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Weber State @ NAU

talhadfoursteals said:
WAIT..."the program was declining?" HOW? Weber won 10 games? The three games the Cats lost were to MSU twice and Sacramento State. Two of those losses were because of, uh...errant long snaps. Weber was 6 bad snaps away from an undefeated season and a completely different playoff picture. THAT IS NOT A PROGRAM IN DECLINE!!!!!! We did not lose a lot from that team and then won 6 games the following season, along with a complete shellacking by MSU at home. It has only been two seasons and it is VERY clear to me, Mikey is struggling as HC. To me, he doesn't exhibit the personality or even the professionalism necessary to lead a DI program.

ALSO...HILL had the absolutely most competitive 2 win team in the history of the conference in his first season. EVERY game the Cats were it in. His second season was our first winning season since Mac and one or two plays away from going to the playoffs. TWO YEARS after taking over Coach Hill had a winning team and one on the verge of the playoffs.

MENTAL TOOK OVER A TEAM THAT WAS A CONFERENCE CONTENDER. HILL TOOK OVER A TEAM THAT WAS A DUMPSTER FIRE. NO COMPARISON.
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So, you are on the side of "fire them now" and not give them another year?
 
AlumniWSU said:
What's WSU's length of contract with HC Mental? Does anyone even know publicly? Used to be that coach's hires were published with a years term. Not aware that this nor the salary was provided when they named Mental. Is it now private in-house info.? What's the point of saying he should go now or will they extend his contract without knowing the terms? It's pretty clear that Weber can't afford (or will not pay) a buyout! Wishful thinking aside...
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Pretty sure Coach Mental was signed to a three year deal. He has another year on his contract. No idea what his contract stipulates. There could be options available to Coach Crompton if the team completely folds. Though, no idea.
 
oldrunner said:
So, you are on the side of "fire them now" and not give them another year?
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No. Not necessarily. My post was merely pointing out that the program was not in decline when Jay left. Also, that Jay took over a team that was on life-support and did a miraculous job turning things around. Jay Hill was and is Weber's greatest coach. Mikey is a really stand up guy. Yes, needs to learn how to be a professional, but a good guy. Is he a good HC? So far, we are headed in the SUU direction after Ed Lamb left Cedar, which is very very bad.
 
talhadfoursteals said:
WAIT..."the program was declining?" HOW? Weber won 10 games? The three games the Cats lost were to MSU twice and Sacramento State. Two of those losses were because of, uh...errant long snaps. Weber was 6 bad snaps away from an undefeated season and a completely different playoff picture. THAT IS NOT A PROGRAM IN DECLINE!!!!!! We did not lose a lot from that team and then won 6 games the following season, along with a complete shellacking by MSU at home. It has only been two seasons and it is VERY clear to me, Mikey is struggling as HC. To me, he doesn't exhibit the personality or even the professionalism necessary to lead a DI program.

ALSO...HILL had the absolutely most competitive 2 win team in the history of the conference in his first season. EVERY game the Cats were it in. His second season was our first winning season since Mac and one or two plays away from going to the playoffs. TWO YEARS after taking over Coach Hill had a winning team and one on the verge of the playoffs.

MENTAL TOOK OVER A TEAM THAT WAS A CONFERENCE CONTENDER. HILL TOOK OVER A TEAM THAT WAS A DUMPSTER FIRE. NO COMPARISON.
Click to expand...
Well Stated Tad... You're definitely right!!!
 
talhadfoursteals said:
No. Not necessarily. My post was merely pointing out that the program was not in decline when Jay left. Also, that Jay took over a team that was on life-support and did a miraculous job turning things around. Jay Hill was and is Weber's greatest coach. Mikey is a really stand up guy. Yes, needs to learn how to be a professional, but a good guy. Is he a good HC? So far, we are headed in the SUU direction after Ed Lamb left Cedar, which is very very bad.
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I'm actually torn on the issue. I'm really not sure what a "fair" chance really is. I could see it going either way and I would be okay with either. I would think that our administrators are having the same discussions. We are the youngest team in the BSC, so there is that. Also, If we start over with a new staff, it could go in any direction. Who is to say what kind of applicants we would get after firing a coach two years in to his three year contract. There is something to be said for keeping your word on things like this. When I said that Hill's program was on the decline, I was referring to not winning the league for a couple of years prior to his leaving. Not that the team was horrible.
 
Jay Hill was a rare gem of a coach leaving FBS to FCS because he wanted to get HC experience & remained 9 yrs at it successfully. WSU was fortunate & tried to get a couple of former likeable assistants, now at Utah & BYU, interested. No luck & likely it's not going to in that way. This fan feels that Mental was the best candidate interested at that time and even though it's not working out, the admin's aren't going to buyout but will honor his 3rd yr. (if it's true). That is if disaster doesn't strike (as some feel has).
 
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talhadfoursteals said:
No. Not necessarily. My post was merely pointing out that the program was not in decline when Jay left. Also, that Jay took over a team that was on life-support and did a miraculous job turning things around. Jay Hill was and is Weber's greatest coach. Mikey is a really stand up guy. Yes, needs to learn how to be a professional, but a good guy. Is he a good HC? So far, we are headed in the SUU direction after Ed Lamb left Cedar, which is very very bad.
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Right, but changes sometimes are a bust...Ed Lamb isn't successful at No. Colorado, whether or not his fault, he's had 2 yrs. Maybe HC Mental needs to focus on what it takes for Div 1 coaching & maybe add a new OC to the staff? Just saying...
 
Coach Mental definitely knows the game of football. He has been successful in the past and did a good job as the OC in Hill's last year. With that being said, being an HC for a DI team is a bit different than where he was before. He might have been the only real choice Coach Crompton had or the only current assistant who would take it. Can't say it was true or not, definite hearsay. Yet, the word on the street was players were going to leave if the coaching staff did not stay intact. A new coach from outside, even a former Hill coach, would have wanted full reign over his staff. Inevitably, some of the current coaches would not have been retained.

After Hill, no matter who took over, they were going to face a tall task. To me, I would have tried to get someone who was as much like Jay as possible: Charismatic, professional, understands the importance of recruiting local, while getting gems from out of state, is dynamic and experienced on multiple levels. Jay is an incredible defensive coach. He is also really good with special teams, team management (player and coach development), and recruitment. He finds the overlooked, underappreciated, gems. The Jack Kelly's come to mind. Never would Jay have shown up wearing joggers, a hat and a sweatshirt to an event; especially the Big Sky Football meetings. He looked the part, acted the part, and was always professional. Mental...he doesn't act the part. I definitely want him to succeed. I want him to develop as a coach and person. I hope he takes that next step. Yet, as of right now, the trend isn't going in the right direction. After almost two years, the program is started to smell a little stale.
 
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