re: I was in Louisville when Krags was there

I don't understand the hatred for a coach who has done the things Miles has done at LSU

Here's how I see it :

if you were hiring someone to protect your kids, would you prefer a really good security guard or an average Navy seal ?

Krag may not have been a good HC but being a HC, in my opinion, makes him highly qualified to run an offense for a team with every other piece in place.

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Posted byMessage
ShortyRob
I was in Louisville when Krags was there


I followed those guys pretty closely but not nutso or anything.

That said, this is my two cents.

1)Petrino seemed to have really let that program get out of control. Sure, his teams were pretty decent but he'd sold his soul to get em there by taking stud players that most schools shied away from. This was talked about A LOT on sports radio(and I listened to a lot of sports radio). I can't recall how many players departed shortly after Krag's arrival but the numbers were pretty significant.

2)The defense already blew chunks pretty bad before Krags showed up. BUT, in his first year, they literally could stop NO ONE!. I mean, not even a little bit. I saw a few games in person and I swear to goodness, if the entire defensive backfield had been hurt and they just grabbed some young guys out of the stands to fill in, the opposing recievers could not have been MORE open than they already were. Hence, in most games, Louisville's offense went into instant "gotta pass" mode. They survived this a BIT because that year, they still had Brohm who was pretty decent.

3)In year 2, it was VERY obvious why Petrino had left as quick as he could. The MFer hadn't recruited AT ALL! The QBs left after Brohm were flat out embarrassing. So, while in year 1, Brohm was able to at least help save the incredibly bad defense, in year 2, there was no such help. You could've resurrected the Bear, put Saban in charge of the defense and Malzahn in charge of the Offense and that UL team would've STILL been VERY bad.

4)As we all know, an HC change can hurt recruiting the year it happens. When you coupled that the fall of for that class with the inevitable fall off that happened when recruits say the precipitous drop in performance in year 2, Krags was basically done before he got started.

I don't know if Krags will turn out as a good OC at LSU. What I think I can say with a pretty good amount of confidence is that his UL experience tells us more about Petrino than it does about Krags.

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Well, I was in Louisville during the Krags years as well as the Petrino and John L years and can tell you this is a complete misrepresentation of what happened.

I will address you points in order

1) Petrino HAD control of the team. The graduation rate was one of the best in Div 1. No arrests and the team performed on the feild. Nate Harris is an excellent example of a player who had a troubled past who came into UofL and did very well. Petrino had coaches and staff who made sure the players went to class and studied while there. Fail a test or miss a class and you found yourself running the staduim at 5:00AM.

Krags on the other hand never tried went the extra mile to make sure the players did anything...ever. He left the players to be accountable to no one. Lets get real, these are 18-22 yr olds who need their butts kicked once in a while. The players who carried on after Petrino remarked how they were no longer scarred if they messed up because "Krags was different". The result was multiple arrests, several players forced off the team for grades...in fact only 1 player in the entire team with a GPA over 3.0. Currently under Charlie Strong the current team (most are the same as last year) has 22 players on the Honor Roll. The players who he did kick off the team or forced to transfer were for dubious reasons and there is the feeling among those close to the program at the time that he never felt comfortable with urban/inner city kids labeled them all "trouble". This explains in part why he stopped recruiting the same schools in Fla that had fed much of our talent for the 10 years of winning football that preceded his tenure.

2) The team returned 20 of 22 offensive players from the previous yr and only lost 5 starters on defense.

3) Petrino had the 26th ranked recruiting class in 2006 (his last year) which until this year was the best in Louisville football history (projected to be 15-20th this year). The class that Petrino was bringing in was projected around the same until he announced he was leaving when it dropped some (happens with coaching change)...Regardless, I dont think this really sounds like a nonrecruiting coach.

Krags on the other hand, recruited players who were being recruited by Troy, Ark state and Miami of Ohio. Not really the same level. Much of his talent gap was KRAGS OWN FAULT. This is backed by the teams record which continued to decline the further from Petrino the team was (6-6, 5-7, 4-8).

4) see above


In addition to above, Krags had horrible game preparation, refused to play to his personel and was horrible at developing talent. For example, our best running back this year (Powell) had 1000 yrds in 3 yrs under Krags...In one yr under a real coach, he had over 1500.

I hope you have good luck with him but really there was no area of being a football coach where he did well while at UofL.

Agreed. As far as the UL gig. Krags knew the situation going in. He took a chance with a team that was returning tons of talent and a preseason top 10 ranking and he went 6-6. He failed miserably as the hc of UL. I'm not saying the guy can't be a good cood, but you need to quit making excuses for him.

Not true that there was "none" on the defense. Most Cards fans did not expect another BE championship the in '07 but did expect to not lose to Kentucky or Syracuse (at home) while a 30 pt favorite. Realistically, we should have won at least 9 games that year.

Krags went 1-12 (think about that) his last 13 games against BCS level teams. The offensive production went from 3rd in the NCAA in '06 under Petrino to 19th -'07, 70th-'08 and 115th -'09.

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Not true that there was "none" on the defense.

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My 'none' was hyperbole, true. But UL's D was hardly stacked AND they lost quite a few starters before their new, offensive-minded coach took over the reigns. Their D, which had never lit the world on fire IIRC was kept under the same DC (and others have claimed the decision to keep the DC was forced on Krag). I actually followed UL back in the day. I remember wondering about the O struggling a little under a new coach and about the D's ability to shore things up until the O found their footing. I remember the freefall. It wasn't pretty.

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Most Cards fans did not expect another BE championship the in '07 but did expect to not lose to Kentucky or Syracuse (at home) while a 30 pt favorite. Realistically, we should have won at least 9 games that year.

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So most Card fans had unrealistic expectations.

The LSU/Tennessee game should never have happened the way it did. Bama should never ever ever have lost to ULM. Michigan should never have lost to Appalachian State. Hell, I know LSU fans who think we shouldn't have lost a game back in '05 when we had a new coach and played 11 games in like 10 1/2 weeks. And fans who thought the same in '08 when our best QB was a Harvard transfer with a noodle arm.

shite happens. UL had a new coach and was a powder keg waiting to happen.

Yes, Petrino kept the program under 'control', but it wasn't like he left a smoothly sailing ship that anyone could walk into and take over with ease. He recruited players that other BCS schools wouldn't touch, kept relatively tight reign over them (something, IMO, that he couldn't do long term), and then bailed before things got too tough. It would have taken a certain kind of coach with a certain kind of personality and skill set to continue winning with the UL program at that point. Obviously, Krags didn't have it. But the job before him was NOT a simple one.

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Krags went 1-12 (think about that) his last 13 games against BCS level teams. The offensive production went from 3rd in '06 under Petrino to 19th -'07, 70th-'08 and 115th -'09.

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I've said that I'm not overly thrilled about the OC hire (despite his better record at Tulsa). Krags' job at UL wasn't an easy one. A better HC could have possibly (maybe) hit that nine win season UL fans expected.

But I'll still wait before I judge Krags on his abilities as an OC. The football landscape is littered with the pelts of failed head coaches who had more successful careers in more narrowly-focused coaching positions. Krags might be one of them. And LSU doesn't need an offensive genius to win another BCSNC, we just need a QB who isn't a basket case, a coach who can get the ball into the playmakers' hands, and to f'ing execute in a timely fashion.

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LousvilleMD

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LOL. Krags over Petrino anyday. Petrino is a loser.

Hmm....Petrino was 41-9 at UofL and 23-15 at Ark.

Krags 44-43 life time....15-21 at UofL. (only 5 wins against a BCS school). WHo is the loser?

Maybe he will be good at LSU. Your special teams and Defense winthe games for you guys anyway.

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Lets get real, these are 18-22 yr olds who need their butts kicked once in a while. The players who carried on after Petrino remarked how they were no longer scarred if they messed up because "Krags was different

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Not saying this isn't true, but isn't it somewhat embarressing, at least in reference to society, that 18-22 year olds need some coach to make sure they keep their grades up?

We're not talking valedictorian standards here. All it takes is a 2.0 to remain eligible.

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Strong et al takes essentually the same group of players (second most seniors in NCAA) and over the season gets them to the point they completely take apart the eventual leage champ (Uconn 26-0) all while having the largest number of honor roll students in the teams history.

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So what you are saying is Strong has had a senior laden team to coach?

That helps in every aspect of college football.
Hell, he should have had a good year. 20 seniors is unbelievable.