E.B. Phone Home!
At the time I sat down to scribble these words out, there was nothing official from anyone yet. However, the word seems to be that Mel Tucker is one and done in Colorado. He's off to the much greener Spartan green pastures of Michigan State. I suppose they figure if he can recruit at Colorado, he will have it easier at MSU. It's sad but true.
I'm not a part of the angry mob forming around Tucker's sudden departure. He couldn't turn down double the salary and double the resources.
To quote Jack Barsch from the Ralphie Report, "I can't get mad at a man who gets that sweet of a deal. Any one of us would take a doubling of salary, plus everything else that makes his life easier."
I'm not mad at Mel either, but this departure is a stark reminder of how tough it is to win at Colorado and keep winning at a place that has half the resources of most top flight programs.
Some fans don't quite grasp the inequities of NCAA football and how uphill it is to coach on The Hill in Boulder. I thought Coach Tucker was making great progress, despite those inequities. Having a beautiful campus in a great state is nice, but as with most other things in life, we get what we pay for.
Now what?
Not all is lost if Colorado can answer a tough loss with a big gain. I realize I'm not the first one to mention the idea, and likely not the last, but we need E.B. to phone home.
The University of Colorado football program needs their all time leading rusher to bail them out of a jam one more time. Sort of like that time in Lincoln, Nebraska when he scored four fourth quarter touchdowns.
Of course the Buffs will need to initiate the phone call to Eric Bieniemy, and hope that he calls them back. Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, Bieniemy may or may not be in a nostalgic mood if the Buffs come calling.
That initial call may need to include an apology, since he was part of the short lived 24-month Jon Embree era. Embree wasn't given a lot of room or time to rebuild the program, so there is potentially a bit of a rift with Colorado and their former 1990 All- American/former offensive coordinator.
A lot of money packaged with some guarantees may start the healing.
If E.B. has his heart set on an NFL head coaching gig, then there are some other coaches who could maintain the momentum Tucker started.
Coaches like Darrin Chiaverini and Dave Logan -- both former Buffs who actually like it here.
Chiaverini will hopefully stick around whether or not he gets the nod to lead the team. He's a great recruiter with some continuity over the the last two coaching regimes and he bleeds black and gold. Dave Logan can flat out coach the game of football. Eight state titles with four different schools is pretty freaking good as competitive as the game is in this state.
Tucker leaving is a big setback. It is. But it's not the end of the world.
Ultimately, yes, Colorado is not anywhere close to being where they want the program to be. I'm certain Athletic Director Rick George is aiming for a day when he can flex similar fiscal muscles to keep coaches or bring them to Boulder from afar. Or that the program is so successful, the Buffs become a destination instead of a jumping off point.
Until that day, Colorado needs another guy who loves to coach, loves the Buffs and can live on less money than the guys in the SEC and Big Ten. Ask Tad Boyle how that's working out for him and his basketball Buffs as they prepare for a return to March Madness. It can happen, CU just needs the right guy at the right time.
E.B. phone home?
I'm not a part of the angry mob forming around Tucker's sudden departure. He couldn't turn down double the salary and double the resources.
To quote Jack Barsch from the Ralphie Report, "I can't get mad at a man who gets that sweet of a deal. Any one of us would take a doubling of salary, plus everything else that makes his life easier."
I'm not mad at Mel either, but this departure is a stark reminder of how tough it is to win at Colorado and keep winning at a place that has half the resources of most top flight programs.
Some fans don't quite grasp the inequities of NCAA football and how uphill it is to coach on The Hill in Boulder. I thought Coach Tucker was making great progress, despite those inequities. Having a beautiful campus in a great state is nice, but as with most other things in life, we get what we pay for.
Now what?
Not all is lost if Colorado can answer a tough loss with a big gain. I realize I'm not the first one to mention the idea, and likely not the last, but we need E.B. to phone home.
The University of Colorado football program needs their all time leading rusher to bail them out of a jam one more time. Sort of like that time in Lincoln, Nebraska when he scored four fourth quarter touchdowns.
Of course the Buffs will need to initiate the phone call to Eric Bieniemy, and hope that he calls them back. Fresh off a Super Bowl victory, Bieniemy may or may not be in a nostalgic mood if the Buffs come calling.
That initial call may need to include an apology, since he was part of the short lived 24-month Jon Embree era. Embree wasn't given a lot of room or time to rebuild the program, so there is potentially a bit of a rift with Colorado and their former 1990 All- American/former offensive coordinator.
A lot of money packaged with some guarantees may start the healing.
If E.B. has his heart set on an NFL head coaching gig, then there are some other coaches who could maintain the momentum Tucker started.
Coaches like Darrin Chiaverini and Dave Logan -- both former Buffs who actually like it here.
Chiaverini will hopefully stick around whether or not he gets the nod to lead the team. He's a great recruiter with some continuity over the the last two coaching regimes and he bleeds black and gold. Dave Logan can flat out coach the game of football. Eight state titles with four different schools is pretty freaking good as competitive as the game is in this state.
Tucker leaving is a big setback. It is. But it's not the end of the world.
Ultimately, yes, Colorado is not anywhere close to being where they want the program to be. I'm certain Athletic Director Rick George is aiming for a day when he can flex similar fiscal muscles to keep coaches or bring them to Boulder from afar. Or that the program is so successful, the Buffs become a destination instead of a jumping off point.
Until that day, Colorado needs another guy who loves to coach, loves the Buffs and can live on less money than the guys in the SEC and Big Ten. Ask Tad Boyle how that's working out for him and his basketball Buffs as they prepare for a return to March Madness. It can happen, CU just needs the right guy at the right time.
E.B. phone home?
Comments
Post a Comment