Head Coaching Philosophy

[Yomanser]

I bring this up because I've seen several posts regarding Ted Roof and how people would feel in a hypothetical where Coach Paul Johnson retired and Coach Ted Roof were made the head coach in a CEO-like and recruiting-coordinator-type capacity (a scenario that I am 100% opposed to, by the way, and I think Coach Roof's head coaching record speaks for itself on that) where Coach Roof would run the bigger program operations and recruit players while the assistant coaches did the heavy-work in coaching and game-managing

We will soon have a case study to compare to in order to judge how this strategy would work out. Arizona State just hired their new head coach, Herm Edwards, and released the following announcement (expand the quote below to read the full statement):

Arizona State University and Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson has unveiled plans for a restructured ASU football model and named former NFL head coach Herman Edwards as the 24th head coach of Sun Devil Football, pending approval by the Arizona Board of Regents.

The department's New Leadership Model will be similar to an NFL approach using a general manager structure. It's a collaborative approach to managing the ASU football program that includes sport and administrative divisions, which will operate as distinct, but collective units focused on elevating all aspects of Sun Devil Football. This structure will allow the department to form a multi-layered method to the talent evaluation and recruiting processes, increase its emphasis on both student-athlete and coach development and retention, and provide a boost in resource allocation and generation.

"Our goal for this football program is to reach unprecedented heights, and therefore we need to find a way to operate more innovatively and efficiently than we have in the past," Anderson said. "In the spirit of innovation, our vision for this program is to have a head coach who serves as a CEO and is the central leader with a collaborative staff around him that will elevate the performance of players and coaches on the field, in the classroom and in our community. Equally important, the head coach will be a dynamic and tireless recruiter."

Edwards, who will oversee the New Leadership Model, arrives in Tempe with a football legacy that has impacted thousands, whether as a player, coach, analyst, motivational speaker and author, or community advocate and philanthropist.

The New Leadership Model will allow for resource sharing and strategic planning between the football staff and administrators who are directly involved with the program. The administrative division will be primarily composed of Anderson, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director Jean Boyd and Senior Associate Athletics Director Scottie Graham. The sport division will operate with an experienced and senior football administrator, Senior Associate Athletic Director Tim Cassidy, helping to manage day-to-day operations, along with a variety of staffers responsible for player development, player personnel, and recruiting, among other areas.

Sun Devil Football's existing recruiting infrastructure will be upgraded through additional staff support and evaluation resources, by instilling a culture of accountability at all levels, and building long-term relationships in communities across the country to help ensure recruiting quality and consistency. Both the sport and administrative divisions will play key roles in student-athlete development.

The New Leadership Model affords coordinators and assistant coaches more flexibility in how they develop student-athletes on the field, and enables Sun Devil Football to build on the 'Championship Life' program already in place through the Office of Student-Athlete Development to better equip student-athletes with the tools and skills necessary to succeed in their respective future endeavors.

Boyd is a former ASU football student-athlete who has risen to the role of Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director after 22-plus years of experience in Sun Devil Athletics. He has overseen the dramatic evolution of the department's Student-Athlete Development efforts and has been nationally recognized.

Graham, who joined Sun Devil Athletics in June 2014, has served as a sport administrator with additional responsibilities surrounding student-athlete development and welfare for the past three-plus years. He will transition to a new role where he will serve as the liaison between the sport and administrative divisions. He has an extensive background with the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) as he was the Director of Player Engagement for four years before arriving in Tempe, playing a key role in cultivating, maintaining and enhancing relationships with current and former players, business partners and other stakeholders.

Edwards will take a proactive approach to developing coordinators and assistant coaches, drawing on his nearly three decades of NFL experience in a variety of capacities and wide range of leadership positions within both the sport of football and in other endeavors.

As someone else put it, this is the quick translation of the above wordy jargon: "Herm Edwards will be the face of the program (CEO) which will help recruit players and retain coaching talent but because he is a failed strategic coach, he will delegate full control of operations to his assistants."

I personally am skeptical regarding this approach, but soon enough we'll have the ability to judge whether it would work in a real-life scenario. Obviously, what prompted this is the discussion surrounding a similar hypothetical situation with Coach Ted Roof, so I'll finish with these questions to you posters: if Georgia Tech were to go in this approach, do you think it would fail or succeed? Would Coach Ted Roof be the best candidate for this position? Would you be in support of such an approach?

 

[TheTechGuy]

ASU has managed to overly complicate the simple goal of scoring more points than the opponent while simultaneously spending millions of dollars on a hype-man to attract recruits.

The "face of the program" hasn't coached in 10 years. This is an extraordinary use of buzz words to explain that Edwards will be the head coach who recruits while assistants coach the players. A method that worked out well for FSU at the end of Bowden's tenure. /s

 

[jeffgt14]

Lol Arizona State: “We hired a face that people will recognize but don’t worry about him hurting your development as a player!”

Anyways, I think in the right scenario this is a decent strategy but the problem occurs when you can’t pay your assistants who are doing the actual work enough to keep them. Either way this would never work at GT. We don’t have the budget to basically pay a face. Hell I’d wonder how far behind the ACC we would be if we had to pay a HC and an OC.

 

[sgreer]

I bring this up because I've seen several posts regarding Ted Roof and how people would feel in a hypothetical where Coach Paul Johnson retired and Coach Ted Roof were made the head coach in a CEO-like and recruiting-coordinator-type capacity (a scenario that I am 100% opposed to, by the way, and I think Coach Roof's head coaching record speaks for itself on that) where Coach Roof would run the bigger program operations and recruit players while the assistant coaches did the heavy-work in coaching and game-managing

We will soon have a case study to compare to in order to judge how this strategy would work out. Arizona State just hired their new head coach, Herm Edwards, and released the following announcement (expand the quote below to read the full statement):


As someone else put it, this is the quick translation of the above wordy jargon: "Herm Edwards will be the face of the program (CEO) which will help recruit players and retain coaching talent but because he is a failed strategic coach, he will delegate full control of operations to his assistants."

I personally am skeptical regarding this approach, but soon enough we'll have the ability to judge whether it would work in a real-life scenario. Obviously, what prompted this is the discussion surrounding a similar hypothetical situation with Coach Ted Roof, so I'll finish with these questions to you posters: if Georgia Tech were to go in this approach, do you think it would fail or succeed? Would Coach Ted Roof be the best candidate for this position? Would you be in support of such an approach?

How about Derrick Moore as Head Coach with George Godsey the Offensive Coordinator running the Friedgen Offensive System?

 

[SolicitorJacket]

I remember when Bobby Ross left thinking about hiring GOL as head defensive coach and Friedgen as head offensive coach. Not sure it was workable then or now.

 

[ATL1]

It won a National Championship at Clemson.

 

[B Lifsey]

It won a National Championship at Clemson.

#1 job qualification...superior dance moves!

 

[iceeater1969]

Paying the oc and team of assistant coaches and ditto the dc , with a major cut for head coach might work. Pretty bold idea.

 

[bke1984]

I actually think it's a very logical way to structure a program, and it's going to work. That is a huge school that has the "resources" to compete. Don't be surprised when they're a power in the PAC-12 in 5-6 years

 

[TampaGT]

The problem with that system is when your team has a couple of good seasons, the assistants start to leave for hc jobs. Sometimes you can find good replacements but I wouldn’t want to bring new oc or dc and the change in Philosophy. I am surprised the cu oc and dc have stayed this long but I think time might be up.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

It won a National Championship at Clemson.

I was just about to say this. This sounds similar to Dabo Swinney at Clemson. Anybody watch the game against Miami? The little he does have control over in terms of actual play calling is always an adventure. With time running out in the first half, its 4th down. Clemson has the ball on their own 6. They have 2 timeouts. Instead of calling a timeout with 3 seconds left, and then running a 4th down play to run the clock out, Dabo intentionally lets the clock hit 2 seconds (at which time the play clock hits 0), and they get a delay of game penalty. Now there are 2 seconds left instead of 3 (big deal), but, now they have to hike the ball from inside their own 3 yard line. By going with a shotgun formation like they do, now Kelly Bryant is receiving the hike 3 yards deep into the end zone. That was an unnecessary risk based on nothing other than a lack of understanding of football.

Here is the sequence of events if you want to watch it:

 

[jacketup]

Depends on finances.

Paul Johnson makes $3000K. It is said that Roof makes $800K.

If Roof became the HC at $1300K , then we still have $2500 K to hire an OC and an DC. We could hire some good talent at $1250K each, and not spend any more than we are spending now.

 

[Lavoisier]

I don't think it would work here because of money. We really can't afford a HC and two top level coordinators. The best approach is to hire a guy as HC who is an elite offensive or defensive mind and then pay near the top for a coordinator to handle the opposite side.

 

[TheTechGuy]

It won a National Championship at Clemson.

Not at all the same situation.

Also, the ASU experiment is off to a fun start: https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...a-state-presser-weird-agent-sun-devils-mascot

 

[Whiskey_Clear]

I think the ASU model will fail. I think it's too likely to breed infighting also.

I wouldn't favor hiring Roof as a HC outside of on an interim basis. He lacks established HC success and is already a polarizing figure among the fanbase. Maybe the latter will change in time but not likely.

 

[jgtengineer]

I think the ASU model will fail. I think it's too likely to breed infighting also.

I wouldn't favor hiring Roof as a HC outside of on an interim basis. He lacks established HC success and is already a polarizing figure among the fanbase. Maybe the latter will change in time but not likely.

TBH roof got the worst HC job anyone could ever get as his first one. Duke at the time didn't care about football at all. He was playing in a large high school stadium and being asked to compete with two hands tied behind his back.

 

[okiemon]

Obviously, what prompted this is the discussion surrounding a similar hypothetical situation with Coach Ted Roof, so I'll finish with these questions to you posters: if Georgia Tech were to go in this approach, do you think it would fail or succeed?

Fail, just like ASU will.



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[UgaBlows]

I think the ASU model will fail. I think it's too likely to breed infighting also.

I wouldn't favor hiring Roof as a HC outside of on an interim basis. He lacks established HC success and is already a polarizing figure among the fanbase. Maybe the latter will change in time but not likely.

IF Roof did really well as interim then i'd be cool with giving him a shot at HC.

 

[Technut1990]

This looks a lot like the school is trying to establish operational control of every aspect of the football program, that’s bad. Regardless of who the HC is.

Where a HC would be the decision maker on hires and fires, this system puts the “administrators” right in the middle of any and all decisions; philosophies, scheduling, even cleat length. God help us if someone needs to be fired - the internal politics would be disabling.

Then there are the admin issues alone, the slow decision making that comes with boards and “units” is reason not to do it. I think this is just more “ modern” management philosophy that ends up with to many generals and to few soilders.

There are some positives. When the admin folks get involved they throw more money into issues ( recruiting, more coaches etc...) but like I said they have the power to void all the good by loading the admin part of it with, oh - a bunch of science professors.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

IF Roof did really well as interim then i'd be cool with giving him a shot at HC.

Interims are pretty much only in place for 2 or 3 games, sometimes even only 1. That's hardly enough time to come to any kind of conclusion. It won't work.