Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
If he is that much of a moron to think that, then it's a very good thing that he's gone.Baer is probably like this whole coaching staff sucks real bad! Why do I have to take the blame and go?
Of course it's a good thing. We got rid of the guy in charge of the defense that ended up 113th in total defense and the guy in charge of one of the worst overall special teams in the nation.It is probably a good thing. Baer was pretty bad. LaRussa is just like a bad GA.
When they’re that horrific, makes you wonder what was seen in them in the first place. I mean, if you finish middle of the pack, arguments for or against, but when you are consistently at the bottom - seems like it should have been more known that they couldn’t do the job before they even got the job.Of course it's a good thing. We got rid of the guy in charge of the defense that ended up 113th in total defense and the guy in charge of one of the worst overall special teams in the nation.
I mean, you don’t just all of a sudden suck.I knew Baer was bad before Sanchez brought him here, he stunk up Boulder.. the CU Buffs as well!
When they’re that horrific, makes you wonder what was seen in them in the first place. ...
...seems like it should have been more known that they couldn’t do the job before they even got the job.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but everyone needs to keep in mind that we aren't UCLA or A$M where great coaches are breaking down doors to get in and we don't have the money, the facilities or the incredible local recruiting pool of an up and coming program like UCF. Baer was/is very well respected in the coaching community and comes from a solid coaching tree stemming from Bruce Snyder, Tyrone Willingham and Dick Tomey. His stint at CU wasn't good but name the last DC in Boulder worth a damn since Barnett was forced out by the Boulder administration when they basically set him up with the NCAA. The guy has been the DC of some good defenses at USU, ASU, Stanford & the Domers. Heck, his defenses with the Domers made him a finalist for the Frank Broyles award. It was also reasonably expected that he would be able to kill it in recruiting Utah, Arizona and So. Cal. Yes he failed but I don't think anyone could have seen how badly he was going to fail with his hiring and promotion of Larussa, his move to a passive defensive front and completely failing in recruiting.When they’re that horrific, makes you wonder what was seen in them in the first place. I mean, if you finish middle of the pack, arguments for or against, but when you are consistently at the bottom - seems like it should have been more known that they couldn’t do the job before they even got the job.
It's actually not too uncommon. Look at Bob Diaco who was the DC for the Domers from 2010 - 2012. He took a terrible defense and made them into the #2 defense in the nation. He won the Broyles award as the best assistant in college football. Then he became HC of UConn where his overall team was very poor but as their DC he quickly built them into one of the best defenses in the country with basically no talent. Of course, Nebraska hires him as their DC for a cool $1 MILL a year. He simply made the traditionally great Blackshirts into a defense that was almost as bad as ours and he had several players to work with who are going to play in the NFL.I mean, you don’t just all of a sudden suck.
It's going to be VERY tough for several reasons:...
Hiring a replacement for Baer might show us how tough it is to fill such a position at UNLV - and now the replacement comes in knowing the pressure is on him to turn things around or he will be out the door with Sanchez within two years.
I think that the best we can do is to either promote Tony Samuel to DC and let him install his attacking defense while hiring another Defensive Assistant Coach who is also a Great Special Teams Coordinator or we have to take a risk with a very young and inexperienced DC who is an up and coming coach.
Why?I'm uncomfortable when you say Domers....just say ND.
Do you work at the post office?Why?
ND stands for North Dakota to me.
Yeah. A co-DC might be the best bet. Also need the special teams coordinator replaced. Money is a big issue though.I'm not sure that's the case, but I definitely see your point. We had two existing positions open and a third one by NCAA rule allowed, so in some ways are filling two openings with three people. Should help some (hopefully). I think if Sanchez really has confidence in a high-level P5 defensive position coach (or a "co-DC" role) who is in a position where maybe the opportunity to move up is stifled by age of those "ahead" of him, you would have a shot. Certainly not like we are getting Bama's LB coach or something, I wouldn't insinuate that... Not sure what the answer is, but the change is needed.
I was thinking that the Co-DC would be taking LaRussa's spot if Samuels was promoted to DC. It would still cost us a good chunk of change but not quite as much in total if Cody Green moved up from GA to become the 10th coach.A co-DC title would probably mean spending more money than we have. Promoting from within may be what we have to resort to, but it's tough to do when our defense has been awful. Even if that isn't fair.
Gotta spend money to make money. We keep with that excuse and nothing will change, just look back at the last 20+ years. It's the one thing that I see (myself included of course) all of us say every hire and fire, "what do you expect, we don't have the denero." I, for one, am sick of that being the reason we can not hire well coach/asst coach after coach/asst coach. Build it (in this case spend it - fund-raise for not just structures maybe?) and they will come. I feel we only fund raise for the shinny brick and mortar stuff.
I'm probably way off in my assessment but it's just how I feel tbh. It's like a broken record tenure after tenure...but athletics can build 'state-of-the-art' structures staff after staff. Structures can't coach, maybe UNLV is thinking they can use them for recruiting strong star laden rosters to carry shit coaching with athletic talent to the promise land and reduce their salary budgets.
~Uneducated rant over...lol~ Liek I said I'm probably way off target here, but it is my observation.
With what we offer, it’s far, far below what our expectations are. We want the tourney every year, we want a S16 now and again, we want to win conference. In general, that “costs” probably about 2M to hire. We pay far less so we get less. And if there is success, we won’t be able to retain because they’ll be a hot conmodity. UNLV does not open the wallet to retain. They just don’t. Didn’t for Kruger, didn’t for Schloss... every other coach has been canned.Gotta spend money to make money. We keep with that excuse and nothing will change, just look back at the last 20+ years. It's the one thing that I see (myself included of course) all of us say every hire and fire, "what do you expect, we don't have the denero." I, for one, am sick of that being the reason we can not hire well coach/asst coach after coach/asst coach. Build it (in this case spend it - fund-raise for not just structures maybe?) and they will come. I feel we only fund raise for the shinny brick and mortar stuff.
I'm probably way off in my assessment but it's just how I feel tbh. It's like a broken record tenure after tenure...but athletics can build 'state-of-the-art' structures staff after staff. Structures can't coach, maybe UNLV is thinking they can use them for recruiting strong star laden rosters to carry shit coaching with athletic talent to the promise land and reduce their salary budgets.
~Uneducated rant over...lol~ Liek I said I'm probably way off target here, but it is my observation.
Great point that's made even better because the offense is run dominant. It can really help rest the defense and a smart DC prospect will see that......You have a pretty good offense on the other side of the ball which takes some pressure off.... .
Unfortunately, the delays in both the coaching facility and the new stadium simply dug us much deeper into a hole. Because this has gone on for so long the potential players and coaches have adopted the outlook of "I'll believe it when I see it completed" when it comes to UNLV. Really can't blame them either.Breaking ground on the new training facilities in January should be a big boost towards UNLV moving forward and will show both recruits and potential coaches that UNLV is upgrading as promised. Next will be for the stadium construction to move above ground and the structural framework to start developing. When fans, players, recruits, etc. see the stadium development moving forward, this should help to build excitement.
You have to accept that it's a chicken & the egg scenario when it comes to getting talented coaches. You need top notch facilities in order to get top notch coaches. Then you need the money to pay and to keep them. One thing is for certain; it will take time at UNLV. The fact that TS made the tough call on Baer & LaRussa, that we are improving our facilities, that we are improving in recruiting, that we are improving our depth, that the offense is growing at a steady pace and that we have won more games for three consecutive seasons is evidence that we are trending in the right direction.You can't turn UNLV around quickly in football for numerous reasons. Stay the course and keep moving forward. If we do, I think we'll get there.There in-lies my issue, using top not facilities to utilize high level recruiting to overcome the lack of coaching.
It's Rice/Mendenhall all over again.
There in-lies my issue, using top not facilities to utilize high level recruiting to overcome the lack of coaching.
It's Rice/Mendenhall all over again.
A name to keep an eye on is Tim Skipper. .....
Do you think Dan Mullen is going to keep him on the staff? Mullen has already said he's bringing in his DC from Miss. St. If that's the case, I imagine Todd Grantham will want to hire his own staff, including someone as LB coach. Skipper will probably be released from Florida.Not sayin' it won't happen but Tim Skipper is getting paid $460,000 a year at Florida through the 2018 season with a $225,000 buy-out.
Not sayin' it won't happen but Tim Skipper is getting paid $460,000 a year at Florida through the 2018 season with a $225,000 buy-out.
Baer being hired was a good thing. He was a coach with tremendous experience. He had familiarity with the conference (stint at San Jose State) the region (Colorado and Wasington)
He had some solid years at Notre Dame and San Jose State. He also had some poor showings at Colorado and Washington.
But Sanchez did the right thing in hiring him. He needed experienced guys around him to help with the transition.
He also did the right thing in firing him.
The defense wasn't improving. These were predominantly his guys. Schematically Baer rarely influenced a game. He had to go. I don't think it was so much he was a bad coach but more he had lost the feel for calling a game.
A name to keep an eye on is Tim Skipper. He was on the short list for the DC position when Sanchez was putting together his first staff. He's widely touted as an excellent recruiter and was praised for his work as LB coach at both Florida and CSU. Also worked on the Fresno State staff. Has a lot of MWC ties..
Even if he's not retained, he gets paid to Feb 2019. With the recruits that he's in on and the recruiting that he has been doing, it looks like he's staying.Depends on if he is retained. Dudes gotta eat...
That's particularly true when we are undersized in the front 7.I think we are a ways off from being able to compete straight up depth and talent-wise on defense. I think we need to run some type of exotic and aggressive defense that can help hide deficiencies and lack of depth. We need to put pressure on the offense instead of sitting back and getting picked apart. 35 years of watching Rebel football has shown me the defense is not going to win most battles playing straight up