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A smart A.D. will hire Neuheisel
Posted August 20, 2007
Make me the athletic director in charge of a football program in need of a boost, and the answer would be simple.
Rick Neuheisel. The bet here is that a year or two from now, we’ll be watching Neuheisel prepare for his debut at his third head coaching job in the college ranks.
It’s a no-brainer for any A.D. looking for an immediate boost for his program.
No doubt, I was one of Neuheisel’s biggest critics in his final days at Colorado, particularly after he told a reporter he wanted to become the Joe Paterno of CU. When he left just a few weeks after making that statement, it was fair to wonder where integrity fit into his life equation.
But Neuheisel is older, wiser and a much better coach than he was when he left Boulder. His time in Baltimore under Brian Billick has been invaluable in the experience department. Ditto for his time in Washington.
As for the other necessaries: Even in Boulder, it was clear that he could recruit. His former players in the NFL are a testament to that.
Rick had too much success too early — at CU and Washington — to survive the difficult times when they hit. But now he knows the ropes, he knows his limits and he knows what kind of work ethic is required to succeed.
Most importantly, he has the hardended “edge” that was absent early in his career.
The public relations bump from hiring Neuheisel will be dramatic. He’ll sell tickets, he’ll draw the national media to campus and he’ll raise money.
And he’ll win.
The only question is who will have the courage to make the move. Whoever does will look very, very good in a couple of years.
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Posted by snakeyman on August 20, 2007 at 7:32 a.m.
Absolutely agree. Maybe he will get a shot at CSU if Sonny decides to call it a career in the next year or two. Would be great for collegiate football in the state.
Posted by buffalo_flyer on August 20, 2007 at 9:18 a.m.
This is the guy who told his assistants to avoid reading the rule book because its easier to plead ignorance, don't forget that we forfeited an entire season because of his cheating ways, worst coach in the history of CU. How great would it be to see him at CSU!
Posted by mikegetto on August 21, 2007 at 9:46 a.m.
Neil, I really enjoy your take on CU athletics whether it is in your regular column or through this blog. You know CU very well and most always get it right -- particularly with CU football and basketball.
However, I am not sure about your view of Rick. Rick's primary problem as a head football coach is not that he is "slick" or ethically challenged; his problem as a head football coach is he is just not very good at it. He can coach the quarterback position very well (Aikman and Stewart) and he will be given an opportunity to succeed as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. He definitely has a good track record as a quarterback coach and he also could coach the other offensive skill positions well.
His weakness as a head coach is he that he does not coach toughness or discipline. He twice showed that tendency at two national championship caliber collegiate football programs. Yes, he recruits and signs high school All-Americans and then he and his staff promptly don't coach them properly which leads to unfulfilled expectations.
He inherited two great football programs and, to varying degrees, ran them both into a ditch with subpar coaching. Both programs BECAME soft and unsuccessful after a couple of years in a Neuheisel regime.
I'm not convinced he can be a head coach. He does not seem to be mature enough, his players have not played with toughness, discipline and poise (that's coaching) in the past and he just doesn't seem to comprehend the whole picture as a head coach should.
Posted by Saheeb on August 22, 2007 at noon
Neuheisel was utterly arrogant, suffered from cerebral edema and consistently employed a borderline, lawyerly approach to the rules. I'm sure he's mellowed and with some introspection now realizes he pissed away some incredible opportunities. He'd be a head coach in the NFL right now if he hadn't messed it all up. He probably is an excellent coach and has matured. But for Neill to admonish A.D.s to have the "courage" to hire him is just absurd in my mind. With so many good coaching candidates out there, including numerous African-American assistants who deserve a shot, why o' why would any A.D. in their right mind take a chance on Slick Rick and give him a THIRD head coaching opportunity? The PR bump Neill cites would be a negative one, not a positive. Alums would be alarmed that Neuheisel will get their program in trouble or leave in the middle of the night as soon as something higher profile and/or more lucrative comes along. I completely disagree that he deserves another chance. He has not proven himself such a winning coach that he's worth the potential downside. Time and maturity does mean something, but I reject the notion that any A.D. should take on the huge risk of hiring him.
Slick Rick:
- left CU with recruits on campus and then tried to woo some CU players and recruits to Washington
- 51 recruiting violations while at CU. While most were minor, they revealed a consistent pattern of Neuheisel(like a coach with a law degree that he is) operating on the fringes of the rules.
- Untrustworthy and lacks integrity, as exemplified by his lies to Washington's A.D. about interviewing for the 49ers job and his involvement in an NCAA pool
This is the second story in a year Neill has written lauding Neuheisel's coaching abilities, detailing his alleged maturity, excusing his past transgressions as youthful mistakes and lobbying for him to get another shot. Why? Neuheisel is a charming, personable and articulate guy. He's not the antichrist. I don't hate him. But why are stories about him a hot topic or of any interest to CU fans? I think Neill's personal friendship with Neuheisel is clouding his journalistic objectivity. Why is a Boulder sports journalist taking the time and effort to pen two stories advocating a former CU coach, who left disgracefully and sullied another major program, for another job? I haven't seen any stories by Neill promoting the irascible and media unfriendly Gary Barnett for another head coaching job.
I enjoy Neill's stories and usually find his writing informative and balanced. But I wish he'd bring more objectivity to any articles about Neuheisel. Although, I really don't see much point in writing about him at all, quite frankly, unless there's some strong angle to current CU football.
Posted by mikegetto on August 23, 2007 at 10:36 a.m.
I agree with you, Boole, and you added two key points to my argument.
First, Rick has had two -- two -- shots at big-time collegiate head coaching and he, very objectively speaking, screwed up both opportunities at two great schools. With that in mind, why would an athletic director give this guy yet another shot when, as you point out Boone, there are many other qualified assistant and head coaches out there who have been successful, paid their dues and deserve a chance to move up.
Second, I had forgotten about that sordid episode at Washington when he lied to the UW athletic director about interviewing with the 49ers while the head coach at the UW. That was a firable offense right there.
Rick is what he is: A potentially good assistant coach in the NFL or at the major college level. He is a proven commodity as a quarterbacks coach.
Period.
He is not a head football coach.
Posted by Buff_bronc_fan on August 29, 2007 at 1:32 p.m.
Hear Hear Mr. Boole!
You hit the nail on the head across the board. My main gripe is why are we even reading an article about Rick Neuheisel 10 days prior to the CU vs. CSU game?? Absolutely no relevance to any of us, and definitely raises an eyebrow as to whether Neil is throwing him a bone. Certainly has no business in this blog IMO.