Wow what a fickle town we live in. Pure joy and elation Friday has turned into venom and anger by the end of the weekend. Fans seemed to pick out their spots on Ontario already for the Super Bowl victory parade. CALM DOWN! I understand if you are disappointed because you thought he was the best guy, you weren't alone, but a hire this weekend only guaranteed that we hired the flashiest candidate so far, nothing else.
Chip Kelly has won conference championships, not national titles. He has zero experience in the NFL, zero. This is not to say he can't be successful in the NFL but why so many fans assume that him in an orange visor guaranteed an end to this city's title drought is perplexing. He's had a small sampling to prove himself, but in that window he has not claimed the ultimate prize he could have. Not that should be the end all, Tressel has a longer, proven track record with national titles but there is no way I want him roaming the sidelines in an orange sweatervest. Some are great at the college level and that's where they should stay. Chip was intriguing but I am fine with us not being the team to roll the dice to find out.
This was not a slam dunk decision, many franchise and life altering decisions are not that clear cut. If after the wining and dining Chip thought he is best served by staying in Oregon, then good for him. If Jimmy Haslam truly thought that Chip wasn't "all in" and walked away then I am more convinced then ever that we will raise that trophy with him as the owner. If that's just a pr spin and we struck out with Chip then at least we did it swinging instead of leaving the bat on our shoulder.
I still say talk to Nick Saban once he secures his third title with Bama. For the pundits who say no because the coach needs to be here for a decade and Saban won't stay that long I say who cares. I would rather have a Nick Saban who knows he has half that time to secure the ultimate prize that has escaped his grasp so far. I want to see that team of orange helmets jumping for joy after they win the last game of the season as much as anyone else and think that Saban at the helm gives us a great chance to see that and to see it soon.
If we miss out on any of the high profile guys does not mean we are doomed. My dream scenario is still Jon Gruden, the levels he took two teams with solid but not elite Quarterbacks is impressive. Maybe the best candidate is hired already, I never heard of Marrone until a week ago but maybe he does for Buffalo what Levy failed to do for four straight years. If he does I guarantee no Bill's fan is upset that they did not hire the "it" coach this off season. Maybe the coach who is hired this year that turns out to be the most successful still hasn't even hit our radar screens yet, only time will tell. I will not judge Jimmy's hire by how much buzz he creates right now, I am going to judge him by how many titles he brings to this town.
No comments:
Post a Comment