Here are the good, the bad and the ugly results we can expect from yesterday's announcement by President Lee Bollinger that sports consultant Rick Taylor will review the Columbia football program but Head Coach Pete Mangurian will be retained.
THE GOOD
-Taylor is the real deal. There's a reason I specifically called for him to be hired a week or so ago on this very blog. He's a very tough, no-nonsense guy and he won't let Mangurian stand in his way. If Buddy Teevens wasn't able to overrule him at Dartmouth where Teevens is a legend, Mangurian will be powerless against him here.
-Taylor's immediate impact will likely be the removal of our current offensive and defensive coordinators. They will also likely be replaced with the kind of coordinators it costs a little more money to retain. That should help.
-There's a chance that after a few weeks of trying to work together, Taylor and Mangurian will not be able to coexist and Mangurian will get out. It's just as likely that Taylor will be the one to bolt, but this is the optimistic part of our presentation for today.
-Taylor is likely to shock the insular athletic department staff just by showing them something they've never seen before: a headstrong manager who actually knows what he's doing.
THE BAD
-Mangurian gets to stay another year, and that means we're guaranteed another 0-10 season in 2015. There are many reasons for this. But most of it has to do with the fact that the rising seniors don't want to play for him and many will quit the team in the coming weeks. Columbia will never win another game under Pete Mangurian. I don't know how many times I have to write that, (I have been for over a year), before enough people get it.
-A few of the very strong candidates to replace Mangurian as head coach have already responded to the news by saying they are no longer interested in Columbia whatsoever. That's too bad, because as I wrote above, there's a chance Mangurian will find working under Taylor's power unacceptable and he will leave on his own by late January. Now, even if he does quit early our choices are more limited.
-The sports journalists and humorists who have been making fun of us for weeks will have a field day with the fact that a team with a 21-game losing streak isn't even going to fire its coach. Be prepared for more dirt thrown onto the Columbia name.
-Why would any recruit currently on the fence agree to come to Columbia now under this cloud of mystery? Do we have a lame duck coach? Will the new consultant be in charge? If the current coach tells me to switch from QB to TE should I listen? What's the deal?
-Why would any fan other than a player's parent come to the games next season? 2015 will be an 0-10 year and whatever progress the team makes other than winning is not likely to stick with a new head coach on the way. In other words, it's a complete re-run of the wasted year we're currently experiencing in 2014.
THE UGLY
-Much of this is about money. Mangurian has not one, but TWO years left on his contract and the university doesn't want to eat that much money in salary. But this is the same university that just gave Bollinger a whopping $700,000 per year raise! Somehow, I think we can come up with the money and/or a good lawyer to argue that Mangurian is only due 30%-50% of his remaining contracted salary considering his 3-27 record.
-Even MORE of this is about ego. Bollinger's outrageous letter to the fans last year not only insulted all of us, but put him in the position of backing Mangurian way too much. Now, he's unwilling to even allow the appearance of admitting he was wrong and we have to endure another lost year.
-For the current players on the team, this is the ugliest situation. They have to play another winless year for a terrible coach. What a waste of their time, efforts and their parents' money.
5 comments:
I think the admin has really backed themselves into a corner at this point, which is good for us.
If Taylor is as legit as you say than if he leaves they would have lost all credibility.
I also am not so sure to accept that Pete will be coaching here next year.
Let Taylor do his job and let's see how things shake out over the next month or two...
Jake, I totally agree with every point you made in this post. This is another sham and insult by Bollinger.
I would support Mangurian for coach-for-life if Bollinger would resign today.
Bollinger completely disrespects and sneers at alums, students and players who deserve honest reform of football management. He lets Murphy sit there--and get paid-- for a year to block the appointment of a new AD, and then uses his own dishonesty as an excuse to keep Mangurian as coach for another 0-10 year in 2015.
All while Bollinger gets a four-year extension and a big salary increase to well almost 1.5 mil.
Fire Bollinger, Murphy and Mangurian together now! Excuse me, I forgot the new disaster, Trustees President Jonathan Schiller who praises Bollinger to the sky, pumped up his inflated salary further and made sure Bollinger will sit atop this disaster for at least 16 years...or maybe they'll round it off to 20!
My first reaction on hearing Bollinger's sneak play is the same as many other alums and fans. Bollinger's laughable ploy to save money by making Mangurian finish his contract--another TWO years--is to have the players hold a secure-ballot vote and tell us if they want Mangurian as coach next season, BASED ON IF they think they can win with him. I don't imagine he can win that vote.
My second reaction, like yours, was that the competent prospective coaches out there were going to say to hell with this when they saw
Bollinger's plan, which shows clearly that BOLLINGER DOES NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT FOOTBALL AND IS STRIVING TO DESTROY IT.
I notice Bollinger announced his nonsense to preempt all the criticism before Taylor has even accepted the offer to study the program.
I have to assume Taylor is an honorable man, so why would he do this if he knows that Mangurian will stay? Firing him undoubtedly would be Taylor's first recommendation. Is Taylor Upposed to teach Mangurian how to coach, how to relate to players and alumni? This is a farce, and Bollinger has pulled it off again if we sit still for it.
I wish there were a way I could donate less than Zero $$ to Columbia, because that's what they're getting from me this year and every year henceforth until they field a winning team. Forget the "competitive" crap. To Bollinger that means
losing every game for eternity by fewer than 30 points.
Remember teevens and Taylor worked together previously. I am sure he wasnt "hard" on buddy. Read between the lines guys..
Serious question... What does the Nathan's Hot Dog Committee do now? These losers, I repeat, LOSERS, have no power whatsoever. Select members of the committee told me at the last HC gathering that they oversee the program and have direct input in to its direction. Bull$&!t!!! They told me to donate more "so that the players don't suffer..." I think I'm even more embarrassed for them than I am for the program. What a bunch of self-indulgent fools! No more money for the school, athletics, or those morons on the committee. I'm done with it all!
What we should do is forfeit all games next year until a new AD is in place. Losses by 30, or a forfeit, either way, same result!
If Jake is smart, he should go dark until there is a new coach. What could he possibly add to this season of misery???!!!! All he would have to do is re-post weekly updates from this year and the results would all be the same. Everything possible has been said about Mangurrian. He's a fraud! We should sue Dianne for offering him a 5 year deal. How on earth was that approved? I'm just tired of all this. It's just sad on so many levels.
NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/sports/ncaafootball/columbia-president-promises-review-of-football-program.html
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