Monday, December 21, 2009
Barrett Doesn't Get Buffalo Job
The University of Buffalo has named University of Cincinnati offensive co-ordinator Jeff Quinn as their new head coach. Quinn, who will lead the Bearcats into their Sugar Bowl game against Florida, beat out current UB offensive co-ordinator and former Rider coach Danny Barrett for the position. Barrett had been named interim coach after Turner Gill left Buffalo to take the head coaching job at Kansas.
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18 comments:
That decision actually shocked me. He's got 7 years experience as a Head Coach/Asst GM at the Pro Level. He has Roy Shivers as a Reference, and say what you will about Roy all of those schools respect him. He was Turner Gills #2, and he's an esteemed alumus.
He'll now got to Kansas to reunite with Gill. However I have this feeling he's going to be in Toronto in some type of capacity.
Barrett doesn't have the track record/ REAL experience as a HC to take on a role like this. Sure he has the 7 years here but he was never under pressure by anyone other than the fans to produce. His boss (shivers) was content to let him churn out 9-9 teams year after year and he wasn't going to be ever be held accountable. It was Shivers loyalty to Barrett that eventually cost Shivers his own job in the end. Also,Barrett isn't a Buffalo alumi- he played his college ball at Cincinatti.
"However I have this feeling he's going to be in Toronto in some type of capacity.
"
Heh, yeah...selling programs out front before the game. Good Riddance.
This is a slap in the face to Danny. He has helped Gill get that program back to a level of respectability and this is the thanks he gets for it. It wouldn't surprise me to see him end up with Gill in Kansas or perhaps leave altogether and go somewhere else----not Toronto! Winnipeg perhaps!!!
Wow just when I thought Winnipeg had enough sand kicked in it's face, you go and suggest they hire Danny Barrett. Can you imagine the response the fans in Winnipeg would give to that notion? Haven't they suffered enough ; )
Maybe the athletic department at the U of Buffalo realizes what so many people around here could never wrap their heads around. Danny B isn't head coach material.
Yeah, I went there.
You're looking at it from the wrong perspective. On two occassions Danny has been able to come into a dormant franchise/program, only to put it back on the road to respectability. The road I stated. Every Coach has a shelf life. Nobody will go into Toronto, and win a Grey Cup in the next three years. However getting the team back into respectability, and building a solid infastructure is possible. For that a person deserves credit.
History lesson as I know a lot of you guys have come to the Rider Nation only in the past 3 or 4 years. In 1999 this team was 3-15 with "proven winner" Cal Murphy as it's Head Coach. In fact there were so many calls to have Murphy take over from Jim Daley it was unreal. There was no depth chart in 2000. There was no scouting program to speak of. It was a bare bones crap office with zero support or infastructure. It's funny that Danny could get this team to a couple Western Finals, and no credit is given considering where it was before he took over.
It is also interesting to note that two of his Coordinators have been hired on as CFL Head Coaches....hmmmm that makes me wonder too...
Buffalo was ranked as the worst NCAA Division 1 school to work at. It is in Buffalo for one thing in an outdoor facility. There is no High School program to recruit from. Turner Gill and Danny Barrett turned that program around into respectability. The record Turner Gill leaves with is below .500 I'll be surprised if this new guy can create the same momentum. Danny's mistake was staying to long. He should have left after the first Western Final as he created the expectation around here this team could finally compete and win.
Hey Mitch! Looks like Danny Barrett reads your blog!! Way to go!
There's no denying Danny & Roy certainly restored the "swagger" and regained a lot of the lost respect this franchise had lost over dismal year after dismal year. That being said, the posters who are not fans of Danny's certainly have valid points as well. As for the comment that Danny stayed too long and created expectations that this team could compete and win...well I think that is part of a coaches job isn't it? Getting the team to believe in itself and the fans would follow. I'd like to say that the team Danny & Roy left was the team that won the Grey Cup but it's not. The team they left would not have progressed any further than their past records show, simply because there were decisions made by them that prevented the team from going to the next level. The team that Kent Austin took over and proceeded to tweak was significantly different and far superior. Identifying and making those adjustments are what separates Danny & Kent. There wasn't any examples - clear examples where Danny showed he had that ability. His record speaks for itself. His accomplishments with Buffalo should not be over looked but it should be noted that he did not build that team, nor were the decisions on who plays his alone like they were here in Regina, he was simply working with the tools he was given. As for his former assitants getting HC positions, good OC/DC should have the desire to earn their shot at the HC position so I don't think Danny having them on his staff played much if any role in their future promotions to HC. In fact it wasn't until years after Danny left that they got their shots so that really makes that a mute point.
I do enjoy the selective memories when it comes to comparing Danny and Kent. I always get the comments, "well Kent is a winner"..yeah I guess. Oh I forgot to mention he didn't win to much when he went to Toronto and Winnipeg as a Player. In fact his last game played resulted in Cal Murphy getting shit canned in Winnipeg. He also didn't do to much in Ottawa as a Coach, and he was fired in Toronto. He came to Saskatchewan in 2007 basically because he needed a job, and knew his shelf life here would be short. He did the old one and done, and was gone. I would also agrue he would have left had this team not won the Grey Cup after 2007. It is to his credit that he realizes it's best to understay than overstay with an opportunity.
I didn't sign my handle to the above comments concerning Danny, but they are from me. I'll just note that I appreciate both of them, and both contributed significantly to the Riders during the '00's. Ken Miller is actually ahead of Kent Austin in my book. Kenny was with Kent in Toronto where they won, and they have continued winning with him around.
Obama
I whole heartedly agree with you that Kent didn't have much success with Toronto and to be honest I can' recall him with Ottawa so that kinda speaks for itself in terms of any success or lack there of. But what I do know is Kent was able to do in one year here what Danny & Roy failed to do in year 7 of their 3 year plan. As for the "Kent's a winner" thought, well..he is..he's delivered here and he delivered last year at Ole Miss. Danny/Roy didn't here and I don't think Danny was the OC ( correct me if I'm wrong) for their Bowl win in Buffalo last year. I also don't doubt for a minute that Kent would have bolted to Ole Miss regardless of his teams outsome in 2007 under the circumstances he left. To be offered the chance to return to one's Alma Mater,in a capacity that is near & dear to your heart, making good money and be a mere hour or so away from home, family and friends where you & your wife grew up - who wouldn't take that opportunity? If that offers didn't come, Kent would've ben the HC here in 2008. I think if Danny is offered the chance, he'd jump to return to Cincinnati - chances are it would be for a much similar situation to Kent's. In regards to your comments about Kents play in Toronto & Winnipeg, heh, (talk about selective memory) he was in the last days of his career, he wasn't going to be a saviour to those franchises. He had a better shot at adding to his accomplishments with Toronto than Winnipeg, but his days as a stud were already over here when he left. So in away he did overstay his welcome here before pouting off to T.O. As for his coaching record in T.O. (another selective memory moment) he was handcuffed by the heirarchy and hung as a scapegoat when the decisons made to over ride his plays failed, add to that the injuries they suffered at that time and I defy anyone to make a succes out of that debacle. Funny how the staff that Kent brought with him from the mess in T.O. delivered here and continue to do so 3 years later. I agree with your thoughts on Ken Miller, the decision to hire him was met with laughter and questions and the nay-sayers had a field day, but he's proven to be a better coach with the Riders than Danny ever was and stepped into an impossible role of following in a "rock star's" footsteps - unenviable to say the least. He certainly deserves he title "Winner" I can't include kent into that because unlike Danny he doesn't have more than 1 year at the helm here to guage what he wouldv'e done. Look Danny & Roy certainly made positive contributions to the organization here and took the job when all other candidates before them turned the Riders down. They helped turn Regina into a destination players would consider at a time when it was struggle to get some of them to even answer the phone when the Riders called. But at the end of the day they did not deliver. If you are willing to argue that Kent was a failure in Ottawa & Toronto as a coach and Toronto & Winnipeg as a player, then justifiably so, you have apply that same consideration to Danny & Roy. At the end of the day Kent coached the Riders to a Grey Cup victory and a home play off game - Danny & Roy did not.
Ted
You're all over the place. First off the alma mater that is near and dear to his heart is a farce. Ole Miss is in Oxford Miss. That is 4 hours away from Tennessee where he is from. Ole Miss is a similar situation to what Saskatchewan was. A dedicated fanbase with a distant memory of Archie Manning and a history that actually accomplished jack poop. Houston Nutt caved under the pressure of Arkansas. He went to Ole Miss where the expectations are low. They have won, had a couple upsets, and now the expectation is to compete for an SEC title. I wonder if Houston and Kent will stick around for that....doubtful.
Regarding Toronto's situation I am appalled that you do not have the same empathy for the Saskatchewan situation. Roy swung the deal to get Henry Burris. He was the future, and the offense was being built around him. He put up his one year, and bolted for the NFL. With no depth chart to speak of they had to patch work their way through the situation. Nealon Greene won 11 games for this team. You know who the only guys to do that were before? Ronnie and Kent. There was no 7 year plan. The first 3 years were a right off to get an infastructure built. That's the shelf life. The board extended them, and it hit a peak. Kent came in with the table set, and Eric made some moves hence they got over the hump. It was not Eric or Kent that had to put up with the growing pains of the defence which actually won the Grey Cup for us in 2007. Yes it helped that Roy and Danny made a trade for the 2007 League MVP, but our 3 All Star Linebackers were brought in by Roy and Danny.
If Kent was in the twilight of his career then I'd expect he would not want to command the salary he was getting back then. Wrong ask around and you'll find out Kent is and always has been about Kent. Check the records. I called Mitch and Drew when Eric and Kent were hired. I told both of them those two are not staying here long term. I expect Eric to hit his expiry date next month.
Obama
Yeah Kent won and Danny didn't. With that arguement then you'll concede that as far as great Quarterbacks in history go Jim Plunkett, Mark Rypien, and Doug Williams were all greater then Dan Marino, Warren Moon, and Jim Kelly where the NFL is concerned.
You probably don't know so I'll explained. The first 3 QB's stated have won Super Bowls. The last 3 have not. I'm certain you'll agree with that logic now.
Obama
Heh,,clearly I struck a nerve : )
Let me try again to write this out slower so you can understand. On the Kent locating closer to home. Clearly you demand specifics, please forgive me if I was off by 3 hours travel time. Take a moment and grab a gander at google maps and let me know if he is now closer to "home" i.e. where his family and roots are,now than when he was here in Regina. This has nothng to do with Houston Nutt. We are discussing Kent vs. Danny in terms of accomplishment. It didn't matter what the expectations were when Kent accepted the job - he was going "home". The "near & dear" to his heart was my way of simplifying (I see that I failed you in that regard)the understanding that his desire to return to the school where he played his college ball far exceeded his current opportunity to coach the Riders. His "roots" are there. Follow me? I can't type any slower.
Your opinion of the success of Ole Miss mirrors mine of Danny's contribution to Buffalo's success*cough*waterboy*cough* so I guess that point is mute - that means we'll leave that as a tie.
I never said it was a 7 year plan - I said in year 7 of their 3 year plan - meaning that even after giving them more than twice the alotted time they promised to deliver a championship to Saskatchewan, they were still mired as a 500. team.
Heh don't get me started on that lawn chair of a QB Burris (I call him lawn chair becuase he folds like one when the team counts on him most - his GC win was a fluke _ I think MTL threw the game --KIDDING :) nah..it was a fluke) anyways..Burris bolted from the Riders not once, but twice..he dropped this team every opportunity he got so puh-lease do not bring him into this any further. He belongs in a bowl of cereal.
The moves Eric made to get the team over the hump were the moves Danny wasn't experienced enough to comprehend or he was too egotistical to make because everybody and their dog was pointing out his teams weaknesses besides opposing teams coaches.
Nealon Greene will forever be considered one of many failures as QB for this team - those 11 wins amounted to what? Tell me. What did those 11 wins get us? Itgot Nealon a seat next to Reggie Slack, Joe Adams, and the rest of them on the bus ride to "where are they now?"
As for kents commanding a top shelf salary,heh since when does a professional athelete take into consideration the twilight of his abuilities when he negotiates a contract. Seriously. He was going to demand all he could get and he found not one but two depserate enough franchises to rolls the dice and hope he delivered. His salary reflected his ego not his contribution - talk about not knowing much Rider history before 1999 - Kent needed another locker just for his head LOL. As for your prediction in regards to Eric's & Kents tenure. It's pro football and it wouldn't take a mystic such as yourself Carnac to take a look at Eric`s history and see he usually doesn't stay much past 3 years with any team he's been with. I do think that had this court case not appeared he may have stayed here longer, but it's a transient life in the CFL anyways. Kent - he had been pegged as a future college level coach even before he accepted the job here. Go back and re - read Vanstone`s & Darrell Davis's articles about him when the candidates to replace Barrett first started to surface. Your prediction wasn't a tough one to make.
As we conclude here, let's address you newest argument (and you say I'm the one all over the place? lol) In terms of Superbowl victories and those who care enough to look it up in the future there is three names there they will see and three names there they won't. Don't think for a minute Marino, Moon & especially Kelly wouldn't trade their legacy for a ring. At the end of the day it's about who wins the Holy Grail and not about who didn't.
Ted
OK gents, both of you have had your say. Shake gloves and go back to your respective corners.
I was thinking the same thing. I'm a relative newbie to this blog posting stuff but I did enjoy this debate with Obama.I have a lot of respect for you and the passion in which you defend your position. I want to wish all of you guys a wonderful, safe & Happy Christmas.
All the Best for 2010
Thanks and all the same to you. Mitch could be the best Online Referee in the history of the internet...lol.
Merry Christmas to all of you!!!
Obama
Funny, but game, set, match goes to Obama.....again....Ted had to throw insults so he loses. Obama sticks to facts, and lays it out....lol. I'm now sitting here thinking if Roy and Danny were really as bad as everyone makes them out to be.
Randy
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