Looking back..Al Golden

[mildone_rivals]

Serious question. What makes you guys think he’s going to be a good HC in the future? Honestly I’m not trying to be snarky, but I just don’t see it and curious what you guys have observed.

Being a HC is more than being a good football mind. You need an ability to run an organization and manage a large moving object under chaotic and ever changing conditions real well (game day). Not to mention the skill set to get adults and young men moving in the same direction regardless how they feel about you personally. You also need to be centered and consistent.

Has Ash shown that he has those skill sets?

By all reports, he has a tremendous work ethic. And he is not even remotely stupid, despite the comments to that effect made by disgruntled fans. Failure doesn't equate to lack of intelligence.

I see extremely brilliant people fail all the time (in business, particularly startups). Literal rocket scientists with multiple PhD's and an MBA who get funded for 10's of millions and totally blow it. Sometimes, they blow it a couple times before they get it right. Sometimes they never quite get it right. Because a lot goes into success in business; it's really hard.

I think sports are really not very different in that regard.

Before people jump all over me, I'm not saying Ash is that kind of brilliant. But he seems reasonably intelligent to me. And people who've worked closely to him say he's very smart. I tend to trust their opinions more than unhappy fan's assessments.

It remains to be seen if he can leverage his work ethic and intelligence, and gained experience, to learn to be a great head coach. But I would bet he could, if he keeps learning and eventually gets the right opportunity in the future.

 

[Plum Street]

By all reports, he has a tremendous work ethic. And he is not even remotely stupid, despite the comments to that effect made by disgruntled fans. Failure doesn't equate to lack of intelligence.

I see extremely brilliant people fail all the time (in business, particularly startups). Literal rocket scientists with multiple PhD's and an MBA who get funded for 10's of millions and totally blow it. Sometimes, they blow it a couple times before they get it right. Sometimes they never quite get it right. Because a lot goes into success in business; it's really hard.

I think sports are really not very different in that regard.

Before people jump all over me, I'm not saying Ash is that kind of brilliant. But he seems reasonably intelligent to me. And people who've worked closely to him say he's very smart. I tend to trust their opinions more than unhappy fan's assessments.

It remains to be seen if he can leverage his work ethic and intelligence, and gained experience, to learn to be a great head coach. But I would bet he could, if he keeps learning and eventually gets the right opportunity in the future.

So you think ash will be a great head coach somewhere else if he gets the “right opportunity.”
Well, I am upset that rutgers wasn’t the right opportunity and he needs to be fired.

 

[mildone_rivals]

So you think ash will be a great head coach somewhere else if he gets the “right opportunity.”
Well, I am upset that rutgers wasn’t the right opportunity and he needs to be fired.

I completely agree that he needs to be fired. Although I'm a patient guy, so if waiting another season helps us out financially, or in terms of the availability of someone with better odds of having success here, then I can wait it out (I realize most fans aren't that patient).

But yeah, if I had to chose either way, I would lean towards thinking he could be a great head coach some day. If things work out right for him. It's a hypothetical. Who knows if he'll even get the chance.

As for being upset, that's all about you. Only you can control your emotional state. Nobody else is ever responsible for another person's emotional state. I'm personally not upset at him because I know he's trying really hard for us and it's just not working out.

Life goes on. I have lots of things in my life so when one thing isn't going well, the others compensate. This I recommend to everybody.

 

[RUinFla]

New era in football. Rules changes and interpretations favor the offense, and DC's elevated to HC's are struggling. Meanwhile, several OC's are enjoying success in the NFL--and in college. Spread offenses, rapid tempo, no huddle, lots of passing. We hired ourselves a DC from OSU, and even OSU is changing with Haskins at QB. Our next hire should not be like, Michigan's DC--go for someone innovative who doesn't need a ton of pieces to make a stir. Lots and lots of targeting and unnecessary roughness calls these days, and the defensive guys like Matt Patricia in Detroit are having problems. Same-same in college. You get your outliers like Army, which scored 58 points against San Jose State yesterday, and threw just five times. But on the whole...
TL

 

[Jersey Boys]

By all reports, he has a tremendous work ethic. And he is not even remotely stupid, despite the comments to that effect made by disgruntled fans. Failure doesn't equate to lack of intelligence.

I see extremely brilliant people fail all the time (in business, particularly startups). Literal rocket scientists with multiple PhD's and an MBA who get funded for 10's of millions and totally blow it. Sometimes, they blow it a couple times before they get it right. Sometimes they never quite get it right. Because a lot goes into success in business; it's really hard.

I think sports are really not very different in that regard.

Before people jump all over me, I'm not saying Ash is that kind of brilliant. But he seems reasonably intelligent to me. And people who've worked closely to him say he's very smart. I tend to trust their opinions more than unhappy fan's assessments.

It remains to be seen if he can leverage his work ethic and intelligence, and gained experience, to learn to be a great head coach. But I would bet he could, if he keeps learning and eventually gets the right opportunity in the future.

Work ethic is important but that was never in question. Being the hardest worker in the room doesn't make you a leader or executive material. Now the best leaders and executives are in fact workaholics, but they have that it factor that differentiates them.

I don't know if he's brilliant. He maybe but I'm just not sure. Not saying he's stupid, but can't say either way. With that said, I agree that there are brilliant people who just don't put it all together for whatever reason. But again, you can be the smartest guy in the room and still fail to mobilize.

Again, brilliance doesn't necessarily make you a great leader, executive or coach. It's a certain skill set and leadership that I don't see in this guy. Hell, you can tell me he has a 140 IQ and it wouldn't sway me.

Read my post regarding the qualities I see as a necessity. I just don't see them in him. I've been coached up until my junior in college and in my professional life reported to some pretty senior people. In all cases I knew who the leaders were. I just don't see it.

The biggest turning point was the Kansas game. That was his chance to get up there, look the camera in the eye and say "F this. Never again on my watch." But no. He sulked like a baby and deflected blame. He's a whiner and an excuse maker. Speaking as a former collegiate athlete, there is no bigger turnoff.

 

[mildone_rivals]

Work ethic is important but that was never in question. Being the hardest worker in the room doesn't make you a leader or executive material. Now the best leaders and executives are in fact workaholics, but they have that it factor that differentiates them.

I don't know if he's brilliant. He maybe but I'm just not sure. Not saying he's stupid, but can't say either way. With that said, I agree that there are brilliant people who just don't put it all together for whatever reason. But again, you can be the smartest guy in the room and still fail to mobilize.

Again, brilliance doesn't necessarily make you a great leader, executive or coach. It's a certain skill set and leadership that I don't see in this guy. Hell, you can tell me he has a 140 IQ and it wouldn't sway me.

Read my post regarding the qualities I see as a necessity. I just don't see them in him. I've been coached since a junior in college and in my professional life reported to some pretty senior people. In all cases I knew who the leaders were. I just don't see it.

The biggest turning point was the Kansas game. That was his chance to get up there, look the camera in the eye and say "F this. Never again on my watch." But no. He sulked like a baby and deflected blame. He's a whiner and an excuse maker. Speaking as a former collegiate athlete, there is no bigger turnoff.

I agree that there's no way to truly know how he'll fare if given another head-coaching opportunity. And I agree that he's not coming across like a great leader at the moment.

Regarding the post-game press conferences, I'm ambivalent. I find them mostly meaningless. I think he probably shouldn't say anything like "never again on my watch" because he's already doing everything he can think of to prevent it yet it keeps happening.

Look at Franklin? He did a post-game press conference lots of folks here were saying was great. Franklin did the moral equivalent of what you described, the whole "never again, not on my watch" thing. Then he proceeded to come back the next week and coach PSU to another loss at the end of the game. Now, if Franklin says never again yet again, he just looks dumb.

 

[Jersey Boys]

I agree that there's no way to truly know how he'll fare if given another head-coaching opportunity. And I agree that he's not coming across like a great leader at the moment.

Regarding the post-game press conferences, I'm ambivalent. I find them mostly meaningless. I think he probably shouldn't say anything like "never again on my watch" because he's already doing everything he can think of to prevent it yet it keeps happening.

Look at Franklin? He did a post-game press conference lots of folks here were saying was great. Frankly did the moral equivalent of what you described, the whole "never again, not on my watch" thing. Then he proceeded to come back the next week and coach PSU to another loss at the end of the game. Now if Frankly says never again yet again, he just looks dumb.

In general the loud mouth pompous stuff usually is a turnoff. Agree with you there and also agree it can backfire. But there is a moment in ones career that can define you and get your people to look up and say "I want to follow this man". I've yet to see that and word from people I know tell me it ain't happening behind the scenes either.

Again, I don't hate the man and wish he would turn this thing around. I just don't see it.

 

[mildone_rivals]

In general the loud mouth pompous stuff usually is a turnoff. Agree with you there and also agree it can backfire. But there is a moment in ones career that can define you and get your people to look up and say "I want to follow this man". I've yet to see that and word from people I know tell me it ain't happening behind the scenes either.

Again, I don't hate the man and wish he would turn this thing around. I just don't see it.

I don't think he can turn it around. The results this season are abysmal. Recruiting will suffer greatly. And Ash isn't helping himself by being so defensive in his press conferences. He's in a position where, other than winning a game convincingly, there's literally nothing he can say or do that will satisfy just about anybody about anything, including himself, probably.

I saw a post-game with the Nebraska coach Saturday. He's going through a rough time too this season; not one win on the season yet. He looked completely miserable in his post-game presser. And it was clear he couldn't think of a damn thing to say at this point. Basically just babbled.

Coaching's a tough profession. When things go wrong, they tend to snowball and there's just nowhere to hide. That's one reason why I never begrudge coaches the money they make. It's a ton of work, and failure is always lurking right around the corner.

But if they can't take the heat; they shouldn't take head-coaching jobs.