Public opinion of Coach Rhoads

**Wesley** · 01-10-2009, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by herbicide

Judging by the staff he is putting together, I am honestly thinking he will be better for us than chiz would of.

His staff will get us a better bowl than Shreveport, the one that the previous admin was pointing towards attending.

Gene Chiznip may have jumped early because he knew he had staff problems. Is there a possibility that was the best staff he could pull together in Ames so he decided top cut bait and ran? If PB could do it, so could the HC? PR has an outstanding collecting of staff people. Gene looks like he is getting a better staff in Auburn. Makes you stop and wonder if the die cast was rtight when Gene showed up in Ames and put tohether his staff.

So was PB in the Gene doghouse and the OLine coach was not happy when PB quit? Hard to believe how many yards AA ended up passing for when the season went the way it did.

**CyCloned** · 01-10-2009, 09:32 AM

I was not thrilled because I really wanted a guy with HC experience. Both Mac and GC had several games that they did not do a good job of being the head coach. Game day coaching was just not very good for either one of these guys. Mac got a lot better, after 5 years, but can ISU wait 5 years for a head coach to figure things out again? The bright side is PR is very smart and has put together a pretty solid coaching staff so far.

**CyinCo** · 01-10-2009, 09:36 AM

I work for a national company. We have an office in Birmingham. One of the engineers in that office played football at Auburn. I was talking to him about the whole deal this past week (for the first time) and he said we got the better deal. He closesly follows Auburn football and he had a great deal of respect for Rhoads.

He said he isn't a Chizik fan but he is impressed with the staff he has surrounded himself with.

**iowacubjim** · 01-10-2009, 09:38 AM

I have heard a couple of non clones say this type of thing but they are just that not part of the nation so I don't pay attention to them as one is a panther and the other is a do I dare say it a...... husker.

**VanderHuge** · 01-10-2009, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by benjay

Your coworker probably watches Sex in the City and wears an apron when he cooks tofu fajitas.

Seriously? Sure his opinion of how we got him is wrong but I'd never heard of him before we got him. I can assure you I'm not womanly as you're implying this guy is.

**Bobber** · 01-10-2009, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by CyCloned

I was not thrilled because I really wanted a guy with HC experience. Both Mac and GC had several games that they did not do a good job of being the head coach. Game day coaching was just not very good for either one of these guys. Mac got a lot better, after 5 years, but can ISU wait 5 years for a head coach to figure things out again? The bright side is PR is very smart and has put together a pretty solid coaching staff so far.

This line of thinking confuses me. Seems to me every time a coach looses, he's made poor game time decisons. So Bob Stoops lost the national championship and maybe made some poor game time decisions. Does that make him any less of a great coach?

Just remember everyone makes mistakes and so will Paul Rhoads. Got to say I thought Mac, made more then a few bad ones. Probably why he's not here anymore...

**Bipolarcy** · 01-10-2009, 11:03 AM

Originally Posted by Kyle

I have to admit that I was not enamored by the hire of PR, although I wasn't a huge fan of a lot of the options this time around. But, I like what I'm seeing so far as Rhoads assembles his staff and suspect we will be just fine. It will be interesting to see who is hired as defensive coordinator.

In my opinion, the options this time were a lot better, more high profile than they were last time. We were talking about Mike Stoops and Gary Patterson after all. Phillip Fulmer's name was mentioned as was Tommy Tuberville's and Turner Gill's. In fact, there were different stories from multiple sources that we had hired Mike Stoops and were working out the details of the contract. There were similar stories from different sources on Gary Patterson.

I will admit that after all those high-profile names were thrown around, I was disappointed with the Rhoads hire. I was disappointed with the Chizik hire too. I'm warming up to Rhoads, but I never did warm up completely to Chizik. The difference, I think is in who they hire/hired to help them.

Chizik hired his friends, guys who had little or no experience at this level and little or no national reputation and in some cases, guys who had been out of football the year before and in another case, a guy who was a graduate assistant up until a couple of years before. I was never sold on Bolt and McFarland as coordinators. Chizik hired two guys I thought were good hires, Pelton and Fountain.

Rhoads, on the other hand is hiring some high-profile coaches, guys who are ready to move onto the next level after spending many years honing their craft at smaller schools, or guys who have plied their trade at high-profile coaching stops before and/or guys who are proven recruiters. There's a lot to like about the staff Rhoads is assembling.

Also, there was always something that didn't quite ring true about Chizik for me. He seemed like a meat puppet, telling you want you wanted to hear, but not too much. No details, just generalities. "We're doing this the right way." Like a politician.

"That's a great question." How many times did we hear that? What he really meant, I suspect, is "god, how long do I have to put up with these morons?" He didn't seem genuine.

There's no faking who Paul Rhoads is.

**CycloneErik** · 01-10-2009, 11:23 AM

I was reading a Business Week column by Jack Welch, and something he said in there made a lot for our coaching discussions: "Who you hire says a great deal about the importance you place on the job/task you're hired for."

I'm not quoting exactly, because I don't have it with me, but that was the general idea. Chizik hired his buddies and got out of town as fast as he could. Rhoads seems to be hiring people that have built a reputation. Even if his initial press conference had lacked the emotion that he did show, his hires say something about the importance he places on the job he's been hired for.

So, where's our DC announcement? I'm ready!

**Tornado man** · 01-10-2009, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Bipolarcy

Also, there was always something that didn't quite ring true about Chizik for me. He seemed like a meat puppet, telling you want you wanted to hear, but not too much. No details, just generalities. "We're doing this the right way." Like a politician.

I sensed the same thing. What confuses me is why Jamie didn't pick up on this during his interviews with Chizik prior to hiring him. He looked reluctant even at the intro/pep rally at Hilton.

**Aclone** · 01-10-2009, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by CycloneErik

Chizik hired his buddies and got out of town as fast as he could. Rhoads seems to be hiring people that have built a reputation.

Y'know, just to be fair, I gotta point out that Rhoads is hiring a bunch of people that someone could describe as "his buddies", from Pitt connections, to Auburn, to ISU.

**CycloneErik** · 01-10-2009, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by Aclone

Y'know, just to be fair, I gotta point out that Rhoads is hiring a bunch of people that someone could describe as "his buddies", from Pitt connections, to Auburn, to ISU.

That may be. It does seem like there are better credentials this time. Or maybe we do our press releases better this time.

**Jarrods79** · 01-10-2009, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Aclone

Y'know, just to be fair, I gotta point out that Rhoads is hiring a bunch of people that someone could describe as "his buddies", from Pitt connections, to Auburn, to ISU.

Hiring buddies that have impressive resumes and qualifications is a different story.

**unionized45** · 01-10-2009, 11:40 AM

come on anyone that is a fan of ISU knows that Pollard is an idiot he fired a coach that wanted to be here (Big Mac) and that took us too bowl game after bowl game!!!!!!! Then too see the ISU iowa game had to be a season ticket holder lol give me a break!!!!! what has he done for our team since he has been here will someone please telll me because i have no idea so i hope someone will fill me in on it

**Wesley** · 01-10-2009, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

I sensed the same thing. What confuses me is why Jamie didn't pick up on this during his interviews with Chizik prior to hiring him. He looked reluctant even at the intro/pep rally at Hilton.

He was the reluctant knight from the get go - shoved into the head coach spotlight at a school that he would proceed to lose ten straight games. Compare his entrance and Bill Callahan's to those of PR or Bo Pelini. Night and day. PR might be here twelve years. He may be the real Face of ISU football in the future.

Gene appeared squeemish at being in the spotlight at VEISHA and other places. His comments like "We were beat and we have to play btter next time" did not seem like a passionate I really care coach. Sorry times have become good times with a person who wants to win in Ames. People laughed at Dan's handclapping, but that was light years better than Gene's sunglasses and stoic approach to losing.

**Wesley** · 01-10-2009, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Aclone

Y'know, just to be fair, I gotta point out that Rhoads is hiring a bunch of people that someone could describe as "his buddies", from Pitt connections, to Auburn, to ISU.

However, in fairness, they did not need a new job...they chose to follow.

One thing we might claim is we may have the smartest staff around, certainly reginally. This may result in a better graduation rate as the coaches have shown great acedemics. Seem like PR does not ant any academic failures for his coaches.