re: Why the hell did we extend DeBoer?

After hearing Nick Saban's interview this week about his thoughts on CKD's extension. I get the feeling Byrne thought there was real interest in CKD entertaining other schools and leaving. It was how CNS worded his answer that made me think that.

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Yeah, Jimmy will do anything to get more money.

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100%

But the problem is agents like Sexton are able to create rumors in the market that the AD's can't prove or disprove. They have to gamble that those rumors are true, and make a move or gamble they're not and do nothing. Both moves have their risks.

The only fix is to become the NFL where nobody can be talked to while under contract outside specific windows that have certain preconditions or with the express permission of the AD who owns the talent’s rights.

Costs for coaches will go down when the default pathway for head coaching hires is unproven assistant or retread on the sidelines.

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Costs for coaches will go down when the default pathway for head coaching hires is unproven assistant or retread on the sidelines.

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Yeah, I think it's likely to happen as well when the trend is established that NIL stacked rosters win with meh coaches.

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I think the opposite can happen. Coaching and scouting for talent will become more valued. We see it in the nfl.

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But the difference is, once the NFL team scouts and develops the player, they can lock the guy up with a contract. That currently cannot happen on the college level. A college staff may get one year out of the guy until he becomes noticed and now the team is fighting deeper pockets with zero leverage.

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Not surprising but you can only play that card so many times. If this situation pops up again with no title to show for it, let him walk with a replacement lined up.

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When you play that game, he makes it painful for you.

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Getting to a 12 team playoff ain't that big a deal really

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You call it a playoff and people forget that 10-3 with a blowout loss in the SEC championship game meant the Citrus Bowl or Outback Bowl back when this sport was actually good.

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the Bama fanbase expectations need a significant reboot

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So ditch the Saban standard? What are the standards you think we need to abide by now?

A big part of the problem is Greg Byrne (who I think was excellent at his job until now) is playing the game by rules that no longer exist. Jimmy Sexton probably suspects this too and is throwing his weight around to squeeze every dollar he can from people not adjusting to the paradigm shift that has occurred in college football. Name me an elite coach in the NFL. I’m not talking about someone who is slightly above most of his peers, I’m talking about someone who is head and shoulders above the rest of the league. The last one I can think of is Belichik and even his name is questionable considering what he has done post-Brady. There are no Vince Lombardi’s, Tom Landry’s, Don Shula’s or Chuck Noll’s anymore. Why? Why does the front office affect the product on the field more than the guy running the team from the sidelines? My best guess is unrestricted free agency just like we have in the new college football. NFL coaches don’t have the luxury of 4-5 years of drafting and developing players to fit their system and hone their talents. Neither does college anymore. You have to win and win now, and the only way you can do that is put the best players you can afford and assemble on the field. The caliber of your football coach is very much diminished now. Teams are winning mostly because of the talent differential, not because the coach is a better tactician or a better motivator. Cleveland is a disaster and has been for years because despite having high draft picks, their front office is a train wreck and they draft poorly.

The name of the game is to hire a competent coach who is player friendly and keep him as long as you can without overpaying for him because his kind is no longer a rare commodity. You’re better off putting most of your money into NIL and scouting and recruiting but understand you have little room for projects (ie Proctor) and high priority on players who can play for you right now.

Byrne maybe should have extended CKD, but there is no way in hell he should have agreed to that unmitigated buyout. That is the first line in the sand colleges have to draw with Jimmy Sexton: the unlimited, unmitigated buyout is dead. If your client wants to walk, then walk. We can replace him tomorrow with a cheaper if unproven coach that can do what he is tasked to do now. That is, build a competent staff that can hold their own with other coaches if given equal or near equal talent. They don’t have to be elite football minds and sometimes it doesn’t matter if they are. Lane Kiffin is the best offensive coordinator in football IMHO. His offenses are elite. But he can’t put together a defensive staff and he can’t recruit defensive talent well, especially to a place like Ole Miss. He always fell just a little short for that reason. Maybe with Blake Baker, if he stays out of his way, and gives him enough talent to work with, he can put it all together and get a natty.
I was a big proponent of hiring Cignetti. Now, I’m not so sure he can sustain what he did. He’s elite at identifying overlooked talent, diamonds in the rough. Indiana had a school record 8 players drafted recently. But the last 2 seasons he had the luxury of having the overall #1 pick under center. That’s a huge advantage and one that will be very difficult to replicate no matter how good of a talent scout he is. That guy just isn’t always available and he’s going to be very expensive if he is. It also didn’t hurt that he preached to these kids how they were unwanted, overlooked misfits and they played with a chip on their shoulder. You can only play that card so many times before it becomes stale. I don’t think Cignetti is going to crash and burn; he’s a very good coach. But it will be difficult to have all the pieces fall into place again like they did last season. He’ll be consistently among the top 4-5 schools in the B1G going forward.

All this rambling to say that the days of the 8 figure coach is going to end soon, or it should because you’re waaay overpaying for the product. Smart athletic programs are going to invest the majority of their money into scouting and recruiting, and the schools that play the “Moneyball” game are going to be extremely successful. Top shelf talent is more critical than ever, especially under center. And who in the hell ever decided that “cause” to fire a coach doesn’t include job performance? In any other job on the planet, that is reason #1 for cause to fire. Byrne bet the house on DeBoer and it may not have been necessary or prudent and may cause him to be fired, especially because of the buyout he agreed to.

I didn't ask all that. I asked what you thought our standards should be now.