Tigers X - Number one Source to Talk Auburn Tigers Sports
Pat Dye Field => Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum => Topic started by: AUChizad on December 21, 2009, 02:19:47 PM
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Yes, you read the title right.
To many here, that is worse than defending Hitler.
However, there are some misconceptions about Jacobs that need to be clarified.
Jay Jacobs DID NOT hire Jeff Lebo or Tom Slater. Lebo had been there 8 before Jacobs was hired, and Slater was there 6 months before.
All Jacobs has done is fire a bad baseball coach and replaced him with Pawloski, whom many consider to be one of the best in college ball. He also hired Nell Fortner for the women's team, who most would agree has done a phenomenal job. And of course, he hired Gene Chizik, whom most rational people would argue is working out pretty well so far as well.
He also oversaw the signing of the Under Armour deal that has brought in a lot of money for Auburn, and despite some hard-headed arguments here, played no small part in landing us the best available bowl over the five other teams that wanted it.
The only stigma that is perhaps justified is letting David Marsh resign. But even that is not necessarily a fault of Jacobs. Marsh moved on to accept the position of CEO/Head Elite Team Coach of Mecklenburg Aquatic Club, which trains the U.S. Olympians. It's not like he stepped down, or even laterally to coach at another school. He hired Richard Quick in his place, who had quite an impressive resume himself (12 NCs, 16 Olympic medals). Auburn won the national championship again during his second and final season before he passed away. He was replaced by his assistant, Australian Olympic record holder Brett Hawke. So it's not like he's completed bumblefucked the Swimming & Diving team.
Now, with all that being said, I hope he sees the obvious writing on the wall with Lebo. This is the year he's got to go. Anything prior to this would have been premature, but good God, this is record-breaking suckage. I guess we have to finish the season, only because no decent coach will leave in the middle, but it's obvious that Lebo is not ever going to get it done at Auburn. We need a fresh face in a fresh arena for the 2010-11 season.
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Nice. Especially from the guy who basically 4chaned the shit out of JJ by posting his telephone # everywhere.
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Yes, you read the title right.
To many here, that is worse than defending Hitler.
However, there are some misconceptions about Jacobs that need to be clarified.
Jay Jacobs DID NOT hire Jeff Lebo or Tom Slater. Lebo had been there 8 before Jacobs was hired, and Slater was there 6 months before.
He let Slater drag on a year longer than it should. Damage inflicted on the program. But Slater had a blueprint, remember? I do.
How long have we known Lebo couldn't get it done? Rephrase -- how long have some of us been telling you it wasn't going to work?
All Jacobs has done is fire a bad baseball coach and replaced him with Pawloski, whom many consider to be one of the best in college ball. He also hired Nell Fortner for the women's team, who most would agree has done a phenomenal job. And of course, he hired Gene Chizik, whom most rational people would argue is working out pretty well so far as well.
Too early to plant the victory flag on either Chizik or Pawloski. Neither has accomplished anything remotely close to Auburn standards (the good standards) yet. You don't get to determine rationality with your own irrational viewpoint.
Fortner? One really good year. Let's see some consistency now before we hoist Jay on our shoulders.
He also oversaw the signing of the Under Armour deal that has brought in a lot of money for Auburn, and despite some hard-headed arguments here, played no small part in landing us the best available bowl over the five other teams that wanted it.
Nikki and Al Borges say you can go phuk yourself.
You don't know what part he played. Besides, Roger Schultz and Scott Whatthephukever from WNSP said no other SEC team wanted that bowl. Surely they can be believed.
The only stigma that is perhaps justified is letting David Marsh resign. But even that is not necessarily a fault of Jacobs. Marsh moved on to accept the position of CEO/Head Elite Team Coach of Mecklenburg Aquatic Club, which trains the U.S. Olympians. It's not like he stepped down, or even laterally to coach at another school. He hired Richard Quick in his place, who had quite an impressive resume himself (12 NCs, 16 Olympic medals). Auburn won the national championship again during his second and final season before he passed away. He was replaced by his assistant, Australian Olympic record holder Brett Hawke. So it's not like he's completed bumblephuked the Swimming & Diving team.
From everything I've been told, he caused Marsh to resign. Marsh intended to remain and retire at AU, but Jacobs did bumblephuk that.
Swimming and diving was going well long before Jacobs got involved. Big congrats for not completely blowing it.... I guess.
Now, with all that being said, I hope he sees the obvious writing on the wall with Lebo. This is the year he's got to go. Anything prior to this would have been premature, but good God, this is record-breaking suckage. I guess we have to finish the season, only because no decent coach will leave in the middle, but it's obvious that Lebo is not ever going to get it done at Auburn. We need a fresh face in a fresh arena for the 2010-11 season.
And you trust Jacobs to make this hire?
Fred Hill is out there. He went 8-44 in the Big East with Rutgers. Everybody knows you can't win there.
What about Jim Engles? He led NJIT to a 1-30 record a year ago. He was 0-29 the year before that. IMPROVEMENT!! Surely he's due. NJIT is a coaching graveyard. If you'd ever lived in Newark I'm sure you'd have stories about just how awful it is and how no coach could ever hope to win there. I heard through a source that Engles definitely has a blueprint. Definitely.
Seriously, Sancho. Since you're into lists, list the programs that are better off today than they were when Jacobs was hired.
* crickets *
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Yeah, but at NJIT, they have smoothie parties. Who needs basketball?
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DOj31bKmQew/SZ7I_oZq9VI/AAAAAAAABZY/CF401Bz9jQQ/s400/NJIT+and+Devry+Feb+09+036_edited.jpg)
http://coffeesandsmoothies.blogspot.com/2009/02/aztec-party-with-smoothies-at-njit.html (http://coffeesandsmoothies.blogspot.com/2009/02/aztec-party-with-smoothies-at-njit.html)
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Yeah, but at NJIT, they have smoothie parties. Who needs basketball?
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DOj31bKmQew/SZ7I_oZq9VI/AAAAAAAABZY/CF401Bz9jQQ/s400/NJIT+and+Devry+Feb+09+036_edited.jpg)
http://coffeesandsmoothies.blogspot.com/2009/02/aztec-party-with-smoothies-at-njit.html (http://coffeesandsmoothies.blogspot.com/2009/02/aztec-party-with-smoothies-at-njit.html)
Second from the left is mine. I call dibs.
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Second from the left is mine. I call dibs.
My left or yours?
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He let Slater drag on a year longer than it should. Damage inflicted on the program. But Slater had a blueprint, remember? I do.
How long have we known Lebo couldn't get it done? Rephrase -- how long have some of us been telling you it wasn't going to work?
Too early to plant the victory flag on either Chizik or Pawloski. Neither has accomplished anything remotely close to Auburn standards (the good standards) yet. You don't get to determine rationality with your own irrational viewpoint.
Fortner? One really good year. Let's see some consistency now before we hoist Jay on our shoulders.
Nikki and Al Borges say you can go phuk yourself.
You don't know what part he played. Besides, Roger Schultz and Scott Whatthephukever from WNSP said no other SEC team wanted that bowl. Surely they can be believed.
From everything I've been told, he caused Marsh to resign. Marsh intended to remain and retire at AU, but Jacobs did bumblephuk that.
Swimming and diving was going well long before Jacobs got involved. Big congrats for not completely blowing it.... I guess.
And you trust Jacobs to make this hire?
Fred Hill is out there. He went 8-44 in the Big East with Rutgers. Everybody knows you can't win there.
What about Jim Engles? He led NJIT to a 1-30 record a year ago. He was 0-29 the year before that. IMPROVEMENT!! Surely he's due. NJIT is a coaching graveyard. If you'd ever lived in Newark I'm sure you'd have stories about just how awful it is and how no coach could ever hope to win there. I heard through a source that Engles definitely has a blueprint. Definitely.
Seriously, Sancho. Since you're into lists, list the programs that are better off today than they were when Jacobs was hired.
* crickets *
So real talk here K.....
Should we fir Lebo now?
If so, what is the holdup? Why is Jacobs not hitting the button?
Do you think we are evaluating what options are available on the market? I know the later the season goes on the more options become available as people step down, get fired, step up, etc.
Who would you list as the top 5 candidates right now if you were AD? (and dont even think about Bobby Knight or I'll kick you in the balls.) :)
I like Lebo personally as I have spoken with him a few times in person, but the performance on the court is hard to ignore. He has pretty good talent this year, no excuses. I think the change needs to be made asap. When that decision is made, I wish him luck in the future - just didnt work out for him at AU for whatever reason. He would probably make a great coach again at a smaller school like where he came from before AU. Again - not a bad guy, just not the right guy for Auburn.
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What under armour does to your nuts
(http://www.bustedcoverage.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/2589420126_e2a6caf92a.jpg)
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So real talk here K.....
Should we fir Lebo now?
If so, what is the holdup? Why is Jacobs not hitting the button?
Do you think we are evaluating what options are available on the market? I know the later the season goes on the more options become available as people step down, get fired, step up, etc.
Who would you list as the top 5 candidates right now if you were AD? (and dont even think about Bobby Knight or I'll kick you in the balls.) :)
I like Lebo personally as I have spoken with him a few times in person, but the performance on the court is hard to ignore. He has pretty good talent this year, no excuses. I think the change needs to be made asap. When that decision is made, I wish him luck in the future - just didnt work out for him at AU for whatever reason. He would probably make a great coach again at a smaller school like where he came from before AU. Again - not a bad guy, just not the right guy for Auburn.
Lebo should have been fired two years ago.
Can't "hit the button" at the beginning of a new season, you just have to suck it up and suffer through. If Auburn ends up with two or three SEC wins -- which is what I expect even though the SEC is as ready for taking as it has ever been -- then he could be gone or at least informed that he will not be retained by the middle of the SEC slate.
I think he'd make a good assistant coach somewhere. He just couldn't compete at Auburn. All he had were excuses. I've said it a thousand times. It doesn't take five years to rebuild a basketball program. You know what you've got after two.
I hear that the team is an emotional zero. No passion, no intensity, no focus. We have no offensive identity and get killed on the inside. All we do is fire up threes. If they hit, they hit. If not, well we're in a world of shit. That's not good at all.
As for who to hire, I haven't really researched it. I don't think Jacobs is smart enough to make a good hire unless he has help.
We may not have the gravitas to get people like this, but I like Mark Few at Gonzaga. His teams play consistently hard, make the tournament and he's at a school with fewer students than the average Auburn freshman class. Would he take a reclamation project? I don't know.
Wisconsin has a relatively stable basketball program. Their guy, Bo Ryan, might be interested in a chance to compete in the talent-rich SEC. Again, is Auburn a more attractive position than Wisconsin? It is to me, but would it be to him?
Beyond that, I don't really know without doing some looking. As I have no confidence in Jacobs to make the call and less confidence in him to perform a competent search, I am just going to put it on ignore. I hope they figure it out, because I like Frankie Sullivan and if you're going to have any kind of rapport with the players in the state, you can't waste a kid like that.
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Few would be a good pick up. I agree with most of what you said above. I just see no emotion from the team.
Again - he just couldnt cut it at Auburn. Not sure why, just couldnt.
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Bring back Sonny Smith. Loved the guy.
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Few has turned down a lot of chances in the last 5 years (Indiana, Washington, Cal, Oregon, etc)....he's apparently content to stay at Gonzaga....and why not, he's built it to where he gets talent, he gets paid (somewhere between $750k and $1m), and he's ranked in the preseason every year now. Plus, he's from Washington state, unlikely to leave for the south.
Ryan wouldn't leave Wisconsin for Auburn either. Wisconsin is a regular in the polls and the NCAA tournament over the last 15 years. Since Dick Bennett took over in the 95-96 season, they've been to the NCAA tournament 12 of the last 14 years, including the second round eight times, Sweet 16 four times, Elite 8 twice, and Final Four once.
That's better than Auburn's entire basketball history, all in the last 14 years.
We're most likely to get someone like Lebo again (meaning someone successful from a smaller program) or steal an assistant and give them their first gig (like Wojo or Chris Collins from Duke's bench). I don't see us stealing a coach worth having from another BCS school...unfortunately we're not terribly attractive (unless we throw tons of cash at them).
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We're most likely to get someone like Lebo again (meaning someone successful from a smaller program) or steal an assistant and give them their first gig (like Wojo or Chris Collins from Duke's bench). I don't see us stealing a coach worth having from another BCS school...unfortunately we're not terribly attractive (unless we throw tons of cash at them).
I think Barkley could be a good fit. Auburn isn't that far from Biloxi, and Victoryland is only a couple exits away.
How much does he make at TNT? Maybe he gives us a hometown discount.
Thoughts?
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That would be the motherfuckin shit.
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That would be the motherfuckin shit.
It would make me interested to attend a game.
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(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DOj31bKmQew/SZ7I_oZq9VI/AAAAAAAABZY/CF401Bz9jQQ/s400/NJIT+and+Devry+Feb+09+036_edited.jpg)
I call dibs on the blonde.
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I call dibs on the blonde.
Perfect. Would have been my second to last choice.
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Perfect. Would have been my second to last choice.
Actually, I might have taken the lizard face brunette over the blonde. All yours, Cynic.
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I have to commend Jacobs for realizing the right time to fire Lebo. It's easy to sit here and say he should have been gone earlier, but until this year, there really have been valid reasons to expect him to improve the following year.
It would have been the far easier thing to do to give him next year to "see what he can do with the new arena", and try to get as close to the 2013 to shave off as much of that half a mil we owe him a year up to that date as possible.
I was cautious to break out my pitchfork until this very season. Firing Lebo the day this abysmal season ended was perfect timing in my opinion.
Of course, we still has to see who he hires, and even then see how he plays out, but so far so good, Jay.
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I have to commend Jacobs for realizing the right time to fire Lebo. It's easy to sit here and say he should have been gone earlier, but until this year, there really have been valid reasons to expect him to improve the following year.
It would have been the far easier thing to do to give him next year to "see what he can do with the new arena", and try to get as close to the 2013 to shave off as much of that half a mil we owe him a year up to that date as possible.
I was cautious to break out my pitchfork until this very season. Firing Lebo the day this abysmal season ended was perfect timing in my opinion.
Of course, we still has to see who he hires, and even then see how he plays out, but so far so good, Jay.
Pfffft.
Three years too late.
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http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/sports/college/auburn/article/phil_paramore_no_doubt_whos_calling_the_shots_at_auburn/138249/ (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.
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http://www2.dothaneagle.com/dea/sports/college/auburn/article/phil_paramore_no_doubt_whos_calling_the_shots_at_auburn/138249/ (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.
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What a piece of suck up garbage. Seriously.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/Chizad-Lappy/scrooge.jpg)
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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.
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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.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/Chizad-Lappy/scrooge.jpg)
Nice pic Chadskins.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I'm consistently wrong in what I say.
Fixed that for ya
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Fixed that for ya
Did your mother have any children that lived?
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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.
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Yes. We're aware that you're a reed bending in the breeze.
You should change your name to "Knee-Jerkad"
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Yes. We're aware that you're a reed bending in the breeze.
You should change your name to "Knee-Jerkad"
Good one...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v343/Chizad-Lappy/scrooge.jpg)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Bingo. That's what I don't get about why some people are hatin' on Jay Jacobs...sure he looks like a water head, but so what....sure he sounds like he needs to take speech classes, but, again, so what. Let the fuckin' retarded bammers make fun of the Honest Way to hire a coach...through the front door. I don't care, just as long as JJ can continue to make hires, if need be, like the ones that he has made thusfar.
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I think we have to see how these hires turn out. Most of them are in their first couple years of competition. They all seem to have their programs headed in the right direction, but we'll have to see how far their ability can take them.
Here's what Chuck Person had to say after the Barbee hire:
"Jay is a first-class individual, he conducted the best interview I’ve ever been a part of. I understand why people tell me he is one of the best ADsin the SEC, if not the country. He has really taken the athletic department to a different level in all sports."
"At the end of the day, Tony probably had the best interview, and he has been successful at UTEP. He probably is the best guy to coach at Auburn. I wish him nothing but the best."
That's high praise from Person....who, has shown himself to be a classy guy through this process. I love the love he has for Auburn.
"I’m institutionalized when it comes to the NBA, the only job I would take would be the Auburn job. That hasn’t changed. If I’m healthy and the opportunity presents itself again, I’ll leave to take the Auburn job again. It would be the only college job I would take."
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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.
Good one. I had forgotten he hired Quick. And yes - he was a good one.
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I sense Person has other irons in the fire or just isn't quite ready to leave his current situation. I don't think he "lost" the job as some put it. He might actually enjoy being around pro ball more than the college game.
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I just wanted to bump this thread.
Since Barbee has made room for two recruits and filled those spots with the best player in the state and the 11th best power forward in the nation.
Also since yesterday's baseball victory gives Auburn one more win than all of last season with 10 regular season games remaining. And we went from a trying to end a 7 year SEC tournament drought to talking about winning the whole thing in the same season. We're also looking good to get to host the NCAA regional. Last year Auburn had a record 102 homeruns. This year, we're on pace to break that record at 92 with 10 games left in regular season.
Baseball is back. I think it's safe to officially add it to the list of sports Jacobs hires have turned around completely.
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I just wanted to bump this thread.
Since Barbee has made room for two recruits and filled those spots with the best player in the state and the 11th best power forward in the nation.
Also since yesterday's baseball victory gives Auburn one more win than all of last season with 10 regular season games remaining. And we went from a trying to end a 7 year SEC tournament drought to talking about winning the whole thing in the same season. We're also looking good to get to host the NCAA regional. Last year Auburn had a record 102 homeruns. This year, we're on pace to break that record at 92 with 10 games left in regular season.
Baseball is back. I think it's safe to officially add it to the list of sports Jacobs hires have turned around completely.
You make a strong case that Jacobs is not quite the mouth-breather he once appeared to be.
He may, in fact, be pretty good at this.
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My opinion of JJ is changing.....Let's keep this up.
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(http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr185/johnofbham/smiley%20icons/pokenest.gif)
My opinion of JJ is changing.....Let's keep this up.
Who actually hired Jacobs?
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(http://i482.photobucket.com/albums/rr185/johnofbham/smiley%20icons/pokenest.gif)
Who actually hired Jacobs?
Baird? Housel? Dye? PTB?
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Baird? Housel? Dye? PTB?
Obviously it was someone who loves and cares about the institution with all of their heart.
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President Gouge?
So Kaos, how do you feel the athletics at Auburn University are doing?
I'll await your answer...oh yeah, I'm holding my breath also.........
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President Gouge?
So Kaos, how do you feel the athletics at Auburn University are doing?
I'll await your answer...oh yeah, I'm holding my breath also.........
Yeah, that's what I thought....Speechless. :)
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Yeah, that's what I thought....Speechless. :)
Baiting a dude who isn't even here?
You're better than that, Spanish.
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Baiting a dude who isn't even here?
You're better than that, Spanish.
Or at least give him more than three minutes to respond.
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Or at least give him more than three minutes to respond.
That's what she said...
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Or at least give him more than three minutes to respond.
Still Speechless...I'd be willing to bet that he'll be speechless from now until this time tomorrow.
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I am no fan of Jay Jacobs as AD.
There is no doubt of two things at this point and one of them will not change. He is an Auburn man and he has had success as the AD. It remains to be seen whether or not he becomes the AD that many of you are heralding as the next coming. Long term results matter much more to me than short term.
just sayin'.
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I am no fan of Jay Jacobs as AD.
There is no doubt of two things at this point and one of them will not change. He is an Auburn man and he has had success as the AD. It remains to be seen whether or not he becomes the AD that many of you are heralding as the next coming. Long term results matter much more to me than short term.
just sayin'.
Hey.
You.
Get off of my cloud.
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Hey.
You.
Get off of my cloud.
THIS
Puff puff pass
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I am no fan of Jay Jacobs as AD.
There is no doubt of two things at this point and one of them will not change. He is an Auburn man and he has had success as the AD. It remains to be seen whether or not he becomes the AD that many of you are heralding as the next coming. Long term results matter much more to me than short term.
just sayin'.
Ok, Kaos.
I can kind of understand the second paragraph explaining that you don't think he's the greatest AD of all time. Fair enough.
But the first sentence? How can you hate the guy? Regardless of whether his coaches end up winning 13 national championships each for their respective sports, they are all either turning their programs around completely or sustaining the hard-to-follow success of their predecessors. Chizik, Barbee, Pawlowski, Fortner, Quick, and Hawke have all been amazing hires by that criteria. I guess my question is...what more do you want?
Look, I've heard the argument that Chizik may possibly one day prove to be a great (or even Auburn's greatest) coach, but no matter what, he will never be a great hire.
Bullshit.
He was the right hire for the right time. It may not have been the easy thing to see, but that's exactly why I think Jacobs knows more than anyone on this message board about hiring coaches. We could have hired Turner Gill, and been a flash in the pan PR stunt, but not have proven very successful on the field, as evidenced by his next coaching year by going 3-7 in the MAC (and that was the guy I wanted most). Other potential hires that year were similarly more about getting a "name of the now" rather than a coach as innovative, and with the ability to put together this stellar staff, who in turn put together a stellar recruiting class. If Chizik leaves tomorrow, it will be too soon, but he will have left us in better shape than we were in the day before his hire.
I'll leave you with this BleacherReport article I ran across the other day, which I think supports my position on this.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/389815-chizik-much-like-pat-dye-eager-to-prove-himself (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/389815-chizik-much-like-pat-dye-eager-to-prove-himself)
Gene Chizik Much Like Pat Dye, Eager To Prove Himself
Michael Abbott
Contributor Written on May 09, 2010
If you are old enough to remember coach Dye's hiring, it was much like the hiring of Gene Chizik—Who? How is this guy going to compete against Bear Bryant? Yeah he's been in the SEC, but big deal. East Carolina, where's that at? Wyoming, they play football?
Dye wasn't a household name. He wasn't the first choice, Vince Dooley was. But he had a fire and ambition to coach and much like Gene Chizik, he had something to prove. They would never admit it in public, but the coach across the state was the one to prove it to.
The parallels of Dye and Chizik are obvious. Not many good players to work with, a strong coach at Bama, and not many in state recruits are coming to Auburn. And if you remember, Dye said one sentence that gave the Auburn people hope. When asked how long would it take him to beat Alabama, Dye said "60 minutes."
Gene Chizik has done the same. But not with words, his actions. He went head to head right away with Bama over recruits, something the former staff didn't even try too much to do. Top players from the region were thinking about Auburn for a change. Auburn lost out on many, but one could see and sense a different attitude in recruiting.
Dye paved the way, went head to head with 'Bama, got his share, and in two years was playing in the Sugar Bowl for a national title chance. Dye knew he didn't have to get all the best players, but you gotta fight for your share, not lay back and let everyone else reap the rewards.
How do you know when a Auburn coach is doing well? When the other side takes time to bash him. Coach Dye was hated by 'Bama fans, Chizik is well on his way. With a couple more good recruiting classes, he'll be the most hated man in Alabama proving to them, and the Alabama media, that yeah you can win at Auburn, something Pat Dye proved already.
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First you are the one who used the word hate. Not I.
You are assuming too much. Every hire Jacobs has made to this point seems to be going the right direction but that is all. If you are ready king him AD for life that's your business. I am not. I hope he turns out to be better than Jeff Beard but he has a long row to hoe before that will the the case.
All I said was that I am no fan of Jacobs being AD. Doesn't mean that he will be a bad one or that he will not grow into the job. I was no fan of his predecessor. I thought he to be a much better writer than AD but that was my opinion.
To answer your question I want long term stability within our athletic department. We shall see if Jacobs brings that by hiring the right people (which on the surface it seems he has done a reasonable job of) and keeping them afterward.
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First you are the one who used the word hate. Not I.
You are assuming too much. Every hire Jacobs has hired to this point seems to be going the right direction but that is all. If you are ready king him AD for life that's your business. I am not. I hope he turns out to be better than Jeff Beard but he has a long row to hoe before that will the the case.
All I said was that I am no fan of Jacobs being AD. Doesn't mean that he will be a bad one or that he will not grow into the job. I was no fan of his predecessor. I thought he to be a much better writer than AD but that was my opinion.
To answer your question I want long term stability within our athletic department. We shall see if Jacobs brings that by hiring the right people (which on the surface it seems he has done a reasonable job of) to keeping the right people.
We're playing semantics I guess. When I read "I'm no fan of _______", it comes across as "I dislike ________". Not ready to crown him greatest AD of all time? Fair enough. Yes, Beard was a fantastic AD. I agree with you on Housel as well, and therefore think Jacobs is, at least, a step up. Whoever hired Dye, Sonny, & Baird in the late 70's/early 80's would be the only AD I'd say was definitely ahead of him. By the way, who was that? I know Dye took over in 81, so I guess he gets credit for Baird. I guess he was hired by the University to replace the previous AD? It wasn't Barfield, was it?
Either way, I guess whoever preceded Dye as AD and Dye would have to split the credit for the 80's being as great as they were. Jacobs has built this all by himself. And whoever hired Dye, probably hired Barfield too, so there's that...
Just saying, every one of his hires have been outstanding. Give the guy the benefit of the doubt as at least a good AD, even if not the best AD.
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Yet another relevant article to this discussion. This one from Scarbinsky.
http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2010/05/scarbinsky_jacobs_hires_should.html (http://blog.al.com/kevin-scarbinsky/2010/05/scarbinsky_jacobs_hires_should.html)
Scarbinsky: Jacobs answers that infamous airport heckler with results
By Kevin Scarbinsky -- The Birmingham News
May 11, 2010, 5:30AM
Jacobs introduces new Auburn basketball coach Tony Barbee. (The Birmingham News / Mark Almond)Last month, a school-record crowd turned out to watch Gene Chizik’s second Auburn football team at A-Day.
Last week, Tony Barbee signed his second high-profile prospect for the Auburn basketball team, which is almost ready to move into its shiny new home.
Over the weekend, John Pawlowski’s Auburn baseball team completed its first sweep of traditional power Mississippi State since 1987 to all but assure that the Tigers will return to the SEC Baseball Tournament for the first time since 2003.
See a pattern here? It’s called momentum.
When that momentum involves the top three sports on campus, it’s an indication of an athletics department moving in the right direction.
So maybe it’s time to give a little credit to the man who hired those coaches and runs that department.
And let’s be honest. If there’s any individual in intercollegiate athletics in this state who’s been given little credit, it’s Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs.
Being an AD is a thankless job. It’s juggling a million different tasks in private but getting recognized in public for only one – hiring and firing coaches.
Mal Moore’s done a lot of good things at Alabama, but nothing will make his legacy pop like being the AD that hired Nick Saban.
If an AD hires the right coaches and they win, the coaches get most of the credit. If he hires the wrong coaches and then has to fire them and, as is often the case, keep paying them, boom. It’s his fault.
In extreme cases, the AD might even get heckled on the front end at his own airport.
Jacobs wasn’t the first AD to get booed. He might’ve been the first to have that moment captured on tape and used as an amusing sound effect on an all-sports radio station in the largest city in his home state.
It’s easy to forget that it was one person who booed Jacobs at the Auburn Airport after he returned from nailing down the hire of Chizik, one disgruntled loudmouth who shouted, "We want a leader, not a loser.’’
But at that moment, that angry mantra seemed destined to become the subtitle of Jacobs’ unofficial biography.
To his credit – there’s that word again – it’s more appropriate to define him by what’s happened since.
After one encouraging season, and one big-time recruiting class, Chizik looks like an inspired out-of-the-box choice.
When Jacobs fired Jeff Lebo, even the AD’s critics within the Auburn family questioned whether a man with a football background understood enough about basketball to hire a quality coach in that sport.
Jacobs showed a smart manager’s ability to know what he doesn’t know, and so he asked for advice from basketball people like John Mengelt, Eddie Fogler and Charles Barkley.
It’s still terribly early, but two signees into his tenure, Barbee looks like one of the smarter moves from the just-completed coaching carousel.
And then there’s Pawlowski. In just his second season, he has Auburn one game out of first place in the SEC West with two series left. The team's magic number to get back to Hoover and the SEC Tournament is two.
Jacobs hired these three coaches in short order: Pawlowski in June of 2008, Chizik in December of 2008 and Barbee in March of 2010.
Only one other SEC AD has had to find men to lead his football, basketball and baseball programs in the last two years, and Kentucky’s Mitch Barnhart – a Jacobs friend and confidant – found two of them on his own campus.
Barnhart promoted baseball coach Gary Henderson and football coach Joker Phillips from within. He also hired John Calipari, Barbee’s mentor, and it wasn’t exactly a stretch for one of the best basketball programs in the nation to attract one of the best basketball coaches.
Jacobs went farther afield to land his coaches. He had a relationship with Chizik, from the football coach’s days as the Auburn defensive coordinator, but not with Barbee. He plucked Pawlowski from the College of Charleston.
None of the choices was obvious.
None of them was proven at this level.
All of them still have a lot of work to do and games to win to validate their selections, but they’ve all started to get things done.
If this keeps up, WJOX might have to shut down that sound bite. As petty as it was at the time, it just seems wrong to call Jacobs a loser now.
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Whoever hired Dye, Wimp, & Baird in the late 70's/early 80's
Is Sonny Smith gonna have to smack a bitch? No, because he's not Wimp.
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We're playing semantics I guess. When I read "I'm no fan of _______", it comes across as "I dislike ________". Not ready to crown him greatest AD of all time? Fair enough. Yes, Beard was a fantastic AD. I agree with you on Housel as well, and therefore think Jacobs is, at least, a step up. Whoever hired Dye, Wimp, & Baird in the late 70's/early 80's would be the only AD I'd say was definitely ahead of him. By the way, who was that? I know Dye took over in 81, so I guess he gets credit for Baird. I guess he was hired by the University to replace the previous AD? It wasn't Barfield, was it?
Either way, I guess whoever preceded Dye as AD and Dye would have to split the credit for the 80's being as great as they were. Jacobs has built this all by himself. And whoever hired Dye, probably hired Barfield too, so there's that...
Just saying, every one of his hires have been outstanding. Give the guy the benefit of the doubt as at least a good AD, even if not the best AD.
Auburn athletics and the athletic department was deep in the red when Dye took it over. We had lost money for a number of years before him taking charge of it. I do not remember who was AD before Dye but I would contend that Dye pretty well gets all the credit for righting the ship in the 80's. I do not believe that Barfield ever served as AD.
I am not sure that every one of his hires have been outstanding. We have what looks to be a very good nucleus. We shall see if they become outstanding.
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Do not forget that Rich Rodriguez was Mal Moore's first choice.
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Is Sonny Smith gonna have to smack a bitch? No, because he's not Wimp.
Blasphemous typo on my part. I deserve a lashing for that. Fixed.
Auburn athletics and the athletic department was deep in the red when Dye took it over. We had lost money for a number of years before him taking charge of it. I do not remember who was AD before Dye but I would contend that Dye pretty well gets all the credit for righting the ship in the 80's.
90% for sure. However, Sonny (not Wimp) was hired in 78, three years before Dye.
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Blasphemous typo on my part. I deserve a lashing for that. Fixed.
90% for sure. However, Sonny (not Wimp) was hired in 78, three years before Dye.
Since Sonny never served as AD then I am not sure he could be credited for helping turn the AD around?
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Since Sonny never served as AD then I am not sure he could be credited for helping turn the AD around?
:blink:
I'm saying, the 80's were awesome. We agree. I'm saying Dye can only be credited for most, but not all of that.
Sonny was a big part of that big-three-sport awesomeness, but he was hired before Dye was hired as AD. He was hired by whoever Dye's predecessor at AD was. That guy deserves a share of the credit, is what I'm saying.
Jacobs has hired all of the coaches that have done well, and fired all of the coaches before them that were stinking it up.
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:blink:
I'm saying, the 80's were awesome. We agree. I'm saying Dye can only be credited for most, but not all of that.
You should have lived it young one. It was great! :thumsup:
Growing up in the Dye Era does tend to spoil one.
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You should have lived it young one. It was great! :thumsup:
Growing up in the Dye Era does tend to spoil one.
Dye and Bo was one of the reasons why I am an Auburn man.
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I was at AU in the 80's. It was definitely a good time. I was there at Dye's hiring and like many, thought we should have landed the big name. However, one big difference that I distinctly recall was that Dye had taken two doormat programs and turned them around. I was actually pumped about what he might do because the state of Auburn football was pretty damn bad when he came in.
I'll give Jacobs a big thumbs up for the direction it appears things are headed overall in the athletic program. Not being a negative Nancy here but I think it has to be given more time. Chizik has most certainly escalted the pigskin program, but we'll find out this year and next if it's smoke and mirrors. (For the record, I don't think it is) Barbee has done all the right things to this point, exciting things...but he hasn't corched a game. Pawlowski (sp?) has done wonders this year, but admittedly, last year suxed. It's one year that's not over so far and maintaining will be the key. Fortner blew it up last year..deflated this year.
Just sayin Jacobs appears to have it all headed in the right direction. No argument there and kudos to the man. If we're even more optimistic this time next year then wee can start putting JJ up there with some of the best in the league.