Sent to Zinn

[RUfrom NJ]

Pike has actually accomplished stuff at RU, he’s had some massive wins, some stupefying losses - but I think many of us want to see what he can do with money. Like Greg - both have/had a little bit of rope.

There’s no excuse for football losing to a MAC team that hasn’t won in 2 years. Thats not an NIL issue. You should be able to sleepwalk your way to a 20 point win against UMass on athleticism and size alone. This is Terry Shea level bad. The Schiano era is over, whether or not he finishes the season. Honestly, can’t rule out sabotage - maybe he’s just coaching for a buyout and retirement.

That’s fair. Entering this season, Pike had reached far higher highs than Schiano 2.0, but I’d argue he’s also hit far lower lows. (I can think of 4 home losses to low majors ranked in the 300s off the top of my head.) He also bungled a generational opportunity 2 seasons ago that has since brought national shame and has had the program trending down for 4 years.

That said, there is NO excuse for what happened last night. A truly program-shattering loss. Schiano hadn’t had one of these since returning - billing himself on at least winning the gimmies. But if we’re to the point where we can’t even bank on that, it’s clear we need to move on. I truly thought we were past this garbage. There is no bottom to Rutgers Football.

 

[Shelby65]

That’s fair. Entering this season, Pike had reached far higher highs than Schiano 2.0, but I’d argue he’s also hit far lower lows. (I can think of 4 home losses to low majors ranked in the 300s off the top of my head.) He also bungled a generational opportunity 2 seasons ago that has since brought national shame and has had the program trending down for 4 years.

That said, there is NO excuse for what happened last night. A truly program-shattering loss. Schiano hadn’t had one of these since returning - billing himself on at least winning the gimmies. But if we’re to the point where we can’t even bank on that, it’s clear we need to move on. I truly thought we were past this garbage. There is no bottom to Rutgers Football.

There‘s no bottom while he and his hundred soiled diaper staff get paychecks.

 

[RUDiddy777]

That’s fair. Entering this season, Pike had reached far higher highs than Schiano 2.0, but I’d argue he’s also hit far lower lows. (I can think of 4 home losses to low majors ranked in the 300s off the top of my head.) He also bungled a generational opportunity 2 seasons ago that has since brought national shame and has had the program trending down for 4 years.

That said, there is NO excuse for what happened last night. A truly program-shattering loss. Schiano hadn’t had one of these since returning - billing himself on at least winning the gimmies. But if we’re to the point where we can’t even bank on that, it’s clear we need to move on. I truly thought we were past this garbage. There is no bottom to Rutgers Football.

I made sure to acknowledge those. Many of his problems are money related but many are also just on him. Being a better coach is on him, getting and retaining talent is shared by him and the school. That said, we probably have to accept that we’re a basketball school and the expectations Given football appears to be headed towards another rebuild and continued irrelevance.

I’ve got low expectations for football. I just think the mountain in the B1G is too steep (I’m not rooting against us - I’d love to be wrong. I’m just a realist. We just don’t have the firepower to keep up with the entrenched powers). I was fine with a team that consistently went to low tier bowls and didn’t embarrass us, and eventually pull off the occasional big upset to make it worth watching. But we’re not even close to that). I was hoping he’d finish the decade and ride off into the sunset after an imperfect but admirable stint.

 

[Knight Shift]

I made sure to acknowledge those. Many of his problems are money related but many are also just on him. Being a better coach is on him, getting and retaining talent is shared by him and the school. That said, we probably have to accept that we’re a basketball school and the expectations Given football appears to

I’ve got low expectations for football. I just think the mountain in the B1G is too steep (I’m not rooting against us - I’d love to be wrong. I’m just a realist. We just don’t have the firepower to keep up with the entrenched powers). I was fine with a team that consistently went to low tier bowls and didn’t embarrass us, and eventually pull off the occasional big upset to make it worth watching. But we’re not even close to that). I was hoping he’d finish the decade and ride off into the sunset after an imperfect but admirable stint.

Will never get on board with the 2024 squandered opportunity narrative for Pikiell. I'm in the minority, but IMO the situation was much more nuanced than have 2 superstars on the team that requires 5 players.

By the way. . . .

 

[Scarlet Bri]

Firing a guy after one game is ridiculous, even though he may deserve it. That's why I voted no. If they are 0-4 and are getting whipped in those games, then you pull the trigger.

We are a national laughing stock. Every moment he remains our coach we lose credibility with donors, sponsors and recruits. We can’t accept this level of abject failure and be viewed as a viable investment in $ or athletic talent. He isn’t it. It’s time to show we are committed to the B1G time and don’t accept these results. It’s your move Keli

 

[NewHondo77]

Firing a guy after one game is ridiculous, even though he may deserve it. That's why I voted no. If they are 0-4 and are getting whipped in those games, then you pull the trigger.

It’s not just ONE game.

 

[NewHondo77]

I think the decision has been made. It’s just a matter of lining up all the pieces, especially the money.

 

[RUfrom NJ]

Will never get on board with the 2024 squandered opportunity narrative for Pikiell. I'm in the minority, but IMO the situation was much more nuanced than have 2 superstars on the team that requires 5 players.

By the way. . . .

Nuance or not, it’s his job to surround the two superstars with functional basketball players. He didn’t do it. And if not being even remotely close to the bubble with those two isn’t squandering that opportunity, I don’t know what is.

And yes, Moore is a great get.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Will never get on board with the 2024 squandered opportunity narrative for Pikiell. I'm in the minority, but IMO the situation was much more nuanced than have 2 superstars on the team that requires 5 players.

By the way. . . .

100%

 

[dark_check]

Firing a guy after one game is ridiculous, even though he may deserve it. That's why I voted no. If they are 0-4 and are getting whipped in those games, then you pull the trigger.

It’s not just one game but who that one game was. Plus how putrid the d was all last year. When’s the last time he made a bowl. When’s the last time he won one. Even when he has leads he plays not to lose them and does. It’s the same shiz over and over. Program isn’t just stuck in the mud it’s going backwards.

 

[ScarletteK80]

Greg needs to go, but panicking right after the first might be worse..

One must look at the long term , not instant gratification that winds up making things worse in the long run because only part of the picture was used before making the choice

The end of season is the time to fire , while gathering the funds to buy him out and be able to pay
someone that could be considered a good get , to replace him

I voted no, just to piss some of you off, but mainly because I;m seeing panic now and many not thinking of the long term .
As the season progresses a clear picture will show and I feel that picture will show Greg needs to be replaced at the end of season.
Anything under 8 wins is good enough reason for me, if the funds are there to hire someone considered on of the better candidates available once the 2026 season is over .

Or the funds to bring in Brian Kelly is found , right now would be great and my vote would change to yes , fire Schiano now .
But if the money isn't there,panic hiring might bring on worst times for RU because the replacement choices won;t be good, they'll be a choice between bad and ugly ,
Hoping looks are deceiving and a macho man will emerge to lead RU to glory

Stop being so calm, and logical MADHAT.

 

[Knight Shift]

Nuance or not, it’s his job to surround the two superstars with functional basketball players. He didn’t do it. And if not being even remotely close to the bubble with those two isn’t squandering that opportunity, I don’t know what is.

And yes, Moore is a great get.

He had no money. Not worth rehashing over and over. Just like the fire Greg immediately or later debate. People have different opinions on these things. In some of our opinions, Pike's body of work has given him more leeway than Greg 2.0's.

 

[RUAldo]

If Schiano's termination and buyout from Tampa Bay is used as an example, it seems that Greg will not acceot less than a full payment and sit at home while getting paid only job hunting after he receives his last check
Tampa fired him after the 2013 season , with 3 years left on his contract .
(from a google search)
> Standard NFL contracts include offset language. If Schiano had taken another coaching position in the NFL or high-level college football during those subsequent three years, the money paid by his new employer would have subtracted from (offset) what the Buccaneers owed him. However, Schiano sat out of coaching until 2016, meaning Tampa Bay paid the entirety of the remainder.<

Gotta love capitalism. Greg will ring the register and collect millions for failing at all his jobs.

 

[RUChet]

Why don’t you respond to the Clown that started It.

I did - I said “both”

you chose to make a politicos statement too vs ignoring

 

[noble106]

Greg needs to go, but panicking right after the first might be worse..

One must look at the long term , not instant gratification that winds up making things worse in the long run because only part of the picture was used before making the choice

The end of season is the time to fire , while gathering the funds to buy him out and be able to pay
someone that could be considered a good get , to replace him

I voted no, just to piss some of you off, but mainly because I;m seeing panic now and many not thinking of the long term .
As the season progresses a clear picture will show and I feel that picture will show Greg needs to be replaced at the end of season.
Anything under 8 wins is good enough reason for me, if the funds are there to hire someone considered on of the better candidates available once the 2026 season is over .

Or the funds to bring in Brian Kelly is found , right now would be great and my vote would change to yes , fire Schiano now .
But if the money isn't there,panic hiring might bring on worst times for RU because the replacement choices won;t be good, they'll be a choice between bad and ugly ,
Hoping looks are deceiving and a macho man will emerge to lead RU to glory

We can't afford to keep Greg either. The longer he stays, the more expensive it will be to fix the program. Not less.

Firing Greg asap is the correct move here.

Also, Kelly is a grifter. He would do just as bad of a job as Schiano.

We can't save this season. Players arent developed, the plays have already been practiced, etc. We need to hold out with an interim coach while we look for a more permanent HC.

If we don't do any of the above, the program will end up being no more competitive than a G6 team for another decade. It'll be just like 2016 and the early 2000s all over again.

 

[EddieWilsonLives]

 

[jsol_05]

I think the decision has been made. It’s just a matter of lining up all the pieces, especially the money.

I hope you are right. I also don't think it's about GS anymore. It on the AD now, get rid of GS, get a real coach and turn this thing around. If she can do that here she can write her ticket anywhere in college football

 

[Knight Shift]

We can't afford to keep Greg either. The longer he stays, the more expensive it will be to fix the program. Not less.

Firing Greg asap is the correct move here.

Also, Kelly is a grifter. He would do just as bad of a job as Schiano.

We can't save this season. Players arent developed, the plays have already been practiced, etc. We need to hold out with an interim coach while we look for a more permanent HC.

If we don't do any of the above, the program will end up being no more competitive than a G6 team for another decade. It'll be just like 2016 and the early 2000s all over again.

Strongly disagree with everything you said.

Asap is not the correct move here. Starting there, just shows a reaction based on emotion, and not reason. Have asked before- who is the interim head coach? Kirk C--bwa ha ha. Umm, no. Johansen? Umm, no. Would be wise to have someone lined up to step in as full time or interim HC.

Second point- Do you know what grifter even means? It's a person who acquires money or property illicitly. In 35 years of coaching, he has had exactly 2 losing seasons. He is 299-107-2 (0.732). That' on par with Cignetti, and with a much larger body of work. What leads you to conclude he would do just as bad a job as Schiano?

Your third point- you don't know any of this. Who is your interim coach?

Fourth point- more emotional hand-waving. Indiana recovered quite quickly. So did Illinois.

 

[T2Kplus20]

100%

Pike’s situation is different than GS but we end up in the same place. Pike was a solid coach pre-NIL and got us to 3 NCAA tournaments. Big respect for that. However, he has shown to be completely incapable of adapting to the new game and it’s time to move on. It just is what it is.

 

[rutgersac88]

I was a big Greg supporter but enough is enough. Hopefully this wasn’t the first warning sign. How about taking months to hire a DC, transfers from Citadel, Villanova and Drake; boneheaded in game decisions. And I’m tired in his antics. Having players walk off the field when substituting just because they don’t want to give the opposing team an opportunity to change the play is infuriating.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Pike’s situation is different than GS but we end up in the same place. Pike was a solid coach pre-NIL and got us to 3 NCAA tournaments. Big respect for that. However, he has shown to be completely incapable of adapting to the new game and it’s time to move on. It just is what it is.

The new game requires money. A lot of it.

He didn’t have much. As I noted above, he also has to coach better. Hope he does and there are certainly some hope (eg Moore), but I think we have to accept that, like Purdue, we’re a basketball school for the foreseeable future and the expectations that come with that.

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

This game was like having a trillion $ military and losing a war to a country with a 1/100th of the budget

 

[T2Kplus20]

The new game requires money. A lot of it.

He didn’t have much. As I noted above, he also has to coach better. Hope he does and there are certainly some hope (eg Moore), but I think we have to accept that, like Purdue, we’re a basketball school for the foreseeable future and the expectations that come with that.

Money goes to exciting programs with exciting coaches. Can Pike sell this narrative to potential donors? Zinn can do a lot, but not everything.

Also, he doesn't connect well with most players and the level of player attrition is harmful to the program. I don't see how this gets better even with more money (since all top programs have money). Because of Pike we likely need to overpay for players, which is not the path for success.

 

[noble106]

Strongly disagree with everything you said.

Asap is not the correct move here. Starting there, just shows a reaction based on emotion, and not reason. Have asked before- who is the interim head coach? Kirk C--bwa ha ha. Umm, no. Johansen? Umm, no. Would be wise to have someone lined up to step in as full time or interim HC.

Second point- Do you know what grifter even means? It's a person who acquires money or property illicitly. In 35 years of coaching, he has had exactly 2 losing seasons. He is 299-107-2 (0.732). That' on par with Cignetti, and with a much larger body of work. What leads you to conclude he would do just as bad a job as Schiano?

Your third point- you don't know any of this. Who is your interim coach?

Fourth point- more emotional hand-waving. Indiana recovered quite quickly. So did Illinois.

Strongly disagree with everything you said.

Asap is not the correct move here. Starting there, just shows a reaction based on emotion, and not reason. Have asked before- who is the interim head coach? Kirk C--bwa ha ha. Umm, no. Johansen? Umm, no. Would be wise to have someone lined up to step in as full time or interim HC.

Second point- Do you know what grifter even means? It's a person who acquires money or property illicitly. In 35 years of coaching, he has had exactly 2 losing seasons. He is 299-107-2 (0.732). That' on par with Cignetti, and with a much larger body of work. What leads you to conclude he would do just as bad a job as Schiano?

Your third point- you don't know any of this. Who is your interim coach?

Fourth point- more emotional hand-waving. Indiana recovered quite quickly. So did Illinois.

The season isn't getting saved with any coach you pick. We already made the moves that we did. The whole off-season was wasted by:



1) not preparing players (GS' words)

2) not getting the talent or depth that we need to compete.



Getting rid of Schiano isn't supposed to make us better this year. Its to hold staff members accountable to standards and expectations that the AD (and fans) expect to see on the field and in the standings. I'm not the only one who wants this, fans including donors and season tickets holders are calling for this as well.



Like no offense, but why am I arguing this point? You can't have a coach mismanage the team as bad as Schiano and not fire him.



Other teams that know this are:



- Penn State



- UCLA



- Florida



Oh, and look, LSU.



Did you look into why Brian Kelly was fired? If you saw, many fans and reporters were accusing him of not coaching the team and coasting while staff carried the back of the program to train the student athletes. If true, we don't need that here.



Third point, everyone sees this with the staff and recruits that were selected. You don't know that they are ready for this season.



Fourth point, you're forgetting that we're not Illinois or Indiana. The problem is we're Rutgers.

 

[RUDiddy777]

The season isn't getting saved with any coach you pick. We already made the moves that we did. The whole off-season was wasted by:



1) not preparing players (GS' words)

2) not getting the talent or depth that we need to compete.



Getting rid of Schiano isn't supposed to make us better this year. Its to hold staff members accountable to standards and expectations that the AD (and fans) expect to see on the field and in the standings. I'm not the only one who wants this, fans including donors and season tickets holders are calling for this as well.



Like no offense, but why am I arguing this point? You can't have a coach mismanage the team as bad as Schiano and not fire him.



Other teams that know this are:



- Penn State



- UCLA



- Florida



Oh, and look, LSU.



Did you look into why Brian Kelly was fired? If you saw, many fans and reporters were accusing him of not coaching the team and coasting while staff carried the back of the program to train the student athletes. If true, we don't need that here.



Third point, everyone sees this with the staff and recruits that were selected. You don't know that they are ready for this season.



Fourth point, you're forgetting that we're not Illinois or Indiana. The problem is we're Rutgers.

You really think we belong in the same sentence as UCLA, Penn State, Florida or LSU?

Firing him today isn’t going to change the outcome of the season, and to be honest, it’s not how we should treat someone who still means a lot to our program. And it’s not like Zinn is sitting on a pile of 20 million she can just toss at him (and assistants) to never see him again. She has to secure both his buyout, money for a new coach, and money for the new coaches players.

 

[NewHondo77]

Pike’s situation is different than GS but we end up in the same place. Pike was a solid coach pre-NIL and got us to 3 NCAA tournaments. Big respect for that. However, he has shown to be completely incapable of adapting to the new game and it’s time to move on. It just is what it is.

It’s not just NIL. There’s a whole new philosophy regarding the 3 point shot because of analytics. He hasn’t caught up.

 

[MADHAT1]

Strongly disagree with everything you said.

Asap is not the correct move here. Starting there, just shows a reaction based on emotion, and not reason. Have asked before- who is the interim head coach? Kirk C--bwa ha ha. Umm, no. Johansen? Umm, no. Would be wise to have someone lined up to step in as full time or interim HC.

Second point- Do you know what grifter even means? It's a person who acquires money or property illicitly. In 35 years of coaching, he has had exactly 2 losing seasons. He is 299-107-2 (0.732). That' on par with Cignetti, and with a much larger body of work. What leads you to conclude he would do just as bad a job as Schiano?

Your third point- you don't know any of this. Who is your interim coach?

Fourth point- more emotional hand-waving. Indiana recovered quite quickly. So did Illinois.

Kelly is a grifter, forget about his record before taking the LSU position.
A 34-14 in 2 and 2/3 years at LSU is quite unacceptable to us Rutgers fans that expect better.
Kelly is a grifter because he jumps to what he considers better programs as he plies up a winning career record , which like most Rutgers fans haven't seen any RU FB HCs do in their lifetime
( the only exception is Schiano who jumped to the NFL and bombed out hitting unemployment after only 2 years as an NFL HC )
( two who I consider great RU HCs had RU as their last stop )
from a google search
John Bateman (1960–1972)

• Departure: Dismissed after the 1972 season following a 13-year tenure.

Post-Rutgers Career: "Dr. John" Bateman transitioned away from major college football coaching after his exit. He remained deeply revered by the program, notably having led the Scarlet Knights to their first-ever undefeated season in 1961.


Frank Burns (1973–1983)

• Departure: Dismissed by the university following the 1983 season.
• Post-Rutgers Career: Despite being one of the winningest coaches in school history and leading them to their first-ever bowl game, Burns chose to step away from the coaching spotlight entirely after his firing. He retired and lived out his later years in Pennsylvania.

The only RU HC , besides Schiano to become a HC after leaving Rutgers was
Doug Graber (1990–1995)

• Departure: Fired following the 1995 season.
• Post-Rutgers Career: Spent five years out of coaching before moving to professional alternative leagues. He was hired as the head coach of NFL Europe's Frankfurt Galaxy in 2000, winning a World Bowl title. He briefly returned to the local area as a defensive backs coach for the New York Jets (2004) and completed his coaching career as Ball State's defensive coordinator in 2009.

I have a hard time thinking being an NFL Europe HC is equal to being a College HC , making being one more of being a minor league coach..
So no HC claim for Doug after his RU days were over

So in reality all successful College HCs are grifters.
I;m happy to point out only 1 fits he bill when it comes to Rutgers FB HCs job grifting

As for it being too soon, LSU got rid of Kelly during the season with no problem and brought in a replacement that has a history of loyalty to the programs he coaches before he grifts away
Texas A/M dumped Jimbo Fisher during the season and gladly paid him off.
There's no reason Rutgers can't dump Greg , buy him out and hit the scrap heap for an out of work loser or put an unqualified Assistant in charge until the season is over and hire a Lou Saban clone that is currently employed.

If LSU can pay Kelly the $54 million buyout they owe him structured over six years in monthly installments of roughly $800,000.
Kelly’s contract includes a "duty to mitigate". This means he is legally required to make a good-faith effort to find another job (such as a new coaching role or a media position). If he secures a new paying job, his future earnings will offset and reduce what LSU owes him monthly. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Rutgers surly can afford to do the same type of buyout with Schiano's measly $17 mil buyout that will be owed him and don;t expect him to work until it's fully paid off, he stayed home after Tampa fired him until their checks stopped coming .
Greg has the same "duty to mitigate" clause in his buyout.
If we let him go now and Alabama sees he's available and fires DeBoer , Rutgers probably will be off the hook when it comes to paying Greg's buyout

Seriously , there's no reason to think firing Greg before the season is over will improve anything and if the loss of attendance and less donations because he;s still there is used as a reason to fire Schiano now , the hit will be worse if the team plays badly for the interim HC
When you look at how RU played Thursday night , every assistant lost the ability to be looked on as a good interim HC choice.
Might as well make one of the Schianl kids on Shemp's staff the interim , chose between Moe, Larry or Curly to replace Daddy

 

[RUDiddy777]

Money goes to exciting programs with exciting coaches. Can Pike sell this narrative to potential donors? Zinn can do a lot, but not everything.

Also, he doesn't connect well with most players and the level of player attrition is harmful to the program. I don't see how this gets better even with more money (since all top programs have money). Because of Pike we likely need to overpay for players, which is not the path for success.

I know you don’t pay much attention to bball, but he just landed a top 50 player. He was competitive in the portal. Those require money and it’s evident Zinn and the donors are doing their best to ensure he’s got what he needs. He has a good season (and I think he has firmly on the bubble if not dancing) and everyone will chalk up the slide to the administrative failures, some bad luck (Mulcahy, Spencer and the late GT transfer), and NIL desert under Hobbs and we can resume the upward march we were on before NIL reshuffled the deck.

 

[Doctor Worm]

If I’m Duff, I’m already considering a RS. Those floaters from Lonegan across the middle could be deadly against a Big ten team.

Good thing you're not Duff, because redshirt is no longer a thing.

 

[T2Kplus20]

It’s not just NIL. There’s a whole new philosophy regarding the 3 point shot because of analytics. He hasn’t caught up.

Yes, good point.

 

[T2Kplus20]

I know you don’t pay much attention to bball, but he just landed a top 50 player. He was competitive in the portal. Those require money and it’s evident Zinn and the donors are doing their best to ensure he’s got what he needs. He has a good season (and I think he has firmly on the bubble if not dancing) and everyone will chalk up the slide to the administrative failures, some bad luck (Mulcahy, Spencer and the late GT transfer), and NIL desert under Hobbs and we can resume the upward march we were on before NIL reshuffled the deck.

Top 50 = meh
He couldn't win with 2 top 5 recruits.

 

[LotusAggressor_rivals]

This game was like having a trillion $ military and losing a war to a country with a 1/100th of the budget

Maybe tariffs will pay for Schiano's buyout.

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

Maybe tariffs will pay for Schiano's buyout.

Lots$ and lot$ of state spending waste that could be re-allocated to The State University of NJ.

 

[LotusAggressor_rivals]

Top 50 = meh
He couldn't win with 2 top 5 recruits.

Both of whom are major contributors to NBA teams. One of whom will probably be the second best player on a future championship team.

 

[Caliknight]

Unless he's willing to quit and walk away (already a millionaire), have him sit in a dunce chair on the sidelines while a new coach takes over. Urban Meyer might be available.

Head coach contracts are very explicit that they are in fact the head coach. They aren’t goi g to work for another coach. He’d sue, win, and we’d owe him more. Fire him. Pay him. Forget him. That’s the path.

 

[Caliknight]

You brought it up so please explain what's happening?

Great stuff is happening. Real leadership finally!

 

[TonyLieske]

I also sent a very strongly worded email to Rutgers. I made some very cogent and logical arguments as to why the should immediately fire Schiano. I am confident that they will find my email persuasive and that it will be taken very seriously by the entire university.

 

[Caliknight]

An email without a check means nothing.

 

[TonyLieske]

I definitely checked my email before I sent it.

 

[NewHondo77]

I also sent a very strongly worded email to Rutgers. I made some very cogent and logical arguments as to why the should immediately fire Schiano. I am confident that they will find my email persuasive and that it will be taken very seriously by the entire university.