Did Gill make right decision?

HANC

HANC

New member
Just a question to get everyone's thought on Turner's decision to stay at Buffalo..... Did he make the right decision (in "fans" minds). Obviously, he knows what is best for him and he made the decision based on a lot of things we don't know......

But let's speculate and create a discussion.......

First, this was Gill's "big break out year".... yes, his team's showed progress last season, but this year, thye won the MAC championship. He got interviews at Auburn (really BIG TIME program), apparently TURNED DOWN the Syracuse job (according to the Omaha World Herald), and now declined to even interview for the ISU job. Although, ISU may have been an unnatrative offer, sources say they were ready to throw the bank at him...

Now, I love LOYALTY, and this is what makes Turner such a great person. But what happens if Buffalo goes 6-6 next season or worse. Does his name still surface as much as this season? Remember, they won 4 OT games this season, they could have easily had a LOSING record this year, and if they don't get about 4-5 fumbles in the MAC championship game, they lose it.......one was an error on QB-C, not even caused by the defense.

I am not being skeptical, just wondering if anyone thinks that this was his year to make the big time jump?

* Please don't give me the "Turner knows what's best for Turner speech....we all know that, but this is a discussion board, where we are able to question everyone's decisions.

 
You know, my first instinct was to say, "Turner made a mistake - his 'value' as a coach will never be higher". As you noted, it's all too easy to have a bad year or two - particuarly at a school that doesn't have the tradition or facilities.

But as I thought about it, I've reconsidered. The one big thing is the schools that either offered or were considering Turner (that we know of, at least). None of them look real attractive when you examine them closely:

Auburn - They fire the wininngest coach in their history for what amounts to one really bad season. It's apparent that the boosters run the program - and they can and will turn on a coach in a second. Even if Turner won 9 games a year, he could quickly be out of a job if he loses to Alabama - which seems to be in the cards for at least a few more years.

Syracuse - While they have some tradition and (I assume) some facilities, they are hardly an elite school any longer. Of the three we know of, this would have been the best choice, as someone like Turner would have some chance of reversing things. But it would be similar to Buffalo right now - a real uphill battle.

ISU - With all due respect to Cy, ISU is a coaching death trap. Poor facilities, no real recruiting base, an in-state rival with a higher profile, and they play in one of the toughest conferences in America.

When you consider that, rolling the dice that he can continue to be a "hot" name and possibly land a job at a better program seems like the safer bet.

So, after consideration, I think he did the best thing for himself.

 
HANC said:
Now, I love LOYALTY, and this is what makes Turner such a great person. But what happens if Buffalo goes 6-6 next season or worse. Does his name still surface as much as this season? Remember, they won 4 OT games this season, they could have easily had a LOSING record this year, and if they don't get about 4-5 fumbles in the MAC championship game, they lose it.......one was an error on QB-C, not even caused by the defense.
Click to expand...
Well, keep in mind that loyalty may be a relative term. It's obvious that Gill is looking for something else otherwise he wouldn't have interviewed for those other schools in the first place.

Now exactly what Gill may be searching for or desires is hard to tell. Heck, even Gill himself may not even know yet. I agree Auburn is a deathtrap right now and ISU will be really hard to keep a team in contention for a North title year in and year out.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't be shocked to see Gill stay at Buffalo and try to make the program 'his' like Osborne did with Nebraska. Will Buffalo ever be in a position to win a national championship? Doubtful, but I'm not sure that is Gill's underlying motive to remain there currently.

 
Both posts above make great sense, and I agree with both of you guys. AR is exactly right about the 3 schoos/jobs that he was publicly linked too......not too attractive....

Let's say, hypothetically, that Patterson leaves TCU for ISU, which has been "rumored" as him showing interest.......TCU would be a great fit (from a fan's point of view) for Gill. He is originally from Texas, and has recruited Texas when he was at NU

We all know that Gill is a man of his word, and for him to come out a publicly state that he is NOT leaving this year, I would be surprised if he continues to look.....BUT, gosh, if TCU or Arizona (Stoops appears to be top candidate for ISU, according to local radio) would come open ??????

 
I agree about TCU. A school with a relatively recent history of beating some BCS schools, located in a recruiting hotbed, seems willing to spend on facilities - a good job by any account, and one that Turner could really turn into something special.

 
I agree with AR, Gill's value may never be higher. What I find amazing is that it only takes 1 successful year to demonstrate you are a great coach and get that next big gig or contract extension (Weiss). Yet consistency over a period of time and one bad year will get you fired (Solich, Tuberville).

Would Gill be a good fit at Auburn...maybe so. But if he loses 4-5 games he may not have a job either. I didn't think Gill was ready for the NU job last year, but his performance this year has changed my mind. That is a moot point...we have our coach.

ISU is a bad program. I don't belive Gill is after the money. It is rumored that they were going to throw the coin at him. What is the best he will ever do there - 7-5? Maybe it is best to sit tight at Buffalo and see what firings are made next year.

 
I also think that there is something to be said about "comfort zone"......... Turner is extremely comfortable at Buffalo. They friggin love him there. They bumped his salary from (est.) $180,000 to somewhere around $550,000 a year...plus, they just had a "banquet" to honor HIM and nothing else. He has an AD and President that worship the ground he walks on..... plus, we have already mentioned the "loyalty" factor that he has. He has made a comittment to a lot of his "younger" recruits, and I know that he would find it hard to leave.

Not that anyone is remotely interested, but as a HS coach, I had the opportunity to leave the smallest class in the state of Iowa and move to one of the largest schools and programs last spring, and just couldn't find it in me to look at the 40 players who have worked so hard for me and tell them that I was leaving. (sorry, way off topic and non-interesting)............just trying to point out that the whole LOYALTY factor can really way and sway a person. Especially, if the coach is very comfortable and $$ is not the driving factor.

 
Some good points here.

What we don't know is what Gill's goals are, and what he considers an ideal job. I think he is probably willing to move, but not just to any job that pays more and is higher stature. Depending on how Buffalo goes the next couple years, his stock may or may not be this high again, but that's no reason to move to a place he doesn't see himself staying for the long term. He doesn't seem the type to want to job hop. I think loyalty is a factor in that, plus his kids are still school age, aren't they?

From all appearances he has a great relationship with the AD at Buffalo, and has seen what it's like when it's not that way.

Perhaps if TCU had opened up I could have seen him taking it, guessing that he'd take a good coaching job where he grew up, in the area he's recruited in, and in what looks to be a stable situation. Obviously Nebraska as well, though there wasn't a chance of that this year. Others? I don't know.

 
AR Husker Fan said:
Syracuse - While they have some tradition and (I assume) some facilities, they are hardly an elite school any longer. Of the three we know of, this would have been the best choice, as someone like Turner would have some chance of reversing things. But it would be similar to Buffalo right now - a real uphill battle.
Click to expand...
Agree AR... Marrone has his work cut out for him. And yes, Syracuse has some very good facilities for football. Donovan McNabb donated 1 million for a football wing and "hangout room" similar to Nebraska's.

 
Back
Top