MST becomes a GM and it is an experience

I had a wonderful opportunity this weekend to sit in the chair of NFL GMs and run a full seven round mock draft. It was a privilege that I greatly appreciate and I wanted to shout out Bill Carroll for giving me the job. I was the GM for the Titans and the Bucs. Tennessee is having a normal draft but my work as the Bucs GM has garnered some controversy and hate.

In my bedroom, I worked with a friend of mine to develop the perfect draft. We had pick 27 and wanted an interior offensive lineman. Unfortunately Tyler Linderbaum, Zion Johnson and Kenyon Green were off the board and I felt we lacked the amount of capital to trade up for a higher pick. We were given a choice. Two Georgia boys. Nakobe Dean or Lewis Cine. Excellent players and I have no issue with either. Many wanted Cine, I wanted Dean and my friend agreed. Here’s how I saw the board.

Cine is a Day One starter and Tampa Bay needs help in their secondary. However they still have Antoine Winfield Jr and recently signed Logan Ryan, Mike Edwards and Keanu Neal to one year deals. The Bucs have two All-Pro linebackers in Devin White and Lavonte David. Here’s why I made my decision. The Bucs have two excellent starters and two decent backups at safety. I’m not sure Cine is going to be a phenomenal safety and the market is fairly deep. Winfield will get his extension and the 2023 Free Agency class is filled with top talent. The Bucs don’t have great depth at linebacker and Lavonte David is already 32 years of age. He’s only got two years left on his deal and I have the belief that Dean will be an All-Pro linebacker. I also don’t think he would’ve been there by the time our second round pick came around. I see Dean as a player who has the desire, skill and intelligence to play linebacker. He’s only 21, won the Butkus Award and was both First Team All-SEC and an Unanimous All-American. He has the ability to play in the Southern heat, an underrated skill as well. Dean was also the signal caller at Georgia and in high school, having a desire to do so in the NFL as well and I believe he would be an invaluable asset to new HC Todd Bowles. A lot of people questioned this call as he would be a backup in his first year..

The way I see it. If someone gets injured, he can get the job done. Excellent rotational guy and has one to two years to grow physically and mentally underneath two generational talents. I also made a move that some didn’t like. I traded my 2023 first round pick, pick 91 and pick 133 for Cleveland’s 44th, 78th, 188th and 246th. Now I had two second round picks, a third and both an additional sixth and seventh. I then selected Kenneth Walker out of Michigan State and Khalil Shakir out of Boise. Then Greg Dulcich in the third. I will finish up tomorrow with the sixth and seventh rounds.

I’ve received some hate for my picks. Here’s my thinking. Tampa has one year left of Brady so it’s now or never. Walker and Fournette automatically elevate Tampa to having one of the best one-two punches in football. Walker has shown he can perform in multiple situations and environments and you can never have enough running backs. The Bucs were hampered by injuries to receivers at the back half of the season. Shakir is an incredible slot talent that is able to both excel at route running and body contortion. His ability to catch the ball at all angles is second to none and will be an excellent piece for Brady to go to. Many wanted Treylon Burks from Arkansas but he would’ve had to be a first round pick and I thought Dean was the better option. Dulcich is a product of Chip Kelly’s spread offense and he has nice hands, good route running and is able to stack blocks at the second level. Rob Gronkowski isn’t confirmed to return and Cameron Brate remains the Bucs best option. For trading my 2023 first round pick, the Bucs are gonna be picked in the bottom anyway. They can easily trade up and if their going for a QB, the 2023 draft will be filled with talent. Prospects include Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Tyler Van Dyke, Spencer Rattler, Grayson McCall, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson, DJ Uiagalelei, Jake Haener, Sam Hartman and more.

I am very happy with my picks but if you disagree with my decision, I respect it. What I don’t condone is disrespect. I’m all for debate and disagreement. We all see things differently but in a post draft twitter space, I was called upon to defend my picks. I did such. There is a person who disagreed with my picks. Fair enough. He then said, “you suck.” A childish comment that shouldn’t have fazed me…but it did. Now I felt as though my intelligence, my decision making skills and my manhood was being attacked. It made me so angry and what made me more infuriated is that this person was a voice through a phone, not a person face to face. Someone behind a screen could insult me without ramification. I remained respectful but that comment kept irking me into the night. Perhaps because I couldn’t confront the situation because it was over twitter or because this person lives in another state. I think what made me mad is that this is a mock draft and I am expressing an opinion. An opinion I defended with words but lacked the ability to do so face to face. Now what I mean by that is if you are going to insult someone, would you do it to their face? I don’t know but this situation got me thinking. How do actual GMs handle the opinions of the public. How did Howie Roseman deal with the backlash of selecting Jalen Reagor? How did Ryan Pace handle the hate he got for selecting Mitch Trubisky? Once this draft is over, I will resume my life without the glory or consequences of such decisions. How do people who do this for a living handle the noise? It gave me a newfound respect for the profession and the criticisms that come with it. All I know is that I would still love an opportunity to do so for a living, I am so grateful to be a part of it and I have the utmost confidence in my decisions. My friend and I made informed decisions to the best of our abilities, I will defend my selections forever and I hope I have some supporters on the other side. In this instance and this instance only, go Bucs and go Titans.

Dwayne Haskins: QB1

Dwayne Haskins was a month shy of his 25th birthday when his life was tragically taken in the morning of April 9th. A childlike, kind and loving soul, extinguished before he could even rent a car. I choose not to look at the what ifs of his life. There are so many questions on what could’ve happened and he was well on his way to getting back to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. It hurts to write this because there is no going back, no re-do, no way to make a different choice. He was doing everything right and he was doing it in the right way. Man this sucks but like I said, I choose to look at his life differently.

He lived every boys dream. I often pondered what it would be like to be the starting quarterback of the University of Hawaii. I’m sure we all dreamed about putting on our favorite team’s jersey. Dwayne Haskins did. There’s a video of a young Haskins walking about Ohio State with a Buckeyes jersey on claiming he would one day dawn the red, white and silver colors of The Ohio State University. He did just that. In his lone season as Ohio State’s starter, he would go 13-1 with both a Big 10 title and a Rose Bowl victory after beating out Joe Burrow for the starting job. He would parlay this success into a first round selection by Washington. I’ll always remember his love of the game and joy when he won his first NFL game against the Lions. How did he celebrate? By celebrating with the crowd. It ended up not working out in the nation’s capital so he eventually found his way to Pittsburgh where he had an impressive preseason. He was working out with fellow players in Florida before he passed away.

He achieved so much in such a short time. He went to college, became one of Ohio State’s best quarterbacks and found himself in the NFL. He lived a dream many only could dream. He was a son, a brother, a friend and a husband. Nothing could fill the hole his passing leaves. My prayers and condolences to the Haskins family. If it’s any consolation to them, I’ll never forget how your son had me glued to the TV come both Saturday and Sunday.

To Ms. Buss. If you want another title, call me.

The highest level of basketball I ever played at was the Catholic Schools League in Hawaii. A phenomenal league filled with the best players in the state of Hawaii. Well the best players on Oahu. More like the best players on Oahu who attended Catholic middle schools. However I was a dominating force. Averaging 1.0 point per game, 3 rebounds and a solid 0 assists. Thus I am best qualified to lead the struggling Los Angeles Lakers back to the promise land.

First move as GM. I’m grabbing a coffee and a raisin snail because its gonna be a long day. Second move. I’m trading Anthony Davis. He is a top 5 player when healthy. Only issue is that he’s never healthy. In LA, AD gets hurt constantly, out bodied on the boards and takes up too much cap to keep.

Who am I trading for? If all sides agree, I’m trading Anthony Davis to Sacramento and Talen Horton Tucker to the Knicks for Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Kemba Walker.

In free agency, I’m going after JyMichal Green and Hassan Whiteside if they hit the market. Keeping an eye on Deandre Ayton because if he becomes available, he becomes target number 1.

Then I’m taking every first round pick I have, Russ Westbrook and Kent Bazemore and sending them to Portland for Damien Lillard. This is only dependent of Lillard forcing his way out of Portland.

If he doesn’t, I bite the bullet and let Russ play out his final year on his deal. Finish off by acquiring Shake Milton, PJ Tucker and resigning Carmelo Anthony.

Then I’m firing Frank Vogel. Its just not working out anymore. Of course, I would go through the hiring process but I got my eye on Sam Cassell. A veteran voice who knows how to win, his experience with multiple basketball philosophies should prove successful for the franchise.

In an ideal world, the lineup would look like this.

PG: Damian Lillard

SG: Domantas Sabonis

SF: LeBron James

PF: JyMichal Green

C: Deandre Ayton

Rotation: Shake Milton, PJ Tucker, Harrison Barnes, Carmelo Anthony

Those are my thoughts. Can’t be any worse than right now right….please give me a job.

The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt. 5: Rest in Aloha Colt

Growing up in Hawaii, there were only two number that boys wanted to wear. Davone Bess’ number 7 and of course the iconic Green No. 15, dawned by the legend Colt Brennan, Bows BCS Mania was sweeping across the nation in 2007. I only eight years old didn’t quite understand what the big deal was. I didn’t come from a football household yet my family’s eyes were glued to the TV whenever the Hawaii Warriors took the field. After a phenomenal 2006 season where Hawaii went 11-3 to go along with a victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl, many questioned what was next. Their star quarterback, this blonde hair white boy from California exploded onto the scene, going from walk on to one of the greatest passers in NCAA history. In June Jones’ Run n Shoot offense, Brennan threw for a record breaking 58 touchdowns in 2006, leading many to wonder if his talents would be heading to the NFL. In a memorable and emotional press conference, Colt Brennan announced that he would be returning for his senior year. He was home in the islands.

The 2007 season was one of great expectation. Equipped with one of the best defenses in the WAC and a receiving core of killers (Davone Bess, Ryan Grice-Mullen, Jason Rivers and CJ Hawthorne), Brennan was once again called to rewrite the record books. A rocky start at Louisiana Tech saw the 20th ranked Warriors narrowly escape Ruston with a double OT victory. They would drop to 24th in the nation. However the Bows responded with six straight wins to place them at 8-0 against arch rival Fresno State. Against Fresno, Brennan would suffer a concussion. He would be out for the next game against Nevada in Reno. Colin Kaepernick and the Wolfpack gave UH all it could but critical plays by backup Tyler Graunke and a game winning Field Goal from Dan Kelly helped UH escape with an 10-0 record. Fun fact, Nevada HC Chris Ault iced Kelly on his first attempt which would’ve been good. Kelly then drilled the second down the middle. This win was important not only for UH’s BCS bid but it also made next weeks matchup against Boise State extra special. It would be for the outright WAC title, something UH has never accomplished.

In what was touted the biggest sporting event in Hawaii history, cars lined Aloha Stadium for hours before gates opened. Hawaii was ready for a championship and they showed out in full force, selling out the 50,000 seat stadium. Boise State was the dominant force in the WAC, in fact Hawaii hadn’t beaten Boise since they came into the WAC. Brennan was back in action and let me tell you, the nervousness of the islands was on a level I haven’t seen before or since. This was the moment. Number 17 Boise State vs Number 13 Hawaii. Top media heads had the Broncos winning as keep in mind, this was the team that upset Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl the year before. Good thing the Bows came to play. A dazzling performance from UH secured a 39-27 victory and Hawaii’s first and only outright conference title. More importantly, Hawaii ascended to Number 10 in the nation. A victory on senior night against the 4-8 Washington Huskies would secure their birth.

A celebration of Hawaii’s achievements was short lived as the Jake Locker led Huskies jumped out to a 21-0 lead. Brennan, not willing to leave Aloha Stadium a loser began the comeback. Quick score after quick score and UH headed into the locker room down 7. Score. 28-21. Hawaii would score two more touchdowns to make it 35-28 with 44 seconds left in the game. Hawaii was in delirium, their dreams were coming through. In typical Colt Brennan fashion, he and his teammates used their celebration period to honor the late Sean Taylor who had passed a month prior. However Locker wasn’t finished and a deep bomb took Washington inside Hawaii’s 15. Brennan only could watch but horror turned into celebration when a deflected pass, intercepted by Hawaii’s Ryan Mouton secured the 12-0 season and allowed Brennan to leave Aloha Stadium a winner.

Hawaii would be awarded a BCS bid where they lost to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Brennan would graduate and eventually be drafted by the Washington Redskins. Unfortunately for Brennan, injuries derailed a promising career and personal issues plagued his life following a horrific car accident. That doesn’t take away the impact Brennan had. He was Hawaii’s Heisman, a positive influence for local players, especially NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Tua Tagovailoa. He was a pillar of the community and despite his personal struggles, persevered to do better for himself and for his brothers. Colt Brennan had a profound impact on me as he did for many. He made me love football, he made me fall in love with UH athletics. My offensive ideology is based off the Run N Shoot because of how smooth and accurate he was in the pocket. But his impact goes far beyond me. No one will ever have the social impact of Colt Brennan. No one could captivate an audience like him. He was willing to go on any show, any commercial, help out any football camp. He helped mentor and nurture not only Hawaii boys but quarterbacks like Chevan Cordeiro and Cole McDonald. Brennan was an icon, he made nationwide audiences tune in for Hawaii football games, he had swagger, skill and respect. He could talk to anyone and would take time to speak with everyone. You don’t find many men like Colt Brennan and though his physical time on this planet was far too short, his memory, his essence, how he made people feel will carry on for generations. He is Hawaii and Hawaii is better because it knew the name Colt Brennan. Rest in Aloha.

The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt.4: The Vegas Warriors? Oh Hell No

Respected Hawaii journalist Stephen Tsai recently wrote an article for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser stating that Hawaii should play marquee home games at Sam Boyd Stadium. With respect to Mr. Tsai, a man for which I have a tremendous amount of respect for, his words made me vomit in my mouth. Now a move to Las Vegas would be phenomenal for me. I, like many of Hawaii’s people have traveled to the “9th island” in search of better opportunities but despite the fact I graduated from UNLV, a part of me will always bleed green. That is because UH athletes is the closest thing I have to a home team. Hawaii doesn’t have pro sports or at least not while I was growing up. We had no other outlet as our favorite teams are miles and an ocean away. So I saw Mr. Tsai’s article and I read it twice, examined all the points yet found nothing but headaches and frustration in his words. Hawaii football belongs in Hawaii, end of story.

Why? Why play in Vegas. The answer: money. Of course and it makes sense, money is the key to everything and the UH football program doesn’t have enough of it. Of course the state of Hawaii has enough money to pay its politicians their salaries for them to hold fruitless meetings into the program where they threaten Todd Graham with a buyout but now that Graham left on his own accord, that so called check they have to remove him remains uncashed. Why not use the 1.3 million dollars as an investment into the UH athletes program they love so much. Oh wait, that’s the issue. It seems a politician will only hold office if they disregard any attempt to make policy. So thus Darryl McBride Jr, R.J. Hollis and Kolby Wyatt have to crowd fundraise in order to pay for Hawaii’s athlete’s nutritional needs. Hey, you know what’s a good idea to make money! Let’s pay for 10 yearly trips to and from the mainland for an entire football team and it’s staff.

But the issue isn’t just about money, it’s about image. Maybe it’s not nice to play at T.C Ching. Spoiler alert, Aloha Stadium has been rusting away for decades but Hawaii still played there on national television. Oh and for those who’ve never been to Sam Boyd Stadium, it’s a more ugly version of Aloha Stadium. I’ve watched UNLV play there, I’ve walked the concourse, I even graduated on that field. The stadium is in the middle of nowhere, 30 minutes from the strip. Besides the parking lot which gets as jammed packed as Aloha Stadium after a football game, the rest of the parking spaces is an open parking lot. No bad if not for the consistent traffic jams and one way exit.

But let’s get to the real reason this plan makes me so upset. It is because people are agreeing with it. I respect everyone’s opinion but I remember catching a lot of heat for my support of Todd Graham. That’s fair but the main criticism of his tenure was his alienation of Hawaii/ Polynesian recruits/ players. Chevan Cordeiro, Darius Muasau, Justice Tavai, AJ Bianco, etc. How in the hell do you expect to keep players home when you’re sending them to the mainland? “Oh it’s only for marquee games.” Which games do you think Hawaii fans want to see? What games do you think family members in Hawaii are gonna try their hardest to watch? Oh and how do you think that’s gonna go down with recruits. “Hey recruit, I know you’re gonna have a busy schedule with practice and class Monday-Friday but you also need to fly out on Friday, play a football game on Saturday, fly home on Sunday and get ready for practice and class on Monday. You’re gonna burn these kids out. For what?

Another point listed is that it would make it easier for opposing teams to travel. Why would we want to make it easier on an opponent? Hawaii has 1 top 25 win in the mainland ever. Hawaii just beat a top 25 team at home last season. That’s what is awesome about Hawaii, it gives our players a unique home field advantage. Why would we give that up? With Oregon and UCLA set to play in Manoa in the next several years, it gives UH a big opportunity to make an impression on the big stage. Not a random game at Sam Boyd.

Hawaii would also need permission from a bunch of people including UNLV. Would they even give Sam Boyd to Hawaii. If so, at what price? Who would get the ticket money, parking money, concession money? Who would pay for staff, security, the police? See UNLV has their own police department so it was all in house, are you gonna contract them? How much are they gonna cost? What about Metro who charges around $50-$75 dollars an hour per officer? I’m not seeing too much profit on the table.

The last thing that drives me up a wall is the fact that UH is a university. One of the perks associated with tuition is the free tickets to games along with the fun atmosphere that is the student section. A move like that prohibits student support, student engagement and creates a bigger divide between the school and the program. Are you gonna fly parents and fans to Vegas? Oh so Hawaii parents are forced to watch their sons play their “home games” on tv. Makes no sense.

UNLV vs Hawaii and UNR vs Hawaii packs the house because of the massive population of Hawaii people or Hawaii associated people living in Nevada. However Hawaii plays in Vegas every two years and in Reno every two years. It’s an event that many look forward to attending. Will they attend if there was a game every weekend? What would be the average attendance? Who could afford season tickets? Hawaii travels to the mainland six times a year, plenty of opportunity for fans to watch their team. Saturate the market with games, the number of fans dwindle.

This is the type of move that kills a program. I’m down for a game in Vegas every year. Like Arkansas with Cowboy Stadium, Texas and Oklahoma do with the Cotton Bowl and Maryland does with M&T Bank Stadium, it would be cool to have a yearly Vegas matchup. Hawaii vs BYU or something at Allegiant. To play in Vegas in pursuit of money is such a horrible idea, I can barely stand the thought of it. Hawaii players would leave for mainland colleges as they wouldn’t be able to play in front of their families. UH would make no money in Vegas and the disconnect between UH and its fans would be like no other. It is tradition of a lot of families to tailgate and watch the game in person. For generations to see superstars live. To aspire to be like the heroes they see in real life and not on tv. If UH plays its home games in Vegas, you might as well terminate the program. It’s the HAWAII Warriors, not Vegas’s other team.

Brad Stevens: Killer of talent

When Gordon Hayward signed for the Celtics in 2017, it was no surprise to see the NBA star leave Utah to reunite with his former collegiate coach in Boston. I mean the duo of Gordon Hayward and Brad Stevens almost made history. During Gordon’s final year at Butler University, they came one bounce away from a historic national championship. Making the title game, Butler went up against collegiate powerhouse Duke, led by Coach K. The fifth seed Bulldogs advanced to the game with wins over the likes of Syracuse, Kansas State and Michigan State. Their first finals appearance would be spoiled as with a few seconds left, Duke was up by one with a shooter at the free throw line. After the first free throw attempt was successful, Coach K called a curveball. He instructed the free throw shooter to miss his next shot as Butler had no timeouts remaining. The player did as he was told and as the seconds wound down, Gordon Hayward had a mid court shot for immortality. The ball so elegantly left his hands as the buzzer expired. As it vaulted towards the rim, the crowd was frozen. It banked off the glass, off the rim and thus no good. A centimeter prevented Hayward’s and Steven’s first championship. Now reunited in the pros, both had eyes on the biggest prize in basketball. Hayward just signed a massive contract and Stevens was touted as the NBA’s next great coach. Now five years later, Hayward is a Hornet and Stevens is no longer a coach. Their fingers remain barren as a ring continues to exclude them.

After signing Hayward, the Celtics drafted Jayson Tatum. Tatum now a star, came on to the scene when Hayward went down with a season ending injury in his first ever game as a Celtic. However Tatum is 24 and has yet to reach an NBA finals. Quite frankly, Stevens time in Boston has been a failure. They failed to overcome Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on multiple occasions, despite trading for LeBron’s robin in Kyrie Irving. Lebron left and the team would continue to suffer as Kyrie proved useless in green and he was soon exchanged for Kemba Walker. That didn’t work and despite being the favorites in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020, they lost in six to the Miami Heat led by Jimmy Butler. Stevens final season ended with a first round exit to the Brooklyn Nets.

Stevens would then get an unwarranted position as the Celtics GM/ President of Basketball Operations, replacing Danny Ainge in the role. He would hire long time San Antonio Spurs assistant Ime Udoka to be the Celtics next Head Coach. In the offseason, he would trade Walker and a first round pick to bring back Al Horford. Though the Celtics are now getting hot, they sit at fifth in the East and look to be in no position to beat the teams ahead of them.

Stevens had high expectations and with rosters consisting with the talents of Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Evan Fournier, Tristian Thompson and Robert Williams III, Stevens could not make it to the finals, let alone win it. He is a failure, a underachiever in the pros, a bad team manager. I do not like his decision making skills as an executive and do not tell me he had no say in the multiple moves the Celtics have made since 2013. The Celtics since 1992 (The year Larry Bird retired) have failed as an organization. Only one title in 30 years despite acquiring a plethora of talent is unacceptable. There will always be a big dog, a LeBron, a Giannis, a Jimmy Butler, however you have your own in Jayson Tatum. As long as Brad Stevens has any control in Boston, a title will continue to elude the proud franchise.

Lamar Jackson: Pay the man

As the rookie contracts for the 2018 draft class reached their final year in 2021, its time for big boy money. For first round picks, many teams picked up the fifth year option on their players. However most are looking for big paydays in long term deals as contract negotiations rage forward this offseason. Busts like Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Billy Price and Mike Hughes have found themselves on new teams looking for new opportunities. Question mark players such as Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley and Isaiah Wynn will be playing for their football lives in 2022 as Josh Allen, Frank Ragnow and Vita Vea have already put pen to paper on their new deals. Yet there is one man, the only man to win MVP in the 2018 draft class who remains lost in the business for front office football. Where players like Derwin James, Jaire Alexander, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Quenton Nelson enter the offseason as established superstars who have a handshake understanding that their extensions are more of a matter of when then if, one man stands alone. His name is Lamar Jackson. Wait, let me rephrase. 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Wait let me rephrase. Two time NFL Pro Bowler and 2019 passing touchdowns leader Lamar Jackson. Wait, let me try again. Two time division champion Lamar Jackson. My point is clear, Jackson has done everything he possibly could do from an individual perspective in his first four years in the league yet himself and the Ravens seem to be no closer to a deal then Josh Rosen is to being a solid NFL quarterback (Keep in mind Rosen was the 10th overall selection as Jackson was 32nd, NFL GM’s have been undervaluing Jackson his whole life). Here’s what I say to Lamar, do not put one foot in Baltimore till the ink has fully dried on your nine figure deal.

Lamar has faced many criticisms since entering the league. “He’s a running back.” “He can’t throw” “He can’t win in the playoffs.” Keep that same energy for Peyton Manning because for the first seven years of his career, he was throwing ducks to defenders in January while having two Hall of Famers on offense in Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison along with another potential two HOFers in Reggie Wayne and Jeff Saturday. Keep that energy for Matt Stafford who needed two All Pro receivers and an All Pro tackle to finally win a playoff game, keep in mind Cooper Kupp went supernova in 2021, putting up one of the most impressive campaigns ever as a wide receiver. How about you keep that energy for Baker Mayfield, the guy selected 31 spots over Jackson who needed Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and a top 5 NFL offensive line to win his first playoff game. Let’s not forget Jackson has never had one All-Pro receiver in his entire career yet has led the league in touchdown passes. For those who criticized his playoff performances, I’m sure it was real easy for Jackson to beat the Chargers with an offense led by Alex Collins and Michael Crabtree or against Tennessee where Willie Snead and Hayden Hurst continuously dropped balls placed right in their chest. Now I am not saying Jackson is blameless but he sure does get blamed for a lot more than others. I wonder why that is?

Regardless of all that, let’s look at where the Ravens were in 2018. Ozzie Newsome was winding down his time as the Ravens GM. An executive since the franchise first took shape in the nineties, Newsome’s tenure was one of great success starting from day 1. His influence led Baltimore to select Hall of Famers Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the Ravens first ever draft. As GM, he has had 2 head coaches and with it, two super bowl titles. His partying gift was a loaded draft class in 2018 for the struggling Ravens franchise. Jackson along with Orlando Brown Jr and Mark Andrews headline an impressive class. However it looked like a new era was coming to Baltimore. Before Jackson took over as the starter due to an injury to Joe Flacco, Baltimore was 4-5. Talks of moving on from HC John Harbaugh had gained momentum, especially since his contract was set to end once the season concluded. Through the shear divine intervention of Jackson, the Ravens went 6-1 and won the division. Harbaugh was rewarded with an extension. Harbaugh who brought home Super Bowl XLIV to Baltimore, struggled in the following years. Until 2018, the Ravens only returned to the playoffs once to go with only two winning seasons out of five. Jackson saved his job and his ass. Jackson has revitalized the careers of Harbaugh, Greg Roman and created job stability for GM Eric DeCosta, yet the men he saved refuse to pay him.

Fine. You think you can win without me? Good luck. Every season for which Jackson was the main starter, they made the playoffs. The Ravens who finished the season at 8-9 faltered because Jackson missed the back end of the season due to injury. If I’m Jackson, I’m putting my feet up at home. Good luck Baltimore, see all the holes I’ve plugged for years because of your incompetence. How many games I pulled out of the fire? And once you realize it, it will be too late. Either you all will be out of jobs or I will be killing it for another team. The market for Jackson is huge with many franchises willing to spend the dough for his services. So with that I say to GM Eric DeCosta…pay the man. Don’t let foolishness cost you a career.

What are you doing Coach Howard?

As many of you know, Michigan HC Juwan Howard sparked headlines with his actions after today’s Big 10 basketball contest between Howard’s Michigan Wolverines and Greg Gard’s Wisconsin Badgers. The game which was played in Madison was a one sided affair towards the end as Wisconsin pulled away from Michigan with an excellent second half performance. Tied at halftime, Wisconsin outscored Michigan 46-32 to prevent an upset on home soil. However the game was a mere backstory to what happened once the buzzer sounded. Howard, upset that Gard called a timeout with 12 seconds remaining in the game (Wisconsin had a double digit lead) refused to shake his hand in the customary post game handshake line. Howard quietly and quickly tried to walk past Gard, Gard stopped Howard by placing his hand on him. At that point, both men would grab each other. I am unsure if Howard attempted to shake Gard’s hand and move on as captions blocked the view of the men’s hands at that time. Those are the undisputed facts, I will now comb over what happened from my perspective and provide insight into what could be a career changing day for Juwan Howard.

I am writing this after having several hours to process and maul over the events of today. This is what I saw. Howard wanted to quickly leave the court, upset with the Badgers and Gard. Gard stopped Howard by placing his left hand on Howard’s right arm. Howard then put his hand between him and Gard. Gard’s hands were not on Howard at this point. Howard grabbed Gard by his lapel. Gard also grabbed Howard. Both men let go of each other within a second. Howard pointed at Gard and both men exchanged words. At this point, players and assistants from both teams got in between the coaches. Howard remained on the baseline while Gard was on the court as the players and assistants created distance between them. The coaches continued to chirp at each other but now at a distance. In the meantime, a Wisconsin assistant began to say words seemingly directed towards Howard. A Michigan player responded to those words with words of his own. The Wisconsin assistant said some words back in what seemed to be an aggressive manor before continuing to say words to Howard. Howard responded by open hand slapping the assistant in the face. The scuffle then exploded before both teams were separated before they went back to their perspective locker rooms.

Here is what I saw with the Wisconsin assistant. As others assistants tried to interject and deescalate the situation, the assistant entered two seconds after Howard and Gard were split up and he was already shouting words before his entry. A Big 10 official who just arrived on the court then attempted to push back said assistant before the Wisconsin assistant said something that seemed to either irritate or upset the Michigan player. The assistant kept speaking until Howard hit him.

Here’s my take away from this. Howard needs to be indefinitely suspended, most likely for the rest of the season. Here’s why. With a minute to go in the contest, Howard had his players run a full court press. Not a problem. Wisconsin had their reserves in and had trouble breaking said press. Not a problem. The rule in college basketball is that a team has 10 seconds to cross half court or they turn the ball over. A timeout resets the ten seconds. Gard called timeout as to not turn the ball over and that timeout made Howard irate as the game was most likely already over. In my opinion, a game is not over till the final buzzer sounds. Howard still wanted his player to compete, thus running the full court press. Gard didn’t want to turn the ball over. Yes who cares about two points in a seemingly pointless effort. Well as a coach, I should. Both Howard and Gard have a responsibility to put their players in the best position possible at all times. If Michigan wants to compete, Wisconsin should as well. If Howard wanted to end the game, he could’ve just let Wisconsin cross half court and run out the clock. He didn’t. It is not for Gard to just let the game run to the end, if his players are in trouble, he needs to act and he did. Gard would be doing a disservice if he didn’t. Also one of those players might be in that exact situation later and now both know how to respond. Howard had no reason to not shake Gard’s hand. Gard didn’t call timeout to gloat on his impending win or to be a bad sport. He made a tactical decision based on the response of the Michigan defense.

However even if Howard didn’t want to shake his hand, he made two more errors. I understand Gard stopped him and if he wants to exchange words with Gard, then that is his business but at no time did Gard attempt to harm or hold Howard in a threatening way. Howard grabbing Gard by the lapel after the fact was unacceptable and unless the assistant made a truly heinous comment, Howard can not justify hitting him.

Howard escalated a situation that didn’t need to go there. You want your boys to continue to compete? Expect Wisconsin to do the same. Do not get mad at a coach for making a coaching decision just because you don’t like it. What was the intention behind the call? Perhaps if Howard thought of that, this all could’ve been avoided.

For the Wisconsin assistant, he needs to be suspended as well. One of the criticisms of Howard is that he is suppose to be an example for young men and I agree. Howard failed and the assistant did as well. In my opinion, unless what he said proves to be heinous, the assistant should only be suspended until the NCAA tournament (Or NIT/ CIT).

Howard should not be fired. It would set a bad precedent. He should be placed on a two year probationary period with strict rules. However if Howard is fired over this, people could and should question the NCAA’s history of light punishments. The same organization that allowed Bobby Knight to throw chairs, made idiotic comments about rape and hit other coaches in the head over his 40 plus years as a head coach. The same organization that allowed Bruce Pearl to be a coach again after multiple recruiting offenses. The same can be said for Rick Pitino, Kelvin Sampson and Todd Bozeman. How about Mark Few only being suspended for three games after getting arrested for a DUI in 2021. Howard shouldn’t lose his job but definitely needs to be punished.

Howard made bad choice upon bad choice today. I don’t think we should judge a man’s whole career off his worst minute but with every thing that went down today makes me have to ask, what are you doing Coach Howard?

The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt. 3: The Walk Ons

The University of Hawaii football team has a proud history of walk on players becoming legends and heroes, with some eventually making a name for themselves in the NFL. Names like Rich Miano who walked on in 1981 and went on to be an All-WAC defensive back. Miano eventually returned to UH as a coach following his 10 year NFL career. Ashley Lelie walked on in 1999 and finished his career with an All-WAC selection and being Hawaii’s first ever first round pick. Chad Owens walked on in 2000 and in 2001, he broke out as being one of the best returners in America. His ability to make plays on special teams soon transitioned him into a stalwart starter on offense, being one of Timmy Chang’s most reliable targets. They won two Hawaii Bowls together before Owens graduated. A stint in the NFL preceded a legendary Canadian Football Career, Owens won two Grey Cups and a Most Outstanding Player award in 2012. The names of Chad Owens and Timmy Chang are on the forefront of every UH football fan’s mind as Chang was recently named UH head coach and Owens son, Chad Owens Jr. recently announced his intention to join the team as a walk-on, following a similar path to his father’s. Let’s look at how the present day walk-ons at UH could impact the program in a positive way in 2022.

Dior Scott. The star of season 5 of Last Chance U found his way to Hawaii via Nick Rolovich and his staff. A receiver, running back and special teamer, Scott appeared in 8 games during the 2020 season. Making his way to Hawaii from Laney College, Scott was awarded a scholarship from former UH head coach Todd Graham. Check out our interview here. Anyone who has watched Scott play knows the man is fearless and explosive. Short in stature, his ability to be put anywhere on the field reminds me a lot of Diocemy St-Juste. Chang’s modernized spread/ run n shoot offense caters to players like Dior, whether as a slot receiver or running back. Expect Scott to see the field consistently and in important situations. With UH needing to replace the production of Calvin Turner Jr., Jared Smart and Nick Mardner, Scott has everything going for him and I expect a breakout in 2022.

Wyatt Tucker: The long snapper is a position that doesn’t get much attention. Quite frankly, non football fans probably don’t even know that’s a position. Tucker who walked on three years ago is a solid foundation to the team. His ability to consistently snap the ball to Hawaii’s punters/ special teamers helped Hawaii win close games over rivals Fresno State, Nevada and Colorado State. Games which came down to the successful execution of the special teams. Look for Tucker to be a veteran leader and assist kicker Matthew Shipley to another excellent season.

Koali Nishigaya. The receiver first found the field in 2020 for which he found the endzone against UNLV. The walk on for which former HC Todd Graham stated Nishigaya was the type of player for which the foundation of a program was built on, finds himself in a unique position. A standout prep player at local Hawaii powerhouse St. Louis, Nishigaya not only shares the same alma mater as HC Timmy Chang but the same offensive philosophy. The Lee brothers, Cal and Ron Lee are Hawaii coaching legends. Countless NFL players have come from their tutelage along with a plethora of state championships. The Lees also coached at UH and with their knowledge and experience, St. Louis had produced NFL stars Marcus Mariota, Tua Tagovailoa, Olin Kreutz and Dominic Raiola (just to name a few) under the foundation of the Lee’s. Ron Lee, the offensive mind at St. Louis runs the Run n Shoot offense, the same offense Timmy Chang ran at St. Louis and Hawaii, breaking the NCAA passing yards record with. Chang will be running a modernized Run n Shoot at Hawaii so with his familiarity with the offense, Nishigaya should shine. The slot receiver gets a lot of targets in the Run n Shoot and Nishigaya has looked impressive in space. A hard nosed player who has heart and a lot of love for UH and his teammates, I’ve watched the passion he has for the game and the name on the front of the jersey. If he can put it together, he’ll become an essential member of the new Hawaii offense.

I expect big things from these players, I want to finish with this statement. Hawaii has been a home of second chances and new opportunities. Players like Colt Brennan, Davone Bess, Jason Rivers and more have found redemption and opportunity in the Green and Black. I seriously hope players like Kalakaua Timoteo and Leonard Lee are given opportunities to return to the team. From all accounts, Timoteo has gotten his affairs in order and from the media storm that was the Todd Graham saga, Lee was unfairly removed from the team. Go Bows!

Houston Texans: A curious tale

In light of the Lovie Smith hiring by the Houston Texans, I recently tweeted that Smith’s hiring told me three things…

1. Houston wanted Brian Flores

2. Houston does not want to trade Deshaun Watson

3. Unless Lovie Smith wins 8-9 games, he’s one and done as a coach

Recently Josh Pacheco, a well respected and knowledgeable voice in sports mentioned my tweet on his radio show. During his broadcast on February 8th (episodes of The Josh Pacheco Show can be found on ESPNhonolulu.com or on SoundCloud) Josh and I disagreed on the content of my tweet so I would like to take this opportunity to offer a rebuttal along with a deeper explanation to my points.

1. Houston wanted Brian Flores.

Josh is a voice is respect very much and for the most part, we have similar views on the Hawaii football program. A program for which he covers immensely and for the most part, I’ll defer to in terms of arguments. The reason I mention this is this is the main point of disagreement. I would suggest watching his show as well to get his points, he starts around the 11 minute mark. On either January 9th or 10th of this year, several head coaches were fired upon the conclusion of their club’s regular season finales. Coaches including Vic Fangio, Matt Nagy, Mike Zimmer and Joe Judge were all fired within the standard timeframe of the NFL. Black Monday as it is called where many coaches receive a pink slip and a disingenuous thank you on their team’s social media page. There wasn’t many surprises as majority of the coaches listed above had secured their fates long before the season ended. However there was one curveball to the written narrative: Brian Flores. Flores, a defensive mind who is a disciple of the Bill Belichick coaching philosophy led Miami through a rough 2019 season and to back to back winning years in 2020 and 2021. Flores however has failed to make the playoffs in his three season, a major criticism as his predecessor Adam Gase took Miami to the postseason once in his three years in Miami. Flores however was handed a mess in Miami. Players trying to force their way out in 2019, headlined by Minkah Fitzpatrick demanding a trade which led him to Pittsburg. None of this was Flores fault, he inherited an awful roster with majority of their top players ending up on IR at some point in the season. Fans were calling on the team to lose the rest of the games in the season to secure at that time, the projected number one overall pick Tua Tagovailoa. The campaign was titled “tank for Tua.” Despite this and an 0-7 start, Flores finished the year with a 5-11 record, going 5-4 in his final nine games. Fast forward to 2021, there was reports that Flores didn’t want Tua to continue on as his quarterback and a trade for Deshaun Watson was in the works. Watson who has a no trade clause in his contract agreed to wave it if he was traded to Miami. The trade never went through as with Watson’s legal situation, there was no guarantee Watson would be able to take the field. As you all know, Watson has decided to sit out of the 2021 season due to issues with the Texans management. Houston still pays him his contract to sit at home so neither the league office or the NFLPA has had to step in or do anything up to this point. Flores was a surprise fire as it looked as he was building a dominant defense in Miami. Tua’s early season injuries set the Dolphins back but they came on late and was only a game out of a playoff spot. Rumors have circulated that a power struggle between GM Chris Grier and Brian Flores erupted, primarily over Tua Tagovailoa. Owner Stephen Ross sided with Grier, most likely due to both his 20+ year relationship with Grier and his faith in Tua Tagovailoa. Thus on the 10th of January, Flores was no longer the HC of the Miami Dolphins.

Now why I did I mention all of that? On the many firings made on Black Friday, a name that wasn’t on that unenviable list was David Culley. Culley was on the hot seat for majority of the season, not to any fault of his own but because he was a last minute hire for a failing Houston franchise. In the 2020 season, Houston traded away cornerstone wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for essentially chump change. The trade masterminded by at that time HC Bill O’Brien and VP of football operations Jack Easterby came about when Hopkins wanted more money during his contract negotiations. Hopkins leaving took away not only a star wide receiver but also Deshaun Watson’s most reliable target. Houston suffered greatly. Along with this trade and several other deals done by Bill O’Brien, an 0-4 start to the 2020 season was the end of O’Brien’s time as head man. David Culley walked into an impossible situation that many other coaches didn’t give a second look to. No first round pick in 2021, Watson was on sabbatical indefinitely, no D-Hop, no JJ Watt and no clear backup plan at quarterback. Culley was expected to fail miserably, many projecting Houston to have the worst record in the league. Culley overachieved. Despite having a 4-13 record, Culley actually met and exceeded expectations. Vegas had the Texans at 4 wins, done. The worst record belongs to Jacksonville, the second to Detroit. Rookie quarterback and 3rd round pick David Mills exceeded expectations. In only 11 career starts, he has 16 touchdowns and over 2500 passing yards along with several franchise rookie records. Why do I say all this? Because David Culley wasn’t supposed to be fired. David Culley was fired on the 13th of January, 3 days after everyone else. Culley himself said that he hadn’t had any prior conversation with Houston executives regarding termination. Why would Houston, if they were truly ready to move on, fire Culley late and allow other teams to schedule interviews with prospective coaching candidates before them? 3 days they wasted and the answer is simple, they weren’t expecting Flores to be available and pounced at the chance to get him.

Why would Houston go after Flores? It’s all about who you know. As previously mentioned, Flores was an assistant under Bill Belichick up in New England. The two head executives for the Houston Texans are VP Jack Easterby and GM Nick Caserio. Both of whom spent many years as coaches/ executives in New England. They all know each other very well and we’re molded by the same philosophy: The Patriot Way. Adding to this fact is the evident relationship/ respect between Watson and Flores. Yes Davis Mills exceeded expectations but he’s no Deshaun Watson. Flores who had established a winning culture and a ferocious defense in Miami would be the perfect fit for the Texans. Oh and if you want to get race involved, zero backlash from the Culley firing.

Flores was so close to getting the job that he and former NFL quarterback Josh McCown were named finalists. I don’t know how McCown got into the mix, his highest level of coaching was his head coaching job at a high school in 2021. So why didn’t the Texans pull the trigger? Flores sued the NFL. On February 7th, Brian Flores sued the NFL claiming racial discrimination based off sham interviews scheduled by teams attempting to comply with the Rooney Rule along with claiming that Miami owner Stephen Ross tried to bribe Flores to lose during the “Tank for Tua” campaign, offering $100,000 dollars per loss. By suing, Flores removed his name from any coaching candidate list because now Houston Owner Cal McNair has to defend himself against Flores in court. I don’t care that Houston said the lawsuit wasn’t the reason, there’s no company in America that would give you an upper echelon role while you’re suing them for millions of dollars.

How do I know the Texans weren’t serious about McCown, because they didn’t hire him. In fact they promoted AHC Lovie Smith to be the new HC. Houston never wanted Smith as HC. He wasn’t a finalist for the job, he hasn’t had a winning season in college or the pros since 2012 nor has he been able to mentor a young quarterback, failing with Rex Grossman, Kyle Orton, Jay Cutler, Jameis Winston and all of his quarterbacks at the University of Illinois. The man has had 7 straight losing seasons. Flores was the clear and obvious choice. The timing, the connections and the media reports point to one man. Again, it’s Brian Flores.

2. Houston doesn’t want to trade Deshaun Watson. Both Josh and I agree that Houston doesn’t want to get rid of him. Josh brought up a great point that Watson due to his disdain of Houston’s management and his legal issues may sit out in 2022. All I’m going to say is that Houston thought Flores could mend that relationship and if they stayed out of the way, allowing Flores to be the only figurehead of the Texans franchise to have any contact with Watson, this situation could work. If they wanted to dump him, they would. There’s many team interested in him and Mills is always an option.

3. If Lovie Smith doesn’t win 8-9 games, he’s gone. Josh said that there’s no way Houston can win 8-9 games, this is a roster built to win 4-5 and I agree. I never said Houston could win, what I am saying is Smith is a placeholder. He would need to greatly exceed expectations to keep his job. Culley matched his win expectations, was fairly competitive in more games then he should’ve been and helped Davis Mills become arguably the 2nd/ 3rd best performing rookie QB in 2021. I have 1. Jones 2. Fields and 3. Mills. Pretty good considering both Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were selected 1 & 2 overall with teams who had better rosters. If Smith doesn’t double his expectations, he’s out. A friend of mine on twitter who lives in Houston states that a trusted Texans beat writer said Smith could go winless and not lose his job because the optics would look bad if Houston fired two minority coaches after having one season each. I agree with this assessment and shoutout to @codysseustoo Follow him on Twitter please, great person with a lot of knowledge of Texas sports. I think if Davis Mills improves, Houston will permanently hire Pep Hamilton as OC and bring in Arron Glenn as HC. Glenn who is the current DC of the Lions was a candidate to replace Sean Payton in New Orleans. He’s a POC who is respected around the league and would check every box while having the ability to build a solid defense. I’m a firm believer in winning solves everything so I don’t necessarily think Houston should have that mindset but considering their lack of success, perhaps a new change in philosophy might do them good.

Houston needs a full rebuild and I thought Flores would be a good fit. Now that he’s not there, it’s time to blow everything up and reset. I want to say thank you to Josh Pacheco for mentioning my tweet. You can find him on Twitter @Joshontheradio and his weekly show airs on ESPN Honolulu, station 92.7.

The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt. 2: An offseason of hard hitting excitement.

As the 2021 recruiting season comes to a rapid end, Timmy Chang and his staff race to reload a team stripped of talent with fresh firepower. His staff consists of impressive names for which UH fans recognize from Chang’s playing days. OC Ian Shoemaker brings a highly explosive offense from Eastern Washington which saw an incredible passing attack that consistently put up over 35 points a game. However, even though the game is won in the classroom, it still must be played on the field.

Already working with a roster full of talent, Chang needed to replace the likes of Nick Mardner, Darius Muasau, Justice Tavai, Chevan Corderio, Jared Smart, Calvin Turner Jr, Jonah Laulu and others. Having some of the talent brought in by Todd Graham, he needed more and landed the crown jewel of Hawaii football: Wynden Ho’ohuli. Ho’ohuli capped off his incredible high school career at Mililani with a 4 star ranking from 24/7 and being Hawaii’s highest recruit in the 2021 class. An offer from Scott Frost saw him leave Hawaii for Nebraska. After redshirting his freshman year, he returns to Hawaii with 4 years of eligibility remaining. The 6-3 linebacker fills a hole left by Justice Tavai and becomes the first number one Hawaii recruit to play for the Warriors since 2007 (via Christian Shimabuku). A huge addition for a Warriors defense which historically hasn’t had a consistent flow of 4/5 star recruits with 3+ years of eligibility, Ho’ohuli’s only issue is rust. Due to Hawaii’s rules on COVID and his redshirt year, Ho’ohuli hasn’t played an actual down of competitive football in 2 years. Fortunately that’s an easily fixable problem.

Chang has reenforced his defense with 3 star linebacker Malaki Te’o from California high school and national powerhouse Mater Dei. First cousins with Hawaii standout and NFL linebacker Manti Te’o, Malaki brings a solid football foundation to the islands along side his genetic ability.

To cap off a great couple of weeks, Chang has hired UH legend Chris Brown to return as linebackers/ defensive ends coach. Coaching in Hawaii at his Alma Mater Damien Memorial School, Brown has spent the last several years as a coach with the Las Vegas powerhouse, Bishop Gorman. Brown who was one of the most feared and hard hitting defenders of the early 2000s, carried on a legacy of hard nosed Hawaii defenders. Names like Brown, Leonard and Hyrum Peters, Issac Sopoaga, Ikaika Alama-Francis, David Veinuke, Nate Jackson, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Travis LaBoy, Solomon and Abe Elimimian and Ryan Mouton are just a few of the names that donned the Green H, playing aggressive defense. The work of these gentlemen led to the signings of Mana Silva, Corey Parades, Aaron Brown, Mike Edwards and others. Hawaii is building a culture and these defensive signings/ hires are a phenomenal start.

One piece is missing and his name is Khoury Bethley. For those who’ve read my other articles and tweets, his name does come up often. It’s because he’s special. He is the heart and soul of Hawaii, he loves the islands and he plays with a ferociousness that can not be matched. A 3-4 or 3-3-5 outside linebacker who can rush the passer and drop in coverage, he’s the most complete defender Hawaii has had in a long time. Perhaps only Jahlani Tavai could compare but he’s in the NFL now and the coaching staff needs to do everything they can to bring him home. Bethley handles his business, a great guy for the community and a leader in the locker room. I hope to see him again in green.

Hawaii still has a lot of work to do but getting Ho’ohuli was a surprising and incredible start. Chang continues to impress and I can not wait until the season starts. I hope to be home to watch Hawaii take on Vanderbilt but the excitement I hold can not be contained. Go Bows!

Side note: It seems like he’s walked the long road to redemption. No sin to great was committed, no man is unworthy of forgiveness. Like Jason Rivers before him, I think Kalakaua Timoteo should have an opportunity to return to UH. He was a standout at Mililani, he’s corrected his errors and his knowledge/ experience is an invaluable asset to a young program.

The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt.1: A new opportunity

There’s no such thing as a sure bet but there’s smart decisions that can be made with a gamble. Todd Graham didn’t work out, AD Matlin took a shot and I respect the effort. I had a lot of faith in Graham and it was supported when Hawaii beat Houston in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. Graham helped Arizona State ascend to heights the program hasn’t seen since the nineties. I thought he could do the same in Hawaii. Local kids were leaving for better opportunities anyway and I liked how he managed Hawaii’s position in the transfer portal. I thought if he could blend mainland players with pacific talent, bring kids home who left, establish routes in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and consistently win on the mainland, Hawaii could ascend to new heights. That was the issue, he couldn’t bring home local talent. He sent them away and in the aftermath of the Graham tenure sat uncertainty.

In my interview with Hawaii WR Dior Scott, one of the things he brought up was the lack of money the athletic program has. A problem not new to the program, during his time in Hawaii the late Colt Brennan made claims that the department didn’t have bathing soap. ESPN announcers shouted to the world that the state of the football facilities was quote “in an embarrassing state of disrepair.” Scott said the players only got fed in season, the food was not to the health quality needed for a D1 athlete and that he along with his teammates had to come out of pocket for some of their nutritional needs. He also stated that due to the high cost of living, the players stipend checks don’t necessarily cover all of their necessary expenses. These claims were supported by Kolby Wyatt’s written testimony to the Hawaii State Senate.

Thus whoever became the new coach must be able to recruit and work with these conditions along with a makeshift stadium and some of the most stringent COVID protocols in the nation. A name came out of the shadows of fogginess. June Jones, the winningest coach in Hawaii history applied for the job. He’s a phenomenal coach and recruiter, shown with the multiple NFL draft picks from his nine years in Manoa along with his work with Warren Moon and Chris Miller in the NFL. It seemed like a slam dunk, especially when UH legend and former assistant coach Rich Miano removed himself from consideration to back Jones. Jones met with AD Matlin and Matlin offered a “no-contract” contract. Basically terms so unreasonable that Jones would never accept. You can read more about the details in my article Hawaii and Todd Graham Pt. 4: The Aftermath

With Jones out, Matlin got his guy. Timmy Chang. St. Louis high school graduate, NCAA passing yards leader, local legend. Chang was hired as the next head coach of Hawaii. I like Chang. He has a great coaching foundation, learning under Jay Norvell, Matt Mumme and Jones himself. Chang also has a good rapport with mainland and local coaches in terms of recruiting and he’ll run a pass happy offense that is similar to the Run N’ Shoot. My concerns come from will Chang be able to pick and choose his own staff or be forced to use Graham’s old staff. Matlin wouldn’t allow Jones to pick his own staff, a point of contention in his contract negotiations. Also Chang has never been a play caller or coordinator at the FBS level. How will he adjust? Only time will tell but he’s got my support and I hope for the best.

Let’s get back to AD Matlin. He took a shot with Graham and missed. It happens. He took a shot with Rolovich and it was a success. In a twitter space led by Wayne Coito, someone said Matlin is afraid of hiring Jones because what if he fails? Matlin would take the blame. I disagree, I think Matlin is afraid of hiring Jones because what if succeeds? He’ll get none of the credit. Everyone wants Jones, he was the “sure bet” or as sure as you can be. That’s the problem. Matlin doesn’t get paid to make the easy choice, he gets paid to make the tough ones. Yes there was interest in Rolovich becoming a collegiate head coach. However Matlin was the one to pull the trigger and he justified it with a 10-5 season, a Mountain West division title, 2 Hawaii Bowl wins and Rolovich’s promotion to Washington State. No one was looking at Chang to be a HC. Barely anyone was looking at him to be a coordinator. If Chang it a great success, Matlin looks good but more importantly its a bargaining chip in his next round of contract negotiations. His reason to continue to be AD.

If Matlin met with Jones and then met with Chang and after much though and conversation, Matlin went with Chang, I could respect the decision. I wouldn’t agree with it but he made a decision for which he felt was right and he respected both men. Dan Meisenzahl, the spokesperson for UH chastised Jones in a press conference for lobbying through the media and disrespecting UH and the hiring process. That’s total BS and an attempt to cover their behind. Matlin may have hired Chang to protect his job but the way he went about it was wrong and possibly illegal. Matlin sighted a lack of a secession plan for a breakdown in contract talks. The only reason you bring up secession is if a coach isn’t gonna be there anymore due to age or retirement. Texas had a secession plan for Mack Brown with Will Muschamp, Florida State had one for Bobby Bowden with Jimbo Fisher and Oklahoma had one for Bob Stoops with Lincoln Riley. Matlin committed age discrimination. That’s something I hope the Hawaii State Senate looks into and via social media, it looks like some members already have.

Now we come to present day. Chang has a lot of work to do and a lot of things to fix. I think he should be able to get Hawaii to a bowl game but I’m expecting around 5-6 wins at best. I hope I’m wrong. For the program, Hawaii has two priorities. Raise money and compete at a high level. If I was in charge, here’s what I would do.

1. Contact Khoury Bethley and try to get him to return to Hawaii. The linebacker is Hawaii’s best defender. Set to return in 2022, Bethley announced his intention to hit the transfer portal upon the resignation of Todd Graham. As of this article, Bethley has yet to commit to another university. He is too valuable to lose. A leader in the locker room, a turnover machine and a potential NFL prospect, the ball finds Bethley more times than not. Critical in Hawaii’s victories over Zach Wilson and BYU in the 2019 Hawaii Bowl and UH’s upset over nationally ranked Fresno State, this is top priority.

2. The establishment of a new recruiting position titled Director of Polynesian Recruiting. Either as an independent role or an added title (pay raise) to a coach or administrator, this position will focus on extracting talent from the likes of Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. There’s a ton of talent in the pacific with somewhat of a football foundation within the cultures of the pacific via the prolific popularity of rugby. The question with Hawaii recruiting is not where is the best talent because Hawaii will always lose that battle with P5 programs but instead asking the question “Where is no one looking?” Geographically, Hawaii is in a prime spot to raid the pacific and with already established connections with coaches in these nations, it should be a gold mine. Hawaii from an academic and life standpoint needs to have resources available for these kids as English may not necessarily be their first language nor is the American school system set up in a similar way to the school systems in these places. We as a program need to have the proper resources so they succeed in school, remain academically eligible, do not fall victim to loneliness and homesickness and set them up for success in a post football world. Hawaii will be better of because of it.

3. Raid the transfer portal. We see with young high school recruits getting mesmerized by the glitz and glamour of D1 football programs. As they should and if a program offers better facilities, they should take advantage. Transfer portal players have been through that process, all they want is an opportunity and Hawaii can offer them one. An escape to where all they need to focus on is their academics and football. Take as much off their plate as possible.

4. Re-establish the connections to west coast JUCO programs. A lot of talented kids in JUCO are getting lost in the avalanche that is the transfer portal. There’s a lot of hard working talent lying in uncertainty because the collegiate recruiting scene has shifted to high school and the portal. I think over 1000 players are in the portal and thus, a pile of riches is available for the taking.

5. Get rid of the PPV program. It doesn’t make money for the university, people in the mainland are able to stream games for free and its useless. Hawaii should seriously look at it’s position in the Mountain West. Hawaii gets at best 6-7 games on national TV a year, dependent on if they make a bowl game. 3 of those are on CBS sports so not a main channel and the rest are out of conference games. Hawaii always gets a week 0 game on ESPN but that’s about it. The Mountain West broadcasting deal is a joke and Hawaii is in a unique position. They need to get into contact with NBC who has a specialized deal with Norte Dame. 7 times out of the year, Hawaii is the latest and only game playing in the country. No popular shows have that time slot. There’s a lot of interest in Hawaii football due to the high flying offense of years past and from a sports betting perspective, it’s the last way to win money. Hawaii could get a deal with a major American network and possibly with Sky Sports for international viewership. More importantly, the ad revenue money would help the university out tremendously and the program will garner consistent attention. Hawaii fans and locals would be able to watch the games for free and players know that their families, regardless of where they are would have specialized access to watch their kids.

6. Quite frankly, Hawaii is outgrowing the Mountain West from a financial standpoint. In fact I see the Mountain West as a financial barrier to profit. In 3-5 years, the Pac-12 will try and expand to the Pac-16. The SEC expanded with Texas and Oklahoma. The Big 12 has added Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and UCF as well. UNLV and SDSU have put themselves in prime position with their new stadiums and facilities. Hawaii needs to get on board with a move to the P5. Hawaii has shown that they can compete with the P5, despite being a G5 school with horrendous facilities. Hawaii also has the pacific and again the late game timeslot. It would align with the Pac-12’s After Dark football campaign. The Pac-12 has a relationship with the Hawaii Bowl and that contract should be transferable. From a traveling standpoint, it’s much easier to travel in the Pac-12 then in the Mountain West. Yes Hawaii could have to travel to Utah and Colorado but they do that already in the Mountain West with Utah State and Colorado State. The Pac-12 has 4 California universities, 2 Oregon universities, 2 Arizona universities and 2 Washington universities. Travel times could average around 6 hours and Hawaii would no longer need to fly to Idaho, Wyoming or New Mexico. Plus majority of Pac-12 programs are near major airports for an ease in travel along with better accessibility for Hawaii fans on the mainland. Hawaii needs to begin negotiations now before others take their place.

7. The last thing is Hawaii needs to prioritize their preferred walk on program for Hawaii natives. There’s a lot of talent in the islands but more importantly, these players would be able to continue living at home, thus not having to take on the financial burden of moving to the islands. Also it would reestablish Hawaii’s connection into our communities and schools, making the sentimental value of playing for your island and in front of your family important again. Another way for local kids to earn a scholarship and create more relationships/ opportunities for themselves.

One last thing. Go Bows!

Hawaii and Todd Graham pt. 4: The fallout

Today was suppose to be a great day for Hawaii football. The greatest coach in UH history was due to return to Manoa. June Jones, a name synonymous with winning was expected to become the next Head Coach for the Rainbow Warriors. Side note, please return Hawaii back to just the warriors. The Hawaii Warriors rolls of the tongue better and besides, they’ll always be the bows. Everything was set. AD Matlin offered him a deal and Jones (already in town for the Polynesian Bowl) was due to sign. This deal was so close, media outlets were reporting on it. National media outlets. How often are they wrong about coaches contracts? They of course speculate but when they use the term “close,” it’s pretty much a done deal. Just like they did with Lincoln Riley to USC, with Brian Kelly to LSU and with Mario Cristobol to Miami, it was Jones to Hawaii.

However reports came out after stating Jones turned down the contract and I was livid. How could he? I don’t understand. Jones publicly expressed not just interest but a desire to return to Hawaii. Jones already knew the contract situation and how Hawaii has one of the lowest coaching payrolls in the Mountain West. Graham was making $800,000 dollars, surely Jones couldn’t have expected more than that? Rich Miano removed himself from consideration for June to take the job. Jones is the best qualified candidate. No disrespect to Brian Smith and Timmy Chang but Jones is a better coach, recruiter and play caller as shown by the fact he’s the winningest coach in UH history along with the multitude of players he sent to the NFL, capped off by first round selection Ashley Lelie.

Time reveals all and if you don’t like strong language, I suggest you skip over this paragraph. David Matlin offered June Jones a chicken shit offer. A total load of crap that was deployed as a media stunt to quiet the screams of the Hawaii faithful. A two year contract with Jones not having the ability to hire or fire his assistants. Quick reminder that only Todd Graham resigned and his entire staff is still under contract. Here’s the issue, Matlin and UH either don’t have the money or plain out refuse to pay the buyout clauses of the coaches nor are willing to spend the money to hire their replacements. Keep in mind, established coaches who worked under Jones have expressed interest in returning to UH. Coaches like Jeff Reinebold, Rich Miano and others. Also Jones refused to have a succession plan for when he leaves but I think Matlin wants Timmy Chang as Jones wants to do right by Miano who was screwed out of the job in 2012 and make Miano next in line.

What does all this mean? Simple, its about power. No not the line from the Rock in Tech Nine’s song but about control. See Matlin didn’t hire Jones in 1999, he wasn’t AD. He wasn’t responsible for the success of the early 2000s. Matlin was hired in 2015 and within his first 12 months, he fired Norm Chow. The program was in ruins and Matlin made the decision to hire Nick Rolovich over June Jones in 2016. Now this was a different time. Jones though still beloved in Hawaii was coming off a really bad couple of years at SMU. Also the public outcry for Jones wasn’t as strong as it is now. Rolovich was Matlin’s guy. He gave Rolo his first coaching job, he took the gamble and it paid off. 3 bowl appearances in 4 years, 2 bowl wins, multiple P5 wins and a double digit win season. Cole McDonald became the first Warrior QB selected in the NFL draft since Colt Brennan, Jahlani Tavai was a second round pick and John Ursua ended up on the Seahawks. UDFA’s Treyvon Henderson, Jojo Ward and Leo Koloamatangi made preseason NFL rosters. A massive success because of Matlin’s vision. Also both the men’s and women’s basketball teams made it to the NCAA tournament under his watch along with a pretty successful transition of the women’s volleyball program from retiring long time coach Dave Shoji. The men’s volleyball team would capture the NCAA championship in 2021.

Rolovich would leave UH for Washington State and with him went several assistant coaches. No buyouts necessary, in fact I think Washington State paid UH money for Rolovich. Now he had another decision to make. Jones was in the XFL so he was off the table and Matlin chose Todd Graham. I’m not gonna go over that saga again but we all know it ended with public scrutiny focused on the program along with the resignation of Todd Graham. I know that pissed Matlin off. Graham was Matlin’s guy, the next great coach under his tenure and all Graham needed to do was make it to his third year. That’s the golden year for college coaches. The third year. Multiple classes of your own recruits, years to develop talent, the team would be your own. Bob Wagner’s first bowl birth came in his third year. Jones’ third year saw the Warriors knock off nationally ranked Fresno State and BYU. Also lets be real, the WAC in 1999 wasn’t the same powerhouse it was in 2001. Rolovich’s first winning season came in his third year, heck even Norm Chow’s best season was in his third year. Todd Graham’s best season at Arizona State was in his third year and even the legend Dick Tomey can attest. His best season in Hawaii came in his fifth year but it was Hawaii’s third season in the WAC as they were an independent before hand. Also Tomey won his first bowl game at Arizona in his third season with the Wildcats.

I think Matlin was banking on Graham’s third season to change public opinion on him. I mean Graham secured two bowl births in two years. Won a bowl game on the mainland and beat every Hawaii rival except Boise State and Air Force (Hawaii never played Air Force during the Graham tenure). However that doesn’t matter because Graham is gone. Jones is not Matlin’s guy, he’s a previous AD’s pick and that’s something he can’t accept. He won’t have Jones change and challenge all the work he’s done with the program. Thus he gave such unacceptable terms. He wanted to make Jones look bad and it worked for a couple hours until Jones spoke his truth. He flipped the narrative. No coach in history to my knowledge, especially not in the 21st century has ever signed an initial contract for less than 3 years. Like I said, coaches need three years to perform a full turnaround. Matlin wants credit and it won’t happen with Jones. Jones is the established name. Hypothetically if Bill Belichick left New England and the GM for the Texans hired him. Then Bill wins a title with the Texans, would the GM receive any credit? No because there’s no risk. Jones is the sure bet and egos get in the way of vision.

Jones in his many years as a coach has only one real mess up and that was hiring Art Briles while coaching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That’s it and Briles didn’t even make it up to Canada before Hamilton reversed its decision. It’s purely about power. The question becomes how do we change this? Jones has publicly expressed he still wants to job, it is our responsibility as a public to force Matlin’s hand. Emails, phone calls, social media posts, threaten to boycott UH football games, whatever it takes. At the end of the day, it would hurt my heart not to be able to watch the team but after witnessing the love and passion the players of UH have for each other and for this place, it is incomprehensible to let them down and not give them a coach who will put the in the best position to succeed at this level and the next.

To AD Matlin, you have a choice. Hire Jones and all will be forgiven. Do not let your ego be the death of your administrative career.

The improved Run N’ Shoot

With rumors swirling that June Jones could return to Hawaii, the Run N’ Shoot offense could once again see it’s return to the collegiate ranks. Most recently used at Washington State, the firing of Nick Rolovich and promotion of Jake Dickert will see the Cougars run a more spread offense. The Run N’ Shoot is a dynamic but old offense which needs some fine tuning, Jones himself said he’ll run a more modern Run N’ Shoot if given the Hawaii job.

Let’s break down what the Run N’ Shoot offense is. It’s a simple concept offense with two standard formations.

A shotgun formation which serves as the base of the Run N’ Shoot. 4 receivers, 1 running back and no tight ends

Then there is the trips formation which can be run as trips left and trips right.

The basis of the Run N’ Shoot is to attack the open space. Simple concept but the way I put it is the Quarterback must be a space interpreter. Basically the receivers have route concepts but are allowed to break off and run up to 8 different route combinations based on the defensive coverage. The Quarterback must one anticipate where the receiver is going, where the space in the defense is and be able to deliver an accurate pass into tight windows. This offense takes a lot of trust and chemistry between the QB and his receivers along with the time for plays to develop. Thus the O-line must be able to give a QB a clean pocket on a consistent basis.

The main areas of attack are

1. The flat. The quickest pass should get the receiver the ball with space to pick up yards after the catch. Other route concepts should take the corners out of the play enough to fire the ball into typically the slot receivers hands.

2. The deep pass. One of the beauties of the Run N’ Shoot is that is puts a lot of receivers on the field. The best way to defend this is to drop eight in coverage and rush three. However that is almost impossible as very few teams can apply pressure in a 5 v 3 matchup. So they must rush four. That creates a 8 v 5 or 8 v 4 matchup in the secondary, dependent on if the running back turns into a receiver or blocker.

3. The gap between the safety and linebackers. Depending on the underneath route, the line backers should either stay in place of take a step forward. If the safety breaks off with the streaking receiver, there should be a gap or space in the second/ third level.

The issue with the Run N’ Shoot is its simplicity and inability to effectively run the ball on a consistent basis. This changed in 2010 when Hawaii running back Alex Green became UH’s first 1000 yard rusher since Travis Sims in 1992. Yes Hawaii ran the Run N’ Shoot under OC Nick Rolovich but what helped was the introduction of the pistol formation. The pistol formation was created and popularized by Nevada HC Chris Ault and with QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada won a share of the WAC in 2010. The pistol is a formation which requires a short snap to the QB and for which the ball can get out of the QB’s hands in a second. The pistol is most effective at throwing screen routes, short routes, read option/ rpo plays and running the football.

I think the new Run N’ Shoot needs to incorporate more pistol formations while still maintaining the fundamentals of the Run N’ Shoot.

As shown, the QB lines up halfway between the center and where he would be in a standard shotgun formation. The route concepts of the Run N’ Shoot are still available, now the screen, bubble screen, HB draw and HB dive are all in play.

I would also like to see the incorporation of a tight end in the Run N’ Shoot. BYU, Baylor and Coastal Carolina have found great success using 3 receivers, 1 tight end and a running back in creating a dynamic offense that employs a variety of pass, run and rpo concepts which freezes the linebackers at the point of attack.

Also a multiple tight end set would boost the Run N’ Shoot’s ability to pick up short yardage on the ground in 3rd and short situations.

I would also like to see Hawaii or the user of the Run N’ Shoot use more 5 wide concepts. A plain numerical advantage, defenses are either gonna rush 3 or 4 because a blitz would easily be countered by a quick pass. Either way its going to be a 9 v 5 or 8 v 5 match up and I’ll take those numbers all day of the week. Especially with the level of athlete Hawaii has at the skill positions.

The last formations are a bunch trips pistol formation which squeezes defenders and causes hesitation with a variety of route concepts. Used at Alabama with DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones, it allows the offense to have multiple blockers on the run and the ability to hit the inside or flat with quickness.

Next is a two running back concept with 3 receivers allowing dynamic route patterns and extra protection in the backfield. It doesn’t need to use running backs. The 2019 LSU Tigers would put Ja’Marr Chase in the backfield, allowing him to have a favorable matchup with the linebacker in space. The Niners employ such a tactic with Deebo Samuel and the Falcons do the same with Corderelle Patterson.

Lastly is a new take on the wildcat which places 3 running backs on the field at one time.

The last improvement is that I would add the use of motion. The Run N’ Shoot typically doesn’t use motion because it really didn’t change how the passing concepts used to work. However we live in a new era with new defensive concepts and motion helps reveal what type of coverages a defense might run. Also it keeps defenses on their toes.

Below are some new play concepts I would like to see incorporated in the Run N’ Shoot playbook. In this time we live in, adapting is essential to survival. I truly think Hawaii would be served well with more RPO concepts along with different route patterns that still follow the basis of the Run N’ Shoot. The Run N’ Shoot is the grandfather to the modern spread and west coast offense. Thus it time to get with the times and dominate in the classroom, thus dominating on the football field.

1. The left side running back motions into a extended pistol formation. The 7 blockers on the line stop the d-lineman from getting into the backfield for the second it takes the ball carriers to exit the backfield. The right side running back should take out the OLB thus creating a 1 v 1 match up with the running back where he has the option to keep or pitch. There’s another play where we motion the right-side receiver to the left, bringing to corner with him or shifting the defense to the newly established strong side. Dependent on corner skill and receiver blocking ability.

2. Motion the right side receiver into the slot. At the snap, the running back in the quarterback slot will hand off to left side running back. RB will run outside as motioned RB cuts back inside. Left side RB will pitch ball backwards to motioned RB and he will run on the opposite side of field. Right guard will pull as left side tight end sets the edge along with RB in QB slot blocking as well. The ball carrier should have at least 2 blockers, a possible third in the DE cuts inside and the tight end is able to break off.

3. Simple up the gut running play to achieve short yardage. Uses the rugby scrum concept. Multiple man push to gain 1-3 yards beyond line of scrimmage.

4. Same play as 3 but left side tight end will break off from block. Ball carrier will have a jump pass option dependent on where the linebackers are at that time.

My Hawaii Warriors

With the recent resignation of Todd Graham, the University of Hawaii will be conducting a search for its next Head Coach. This is my ideal coaching staff for the 2022 football season.

Head Coach: June Jones. Jones is a proven winner at Hawaii. Responsible for one of the greatest collegiate turnarounds in history, Jones went 9-3 in his first season in 1999. UH went 0-12 in 1998 and Jones’ Run n’ Shoot offense took QB Dan Robinson to another level. His offensive philosophy made Nick Rolovich, Timmy Chang and Colt Brennan household names in college football along with coaching Hawaii’s highest ever NFL draft pick in Ashley Lelie. Jones also sent Ikaika Alama-Francis, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Samson Satele, Vince Manuwai, Wayne Hunter, Nate Illoa, Reagan Maui’a, Davone Bess and Ryan Mouton among other to the NFL. Soloman Elimimian and Chad Owens became two of the best ever players in the Canadian Football League and Grey Cup champions. Jones is an excellent recruiter who plucked talent from all over the pacific and the west coast. He’s well connected with JUCO and P5 programs, giving him the ability to raid the transfer portal. Also Hawaii kids always hear about the 07 season, Jones’ reputation will keep some local kids home. Jones understands the culture, willing to work with the lack of funding and facilities at UH along with giving UH it’s best chance to win the Mountain West and return to a NY6 bowl game.

AHC: Rich Miano. A position he’s very familiar with, Miano is Hawaii through and through. A plethora of knowledge, the 10 year NFL vet is beloved in the islands. He is a strong recruiter, talented leader and could be heir apparent in case Jones wants to leave.

Co-OC/ RGC: Bo Graham. I know a lot of people are gonna look at me funny for this. Let me explain. Bo is already in place and his offensive scheme is very similar to the Run n’ Shoot. Bo is also on $200,000 dollars a year and has built a rapport with the players. Jones would still be the primary play caller but Graham’s ability to design run schemes made UH’s rushing offense potent and dangerous. Both Dae Dae Hunter and Dedrick Parson’s excelled under him along with the dynamic Calvin Turner Jr. His strength will make Hawaii’s offense complete with a dangerous pass and run game. Just remember, the best way to throw the ball is the make the defense afraid of the run.

Co-OC/ PGC/ QB coach: Timmy Chang. Chang who is the current Wide Receivers coach at Colorado State followed Jay Norvell from Nevada. However Colorado State already has a OC in Matt Mumme. Chang may have to sacrifice salary but would be able to have more responsibility and could come home. A Run n’ Shoot disciple, Chang understands the offense from both the quarterback and receiver perspective. His ability to work with UH’s QB’s and draw up passing patterns will take UH to the next level.

Co-DC: Victor Santa Cruz. The former Azusa Pacific Head Coach, Santa Cruz has served as DC for UH throughout Todd Graham’s two years. He understands the defense well and the last thing UH needs is an overhaul of both offense and defense with such a small time frame to go.

Co-DC: Jerry Glanville. The 80 year old coach currently sits as a Head Coach in the Spring League. The former UH DC and NFL Head Coach for the Houston Oilers & Atlanta Falcons is a legend. Coaching up some of the best defensive players in UH history, Glanville and his Grits Blitz defense would bring back an era of hard hitting aggression in the islands. Glanville would probably appreciate spending his twilight years in the islands still doing the thing he loves, coaching football and cussing people out.

Special Teams Coordinator: Jeff Reinebold. Reinebold loves Hawaii and he is very good at what he does. The current STC for the Montreal Alouettes, Reinebold coached at UH from 2006-2007. He followed Jones to SMU but left a positive impact in the islands, helping Ikaika Alama-Francis and David Veikune become second round picks. Reinebold was a D-line coach at UH so he’s versatile as well.

For the remaining position coaches, I’d like to keep coaches where they are. Too much turnover could derail the success of the 2022 season. To me, these men put UH in the best position to win right now.

The Dallas Cowboys: America’s Joke

Have you ever had a cousin that is absolutely brilliant. Who’s mind works on literally another level then everyone else’s so they say things to make them sound smart but what they say is actually the most idiotic thing ever spoken? That’s the Dallas Cowboys. Ever had a cousin that thinks and perceive things around them in a way that no body else does so when there is a general consensus about something, that cousin has to have a differing opinion because they’re better than everyone else? That’s Mike McCarthy. Ever had a cousin that saw something out of the ordinary once when they were younger and because of it, they believe that extraordinary thing to be commonplace? That’s Cowboy fans. Notice a theme? That cousin is an idiot and everyone in the family knows it. However his mom probably has a lot of money or influence on the family so everyone just deals with it. The mom is Jerry Jones. Jones has a stranglehold on the NFL due to grandfathered deals and the fact Jones negotiates the TV deals for the NFL. That’s why the Cowboys typically play in primetime in week one, they play at home on Thanksgiving and get majority of NFL broadcasting coverage. I’m sure if you’re not a Cowboys fan and you have cable, your team’s game at one point was pushed so America could witness the Cowboys be mediocre once again.

The 2021 Cowboys bowed out of the playoffs in embarrassing style, losing 23-17 to the San Francisco 49ers. I could go over the game but it be pointless. Horrible throws by Dak, poor play by Connor Williams, terrible coaching decisions and unacceptable penalties tell the story of the game. In fact Dallas was down by 16 at the start of the fourth quarter but a Jimmy G interception gave them the ball on the Niners side of the 50. A quick score gave the Cowboys the momentum and a realistic shot at 23-17. The Cowboys got the ball back with around four minutes to operate and they were on the move. A big catch and run by Dalton Schultz put them in prime position. However poor plays and penalties brought Dallas to 4th and 11. They went for it and Prescott heaved a prayer. Cedric Wilson had an excellent shot but the pass was troubled by the Niners pass rush and Wilson slipped coming out of his cut. Incomplete. The Niners drove down, aided by Randy Gregory bear hugging a Niners offensive lineman and soon found themselves at 4th and inches with 40 seconds left. After the Niners thought Deebo Samuel achieved a game clinching first down, review reversed the call and the Niners called a QB sneak on 4th and inches. Garoppolo converted but the ball was snapped before Trent Williams was set. False start was the call. The Niners punted on 4th and 5. A poor punt through the endzone gave Dallas the ball with around 30 seconds left on their own 25. Playing soft defense, the Cowboys drove downfield quite quickly. Here’s where the Cowboys revealed who they really were. With 14 seconds on the Niners 40, the Cowboys had a shot. The Niners were playing sideline defense, prohibiting a quick pass and run out of bounce. The middle of the field was open, more importantly a path to the endzone was wide open. Yes it would be a difficult and contested catch but it was a shot and the always present DPI penalty could’ve been thrown. Instead the Cowboys called a QB draw which saw Prescott run quickly to the Niners 20. With no timeouts, the Cowboys had to spike the ball. By the time the ref spotted the ball and Dak spiked it, time had expired and just like that it was over. The refs announced that the game had ended, running to the locker rooms under the fire of Cowboy fans throwing foreign objects at them. The Niners celebrated their escape from Dallas as another disappointing season ended in heartbreak for Cowboy Nation.

At his press conference, Prescott berated fans for throwing items at Cowboy players. When told that fans attacked the refs as well, Prescott’s tone changed. He responded “A credit to them.” Everyone wants to praise Dak Prescott as a good guy, a team player, a leader especially when a story came out where he asked members of the 53 man roster to chip in $500 dollars to create a fund for practice squad players. It’s easy to be the good guy to your friends and teammates, a man’s true color is revealed when facing adversity. Perhaps Prescott was responding to the missed false starts on Trent Williams or the referees inabilty to set the ball in time for the spike. It doesn’t matter. You lost. It happens. I understand that as an athlete you take it hard but to not speak out against violence, against unacceptable behavior, to pretty much encourage it speaks volumes. Well Dak, your coaches are those moron cousins who see things differently. You ran twenty yards. By the time the ball is snapped, the blocking of the draw play is set and you take off and slide, that’s gonna be 6-8 seconds on average. By the time the players get set, another 2-3 and of course the second it takes to snap and spike the ball. Your coaches ran a play with at best, an 11 second run off with 14 seconds left to play. Dumb. I understand field position and probability but football isn’t played with numbers, it’s played by people and you all chose to do the wrong thing. Did the ref take a second to get there? Yes but as soon as the play ended, the ref full sprinted to the ball. Had to get around your lineman who blocked his path, reset the ball to where the play actually stopped and clear the area. If you expected a ref to run a sub 4.40 and swim move your offensive line, you are out of your mind. But that’s the issue, the Cowboys think they’re better then everybody. They’re the gold standard of the NFL that conveniently never makes it to February. The refs didn’t screw you and you have a responsibility to speak out against such violent acts, once against Dak Prescott fails to perform when he’s called upon.

Dak Prescott is not the only one to blame in this matter. Mike McCarthy is a horrible coach. He had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in his 13 seasons in Green Bay and only has 1 Super Bowl to show for it. But hey, at least you have three NFC championship game losses on your belt. The HOF quarterback situation wouldn’t be that bad if he wasn’t a career QUARTERBACKS COACH AND OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR. I don’t like to yell but I feel I have to hammer that point home. This man’s specialty is offense and he failed to consistently win with two of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. This is who the Cowboys wanted, this is who Jerry Jones and sons thought yeah, he’s the guy to bring us back to greatness. But Mike McCarthy is not the one to blame either. Yes he had a horrible coaching staff in 2020, bringing in Mike Nolan as DC, who in return built the worst defense in NFL history. However in 2021, McCarthy was more of a puppet than a coach. A handclapper, a fact checker. Kellen Moore runs the offense and Dan Quinn, who many suspect may take McCarthy’s job from him runs the defense. Quinn held up his end of the deal. Yes he’s done some questionable things in his career. Yes, I don’t understand why Quinn doesn’t convert Micah Parsons to an every down pass rusher but Quinn and the Cowboys defense has been solid the whole year. One to the top teams in forcing turnover (due to Trevon Diggs), Quinn has made the defense lethal. Not world class but very good, especially considering where they were last season. Also Micah Parsons is a stud and has greatly improved under Quinn’s tutelage. Parsons will win Defensive rookie of the year.

Even in the playoff game, the Cowboys only gave up 23 points and gave Dallas the ball twice under the five minute mark in the fourth. The offense is a different story. Ezekiel Elliot played hurt but quite frankly, he hasn’t been the same since his rookie season. In fact, Tony Pollard is a more productive back at the moment. On paper, the Cowboys have the best offense in the league. Top 5 at wide receiver, running backs and tight ends. Dak is a top 15 quarterback and they have a top 20 Tight End room. On the field, they suck. When the lights shine bright, Dak overthrows everyone. Or underthrows them. Or throws an interception. Zeke has no signature performance in the playoffs and the offensive line is like a turnstile for the New York subway, everybode’s coming through. Moore who is an expected candidate for the many HC openings in the NFL proves once again why the Cowboys can never put it together, they shrink in the big moments.

The buck stops with Jerry Jones. He has more titles and responsibilities than any owner in the league. He’s been de facto GM since he bought the team and has a phenomenal draft record. I actually think Jones is one of the better front office executives in the NFL. Hall of Famers Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Larry Allen were all drafted by Jones. Jones acquired Hall of Famers Deion Sanders and Charles Haley in the prime of their careers without giving up much draft capitol/ players for them. He has three Super Bowls to his name. Jimmy Johnson is a Hall of Fame coach and Barry Switzer along with Jimmy Johnson became members of the small club of coaches who won a Super Bowl and a National Championship (Pete Carroll being the other). Jones is responsible for the current Cowboys, drafting majority of the players on the field. Quite frankly, the only big money player not drafted by Jones is Amari Cooper. Jones puts a winning product on the field more times than not but his inability to let go of control sinks his team every season. Jones likes a coach he can boss around, he can operate through. That’s why he hired McCarthy when no one else would go near him. That’s why Jason Garrett was around for so many years. The Cowboys greatest time was when Jimmy Johnson took the reigns and Jones managed the roster. They had a great partnership but Jones doesn’t like push back. That’s why we are where we are.

At the start of every season, Cowboys fans erupt in joy. Saying this year will be their year and guess what, it’s never their year. Do you know why? They don’t have a leader in that locker room. McCarthy? Please. Dak? He can’t even stand up for the refs. Has to blame someone else. The roster is good enough to rattle off 8-12 wins a season. Since they play in primetime, everyone sees them constantly. Cowboys fans filled with enthusiasm and media hype proclaim the Lombardi is heading to the great state of Texas because Jones builds too good of teams for them not to be at least decent. However we non-Cowboy fans see the glaring holes in the team when they get blown out by a random team every season. This year was Denver, other years it’s been the Chargers or the Chiefs. Sometimes Arizona and most times by Tom Brady. We know who they are but like I said, they don’t see things how we do. Though the general consensus is that you suck, they have a Kyrie Irvingesc level off thinking. No the world is not flat and no you are not going to the Super Bowl. You are who you’ll always be. America’s team to make fun off.

Hawaii and Todd Graham pt. 3: A conclusion but not the end.

Hawaii football Head Coach Todd Graham has announced his resignation this evening, January 14th, 2022. With it brings the end into the inquiry of whether he verbally abused players and/ or created a toxic work environment. With his resignation, Graham forfeits any claim to the 1.2 million dollar buyout clause in his contract and will no longer be owed any portion of his $800,000 dollar salary. It is unclear whether UH will promote an interim Head Coach for the season or hire a new coach. Graham’s son Bo is still on the staff as UH offensive coordinator.

Here’s my take, I haven’t hidden the fact that I supported Graham nor will I issue a retraction for my words. If Graham did commit verbal abuse, he had to go. Why Graham would resign is a loaded question. Perhaps there was cause for his firing which would have forfeited his buyout clause anyway. Perhaps he didn’t want to deal with the media scrutiny and further inquiry into the program. Perhaps there’s another job available that wouldn’t have such issues as the UH program has. With the XFL set to resume play in 2022 and the consistent college coaching carousel, who knows. I’m banking that there was cause to fire him, it doesn’t make any sense why he wouldn’t continue to coach for $800,000 dollars a year. Maybe money doesn’t matter to him as much after his $13 million dollar buyout from Arizona State University.

Graham had a successful two years in Hawaii. Two bowl births, a bowl win, a top 25 win and the reclamation of the Paniolo trophy marks the highlights of his tenure. His ability to recruit brought some much needed talent to the islands. However a lot of players left under his watch. Whether to pursue bigger opportunities or because of Graham waits to be seen. It doesn’t matter anymore. Though Graham is gone, this issues of the UH program remain.

I truly believe players like Darius Muasau, Jonah Laulu, Nick Mardner, Chevan Corderio and others would’ve left regardless. Do I think Graham had an influence in such a decision? Yes, without a doubt but one can not refuse to recognize that the state of the program is in disrepair. The inability to have a proper stadium, nutrition program or ability to build/ maintain needed facilities like the weight room proves how far behind UH is in comparison with it’s other FBS counterparts. I think Graham did a lot with what he had and it will be hard to find someone to achieve a consistent winning performance with such horrible facilities.

A lesson does need to be learned from the Graham hire. I’m not sure if AD Matlin will be in charge of the new hire but if he is, there doesn’t necessarily need to be a culture fit but definitely not a culture misfit. What I mean by that is Dick Tomey, Bob Wagner, Jeff Monkin, Rich Ellerson, Mouse Davis, Jerry Glanville, Greg McMackin and Paul Johnson came to Hawaii from the mainland and found incredible success. The reason is that they all assimilated into the culture where Graham refused to leave his Texas roots. Here’s some of my top candidates.

June Jones. The former UH coach took Hawaii to new heights with two WAC titles, an undefeated regular season in 2007 and a Sugar Bowl birth. Also rebuilding the SMU mustangs program, Jones took SMU to their first bowl game and first bowl win in the post death penalty era. His run n’ shoot offense would be highly effective with quarterbacks Brayden Schager or new transfer Cammon Cooper.

Rich Miano. The former UH assistant and current commentator is Hawaii through and through. A graduate and player for UH, Miano spent time as a safety in the NFL, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his return to the islands, Miano was crucial in recruiting some of the top talent to UH in the early 2000s. Coaching high school, he led Kaiser to its first state championship in school history.

Chris Petersen. The former Boise State Bronco and Washington Huskies Head Coach, Petersen has been out of coaching for a couple of years sighting exhaustion. One of the original BCS busters, Petersen has led Boise State to two BCS bowl victories along with multiple NY6 bowl games and a CFB playoff appearance at Washington. Hawaii could offer a low stress way to get back into coaching and Petersen is a phenomenal recruiter who has plucked Polynesian and island talent on a consistent basis. Look at any Washington team post Don James, then look at his 2016 Huskies. There’s a big difference in talent. Vita Vea, John Ross, Greg Gaines, Will Dissly, Myles Gaskin, Kaleb McGary, Dante Pettis, Drew Sample, Taylor Rapp, Levi Onwuzerike, Byron Murphy, Jordan Fuller, Kevin King, Sidney Jones and Budda Baker all outlined the most talented team in the Pac-12 during the 2010s. Yes, even more talented then Mariota’s Oregon. Plus money isn’t an issue with the millions he’s already earned.

I also believe players like Leonard Lee and co, who have been kicked off the team for speaking out in the twitter space should have an opportunity to return to the team. I also hope UH coaches like Craig Stutzmann, Billy Ray Stutzmann and Chris Naeole find their way back to the program in some compacity, dependent on the vaccination requirements for UH.

Graham is gone but as previously mentioned, the big issues within the program still remain. The stadium deal, financial obligations, any buyouts of assistant coaches and the lack of a complete and functioning football facility will continue to hinder the program. The state, more importantly Hawaii State Senator Donna Mercado Kim once said that the state was in a position to pay Graham’s 1.2 million dollar buyout. Where is this money and why can’t the state use it to fix these issues? Was it hot air because players need to workout and eat. How do we expect UH to compete at the highest level with subpar facilities and calling it subpar is a complement considering. How does the state improve the program? Why hasn’t there been a detailed financial plan drawn up? Is there money for the new stadium? Those questions need to be answered.

Todd Graham’s tenure was controversial and tenuous. Hawaii experienced high highs and low lows under his guidance. Unprecedented success and horror stories. Perhaps his time will fade from the memory like Fred Von Appen or it might stick with fans forever. I appreciate his work and I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I also greatly appreciate all the hard work and sacrifice of the players who have donned the green H. I got to see a mainland bowl victory, multiple upsets of top Mountain West programs and the evolution of Calvin Turner Jr. I just hope the good times roll with whoever becomes the head man in Manoa.

Diagnosing the problems in New York: How the G-men have never recovered from Miami

As we all know, there was an infamous picture taken in Miami where OBJ, Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard along with some of their teammates and for some reason Trey Songz was posing on a boat. This was in January 2017, the Giants under the guide of Head Coach Ben McAdoo finished their season at 11-5. Some of the players eloped to Miami for some much needed R&R before their playoff game at Lambeau Field. The Giants haven’t had more that seven wins in a season since.

In the playoffs, the Giants lost horribly to the Packers 13-38 ending their season. McAdoo was fired a year later along with the entire front office staff.

Fast forward to today. Dave Gettleman, the man who built the Panthers into Super Bowl contenders has announced his retirement from football. His four years in charge as GM can be summed up in one word, dysfunctional. Two head coaches, four losing seasons and a franchise in cap hell doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Gettleman feeling the heat handed out massive contracts in the offseason to free agents Kenny Golliday and Adoree’ Jackson. Golliday has 0 touchdowns and Jackson has 1 interception. However Gettleman is not the only one to blame, Head Coach Joe Judge has been a liability at best. There was rumors of turmoil in the offseason due to Judge’s harsh and brash style, made clear by the sudden retirement of Joe Looney after Judge punished the team with sprints. Judge is a throwback, the wannabe Bill Parcells but this is a different era of football and Judge doesn’t seem able to accept that. Made clear by the addition of Jason Garrett to a highly questionable coaching staff which included fired Browns HC Freddie Kitchens and ousted Tennessee Vols HC Jeremy Pruitt (who was caught in a recruiting scandal). Garrett is an old school mind who couldn’t find offensive success in Dallas unless he had the best players on his side of the field. Yet that is who Judge decided was best to re-ignite a suffering offense with a turnover prone Quarterback and the worst offensive line in the league.

However the blame does not fall solely on Judge either. It falls on John Mara. Mr. Mara who is the idiotic owner of the New York Giants is a product of his environment. A silver spoon child where the term struggle was only found in a dictionary. He has never faced financial hardship or career hardship. His life was handed to him and more the power to him for having such luck. I am not mad at Mara for benefitting from the work of his ancestors, what irritates me is that he thinks like his ancestors. His mind is not in 2022, it’s in 1980. Lawrence Taylor isn’t coming back, Henry Carson isn’t coming back. You got lucky with Coughlin’s two Super Bowl rings, brought forth by players you had nothing to do with. Mara who was the leading force behind the NFL’s new taunting rule has tried to replicate the good ole days on a number of occasions and because it barely worked once, he believes it must work again. Spoiler, it won’t. Dave Gettleman drafted and signed a phenomenal defense in Carolina but the offense was just Cam Newton. Gettleman’s career was defined because Newton went supernova in 2015. By the way, Gettleman didn’t draft Newton and knowing his history, probably would’ve went with Jake Locker.

Now the Giants are in a tough position. It will take years to rebuild and its not getting better considering Joe Judge is coming back for another season. Here’s what I would do.

In order to save money, some players have to go. Daniel Jones, Saquan Barkley, Sterling Shepard, Nate Soldier, Logan Ryan, Jabrill Peppers and Darius Slayton have to go. Either due to money or poor play, the Giants need to get out of cap hell. Kadarius Toney is a weapon which needs to be built around and Kenny Golliday ain’t going anywhere soon. I’m bringing in Marcus Mariota as my bridge QB with Mitch Trubisky to back him up in case he gets hurt. Both mobile and have nice arms.

In the draft, I’m looking to take Tyler Linderbaum (center) from Iowa and Kyle Hamilton (Safety) from Norte Dame with my two first round picks. I also like Khalil Shakir (WR) from Boise St and Sam Howell (QB) from North Carolina as day two picks.

In FA, there’s a lot of things you could do but to me, it’s essential to reinforce that offensive line.

I’m firing Joe Judge, bringing in Brian Flores as head coach and letting him get to work. Yes Flores is a hardass and comes from the Belichick coaching tree but he has the respect of his players and created a phenomenal defensive in Miami despite losing Minkah Fitzpatrick. Miami’s loss in the Giants gain.

To me this is the way to wipe off the stain of that infamous picture.

Hawaii and Todd Graham pt. 2

On Friday, the Hawaii state legislature convened to inquire into the state of the University of Hawaii football program. Spurred on by the recent amount of transfers from the program along with allegations of verbal abuse from Head Coach Todd Graham and his coaching staff, the three hour inquiry uncovered a lot of issues from the program and I will break it down, voicing some opinions of my own.

The Head Coach. It is no secret that Todd Graham has not left a favorable impression upon the people of Hawaii, especially die hard UH football fans. Now I’ve stated my position on Graham but that does not change certain facts. Graham has failed to learn Hawaii and island culture, trying to inject his personal mainland style of coaching into the program. He has turned some players against him as shown in the testimonies with some calling him a liar and the worst coach they ever met. There was an obvious divide when it came to scholarship and walk-on players along with claims that Graham’s actions have harmed players mental health. 19 players have entered the transfer portal and/or transferred to another program. Former UH player and Hawaii raised Leonard Lee is quoted by saying that Graham is “a tyrant” where as former UH player Derek Thomas is quoted as saying “Coach Graham truly has stripped the love and joy out of a lot of people for the sport.” Please note that Lee claims he was removed from the team for speaking out against Graham and his practices via a twitter space hosted by former UH players Darryl McBride Jr. and R.J. Hollis. Hollis who is a analyst and reports for local Hawaii sports network OC16 also spoke into more detail about how player morale was at an all time low as a result of Todd Graham.

Lee and Thomas were among a few players to speak against Graham, however others spoke in favor or positively about him. They did so via written testimony as for some reason they weren’t allowed to attend either in person or via zoom. To me, the most revealing testimony came from Kolby Wyatt. A UH tight end who transferred from the University of Georgia. He highlighted that certain players who played at Hawaii high school powerhouse St. Louis were treated better than at UH in terms of the meal program. He states that UH only offers two meals a day compared to the three at UGA, the weight room continues to be flooded and the facilities are not D1 standard. This troubles me greatly because these were the same issues that plagued UH football in the early 2000s and a reason for the departure of June Jones. UH committed a portion of the 2008 Sugar Bowl money towards renovating these facilities but that was over a decade ago.

When speaking of a culture fit, Graham was a failure. Will he adjust? Time will tell but I’m not putting my money on it. His comments about Hawaii being a third world country due to the lack of Dr. Pepper definitely didn’t win over any fans nor did the loss of native son Chevan Cordeiro to SJSU.

UH AD David Matlin was questioned about his commitment to Graham and doubled down in his support. When asked if he’d be winning to exercise Graham’s buyout if given the money, Matlin said no. He’s committed to Graham, even if it may cost him his job and career.

Here’s my analysis. The session was brought up because of the many issues in UH athletics, focusing on football. Hawaii State Senator Donna Mercado Kim (fun fact: she’s actually a distant relative of mine through marriage) said she brought forth the inquiry due multiple complains from various UH sports, not just football. Is UH a good program to play for? It breaks my heart but no. I am a native son of Hawaii. I am also a Hawaiian. Hawaii and UH football are incredible parts of my life. I’ve had the opportunity to tour the UH campus multiple times as well as participate in various sporting events at Clarence T.C. Ching stadium. I am also a proud graduate of UNLV. I toured their football facility multiple times. Both the campus and football facility at UNLV blows UH out of the water and UNLV is considered the lowest tier of Mountain West football. In terms of D1 programs, Hawaii is dead last in facilities. The dorms are cramped and lack AC. The campus is spread out and it is difficult to find parking. T.C. Ching is at the bottom of Mountain West stadiums. Even Aloha Stadium was run down and old. UNLV has had a stoke of luck that Hawaii may never find…money. The Fertitta’s (casino moguls and former owners of the UFC) invested millions into the program, Hawaii doesn’t have that type of support.

UH has a flooded weight room that they can’t fix. That’s disgraceful. I’m not sure how they do it at UH but football and basketball at UNLV have separate weight rooms. The other sports share one in a huge athletic complex separated from football and basketball. UH players eat inside Stan Sheriff because that’s the only place they have space.

There are JUCO programs with better facilities. Look at East Mississippi from Last Chance U for example. The state of Hawaii athletics from a facilities standpoint is a joke and how Hawaii doesn’t lose every game is beyond me.

Graham is an issue but not one that can’t be fixed. If he doesn’t improve his relationship with players or his record doesn’t justify the headache, he’s gotta go. However winning fixes all so only time will tell. I do sense that players are transferring for better opportunities more so instead of Graham’s actions. UH can’t even feed their players three square meals a day while their serving prime rib at the University of Miami. Halawa Penitentiary feeds inmates three meals a day just for comparison.

For Lee and his testimony, I take it with caution. Maybe its because I was around coaches that used similar language to Graham and never got offended by it. Maybe its because Graham never spoke to me in such a manor. However I do find it irritating that only former players who have issue with Graham were allowed to speak. It did seem poised to painting an image instead of an actual inquiry. However Lee’s words speak true for various players and that is something to watch. As far as the transfers, UH lost eight in the pre transfer portal era during the last year of the Rolovich era. Also Rolovich lost the most players to the portal in the PAC-12 after his first year at WSU. 19 Hawaii players have entered the portal, the average per team in 11. Eight more is not bad considering UH can’t feed them.

Winning solves everything. If Graham doesn’t abuse his players which I don’t see concrete and substantiated evidence to say he does, he should continue. If he loses, then he’s got to go but just like Kolby Wyatt said, though the coach and the AD are not blameless, they are not the only ones to blame. Until the state can get its act in order, UH athletics will continue to suffer. Oh and if you think the state will get its act in order, this is the same state that didn’t have enough money for public schools so they gave kids Friday off. Also I am a collegiate graduate, the Honolulu Rail project which is still years from being finished started when I was 12. Good luck Hawaii, Graham is the least of your problems.

How to fix Nebraska Football

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have a great football history. Their five national championships do not tell the entire story of a once feared program. Under the vision and guidance of Hall of Fame Head Coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osbourne, Nebraska dominated college football. From the 60s to the beginning of the Millennium, that famous big red N was synonymous with winning. However a loss in the 2002 Rose Bowl, gifting the National Championship to the historic 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team marked the beginning of the end. Nebraska decided to get rid of loyal son Frank Solich, selling its soul for Bill Callahan. The former Raiders Head Coach would never eclipse double digit wins in his four seasons in Lincoln and Bo Pelini was promoted after Callahan’s termination.

Pelini had a lot of success but a conference title always eluded him. There’s many reasons why he never accomplished such a feat, I know the name Texas is still a sore spot of a lot of people. However in the hope of getting over the preverbal hump, Nebraska looked to Mike Riley. Why? I don’t know. His tenure in the NFL with the Chargers was a complete failure. Bo Pelini never won less than nine games in a season. At Oregon State, Riley had six losing seasons including the season before he joined Nebraska. In his three years in Lincoln, Riley had one winning season.

Then the native son returned to save the homeland. Scott Frost. Born in Lincoln, won two national titles as quarterback at Nebraska and fresh off a 13-0 season as HC at UCF with a Peach Bowl win over Auburn, Frost was named Head Coach of the Cornhuskers. However it’s been four years with no winning seasons. In 2021, Frost went 3-9. Now I’m going to break down my plan to bring Nebraska back into the title picture.

I do believe Frost is the answer. The Cornhuskers are not far away from success. In their nine losses in 2021, eight was within one possession. The loss by multiple possessions? A loss by nine to Ohio State. The team is close but need to make some much needed acquisitions in the transfer portal.

We all know the Joe Burrow story. Wanting to leave Ohio State with two years of eligibility left, Frost chose Adrian Martinez over Burrow and Burrow went to LSU. In Burrow’s National Championship season, he’s won the same amount of games as Frost has in his four years at Nebraska. Now Burrow is a star for the Bengals and Martinez is now at Kansas State. In need of a shot collar, Frost needs to go after Casey Thompson from Texas. A duel threat quarterback with a plethora of experience, Thompson is very good at operating a run based offense. He’s not a pocket passer that you can put into five wide formations, however Nebraska is not that type of football team. Keep in mind, Thompson threw for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns against Oklahoma. I also believe that his second half slump came at the hands of Steve Sarkisian’s erratic playcalling more than Thompson’s play. You don’t go 5-7 with a guy like Bijan Robinson because of great coaching. Thompson was a scapegoat for a team that could not perform past the first quarter, primarily due to the incompetence of both Sark and DC Pete Kwiatkowski. Thompson is able to extend plays and acquire the needed points that turn one possession losses into wins.

Update: Thompson has committed to Nebraska. An excellent step in the right direction.

For recruiting, Nebraska has to reestablish its west coast routes. Oklahoma which has been the best program into the region has acquired a tremendous amount of talent from California. Players such as Joe Mixon, Rhamondre Stevenson and Caleb Kelly have impacted the program along with the plethora of recruits Lincoln Riley had before heading off to USC. Also Heisman finalist C.J. Stroud and Heisman winner Bryce Young are both from California as well. Nebraska also had All-American offensive lineman Toniu Fonoti and Dominic Raiola, both from Hawaii in the early 2000s. With the portal being so full, they need to find talent in the lost names of Junior Colleges as well. The question is how does Nebraska reestablish these routes? Well what does Nebraska offer? Here’s my pitch. Nebraska football is the most important thing in the state, their position in the conference is solid and the conference consistently sends a team to the CFB playoff. Nebraska also has a plethora of resources and a opportunity to have both consistently televised games and a paved road to the NFL.

The last thing. Defense. The hallmark of those great Nebraska teams was innovative offense and stifling defense. The question is how do you achieve this? I look at Clemson. The main reason Dabo Swinney was able to turn around Clemson was because Brent Venables fell right into his lap. Let’s look at every National Champion in the playoff era. There’s Alabama but Saban is a defensive minded coach. Clemson who had Venables. LSU who had Dave Aranda. Ohio State had Luke Fickle. Notice the theme? The question now becomes is Erik Chinander the right guy for the job? No team scored over 35 points on them the whole 2021 season. The best offense they faced which in my opinion is Ohio State only scored 26 points. However the lack of big names or big name recruits, especially on that D-line is troubling. I think he gets a prove it year and if it doesn’t work out. They may need to find their Venables if one is available.

Here’s my final analysis. Nebraska is not far off from being a competitive force again. The Thompson acquisition puts them in a good spot but if they fail to not only recruit top players but hold on to the best ones they have (Wen’dale Robinson), they’ll continue to suffer. Josh Heupel who inherited UCF after Frost has turned Tennessee around in barely a season. He did so through the portal and hopefully Frost is following suit. Nebraska needs to honestly stop living in the past. Tom Osbourne is not coming back and the wishbone offense is dead. The new Nebraska needs to be flashy but firm. It needs to be eye popping and sustainable. My dad calls it old school ideals with new school technology. Embrace the portal, embrace NIL, embrace the new age and all the riches of old shall come storming back to Lincoln and that beautiful Memorial Stadium.