After a loss that showed little to no positive movement, there are those that want to give up. You can call me whatever the hell you want (a homer, lover of mediocrity, or sexy), but I am standing by HCBS. I am not supporting him because he is a good man. Rather, I see the positives of this season and think to throw that away would be silly.
Like many of you, Charley and 25314 have been on the fire HCBS bandwagon since our tough loss to Colorado. This season, after defeats, this site and other crappy message boards blow up. People come out of the wood work wanting heads to roll. However, after victories you can hear a pin drop because nobody wants to give credit where credit was do.
The complaints I hear and agree with, all stem from offensive production or the inability to properly use timeouts. The other stuff is superficial, middle school girl, bullshit. “He needs to look better on the sidelines, he should yell and scream more, or why doesn’t he whiten his teeth.” Who gives two shits about those things other than US Weekly readers? Recruits sure don’t seem to give a damn if he knows how to use a headset or not.
This season did not come close to living up to the unrealistic expectations many of us, including myself and HCBS, piled upon this team. If it wasn’t for these expectations, I feel as if many of you would not be as mad as you currently proclaim you are on a daily basis. Get over it, we were all wrong to expect a national championship this season. Hell, it is WRONG to “expect” a national championship in any season.
Many of these coaches and players worked their asses off to reach their goal of a Big East championship and a BCS bowl birth. Some of their hard work was parlayed into terrible results (Mullen, Johnson, and the offensive line). The others overachieved and turned a weakness into a strength (Casteel and his staff, Chris Beatty, and Brandon Hogan). Don’t throw it all out because you are mad about being wrong.
No matter what any of you say, I am not going to change my mind about supporting Smilin’ Bill, this year. Charley and I battled it out at a fine eating establshment on Sunday and I am standing firm. You give head coaches more leeway than assistants.
As I have said before, I agree with many of the points y’all bring up but I do not think they lead to the head coach being fired. Yes, he hired Mullen and Johnson but he also brought in a defensive coaching staff that turned a question mark into a top 30 overall defense.
My Stage 6 for reconstruction and working through is to fire Mullen and Johnson. All of our troubles can be tied to a lack of any offensive scheme and the inability to win the battle up front. We should bring in Taffe or try to get a young buck like Major Applewhite to run our offense. Then bring in someone who has actually coached the offensive line. Could we lure Trickett back with a huge contract?
The thing that underlies all of our anger is that other schools always seem to have their day in the sun, while we are left in the darkness. We have climbed to the top a few times only to fall back down the huge Mountain. As Mountaineer fans, all we have is hope that one day all our hard work and support will pay off. Firing head ball coaches after one winning season is not a way to climb back up that mountain. It is a way to end up face down in a creek.
Filed under: 2009 is almost here, 5th Year Senior, HCBS |
West BY GOD Virginia 
The only problem is that he is not a head ball coach…he proved that at VMI…he proved that after 12 years of no one wanting him to their head ball coach…he proved that after going 7-4 with a team that won the Fiesta Bowl last year here at WVU.
So, if firing a head ball coach would leave us face down in a creek, where would firing a mediocre assistant (Stew) leave us?
I would be happy with the removal of Johnson and Mullen.
Nobody wins at VMI. This is not the same team that won the Fiesta Bowl (different O-Coordinator and loss of some key players).
NEXT
You can’t fire the man after one “winning” season. My grandfather likes to point out that HCBS has the most wins out of any first year head coach at WVU. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but you have to give him one more year to see what he can do. Let him keep his staff in tact and then if we don’t win 8 games next year, cut off his head.
Nobody won at Ball State or Buffalo, either. Good coaches find a way to win.
Firing him now would be absolutely catastophic. If he keeps getting good players in here, we can afford to let him coach two more years and leave the right way.
A hasty fire would be just as embarrasing as the hasty hire in my oppinion.
I remember getting blown out in the car care bowl by UVA. That wasnt that long ago, and i dont remember anyone wanting to fire rod after that. I also remember almost losing to Cuse the year we won the Sugar. We lost to cuse that game, we are not having this conversation right now. Period.
I would agree that Johnson needs to go. Firing him would show that accountability exists, and quite frankly he appears to suck.
I never expected a national championship. I expected a Big East Championship.
The only positives this year were on the defensive side, which even Bill admits has little if anything to do with him.
He hired a good defensive staff, but give Casteel credit for that, too. I’m sure he had a hell of a lot to do with who was hired to coach directly under him.
I have 2 main gripes.
1. The complete and utter misuse of Pat White. It’s one thing to want to achive more balance at times when it’s needed, but it’s another to ignore your own strength just to satisfy a desire to become something that you’re not.
Pat’s stats against Pitt 12 rushes for 93 yards (including scrambles on broken pass plays) and 15/28 for 143 yards. He passed 16 more times than he ran, and that’s not including called passes where he had to run.
2. We haven’t beaten a good team all year. Every single time we were faced with a team that had comparable talent, we lost. Why? We were outcoached. Plain and simple. When talenet levels are somewhat even, it comes down to who is better prepared and who is managed better. That was the other team every single time.
What is most puzzling to me is the anger after losing to Pitt–the premise being that Pitt, with a chance to be a 9 game winner, and rated in the top 25 in the country, is so terrible that only a horrible coach could lose to them. And even some WV newspaper articles suggested that there is no way that WV should have lost that game–when an objective review of the game shows Pitt dominating all but the 3rd quarter, winning every stat except the turnover battle. And therein may lie the result of the game–Pitt’s turnover inside the 20 resulted in a FG, WV turnover inside the 20 a TD. And for the game, pitt had 3 TD’s, WV 3 fg and a TD. Sure WV had a 15-7 lead with 9 minutes to go–but Pitt had comeback several times from fourth quarter deficits. This was the first time that WV couldn’t seal the deal–could it possibly have something to do with the opponent? From the time of the interception to the final winning TD–all Pitt did was run McCoy–WV knew it was coming, and couldn’t stop it. It is clear after the last 2 Brawls that Pitt’s speed has now caught up to WV–no longer is it a flag football game where Pitt can’t get the flag(2005 & 2006 Brawls) .For the past 2 years WV has had no answer to Shady McCoy, and aside from 1 busted play highlite run by PW, no answer to Pitt’s rush defense.; which is the strength of WV’s offense. The teams that Pitt has had trouble with were sophisticated passing teams (Rutgers and Cincy)–WV has to run well if they are going to win. And should we really believe that PW, Devine, etc, are ignoring huge holes on the other side of the line because the play is designed to go to the short side of the field? If anyone knows how to run to daylight, it is Pat White!!!
I would think that Mountaineer Nation should take a collective deep breath, and relax. There are obvious growing pains with any transition of coaches, let alone the loss of NFL talents like Slaton. And to suggest as one blogger did, that “death is too good for Mullen and Stewart”!
shows a real need to get a life.
We did misuse Patrick White, Fire Jeff Mullen.
I’ve read this blog and held my tongue all year. No more.
Mullen is a moron. What kind of genius takes the most dynamic RUNNING QB in the country and makes him into a very mediocre drop back passer? What, EXACTLY, was wrong with the offense we had for the last few years?
Fire him. And if Stewart resists fire him too. They will take this program back to the days of serious tussles with the likes of the Richmond Spiders. And it will take place so fast it will take your breath away. Do it now before it is too late.
I can’t believe you morons actually want to fire your coach after ONE winning season! Wanny inherited a BCS team, got them a losing record for three years, and still kept his job. Now, we’re beating you hoopies like rented mules! Paitence, inbreds. I seriously hope you fire your coach and set yourself back a few years. PITT will still destroy you anyway:)
Unfortunately, I’m not a head coach, but I do run a large company. Maybe that doesn’t qualify me to comment (I’m sure 5th Year will say it doesn’t), but I’m going to anyway. If one of my direct reports fails to use the resources alotted to him to “win” then that is my problem as much as it is his. Coach Stew could have demanded changes on offense at any point this season. He didn’t have to fire Mullen after three games to insist that he return to a spread option attack… He needed to step up and coach his coaches, but he did not.
That being said, there is no way we can fire HCBS after one LOUSY season (4 losses to mediocre-poor opponents definately equals a lousy season). To fire him now would make the program look even more unstable and in turmoil than it actually is (if that is possible). However, Bill Stewart must fire Jeff Mullen next week! There has to be accountability for the poor offensive performance in the eyes of the players, recruits, and fans for him to be able to effectively manage this team forward. To say that “everyone did their best” is to say that we are not good enough and we accept that. In business or sports, true winners never accept anything less than winning.
Now that a shitt fan agrees with me I may actually consider changing my position.
Jesus Christ, that post made my eyes hurt. We get it 5th, you’ve painted yourself into a corner and now you’re going to fight a losing position to death. Good luck with that, in the meantime, we’ll be living in reality…
It could be worse, we could have lost to Bowling Green to open the season… That would really make us look like pathetic losers…
For the clown who likes to say that Smilin’ Bill won more games in his first year than any coach…can you name me a WVU first year coach that inherited an 11-2 team with a 3 game bowl winning streak?
This argument is the biggest canard of all. MOST first year coaches inherit teams that are a mess, hence, the coaching change. Smilin’ Bill inherited a good team and has gone 6-4 against mediocre programs (no, you can’t count the win against Villanova) We’ve lost to ECU, Colorado (who finished 5-7…after we lost to them, delusional Stewpid fans described them as a possible NC contender), Cincinnati and Pitt. This team is COMPLETELY unprepared in the first half of EVERY game. The first thing to do when you’re in a hole is to stop digging, and as Stew would say, “We’re diggin’ faster than a Georgia mole fixin’ to feast on parsnips!”
Eric, I’m a moron and I am qualified to comment about anything I want so you are fo’sho qualified to comment about production of those that report to you. Stew did insist on getting back to our bread-n-butter, the option read, after a couple sub-par performances.
Stew’s entire staff did not underperform with the resources allocated to it. Half of his staff performed well above what was expected of them. You can’t blame him for everything on offense and then give him NO credit for the great defensive performances.
Thanks for all the complements! Have fun speculating about wheter you go to the Mieneke Car Care or the PapaJohns.com bowl. I’ll be in El Paso!
tph60, yes, I was being totally serious when I said “Death would be too kind a reward for Stewart and Co.” Totally serious. The guy who posted “Kill him!” above me was totally serious too. And I am totally serious that I think you must be a complete and total genius. Totally serious.
I’m not going to support him until death. I am going to support him until he deserves to be fired. That time is not now.
Get over yourself and live in the “reality” in which people get ridicule for failures and praise for success.
only someone who has never been to el paso would ever brag about a trip to that bordertown hellhole
You may not be in El-Paso, shitt fan. How were your bowl games the last few years??
How’d you guys do in the BCS Championship the last year…oh yeah. Sucks to be you. PITT-9 National Championships. WVwho?-0
Firing Mullen would satisfy me for another year.
I’m not an advocate for firing Stew right now. We need a good recruiting class . We have one right now and we need him and other members of this staff to keep it intact.
We can’t have another class like we had last year. It will really hurt us down the road.
However, I’d love to see someone with some experience come in and provide guidance and leadership.
I hate Pitt with all my body and soul.
Sad, but true.
I’m not ready to fire HCBS either, at least I do not think, but I am supporting the firing of Jeff Mullen and hiring a known and experience OC. Like Charlie or someone said above this post, someone has to be held accountable for the poor offensive play with the guys we returned. I hate this more for Pat White than anything.
Pitt fan bragging about championships that came before he was even born. Probably even before his father was born. And most likely before his other father was born (in the domestic partnership).
Double U, I am being totally serious when I question why losing to a better team on the road causes so many thoughts of mayhem and/or jumping off a bridge…
The damage is already done !! Let’s move forward with what good we have and see what happems. look @ all the other teams that changes coaches evey year they suck !! Look @ San Fran …
PW LAST GAME !!!
GET YOU MOTHERFUCKING WHITE ON!!
Some peole still think we have the best players in the nation and only a total moron could screw it up. That is the “reality” they are living in.
We never had the best players in the nation.
We had a scheme that gave us an edge with players that fit perfectly in that scheme.
The fact still remains that 9 starters from the Fiesta bowl returned yet our is what fell flat on its face time after time this season.
Maybe starters is the wrong word, but regardless Slaton hardly played in that game.
Fire Mullen and Johnson
It is a sad, sad day when the words of Stewart Mandel becomes the guiding light of reason and truth in a world filled with tumult and chaos.
Did I mention that Mandel can also see the future?
Here’s some more recent history in case you hoopies have forgotten. 13-9, Rich Rod, ECU, Colorado, 19-15, and the fact that Shady>pat white.
What no one can justify is that Pastilong gave this yokel an EXTENSION! That is simply mindless and irresponsible. We have a governor, whose not the brightest crayon in the box, calling all of shots (since he apparently has nothing better to do) and an athletic director completely checked out. This will indeed be a long spiral in the wrong direction – due to a vacuum of competent leadership from the top.
How does it feel to get REALY jacked up for a sun bowl? Ive never had that feeling.
Kinda like beating your arch-rival two years in a row on national TV. BTW, don’t hurt yourselves coming up with witty comebacks.
Hey lickspittle,
Get back on the short bus. Your clever wit betrays the allegiance to the black hole of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Mandel was beyond precient. Car Care Bowl…argh!
hail2pitt…boy must have sucked to get beat by Bowling Green this year…gee how did they finish the year, oh thats right they only won two or three more ball games.
You beat us two years in a row. Congrats on being able to count to 2. Now there comes a time when you need something else to hang your hat and a 35-7 loss to Utah in Fiesta Bowl is certainly not that.
1. I agree that Mullen should be fired.
2. Mullen won’t be fired.
3. Nobody will be fired.
4. “WhiteOut” for the game Saturday is fuckin stupid.
Why won’t anyone be fired, 2000grad?
Don’t you think that if the big donors speak loud enough, the Athletic Department will be forced to listen?
Why is the “Whiteout” stupid?
@ BeamersGoiter
Slaton didn’t hardly play in any big game. He always seemed to get hurt.
And by the way, who the hell is Shady? Sounds like some moron rapper.
2000grad is right about nobody being fired.
There’s no way Pastilong is going to fire anyone after a winning season, no matter how poorly they performed individually.
Lord knows Stew thinks that Mullen is just tremendous. He couldn’t possibly fire his ol buddy Jimmy Grobe from Huntington’s recommendation. Plus Jeff Mullen is just a darn good man and husband with a lovely bride and good christian kids.
I don’t think the whiteout is stupid. It’s the best way for the fans to be able to show their appreciation for Pat. He deserves any honor we can possibly give him.
Lipsander,
Slaton played pretty damn good when he set the Sugar Bowl record for rushing yards against the SEC champion in their own backyard.
The only game, other than the Fiiesta, I remember him not playing in was UL in 06 after he coudln’t feel his hand and gave the game away on 2 fumbles.
I don’t like people knocking on Steve. He gave us three amazing years. Not to mention he torched Pitt for 225 rushing and 130 receiving in one game. Take that Shitty McCoy.
Pat White sucks as a passer. Just WR now and get it over with. Have fun getting run over by USF.
It’s not his strength, but he’s still not as bad as Bill Stull.
Also, he’s a better runner than LaShit McCoy.
Whatever bowl game we go to, they need to let Pat run about 2 out of 5 plays. Maybe we could get Mullen to let Pat go out and just play sandlot. Let Pat tell people to go out and get open and see if the offense is better or worse. I’m guessing it would be about the same.
A Shitt Fan that is happy to have “Pornstache” as their coach???
Now THAT is funny!!!!!
You know will be even funnier … McCoy going to the NFL and Shitt finishing 3 – 8 next year.
See you in Morgantown you steel city greaser.
tph60…your blog has been traced back to Pittsburgh. BUSTED.
Do any of you even look at the recruiting class for next year. It’s undoubtedly the best class we’ve had in 10 years!!! I’m just as die hard as the rest of you but give me a break 7 possibly 8 wins and a bowl is a good way to start off. The thing I don’t like is not so much the misuse of Pat White, he has a good arm too, as the lack of use of Noel Devine. I can’t remember the last time he had a good game. He can take it to the house anytime he touches the ball yet it has been an extremely quiet year from Noel.
Slaton just might be the NFL’s rookie of the year.
I think the “WhiteOut” is fuckin stupid because he’s only one player. .. We need everybody to play thier ass off to win a game, not just one person. Give a standing “O” and let him shed a tear, then play some football. It sends a message to other player’s that everybody came to watch PW and they aren’t worth a shit.
I wish you guys luck in your bowl game. We ALL have to make the BE look better this postseason.
Best recruiting class in ten years??
Didn’t that lead Nehlen to another 7-4 season?
I’m so aggravated with hail2shitt trolling that I tried to find a shittsburgh blog to troll on myself. One problem, they don’t have enough fans that give a shit about their homo team to blog about it. That is why he is watching WBGV all day.
BTW, it was sad to see all the empty seats at Heinz on Friday. With fans like that, I’m sure the Sun Bowl will be anxious to invite Shittsburgh and both of their fans…
2000Grad it’s not about one game.
It’s saying thanks to Pat for 4 amazing years.
For breaking our bowl losing streak, winning 3 new years day bowls including 2 BCS Bowls.
For being the leading rusher for QBs in NCAA history.
For giving us 3 10 win seasons finished ranked in the top 10.
For giving us a seemingly endless highlight reel and adding to it every week.
For helping put WVU on a national stage and doing all he could to keep us there.
I could keep going but I won’t.
To Naples EER – Recruiting is one thing. Coaching is another. Stew’s got a long way to go to prove he’s capable of the latter.
That’s the first thing you’ve said that makes sense hail2pitt.
Speaking of people that can see the future….
Stewart derserves to be fired. I don’t think he should be fired, merely because the instability will do more harm than good, and maybe a new OC can save him.
Mullen and Johnson MUST be fired. Rich fired Phil Elmassian after his first year. Heads must roll for failure.
Stewart will not now, or ever, be fired as long as Pastilong is AD. Mullen will not now, or ever, be fired as long as Stewart is coach. Johnson will probably be reassigned or take a job elsewhere after this year.
I will be sick to my stomach when Chip Kelley takes a job that is not WVU.
GOITER, i still love that name, ..your right, it’s not about one game or one person. it should be about all the seniors, not just one.
2000Grad you are probably of the ilk of those that don’t want kids to play dodgeball in school because the fat kid will get pegged in face. He is the greatest football player in Mountaineer history. Not acknowledging that because it could hurt some other senior’s feelings, is silly.
While you’re at it let’s take down numbers of West and Huff because we can’t put everyones number all around the stadium. Don’t you not think recruits would love to see a fanbase honor a player in that way? If I were a recruit coming to this game I would say, “I can become a fucking god if come to this school and perform well. Count me in.”
Well said 5th Year. I’ll be wearing white head to toe!
we dont want our recruits saying fuck. Remember, only FCA kids for bill.
SHit Rod Didn’t even have a wining seasaion his first year at WVU
The 25314 …aka Nostradamus…I hope you’re wrong on at least not letting Mullen go.
Wow!!! (in response to Stewart Mandel article). I thought the same exact thing, only he thought it a day after the Fiesta Bowl, and I thought it 1 qtr into the 1st game of the season (the ECU game, no the ‘Nova game doesn’t count as a game)…..That was impressive writing and just goes to show you that an objective party (Mandel) sometimes sees things w/o the fans’ glasses that we all wear.
5YS clearly doesn’t get the fact that the play-calling of Mullens (as stated before, “s” intentionally added at end to disrespect Jeff Mullens) holds Stewart accountable as well, to a degree….The other misgivings of game management and the fact that the Mountaineers didn’t play a first half all year make the decision to fire Stewart rather easy….I would hire Todd Graham. Mountie connections and offensive mind w/ probable good rapport w/ Casteel.
And another thing, don’t actually respond to PITT fan (can’t remember his name and not worth scrolling up the page to look). He’s clearly trying to get your “goat” and he uses stale and unoriginal stereotypes to get attention and elicit responses. Just let him think that Pitt is more attractive program than WVU….Used to do this all the time w/ my little brother.
7-8 wins when you’re used to 10-11 is a let down. When I was last at WVU 7-8 win a year was a step up.
For me Stew gets a pass for the first two years, as should any new coach anywhere. Look how totally bad Greg Robinson sucked, but ‘Cuse let him ride 4 years. Mullen and Johnson, on the other hand, need to go at the end of this year. Pastilong bungled this whole business and needs to retire or be forced out.
Shitt boy, you know why bowls like WVU over your team? Your fans don’t travel well and those that do are crude. But you have fun in El Paso, I’ve been there and would rather be in Charlotte. Oh yeah, I’ll be sure to tip your momma well the next time I’m knocking them back at the Cricket Club.
Columbus, I know HCBS takes some accountability for Mullen and his terrible playcalling. I have said that over and over and over and over and over.
Also, how many times are you going put all the negative on HCBS, without giving him any praise? You have no credibility with me if all you do is see one side of the argument. Many of you seem to be afflicted with only looking at the offense and ignoring the D.
Give credit where it is due and criticize when it is due
Todd Graham is not going anywhere, at least not in this direction from Tulsa. From what I’ve read, he has family issues that will keep him in the general region he’s currently in now.
well-said, 5th year. a break here and a break there, and, well, maybe a bcs bowl. at least a gator. (still possible, yes?) here’s hoping for a an even better 2009.
Nice comeback, Gilbert. What are you trying to do, hurt my feelings because PITT beat you again? BTW, I also hope you end up the Car Care Bowl. You’d probably get killed by Oregeon St./Cal in the Sun Bowl anyway and make the BE look bad.
Todd Graham is a defensive mind who hired Major Applewhite and Guz Malzohne to run his offenses.
What “family issues” did you “read” about? That’s unbelievably vague. Does he have a retard son? Does his wife want to stay in OK? Did you read it on a message board or someplace respectable? Was it a primary source or speculation?
Bill Stewart is an offensive…errrr….defensive….errr….special teams coach? who hired Jeff Mullen – who? – to run his offense.
Grumpet – a break here and a break there? A break in the other direction against Rutgers, Syracuse, and UConn and we’re 4-7. Even in the games we won, we sucked. As Pat White said, if ‘ifs’ were 5ths we’d all be drunk.
Remember when we used to say, a break here or a break there and we would have won by 30 rather than 20? That was last year.
I don’t remember where I read it. I believe it was an article somewhere and it was rather vague too. And I didn’t mean to come across as an “insider.” If I’d known I’d get that kind of reaction, I wouldn’t have said it in the first place. I missed the part where it said I had to post a bibliography.
25314’s asshole is a little tight right now while taking liar school finals.
Sorry, didn’t mean to be a jerk. Abiguous specualtion as a whole is a pet peeve of mine. As is the word ‘pet peeve.’
If you people can’t see that we have a very poorly coached football team, I can’t help you. Everyone here defending Stewart will be calling for his head by the end of 2010…
Not to extend this ad infinitum, but I haven’t heard the team spin nor a detractor’s critique on WHY we suck so bad offensively in the first half? I think if our offense didn’t three and out so much, our defense would be rated even higher than they currently are.
I do think the O-line suffered this year.
Oh yeah, thank God it’s hump day tomorrow. let’s get back on track, Mountaineers!
Just get Stew to grow a stache of immunity. It worked for Wanny for three years. You guys should give Stew some more time. It’s quite possible the coaches improve and not make the same mistakes. After all, we saw clueless Wanny and Conservative Cav this year going for a million 4th down conversions, calling fake punts, trick plays, reverses etc.
Mountaineers will be back. Not like this was THAT bad a season for you anyway…not 5-6…or 3-9…
I am a Pitt fan. I read this blog often (as well as write my own and read several Pitt blogs). I am not posting to belittle or attack or to try to get attacked back. I made my “fun” posts about Pitt beating you guys last week, all in good fun of the rivalry, but that isn’t what I am trying to do right now. I just want to write to offer a little perspective.
I know the feeling of watching your team lose games they should win or losing games that you don’t want to lose, such as the Brawl. I know what it is like to watch your team go through a rebuilding process that can take longer than you want it to.
WVU football is in the same boat as Pitt basketball. They aren’t a historically dominant team. They have had good years, but it even took DickRod a few years to get WVU back on its feet. This is much like Pitt basketball who has been a national powerhouse the last 7 or 8 years, but was rather hit or miss before that.
Similarly WVU fans act like a 7 or 8 win season is completely unacceptable when every dominant team will face a season like that here and there. From a hoops perspective, Kansas won the national championship last year and aren’t ranked right now. LSU won in football last year and looks rather bad this year, without the call for Les Miles’ head.
Pitt basketball fans have acted like WVU football fans these last few years where, if Pitt doesn’t have 30 wins, people start questioning the direction of the program, forgetting that the program was in the basement 10 years ago and is now one of the elite programs in the country.
So what is the point? Well, I have a few. First, belittling Pitt for losing to Bowling Green or second-guessing the quality of their bowl game doesn’t help your own case since Pitt beat you (and ECU and Colorado aren’t good losses). Second, WVU hasn’t been a dominant top-10 program the last 25 years, that all of a sudden a 7 or 8 win season is a crime against humanity. It is great to have team pride, and it sucks if your team begins to fall apart, if that is even what is happening. They have had a great few seasons, beating some quality teams like Georgia and Oklahoma. If they make another run next year and finish with only 1 or 2 losses, great. But if your idea of the collapse of a program is losing 3-4 games, then you will never be happy.
Third, two of your losses were awful losses (back to mocking a Pitt loss to Bowling Green), but two of them came to two teams that are on even par with you guys, if not currently better. Just because you don’t want to admit that Pitt and Cincinnati are talented teams doesn’t mean they aren’t. Brian Kelly is a sought after coach right now for what he has done at Cinci. Pitt has multiple players who will be playing in the NFL in the next year or two (not the least of which is our outstanding RB) with more solid recruits that have yet to see the field. The fact is that WVU isn’t going to be the only good team in the Big East anymore, and that is actually GOOD for the Big East.
From a Pitt fan’s perspective, I would love it if you fire your coach because it would set the program back even further. I think he was a bad hire for your school, but he was a great hire for my school. But the reality is, and Pitt football over the years attests to it, running coaches through a carousel WILL NOT build or maintain a strong program.
To draw another comparison to Pitt basketball, I think the hire of Bill Stewart shows more that WVU isn’t as elite as fans think it is. The hiring of Jamie Dixon was seen as a sign of weakness for Pitt when Howland left because it showed that there wasn’t near the interest in coaching at Pitt that many assumed there would be after the good work Howland had done there. Likewise, hiring Stewart wouldn’t have happened if real quality coaches were clamoring for the position. BUT, Dixon did turn out to be the best thing for the Pitt hoops program. Hell, if we got our wish and hired Skip Prosser, we’d be screwed right now. Stewart may well turn out to do a great job. But he will need a chance to implement his style and get his kind of players in. Crucifying him now is only going to lead to him leaving and another mediocre hire coming in (because the worse the coach that leaves, the harder to get a real coach to follow unless you find a diamond in the rough), which will perpetuate the struggles. Give him a couple of seasons and see how it goes.
Say what you want about Dave Wannstedt, but giving him some time has turned out to be a good thing for Pitt. And I say that as one who didn’t want him hired. He ended up the best recruiter in the league, and has slowly taken this team in the right direction, including two straight Brawl wins. If we ran him off after year one or two, we would have lost four straight brawls, have shitty recruits coming in, and no hope for the foreseeable future.
So before you get what you are wishing for (firing your coach) give him a chance and keep in mind that getting that wish is going to hurt your team overall, setting you back further and probably costing more Backyard Brawls.
@ BeamersGoiter
Remember the Gator Bowl? Pat White won the game for us. Our first loss in 2007 came at the hands of USF. Did Slaton play the whole game? I can name a few more if I research to jog my memory. I like Super Steve as much as the next Wvu fan. I’m only pointing out he seemed to get hurt an awful lot against the bigger games and better teams.
Would I get my ass kicked if I agreed with Prowler??
Also, if you don’t wear white to our final home game you’re an asshole. We all complain because our athletic department sits around with a thumb up its ass and now they do something different and we call it stupid. Sure, it wasn’t their idea but they are supporting it and may have something AWESOME in the works for game day.
You can’t win for losing with some of you. Wear white or die…
Good post prowler… I think we need to give Mullen, Johnson, and Stew at least another year. At the end of next year, if our offense is a mess with no direction, you fire some assistants. You have to give any head coach at least 3 or 4 years.
Serious question: At the end of his first year, did RR fire Emassian or did he leave on his own? Not that it matters, just curious. I did notice he moved around a lot even before he got here.
You want a shocker? I said this after the game and watched my friends cringe when they realized it was the truth:
If WVU took a knee 3 times and punted on each possession in the 4th quarter we win the Pitt game.
Don’t believe me? Go back and watch the game. Take about 3 minutes off the clock for each possession, a change of field position of 35 yards and you tell me what happens.
When your offensive coordinator can’t beat 3 knees and a punt against your biggest rival with bowl picks on the line it is time for some real introspection. Fire the man, he is Bill Callahan made over. Pass 3 times, run 15 seconds off the clock and punt when you need to kill the clock.
~vomit~
Will
And another thing:
How many times, EXACTLY, does WVU have to fail to score with 1st and goal inside the 5 FREAKING YARD LINE before someone, ANYONE, realizes that we may just need to have a fullback prepared and operational in our game plan?
Is this rocket science? How long does it take to train someone to knock hell out of the first warm body they come to between the guard and tackle? Hell if he can’t remember where he goes have Pat tell him which hole to hit!
Prowler: Great post. I agree.
Penguin: I hate your logic, however I can’t argue with it.
Looking forward to Saturday…Pat White needs that win, and I will PROUDLY be wearing white.
Ok, 5th Year, what is this AWESOME thing? People and their vague claims…..
I don’t think Elmassian was official fired. He was “encouraged” to find another job. He ended up leaving WVU for Marshall. The same way Steve Bird “decided” to leave WVU and take a job at Eastern Kentucky.
The best thing in the world was when HCBS, during his call in show with Hoppy, tells us all that he 1) feels he’s did a good job this year and 2) gives the offense a C+ or B grade this year. Are you serious?
I guess you guys will be able to pick me out in the stadium, i’ll be the guy wearing Blue and Gold… OUR SCHOOL COLORS!
But i don’t care, wear what you want, wear blaze orange, as long as we win.
Pat White is no Maj. Maj would have never been stopped within the 5 yard line with more than 2 plays. Not once let alone 10 times in a saeason.
Major Harris was spectacular no doubt about it, and I do agree that he was much more of a BIG GAME performer….(no I don’t mean bowl games!!, which are slightly more than exhibitions because there’s nothing after them)….
Howeva, he doesn’t sniff PW, when it comes to what he meant to WVU’s program as a whole…..Pat White is the reason WVU is where they are not Rodriguez, who I never was a big fan of due to choking tendencies in big games (even prior to the PITT game)…..That’s why WVU had a golden opp. last year to get a real coach who could recruit….Think about it, Rodriguez before White was nothing special in his first 3 or so years…..Just ask the folks in College Park.
2000Grad you are wrong. Blue and Gold are Pitts color, not ours. Our school colors are OLD Gold and Blue. So don’t pull this holier than thou bullshit.
So you are saying that if you are handed a White t-shirt when you walk into the stadium you will not wear it?
i might wear it…i’ll prolly just wave it around above my head like a mad man.
i’m not holier than thou, just not a sheep.
Our colors ARE blue and gold, have been since i was a kid, when did they become OLD Gold and Blue? when gomer took over?
I love the I’m not a sheep comment. You are just too cool for school.
This is the first verse of our fight song:
Let’s give a rah for West Virginia
And let us pledge to her anew,
Others may be black or crimson,
but for us it’s Gold and Blue.
Let all our troubles be forgotten,
Let college spirit rule,
We’ll join and give our loyal efforts
For the good of our old school.
That song was written in 1915 so it looks like Gold and Blue are our colors. See you are wrong and this is further support
http://alumni.wvu.edu/traditions/school_colors/
Also, who was our rival back then that wore black and crimson?
That would be WV School for Deaf and Blind
TT at Auburn was just fired
Black and Crimson = Washington & Jefferson. Seriously.
I didn’t read through all 103 posts leading up to this, so sorry if this has been mentioned already.
Anyway, I’m all for firing Mullen, but I would give Johnson another year or two. He inherited a bunch of undersized (dare I say, overrated?) lineman and by my own guessing, prefers a larger group of uglies. Look at who we’re recruiting up front…Morgan Moses is a fucking behemoth (sp) and not exactly the prototrypical lineman you saw being recruited to WVU in years past regardless of how good he is.
Let Johnson get some of his guys in here and we’ll see what happens. As for Mullen, it’s just not going anywhere.
Blue and Gold, Gold and Blue. Who gives a fuck? It’s not white.
And i thought the fight song was something like:
it’s the time boys to make a big noise no matter what the people say, let’s all cheer the gangs all hear so hail to WV hail.
that’s enough of that singin’ shit anyway.
wow…
Some people just can’t admit when they are wrong.
You are correct though, that is the second verse of the fight song.
actually, the last part goes:
…no matter what the people say, there is naught to fear, the gangs all here, so HAIL WEST VIRGINIA HAIL!!!!
but I digress…
I always found that part of the song a little funny and appropriate for WVU fans. Don’t fear anyone because if you get in a fight we have a gang here to kick their ass. Love it
No, you are wrong 5th. I’ll wear whatever i want. AND sing the wrong words…
…AND that would make you an idiot
and 5th Year just successfully translated my “wow…” post
make that “drunk idiot” ….asshole.
Owen Schmitt is coming to this game and looking for “fans” not wearing white…youve been warned