12.06.18
by

Geoff Collins: The Elephant In The Room

elephant

From the time Geoff Collins walked past the line of cheerleaders leading him to his introductory press conference at the Liacouras Center, I had one overriding thought.

He’s gone.

Talking about Collins leaving has always been the Elephant in the Temple football room.

No, maybe not the next day or week or year, but this is not the kind of guy who is going to stop and make Temple a home for the long-term.

None of them are.

The days of Wayne Hardin staying for 13 years and building Temple into a respectable program are gone forever.

6fb62-elephant-in-the-room

Now Collins’ name is being floated around for his “dream” job (Georgia Tech) and he’s as mum about it as he is about Temple injuries. The thing to remember about Collins is that he is, as the old Ricky Nelson song says, a “Traveling Man.” Look at his stops: Georgia Tech, Alabama, FIU, UCF, Mississippi State, Florida, Temple.

He does not stay in one place long enough to buy green bananas at the Pub Linx, Winn Dixie or Ac-a-me.

He might get the Georgia job, he might not. (Chargers’ offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is rumored to be the leading candidate.) There will be other “dream jobs” for Collins down the line.

Unfortunately, one of them won’t be Temple, which has always been a place holder.

To me, Georgia Tech would be better off hiring Whisenhunt or Army head coach Jeff Monken than it would be Collins, but that’s just me. Whisenhunt is a GT grad and Monken runs the very same triple-option offense most of the GT players have been recruited to run.

fiucollins

Collins at Florida International

Still, it should not come as a surprise to hear on the radio next week that Collins has accepted the head coaching job at Georgia Tech because he’s got the gift of gab and that sometimes carries the day in coaching interviews.

Steve Addazio had that and that’s why he became the late Lew Katz’s favorite for the Temple job over then-athletic director’s Bill Bradshaw’s heavy Matt Rhule lean. With a BOT member and big donor like Katz behind him, Rhule never stood a chance.

He stayed one year to be Daz’s recruiting coordinator and then was off to apprentice under the great Tom Coughlin and a New York Giants’ team that has never really recovered after him.

Rhule came back a more polished coach and he probably was the most respected one among the players on the Golden and Daz staffs.

Rhule, like Al Golden before him, was the perfect fit for Temple so hearing him leave on the radio after leading the Owls to the AAC championship really was a shock. Rhule followed Golden’s binder to perfection–recruit a complete team (11 offensive players, 11 defensive ones, 3 specialists) every year, build an offense around running the ball and controlling the clock and dominate on defense. Put together an assistant coaching staff and guys deep in FBS experience, establish relationships with Pennsylvania and New Jersey high school coaches, pluck an occasional kid away from Florida, and away we go.

Collins has been and will continue to be an “imperfect” fit for Temple. Many of his key assistants are FCS level and below and that inexperience hurt the Owls on the field early this season. Several from the south (two from Georgia). He recruits largely in the south and has virtually no relationship with Southeastern and South Jersey high school coaches. His offensive coordinator is probably the worst fit for Temple in the history of assistant coaches. Playing a tight game against Villanova one year and losing to them the next is a Cardinal sin that should never be forgiven by any Temple fan, administrator or student. That loss rests right at the feet of his OC.

Temple football survived the loss of Golden and Rhule, who are better fitted for 10th and Diamond than Daz and Collins were and are. We all know Golden can win here, probably knows that quarterback Anthony Russo is better-suited to operate out of a pro set than a read-option, is a sure thing and probably available. Golden has great relationships with Ed Foley and Adam DiMichele, who should be holdovers. Whatever, the next Temple head coach should be a proven head guy with a ready-made staff and not an assistant coach who has to learn on the job.

Should Collins exit stage left this week or next, this year or next, Pat Kraft’s charge will be to find one of those better fits and a guy who has learned the hard way that the grass is not always greener beyond the 10th and Diamond fence.

Monday: Reshuffling The Bowls

37 thoughts on “Geoff Collins: The Elephant In The Room”

  1. You are making a lot of sense.Sent from my Galaxy Tab® A

    Reply

  2. The one thing that worries me if Collins takes the GT job, is not so much him leaving, don’t think that is as bad as some on Facebook think, especially if the OC and DC go with him. My concern is ho many TU commits that he recruited this year will he try to take with him. e strikes me as someone who will have no problem “poaching” as many as he can, especially since he will be inheriting a team recruited to play the triple option

    Reply

  3. Sooo. If CC leaves… Can Temple hold out for Todd Bowles? Its the conundrum of the NFL and CFB season difference but I’d love the idea of Coach Bowles coming back home. He’s an alum, a Jersey guy, and he’s got NFL chops and contacts (which given the amount of Owls in the NFL of late doesn’t hurt either).

    Not putting the said cart before the proverbial horse, but this has been my thought as a Jets fan and TUFB alum.

    (I shall return to the shadows and lurk. Keep up the great work here!)

    Reply

  4. damn came here to comment to get todd bowles and someone already mentioned him.

    Reply

  5. So what is our consensus on our HC GC, Musically speaking ?
    Will we spin Moody Blues singing ‘Go now Go now ‘
    or Sonny and Cher with ‘Baby don’t go’.

    I say, ‘Oh won’t you stay-eaa just a little bit longer, please please’

    Reply

    • “Like a steam locomotive rolling down the track…” I would be surprised if he left now.

      Reply

    • My vote is for the Moody Blues, never a huge fan of Collins, while his 2 seasons were good, thought they were also “under performing” in that team record should have been 1 to 2 games better each year. Agree with Mike with regards to the coordinators as far as being FCS level talent in over their heads at this level. My feeling is if we have the type of season I think this team is capable of next year Collins is gone no matter what. That being the case I’d rather see him leave now and TUFB move forward

      Reply

  6. Temple plays money-ball. We’re the Philadelphia/Oakland A’s of CFB. Mack and Beane would never match big salaries. Getting paid by a P5 school for a contract buy-out is nice, and finding diamonds in the rough is a Temple tradition.

    Reply

  7. Heard from a good source that Ge-off’s agent gave the B of T a sort of ultimatum that they renegotiate Ge-Off’s contract or he’s leaving. That tells you all you need to know about this carpetbagger. I say good bye and good riddance to this big time BSer and below average, underachieving head coach. Take your dumb money downs and clam diggers and go already.

    Reply

    • wonder where Pat Kraft stood on the issue? Did he try to persuade the BOT to renegotiate? Or, did he remain silent?

      Kraft has to be scratching his head hard and searching his hat for the rabbitt.

      And what about CC? Is Ga Tech really his dream job or just another rung on the ladder?

      Whatever, the cupboard is not bare. The 2019 team has a ton of talent. I just hope the new regime comes to the table with a simplified scheme on both sides of the ball so the kids aren’t reinventing the wheel.

      Reply

  8. The only thing I can say in Collins defense, unlike Addazio or Rhule he did not imply that he wanted a lifetime contract at Temple. That said, I agree with your entire post.

    Reply

  9. Watching a replacement for Rock, a running back named Billy Lucas for Cathedral Prep. Kid is fast and runs tough. Tearing up Imhotep’s defense. Currently being offered by MAC teams. Rated three stars.

    Reply

  10. Say good-bye, the deal is done. If he had stayed it would have been the first time the AAC retained all the bowl game coaches.

    So much at stake, 9-4 record, bowl win and recruiting hardware in E-O, etc. Worst part is timing, it has happened so late in the coaching carousel. AND, this is prime recruiting crunch time.., SMH

    Reply

  11. Geoff is a scumbag and always has been. Attending Paul Palmer’s induction only to meet with GT and then planning recruiting visits in Georgia to follow up with GT again. Glad he could use our schools time and money to find that next job. He’s all talk and no walk…typical used car salesman except he wears capris and shoes without socks. Take the OC with you and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. I’ll start packing up the money down props, above the line charts and every other distraction that left this team unprepared one too many times before I personally drive you to the airport. Good riddance, ya bum!

    Reply

      • I could name a few head coaches who I think would be better for Temple right now than Collins ever was just off the top of my head: 1) Al Golden; 2) Mike McIntrye (just fired as Colorado coach but had freaking San Jose State in the top 25 and was a former Temple coach; 3) Curt Cignetti (Elon HC and former Temple assistant); 4) Todd Bowles (only if he’s allowed to bring Todd McNair in as his OC); 5) Paul Darragh (Bloomsburg HC and former Temple linebacker). All have Temple connections, understand Temple and have HEAD coaching experience. No more coordinators. It’s ashame Mike Houston took the ECU job before this happened, though, because he was able to beat Villanova with JMU talent (nowhere near as good talent as Temple talent) this year, 37-0. To me, the best head coaches are guys who are able to maximize their talent. Houston did. Collins did not.

      • also, the Buffalo coach (Lance Leipold) who kicked Collins’ ass makes $350K a year. Collins made $2 million a year. Money talks, bullshit walks. Love to see Collins take GT into LFF and get his ass kicked by the same guy next year.

    • If Collins is demanding a pay raise after a season in which he lost to Villanova, that shows he really doesn’t understand the hatred Temple has for Nova or how important winning that game was to the program’s bottom line. If I was Pat O’Connor, I’d tell him, “Bye, Felicia. Pack your Villanova-losing sorry ass and get the hell off my Lincoln Financial Field lawn and take that shitty offensive coordinator with you.”

      Reply

    • Never was a head coach before. Hard pass. Don’t want a guy who has never been a head coach before. Had too many of those. He can be the next guy’s recruiting coordinator. Let him learn to be a head coach at Kutztown first. Don’t want Temple to be a place where a guy can start as a HC anymore. Want a guy who is a proven head coach at the FBS level.

      Reply

      • Sept 28 vs Ga Tech should put 35K in the stands. Temple, with the right HC, will be 3-0. Ga Tech should be 2-1..,

        the kids will be hyped to beat the coach that divorced them

      • the right EXPERIENCED head coach. Every coach other than Daz who came in without experience coached like a chicken with his head cut off his first year. Golden gets a pass because he had no talent. Daz was smart enough to bring the guts of a Florida staff that had just come off a national championship with him. We need a HC with a ready-made staff and connections. Fran won’t have big-time coordinators.

  13. Paul Johnson. He said he wants to take a year off before deciding if he wants to continue coaching. An offer from TU may change his mind.

    I wanted Coach Monken after Rhule bailed. Monken would have won the AAC with Centeio directing the spread option. Just imagine the play action passes for touchdowns that could have been scored by V. Bryant, K. Kirkwood, and I. Wright with the opposing defense sucked down into the line of scrimmage. Think about the success of Calvin “Megatron” Johnson, Demaryus Thomas, and Roddy White.

    Johnson has beaten ND, Georgia, Clemson Miami, etc… on a semi-regular basis at a school that takes academics seriously. Mike is correct that a proven head coach is optimum and Johnson fits the bill. Otherwise, I’d go with Adam DiMichele.

    DiMichele could be an eastern Lincoln Riley with a Bruce Arians/Wayne Hardin element as he may stay at TU longer than a typical 21st century Head Coach/mercenary.

    This team has a ton of talent and won in spite of Collins and Patenaude.

    Collins departure, either now or next year, should be looked at as an opportunity to get better.

    Reply

    • Monken a better fit for gt than tu since they have triple option guys. Russo is our biggest asset. Build the offense around him like Leopold did with Jackson at buffalo

      Reply

  14. G-TECH source reports G Collins will be their new HC, just read it online.
    Now for TUFB, “What’s up , Doc ?”
    Can we get coaching for this important Bowl Game.
    I can’t blame Collins, he goes to a bigger game now

    Reply

  15. The Independence Bowl is currently seeing if they can dis-invite the Owls. LOL. Collins is a clown and GT will quickly realize that. Patenfraud gone is an early Christmas present.

    Reply

    • If this is what it takes to get rid of Patenfraud, more than worth it. Next guy must have been a successful head coach before, preferably at Temple. This speculation about bringing Fran Brown back would be like hiring Jerry Berndt or Ron Dickerson all over again. University cannot afford to find out he has no head coaching acumen once he’s here. One poor hire and the program is gone.

      Reply

      • As far as Foley coaching the bowl game, he’s 0-1 in bowl games as a 13.5-point favorite and 7-16 as a head coach overall. I would jump on Duke +6 if it’s still available in the next couple of hours.

      • It’s rather incredible that the TUFB program is so fragile that one bad hire could be the death of it. But I think you’re right. If Collins goes, that’s fine. It was just a matter of time for him to move on. If we were asked 10 weeks ago if you’d take an 8-4 record but with GC moving on, all of us here would’ve taken it in a heartbeat. So I hope it’s AG. He seemed to find or develop a lot of underrated kids. 2 and 3 star kids that got to the pro level. Plus I think he’d generate a lot of buzz in the Philadelphia area.

  16. While it’s looking like a repeat of the Military Bowl performance coming up have to agree with the sentiment here that it’s worth it to get rid of Patenfraud. In my opinion no big loss losing Collins either, contrary to the wailing over on the FB page, this team had the talent to be an 8-10 win team both years of Collins tenure. Good luck to him at GT, I won’t criticize someone for taking what they consider a better position and as you’ve said MIke, he never gave any indication that he was here for the long term. Given the re-tooling he will need to do at GT I do think Collins has a chance of not lasting down there, especially if both of his current coordinators go with him, which I hope they do!!

    Reply

  17. The writing was on the wall when Collins was hired. As Mike clearly states, he does not stay still very long in one place. Unless you hire somebody with Temple routes, or an Al Golden who might not be so quick to jump, this will keep happening. It is not Collins fault. This was the man Temple hired. He is who he is.

    One more note maybe I look at the positive. Yes he lost to Villanova and Buffalo. Criticisms of those losses are valid (especially Villanova). However, many coaches would have lost their team after that. He did turn it around and had a good season. That will be my positive memory of Collins tenure at Temple.

    Reply

  18. 2 Jet Head Coaches went from not doing well with the Jets to winning NCAA Championship games. Lou Holtz and Pete Carroll. If you just go by history alone, you have Todd Bowles with a Temple connections who will soon be looking for a new job.

    Reply

  19. Collins is Georgia Tech’s 13th head coach ever. Talk about an omen. If the guy TU hires doesn’t believe in pro set power running offense it will be another mistake. Russo is a pro in waiting. A bad thing is that the early signers are in this week-end. Kiss half of them good-bye.

    Reply

  20. I say this every time a coaching transition occurs. The days a hoping for a “Temple Paterno” are gone, and there is nothing wrong (in my mind) with a revolving door of coaching talent so long as the bar keeps getting raised. If they advance the program or at least keep the momentum alive then I’m happy. From the pre-Golden era that we shall not name to now I’m quite happy with how the program has advanced. Admittedly, I will definitely not miss the marketing aspect of Collins or the Money Down. Would rather have seen the money spent buying Star Wars licenses go to scholarships. But I digress….

    Congrats to Collin, wish him success. Now focused on the next HC and hoping it’s someone with experience at the helm. The coordinator game can be hit or miss, and it’s hard to gauge how much is Kraft crafty (heh) vs. luck.

    Happy Holidays everyone

    Reply

  21. Collins is coming home his dream job, I live 20 minutes from where he lived, my understanding was that Kraft knew he was gone when he signed him and was informed that if GA Tech was offer he be going, He was also responsible for the last great Tech recruiting class that included Calvin Johnson and Derek Morgan. I agree with you that the next coach should be someone with HC experience and able to recruit, because winning programs are based on how well they recruit. My under radar candidate, Todd Bowles.

    Reply

Leave a reply to Mike Gibson Cancel reply