than competence. But the guys he has brought in so far don't appear short on competence, certainly not compared to what we've had there in the past. I'm actually amazed that he can get guys with those credentials to take staff jobs here. And as far as being "yes" men, I find it interesting that Bloomgren has hired an OC with a different philosophy from what he expressed. I actually like Mack's approach, at least conceptually, more than the Stanford approach, partly because of the people we have. If we start more like Mack and recruit to play more like Stanford, that seems kind of like where this is headed. As far as loyalty in case Bloomgren is 3 and out, if one of those guys has proved himself, then maybe a promotion to HC would be in order, although that's not historically a great idea. My bottom line: I think this is shaping up as a fine staff, and one that can recruit, recruit, recruit--which is what we really need.

I think we will recruit better and coach better, from the HC on down, and I'm ready for that.

(12-08-2017 08:31 PM)owl40 Wrote:  I can't think of a profession where hiring people based upon personal history/experience (friends?, your boys?) vs. actual performance/skills is more prevalent than football coaching at all levels (HS, College, NFL).

Good and bad to see Bloomgren not breaking any trends and focused on hiring his boys from the past. Good that he has a deep bench to draw from and confidence from others to uproot their lives and follow him. Also, likely they will be on the same page which is good.

But not sure if it this is the 'best' or most qualified group of coaches. My concern is that if he leaves after some success, will this group stay? I like people whose loyalties are to Rice, not loyal to a single individual where there is no Rice affiliation/loyalty.

He is not the first or last to do this approach to build a staff. But clearly he has a low bar as his comp.

If he leaves he will have to elevate our program substantially. I hope we get to that day and offer to match whoever comes after him. But if we can’t, I trust JK will be able to make a similar hire when we have a higher profile job opening.

If Bloomberg can be Nutt or Koetter to the next guy's Hawkins, to the guy after that's Petersen, we will be ecstatic.

At the very least, this isn’t Arizona State, where their Stanford-grad AD decided to hire his former client/friend/walking caricature who hasn’t coached in the NFL in a decade and hasn’t coached in college in over 25 years.