What Scares Me More Than Bowden Staying
Posted by NoleCC
By Bill Kristoph
Chris Knight (Val Kilmer – Real Genius) once said, “Let’s just pause, put that down. Let’s just take a step back. No, I was wrong, I’m sorry, take a step forward. Now, take a step back. Step forward. Back. And then we’re cha-cha-ing!”
In all seriousness, there’s been an awful lot of “man-love” thrown Jimbo Fisher‘s way the last couple of day, when a lot of the Auburn interest is grandstanding and a ploy for power and / or money. There are a ton of FSU Football fans out there that fear a departure by Fisher. My question is why? Yes, Fisher’s FSU Offense showed improvement. I’m not denying that by any means. 2008 FSU Football was a lot easier on the eyes than the past few years. I’m certainly not anti-Jimbo Fisher, but I’m not ready to crown him King yet either. However, one of the first rules of a good business is to never have someone on the staff that is irreplaceable. That puts a good business at risk.
If Jimbo Fisher got hit by the proverbial bus (or in this case, left the program) tomorrow FSU Football would survive. Would it be an ideal scenario? No. It never is for a business when there’s a sudden departure of an important person. Fisher may or may not lead the Noles to national titles, but does anyone think he’s loyal to FSU? I think he’s contractually obligated to FSU as it is right now, and I think that down the road if / when a better opportunity comes along, he’ll be happy to go. It’s a business after all. I don’t fear that after watching OU put up a ton of points, and teams like Buffalo beat Ball State. There’s a ton of parity in college football and a ton of good coaches out there. Everyone is replaceable once the few legends that are left retire.
I guess the moral of my story is for FSU fans to be careful what they wish for. Bobby Bowden is well past his prime, I think he’d even agree with that statement, but Saint Jimbo won’t bring the same charisma to bring in the booster dollars, nor will he charm as many “mommas and daddies” either. Maybe that’s a good thing, maybe that’s a bad one. But the day Bowden is officially gone, the FSU Football program loses a huge intangible, it loses a media darling and it loses part of its history. Sometimes progress creates new and wonderful things, and sometimes it ends up like a bridge to nowhere. FSU shouldn’t put all of its eggs in one basket, and that’s what scares me.
Which will it be? Are we heading the right way? Did Jimbo get something out of all of this talk? Does anyone really believe Bobby Bowden will leave after next year, against Florida on the road, turning over the rains reigns to Jimbo one year earlier than the head-coach-in-waiting contract requires? Leave me your thoughts in the comments.
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Jdogg on 
Chauncy on 
Redman on 
Does this site really have to have a Gator advertisement (collegeluggage.com)? I know the purpose is to make a little money, but what the F?
Anon,
That’s Google… it’s picking up on the Gator keywords from the FSU / UF game, it happens at other sites too. Refresh the page, and they are usually replaced with other ads. It usually changes depending on who FSU plays and / or what’s being talked about on the site.
Oh, and fwiw… the purpose of the site is not to make a little money, the ads pay for the hosting costs.
Don’t be lying, CC. You know you pull 250 large each quarter.
Good point. Bobby is a dying breed. Today’s winning coaches — Saban, Stoops, Urban, for example — are as cold and corporate as a Fortune 500 CEO.
The problem isn’t necessarily Fisher himself leaving, although I do think he’s the type of head coach we need. The scary part would be who he takes with him. Trickett leaving would be devastating, but not nearly as devastating has the half of our recruiting class that leaves as well. Anybody think we recover from that anytime soon?
@4 – LOL TN… well if I’m pulling that you guys must be pulling that each week. ;-)
@6 – DK, Trickett leaving would be rough, yes, but you can’t tell me there aren’t other good offensive line coaches out there. Granted, losing both would hurt, but the program is bigger than two people, the problem isn’t the program it’s impatient fans if something like that happened.
@7– CC, you know it.
Also, I think DK raises a point. Consider that few coaches understand the type of OLine coaching Trickett teaches. Not only would we need to get another great OLine coach, but we’d need one who wants to use these sort of players, and that is rather unique.
You say the program is bigger than 2 people, which is true. It is, but…
Many think it isn’t bigger than 1 person…
The fans would have every right to be livid at the ridiculous management in this decade… and
We’d lose Coley as well.
@8 – I agree that it should be bigger than any 1 person, but that 1 person also saved the program. It’s hard to force him out at that point. I still maintain that all of this field-naming BS should have waiting until he retired, same with the statues and the stained-glass windows, etc.
And, yes, fans can be livid all they want, but frankly, I think there are other things around much more worthy getting livid about than our coaching staff. When it comes down to it, no matter what they might tell the 6 o’clock news, most coaches / players don’t really give a crap whether fans are there or not, as long as their getting paid (coaches) or get their shot to get paid (players to the NFL eventually).
It always reminds me of that Jimmy Fallon movie, Fever Pitch when the kid says to him in the batting cage, “You love the Red Sox, but have they ever loved you back?”
Has FSU football ever loved you back for all of that anger, frustration, passion?