How to Succeed at Columbia, (but you have to really try)

Let's get right to the big elephant in the room, because we're all asking this question: Is Pete Mangurian a bust?

I would think my answer would be extremely clear by now, but once again let me say that the answer is: "No. Not yet."

What I do think is that Mangurian has made the same mistakes that every new coach at Columbia has made since Buff Donelli. That is, they get convinced that 100% of what their predecessors did was wrong and thus everything has to start from scratch. 

As much as I was critical of the Norries Wilson regime, I always acknowledged that he helped raise the talent level of the team and I praised his ability to retain more of the roster than his predecessors. These were both very common themes in my writing over the years.

The problem was, even with that improved talent, Wilson didn't win. There was one .500 season and a decent 2009 campaign, (by Columbia standards). But that's it. Six years was enough time for a significant improvement in wins and he didn't get there. I have no belief at all that what I wrote led to his dismissal, (I'm not that important by a long shot), but I was glad it happened.

Now we have a new coach who clearly has swept aside too much of that veteran talent. This is nothing new and not exclusive to Columbia, (lots of new coaches do this), but it's hurting the team in 2012 and that all blew up at Harvard Stadium on Saturday. As soon as all the talk from Mangurian became about the new people he was going to bring into the mix and nothing about actually beating Harvard, I knew we were in for it. I'm not saying playing more freshmen lost us the game, but sending that message of throwing in the towel on the season, (which is how a lot of people read it), was a terrible mistake. 

Mangurian is also making the classic Jim Garrett "exploding head" mistake. After the Penn game, he actually got into the face of one fan who simply said we had that game for the taking and lost it. That was a simple fact. Mangurian heard the fan saying that and got in his face. Besides being pathetic behavior, it was also a total mis-read. I know the fan who said that very well, and he's a huge believer in this team. 

A week later, Mangurian's behavior at the Dartmouth postgame news conference was, er, erratic. There were some answers he gave that made no sense and his tone made everyone in the room uncomfortable. I'd call for AD Diane Murphy to work with him on his personal skills, but she needs a lot of help in that area too. A lot. 

But I really don't mean to sound overly harsh. Mangurian has a great football mind, and as soon as he learns the ropes for real at Columbia, he can be of great help to us. The question is: will he? He's already won more games than the Lions won last year and since we're all about wins, that's something. He's also done a great job developing stellar new talents like Marcorus Garrett and Connor Nelligan, who will both be back next year. And the move to push practice in the early AM was brilliant. 

So while it's not fair to write him off at this stage, it's also foolish to overlook the mistakes he's making that better be reversed now or he'll end up out of here like Jim Garrett. And thus, Garrett was never able make a lasting positive change. 

Here are three of pointers from someone who wants Mangurian to succeed. Take them, leave them, or shoot the messenger. Your choice:

1) Lighten Up Francis!

In the immortal words of Sgt. Hulka, from the movie Stripes: "Lighten up, Francis. One of these guys might save your life one day." Mangurian needs to stop acting weird in news conferences. Stop giving intense answers to the Spec and WKCR kids, and generally act like he loves the damn job. This, more than even the losing, will kill him here if he doesn't change. Coaching is a lot about P.R.

2) Always Make Winning Games NOW the top Priority... (or at least say you are).

We have just 10 games every season in Ivy League ball. So with every game you write off, you're writing off almost 3% of an entire career for any given player. Imagine writing off 3% of your wealth on a bad trade, etc. Same idea. Of course, the Lions staff should be auditioning and working with the younger players to prepare for the future. But they should just do it. Don't make that the headline of an interview on game week. 

3) Trickery is Better than System

Ever since Jacob used trickery to beat Esau out of his birth rite, being wily has always been a credible strategy. Trick plays, new formations, whatever Columbia needs to do to win games on Saturday is preferable to sticking with some system that may win games down the road. The fact that QB Sean Brackett is not being used on the option run this year is a testament to being stubborn. Institute the system you want after you've had more time to recruit more players that fit into it. Until then, win with the players you have. 

Once again, I assume writing this post will make me a terrible bad guy in the eyes of the administration and maybe the coaching staff too. 

Here's the thing: who cares?

If ONLY Diane, her minions, and the last few coaches cared as little about what I say about them as I care about what they say about me. Why are they all so thin-skinned? One can only wonder how unhinged these people would be if they were in a big time college program. Perhaps they came to the Ivies to avoid all criticism all the time.

But after the Giving Day results showed how athletics and football FAR outpace every grad school and more when it comes to loyalty, these people better be prepared for some fair-minded but impassioned criticism.