Category Archives: Stan Drayton

12.24.21
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Temple’s Drayton trying to buck history

The best Jeopardy question ever.

If Temple football ever had a question on Wheel of Fortune, the letters might fill in something like this:

What school had a football team that no head coach from there ever won here?

Temple University.

Technically, yes, at least in the last 20 or so years, although the “from here” part is loosely up for debate.

Al Golden,, from Colts Neck N.J. with a binder of Mid-Atlantic area recruits?

Close enough, especially when you throw in the only Temple player of the year from its short time in the Big East was Colts Neck native Dan Klecko.

Matt Rhule?

Anyone who was born in New York City (a short 90 miles away) and played at rival Penn State AND drove up from Western Carolina to knock on Golden’s door begging for a job at Temple?

Definitely from here.

So the two guys who were credited for a) performing CPR on a dead patient and b) getting that patient from the rehab center to winning track meets? Definitely from here.

Jerry Berndt, Ron Dickerson, Bobby Wallace?

Definitely not from here and it showed in their abysmal Temple numbers.

Stan Drayton?

Not so sure.

Does coaching at Penn and Villanova qualify from here?

Not to me, sorry. Having lived in Philadelphia all of my life, I’m 100 percent convinced that both Penn and Villanova are as Philly as Cal Berkely and Boston College, in that order.

Temple is Philadelphia.

Bringing back Ed Foley would immediately fix Temple’s broken special teams.

So Stan starts from behind the eight ball.

Love the endorsements from all of Stan’s ex-players and other coaches who worked with him about Stan but, to me, the best indicator of his future success is the amount of “Temple” guys he surrounds himself with. We’re not talking Penn guys or Villanova guys, but Temple guys. Temple is a special place, much more special than Villanova or Penn.

If Stan’s moves prove to the fans that he understands that, he will hit the ground running.

Losing Gabe Infante was a negative that could be offset by bringing back Ed Foley to hand the keys of the special teams. Bringing in the Texas recruiting coordinator would be nice but adding a defensive coordinator like former Temple LB coach Mike Siravo would be nicer.

I don’t know what Stan Drayton will decide in the next few days but being from there and trying to win here was something Rod Carey tried to do.

He fell flat on his face but, in doing so, gave Stan Drayton a blueprint for success. Stan only needs to follow it. Keep the outside guys outta here and concentrate on how the Temple guys can help.

That’s a much faster way to re-establish the “Temple TUFF” culture than bringing an all-star staff from Texas and Ohio State.

That other way has been tried and failed. The Temple Way is tried and true.

Final college football picks of the year: Would love to pick Cincy getting the 13.5 against Bama but, like all G5 football fans, will watch that with a rooting interest only. Only three games jumped out to me:

EAST CAROLINA getting 3 against BC in the Military Bowl. ECU beat Temple, 45-3 and BC beat Temple, 28-3; MICHIGAN STATE laying the 2.5 against Pitt without former Temple commit Kenny Pickett (opting-out) in the Peach Bowl (hell, freaking WESTERN Michigan beat Pitt with Kenny); UTAH getting 6.5 against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Utah has been a completely different team since losing to BYU in the Holy War.

Record for the season: 28-25-1. Hopefully, we will hit the 30-win mark by the New Year.

Tomorrow: The Log

Monday: Upgrading the roster

12.20.21
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Now Drayton starts the hard work

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There were plenty of things to like about Stan Drayton’s opening press conference and what he said.

What he did not say was how hard the work he starts this week will be so what happened on Sunday night added some context.

Props to Scott Grayson of Fox29 for the kind of sit-down interview on Sunday night with a new Temple head football coach we used to see the night of the hire.

Channel 6’s Ducis Rodgers did more of a “stand-up” interview at 11:45.

Better late than never.

The Sunday night show on the other two major Philadelphia channels featured a rehashing of the NFL’s decision to postpone the Eagles’ game with Washington.

Yawn.

Temple legends Ed Foley, Matt Rhule, and P.J. Walker.

At least Philadelphia fans were exposed to Temple, which is also a good thing.

What Drayton didn’t say at the press conference, he touched on in the interviews–which was how tough the task will be to clean up the mess left by Rod Carey, without mentioning either the mess or Carey’s name.

“I’m in the process of interviewing coaches; I’m in the process of recruiting players and talking to my own players,” Drayton told Grayson. “Recruiting will be the lifeblood of any program.

“We’re sitting in a hotbed of talent … there is a pool of talent. There is enough for more than just Temple. Temple has to build that culture right here in that backyard.”

At the press conference, Drayton used the term “chasing greatness.” Geez, since everyone “chases” greatness, I wish he said something more definitive like “we’re going to win championships and bowl games.”

Matt Rhule mentioned that in his presser. Steve Addazio promised “multiple bowls wins” even though he delivered just one.

That’s nit-picking, though, compared to the work ahead.

To me, the first thing should he should do is what Manny Diaz did in his short 18 days–commit to a Temple-centric staff that then included Ed Foley, Adam DiMichele and Fran Brown. Diaz was credited with hiring Gabe Infante. Now Drayton can shore up a lot of recruiting by keeping Infante to lock down the Pennsylvania side of the river and Preston Brown the New Jersey side.

Carey’s biggest mistake was bringing an entire Northern Illinois staff to Temple, and easing out Temple guys like DiMichele, Foley and Fran Brown. He did hire Preston Brown, but it was too little, too late.

It’s a positive that in the Sunday interviews Brown reiterated his desire to bring in “Philadelphia” coaching connections but hopefully, that emphasis is on “Temple Philadelphia” and not “Villanova Philadelphia” or “Penn Philadelphia.”

The first move would be to bring Foley back. Matt Rhule is in trouble and rumors are that he will be fired. Getting the best college special teams coach in the country would be a major coup for Drayton who, if he watched the film over the last two years, knows that Temple’s special teams have been a joke. Foley would also help with local recruiting.

Other than that, you can expect Drayton to build a staff based on his 28 years of contacts at several schools. Let’s hope he keeps his promise about Philadelphia connections and, specifically, knowledge of and appreciation for Temple itself.

Friday: Quick Turnaround