COACHES HOT SEAT BLOG

 

Yes, the Florida Gators Fight Song – Orange and Blue – is getting a lot of play this week at Coaches Hot Seat Central:

 

 

 

 

Go Gators!  Beat the Hell out of that snot-nosed kid disguised as the head football coach at Tennessee! 

 

Yes, there is yet another bad omen for Lane Kiffin.  Saturday, September 19, is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which according to Wikipedia is:

 

“Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim (“Days of Awe”), or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (The Ten Days of Repentance) which are days specifically set aside to focus on repentance that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur.”  AND  The term “Rosh Hashanah” does not appear in the Torah. Leviticus 23:24 refers to the festival of the first day of the seventh month as “Zicaron Terua” (“a memorial with the blowing of horns”). Numbers 29:1 calls the festival Yom Terua, (“Day of blowing the horn”) and defines the nature of animal sacrifices that were to be performed.^[

 

Uh Oh Lane, “The Ten Days Repentance” and “days specifically set aside to focus on repentance” and the tradition of “animal sacrifices” just happens to fall on the exact day that the Vols have to travel to Gainesville to play the Gators?  Oh my, that is a very bad omen!

 

Repentance, Repentance, we wonder what Wikipedia has to say about Repentance:

 

“Repentance is a change of thought and action to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law. It typically includes an admission of guilt, a promise or resolve not to repeat the offense; an attempt to make restitution for the wrong, or in some way to reverse the harmful effects of the wrong where possible”

 

Oh Lane, you are in deep trouble my boy, especially when you consider who is playing QB for the Gators!  That’s right ‘Ol Blood and Guts on one hand and a man of unquestioned integrity and faith on the other…

 

Oh Lane my boy, you are in deep trouble, because it looks like that a Higher Power may even be working against you on this one!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year this Saturday to all our Jewish Friends in San Francisco and around the country and as you rest on this Holiday Lane Kiffin will be getting his ass kicked in Gainesville!

 

Happy Rosh Hashanah!

 

 

Looking back at the Week 2 MUST WIN Games for Coaches

 

We said there were 10 MUST WIN Games for Coaches Week 2 and only 5 of those Coaches were able to come through with much needed wins.

 

The 5 Coaches That Didn’t Get it Done in Week 2:

 

Dan Hawkins and Colorado lost to Toledo – Talk about trouble, Dan Hawkins is in deep trouble at Colorado and that CU coaching staff had damn better be getting things straight in Boulder this week or CU could find itself with an interim head coach within a couple of weeks.  Beating Wyoming this Saturday is a MUST, MUST, MUST WIN!  If CU loses to Wyoming?  Watch out!

 

Al Groh and Virginia lost to TCU – We didn’t really expect Groh and the Cavs to beat TCU, but how about just showing up?  Is that too much to ask?  A Virginia columnist asked this week if Al Groh’s Nine Lives are now up, to which we can only say, if Virginia is serious about fielding a winning football program then either the Cavs do a 180 on the ’09 season or they get someone that get this football team to show up to play a home game against a team like TCU.  That was just damn embarrassing!

 

Lane Kiffin and Tennessee lost to UCLA – Tennessee had more talent than UCLA.  Tennessee was playing at home in front of 100,000+ fans.  Tennessee had every advantage going into this game except that they have a guy that was not even considered for a dozen head coaching job openings last offseason at lesser schools, but he is now the head coach of the Vols.  Throw on top of that a guy that has been popping off about anyone and everyone since he stepped off the plain in Knoxville and the folks at Tennessee know they might just have a Hellava mess on their hands.  It was revealed yesterday that the Tennessee president had to have a little talk with Lane during this past offseason to remind him of his responsibilities as the head football coach at UT, which is not something that usually happens when you hire someone that is actually qualified for a job.  At least, anyone hired as the head football coach at Tennessee should know how to act in the most basic and civil way.  Alas, Tennessee decided that on the job training, coupled with a Daddy that was willing to work at UT, for a lot of money mind you, was a risk they were willing to take.  The only problem with taking big risks is that when the risks blow up it usually ends up with the people that decided to take the risk losing their jobs as well.    Whatever happens, this has been mighty damn entertaining and it looks like the laughs will keep coming!  Oh Rocky Top will always be Home Sweet Home to Me, Good Ole Rocky Top, Rocky Top Tennessee, Rocky Top Tennessee!  Yes, things have been mighty Rocky since Lane Kiffin arrived so the Fight Song even works! 

 

Paul Wulff and Washington State lost to Hawaii – There is no longer any debating the fact that something is terribly wrong at Washington State.  A mediocre Hawaii team whipped Washington State at a neutral site in Seattle and the Paul Wulff Magical Mystery Tour continues as June Jones and SMU come to Pullman this week.  If Washington State cannot beat SMU at home, they will not win a game this season and that means Paul Wulff might be out of a job come December, because this program looks like it is headed out to sea and there is no one around to save this sinking ship!  BIG, BIG, BIG Game against SMU for the Cougs.

 

Jim Tressel and Ohio State lost to USC – Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Oh Jimmy, you should have beaten the mighty USC Trojans by 2 touchdowns, but here we are after another devastating loss to a Big Time Team.  What a damn shame, but on the positive side, the Buckeyes proved they can at least play with the USC’s of the world and that is a lot better than the last few games against USC/SEC teams when Ohio State got whipped.  No, no whipping this time, just a huge missed opportunity for Tressel and the Buckeyes and if they end up running the table this season they will kick themselves for letting the Trojans get away with a win in Columbus in early September.  Memo to Jim Tressel:  Start using all your talent and start beating the Hell out of teams, and we mean beat the Living Hell out of them.  It is way past time to quit playing Patty-Cake and start playing football at Ohio State.

 

The 5 Coaches That Did Get it Done in Week 2:

 

Bill Lynch and Indiana beat Western Michigan – It looked iffy there for awhile, but Lynch and the Hoosiers got a much needed win and they now they head towards the Big Ten regular season.  Lynch will need better play though going forward if he hopes to get to at least 6 wins and another postseason bowl trip.

 

Bret Bielema and Wisconsin beat Fresno State – In a close game throughout Bielema and the Badgers got a big win over a pretty good Fresno State team in overtime and now they have a little momentum heading into conference play.  Wisconsin will have to toughen and tighten up on defense if they hope to be a contender in the Big Ten, because it is still too easy to move the ball on the Badgers, with Fresno State getting 450+ yards of offense on Saturday.  Toughen up Badgers and start fighting more on the offensive and defensive lines.

 

Ralph Friedgen and Maryland beat I-AA James Madison at HOME – I don’t know if you can call what Friedgen and the Terps did on Saturday “Getting it done,” because they beat a team in I-AA James Madison in overtime that they should have beaten by 30 points.  Next up is a road game at Middle Tennessee State.  Ralph, you REALLY, AND WE MEAN REALLY, DO NOT WANT TO LOSE TO Middle Tennessee State on Saturday.  This is could turn into a RAGING INFERNO SEAT!

 

Greg McMackin and Hawaii beat Washington State – Saying you beat Washington State in football is like saying you beat the Sisters of the Deaf and Blind football team these days, but McMackin and the Warriors did get the win.  After getting a win over what is becoming the “Gimme” win for football in teams in I-A with a win over Washington State, Hawaii has UNLV in Vegas this week.  Getting a win over the Running Rebels will not be as easy as it was over the Cougars, of that we are very sure!

 

Chip Kelly and Oregon beat Purdue – The Purdue Boilermakers under Danny Hope look to be a pretty darn good football team and we expect them to make some noise in the Big Ten after seeing them play the first couple of weeks of the season.  Kelly and Oregon were back and forth with Purdue all night in Eugene, but the Ducks got their offense going in the second half and got a solid, and badly needed win.  Now Oregon has Utah coming to town on Saturday and this should be a fascinating game between a first year coach and a team that is on quite a roll.  Utah is not as good as they were in ’09, but they are a solid team and they have the ability to beat Oregon if the Ducks are not on top of their game.  Should be an entertaining matchup at Autzen!

 

Week 3 MUST WIN Games for Coaches and Teams will be out on Friday.

 

 

Again today, if you don’t give a damn about your country stop reading now, because we are going off the reservation to talk about another pressing and important issue for our country:

 

Afghanistan

 

With a report out yesterday that President Obama is meeting with Colin Powell and the White House today and a decision will be made soon on whether the US should send more troops into Afghanistan, we here at Coaches Hot Seat would like to throw our two cents in on this incredibly important issue that will whatever is decided have a major and dramatic impact upon the future of our country, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.

 

If Coaches Hot Seat was ushered into the Oval Office and we sat down on one of the couches and were asked our opinion by the President on Afghanistan we would say:

 

Keep the focus on the United States’ goals and main priorities in Afghanistan – On Monday US Senators Graham, McCain and Lieberman wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal with the title:  Only Decisive Force Can Prevail in Afghanistan.  In that column these 3 US Senators wrote:

 

“We are confident that not only is it winnable, but that we have no choice. We must prevail in Afghanistan.

 

We went to war there because the 9/11 attacks were a direct consequence of the safe haven given to al Qaeda in that country under the Taliban. We remain at war because a resurgent Taliban, still allied with al Qaeda, is trying to restore its brutal regime and re-establish that country as a terrorist safe haven.

 

It remains a clear, vital national interest of the United States to prevent this from happening. Yet an increasing number of commentators, including some of the very same individuals who opposed the surge in Iraq and called for withdrawal there, now declare Afghanistan essentially unwinnable. Had their view prevailed with respect to Iraq in 2006 and 2007, the consequences of our failure there would have been catastrophic.”

 

Yes, the 3 Senators are right that once we had committed to going to war in Iraq that we could not have allowed that country to turn into a failed state, but drawing the same lesson for Afghanistan would be a tragic mistake.  Iraq was a boondoggle.  Iraq was a war that the United States should have never fought against a two-bit country with a tinhorn dictator that has cost our nation $680+ BILLION DOLLARS and counting.  Just imagine what we could have done with all that money here in the Untied States instead of overthrowing harmless clowns in the Middle East, but we digress.

 

Yes, going into Iraq was mistake, but fighting the Al Qaeda, the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan and other countries around the world with military and intelligences forces is a MUST to the safety and security of our country.  Here though is where we part with the 3 US Senators though, because we do not believe that “winning” in Afghanistan should be the goal, but instead the United States should be focused on three very clear priorities:

 

1,  Hunting down and destroying Al Qaeda and its leadership with a particular emphasis on killing and/or bringing to justice Osama bin Laden.

 

2.  Make sure the Taliban does not re-seize control of Afghanistan.

 

3.  Build a framework for stability in the Pakistan/Afghanistan region of the Middle East through the use of the US military along with whatever available political and diplomatic tools.

 

The goal in Afghanistan should not be “winning” because if that is our goal it will never be achieved.  There is just no way in Hell that the United States can fight and win a war against the various tribes in Afghanistan and along the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.  We would recommend that the US focus its attention on working with tribal leaders to help them bring stability and calm to the areas they live in and to also make arrangements and agreements with them so that those tribal leaders would work with us to root out the Taliban and any terrorists that them come across.  In exchange for that help we will do all that we can to make Afghanistan a better place for the Afghani people.

 

The goals of the Unites States in Afghanistan should be very clear and very focused:

 

Defeat and Destroy Al Qaeda and bring Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda leadership to justice (we would prefer killing his sorry ass), Do not allow the Taliban to re-seize control of Afghanistan, and lastly bring some stability to Afghanistan and the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

 

Why we would be very leery of any additional troop requests – We are going to tell you something that none of your military advisors and probably even Colin Powell will tell you and that is from our own personal experience in the military which is our believe that US military commanders, whether they are Group, Theater or Battlefield commanders will ALWAYS ask for more troops and resources.  Military commanders will ALWAYS ask for more troops and resources for two reasons:

 

1.  Many leaders in the military today are haunted by the lessons of Vietnam and the success of the overwhelming force that was used to win the first Gulf War in 1991. 

 

2.  The “Cover your ass” syndrome that always exists in the military which causes military commanders to ALWAYS ask for more troops and resources because one cannot be faulted for not at least asking for more troops and resources if things go badly.

 

The problem with many elected officials is that when they see someone in their military with stars on their shoulder or collar and that military person is asking for more troops and resources, political officials will automatically think:

 

“Well the general or admiral said it so it must be true.”

 

That is bullshit and political leaders need to be able to ask very hard and probing questions of military commanders to find out if they can really defend the requests for troops and resources that they are making.

 

If you ever do hear a political leader say something like:

 

“We will follow the recommendations of the generals.”

Then you know you are listening to a moron.

 

What our recommendation on Afghanistan would be:  There are somewhere around 70,000 troops in Afghanistan right now and there are reports that they Afghanistan commander, General Stanley McChrystal, will request thousands of additional troops and more resources.  Since everything we know about Afghanistan is what we read in the media we haven’t a clue if 70,000 troops are too many or too few troops to accomplish the above stated priorities for Afghanistan, but we do know that we would be very leery of adding a lot more troops to that area of the world unless they are directly tied to the above listed priorities. 

 

We would put additional troops into Afghanistan if we were making the decision:

 

Only if they were required to achieve the very clear and limited priorities listed above.

 

Beyond adding more troops into Afghanistan, there are dozens of ways that our US military and intelligence agencies can dramatically expand our footprint and presence in that region of the world without sending in tens of thousands of more troops and we should pursue those opportunities to not sending in more troops wherever we can find them.

 

In a time when we need to be rehabilitating and rebuilding our US military after a bogus and meaningless war in Iraq, which has severely overtaxed our fighting men and women, adding more troops into Afghanistan just makes no sense to us unless they are needed to achieve stated goals and priorities of the United States of American in Afghanistan.

 

Keep our military objectives, goals and priorities focuses in Afghanistan Mr. President and Good Luck to you and our magnificent men and women in the US armed forces.

 

As for the President and other elected officials making the important decisions of peace and war and how a President should interact with military commanders and personnel we would recommend that everyone read a terrific book on Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War:

 

Lincoln’s War, The Untold Story of American’s Greatest President as Commander in Chief by Geoffrey Perret

 

Here is a great excerpt from that book that happened just after the First Battle of Bull Run, August 1861:

 

Dozens of regiments had set up impromptu around For Corcoran, on Arlington Heights.  Every day these canvas congeries trembled like leaves in the wind as fresh rumors of an impending Confederate attack.  And every day Lincoln heard fresh stories of demoralized troops, mutinous regiments, poor discipline.  Some regiments were entitled to – and clamoring for – an immediate discharge, their ninety-day service complete.  The War Department’s officers seemed to busy for the burdensome task of mustering them out.  Unchecked, however, mutinous sentiments could spread through camps like a virulent disease.

 

Lincoln decided to see for himself, and Seward went with him.  A few days after Bull Run, they rode across the Potomac in an open carriage on an impromptu visit to the troops.  What greeted them was redoubts spreading across the landscape, tents sprouting like mushrooms in nearly every direction, dusty roads, a cross-hatching of cart tracks, men milling or lolling about, few signs of order or purpose.  Yet the District, on edge for its safety, has more than enough men to defend it – if the men chose.

 

As the carriage rattled along towards Fort Corcoran, a red-bearded colonel strode up:  William Tecumseh Sherman.  He had commanded a brigade at Bull Run, superbly.  Sherman asked if the President had come to see the troops.  “Yes,” said Lincoln.  “We heard that you had got over the big scare and we thought we would come over and see the boys.”

 

Sherman got into the carriage, giving the driver directions to a camp at the top of a small hill.  Sitting next to Lincoln, he asked if the President intended to speak to the men. “I would like to,” said Lincoln.

 

Sherman said he no objection to that, but he did not want cheering, “No hurrahing, no humbug.  We had enough of it before Bull Run to spoil any set of them.”  None worse than the 69 th New York, filled with Irishmen angry at not being discharged.  Sherman had rebuked one of the officers of lax discipline. 

 

Standing in the carriage, Lincoln gave an impromptu talk to Sherman’s troops:  bravery, sacrifice, gratitude, a glorious future.  The men began to cheer, but he held up his hand.  “Don’t cheer boys, I confess I rather like it myself, but Colonel Sherman says it is not military, and I guess we had better defer to his opinion.”

 

Closing his impromptu peroration, Lincoln said that as Commander in Chief, he was determined that every man should be treated exactly as the law required:  his indirect promise that those entitled to a discharge would soon have one.  As the carriage moved on, a young officer ran after it, calling out piteously, “Mr. Lincoln!  Mr. Lincoln!”

 

Lincoln ordered the driver to stop.  Here was the officer of the 69 th New York whom Sherman had criticized, panting hard.  “Mr. President, I have a cause of grievance.  This morning I went to speak to Colonel Sherman, and he threatened to shoot me.”

 

“I told him Mr. President, that if he refused to obey my order, I would shoot him on the spot,” said Sherman.  “And I here repeat it, sir, that if I remain in command here, and he or any other man refuses to obey my orders, I’ll shoot him on the spot.”

 

Lincoln bent forward.  “My lad, if I were you, and he threatened to shoot, I would not trust him, for I believe he would do it!”  The troops, until then sympathetic to the officer, howled with laughter.

 

Both Seward and Lincoln were impressed by the comparative tidiness of the camps of Sherman’s regiments.  “This is the first bright moment I’ve experienced since the battle,” Lincoln told Sherman before riding off.  From his own military experience, he knew that neatness and cleanliness is an army spelled discipline;  neglect was a signal of trouble to come.

 

End of excerpt from Lincoln’s War

 

Yes, Abraham Lincoln and William Tecumseh Sherman were great American characters and Thank God For That.

 

 

 

 

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