re: Could Mullen co exist with Barry Alverez

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Well ok... In order for us to believe this isn't just the denial talking, tell us what those family issues were. We're listening.

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Sure.

BB: Bret was a good coach for us. But we suffered greatly while he matured. Be it his on the field decisions (card said go for it) or his off the field antics. Bret was young and single when he was promoted. And he acted like an overgrown douchey frat boy for a great deal of his single life. Madison is a small city and you can't hide that kind of behavior. More importantly you can't hide it when you are caught hitting on young women who are connected to movers and players at the U. He actually had to have a sit down about this kind of thing. But, like a certain NFL qb who played in Wisconsin it was covered up and people looked the other way. He was a jerk, but he was our jerk.

When Bret got married it was pretty apparent that Jen wasn't prepared for the legend that he had created. I can't blame her for wanting to get a fresh start away from the looks and whispers.

That is why there was so much hurt regarding Bret. We protected him when he was a jerk, expecting we would get the mature years.

I'm not going to lie and say that BA doesn't cast a shadow and that B wanted to escape that, but if you knew their relationship there is no way he left because if BA. In fact he didn't meet with BA Cause he knew that if he did BA would have convinced him to stay.

Andersen: quite simply he was from a different culture. Small town utah. Madison is a fairly liberal city with folks that like to have a good time and drink. The best reference I can give you is it would be like Everybody Loves Raymond. You have the Barones, the loud, get in your business, have a beer kind of family vs. Robert's wife's family. They don't swear. They are reserved. We see the same kind of reaction between Minny folks and Wisconsin folks.

Neither is wrong. Just different.

Andersen also has had major health issues. He is on record about working less and having less stress after his back injury. Supposedly coach Busch is a good friend who is also suppose to keep an eye on him and keep him in check. I don't think he was really aware of how much different life was going to be. And Wisconsin is nothing compared to dOSU, Michy, Bama, LSU, etc.

The same way most wisconsin folks don't understand how much more rabid south football fans are year round. I lived in the south so I get that on Friday night there are folks calling into local talk radio to discuss some eight grader. In wisconsin we move on to basketball whereas it is college football 24/7/365 in the south.

If you watched CGA's pressers it was painful. If you watched him at booster functions it was painful. He actually made folks long for Bret, even when he was still learning how to press the flesh.

I think CGA thought he wanted the UW job. Think he thought he was ready for the challenge of trying to win a NC. But think he realized he wasn't cut out for it. There is literally no pressure in Corvalis. Look how long they kept Riley.


BA: ftr, he has nothing to do with academics or pay. That is out of his hands. Pay is an issue across the board. Profs aren't paid as well as other Big Ten U's.

BA isn't long for the AD position. He is fast approaching 70. And he spends quite a bit of time at his pad in Napkes. Not to mention all the playoff stuff.

And I'm not a big fan of putting up statues to living people. And I'm ok with judging him for his hires, but he is definitely not some controlling tyrant. If so, he would have never hired CGA as everything CGA believed in was different than BA. Aranda changed our entire defense. And CGA was moving from the pro style offense we ran under BA and Bb to the spread.