Pres. Leath Comments on Rhoads
- Thread starter CyFan61
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I will be shocked if we lose to UNI, but I will not be totally surprised based on previous history. Paul needs to have his team ready to roll right out of the gate. We started okay against NDSU first quarter then we went to sleep for a few games. The defense never had it going for more than a couple of series and sporadic was middle name for the offense.
What it means in a macro sense is that they saw an obvious opportunity for growth and ran with it. Leath has connections with deep pockets, I will say that for him! And the basic premise is you invest in down times. And invest wisely.
So then, essentially, you're attacking Leath for doing his job well (as measured by your own axioms)?
After some time to have processed it, I really don't like how Pollard got in front of the media and railed against the officiating in Stillwater. If Rhoads did it, that's fine. I liked when he did it against UT, but that was a more pivotal missed call than what happened at OSU this year.
Pollard was basically coming out and saying "I don't blame the coach for poor results on the field" when he did that.
I have no issue with what Leath said here, either.
Actually I am attacking him for the way he handled the Bubu situation, the VEISHEA situation, etc. Leath is continuing the path in the other areas academically that we were already on. The programs you highlighted were in place before Leath assumed his office. Times have been pretty great in agriculture for the last few years and a University with Iowa State's background and history should do well. President Geoffrey left Iowa State University in a great position.
I never said he wasn't an incredible Fund Raiser with strong connections. That's what got him hired as I understand it. But that does not make him a strong leader in a communications, leadership and people skills. Ie, many great Sales/Pitch men do not make good CEO's. Different skill sets. Having strong communication skills are essential for Leadership to communicate a Vision. Not allowing your top managers (JP) to do their jobs or commenting on an area outside his area of expertise shows poor leadership. His comments from a timing standpoint back that up (in the middle of recruiting season).
No secret we need JUCO talent. Many of these JUCO's rely on their Juco head coach for advice on what school to choose. Leath making the comments he did, with a coach who has 4 years left on his contract, was unnecessary IMO as JP made a clear statement 2 weeks ago that still allowed a positive message while making it clear next year was important. Now if a JUCO's coach reads all this and his kid wants stability knowing who the HC will be, he cast more uncertainty than needed. Let JP run his department!
Lastly some people think in all circumstances, in down times, that "something" needs to be said or done to appease others. In some cases (and this is one of them) saying nothing would be the best thing.
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if all we are selling is playing time to juco players. I really don't think the comments hurt recruiting. CPR would be long gone at any other self respecting university. these are the first comments I have heard from anyone at ISU that lets people know they are done polishing the turd.
This. Taking it back to my original point. His comments don't hurt recruiting. It doesn't matter that it's prime recruiting season. Results are what hurt recruiting the most. Some kid isn't going to care what the President of the University said. Any kid who can look at the record from the previous two years would understand that Rhoads is on a short leash.
It sounds to me like Leath is acknowledging the frustrated portion of the fan base. Pollard made it obvious that he backs Rhoads. Leath is making it obvious that in the end it's about results. Some people don't care to hear the hoorah tactics anymore. If they feel like they are being ignored then that doesn't help either.
Basically this is a damned if you do damned if you don't scenario, but regardless of how you feel about him making these comments it's not going to damage recruiting anymore than has already been done.
According to DT recruit Bobby Leath's comments, he says that we were really young and had a lot of injuries and expects us to be good next year. He is coming to ISU BECAUSE of the coaches we have.
You mean to tell me a recruit said good things about the school he's going to attend!? No way!!!!
I'm sorry... what do you expect a recruit to say? Every team in D1 football would be competing for conference championships if you went off of what some of their incoming recruits said. Of course they are going to be positive.
If you just landed a big job are you going to immediately be critical of the company that hired you?
On the other hand, when you're literally the worst defense in college football it is only natural to expect it to be better. It can't get any worse I suppose.
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Say what? Bobby Leath had his choice of several Power 5 Conference schools, including K-State.
If a company that has sucked, hires some really great people for key positions, should everyone just assume that the company will continue to suck? And that the new people will suck as well because the company sucked before?
Would you constantly be saying negative things about that company before those newly hired people even had a chance to contribute and turn things around?
Depends on the company, and how many holes they have to fill. If only a couple pieces are needed to help them turn the corner then I would be more positive, but the reality here is that a couple pieces likely aren't going to be enough to make a difference. Especially a couple pieces that haven't played ball at this level. ISU can't afford to have players with a learning curve. They need guys who will be ready to play at a high level from day one. The best defensive lineman the Cyclones had graduated. The best offensive lineman graduated. Cousins got in trouble. Sorry I don't see enough reinforcements coming to turn the tide of war.
You said virtually all of these things a year ago. You're becoming the boy who cries wolf. The eternal optimist is nice and all, but at some point it makes you look a ridiculous. You crossed that point awhile ago.
I really do not find much credibility in your analysis.
You are the guy who said that the Iowa Linebackers would be just fine. You said they would not have trouble replacing their Linebackers. And you also predicted an Iowa Victory over Iowa State.
Did you say that you would leave these message boards if Iowa beat Iowa State in football?
I never said I would leave. I said I would eat crow... which I did.
I also admitted I underestimated how tough it would be to replace Morris, Kirksey, and Hitchens. That was obvious after the UNI game. I've never claimed to be perfect, and when I'm wrong I admit it. I was wrong about specifics, but I was right about the big picture (roughly how the seasons would go).
You failed miserably at visualizing just how bad the Cyclones defense was going to be. You said the loss at DTs would actually be a good thing. You argued the Juco guys would fill the void. You thought the team would be much better than it was. Everything you're saying now sounds familiar.
I've learned from my mistakes. I was too optimistic about Iowa last year. Most of that was due to the easy schedule. I won't make that mistake again. Instead I'll take a wait and see approach.
Sounds to me like you're reverting back to the same approach that didn't do you much good year ago. Could the Cyclones be better next year? Sure, but that's not saying a whole lot. How much better is the million dollar question, and I don't see any way they make enough improvements to save CPR's job. I think 4 wins is the ceiling.
He was actually right about the defensive tackles until Jensen and Cousins got injured. Ayeni was injured from the start, so we'll never know how good the defensive tackles would have been had guys stayed healthy, but based on their play against K-State, Iowa, and Oklahoma State, I think it's safe to say they were indeed better until injuries took their toll.
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