All Entries Tagged With: "coaching search"

Keep It In The Family

by Tom Stosberg

Excuse me. What would be wrong with a “bloodline” staff? … A coaching staff that includes former University of Louisville football players who are now successful coaches. Guys who have the red and black bloodline are out there and available. It could make plenty of sense.

Start with Jay Gruden as Head Coach and Jeff Brohm as Offensive Coordinator. Both played quarterback for one of the best offensive minds in the game, Howard Schnellenberger.

These two have very impressive pro football backgrounds. Gruden won three AFL championships as a coach and three more as a quarterback. Jeff was a pro player for five-plus years working with a wide variety of pro coaches under several offensive systems. They both know the latest spread offenses.

If Brohm won’t come back, Marty Lowe could be an outstanding offensive coordinator. Marty is in his second year as head coach at Western Carolina but he might consider coming back home if it fit his ultimate career path. He also played and coached in the Arena Football League.

Consider Ty Scroggins, the super successful Head Coach at Central High as Defensive Coordinator. Ty could bring in Mark Sander as Linebackers Coach. Mark is a former player with the Miami Dolphins and in NFL Europe. He also coached for Howard at Florida Atlantic and is currently the head coach at DeSales High School.

Mix in some coaches Jay Gruden would bring and you have a staff bound to be loyal and definitely committed to winning big time.

I personally think Jay Gruden’s track record indicates that he is a winner. And after recruiting in the AFL where the players have to hold down part time jobs to help support themselves, college recruiting could seem a whole lot easier. Think about it. Jay might possibly be a better choice than you thought “Chuckie” would have been. He might even win big and actually stay here.

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Cincinnati May Face Coaching Search, Too

Embarrassing that the University of Louisville football team enters the upcoming game against Cincinnati with the status of a punching bag. Quite a turnaround from the 70-7  drubbing U of L handed the Bearcats at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in 2004.

Funny thing is both teams could be looking for new coaches after this season.

Ranked No. 5 in the BCS standings, the Queen City school is basking in the limelight today. They stumbled into a young up-and-coming coach who knows how to get the best out of his players on the field.

Quite a feat at a school which was considered a dubious choice for the Big East a few years ago. Does anyone really believe Brian Kelly will be Cincinnati coach when the 2010 season rolls around?

Kelly is considered by many to be first in line if Notre Dame fires Charlie Weiss after this season. He knows the weak history of UC fan support, faces a losing battle with the Reds and Bengals for media attention, he’s ambitious and sure of himself. There’s no way he turns down a Notre Dame offer.

That’s why some folks in Cincinnati are already trying to identify a successor to Kelly. In the process, they want to avoid what has happened in Louisville when Steve Kragthorpe took the reins. “Cincinnati has to be careful or they could end up the same way after Kelly leaves,” notes a writer at the UC News Record.

“I would hate to see UC hire an NFL coach. They need to hire someone who has something to prove. Kelly wasn’t established before he came to UC. The verdict was still out on how well he could do as a head coach at a BCS school. Look what happened to Charlie Weis at Notre Dame.

“This is why UC has to find the next up-and-coming head coach. The next Brian Kelly. Turner Gill at Buffalo could be that coach.  Gill is in his fourth season as head coach of the Bulls and won the MAC title last season.

After Kelly leaves, Cincinnati needs to find a coach that needs Cincinnati as much as Cincinnati needs him.”

What’s disappointing is that the writer assumes Cincinnati wouldn’t pull out all the stops to keep Kelly from leaving. Why is it so difficult to envision a day when a successful coach at a Louisville or Cincinnati is going to recognize what they have, make a commitment and stay long term?

Kelly may or may not succeed at Notre Dame. At Cincinnati, he would be king, having a chance to accomplish what no other coach has been able to do there, build a nationally-respected program, compete year in and year out with traditional powers. The adulation and the fans would follow, along with multi-million-dollar contracts, legendary status and vastly expanded seating, even a new stadium. Football fans are crazy. They will do anything to keep a winning coach.

That would be much more impressive than anything he could accomplish at South Bend.

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