The underlined excerpt is exactly how I feel as well. Once you're as deep into your coaching regime as TA is, I can tolerate a disappointing/losing season once in awhile IF that losing season isn't totally dreadful and you can counter it with a recent great season. You can't finish at the very bottom of the conference in your sixth year after five years of fielding nothing better than a decent team and be kept around. You just can't. In his sixth season, the program is as bad as (if not worse than) it was when Randy Ball was fired after the '05 season. The talent might be better now than it was when he showed up, but the product isn't. Coach Allen has shown absolutely nothing to this point that says he can make this program into a winner.
Even more frightening were the signs that he'd given up on the season before it even started because of a "tough schedule", and the fact that he really seems not to be overly upset at the absolute failure of his coaching staff and himself. Let's look at the defense which just happens to be led by his nephew, DJ Vokolek. Keep in mind we still get to play at Youngstown State which has the 3rd ranked total offense and 8th ranked scoring offense so there's a good chance we will end up with a bottom 5 defense for the 3rd time in the past 4 years. 2011- Total Defense 114th Scoring Defense 112th Pass Effeciency Defense 120th Rushing Defense 104th TFL 117th Sacks 83rd 2010- Total Defense 116th Scoring Defense 111th Pass Effeciency Defense 110th Rushing Defense 83rd TFL 88th Sacks 31st 2009- Total Defense 67th Scoring Defense 54th Pass Effeciency Defense 84th Rushing Defense 63rd TFL 95th Sacks 55th 2008- Total Defense 117th Scoring Defense 110th Pass Effeciency Defense 71st Rushing Defense 117th TFL 116th Sacks 115th
This is so disappointing. MSU has made strides to improve in so many areas - from basketball to academic programs to campus facilities like the rec center. Why does the administration continue to accept such a terrible output from the football program? It's an embarrassment to the school and its fanbase that TA will continue to draw a paycheck for another year after such a blithely subpar performance during his entire tenure as a coach. This decision, combined with other things such as the lack of improvements to the facilities (i.e. student bleachers) or other efforts to boost the program, make me seriously concerned that MSU is on the brink of dropping football as a whole.
I couldn't agree more, but believe me, you need not worry at all about football being dropped. Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk
It may be something other than the coach. I have been watching Bears football for at least 40 years and with the exception of the Jesse Branch era (and that wasn't all a bed of roses) these same complaints would have been made in 1970 if there had been a Bear Nation website. New black helmets didn't do the trick, and multiple coaches (remember how excited we were when Randy Ball took over) seem to have made little difference. I can't believe that MSU is inferior to Indiana State or Northern Iowa in terms of money and the smarts it takes to run an athletic program. I don't have the answer, but Moats nees to sit down with his staff and the coaches and seriously discuss how to get the shiip righted. Scrapping the program isn't an option, but thinking outside the box may be the best approach.
For the most part, I agree. As far as us being "inferior to Indiana State or Northern Iowa in terms of money and the smarts it takes to run an athletic program", I would say that the Athletic Department as a whole is actually getting better. Where we've gone wrong in this situation, IMO, is with the hiring of TA and his latest contract extension that guaranteed him a $250k buyout. We seem to do MUCH better with money than UNI, who had to cut baseball from their athletic department in the last couple years. Their struggles seem to come mostly from poor financial support from the state. Indiana State is another story. Their athletic director, Ron Prettyman, has worked magic in the five years he's been over there. They definitely seem to be doing something that our guys should take note of.
Apparently Allen staying really upset Gary Pinkel: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_41697030-112f-11e1-827c-0019bb30f31a.html
Is this because of TA's contract? Is there a hefty buyout? But then again, how in the HELL does TA keep his job in the midst of budget cuts and economic problems. Oregon and Arkansas aside, Moats can't allow this type of slide to continue...
I'd imagine that it has a lot to do with TA's buyout. $250k is a lot of money in this athletic department.
Bingo. The athletic department doesn't have $250K to spare; and if it did, there are a host of facilities improvements that need to take priority. This is not a "we support Terry Allen" move. This is a "we're treading water and hoping for rescue next year" move. If there are boosters willing to fork over the extra money to buy Allen out, Moats's statement should bring them out of the woodwork. (And if a 1-9 football program can't find boosters willing to fund a $250K buyout, that speaks volumes about how little financial support said program actually has.)
For the sake of discussion. It appears to me that we have difficulty recruiting players to be able to succeed with the traditional offensive sets. Air Force uses a veer offense which most schools are not use to playing against. This offense requires more following of plays than individual athletic ability. You can have a running style QB either run, pass or flip to the running backs, pass to the backs, or throw to receivers, all out of the same set. That creates havoc for the defense and since none of the other conference schools runs such an offense, they are playing out of their comfort zone and less effective, but more importantly less prepared. I believe webb city uses a similar offense which could be contributing to the success they have had. Any thots
Terry Allen will not be here after next season. The program is in a major tailspin. Moats should contact the head coach at Pitt State who just won the D-ll Championship and offer him a contract to take over for the Bears. His entire coaching staff would be leap years better than our weak D-ll staff. 11 months remaining......
