Deleting. Question already answered early in the thread...yeah I'm late to the thread!
FC: PSU fires Yurcich
- Thread starter StamfordBridgeVikingatLeftOffensiveTackle
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Well, they have him and Allar standing there in the backfield, counting 1-Mississippi, 2-Mississippi after the snap.
And Saban has been known to win a big game every once in awhile.
Being booed lowdly and overly contentious press conference?
Soooo, nearly everyone was upset by the offensive play calling yesterday at key points during the game. Franklin fires the guy calling those lousy plays and we're mad at him? I'm a little confused.
Bottom line, we have a solid (not great) OL, 5* RB and QB, etc. and Yurcich couldn't produce against the big boys. I have no problem with this move by CJF. And I'm sure he has a recruiting class to worry about...and a bunch of players who could walk via the portal. Add that to the heat I guarantee is coming from the big donors via Kraft and he HAD to make a move. The offense wasn't producing or improving. Had to be done.
Bottom line, we have a solid (not great) OL, 5* RB and QB, etc. and Yurcich couldn't produce against the big boys. I have no problem with this move by CJF. And I'm sure he has a recruiting class to worry about...and a bunch of players who could walk via the portal. Add that to the heat I guarantee is coming from the big donors via Kraft and he HAD to make a move. The offense wasn't producing or improving. Had to be done.
That guy is easy to spot...he has thunderbolts shooting out of his arse.
CJF sees him every day...in his mirror.
Given the expectations and situation the team was in coming into this year with, the heat is now on more than most years—maybe ever for his PSU tenure—and I think what happened today may be a product of Franklin sensing it. Even still, the timing is strange on this one to me. Perhaps JF and MY had some conversations yesterday that did not go very well and here we are today? Pure speculation. What may be a benefit of firing now, however, is that it can give Franklin a bit of a head start on the hiring process (insofar that is allowed by the rules) instead of waiting until the carousel is already underway.
One guy is the problem. The other guy takes the heat. [assign names as one feels appropriate]
He was probably paid a bundle in exchange for his signature on a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
I saw his name on a potential candidate list somewhere. So far, the strongest item on Brady's resume is being the WR coach and passing game coordinator for LSU in 2019. How much of the success they had was a product of his contribution and how much was a product of a QB and two WRs that are now among the best in the NFL? The move to NFL OC was probably too much too soon, even if he has that level of ability, but I would like to see some evidence he's something other than a guy who was in the right place at the right time.
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The B1G conference just signed a new billion dollar contract that will pay B1G schools a fortune.
Penn State is about to spend hundreds of millions on stadium renovations.
Botton line, money is not a barrier. The stakes are high. Any coach can be bought out. Just ask Jimbo Fisher.
I was not aware that he was the Bills OC, so not likely interested in CFB OC position.
your point re wanting to see some real evidence of his capability is spot on. This is the one thing about many coaches as well as people in the commercial sector. Often the results by a person is the product of right place and right time. Dabo is going through that now as people are saying his results are a product of a few talented QBs and WRs. Franklin's 2017 and 2018 teams should have beaten OSU, and were loaded with NFL talent. OSU was very lucky to win those games.
Penn State has a nine figure operating debt and expects to take out debt to finance the facilities. Football pays for all the sports at PSU. Where do you think all this money is going to come from without bond rating hits to the University or cuts in non revenue sports?
He isn't the Bills OC; Ruhle hired him away from LSU to be the OC for the Carolina Panthers. It wasn't a great situation, and he was fired after two years. He is currently the QB coach for the Bills, and I don't get the sense that the Bills Mafia are any more thrilled with their situation than Penn State fans.
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I really, really thought Yurcich would be the guy. But the offense hasn't developed even though as you mentioned we have a solid if not spectacular offensive line, excellent running backs, a young QB with potential but who wasn't allowed or able to stretch the field vertically. But my real concern has been WR. Either we aren't able to recruit or aren't able to develop WRs over the last 3 years and that falls with Yurcich. It seems that we can't even throw 6 or 7 yard slants to get a first down on 3rd and 5 or 6. Seems like there is no confidence throwing downfield at all. Everything falls to wide receiver or TE screens no matter the required distance. Something just doesn't make sense. Allar has the arm to make any throw but never could. Is it him, the receivers, or the play calling? May some of each.
I'm so sad for this defense that is truly elite, but saddled with an offense that can beat teams with less talent but is helpless against elite defenses. Yeah, we lost to OSU and Mich in close games because of our elite defense but 1 for 16 on 3rd down against OSU and less than a 100 yds passing against Mich was just embarrassing. I certainly don't see the NFL type talent at WR needed to excel against the Big Guys on this roster but it seems that with our RBs, OL, TEs, and a big armed QB we should be able to be adequate with even average WRs if the scheme, execution, and coaching was good. How many plays was there no separation, poor blocking by the WRs and a few drops at very inopportune times?
One more observation. I know Allar is a first year starter. I know that the staff wanted him to protect the ball, let the kid not try to carry the load himself and just be a game manager protecting his confidence especially with the defense we had. But the fact is that to be elite this year, we had to be elite on offense as well as defense and we just weren't. The lack of vertical game hinders the running game. The lack of explosive plays in the run game hindered the passing game. Was it talent, execution, play calling or all of it? I thought that at least this season, we would be very close to OSU and Mich and we were, even with little production from the offense. We were definitely 2 or 3 WRs away from both those teams and its a shame we just couldn't get it done this year.
The same place they used for the BOT to approve paying Franklin $75 million.
I recall similar statements and whining about the Penn State financial situation prior to Franklin’s contract extension. Then magically, in a panic move Franklin gets a new 10 year contract.
Again, when it comes to big time sports, money is not a barrier.
You do understand that if you pay off the Bottom Feeder to leave you have to pay a huge salary for a quality replacement to fill the stadium, sell merch and gain contributions for facilities and NIL? Good luck with that. I want the guy gone, but I understand the only way he leaves is if his life is miserable and someone comes along with a checkbook and a job.
The only time CJF had a strong offense was under Moorhead . CJF appears to let the D and the DC run their own program . James is active on the offensive side of the ball. Obviously the big question is how much of the blame is on Franklin vs Yurcich ?
A few differences:
a. first time around, PSU was not in the process of paying off $100mm of debt for facility improvements;
b. the first time around, PSU was not about to embark on a $700mm stadium renovation; and
c. the first time around, PSU was not paying the salaries of two football head coaches.
Contract buyouts and terminating high profile coaches have been occurring since the Jackie Sherrill days. This is not a new situation. No major Football program will keep a bad coach because of money concerns. Coaches are fired all the time and the schools deal with the financial fallout. No coach (except Nick Saban) has tenure. Not even Kirby Smart.
Examples: Steve Sarkisian, Lane Kiffin, Kevin Sumlin, Ed Orgeron, Gene Chizak, Bobby Petrino, etc. All had hefty contracts but were still fired for not meeting expectations.
Please name one major football program who decided to keep an under-performing coach for life because they could not afford the buyout.
Keep him for life? OMG no! The fact is he was given a foolish extension on his contract and Penn State is stuck with him. It has finally dawned on most thinking people the guy is a bottom feeding fraud. He blames others for his failures, scapegoating them in his attempt to defend his incompetence. When questioned he stammers, ignores the question, or changes the subject. He is a happy talk bs artist. A great many fans now see him for what he is. I wish there was money to toss around to rid us of this guy, but it would be financial malfeasance to do so, added to the previous poor contract decision and that would be wrong.
Now ask me this in a couple years if the stadium is ten percent empty, donations have dropped a significant amount and merch sales are tanking. If those things happen, and they might well happen if the course is not changed, then Penn State might have to bite the bullet and rid themselves of the Bottom Feeder.
Hope that some other program comes along and rids us of him. According to his fan boys that might happen if the rest of us fail to recognize his genius.
The total buyouts for the coaches you named were about $5mm less than what PSU would owe Franklin.
Yurcich may have underperformed this year (I think he did), but he was - at worst - one of a dozen simultaneous FUBARs going on with this team (A team that, with fair - not great - leadership, woulda' coulda' legitimately played with anyone in the Big Ten - and probably been a legit Final Four contender)
Before the season even started, the decision to move Yurcich up into the box on game day - for a team that was going to need to be led by a very young and "very (understandably) unsteady at the helm" QB - was, IMO, VERY curious. It would be very interesting to know for sure where that idea came from. I don't think anyone should discount the magnitude of the negative impact of that move. That was hugely stupid. And predictive.
One could dissect a dozen problems - from an uber-veteran offensive line that couldn't put more than two competent positional performances together on any given Saturday - to the most fundamentally "not good" receiver corps since the days when Tony Hunt (the FB/RB) was the team's leading receiver - to the inability to develop a single "this is a scheme we can execute consistently" in any part of the offensive game. And plenty of issues on the defensive side as well - though that group was in general more talented, and was a legit upper tier national defense overall (But, as always, maintained the ability to be gashed in "WTF" fashion against every quality offense they have faced in three years).
And, of course, the overall strategery and preparedness - especially of the offense - was painful to watch. That, in a nutshell, may have been the most impactful and telling element. I doubt if that was "all on Yurcich".
To borrow the phrase that has been recently adopted by CJF: "It's all of it"
That's the Bingo! (To borrow from Hans Landa) And a Bingo, and another Bingo!
Paying a coach $10 Million-ish PA to coach your team is one thing
Paying some random guy $10 Million-ish PA to NOT coach your team - and another guy $10 Million-ish TO coach your team - is something else.
After already "debting" yourself into a position where you are likely to be at a $50 Million PA disadvantage in available funds per year (despite receiving essentially equal gross revenues) - compared to your supposed competition (and believe me, PSU may view OSU and UM as their "peers", but that feeling is not mutual) - is not a sound long term strategy.
Buckle up.
I don't know of any schools other than aTm that owed as much or more than PSU would owe Franklin.
No, but when I retire I might apply for Sara Thorndike's job. Nice money for a job with low expectations and no accountability. Maybe Barry will put in a good word for me.
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