A Letter from Pat Hobbs

[Mikemarc]

what self serving dumb posts from those wanting their scalps--hobb's is right on--the letter was meant to explain his dissatisfaction and the hope that ,might I say , loyal fans,stick by the school--what was he supposed to say--give up --the decision was made, Ash is here for 2019--it serves no purpose other than to *****--get on board or get off the train

I’ll never get off the train supporting the team. If he thinks this letter will get me to renew buying tickets...it won’t. I’ll continue to root for RU, though.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Some of you are unbelievably impossible to please. Send a letter like this, which is as honest as could be, and you *****. Don’t send a letter ...and you *****...SMDH.

 

[RU85inFla]

Some of you are unbelievably impossible to please. Send a letter like this, which is as honest as could be, and you *****. Don’t send a letter ...and you *****...SMDH.

Wow, I thought you were smarter than that. You conclude people are bitching over a letter?

 

[RedTeamFan]

Our goal is to turn our football program into one that is bowl eligible every year, that graduates young men of high character and that is a source of pride to the Rutgers community and our State.

Talk about setting the bar low. I guess he doesn't want to even be a top 25 programs let alone compete for championship. I guess he will be happy with 6-6 record and going to the no one cares bowl.

Go away Troll.

 

[RU from Jersey_rivals]

Here is the problem, if Ash wins 3 games next year is that considered progress and he continues? If Hobbs wanted to placate the masses he should have publically laid out what Ash needs to do in order to stay around. I know that this is not normal operating procedure, but 1-11 in the 3rd year of a regime normally gets a coach canned.

 

[bac2therac]

he can win 3 and definitely be retained and look at it as progress and spun to give him the 5th to make that leap with all his guys as the team got better and is poised for a better season

 

[Knight Shift]

then people should stash their money away for the next coach so we can land a winner that people can be confident in, why waste it now on a lost season or two even

How about letting them save for the future and building a war chest?
I'm sure they already have Ash's salary accounted for.

 

[bac2therac]

How about letting them save for the future and building a war chest?
I'm sure they already have Ash's salary accounted for.

lol...trust them...hahahaha

 

[RUwoz]

Wow. Where to begin? My favorite line - "Chris Ash wanted to be the Head Coach of the Scarlet Knights."
I want to be King of the World. Unfortunately, I don't qualify.

Guess you need to get better at interviewing!

 

[ru66]

areyou--that's the problem with some ,unless they get their way they won't accept the decisions --these are the people that Hobb's may not listen to and they will lose their voice -- it's a waste of his time, they can't support the school as he said, in good as well as in bad times-- that's not an effective way for the complainers to have any influence

 

[Knight Shift]

Some of you are unbelievably impossible to please. Send a letter like this, which is as honest as could be, and you *****. Don’t send a letter ...and you *****...SMDH.

So, we can call you a Hobby?

Is this you on a Hobby horse?

Just screwing around--I agree with you.
But surprised nobody coined the term "Hobby" like they did with "Floodie".

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

Well-crafted. Let the stone-throwing begin.

On the recruiting front, we have this:

Zaun den Garten​

Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen

 

[greenknight]

I'd love to get a look at the "many examples" of coaches who went 1-11 in year 3 and turned it around. Disappointing seasons are one thing, this was a train wreck.

Competitive ball is not a trainwreck. 1-11 with 60 point losses is a trainwreck
The large problem with the Rutgers community is NJ is just a really loud mouthed negative bunch which is why a large majority of the people across the country do not like NJ people

 

[Knight Shift]

Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen

It's better to burn out (into an ash heap)
Then fade away?

 

[ru66]

best way to succeed in life--never move on?? that's a great attitude that gets you far

 

[JMORC2003]

No investment in facilities for decades? Didn’t we spend $100 mil on a stadium expansion in 2008?

When I saw the email I was hoping it was this...

“Dear Rutgers faithful, it’s time to start chopping again”

 

[RUinPinehurst]

"Shoulder-to-shoulder"... staying the course, off the cliff we march... together.

Seriously, I'll support my school and this program, despite my skepticism re: Ash's abilities to coach and recruit. I'll keep my season tickets, next year and beyond. I will bleed Scarlet. Forever.

 

[RUwoz]

H

The 2004 class was ranked #49. Of the 21 kids signed only 4 saw the field plus Ito. Teel and Zuttah were 3 stars and Girault was a 2 star. Cam Stephenson was a Juco who played DT for a year and then switched to OL. That was year 4 for Schiano mind you. The natives were restless on Exit 109. We just have more natives now.

Recruiting has become more accurate and comprehensive since then. Does this mean that 2 stars still can’t be great players, no, but the hit rate on higher recruits is much higher now than it was 15 years ago

 

[ScarletCrimson]

weak sauce

 

[chase07470]

Just wrote another post lighting up Hobbs and this mess he's created. But I erased it. Time to get in line, at least until signing day.

 

[buffalochicken21]

"Despite these challenges, Chris Ash wanted to be the Head Coach of the Scarlet Knights."

Sounds like Ash convinced Hobbs the Rutgers job is worse than he believed it to be.

I think most of us are willing to admit that Rutgers is one of the hardest, least attractive jobs in the Power 5. But, there is a ton of potential in it. Schiano proved that. The recruiting base, the fan base, and the location are there, much more so than Boston College, Syracuse, and even places like Pittsburgh, Purdue and I'd argue Minnesota.

Hobbs should be selling these things to a quality coach to get them on board, not being told the job sucks by a guy who's not really ready to begin with.

I would say I'm worried for the both of them, but I'm passed that. I'm more surprised by Hobbs instincts and his inability to state a genuine case to the donors who matter, he's got a lot of years on me.

 

[bac2therac]

No investment in facilities for decades? Didn’t we spend $100 mil on a stadium expansion in 2008?

ya know Rutgers sports existed before Pat and Chris got here...but in Pat's defense he means facilities mainly for basketball and other sports which were neglected for decades. That being said there were alot of improvement for facilities in football before Hobbs got here as well.

 

[RU85inFla]

areyou--that's the problem with some ,unless they get their way they won't accept the decisions --these are the people that Hobb's may not listen to and they will lose their voice -- it's a waste of his time, they can't support the school as he said, in good as well as in bad times-- that's not an effective way for the complainers to have any influence

Listen big talker. My wife and I are on this list here and gratefully donated the first day Hobbs started this deal and will continue to donate. With that, the letter was late to the game and smacks of desperation. Hobbs could not do what needed to be done so he is twisting the truth saying how good things are going to be in the future. Not with the talent we have recruited.

https://d81ldo19jx3e0.cloudfront.ne...ld/img/Big-Build-Honor-Roll-as-of-9-30-17.pdf

 

[redking]

Wow. Where to begin? My favorite line - "Chris Ash wanted to be the Head Coach of the Scarlet Knights."

Except when he wanted to coach Ohio State for their bowl game.

 

[Knight Shift]

Recruiting has become more accurate and comprehensive since then. Does this mean that 2 stars still can’t be great players, no, but the hit rate on higher recruits is much higher now than it was 15 years ago

It's a small sample sizes but so far two 2-stars from Ash's 2017 class are doing well (one really well) on offense (RB and TE), while the 4 stars on offense have yet to flash. Jawuan Harris was also a 2 star who is one of our better receivers from the 2015 class on.

 

[Wolv RU]

areyou--that's the problem with some ,unless they get their way they won't accept the decisions --these are the people that Hobb's may not listen to and they will lose their voice -- it's a waste of his time, they can't support the school as he said, in good as well as in bad times-- that's not an effective way for the complainers to have any influence

And the issue with posts like this is you're criticizing the wrong people. Anyone who already kept their tickets through 2018 and has continued donating already has showed a lot of faith.

Hobbs is laying out his position. I'm glad he did. But no leader at Rutgers -- or anywhere really -- is above criticism, particularly when results are not there. Rutgers was here before Hobbs and it will be here afterwards. He is charged with being a steward of a portion of it at this time, and any stake holder that is unhappy has every right to complain as they'll likely still be here once Hobbs is gone.

And this letter does nothing to provide any confidence in Ash. He didn't talk about how the program has been cleaned up. He didn't say recruiting has improved. He only said Ash "played a lot of young guys" and "was willing to take the job despite the difficulties of it."

Contrast that with the concrete results Hobbs can point to for himself. That is exactly why reasonable people can disagree about Hobbs, but there is little argument on the merits of Ash except continuity for the sake of continuity for keeping Ash.

As a result, the letter essentially boils down to an acknowledgement that things aren't getting better on the field any time soon, but your support is critical so we can continue to build infrastructure. Understandably, this message will resonate with some but not others.

 

[Upstream]

I thought it was a good letter. He said what he needed to say, and could say. A lot of what he is saying makes sense. I am hoping that Ash turns it around next year.

Nonetheless, I am not confident that Ash turns it around next year. And I am not renewing my season tickets.

 

[MoobyCow]

Competitive ball is not a trainwreck. 1-11 with 60 point losses is a trainwreck
The large problem with the Rutgers community is NJ is just a really loud mouthed negative bunch which is why a large majority of the people across the country do not like NJ people

I'm going to go ahead and say 1-11 with a crushing loss to Kansas, the worst P5 QB performance anyone has ever seen and something like 3 yards passing vs MD, in a year when the coach was talking about a bowl game is a train wreck.

 

[Mikemarc]

Some of you are unbelievably impossible to please. Send a letter like this, which is as honest as could be, and you *****. Don’t send a letter ...and you *****...SMDH.

I think people are bitching over his lack of action and could care less about a Rah Rah letter.

 

[rucoe89]

Hobbs is worried. Doesn't sound confident in his decision and understands that he lost a ton of donor/alum support via his inaction.

You can read into it all you want. However, I think this was a sincere acknowledgement that while results were disappointing, there is a vision from him (in his case continuity and building infrastructure) and that to continue on this vision he is asking folks to stay engaged. Whether people do or do not is their individual decision. I for one will be sending in support this year because I do think Hobbs overall has the Department moving in a positive direction and a vision that we have not seen as clearly before at Rutgers. Yes, football was a misstep to date, but as I've noted on other threads, I think Hobbs will learn from it. And from what he learns he will do better as he applies it across ALL Rutgers athletics programs. That is just my take and why I will support him and the program despite what may be disappointing results in one sport of over 23 at Rutgers.

 

[RUaMoose_rivals]

Our goal is to turn our football program into one that is bowl eligible every year, that graduates young men of high character and that is a source of pride to the Rutgers community and our State.

Talk about setting the bar low. I guess he doesn't want to even be a top 25 programs let alone compete for championship. I guess he will be happy with 6-6 record and going to the no one cares bowl.

Exactly. I was going to comment on the "bowl eligible" statement . So that's where Ash and Hobbs are setting the bar, 6-6 or even 6-7 ? We need some more swag and higher expectations. Like you said, how about setting the bar at finishing in the Top 25 ? No one expects that every year but that should be where you set your sights as a program.

 

[DHajekRC84]

Lol...some of you folks talk like this is a recent RU blip over 4 decades of proven success. Solid recruiting, conf. Championships, major upsets here and there, a few big time bowl games, etc.

Reality us that except for a few really decent seasons. The norm is Rutgers Football has been avg to below avg. And the last 3 seasons have been some of the worst. We underperform . thats the only constant.

You know what? After all these freaking years of support regardless, Rutgers owes me. I paid for my degree. I paid for my tix and parking. I donated. I wear the gear most days even when we suck bad. I took the abuse.

I wish them the best. I beg then to succeed. But I m not putting my head in the sand.

Ill still go to games. But they can now earn me back just like bball is doing.

 

[Knight Shift]

You can read into it all you want. However, I think this was a sincere acknowledgement that while results were disappointing, there is a vision from him (in his case continuity and building infrastructure) and that to continue on this vision he is asking folks to stay engaged. Whether people do or do not is their individual decision. I for one will be sending in support this year because I do think Hobbs overall has the Department moving in a positive direction and a vision that we have not seen as clearly before at Rutgers. Yes, football was a misstep to date, but as I've noted on other threads, I think Hobbs will learn from it. And from what he learns he will do better as he applies it across ALL Rutgers athletics programs. That is just my take and why I will support him and the program despite what may be disappointing results in one sport of over 23 at Rutgers.

Another Hobby horse guy!!

I agree with you.

 

[koleszar]

O man, we're in some deep sh*t. I don't like the talk of patience, continuity, we knew success would not happen overnight and "there are many examples of progams and coaches in the process of building experience disappointment in year 3". This is just setting the bar low, so any glimmer say 3-9 and he's back.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

No investment in facilities for decades? Didn’t we spend $100 mil on a stadium expansion in 2008?

I do realize that we played like 20 sports, right?

I think people are bitching over his lack of action and could care less about a Rah Rah letter.

My point has zero to do with his lack of action and/or people bitching about that (which I agree with...) Thank you.

 

[Mikemarc]

No investment in facilities for decades? Didn’t we spend $100 mil on a stadium expansion in 2008?

I do realize that we played like 20 sports, right?

I think people are bitching over his lack of action and could care less about a Rah Rah letter.

My point has zero to do with his lack of action and/or people bitching about that (which I agree with...) Thank you.

I get that wasn’t your point.

I just think the bitching you are attributing to his letter is actually the bitching continuing over his lack of action.

 

[theRU]

As has been mentioned by many, we should be seeing recruiting trending up with all the investment that has been made. Unfortunately we are not, and therefore...we are doomed. In fine with the letter. Bn ur I hope to hell Hobbs sees the same thing we do and he better be scheming for the next hire to be able to over come the recruiting shortfalls of the ash regime

 

[theRU]

what self serving dumb posts from those wanting their scalps--hobb's is right on--the letter was meant to explain his dissatisfaction and the hope that ,might I say , loyal fans,stick by the school--what was he supposed to say--give up --the decision was made, Ash is here for 2019--it serves no purpose other than to *****--get on board or get off the train

Typically I'm ok with this attitude but we are rutgers.... get ready to be on an empty train of ineptitude to nowhere. Its going to be ghost town next year.

 

[yesrutgers01]

what self serving dumb posts from those wanting their scalps--hobb's is right on--the letter was meant to explain his dissatisfaction and the hope that ,might I say , loyal fans,stick by the school--what was he supposed to say--give up --the decision was made, Ash is here for 2019--it serves no purpose other than to *****--get on board or get off the train

Not criticizing Hobbs letter...It was well written, thought out and it does drive home some positives. I read it as him also finding it very hard to extol the virtues of Chris Ash though so he skirted them like a pro.

There are two things a HC is judged by...wins(or at least noticeable improvement) and recruiting. It would be really great if Hobbs could have honestly said that we have seen recruiting improve and the team has gotten better each year. Hell, Ash can't even say he has cleaned up illegal activities by our players.

 

[JoeRU0304]

I am reading it and almost all of the positives are NOT related to Chris Ash. Ash's positives were, he took 10 ,illion because he really wanted to coach here and his 1st and 2nd year players got a lot of playing time. Not sure if that means they are good or just better then the rest of the team but they went1-11 and looked pretty bad. We may not have had so many younger players play so much if Ash wasn't so steadfast in trying to prove that everything and everyone on this team before him sucks.
anyway- 1-11 in year three...It is hard to lipstick it but he did as best as he can with this letter.

This is spot-on. I know Rutgers is a tough job but I didn’t like how Hobbs framed us as some sort of charity case that should be happy Ash wanted to be here. We’re in the B1G in the NY media market and you’ll be making a couple million+ a year minimum if you’re HC here- not exactly pro bono work with a lack of candidates.


Joe P.