It was exactly the type of press conference I would've expected from a first-time head coach with Midwestern roots coming to a "strange land". Not spectacular, not awful. Perfectly fine.
OFFICIAL Ash Press Conference Thread
- Thread starter Knight Shift
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That was a lot of work typing that whole thing. Can I get some likes? [banana]
"if he can approach what GS did then he will be successful"-- I'm sure some will love that as they were never happy with the level he achieved.
What can you possibly expect on his first day at his announcement press conference, want him to break down film of the Ohio State game to explain how he would have beaten Urban Meyer that day?
Hope he means he could set himself up for an NFL head coaching opportunity... and not poor game-day coaching and failing to win a conference championship with highly-recruited players.
Well... yes, actually. I do want him to do that because it would be totally awesome to listen to.
For the most part, I could not have expected anything more than what the three men, especially Chris ash, provided at this press conference. There is only one exception. When he discussed Greg Schiano and the accomplishments that were achieved under his coaching, it almost sounded as though Greg Schiano was the pinnacle of what could happen here. My mindset is that Greg Schiano got us to a certain point, that point was national relevance. But we need to get to national prominence. I would have rather his answers then something more along those lines. Instead, I am left wondering what he really views as the ceiling for Rutgers. And if I'm wondering that, I'm wondering if he already intends for this job to be his stepping stone. That leaves me a little Other than that, I feel very confident in this group moving forward.
Felt more like a platitude. I think he knows that there's still great affection for Schiano here in some quarters.
My hope, though, is that Schiano's slew of seven and eight-win seasons is the baseline for Rutgers, not the ceiling.
A new maven joins our culture. You must be part of the positive energy that Ash wants to bring to RU. Have you met Plum Street?
I interpret that as taking the program from where Schiano left it (from where it has obviously slipped) and improving it by the same amount that Schiano managed during his time here...which was considerable. That would be a pretty good accomplishment.
That's one way to interpret those comments.
And even if he does think Rutgers is a stepping stone, the reality is that I'd prefer someone who gave us a few good years, made us a contender, and then got a better job than someone we have to fire after three years because the place ended up a dumpster fire.
It's coach speak when you don't understand and doesn't know how to read between the lines. This guy is the real deal. He could have said, I'm here to win championships - THAT would have been "coach speak". Instead, he said we need alignment - what?! THAT is culture and foundation stuff that is needed here in Rutgers. He's right, wins will follow if the culture is right.
I love this guy .......... change, it's so refreshing.
Ultimately, I agree with you. It would be nice to get that iconic coach here for the long haul. One less thing to worry about, you know? Haha
In case you missed it, Politi seemed intimidated, and I forget his question (see above), but Ash looked at him and laughed.
Adults are in charge. The pc led interests are dead now. So refreshing not to see Kate and that other guy up there.
These people are pros.
These people are pros.
Guys STOP reading into his comments regarding Gary. Of course he's going to say nice things and show how humble he is. If you really think he's coming in to match what Gary did, then you don't know coach-speak and political correctness. This guy's a winner. You don't think for one second he doesn't want to emulate what Urban accomplishes? You don't think he wants to have the kind of success his peer Tom Herman had this season?
I interpreted his answer this way as well. The context of the question was about the fact Gary brought us up from nothing to respectable and that our program up until today has been riding that GS stamp. I believe CA's answer was more reflective of building upon what Schiano did in terms of taking it to a next level. The video interviews linked in previous threads the past week show Ash to be a coach who unequivocally doesn't care about the past. He wants to move forward and worry about the here and now. Anyone who comes away from this presser thinking Ash wants to only get to the level of Schiano's ceiling really wasn't listening to his comments.
Ash didn't really do the Flood-esque thing where he talked about winning championships as the goal. And I think that's probably smart. It would take a confluence of highly unusual circumstances for us to even win a Big Ten championship within the next 5 years (Ash's contract length).
Does he want to win a championship? Of course. But if you run around talking about that being the goal and then struggle to even have a winning in-conference record, all the championship talk is going to backfire. We need realistic short term goals and those goals should be the focus.
I have the feeling that a lot of our fans will expect us to easily get to 6 wins next year because we fired Flood and hired Ash. But while I think it's possible, I also think it's unlikely and there will be plenty of unhappy fans this time next year (I hope I'm wrong). Even if Ash is able to up the recruiting game immediately, it's going to take several years of improved recruiting to start building the depth necessary to actually compete successfully in the Big Ten East.
So yeah, he can shine the media or recruits on about winning a championship, but nobody's going to believe it anyway, so why head down that path?
Does he want to win a championship? Of course. But if you run around talking about that being the goal and then struggle to even have a winning in-conference record, all the championship talk is going to backfire. We need realistic short term goals and those goals should be the focus.
I have the feeling that a lot of our fans will expect us to easily get to 6 wins next year because we fired Flood and hired Ash. But while I think it's possible, I also think it's unlikely and there will be plenty of unhappy fans this time next year (I hope I'm wrong). Even if Ash is able to up the recruiting game immediately, it's going to take several years of improved recruiting to start building the depth necessary to actually compete successfully in the Big Ten East.
So yeah, he can shine the media or recruits on about winning a championship, but nobody's going to believe it anyway, so why head down that path?
I thought he and Hobbs both addressed the "why are you going to continue to coach at OSU thru the bowl game" issue quite well. You may not like his answer but he seemed honest and firm in his conviction that it was the right way to handle it. For those of you hoping that he would change his mind, that seems very unlikely. Hobbs went out of his way to show his support for Ash's decision and praised his notion of program loyalty.Ash tried to assuge the skeptics with a less formal- c'mon, I'm working here!!! That issue should be put to rest, will it?
Exactly.
If Meyer is half as intelligent as his coaching implies, he would've told Ash that one of his first priorities in his new job is to manage expectations. I could see Ash thinking about some of his answers and I could see where he had some answers prepared already. He was nervous, and he stumbled a bit, but other than the mistake about "getting better players", he did a great job of accomplishing the things that he needed to accomplish with that press conference.
Let's see how he does w/keeping the recruiting class together and/or augmenting it a bit before signing day. And let's see how he does hiring a staff. Would've liked to see him with a $4M budget for the staff, but reports are that it's lower.
Thanks for the summary, Shift. I am anxious to get home and actually watch the press conference. But from your notes and the other posts here, I am very encouraged.
Politi: "Coach Ash, what are your plans for the offense?"
Ash: (Note to self: cut back on caffeine - either I'm hallucinating or a penis with glasses is talking to me) "Ha ha, well... coachspeak".
You should only do as well in front of the cameras. Please, I would hardly call him nervous or stumbling- why even the need to go there- this wasn't a composure class or a debate. He looked, talked and acted like a newly appointed head coach and very human and likeable.
That's my take on it to. People on this board may downgrade Schiano, but every time I read articles online at say ESPN or SI, many college football fans know Rutgers BECAUSE Schiano put the school on the map (as far as big-time football).
I think he was simply paying respect to that. There's NO REASON for him to bring up "well, Schiano failed to win championships so I expect to do better" -- he was respectful... something we rarely see around here, which is why it probably confused some.
Probably not as much as Barchi cringed when he said "we take education very serious". I was literally laughing out loud at the time and if I were in the room, I would've totally embarrassed myself laughing out loud there.
This mean sense of humor of mine is surely a character flaw, but I am what I am (which is all kinds of douchebag).
Man, what a change in energy and attitude. I have a feeling recruits are going to be very impressed with "R" new coach.