If Thig as co-DC and Bly as DB coach make sense
- Thread starter WoadBlue
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They'll be a learning curve for sure but his extensive success playing the position both in college and NFL will help immensely. Plus, he's well connected in regards to the high schools in the state, mainly the Charlotte area. He brings in some much needed swagger, love the hire. Hope he wears his Super Bowl ring when talking to recruits.
Thanks for sharing this information. I'm a little more confident in the decision to hire Bly now, and in the coaching staff as a whole since Robinson is no longer being considered for the DC position.
He brings value in recruiting. Plus, as a former player, he can probably develop into a solid coach.
Well, if you have a group of 7 or 8 DBs who are came out of HS certain to make NFL rosters, then there may be very little need to coach them.
Bly has been hired for a P5 job, and what he is qualified for is to be a volunteer assistant for a year at a 1AA or Group of 5 program, which should it go well would qualify him to be hired full time for that job.
If we have a Venables for DC and a second DB coach who is a widely recognized as a master at developing DBs, then having Bly as a volunteer assistant would be a great opportunity for him to learn. But we have neither, and Bly, with no experience, is a full time coach on a D that must be rebuilt.
How do you know he brings value in recruiting? He has never done it, which means you cannot compare him as a recruiter to any other DB coach who actually has experience as a recruiter and a DB position coach.
Defending this hire is akin to defending the Bunting hire. Bunting was All ACC. Bunting played in the NFL 11 years, the same as Bly. Bunting had a Super Bowl ring, just like Bly.
What Bunting had that Bly does not: 2 years as college assistant coach; 5 years as a D3 HC; 6 years as NFL position coach; 2 years as NFL co-DC.
You rebuild with recruiting. Bly will have plenty of help coaching. I'd rather have a position coach with limited experience who can bring in top talent.
I think being an All-American at UNC as well as a Super Bowl Champion with 2 Pro Bowls in the NFL will give him enough credibility among high school athletes to allow him to become an effective recruiter. Plus, others on here have said he says ties to high schools in NC. He may not be the best DB coach in America right off the bat, but I think he can develop into a solid coach with experience.
Not saying there won’t be a learning curve but Bly has tons of knowledge at the secondary position. He will be able to share the things he’s learned along the way and has Mack to help him with the ins and outs out being a coach.
As far as recruiter, the kids parents will know exactly who Dre Bly is. You don’t think kids will be an awe of an all American, super bowl champ wanting to teach them?
As far as recruiter, the kids parents will know exactly who Dre Bly is. You don’t think kids will be an awe of an all American, super bowl champ wanting to teach them?
First, Bly does not have limited experience coaching; Bly has 0 experience. Second, you have no way to know that he can help land talent at all, much less land better DB talent than we have landed over the past few years - because Bly has no experience landing talent. Third, all HS DB talent must be coached well by college standards to reach their potential.
If it worked anything close to your fantasy, the entire Top 25 would have on staff 2 or 3 or 4 guys who started at the P5 with no coaching experience but had made a Pro Bowl and/or been in the Super Bowl. And those guys would all be producing wonders.
Or is it just UNC fans who are so naive about UNC alums and football coaching?
You’re right, Bly will make an awful coach. News flash, our secondary has been torched with “seasoned coaches” the past 7 years. Give the guy a chance to prove himself.
If Bly can recruit the 757 I dont care if he can coach.
Dre has 0 years of college coaching experience but he has been helped Myers Park for last 4 years and also coaches the Hammer Down Heels which was a very well known travel football outfit in charlotte. He’s also helped at UNC camps quite a bit. Not arguing either side, just putting that out there.
Being able to do and teaching someone how to do are not the same. The lack of recruiting experience is even more of a problem.
We will have to throw a pot load of money to any DC to come in to manage a ready made staff.
That was really the point of Robinson. He could teach Thig how t do the job he wasn't qualified for. I'm not sure who is supposed to teach Bly how to do his.
Its kind of fun to watch so many complain that Mack Brown is too old and now watch the complaints that his staff is too young. I expect (based on no evidence except that Mack Brown knows what he's doing) we're going to wind up with a nice mix. I acknowledge there can be grounds for concern, but what I like about these hires is that they are people who know and love Carolina. They'll recruit with that, recruit to the school, not just the football program as it now happens to exist. The other positive is that they know Carolina, know the culture. They know what they are getting into; they should be able to heal some of the wounds with the administration and faculty, renew ties with the university as whole.
You sound exactly like the most ardent defenders of John Bunting.
I always thought the problem with Bunting was that he was a pro coach who couldn't adjust to teaching young players.
The only sure way out of this mess is to:
1. hire Nate Woody as co-DC and LB coach.
2. hire Scott Satterfield as OC/coach in waiting and let him bring his entire offensive staff sans TE coach. Mack could throw that 2 mil that is coming from undisclosed sources at Satt just to keep him in place for 2 years until he can take over for the 2021 season.
1. hire Nate Woody as co-DC and LB coach.
2. hire Scott Satterfield as OC/coach in waiting and let him bring his entire offensive staff sans TE coach. Mack could throw that 2 mil that is coming from undisclosed sources at Satt just to keep him in place for 2 years until he can take over for the 2021 season.
App state right now would beat UNC. Satterfield would go from being big man on campus to a HCIW at UNC?
I’m surprised at the pessimism with Mack and his hires. I would bet anyone the have a better record next year and recruiting will pick up.
Agreed. I don't get it either. I can only conclude that some people just like to bitch about everything? We need to let this play out. Let's see where we're at in the next few seasons before calling it a failure already.
I think people over value the UNC football job. The consistency has just never been there. Fedora had a golden opportunity to boost UNC to a consistent coastal threat but trailed off toward the end. He somewhat got lucky having VT, Miami and GT down but couldn’t sustain success. At this point, they’ve won 5 games in 2 years.
Mack is a proven, hall of fame coach. He’s not coming in to rejuvenate himself, he’s coming in to play CEO and pass the torch. He’s going to put people in position to succeed, and it starts with recruiting which himself, Thig and Brewster have proven.
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That was a key part, but not all by any means. He simply was not HC material. He needed to be either a non-Major conference HC or DC for at least 3 or 4 years before UNC would think of giving him the job.
Some guys can be great position coaches and never be true 1st rate OC/DC material. Some guys can be great coordinators and never be sound HC material. It is silly at best to promote a guy who has mastered where he is
Thigpen is a 1st rate (but not great) recruiter who has never shown that he is more than a reasonably competent position coach, whether for LB or DB. There is no evidence he is close to being a good risk to be a competent P5 DC. There is no evidence that Bly can do more than talk about being an All American and All Pro.
I can't speak for anyone else here, but I'm in no way defending Mack as the head coach of UNC in 2018 or any of his newly appointed assistant coaches, because there's nothing to defend. The team hasn't played a game yet, or even had a spring practice. Some of us are optimistic that things will improve now that Mack is the coach. And I'm definitely in that group. I like the addition of Brewster to the staff as well as his decision to keep Thigpen on board. And yes, I even believe that Bly has the potential to be a solid coach for us despite his lack of experience. I'm not saying he will definitely be a great coach, but I'm also not saying he definitely won't be a great coach. I'm just excited to see what happens.
And as I've said many times before. This program is on the bottom floor right now. Part of that is due to Fedora and some is due to circumstances beyond his control. As we go forward with Mack, there's really only one direction the program can go. As long we don't receive the death penalty from the NCAA, It really can't get any worse.
I'm ready to support Mack and is his staff. Go Heels!
Hi WoadBlue...SMILE...if you ever say anything good about our UNC TAR HEELS, I hope the MODS put it on the front page...and life goes on.
!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!! GO TAR HEELS !!!!!!!!!!!!
Mack really need to decide why he is doing this. To stroke his own ego or to help Carolina.
We just got rid of someone who's ego fouled his coaching career at Carolina.
If Mack wants to install a winning system that can be sustained, he will make arrangements for a succession plan.
We need Mack to care more about Carolina than his legacy.
You’re starting this crap already? Seriously?
You shouldn’t be surprised. This thread has been par for the course
As you all know, I'm a huge Satterfield fan. Nothing would please me more than to see him named OC and eventual successor to Mack. I think he is every bit up to the challenge.
I'm afraid we have a cluster fork in the making. If we do indeed hire Robinson as DC/Co DC, i will be very disappointed. We all knew that the success of Mack was going to hinge on the hiring of a great OC and a great DC. If that doesn't happen, we're better off than we were, but not by much.
Mack was brought in to rebuild the good will between UNC and NC high school coaches. He will do that, I've no doubt. But his success will hinge on his ability to hire a young, aggressive staff that can recruit and develop our recruits. If he hires a mediocre staff, we're in trouble.
Mack was brought in to rebuild the good will between UNC and NC high school coaches. He will do that, I've no doubt. But his success will hinge on his ability to hire a young, aggressive staff that can recruit and develop our recruits. If he hires a mediocre staff, we're in trouble.
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