In Defense Of Jay Jacobs

[AUChizad]

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/sports/college/auburn/article/phil_paramore_no_doubt_whos_calling_the_shots_at_auburn/138249/

Phil Paramore: No doubt who’s calling the shots at Auburn

There should now be no debating who is calling the shots at the Auburn athletics department. His name is Jay Jacobs.

Some would suggest that should be obvious. He is, after all, the athletics director.

But there was a day not too long ago where the man with the title didn’t possess the title’s power. Now, one would find it hard to believe Jacobs would be a part of a secret flight to interview a possible replacement for a coach who hadn’t yet been fired. He’d make the call, fire the coach and conduct his own interviews.

That’s what he did last week, when one day after Jeff Lebo’s final team stunk up the arena floor in Nashville in an SEC tournament loss to Florida, he gave Lebo his walking papers.

Jacobs didn’t drag his feet, didn’t waver in his decision, didn’t allow personal feelings or compassion to enter the equation. He pulled the trigger swiftly, and from this vantage point, with just cause.

The numbers speak for themselves. Lebo averaged just six wins per year in SEC play, never got his club to the NCAA Tournament and only once garnered a bid from the second-tier NIT. He never developed a true center, often playing with a lineup that failed to feature a starter over 6-feet-7 inches tall. His clubs gave effort, but isn’t that what you expect from a kid who is receiving free room, board, books, fees and tuition?

Fact is, Lebo never sold the Auburn program. When you’ve won two regular-season conference championships in 78 years, you have to do something unconventional. This isn’t Chapel Hill. The prep All-Americans don’t line up at the door, and unless you ask them,  neither will the general public. Lebo never tried to sell himself to the Auburn family, and based on the fact he never had a first-team All-SEC player, he didn’t do much better selling himself to recruits.

So what direction does Auburn go? There is a sentiment out there that despite the new arena being ready to open next season, Auburn will have to relegate its search to a big-name coach on the way down or a young, up-and-coming guy who maybe hasn’t had a job at a major power. That may be true. Some of the candidates’ names who have emerged fit both categories. Missouri’s Mike Anderson isn’t the red-hot candidate he was a couple of years ago. Neither is John
Brady, Mike Davis or Frank Haith.

One name being tossed about is UTEP’s Tony Barbee. At age 38, he’s averaged 20 wins per year in El Paso and has his team in this year’s NCAA tourney.
However, he’s a longtime John Calipari assistant and rumors of Calipari’s recruiting practices have always hounded the current Kentucky coach.

I don’t know if Jacobs chooses from that list or not. I’m not sure what the perception of the Auburn job is around the country. The two league titles in 78 years doesn’t exactly blow potential candidates away.

But after watching how he handled the Gene Chizik football hire and the Lebo dismissal, I’m confident Jacobs is capable of addressing the issue. At least we know if it isn’t a successful choice, we’ll know who made it. Jacobs, as we’ve seen, is in charge.

[Kaos]

http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/sports/college/auburn/article/phil_paramore_no_doubt_whos_calling_the_shots_at_auburn/138249/

What a piece of suck up garbage.  Seriously. 

[AUChizad]

What a piece of suck up garbage.  Seriously.  

[Kaos]

Funny pictures aside, it either was or wasn't suck up garbage. 

I take it you were enthralled with the kissing of Jacobs' ass? 

His portrayal of things is hardly accurate.

Jacobs didn’t drag his feet, didn’t waver in his decision, didn’t allow personal feelings or compassion to enter the equation. He pulled the trigger swiftly, and from this vantage point, with just cause.

Really?  So the last three years weren't feet dragging, compassion or whatever?  He allowed an obviously overmatched coach who was failing at recruiting and base-building to twist in the wind and burn the program nearly to the ground while he simultaneously dropped nearly $100 million on a new arena.  Yeah.  That's not wavering. That's not dragging.  That's just utter incompetence.

[AUChizad]

Funny pictures aside, it either was or wasn't suck up garbage. 

I take it you were enthralled with the kissing of Jacobs' ass? 

His portrayal of things is hardly accurate.

Jacobs didn’t drag his feet, didn’t waver in his decision, didn’t allow personal feelings or compassion to enter the equation. He pulled the trigger swiftly, and from this vantage point, with just cause.

Really?  So the last three years weren't feet dragging, compassion or whatever?  He allowed an obviously overmatched coach who was failing at recruiting and base-building to twist in the wind and burn the program nearly to the ground while he simultaneously dropped nearly $100 million on a new arena.  Yeah.  That's not wavering. That's not dragging.  That's just utter incompetence.

As per usual, I'm going to have to disagree with you here.

Lebo's first two years were pretty bad. No depth was a valid excuse at the time. He showed progress in his third year. Backslid in his fourth year back to pretty much the same record as his first two. This is the "three years ago" you're referencing. As easy as it is for a fan to sit here and call for a coach's head after one season worse than the one before it, that's easier said than done with a sport like basketball that by and large most people could care less about, not to mention while looking at a multimillion dollar buyout. It's much more rational to give him one more year and see if he improves. And that he did. He showed major progress in his fifth year. Went from 14-16 (4-12 SEC) to 24-12 (10-6 SEC) and a respectable run in the NIT. That's progress. It would make zero sense to fire him after that season.

So his "one more year" got an extension, to see if he could keep the momentum he built in 08-09 which was the most reasonable thing to do at that point. He didn't. This season was the point that I was officially off the Lebo train, and I think that is representative of how most of the Auburn fanbase felt. He wasted no time after this season to pull the trigger, and in my opinion he did so at the most desired possible time without the crystal ball that you exclusively possess.

[Jumbo]

Nice pic Chadskins.

[Kaos]

As per usual, I'm going to have to disagree with you here.

Lebo's first two years were pretty bad. No depth was a valid excuse at the time. He showed progress in his third year. Backslid in his fourth year back to pretty much the same record as his first two. This is the "three years ago" you're referencing. As easy as it is for a fan to sit here and call for a coach's head after one season worse than the one before it, that's easier said than done with a sport like basketball that by and large most people could care less about, not to mention while looking at a multimillion dollar buyout. It's much more rational to give him one more year and see if he improves. And that he did. He showed major progress in his fifth year. Went from 14-16 (4-12 SEC) to 24-12 (10-6 SEC) and a respectable run in the NIT. That's progress. It would make zero sense to fire him after that season.

So his "one more year" got an extension, to see if he could keep the momentum he built in 08-09 which was the most reasonable thing to do at that point. He didn't. This season was the point that I was officially off the Lebo train, and I think that is representative of how most of the Auburn fanbase felt. He wasted no time after this season to pull the trigger, and in my opinion he did so at the most desired possible time without the crystal ball that you exclusively possess.

Blah, blah, blah.  Depth.  Blah, blah, blah. Injuries.  Blah, blah, blah. Excuses.  

It was readily apparent to a large number of people -- not just me -- that Lebo wasn't going to get the job done at the end of year three.  

It was written in stone at the end of year four.  

It just took Jay two more years to figure it out.  Really three, because even the least savvy basketball fan knew it three years in.  You (once again) mistake your opinion for the opinion of the "majority."  Bzzzz.  Wrong.

[AUChizad]

O now you claim to have known (along with "everyone") that he wasn't getting it done in year three (or four years ago), not year four (or three years ago). Which is it?

As I already illustated, he showed nothing but significant improvement in year three, so I don't see why any rational person would want him gone at that point.

[Kaos]

O now you claim to have known (along with "everyone") that he wasn't getting it done in year three (or four years ago), not year four (or three years ago). Which is it?

As I already illustated, he showed nothing but significant improvement in year three, so I don't see why any rational person would want him gone at that point.

Your comment "he showed progress in his third year" illustrates absolutely nothing.  I'm sorry, but 17-15, losses to AUM, Pitt, OK State, A&M and Southern Miss, and a 7-9 SEC record that included a 3-6 record over the last nine games and a 20+ point loss to Kentucky simply isn't "improvement" coming in the third year of a coaching tenure.  If that had been his first year, yeah, you'd have an argument.  Not three years in.  I said that then (and you know it).

I knew he wasn't getting the job done after two years.  I knew it after three. I knew it after four, five and six.  I'm on record with that and I haven't wavered.  Some, like you, tried to argue against what I knew.  Fail on your part. 

I'm sorry it took you (and Jay) so long to figure out what was readily apparent.

By all means, though, let's give Jay a big "HUZZAH!!" for his decisive nature.  It's okay to ignore the fact that he allowed the basketball program to sink to what is probably it's lowest level ever, one that will require two more years of rebuilding, in the process.   Pfffftttt.  That article is a load of hogwash.  You can wallow in it if you want.  I won't. 

You can also claim it makes me negative to think so.  I think the opposite.  I don't want to see AU programs hamstrung by a clueless AD who waits far too long to make a decision -- and hasn't proven he's got the capability of making a quality decision in any realm.  What's negative is to continue to support that.  So go make a funny picture of yourself, Sancho. 

[AUChizad]

Your comment "he showed progress in his third year" illustrates absolutely nothing.  I'm sorry, but 17-15, losses to AUM, Pitt, OK State, A&M and Southern Miss, and a 7-9 SEC record that included a 3-6 record over the last nine games and a 20+ point loss to Kentucky simply isn't "improvement" coming in the third year of a coaching tenure.  If that had been his first year, yeah, you'd have an argument.  Not three years in.  I said that then (and you know it).

7-9 is a significant improvement on 4-12 which was his SEC record the previous two years. Was he lighting the world on fire? Absolutely not. But did he appear to be turning the corner? Yes. Almost doubling the in-conference wins and going from 5th to 3rd in the SEC west is progress, no matter the Eeyore spin you try to apply.

You can also claim it makes me negative to think so.  I think the opposite.  I don't want to see AU programs hamstrung by a clueless AD who waits far too long to make a decision -- and hasn't proven he's got the capability of making a quality decision in any realm.  What's negative is to continue to support that.  So go make a funny picture of yourself, Sancho.  

It makes you negative because you're wrong in your "clueless AD" accusations, especially as they pertain to this situation. It's always raining shit in Kaosland. Of course the timing of this firing was epic failure to you. Everything is. If he had done it three years ago, you would be bitching about wasting his buyout. If you had any sense you'd be bitching that you don't fire someone after a season that improved on the last. You've made it quite evident that you will bitch completely regardless of any circumstances. You'd find a way to bitch about receiving a blowjob, steak dinner, and $50,000 check simultaneously because the steak was a little too well done.

[Snaggletiger]

Paramore is our local sports talk guy down here in Dothan.  I thought the article was a bit of a suck up piece but spot on in several areas.  Paramore spent some time with Jacobs earlier this year and did an interview with him, so I didn't expect anything different from him.  He's not the Finebaum type in that he schlobs the knob in person and then bends someone over after the interview is over and he's not face to face.

Anywho, the one place he's dead on is Lebo's failure to promote this program.  The numbers and overall history of the Auburn basketball program speak for themselves.  No history, no tradition.  Never once did I see Lebo any where near my area of the State talking Auburn basketball.  I never saw him doing anything that you would remotely consider as promoting his club.  Anyone see the ESPN piece on Bruce Pearl?  The guy is up on a chair in the cafeteria holding pep rallies.  As corny as it may have seemed at the time, did Tiger Prowl not help jump start the interest in Auburn football again? How many times did we hear of Trooper or Luper or Snooper or whoever, doing crazy stuff at Haley Center and other places to get people fired up.

Whoever comes in has to understand they are starting at the bottom in a program with few players, no tradition and very little support.  They have a new arena.  They are going to have to build a whole new fan base and work their ass off to sell this program to recruits and Auburn people. 

[Kaos]

7-9 is a significant improvement on 4-12 which was his SEC record the previous two years. Was he lighting the world on fire? Absolutely not. But did he appear to be turning the corner? Yes. Almost doubling the in-conference wins and going from 5th to 3rd in the SEC west is progress, no matter the Eeyore spin you try to apply.
It makes you negative because you're wrong in your "clueless AD" accusations, especially as they pertain to this situation. It's always raining shit in Kaosland. Of course the timing of this firing was epic failure to you. Everything is. If he had done it three years ago, you would be bitching about wasting his buyout. If you had any sense you'd be bitching that you don't fire someone after a season that improved on the last. You've made it quite evident that you will bitch completely regardless of any circumstances. You'd find a way to bitch about receiving a blowjob, steak dinner, and $50,000 check simultaneously because the steak was a little too well done.

You're a loon. 

You don't know what bitching is. 

I'm consistent in what I say.  You can pretend that a lame ass record in his third year was reason to celebrate, but the fact remains that it was his THIRD season and he still floundered.  He floundered down the stretch. Everybody but you and the blind mole Jacobs could see it plainly.  There are other things to consider beyond the won-loss record and he was flopping at virtually all.   Yes, I knew he had to go then.  I've said it all along and haven't wavered.  That's not negative, you sunshine pumping pollyanna, that's simple reality.  Take a dose. 

[The Prowler]

I'm consistently wrong in what I say. 

Fixed that for ya

[Kaos]

Fixed that for ya

Did your mother have any children that lived?

[AUChizad]

It is now solidly my position that Jay Jacobs is a hell of an AD.

Chizik has thus far been a success. Staff, recruiting, creating excitement around the program, getting the Auburn name out there, etc.

Then there was us landing the Outback Bowl against all odds.

Pawlowski is kicking ass in baseball now.

And now we get the hottest "up and coming" NCAA basketball coach to coach in our brand new basketball arena.

Fuck the naysayers, I'm on the Jacobs train. I don't get what there is to bitch about.

[Kaos]

Yes.  We're aware that you're a reed bending in the breeze. 

You should change your name to "Knee-Jerkad" 

[AUChizad]

Yes.  We're aware that you're a reed bending in the breeze. 

You should change your name to "Knee-Jerkad" 

Good one...

[GH2001]

It is now solidly my position that Jay Jacobs is a hell of an AD.

Chizik has thus far been a success. Staff, recruiting, creating excitement around the program, getting the Auburn name out there, etc.

Then there was us landing the Outback Bowl against all odds.

Pawlowski is kicking ass in baseball now.

And now we get the hottest "up and coming" NCAA basketball coach to coach in our brand new basketball arena.

phuk the naysayers, I'm on the Jacobs train. I don't get what there is to bitch about.

I'd say my perception is BETTER of him but still not great. He looks to be at least somewhat learning now. He also learned from the FB coaching search that there's a right way to do it. This one was much smoother. He's improved though - I agree.

Chizik
Barbee
Pawlowski
Hawke
Fortner

Thats a decent 5 for our 5 big money sports. The big 3 coaches are his now - so let's see what happens. Ive been impressed with Pawlowski this year so far. Lets hope we can keep it up in SEC play. So far so good.

[AUChizad]

I'd say my perception is BETTER of him but still not great. He looks to be at least somewhat learning now. He also learned from the FB coaching search that there's a right way to do it. This one was much smoother. He's improved though - I agree.

Chizik
Barbee
Pawlowski
Hawke
Fortner

Thats a decent 5 for our 5 big money sports. The big 3 coaches are his now - so let's see what happens. Ive been impressed with Pawlowski this year so far. Lets hope we can keep it up in SEC play. So far so good.

He also hired Richard Quick to first replace Marsh, but unfortunately he passed away after his second season here (in which he won us a NC).

So that's 6/6 outstanding hires, IMO.

[jmar]

The man's unconscious, they are already planning a shrine in his honor. Barbee's Funhouse will be renamed for Jacobs. Boulevards will carry his name. Adoring fans will name their children Jay and whatever the female version is. There will be books written about the man, a museum even I tell you there are just endless possibilities and oh! nevermind.