Old staff predictions

[Rip Rap]

What will happen to the old staff? My predictions:

1.) Bill Diedrick never coaches Div. 1 again; perhaps works at a highschool
2.) Kent Baer latches on to a middle-tier Div. 1 team, does reasonably well
3.) Ty Willingham sits out a year before morphing into an NFL positions coach

 

[NDLyght37]

What will happen to the old staff? My predictions:

1.) Bill Diedrick never coaches Div. 1 again; perhaps works at a highschool
2.) Kent Baer latches on to a middle-tier Div. 1 team, does reasonably well
3.) Ty Willingham sits out a year before morphing into an NFL positions coach

1. Diedrick becomes an average D-2 or Division 1-AA coach.
2. I agree with everything you said...especially if we win the Insight Bowl.
3. Ty Willingham takes a year off, then goes to work with Denny Green in Arizona for 2 or 3 years. After the Cards have a decent playoff run, Ty takes another prominent college head coaching gig (either in the Pac 10 or the Big 10).

 

[jiggafini19]

Ty Willingham is going to be named head coach of Washington. Just saw it on ESPN Bottom Line. Good for him. I hope that ND and the Huskies kick some Trojan ass.

And Notre Dame plays at Washington in 2005. Look out.

 

[Guest]

I'm sure he'll have his boyfriend Diedrick with him. He refuses to lose Diedrick lol, I've never seen a coach so attached to his OC.

Ty would still be coaching ND if he agreed to let Diedrick go. If Ty has any chance of being a successful coach he's got to learn this. Coaches fire their coordinators all the time.

 

[NDLyght37]

I'm sure he'll have his boyfriend Diedrick with him. He refuses to lose Diedrick lol, I've never seen a coach so attached to his OC.

Ty would still be coaching ND if he agreed to let Diedrick go. If Ty has any chance of being a successful coach he's got to learn this. Coaches fire their coordinators all the time.

True that. On the one hand you have to respect his loyalty to a friend and colleague. But yes, he needs to drop Diedrick like a bad habit.

I predict he will turn that UW program around within 4 years:
2005 4-7 (up from 1-10)
2006 6-5 (possible Bowl Bid)
2007 7-4 (w/Bowl Game)
2008 9-3 (w/Rose Bowl berth)

 

[BigIrish]

i agree with the numbers, just not the order. given willingham's record at stanford and ND, it's more likely to be:

2005: 9-3
2006: 4-7
2007: 7-4
2008: 6-5

(in 10 years of head coaching experience, has willingham ever proved he can maintain a steady growth in success?)

 

[NDLyght37]

i agree with the numbers, just not the order. given willingham's record at stanford and ND, it's more likely to be:

2005: 9-3
2006: 4-7
2007: 7-4
2008: 6-5

(in 10 years of head coaching experience, has willingham ever proved he can maintain a steady growth in success?)

He could get elected Governor if he takes the Huskies from 1-10 to 9-3...lol.

But yeah, you might be right. His history (pre-ND) is that he had a good first year, a down 2nd year, and then sustained (but not spectacular) winning records (like 7-4 seasons). Maybe this will change if he gets some new blood on his coaching staff. If he gets a solid young guy in there that can recruit (like a Jim Mora Jr. type), I think he can have success in the Pac-10.

 

[jiggafini19]

The story goes that they wanted Ty to dump some assistants. He refused, so they fired him. I can see being loyal in the coaching business, but committing career suicide is just plain stupid.

Rumor has it Al Golden of Virginia will be Weis' defensive coordinator. Sounds good to me.

 

[Guest]

I hear AL Golden is one of the best recruiters in all of college football. Nice young guy with lots of fire. Would love to get him.

 

[timm3117]

Well as happy as I was to see Ty go, I'm glad to see he landed on his feet. He's a good guy and maybe he'll turn things around out there in Washington. Being back in an average Pac-10 should help. Good Luck Ty!

 

[NDLyght37]

Well as happy as I was to see Ty go, I'm glad to see he landed on his feet. He's a good guy and maybe he'll turn things around out there in Washington. Being back in an average Pac-10 should help. Good Luck Ty!

Easier schedule + lower expectations + better recruiting pool = A happy coach.
As stiff and distant as he usually is with the press, today was the first time since back when he first arrived at ND that you got the sense that he was at "peace".

 

[Guest]

I heard his family hated South Bend, hopefully they like Washington.

 

[NDLyght37]

He said today that his family was adjusting fine. I think his mom lives like an hour away from ND.

 

[Rip Rap]

The story goes that they wanted Ty to dump some assistants. He refused, so they fired him. I can see being loyal in the coaching business, but committing career suicide is just plain stupid.

Or he wanted to be fired.

 

[NDLyght37]

Or he wanted to be fired.

Good point. If he saw the Meyer tidal wave coming, he gained major points with his staff and in the public eye by "falling on his sword".

Either way, I think both ND & Ty are better off now than they were a month ago.

 

[BigIrish]

Although we'll never know, I'm convinced it was mutual. Ty was feeling the heat and wanted out, and ND wasn't happy with him. But Ty couldn't quit and still get the hefty severance he'd negotiated in his contract. So he had to be fired. The fact that he landed in the Washington job so quickly is evidence of his desire to move on. It's ironic that despite the whole media frenzy, Ty is probably one of the guys that's most comfortable with the way things went down.

 

[Rip Rap]

In wondering if he wanted to be fired, I was thinking more in terms of the money. Leaving volunatrily would have meant ND not paying millions to his family over the next couple of years.

 

[Guest]

Ty landed a great job in Washington. They've won before, their is talent their, and their coming off a 1 win season. If he wins 5 games next year the media will praise him.

 

[onedomer]

Ty will probably win 3-5 games next year due to the total lack of competition in the PAC10. You have USC and Cal and then a bunch of so-so teams.

 

[NDLyght37]

Ty will probably win 3-5 games next year due to the total lack of competition in the PAC10. You have USC and Cal and then a bunch of so-so teams.

Hey, if we were in the Big 10, we'd probably be in a BCS game this year. Conferences aren't all bad.

 

[onedomer]

I can't argue that!

 

[Rip Rap]

Conferences are lame for the following reasons:

1.) Regional schedules are boring.
2.) Predictable schedules are boring.
3.) We have a national television contract.
4.) I don't give loyalty to a time-zone, and could care less how good the collective is.
5.) Finally, conferences are an oligarchy that want to form exploitive playoff systems and marginalize schools not already included in the six BCS conferences.

If you're going to be a snob, at least be an independent snob.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, we must remain independent. Forever!

 

[jiggafini19]

I'm not sure if Ty WANTED to be fired. That just seems hard for me to believe. Who knows now, though. Not sure it matters anymore.

Remaining independent is fine. Stick to playing the Big Ten, Big East, Navy, USC. Why not start the Indiana series again? Northwestern? Penn State is coming back on the schedule...can't wait for that.

 

[Irish1]

Don't forget the Tar Heels(06 or 07) and I believe San Jose State, and there was another one from the BYU deal can't remember though.....

 

[Rip Rap]

Don't forget the Tar Heels(06 or 07) and I believe San Jose State, and there was another one from the BYU deal can't remember though.....

Nevada.

We're also playing Army again, at least once. Frankly, I have no problem with playing some of the major state universities of the mountain states (or the academies and other major universities of lesser merit) to bring our schedule in line with modern standards. Just playing two more games than the historic standard of 10 is tough enough.

However, playing San Jose State isn't exactly enticing.

 

[jiggafini19]

I agree. San Jose State? Seriously, ND has everything to lose playing them. If SJS beats them, they look like idiots. If they beat SJS, big deal.