How distracted might Durkin have been?

[detroitjohn]

Hate to put a damp to wet blanket on this one, and I do wish DJ all the good fortune outside beating UM, but his leaving does raise questions for me about the second-half defensive falloff being merely due to the loss of Ryan Glasgow. I wonder if he wasn't a bit distracted by new job possibilities for the last six weeks of the year? It's a question worth posing, even if it is not the case.

 

[tarun262]

These guys are professional and they do this for a living knowing that each off-season is a roller coaster with ups and downs. Highly doubt that had anything to do with it. If anything, Durkin likely wanted to have a better audition to get a bigger role so he would have been extra motivated. The coaching business in college football is insane. People have a shorter and shorter attention span and want instant results. When coaches that average 10 wins (like Les) are under fire and Nebraska fires a guy who has won 9 games for 7 straight years, you know there is something wrong. You could be popular one day and then a complete dud the next. As a result, you have to take any opportunity given to you as it is presented to you. So yeah, personally I would have loved for him to wait another year but who knows, we could have had injuries to Lewis & Peppers next year and our defense could have been terrible and he would not even be in consideration for any coaching role.

I don't think Durkin was distracted. I think the lack of depth on the D-line and lack of any talent with our LBs caught up to us finally. We were not a team built for 60-minute fast-paced stamina nor are we a team that can stop speed. We will hopefully get there but we are not there yet.

I would also imagine that JH knew from Day 1 that Durkin was a flight risk so this move should not be a surprise to him at all. Infact, if we have an amazing year offensively next year it would not surprise me to see Drevno be considered for a HC role somewhere outside of the Power 5.

 

[detroitjohn]

These guys are professional and they do this for a living knowing that each off-season is a roller coaster with ups and downs. Highly doubt that had anything to do with it. If anything, Durkin likely wanted to have a better audition to get a bigger role so he would have been extra motivated. The coaching business in college football is insane. People have a shorter and shorter attention span and want instant results. When coaches that average 10 wins (like Les) are under fire and Nebraska fires a guy who has won 9 games for 7 straight years, you know there is something wrong. You could be popular one day and then a complete dud the next. As a result, you have to take any opportunity given to you as it is presented to you. So yeah, personally I would have loved for him to wait another year but who knows, we could have had injuries to Lewis & Peppers next year and our defense could have been terrible and he would not even be in consideration for any coaching role.

I don't think Durkin was distracted. I think the lack of depth on the D-line and lack of any talent with our LBs caught up to us finally. We were not a team built for 60-minute fast-paced stamina nor are we a team that can stop speed. We will hopefully get there but we are not there yet.

I would also imagine that JH knew from Day 1 that Durkin was a flight risk so this move should not be a surprise to him at all. Infact, if we have an amazing year offensively next year it would not surprise me to see Drevno be considered for a HC role somewhere outside of the Power 5.

Mostly agree (especially agree on the insane expectations), but the drop-off was more than just one player being out and it was precipitous. I listened to the interview of Durkin before OSU and he was understandably dodgy on his interviewing, but what caught my attention was he insisted, without prompting, that he was focused on OSU. That sounded like the compulsion to confess to me, but again, I like him a lot and wish him well, I just don't like the cost we may have paid against our biggest rival.

 

[Reality Man]

Durkin was a very good DC. Head coach? I don't know but he looks more than competent. Nice for him and his family to get the HC job.

Once Glasgow went out then the lb'ers had to do more plus OSU was going to cause problems for UM regardless of whether they had Glasgow. Too much offensive talent for UM.

Take Lewis off the defense...would that make UM more susceptible to a passing team? Yes. One guy can make a huge difference on either side of the ball. For the defense...it was Glasgow and not Mario O. and on offense...it's Rudock or Butt and not Smith.


RM

 

[St. Joe Blue 3]

He was likely preoccupied worrying about whether he'd still be able to wear his gray hat at a new gig.

 

[detroitjohn]

He was likely preoccupied worrying about whether he'd still be able to wear his gray hat at a new gig.

Haaa, I was going to call you a prophet, but you beat me to it!

 

[ChicagoBlueFan]

Hate to put a damp to wet blanket on this one, and I do wish DJ all the good fortune outside beating UM, but his leaving does raise questions for me about the second-half defensive falloff being merely due to the loss of Ryan Glasgow. I wonder if he wasn't a bit distracted by new job possibilities for the last six weeks of the year? It's a question worth posing, even if it is not the case.

Apparently 42 points worth of distracted.
When we play Maryland in the future, I imagine JH puts in the read option. It works EVERY TIME.

 

[St. Joe Blue 3]

pparently

Apparently 42 points worth of distracted.
When we play Maryland in the future, I imagine JH puts in the read option. It works EVERY TIME.

Haa!

 

[detroitjohn]

Not to pat myself on the back (but, here goes anyway) the MGoBlog roundtable on WTKA essentially agreed with me that his gameplan was piss poor and likely he was not as focused as he should have been.