Look at the great coaches in recent college football history: Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll, Bobby Petrino, Art Briles, Chip Kelly, Garry Patterson, Chris Petersen, Dabo Swinney, Mark Dantonio, etc...
They all have one thing in common - they are EXTREMELY good at coaching offense or defense, and that ability sets a firm foundation for their program's success. Saban and Carroll's defenses are always going to give their teams a chance to win. Harbaugh and Swinney's offenses are always going to give their teams a chance to win. The list goes on an on.
Here's my concern - I can't say that about Butch's offense right now. We are in year 4 with Butch Jones and part of me thinks that if he were a GREAT head coach, we'd be seeing signs of a GREAT offense. On the other hand, I don't think it's fair to judge his offense until he's had the opportunity to use a different quarterback and a mature offensive line that fits his scheme.
All that being said, you have to look at more than just a coaches ability on one side of the ball in order to determine if he can be a great head coach. There are other factors that are important; recruiting, player development, staff management, etc. So before you start looking at a great offensive or defensive coach and say, "I want ___ to be our next head coach", keep in mind that Charlie Strong, Will Muschamp, and Lane Kiffin were all really good at coaching defense or offense but failed miserably at being a head coach.
I'm NOT saying that Butch doesn't have that common thread that links all great head coaches together. I'm simply saying that it's something I will be looking for in the future as I try to determine if Butch is the guy to get us over the hump.
They all have one thing in common - they are EXTREMELY good at coaching offense or defense, and that ability sets a firm foundation for their program's success. Saban and Carroll's defenses are always going to give their teams a chance to win. Harbaugh and Swinney's offenses are always going to give their teams a chance to win. The list goes on an on.
Here's my concern - I can't say that about Butch's offense right now. We are in year 4 with Butch Jones and part of me thinks that if he were a GREAT head coach, we'd be seeing signs of a GREAT offense. On the other hand, I don't think it's fair to judge his offense until he's had the opportunity to use a different quarterback and a mature offensive line that fits his scheme.
All that being said, you have to look at more than just a coaches ability on one side of the ball in order to determine if he can be a great head coach. There are other factors that are important; recruiting, player development, staff management, etc. So before you start looking at a great offensive or defensive coach and say, "I want ___ to be our next head coach", keep in mind that Charlie Strong, Will Muschamp, and Lane Kiffin were all really good at coaching defense or offense but failed miserably at being a head coach.
I'm NOT saying that Butch doesn't have that common thread that links all great head coaches together. I'm simply saying that it's something I will be looking for in the future as I try to determine if Butch is the guy to get us over the hump.
