(11-22-2022 10:56 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  

(11-22-2022 10:16 AM)ruowls Wrote:  

(11-22-2022 07:57 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(11-22-2022 12:43 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Yet we have a lot of people wanting to try the same ol' stuff that got us here. THIS time it will work, yeah.

The same old stuff that hasn't worked is hiring offensive geniuses without Texas connections as head football coaches. Rice, Brown, Berndt, and Bloomgren have a combined record of 25 wins and 94 losses, or a winning percentage of 21.0%. They also arrived with literally zero Texas HS coaches' connections.

Fred and Bailiff were defensive guys with strong Texas connections who had a combined 80-111-1, or 41.9%. And they both hired strong OCs--Dinger and Mensa. So defensive guys with Texas connections have won twice as often as offensive gurus. Ken was an offensive guy with a defensive background, and Texas recruiting connections, and his offense was hated by those who typically want the offensive guru types, so he doesn't really fit either place, although his winning percentage (41.4%) is close to the defensive guys and by far the best of the offensive guys.

RUOwls would fit the offensive guru category and other than his time at Rice and the last 2-3 years hasn't spent much time in Texas. But we had a conversation before the Bailiff firing where he told me that he had lined up a prospective staff with huge Rice and Texas HS connections. RUOwls with that staff would be very successful IMO.

If we are going to hire an offensive guy, hire RUOwls and let him put that staff in place. If not RUOwls, then look at what has (and has not) worked in the past.

If I were on a coach hiring committee, the questions I would ask would be:
1) What is your philosophy of winning football?
2) Whom would you propose to hire for your coaching staff?
3) How do you recruit within the limits of Rice's size and academic requirements?

So basically what you are saying is that the person and their clinical reasoning, thought process and organizational skills matter more than the scheme or categorical placement. There are many factors that need to be merged to create a successful program. I still find the case of Jeff Saturday intriguing. Here is a guy hired by an NFL team to be their interim HC who had a whopping 3 years of HS coaching in LA and was a TV analyst for the last few years. He did play center for the Colts so had familiarity with them and the owner. At least I have had 6 years of HS coaching. And just for you, I coached the secondary for my first year in HS. I was a FS in HS and played corner in a HS All-Star game. I do have a funny story though. I went to a football camp after my junior year in Riverside. Since I was primarily a FS in HS, I said I was a FS and participated in the camp as a FS. Midway through the camp, they made everybody play the opposite side of the ball. I did a session as a receiver. At the end of the session, the coach came up to me and told me that no matter what anybody else tells me that I shouldn't listen because I was a receiver. That coach was Tony Dungy.

Good story.

When RU first suggested himself, I was not in favor of it, as I hated to see a Rice Owl with a highly successful career in another field sacrifice himself to the snake and alligator infested swamp that is rice athletics.

But he brings some things to the table that nobody else does:

a. a fresh and unique approach
b. long standing personal ties to the University.
c. a desire for THIS job, more so than the one beyond it or the one beyond that other guys REALLY covet.

If successful he could be Rice's next Wayne Graham - a coach who takes us to new heights AND is here for a long time.

What to do about him when he reaches 80 is a good problem to have.

I see no other name that could fit that bill.

I must confess, I also have a personal reason for advocating this. I am out of time. I am now 77, with a few medical issues. I don't have time for another 5 year program leading perhaps, maybe, hopefully, fingers crossed to an 8-4 record or so. I want success. When do I want it? NOW!!!!

Also, as some of you know, I am not adverse to taking a calculated gamble when the cards are right. I would be all in on RU.