Selling Like Hot Cakes

Occasionally, you have to tip your hat to an entrepreneur like Joe Greenwood.

The former Temple great defensive back under Bruce Arians sometimes sells Temple-related stuff but he really hit the jackpot thanks to his old coach winning the Super Bowl.

He sold out a first mailing and a second mailing of the above T-shirts and sweatshirts (I got the black hoodie) highlighting the Temple/Tampa Bay connection: “Temple Bay Buccaneers.”

(Nice play on words.)

I don’t know the exact number of sales but it’s in the hundreds and will be seen all over Lot K this fall if fans are indeed allowed. I think Joe got so overwhelmed he’s done with the selling for now but I’m glad he provided them when he did. I would say they are selling like hot cakes but I don’t think even Perkins Pancake House had this much success with their product as Joe did with his.

The Temple schedule was a whole lot tougher under Arians than Carey.

It’s definitely a conversation-starter.

On one of my bike rides through the Pennypack on Saturday while proudly wearing my swag, I ran into an old Temple football player and we got to talking about the Bruce Arians legacy.

“Hey, Mike, you think Bruce Arians winning the Super Bowl will help Temple football?”

Good question.

No, probably because the current regime doesn’t keep or even celebrate past (or even present) Temple connections.

Hell, I definitely think Matt Rhule and Al Golden would have been able to exploit the Super Bowl success had they been here now instead of Rod Carey. A few days after Matt Rhule got the Temple job he asked me for Bruce Arians’ cell number and I had to ask former player Sheldon Morris for permission to give it to him (because that’s the only reason I had it). Sheldon said yes and Rhule and Arians struck up a cordial relationship that exists to this day.

I don’t think Carey values the Temple football history as much as he does, say, NIU’s and that’s pretty sad.

What’s even sadder is longtime Temple loyalists like Fran Brown and Ed Foley have exited stage right and not necessarily on their own accord. Adam DiMichele, who really should be QB coach or offensive coordinator by now, doesn’t seem to have the same trust of this staff that he did with Rhule or even Geoff Collins.

What the Arians Super Bowl win does, though, is cement his legacy as a real good coach at Temple. I’ve been writing this blog for more than 15 years now and it’s well-documented here that Arians–by posting two winning seasons against a Top 10 schedule–performed a near-miracle at Temple considering he had nothing in terms of facilities.

Temple now plays schedules ranked in the high 80s. In the championship season of 2016, for instance, Temple played the 89th-ranked schedule in the country.

It’s a whole different ballgame.

Not only has Arians proven to be a great coach, he developed great coaches with a Temple pedigree and, in Nick Rapone, took a guy who was a great coach at Temple (twice) and made him a Super Bowl winner.

So the pride in Temple and Tampa Bay will be there for all to see in the fall. Greenwood and Arians left Temple on the same day, but they still bleed Cherry and White and that’s what the swag will best represent this fall.

Maybe the winning attitude will spread into Lincoln Financial Field where it is really needed after 1-6.

Friday: Hope Springs Eternal

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11 thoughts on “Selling Like Hot Cakes

  1. Perhaps Covid prevents it, but former Owls now in the NFL could make cameos occasionally (if Carey would allow). It is impressive to the players when that happens.

    Case in point: This past season at Alabama, Julio Jones stopped by to watch a practice. One of the scout team receivers dropped an easy pass and went to pieces with dismay. Julio pulled the player aside and told him “We don’t do that here. We move on to the next play and do our job.”

    Ten years after leaving the program, Julio still understands The Process.

    Great opportunity to instill that mindset now as a followup to the Templebay concept.

    • Yes. That would require an open mind and a less stubborn head coach than the current Temple one, I’m afraid. I just hope he doesn’t invite former NIU players to Temple practices.

      • Carey is far too insecure, he can’t bring himself to reach out to men like MR, Arians, Golden, etc..,

        An insecure introvert, not stubborn or stupid. Perfect job for him would be an assistant in the press box, away from the players.

      • Great point, KJ. These NIU connections are getting to be ridiculous. A father of a Temple player who went into the portal tweeted recently something to the effect “I thought all he wanted were NIU players.” Maybe not players but certainly coaches.

  2. It was tough to replace Manny Diaz at such short notice. Kraft blew it, knew it, and bolted to BC. These things happen. We’re Temple tough and survived some bad prior hires. Fran Brown and Jim Panagos may be ready about the time the current contract expires and Rutgers gets sanctioned.

  3. Insignificant TU FB Tixx Update here: I was pleased to get a call yesterday from the Ticket sellers telling us they were ready to finalize my 2 season tickets again. Seems they took awhile to reseat all of the 20-50 yard line types from the sunny side to the new shady side of the field. I was reminded by the person that Temple now has the other (shady ) side as home side.
    They said it was because the Linc has a new locker room for TU- FB team on the shady side. if one chooses to believe that.
    Anyway, we are staying around in our usuall126/127 section, on the sunny side of the street.
    Hope to see at least some of youze-guys next season

    Continue to Support TUFB, ( continue to whine about coaching ??? let’ see)
    Thank you TUFB
    Thanks Mike again, for his FOREVER Site, perhaps the ONLY TUFB site , really.

  4. I missed an April fools post. I remember some great ones.

  5. https://www.panthers.com/team/players-roster/

    EIGHT TUFB players on the roster! History.., has there ever been more TUFB on an NFL roster.., loyalty to and from..,

    Hello Mr. Carey, how about inviting MR and some of these players to talk to you in private, and the team in public?

    Go Panthers!

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