Aren't all defenses in that same perilous situation? So, to be doing worse than the majority is still a major indictment, and so we should aim to be better on that side. If we're giving up 4 points/drive and 5 yards/play but everybody else is giving up 4.5 ppd and 5.3 ypp, then that means we're relatively good and probably winning a lot. It's a competition, and we were average-below average over Coach Roof's tenure. And, over the course of his career, we don't see much difference. He had two good years as a DC - his second at GT and his only one at Penn State when he had really good personnel. For us to have a defense whose success depends on great personnel is usually not going to work out for us with rare exceptions.
I think it's the right move, and I'm excited for the chance to be better. I'm excited for the chance to have a defense that will create negative plays and help our players to actually look like good players again. It might not happen, but at least now there's a chance.
I am definitely pro-Roof, because I respect him as a man. I think he was good for our kids overall (probably better than Tenuta honestly), and I hope our next DC is as well. I was hoping if something like this happened that we could keep him in another capacity, but that would've taken some drastic measures on his part, so I don't blame either side.
I think this is CPJ's thinking: I know what I have in Roof, and it's not likely to change. We're not likely to have a defense that can actually help us reach the top. I don't have a whole lot of time left in my career, so I'm going to give myself the best chance to get to the big show. With Roof, there's no chance; if I make a change, at least there's a chance. It might not work, but what do I have to lose. I have one goal and this is the last chance I have to reach it.
Some think he'll only coach for 3-4 more years. I don't think so, I'm thinking more like 10 years at least. CPJ is a football man and there's not going to be anything to change that. He's going to keep running his offense and it will continue to be successful as long as he has a few key pieces. Him getting holder won't change that either. If he retires, there's nothing else in life that will give him that satisfaction and fulfillment than doing what he's great at. Some of it will depend on what our program does. If he feels like our program just can't get over the top because of intrinsic qualities and he's still going 6-9 wins without a glimmer of hope to reach the big show, then he may retire earlier, but if he thinks there's any chance at all, then he'll keep on going until he just can't. And, I for one hope he does coach a lot longer with us and reaches some great heights as our program continues to try to push to keep us competitive, maybe even the big show.