Nudgette's giving good cheer at the annual St. Nick Nudgefest
Right now is about the time that the college football fans start coming to the realization that they are going to have to wait until next friggin September to see any more regular games. The bowls can be great, sometimes. But they do nothing to replace the rivalries and the energy that comes on Saturday mornings. At least we get to follow recruiting until signing day.
So without any games to write about right now, let's look at whats in the college football headlines.
Army fires Head Coach Stan Brock. The Nudge didn't see this one coming, I'm being serious. Army was abissmal, as usual, but the couple of games that I saw them play (outside of the Navy game) they looked as competitive as that team could be. Let's face facts, the school shouldn't be in Div.-1 football. You can't recruit at West Point. Not only geography-wise, but academically. Look, a game at Mikie Stadium is actually one of the best with the parades and the parachutist jumping the game ball out of a Blackhawk helicopter, it's pretty sick. But no matter who takes over for Brock, they are never going to win. Army should have kept him there for at least two more years, the guy is a decent person. Brock was 6-18 in two years at the school. He took over the ailing program after Bobby Ross decided his retirement job was more than he could handle. Recent reports have said that there is a line of hundreds of people waiting to try and be the next Army HC. The only problem, they all just got layed off from their Wall Street jobs and know nothing about college football.
Naughty and getting naughtier Nudgette Maria Ozawa, yes it is officially a Nudge obsession.
Auburn Hires Iowa State Head Coach: Former Auburn and Texas Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik is the new War Eagle HC. The school decided to hire the man who was responsible for the best defense Auburn has ever seen in the past twenty years. Is it a good hire? The Nudge thinks its not a bad one. He doesn't bring the sexy offense that a Todd Graham-Gus Malzahn combination would bring, but the spread didn't work out to well for Auburn this year so I guess they want to return to a power running game and strong-D. The only problem with Chizik's new gig is that he is never, and I repeat. never going to out recruit Saban in Bama. That means that Auburn is going to have to rely on the players out of the state that Nick doesn't want or can't fit. The result of that happening usually results in lop-sided rivalry games for the next ten years (if Saban stays). So don't look for another long run of Iron Bowl victories going to the Tigers in the future. The team is going to take some flack for not hiring Johnny Gill from New Edition, who is currently coaching up in Buffalo. I guess he's staying up there. You won't hear from him again. Next year, The SUNY-Bulls will revert back to their same horrible self, and the guy will languish up there until they fire him in four years.
I said obsession didn't I
Zookerino's biggest recruit gets shanked: Ron Zook's biggest recruit Five Star prospect/monster Martez Wilson got stabbed outside of a dive bar at two o'clock in the morning. Apparently, the story is that Wilson was helping out a former teammate who was involved in an altercation.
The Zooker had this to say: "The guy did exactly what I would want him to do," Zook said. "If a person sees a person in stress, he should come to his aid."
So the Zooker's telling his boys to get involved and help each other out, just like my boy Tom Cruise. Hey, somebody better look in Ronnie's room for some Scientology books
Nudgette Danielle Lloyd
Syracuse actually found someone who wants to be their HC: There really has been nothing worse than Syracuse football ever since Pasqualioni left the program. Syracuse wanted to go in another direction, from winning games to losing badly. They accomplished this by hiring a guy with an NFL background, Greg Robinson. And they realized their mistake, and how do they try to fix it, by hiring a guy with an NFL background.
The Nudge has said this time and time again, succesful NFL coaches do not tranbslate well in the college football ranks. I know ther have been a few, Pete Carrol and maybe someone else, but really the list of guys who come from the pros and expect their athletes to respond the same way doesn't work. NFL players have Range Rovers, college players have exams in BS classes. If you degrade a pro, he calls his agent, who talks to the general manager who squashes the whole thing because of salary cap issues and tradability. If you yell at an eighteen year old kid, he's gonna say "Who the F is this guy, he don't know me."
It's a different style and a different tact that you have to take that just doesn't translate well back and forth. That's why coaches who begin and succeed in college don't fnd that same success in the pros. Need examples, Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier etc, etc.
Doug Marrone has been the New Orlans Saints O-Coordinator since 2006. SInce that time, Sean Payton and Drew Brees have made him look good. Don't forget about Hofstra's own Marques Colston. This guy is going to fall flat on his face. Don't even buy a house up in Syracuse, RENT.
I'll leave you off with a great photo of Mikey-Love heading into the Nudgefest Christmas Party.
Stay strong my depressed CFB fans, Fall is just three seasons away.
