Leavitt to Oregon

[Buffnik]

So our defense should be pretty good in 2017?

My opinion changed a lot in the last half hour with the Javier Edwards news. Filled the biggest hole in the biggest way possible. I think Wigley changes everything in the secondary, too. If we get confirmation on Shamar Hamilton and get word that McCartney is recovered, I'll feel good about our ability to set the edge & get a good pass rush. Assuming these final pieces fall into place, I expect a good P5 defense in 2017.

 

[8Jah]

This could be a good lesson for HCMM. As a leader you want to hire and enable people that are more talented than you are. As a transformational leader you are the enabler that concentrates astounding talent in one place, at the same time. You make that talent feel more special and appreciated than they could anywhere else. With that collection of talent you demonstrate that they all are better off together, under your leadership, than apart and away from you. That is the height of leadership; serving your amazing team. It is hard.

Jim Leavitt is more talented than HCMM, by far...but he is not a head coach (he is a DC to the bone). He needed to be praised, he needed to be recognized and he needed to be rewarded. How hard would it have been to say: 'JMFL has been a godsend, he is an amazing talent and he transformed this defense?' JMFL is not head coach material...he does not realize the above paragraph. JMFL is talent and you need talent.

HCMM has tended to have underlings that are a lesser talents than him - like all the folks he came over from SJSU with. I am sure that felt comfortable, but it is no recipe for winning. If he is a circumspect man, and I think he is, HCMM will learn from this. He is a decent man, with great character and I am glad to call him coach of the CU buffs. He needs to deflect the limelight onto others. He needs to fully step to the next level.

 

[SINKRATZ]

Do you remember when HCMM was so frustrated that he spent the '14 year personally coaching the DBs and coaching Coach Clark on how to coach the DBs? He moved LaRussa to coach the Defensive Ends and he coached the Cornerbacks himself and oversaw the DB unit as a whole. Then he hired Tumpkin to basically replace himself and then he hired Leavitt. Tumpkin and Clark coach DBs the way HCMM wants that position coached.

That won't change.

HCMM was a DB coach in the NFL under Parcells. That unit has his signature all over it.
I think we miss Leavitt's attitude and motivation, and perhaps his scheme. I would think the scheme is entrenched and that should continue. Leavitt was a special guy, and I said that many times.

For fu**ks sake. I'm sure Mac knows something about defense, but our defense was sh**ty under Mac until Leavitt got here, including that 2014 season you're talking about when Mac was allegedly babysitting the DBs.

Leavitt didn't just become the highest paid assistant in the conference because Mac is a good DB coach.

 

[leftybuff]

Again, It turned out that JL inherited a pretty damned solid group of players. He didn't build any of that. He inherited it. To his credit, he molded them into a helluva unit. But, for me, he gets no, or little, credit for bringing in the talent. Now, the guy appears to be a helluva recruiter and, no doubt, he'd have brought in top talent.

Good point, Obama.

 

[DBT]

Good point, Obama.

I wish I could neg rep ya!!

 

[buffaholic]

For fu**ks sake. I'm sure Mac knows something about defense, but our defense was sh**ty under Mac until Leavitt got here, including that 2014 season you're talking about when Mac was allegedly babysitting the DBs.

Leavitt didn't just become the highest paid assistant in the conference because Mac is a good DB coach.

Time will tell. Our defense was really young in years 1 and 2 and he was building the culture and many things. Leavitt gets credit, but nothing I have said is not factual. Leavitt didn't bring one guy here that played and he didn't coach the DBs or even get involved in the DBs or their coaching.

 

[buffaholic]

This could be a good lesson for HCMM. As a leader you want to hire and enable people that are more talented than you are. As a transformational leader you are the enabler that concentrates astounding talent in one place, at the same time. You make that talent feel more special and appreciated than they could anywhere else. With that collection of talent you demonstrate that they all are better off together, under your leadership, than apart and away from you. That is the height of leadership; serving your amazing team. It is hard.

Jim Leavitt is more talented than HCMM, by far...but he is not a head coach (he is a DC to the bone). He needed to be praised, he needed to be recognized and he needed to be rewarded. How hard would it have been to say: 'JMFL has been a godsend, he is an amazing talent and he transformed this defense?' JMFL is not head coach material...he does not realize the above paragraph. JMFL is talent and you need talent.

HCMM has tended to have underlings that are a lesser talents than him - like all the folks he came over from SJSU with. I am sure that felt comfortable, but it is no recipe for winning. If he is a circumspect man, and I think he is, HCMM will learn from this. He is a decent man, with great character and I am glad to call him coach of the CU buffs. He needs to deflect the limelight onto others. He needs to fully step to the next level.

How do you say JMFL is not head coach material? Are you aware that he's one of the most successful HEAD coaches in CFB based on his run at USF? Doesn't that sort of change the whole dynamics of the team situation you speak of?

 

[DBT]

This could be a good lesson for HCMM. As a leader you want to hire and enable people that are more talented than you are. As a transformational leader you are the enabler that concentrates astounding talent in one place, at the same time. You make that talent feel more special and appreciated than they could anywhere else. With that collection of talent you demonstrate that they all are better off together, under your leadership, than apart and away from you. That is the height of leadership; serving your amazing team. It is hard.

Jim Leavitt is more talented than HCMM, by far...but he is not a head coach (he is a DC to the bone). He needed to be praised, he needed to be recognized and he needed to be rewarded. How hard would it have been to say: 'JMFL has been a godsend, he is an amazing talent and he transformed this defense?' JMFL is not head coach material...he does not realize the above paragraph. JMFL is talent and you need talent.

HCMM has tended to have underlings that are a lesser talents than him - like all the folks he came over from SJSU with. I am sure that felt comfortable, but it is no recipe for winning. If he is a circumspect man, and I think he is, HCMM will learn from this. He is a decent man, with great character and I am glad to call him coach of the CU buffs. He needs to deflect the limelight onto others. He needs to fully step to the next level.

So when Baer was DC and we sucked, it was Mac's fault but with the defense getting good it's because of Leavitt?

 

[SINKRATZ]

Time will tell. Our defense was really young in years 1 and 2 and he was building the culture and many things. Leavitt gets credit, but nothing I have said is not factual. Leavitt didn't bring one guy here that played and he didn't coach the DBs or even get involved in the DBs or their coaching.

As defensive coordinator, I don't believe this for a second.

 

[8Jah]

How do you say JMFL is not head coach material? Are you aware that he's one of the most successful HEAD coaches in CFB based on his run at USF? Doesn't that sort of change the whole dynamics of the team situation you speak of?

Even at USF he was more of a defensive coordinator. USF became good because of their D.

He also hit a player...which is the MAIN reason no one is looking at him as head coach.

 

[SINKRATZ]

So when Baer was DC and we sucked, it was Mac's fault but with the defense getting good it's because of Leavitt?

Not at all. Holic seems to be giving Mac and the position coaches way more credit for the incredible turnaround on defense and all I'm saying is that it's no coincidence that the massive improvement in the past 2 seasons occurred after Leavitt took over the defense.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

These are big boy football problems that successful programs run into. Assistants and coordinators are going to leave and others are going to want to come and coach for successful head coaches like MM. Egos or whatever will get in the way and change will be a constant so the program and MM will need to keep the contacts and pipeline filled. The tree he comes from is pretty damn large and he is pretty well respected from everything i have read. MM needs to take the time needed to get his guy in at the DC position and I really think his moves with coaches speak volumes over the last 2 seasons. Edward's signing today confirms a lot about the staff in total and I think the search process will be fun to watch. The Rise Continues

 

[DBT]

Not at all. Holic seems to be giving Mac and the position coaches way more credit for the incredible turnaround on defense and all I'm saying is that it's no coincidence that the massive improvement in the past 2 seasons occurred after Leavitt took over the defense.

I meant that for 8jah

 

[Buffnik]

These are big boy football problems that successful programs run into. Assistants and coordinators are going to leave and others are going to want to come and coach for successful head coaches like MM. Egos or whatever will get in the way and change will be a constant so the program and MM will need to keep the contacts and pipeline filled. The tree he comes from is pretty damn large and he is pretty well respected from everything going I can read. MM needs to take the time needed to get his guy in at the DC position and I really think his moves with coaches speak volumes over the last 2 seasons. Edward's signing today confirms a lot about the staff in total and I think the search process will be fun to watch. The Rise Continues

Yep. If the norm become another program having to break a pay scale record by over 50% every time it wants to poach a CU coach, I think we can live with that.

 

[bpc5180]

Been brooding on this all afternoon. What a slime ball move by Leavitt. Hasn't talked to the players, fellow coaches, dropping these seniors before their first bowl game to jump in with a conference rivals.

Oregon fans so happy. They are calling us penny pinchers and that uo shouldn't stop with the D.C., they think a bunch of recruits will come on board too.

Money is great but Leavitt is a scumbag doing it like this. The message sent is he and Mac really didn't get along. That's the only way I can understand it.

 

[8Jah]

Not at all. Holic seems to be giving Mac and the position coaches way more credit for the incredible turnaround on defense and all I'm saying is that it's no coincidence that the massive improvement in the past 2 seasons occurred after Leavitt took over the defense.

Yep. There is NO doubt Leavitt made a big big difference. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.

 

[The Monk]

I guess we should stop winning so we can stop losing coaches.

 

[buffaholic]

Not at all. Holic seems to be giving Mac and the position coaches way more credit for the incredible turnaround on defense and all I'm saying is that it's no coincidence that the massive improvement in the past 2 seasons occurred after Leavitt took over the defense.

All I'm saying is that it's possible that much of the improvement was going to happen given we were going from playing underclassmen to upperclassmen (with some experience) and that we were poised to go from some of the worse DBs to some of the best. And that DB development was very evident each year he's been here. That is a position group I know something about. And we were getting much better before Jim Leavitt entered.

It's also a fact that HCMM decided pre-Leavitt to go another direction with the front 7.. He brought in a guy who knew how to run that from a scheme point. And I also think Jim L is a great motivator and leader (and I've said this many times).

But I also think that HCMM knows defense, has the front seven system now in place that Leavitt brought over along with the blitz packages etc, that combined with what I feel is the top secondary coaching in the CFB game (and that won't change), we can move on without Leavitt. With the right guy, this is a system now that survives any one assistant. This happens all the time where a coordinator leaves, and the next guy does just as good. Sometimes change after change.

I think it's now a system at CU and JMFL helped put it in place, but HCMM is a smart Defensive guy himself. This is what he's been trying to get to from the dog **** he inherited.

 

[buffaholic]

Yep. There is NO doubt Leavitt made a big big difference. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.

So I guess we're ****ed now and we go back to the defense of 2013? This must have been how the Patriots fans felt when they lost Charlie Weiss!

 

[SINKRATZ]

All I'm saying is that it's possible that much of the improvement was going to happen given we were going from playing underclassmen to upperclassmen (with some experience) and that we were poised to go from some of the worse DBs to some of the best. And that DB development was very evident each year he's been here. That is a position group I know something about. And we were getting much better before Jim Leavitt entered.

It's also a fact that HCMM decided pre-Leavitt to go another direction with the front 7.. He brought in a guy who knew how to run that from a scheme point. And I also think Jim L is a great motivator and leader (and I've said this many times).

But I also think that HCMM knows defense, has the front seven system now in place that Leavitt brought over along with the blitz packages etc, that combined with what I feel is the top secondary coaching in the CFB game (and that won't change), we can move on without Leavitt. With the right guy, this is a system now that survives any one assistant. This happens all the time where a coordinator leaves, and the next guy does just as good. Sometimes change after change.

I think it's now a system at CU and JMFL helped put it in place, but HCMM is a smart Defensive guy himself. This is what he's been trying to get to from the dog **** he inherited.

Yeah I'm not buying that we were about to suddenly get better on D because we were a year older and Leavitt joined the staff at an opportune time. I don't expect us to fall off a cliff with him gone, but I think you're under selling his value and contribution to an unbelievable defensive turnaround.

Whatever, he's gone, time to see if Mac can make another strong hire.

 

[SINKRATZ]

Been brooding on this all afternoon. What a slime ball move by Leavitt. Hasn't talked to the players, fellow coaches, dropping these seniors before their first bowl game to jump in with a conference rivals.

Oregon fans so happy. They are calling us penny pinchers and that uo shouldn't stop with the D.C., they think a bunch of recruits will come on board too.

Money is great but Leavitt is a scumbag doing it like this. The message sent is he and Mac really didn't get along. That's the only way I can understand it.

That's pretty harsh. I don't begrudge the guy for accepting FU money in a place like Eugene. But this should be a lesson to fans and the AD that the Flatirons, quality of life, and all that other crap we think makes Boulder special still can't compete with money. If we want a top staff, we need to pay for it.

 

[8Jah]

So I guess we're ****ed now and we go back to the defense of 2013? This must have been how the Patriots fans felt when they lost Charlie Weiss!

Not saying that we cant survive this. Just stating the obvious fact that we lost a big piece.

 

[Jeric]

I think it's fair to say that while Leavitt did a great job as DC, Baer made it look more impressive just by how ****ing bad of a DC he was. Leavitt did Top 10 DC level work but he didn't inherit a defense that's talent was well represented by it's production. I also don't think Baer's time here is a good representation of what our defense under Mac looks like without Jim Leavitt, considering MacIntyre knew it wasn't near good enough and made the change and hired someone who was more than good enough. I imagine he'll look to do that again, and presume he'll do well.

 

[DBT]

And to think, the guy was making snow angels on our field a couple of days ago. That's like the fuskers coming in and stomping on our logo!! Thanks, Jim, for the great things you did here but now you're the enemy!

 

[bpc5180]

Everybody there thought Brady hoke was a slam dunk hire too. Hope it blows up similar to that.

 

[DBT]

Everybody there thought Brady hoke was a slam dunk hire too. Hope it blows up similar to that.

Don't get your hopes up. JL >>> BH.

 

[SINKRATZ]

I think it's fair to say that while Leavitt did a great job as DC, Baer made it look more impressive just by how ****ing bad of a DC he was. Leavitt did Top 10 DC level work but he didn't inherit a defense that's talent was well represented by it's production. I also don't think Baer's time here is a good representation of what our defense under Mac looks like without Jim Leavitt, considering MacIntyre knew it wasn't near good enough and made the change and hired someone who was more than good enough. I imagine he'll look to do that again, and presume he'll do well.

I think that is true, but we were a top 20 defense this year - I don't think anyone would have argued before this season that we had top 20 talent.

We ranked #114 in total defense in 2014, and in 2 years under Leavitt we moved to #17 - that cannot be explained simply by players getting a year or two older.

 

[Buffnik]

I think that is true, but we were a top 20 defense this year - I don't think anyone would have argued before this season that we had top 20 talent.

We ranked #114 in total defense in 2014, and in 2 years under Leavitt we moved to #17 - that cannot be explained simply by players getting a year or two older.

Nope. He did a great job.

He was a big part of that improvement.

There were a lot of things that came together, though. Players coming back from injury or suspension, a new S&C Director, players getting older, player development (particularly in the secondary), an offense that got better at converting 3rd downs to stay on the field, etc. Leavitt deservedly gets most of the credit, but he shouldn't get all the credit.

 

[SINKRATZ]

Nope. He did a great job.

He was a big part of that improvement.

There were a lot of things that came together, though. Players coming back from injury or suspension, a new S&C Director, players getting older, player development (particularly in the secondary), an offense that got better at converting 3rd downs to stay on the field, etc. Leavitt deservedly gets most of the credit, but he shouldn't get all the credit.

Agree, not all the credit, but most.

Credit to Mac for hiring him. I hope he can make another great hire.

 

[gobuffs58]

Been brooding on this all afternoon. What a slime ball move by Leavitt. Hasn't talked to the players, fellow coaches, dropping these seniors before their first bowl game to jump in with a conference rivals.

Oregon fans so happy. They are calling us penny pinchers and that uo shouldn't stop with the D.C., they think a bunch of recruits will come on board too.

Money is great but Leavitt is a scumbag doing it like this. The message sent is he and Mac really didn't get along. That's the only way I can understand it.

what a turn of events!...who would have thought 3-4 years ago that oregon would need or want to poach a bunch of cu recruits!....this to me means the buffs have arrived into the big boy football club!!