WaPo: The Tennessee-Schiano fiasco shows the charming and chilling power of fans
There is a great article from the Washington Post that was in yesterday's Chicago Tribune.
LINK: Tennessee-Schiano fiasco shows the charming and chilling power of fans
In the ancient, sacred American tenets, there's a handy sliding scale of morality, including categories such as "12-0 morality" and "6-6 morality," that can help us process kerfuffles such as that big one Sunday in Tennessee.
Twelve-and-oh morality is a looser, more understanding morality. If a football coach has gone 12-0 or has shown a capacity to go 12-0, that coach can help himself to a wider array of sins, actual or alleged. A dreadful personality can be translated fluidly as necessary intensity. If this morality had a credo, it might be: You get the wins now; we'll think up the rationalizations later.
Six-and-six morality allows for indignation and even punishment for sins. It is akin to 3-and-4-with-a-boring-offense morality, which was invoked this season at Florida, where a coach went 3-4 and had a boring offense and got fired for making shocking comments. In 12-0 morality, it would go like this: You claim the death threats now; we'll go find them later — staging them, if necessary.
A 6-6 coach must always behave better than a 12-0 coach.
In the art of hiring coaches, fans are uncommonly lousy.
They're lousy because they're in love (with their schools and programs) and, as everyone knows, people in love have no judgment — all the judgment having seeped from the brain once love whooshed in and began flooding and disorienting the organ. That's how you can drive through so many college towns and hear the lovelorn on the radio, baying about how every star coach desires to come to this beautiful, beloved town.
Maybe Tennessee should pursue Bill Belichick.
I couldn't help but think of Michigan when reading this article. (There's much more delightful snark, and I thought it was well written.) Imhe, Michigan was in grave danger of becoming an irrelevant has-been, a school whose glory was all in the past. We have sometimes viewed ND in this way. MSU had a brief shining moment in the 50's and 60's, which passed by a long time ago.
I love Michigan, and greatly enjoy Michigan football. The team was regularly very good while I attended, and for more than a dozen years after I left. However, I think Michigan football was in a very bad place, and I give Harbaugh lots of leeway for the last three years. We had become irrelevant. As much as I gnash my teeth at two "if only" losses each to MSU and OSU, we are once again competing, if not all the way there yet.
I am 100% behind the proprietors and staff and mods who have had it with the irrational rabid crazy fanbase. I thought this article was a great picture of that kind of fanbase, albeit without a single mention of Michigan.
November 28th, 2017 at 4:51 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:10 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
If he covered up child rape he should be thankful he isn't in jail. What's the statute of limitations on that?
November 28th, 2017 at 6:38 PM ^
See, that's really the issue. The leap from McQueary's testimony, which is hearsay and actually portrays him as reporting child rape, to "he covered up child rape", is pretty huge. If you want to put him in jail, you'd need a mountain more evidence than that. In between McQueary's testimony and "he covered up child rape" are Tennessee fans angry they were going to hire someone they perceive as a mediocre coach.
November 29th, 2017 at 12:33 AM ^
And remember that McQueary wasn't even the one who claimed to have seen it. He said Tom Bradley (IIRC) heard about it from Schiano. So McQueary was talking about 2nd hand info he hard about 30 years ago. To have reservations about Schiano and want to know more and even be against him being the coach because you're not sure is fine, but that shit got way overboard.
November 28th, 2017 at 8:37 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 9:06 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:31 PM ^
Its more that Schiano should've gone for a lower profile job HC job first. Everyone remembers him for his failed time at TB and the bullshit we play to the final whistle thing. Tennessee still thinks they deserve to sit at the big boy table and they think they should get someone better than a failed re-tread who hasn't been a HC in college or pros in almost five years. The whole PSU thing is just a convenient excuse for them. This is a fan base who honestly thought Jon Gruden was coming and that he'd be a great hire despite not coaching for the better part of a decade
November 28th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
who made himself a laughing stock. He made a decision, then actually let the COMMENTS SECTION online influence him to withdraw. Who will want to come to Tennesse now knowing how fickle he is?
November 28th, 2017 at 5:27 PM ^
Luke Fickell
November 28th, 2017 at 6:49 PM ^
....how about the Cat Burglar....
November 28th, 2017 at 5:35 PM ^
Lane Kiffin?
Tennessee loves having Stockholm Syndrome apparently.
November 28th, 2017 at 6:10 PM ^
It will not be Kiffin unless the man's last 20 tweets or so didn't burn every bridge he might still have had in Knoxville and somehow then he changed his mind. Yesterday and part of today, Kiffin seemed to be getting some level of enjoyment out of what was going on at his former employer. That being said, some of those troll tweets were pretty damn funny.
November 29th, 2017 at 12:03 AM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:54 PM ^
Those pesky comments. Turn them off.
November 28th, 2017 at 10:25 PM ^
I don't see him backing down to the comments section. I do see him backing down to boosters who effectively pay his salary, though.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:59 PM ^
People are upvoting a guy who is sticking up for a guy who quite possibly witnessed a kid getting raped and did nothing.
November 28th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
"What he went through" was being named in court as a witness to child molestation who walked away. It couldn't be corroborated as every other PSU witness (save McQuery) stuck to the party line, but that's one hell of a red flag.
November 28th, 2017 at 7:26 PM ^
I believe it was PSU’s decision to sue one of their insurance companies over non-payment of a claim that led to the Schiano story coming to light. Even if PSU had won their case, they still would have come up short due to the further tarnishing of their reputation from testimony which emerged from the trial.
November 28th, 2017 at 4:52 PM ^
You can take his lawsuit to the bank.
November 28th, 2017 at 4:59 PM ^
I expect the Tennessee AD to be fired. This was atrocious.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:09 PM ^
I must have missed something. This episode may well cost the AD his job. Of course it will be for agreeing to hire Schiano, not for anything after that.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
....no doubt this has the fingerprints all over it from WD's cousin - VD - Volunteer Devotee!!!
November 28th, 2017 at 5:51 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:00 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:12 PM ^
there is mountains of evidence that Paterno must have knwn, there is none that Schiano did
November 28th, 2017 at 5:32 PM ^
A sworn statement given during a deposition from a person who has no reason to commit perjury about the conversation isn't a mountain of evidence, but it certainly isn't "none."
November 28th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
Mike McQueary testified that Tom Bradley told him Schiano saw something. That's hearsay.
Tom Bradley said he never said it.
November 28th, 2017 at 6:13 PM ^
Sandusky was openly raping young boys in Penn States locker room for years. They all Fuckin knew. From the equipment manager to Paterno they all heard stuff so they all knew. It is more than enough evidence for Tennesee fans, but osu is good to go with schiano man. My guess is he saw Sandusky and so did others and that is why Sandusky did zero to hide it. Sandusky could have been bending kids over Paterno's desk and nothing would have been done in that twisted culture. They all knew and if you believe anything else keep sticking up for an osu coach. Oh ya O.J. is innocent and I was smoking a blunt with sasquatch last weekend.
November 28th, 2017 at 6:50 PM ^
Agree - it's very hard for me to buy that everyone genuinely knew nothing when Sandusky was molesting children for decades, right in their own facilities. Of course they have a self-interest in denying everything.
Ultimately it comes down to Paterno doing nothing (or possibly even ordering them to keep quiet). None of them had the courage to go against the boss.
November 28th, 2017 at 6:53 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 7:48 PM ^
Even your first sentence is hyperbole. It is in fact quite possible he knew nothing despite your rant. In fact a PSU Trustee has spoken out and said Schiano had no knowledge and there was no evidence against him.
November 28th, 2017 at 8:31 PM ^
any credibility. He's the biggest Paterno apologist outside the immediate family.
November 29th, 2017 at 9:12 AM ^
a Schiano apologist too?
November 28th, 2017 at 6:45 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
I have no idea if that is true or not just stating that is what was reported at the end of College Football Live yesterday.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:09 PM ^
The UM football program is in the same position as the Minnesota football program.
Before negging me into oblivion and calling me names or a troll, just take a moment to think about it.
How often has Minnesota beaten its primary rivals over the last 20 years? How many times has Minnesota won the conference over the last 20 years? How many times has Minnesota won its division since the B1G expanded? How many times has Minnesota finished in 2nd or had a chance to win the division in the last week of the season?
I believe Harbaugh is UM’s best bet for the program, but I’ve been watching UM football for 20 years now and it’s been a remarkably discouraging experience of missed opportunities and unmet expectations...mostly due to those missed opportunities and the ascension of OSU and MSU feasting on horrible coaching since 2008.
I’m hopeful this will change soon, but I’ve gotten pretty close to finding a new hobby so my Thanksgiving isn’t ruined every damn year goin forward.
(I live in Dayton and have Buckeye fans in the family...it is awful)
November 28th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
I'm not mad at ya. But you are wrong about a Minnesota comparison in a bazillion ways.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:17 PM ^
If ghe only possible point of comparison for two programs is did you beat your rivals lately, then you are right. But since there are 100's of other variables, you are totally wrong.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:23 PM ^
I almost totally reject the comparison between Michigan and Minnesota. However, this is because of Harbaugh. I give JH the lion's share of credit for stopping the slide and turning things around. Another mediocre coaching hire could have been totally disastrous.
I think there is plenty of blame to go around for the decline of Michigan football, but it never got anywhere near the depths Minnesota has experienced. I would blame a number of the AD's following Canham. I would blame RR and late career Carr. I would blame the attitude of saying "this is Michigan" almost as an excuse for not keeping up with facilities and coaching and other stuff. I will partially blame Hoke. However, I also give Hoke partial credit for the current defense. Hoke and Mattison did a lot with the DL, which is why we're in a much better position.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:35 PM ^
Here’s to hoping those better days start in 2018.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:45 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 8:36 PM ^
Here. This is essentially Michigan from the late Carr era until last year. It doesn't include 2017 yet, but while I could break down and do the math to include 2017 looking at this year's results it's not going to change the numbers dramatically.
Michigan--despite struggling mightily as we've all seen in the Rodriguez and Hoke years--comes in at #24 with a 64.4% winning percentage. (Ohio State comes in at #2. The bastards.)
If we look at the last three years, Michigan comes in with a winning percentage of either 71.8% (if we lose the bowl game) or 74.3% (if we win it).
Minnesota, on the other hand, comes tied for #68 with a 49.3% winning percentage, and (assuming they don't go to a bowl this year with their 5-7 record) 52.6% over the last three years.
So I don't really see it at all.
November 28th, 2017 at 9:53 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:30 PM ^
Michigan played in the Orange Bowl after the 1999 season, the Rose Bowl after the 1997, 2003, 2004, and 2006 seasons, and the Sugar Bowl after the 2011 season. Minnesota did not play in a major bowl during the last 20 years.
November 28th, 2017 at 5:41 PM ^
November 28th, 2017 at 5:48 PM ^