Somebody explain why Tenuta isn't head coach material?

[kirbee]

Tenuta has this reputation that says he wouldn't be a good head coach. None of the reasons have anything to do with football. Tenuta has proven to be an outstanding football coach that gets good results on the field. Good football coaches win lots of games. Winning games is the most important thing for a football coach. Not talking to the media or yukking it up with boosters. If you win games, both of those groups will either love you or respect you.

Why are the peripheral duties of coach a such a big factor? There are a lot of media savvy, nice guys not coaching football because they couldn't win games. There are a lot more assholes (and I'm not saying JT is an asshole) as successful head coaches. Parcells, Belichick, Weis, Ralph, O'Leary, etc.

 

[ContactBuzz]

None of the reasons have anything to do with football.

The simple answer is there is much more to being a HC than knowing football. Dealing with people - media, fickle fans, school admin, players. That's where people question his ability.

 

[beej67]

Everything I've seen for why JT wouldn't be a good HC was the same stuff they said about Freidgen.

 

[law_bee]

I think Tenuta may be a fantastic coach. In fact according to the MT article one of the reasons CG may leave is b/c Tenuta is ready to be head coach and will be GT's next coach.

I want Tenuta to be GT's next head coach. My biggest fear is Tenuta leaves and becomes one of the greatest coaches in the game and we let it happen.

Allegedly Tenuta does want to become a head coach.

But his stock may have dropped when the Ga Southern coach bottomed out b/c their resumes are not that different except ugag coach won Broyles award however you could argue Tenuta has done more w/ less talent. Although w/ Landry doing well in the pros maybe GT has had great talent.

I certainly am not convinced that Fisher is better than Tenuta.

 

[ncjacket]

Bottom line is none of us know if he's HC material or not. Some may have a better idea because they've spent more time around the team, but the majority of fans have no clue. That's why we hire ADs to figure this stuff out.

 

[refrigeratormover]

Winning games is the most important thing for a football coach. Not talking to the media or yukking it up with boosters.

Tell that to the fan base who thinks that we need to know everything that is going on down at the AA.

Chan gets ripped for not talking to the media but everyone wants to give Tenuta a free pass because he is a good defensive coach and it doesn't matter if he is media savvy or not. Pretty hypocritical I think.

But what do I know.

 

[AlaGold]

The only other concern is that I heard that JT doesn't like the "recruiting bs".Cajoling 17 yr olds for months on end(and their parents).
If you can't do this esp at first you won't get good players and no matter how good a field coach-no players,no win.

 

[71YellowJacket]

It's all about fan support

As Chan has shown us, winning isn’t everything. You must build fan support (yes winning is a big part but only part of the formula).

To be successful, a coach has to have an exciting, charismatic style and personality. How so? He has to score 100 points a game and be a finalist on American Idol.

I remember Chan’s first (or close to it) TV show interview. IIRC, John was on the same show. Anyway, he was wearing loafers without socks! Yes, it’s true! Maybe sitting around the camp fire with a close group of buddies, knocking back a few beers, but TV?

I’ve never forgiven him for that complete lack of good taste. Hmmmm, or was that John?

Anyway, where was I, oh yes back to CJT, he looks like a bare ankles kind of guy to me…..

 

[RickyReck]

Mover, I think you need 3 basic things other than football knowledge and they are, bieng Organized,you've got to have some PR skills at any level of coaching and you must be able to recruit (Sell).
Giff Smith has done a great job for us this year but CCG has been the difference, turning over the OC responsibility to CPN and bieng more involved has been huge for the recruiting effort. Recruiting is mostly believing in what you're selling and PR.

I want to add that I have never meet CJT and don't have any Idea whether or not he fits the bill but he's done a really good job for us at GT and I thank him for that.

 

[cyclejacket]

Bottom line is none of us know if he's HC material or not. Some may have a better idea because they've spent more time around the team, but the majority of fans have no clue. That's why we hire ADs to figure this stuff out.

Qualifications have never stopped us from being better than the coaches, I don't see why we can't be better AD's as well :laugher:

 

[kirbee]

Tell that to the fan base who thinks that we need to know everything that is going on down at the AA.

Chan gets ripped for not talking to the media but everyone wants to give Tenuta a free pass because he is a good defensive coach and it doesn't matter if he is media savvy or not. Pretty hypocritical I think.

But what do I know.

If a coach at Tech is beating Georgia every other year and winning the ACC every now and then, fans won't give a rip what the coach says to the media. If he flips them the bird at press conferences 95% of us will think its great.

Wherever Bobby Knight goes people rally behind his don't give a f**k attidude. Coach K no longer talks to the media except when required and NOBODY has access to him (except Nike). Duke fans WORSHIP him. Belichick has the personality of a slumbering grizzly. Pat fans and the national media
revere him as a genius.

PR ability and personality criteria is nothing but fluff. If a coach wins games people will love him and/or respect him.

The only question regarding Tenuta should be: Can he win football games?

 

[GTCrew]

The problem with your list is that these are PRO coaches OR college coaches who have not demonstrated success with players they recruited. Ralph probably should've considered going PRO after his initial success in Md.

The current crop of top football college coaches with long tenures seem to be nice 'aw shucks' kind of guys. Even Spurrier, although intense on gameday, comes across in interviews as a guy who would be fun to fish with IMHO.

(Basketball does seem different... Maybe Tenuta should coach Basketball)

 

[kirbee]

The simple answer is there is much more to being a HC than knowing football. Dealing with people - media, fickle fans, school admin, players. That's where people question his ability.

These are the lame reasons I'm talking about. Nick Saban has a terrible reputation regarding his people management skills. Bama fans won't give a rip if he beats Auburn. If he doesn't beat Auburn then they'll tear him up for it, but they'll do that anyway even if he was nice and one of their own (see Mike Shula).

The #1 thing to being a HC is winning games. Any coach that can do that will have the rest taken care of for him. The media will think he's great even if they don't like him. The fans won't be fickle. The admins will cowtow. The players will do whatever he says.

If this stuff really mattered then how has JT been such a successful DC for so long? Because he is good at his job and gets results on the field.

 

[beej67]

The only question regarding Tenuta should be: Can he do the non-strategy duties of a Head Football Coach that establish and perpetuate a program that regularly wins football games?

fixed

I don't see why he couldn't.

Like I said, all the objections to JT I've seen here on Singtalk were the same objections everyone had in 2000 to Ralph Freidgen getting a HC job. Like, verbatim. Can't recruit, can't talk to boosters, blah blah.

Will JT be as good a HC as Ralph? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe better. One way or another, we're going to find out within the next 2 to 3 years, because he's not going to stay a DC any longer than that, whether he gets a HC job at Tech or somewhere else.

 

[JTS]

If Tenuta doesn't get a HC offer from a BCS school soon, he will either take the HC job at a mid-major (he's turned these down so far) or go to the NFL.

If Gailey leaves, promoting Tenuta to HC and Giff Smith to DC or Assistant HC / D-Line provides continuity to the coaching staff, keeps our best X's and O's coach, and our best recruiter.

Of course, if we can get Jimbo Fisher and keep Tenuta and his D staff that would be good too.

"Look men, these f****n hillbillies in Virginia think they f****n created the game of football…So you better burn their f****n barns!” -Tenuta

 

[yellowbritchies]

You're right cyclejacket, whose says we fans have to be qualified. We think we know more than the coach's anyway!:biggthumpup:

 

[romegajacket]

Tenuta has this reputation that says he wouldn't be a good head coach. None of the reasons have anything to do with football. Tenuta has proven to be an outstanding football coach that gets good results on the field. Good football coaches win lots of games. Winning games is the most important thing for a football coach. Not talking to the media or yukking it up with boosters. If you win games, both of those groups will either love you or respect you.

Why are the peripheral duties of coach a such a big factor? There are a lot of media savvy, nice guys not coaching football because they couldn't win games. There are a lot more assholes (and I'm not saying JT is an asshole) as successful head coaches. Parcells, Belichick, Weis, Ralph, O'Leary, etc.

He may just prefer to be doing what he's doing now. Could be he had rather not have the headaches that go with being the HC.

 

[77GTFan]

I remember a defensive coordinator that many considered to be a poor candidate for a head coaching job. Many schools did not give him a look, then finally Georgia Southern gave him a chance to be a head coach. Erk Russell did well. I think he would have done well at any level.

Tenuta is a good coach. If he applied and in interviews came across as being motivated to become a head coach and seemed aware of the changes being a head coach brings, I would not mind giving him a chance at Tech.

 

[Techbert]

Conventional Wisdom

Before I begin, let me say that I spent YEARS thanking the Football Gods that the doggies thought Erk Russell was not right for a HFC gig.

1. ADs are risk-adverse. Their jobs as well as their legacies depend on how well they pick a HFC and to a lesser degree a HBC. For that reason, they don't shoot for the sky; they minimize the standard deviations of the downsides.

2. Jon has a coordinator persona that is ideal for the DC job.

3. This persona is not ideal for the HFC.

4. Jon is smart enough to know this, and maintains he would have a different persona as a HFC. He maintains he not only has a great fastball, but a great circle change and a knee-bending curve.

5. ADs agree that Jon is smart enough to try to be something different from what he's shown over the years.

6.

7. ADs worry that in times of stress the "real" Jon would come out. He would walk into a presser being the Calm Jon, and 20 minutes later most of the reporters in the room would be missing limbs. Think of Kill Bill I in the Japanese nightclub.

8. It is in times of stress that you most need the mature confident self-assured HFC, not when things are fine.

9. You can take a coach like Chan, whip him, beat him, and call him "Edna", and you can count on him maintaining his composure. ADs like that. Jon can't convince him that the same would be true for him.

10. If Jon gets a head gig somewhere and flourishes, the same ADs that would not give him the time of day would be calling intermediaries to "gauge interest" on their next opening. Until then....

11. I dunno what would happen with Jon as a HFC. I suspect he would win a lot of football games, and make some enemies in the press. I'd hire him, but I am not risk-adverse.

12. With that said, I think of the last 5 years at GT with things that have happened outside the HFC's control. You know the litany: 6th string running back due to injuries, shortage of returning functional quarterbacks, a gap in recruiting offensive linemen, Carole Moore's macabre masterpiece, arcane probation, etc. It takes a special human being to guide a school through all that without even having a losing record, much less having the wheels come totally off, and then being carped on by lesser men in the process for not winning ALL the games.

13. I don't think Jon would have pulled it off, but I don't know very many coaches who would have.

Oh, and two things are widely held to be true, and I believe them totally.
a. CJT wants to be a HFC at a good school
b. If CJT has to be just a DC, he enjoys his working relationship with Chan. Having a good boss is important in your work, and it may have made the difference between CJT pursuing a mid-level versus staying here.

 

[gnats67]

Gailey's exit could easily precursor Tenute's hiring as HC.

Provided -
DanRad dictates the terms.
Retain staff/consult on changes.
Dan/Rad has the ball.

Replace the DC.

I can see this happening.