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CU Buffs hire former Minnesota OC Mike Sanford as their new OC
- Thread starter Creebuzz
- Start date
We were all upset Marion was not chosen for OC. It looks lime he is only getting WR coaching jobs. What are we missing that no one is making a run at him for OC?
Big Jim
WTF?
What P5 HC is going to be the first to let him implement the Go Go offense?
Normally I'd call UBL, but based on the profile pic, I've got nothing.
No experience as OC. I pointed that out and was roundly criticized.
That’s because this is incorrect.
I think most of us realized that but felt that we needed to move in a BOLD direction with something totally new. We can't follow what Miami is trying with 1/10th the money available and just hope for success.
Or you can continue down the BigBang formula of finding the 15 best of the best non P5 recruited players and develop, develop, develop. HCMM did a fantastic job doing that to pull our asses out of the basement but failed to understand that with improvement, comes the need to keep moving up on the recruiting ladder.
vinniew_11
Well-Known Member
Don’t know where to put it, but Coach Smith’s house burned down yesterday
I hear what you are saying, I would merely point out no one else is willing to take that bold move on Marion, which is pretty good evidence the consensus now is that he is not OC material. So I disagree CU should take a radical risk on OC no one else in CFB will. To do so would be akin to hiring a HC nobody else would consider. That is all I am saying.
And do me the courtesy of not suggesting, even obliquely, I agree with bigbang2. That guy is an idot.
Except he does have experience as OC, albeit at a small school.
And I mentioned that when he was in play. Howard and William and Mary one year a piece. Not much of an OC resume, again, indicating that he is not ready now.
This is my last post on Marion, we have Sanford, for good or bad.
Marion is probably not ready now. He would be a huge risk. But I think you misread the room. Everyone recognizes that, but feels we are playing with house money. Why not take a huge risk? The difference between Marion falling on his face and Sanford might be 0-12 versus 3-9. The upside on the risk is much higher with Marion than Sanford in my opinion.
But it feels like you don’t hear what he is saying. Just because nobody else wants to take a chance on him doesn’t mean CU shouldn’t be willing to be that first program to do so. That’s the bold move we are talking about. Oregon took a bold move by hiring a guy from New Hampshire that nobody else would have hired. I guess they probably shouldn’t have done that either.
Alright. I will add one more comment, even though I said I was done. Disagreeing does not equal lack of comprehension.
Marion is not ready. He is a bad risk in my opinion. His own HC, according to some things I have heard form Pitt people, wants him off the staff, not to mention he wasn't about to promote him to his newly opened up OC spot on his staff. That is pretty telling. Comparing him to Chip Kelly is pretty funny, so kudos there.
To me, there is a difference between taking a flyer on a guy who could be the next big thing and grabbing a guy who is all flash. There is not enough evidence on Marion to convince me he is the former, rather than the latter. You feel differently.
I fully understand those who wanted him, I just think they are wrong. The fact nobody else in CFB has hired him as OC makes my opinion conventional among those who, presumably, would know. If you want to presume you know better than the rest of CFB, you are entitled to that view, and one day you may be proven right.
Bottom line, this is kind of a silly argument to continue. The O is in the hands of Sanford, one way or the other.
I can respect that opinion. Given the choice between Marion and Sanford, I’d choose Marion. Sanford has failed miserably everywhere he has been an OC. Why would we think things would change here? Marion, while relatively inexperienced as an OC, still has had some success in that role and could bring an innovative approach to our offense. If he has success at UT as a WR coach, his next step will be OC somewhere. Basically comes down to a choice between two guys, neither of which is “ready”, but one has more potential than the other.
I respect the opinion, I just don’t understand the desire for CU to follow the CFB crowd anymore. Conventional wisdom hasn’t worked for CU in 20 years.
So, if we are really going to hear the PGC hire announced this week, it has to be today, right?
Fair.
BrokenPrinter
Well-Known Member
Counterpoint: How much conventional wisdom have we really followed over the past 20 years? We have hired two NFL position coaches to lead the program and spent the last 20 years handicapping ourselves recruiting. Seems like CFB conventional wisdom is to throw money at proven P5 guys and recruit at all costs, including YOLOing potential NCAA sanctions.
lawdogg
Club Member
In fairness, hiring Embree didn’t really represent conventional wisdom. The Tuck hire actually was more conventional in a lot of ways, and a lot of us still seem to be reeling from his departure. Conventional wisdom isn’t necessarily the issue.
Looks like @BrokenPrinter beat me to the point.
Narduzzi is an ass. They had an historically successful season (best since Marino) and his offensive coaches are trying to get the hell out of there as soon as they can. His personnel decisions aren’t exactly ones we should model.
Besides, Colorado is on its way to complete irrelevance. We had one of our worst offenses ever. Instead of hiring an innovator, we hired a guy who mucks up offenses.
The thing that folks fail to acknoledge about Marion not getting his shot at this level is that race is a major factor. A lot of the young offensive geniuses got chances that they didn’t “deserve” because they were friends with the right person. Colorado is the perfect place to take a shot on somebody. It isn’t like we have much to lose.
We’ve followed conventional views in schematics. Hiring has been all over the place.
Big Jim
WTF?
I understand using hyperbole to make an argument. It seems like this particular hyperbole has become canon for many.
My point to conventional wisdom is about CU trying to run a traditional offensive scheme that puts our athletes vs theirs when we are clearly the less talented and athletic team and hoping we somehow match up and win more than we lose.
The idea around Marion is to implement an offense that isn’t as reliant on our athleting the opponent but rather presenting them something really hard to gameplan for when they only see it once a year. Similar to Air Raid or Triple Option in that regard.
Whatever, I’m pumped to watch us go full west coast, pro style offense and hope that our OL can push the opponents DL around enough for us to win 23-20
lawdogg
Club Member
I get what you’re saying, and to be clear, I was as excited about Marion as many. At the same time, it was never “Marion or bust” for me. Guys like Sowder at Kent State and my dude Eck from South Dakota State (now at Idaho), also would have worked for me, but both of those guys run more conventional offenses, in many respects. I don’t buy the idea that the only way CU scores points is to present a scheme nobody else has seen before. If I’m wrong, happy to give you all the internet props you like. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Totally agree on the head coaches. CU does ok if it follows the model. Sure, coaching hires are always a crapshoot, but I have a clear hierarchy from best to worst:
1. Proven P5 head coach (Gary Barnett, for example)
2. Proven coordinator from elite program (Bill McCartney from Michigan and Mel Tucker from Georgia)
3. Proven head coach from G5 (Mike MacIntyre from SJSU, Bill Mallory from Miami OH)
4. Other College Assistant (Rick Neuheisel, Eddie Crowder)
5. NFL Coach, majority prior decade (Chuck Fairbanks, Jon Embree, Karl Dorrell)
That’s sixty years of CU football and you kind of see a pattern emerge.
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While I can understand why everyone is upset with this hire (it's meh to me), Sanford hasn't failed miserably as an OC. I'd say he is probably right in the middle to lower middle half as an OC. I think Minnesota fans overplayed the team they had this year. They were still devout of top talent, although I can admit they probably had one of the best olines in the nation. I am mostly concerned with QB development as it seems when Sanford gets to a School, a QB takes steps back and that seems to be a trend with him. He will most certainly be an improvement over Chev and possibly could be over Lindgren. I am guessing he will be right in the middle of those two.
I could see the AD holding off on an announcement because of the fires yesterday.
BrokenPrinter
Well-Known Member
I'm not really even sure that this is true...The conventional wisdom in modern CFB is to spread the field and distribute the ball, not to go best on best and pound it between the tackles. If anything we have been going the opposite direction.