Are we all calm now?

[Sitting_BULL]

.  Everyone here seems to forget that he was the quarterbacks coach during our 8-3 and 9-2 seasons, which were Marquel's shining moments for the Bulls.  If you're going to kill him for the lack of development of PJ and Ronnie, you also need to praise him for the work he did with 'Quel.  He showed that when given a talented team and quarterback, his teams can have success.

.

Not sure what the future holds but, you could've said these same things about Mike Hobbie as he was also here during the 8-3 & 9-2 seasons?

[USFMikeB]

Maybe everyone's crying about this is getting to me, and I mean no disrespect directly to anyone (well, except maybe smazza), but NOBODY HERE ON THIS BOARD IS THE COACH OF THE USF OR ANY OTHER FOOTBALL TEAM.  Let Leavitt do his job.  Let Leavitt choose his staff.  Let Leavitt prove how this move will turn out.  If it doesn't work out, then you can complain about it.  BUT NONE OF YOU WERE IN LEAVITT'S SHOES AND KNOW WHAT HE FACED IN HIS DECISION.  You are operating in a vacuum with one piece of info, and jumping up and down without taking an objective look at the situation.

[TyBull]

Maybe everyone's crying about this is getting to me, and I mean no disrespect directly to anyone (well, except maybe smazza), but NOBODY HERE ON THIS BOARD IS THE COACH OF THE USF OR ANY OTHER FOOTBALL TEAM.  Let Leavitt do his job.  Let Leavitt choose his staff.  Let Leavitt prove how this move will turn out.  If it doesn't work out, then you can complain about it.  BUT NONE OF YOU WERE IN LEAVITT'S SHOES AND KNOW WHAT HE FACED IN HIS DECISION.  You are operating in a vacuum with one piece of info, and jumping up and down without taking an objective look at the situation.

In CJL I trust. From where he has taken this program, in just eight years, makes me have faith in his decisions.

[USFMikeB]

He had a reason for this hire, and I trust his judgment.  It isn't who I'd have chosen, but I don't have all the facts in front of me that Leavitt did, and I can see potential reasons.

[Jim Johnson]

Gentlemen...

The things Coach Jim Leavitt have done at and for USF during his tenure have been miraculous.  He is the reason we are in the Big East.  He is the reason we have been as successful as we have been.  He deserves to be given the position of coach for as long as he wants it.

That being said, he is - after all - only human.  He can and will make mistakes.  We have to be ready to forgive him, whenever possible.  This may be one of those times -- or it may not.  Only time will tell.

Still, there are some things we CAN say.

1) Other than Blackwell, the QB's have had trouble performing under Coach Smith's tutelage.  Is it a problem inherent in the QBs themselves, or can we say that some of the blame has to go to the coaches who are supposed to help the QBs develop the skills necessary to perform?

2) In recent years, the spread offense has not been as effective - partically because of the QB problem, but also because we are not playing Hofstra or Western Kentucky any more.  BCS-level teams have the defensive talent and speed to negate some of the advantages the spread offense can provide.

Given these two positions, it is easy to suggest that CJL might not have made the wisest choice.

Now, I will add one last thing... perhaps Smith isn't a QB coach after all.  It is possible that his skills could be better suited for an OC position.  The promotion could be the thing he needs to fulfill his true potential.

NOTE: I am not playing both sides here.  I bascially think Smith was the wrong choice given his track record; however, I don't think it will be the end of days for CJL.  I understand where the doomsayers are coming from, but I think they need to have some patience and perspective.

[TripleB]

There is no way CJL would have done that. Everyone knows he uses Eenie Meenie Minie Moe.

I've heard CJL held a  Rock, Paper, Scisssors Tournament and Rod won it that way .........

[Bullpride08]

Wow, cooler heads to prevail.

Best decision that Leavitt could do right now.  Do not take Franks off of recruiting coordinator- that's where we need him and he's getting paid well to do that.

Timing is everything, and right now at least we will have a coach in place that the players are comfortable with, knows the offense and helped with game plan and play calling.  

You can question it all you want but at this juncture it was clearly the best choice.  Even if it is an interim situation.

[Papa_Bull]

I haven't even seen anything official about the signing, so it might not even be a done deal.

[BULLheaded]

You can question it all you want but at this juncture it was clearly the best choice.  Even if it is an interim situation.

To be more specific....it is only an ok move IF it is an interim situation. This being permanent is what is bothering me.

[USFPDiddy]

OK, I gave everyone 24 hours to get this potential hire bashing out of their system.  If you're still really hot and bothered, take a xanax or vicodin, come back in 20 minutes, and read why everything is going to be fine.  Trust me.

For starters here, please remember I don't even like football, as it is my least favorite team sport.  Unless you aren't allowed to use your hands and have drunken hooligans in the stands, it's not football to me.  But I'm a huge fan of our basketball, volleyball, soccer, baseball, and softball teams.  And as a fan of college athletics in general, I understand how important our football team is to our overall success as an athletic department.  I'm going to Penn State and Miami next year because of my green and gold pride, and the friends I have who are fellow Bulls.  I will cheer my heart out as I do at every football game... but if volleyball is playing on Saturday night, I'll be in The Corral.  When it comes to football, what I really care about is how much closer this gets us to MSG and an NCAA bid, or postseason for any sport.  Hence that's why it's a lot easier for me to look at this impartially.

And that's why I'm very excited for Rod Smith if he's selected as our Offensive Coordinator.  He is young, innovative, and has had success here in Tampa.  Everyone here seems to forget that he was the quarterbacks coach during our 8-3 and 9-2 seasons, which were Marquel's shining moments for the Bulls.  If you're going to kill him for the lack of development of PJ and Ronnie, you also need to praise him for the work he did with 'Quel.  He showed that when given a talented team and quarterback, his teams can have success.

The problem he's had since is we just haven't recruited the right type of player to be our QB.  You need a talented signal-caller in this system, and we simply haven't recruited someone to fit that bill.  If you want to blame him for his inability to recruit from his position as QB Coach/Pass Game Coordinator, then be my guest.  But I think that blame has to go a little higher up the ladder.  

So if we don't have a quarterback, why don't we change the spread offense?  Because all of that talent you see at wide receiver isn't going to play for a wishbone team.  High school kids want to play in an offense where they can put up numbers.  Watching us chuck it all over the field looks like fun, and that is an essential part of our recruiting pitch.  But where we have failed recently is in getting someone to throw it to all those quality receivers.  

That is a situation theoretically corrected in the last recruiting class (Hill, Grothe, Denson now eligible).  If we still can't find someone who can throw it, maybe it is time to throw the baby out with the bathwater and completely change the way we approach offense.  But we had a hole (QB), and we hopefully have patched it.  We have outstanding young talent at wide out, and this system is designed to exploit it.  We also have a workhorse in the backfield who can take pressure off an accurate three-step-drop-read-and-throw passer.  This system fits our talent... if we have done what we were supposed to do and get a quality QB.

Plus as a former QB himself, and as someone who has worked extensively with PJ and Denson, no one should know their limitations and capabilities any better than Smith.  The position was our obvious problem last year, but not because of the coaching... but rather the talent.  You don't kill a basketball coach for his inability to teach when he has a two guard who can't make a jumper, you bash his recruiting.  PJ and Ronnie just couldn't make the throws to receivers who were open.  And remember your average male college student makes more passes in one night after a few beers in a bar that Pat Julmiste made in his high school career.  To paraphrase an immortal political operative of our era.. "It's the recruiting, stupid."

But now we have a pool of potential quarterbacks to select a winner from, and hopefully one of them can do enough to get us to the top of the Big East.  And I hope that Rod Smith can do the same thing he did during his two years with Marquel, and help put a quality QB in a position to succeed.  

If this is who Jim goes with, I'll be very happy as I think he's a talented coach who can teach and relate to his players.  If he doesn't succeed, clearly in the modern world of D-1 Athletics he and Leavitt will be held accountable.  But I think this is the right choice.  I've spoken to Coach Smith on a couple of occassions, and he's an articulate and likeable guy.  He's also a new husband, getting married just a few weeks ago.  If he's the choice I think he'll get the most out of the team and resources he has.  

But most of all I hope he's at least given the chance to put a product on the field before people start cancelling season tickets.  Before all of you jump off the roof of Raymond James, just wait and see what happens.

News flash: Smith didnt train blackwell.  Don't bold that crap.  Our great seasons at QB were off the remains of the older qb coach.  The talent has to have been possible the past few years...only god awful programs have failed to beat us at qb play over the time period.