In the world of recruiting, it has been said that stars matter.

While there are some naysayers who point to diamonds in the rough like Ed Reed, even they admit that those finds are few and far between. That line of reasoning also begs the question on what exactly teams like the Miami Hurricanes are thinking this year.

Filling your recruiting roster just for the sake of filling it is unwise and can hurt the program long term. This fact has been argued successfully many times here on TN, often times drawing the ire of delusional fans who often respond with something like "trust the coaches".

Trusting the coaches is a technique that works great when they are doing their jobs and bringing in the best players they can get on top of excellent coaching, but it’s the ultimate cop-out when they are taking the easy road out and not properly evaluating the talent that is available. Miami has basically surrendered South Florida to FSU and UF, allowing them to cherry-pick who they want. That is unacceptable for a program like Miami, even with the looming NCAA sanctions. But I digress…

The fact of the matter is that in order to be a successful football team, you have to have two basic resources in order to succeed:  A) Coaching and 2) Talent.

You can obtain a certain level of success by being blessed with one or the other, but in order to ascend to the elite echelons of college football, you must have both.

While this piece will certainly leave more questions than it will answers, the intent is to outline recruiting trends since the 2007 season where FSU finished with a 7-6 record, coming off the same result from the 2006 season. I think we can all agree that recruiting had taken a fairly large nose-dive at this point in Bobby Bowden’s coaching career as he was shown to be unable to close like he had in years past.

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Please continue the discussion here guys.

Thanks!

Tomahawknation

 I have read well over 2,000 comments on various news sources over the last 24 hours and the spectrum of emotions and thoughts seem to range from a spiteful tar and feathering of Bobby on his way out of the door to melancholy reminiscing of the old days and what might have been had Bowden chosen different paths. One poster’s comment (source withheld to protect the well-being of those involved) expressed the Bowden Retirement Saga as akin to passing a gallstone while another’s lamenting over past glories rambled on to the point where I thought I was reading a thesis paper instead of a comment on breaking news.

While absorbing everyone else’s thoughts on the matter, I began to think about how this ordeal might still end in a good light. Bobby Bowden has been at the helm of FSU football for longer than I have been alive, and I have watched the ebb and flow of events as if they were a “Days of Our Lives” soap opera playing out before my very eyes.

As a small child I watched our rise to excellence behind the direction and passion of a man who was unafraid to play anyone – anywhere, anytime. A man once dubbed as the “Riverboat Gambler” who’s bold and inventive plays shocked the college football world and stunned his rivals. A man dubbed “King of the Road” for his glorious victories behind enemy lines. This was just the beginning though as I saw Bobby take FSU football even further in the 90’s and dominate the college football world in a way it has never been dominated by one single school ever before. He brought the Seminoles to the pinnacle of excellence.

At the climax of power, at the very essence of excellence back in 1999, I also watched Bobby Bowden make one of the biggest mistakes of his coaching career… He came back for more. Not only that, but he made several other critical mistakes such as using a loophole in Florida’s anti-nepotism laws to hire  his son and then going on to lead the Seminole nation into almost a decade of mediocrity from that point forward…

Through all phases of Bowden’s career at FSU – the ascension, the sustained excellence, and the tragic (yet self-imposed) decline; the University has honored Bowden in ways no other coach has ever been honored. They have renamed the football field in his name, built a statue outside the stadium in his honor, and even installed massive stained glass windows with his image into Doak Campbell. They have also continued to pay him a massive salary each year through the 2000’s even with waning participation on his part in day to day activities. For the 34 years he has coached at FSU, his glory has been synonymous with the glory he brought the Seminoles. Life has been good for Bowden and he has also has friends by his side for most of this journey… namely Mickey Andrews.

I think here at the end, at least from my perspective, I would like to see something different. I would like to see a move that neither the media, the fans, the boosters, the administration, the students nor the critics see coming… I would like to see Bowden honor his words from long ago and step quietly out of the spotlight. Instead of making this painful transition all about himself – I would like to see him take the path of humility and elevate his long time friend and supporter Mickey Andrews to the spotlight for once in his career. It is no secret that Andrews stayed at FSU for as long as he did because he thought that one day he would be the head coach for the Noles. His loyalty to Bowden has been utterly stunning over the past few decades and I admire his tenacity and honor greatly for it.

I propose for this fairytale ending, that Andrews be given the keys to the kingdom for the bowl game with Bobby right there at his side in support. Instead of focusing on what Bobby is losing, or the school is gaining, lets celebrate this tumultuous time in FSU’s history with the ultimate act of giving by one of the greatest legend’s to ever coach college football. Let’s watch as Bobby heaps the honor and loyalty that has been given to him onto one of his most trusted allies.

This doesn’t have to end so badly does it? There are options out there for a legendary exit…

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090728/FSU03/907280320&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

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Breaking news in Nashville, TN.

Steve McNair has been killed in downtown Nashville this afternoon from a gunshot wound.

      As I sit here writing this, a mixture of emotions are running through me. Emotions like embarassment, shock, horror, and disbelief. Each day I watch FSU's name being dragged through the mud in a sequence of appeals that serve absolutely no purpose other than to protect the win's of an 80+ year old egotist.  Today, it was FSU's response to the COI's response to FSU's appeal (download the document and read the comments in the comment section of an excellent former appellate lawyer here).

        Even on his way out the door, we are once again subjected to the enormous middle-finger of TK as he barrels down a selfish path with no reservations or thought given to the University whatsoever. Just when we thought we had seen it all, from the Jeff Bowden debacle along with the fall of the Dynasty right down to the biggest academic cheating scandal in the history of FSU (under TK's watch) here we have yet another blatant example of stupidity and ignorance.

       I was waiting for the punch line there on page 19 of the "reponse" when we actually compared our current punishment to a hypothetical ban on the post-season, which will by far outweigh ANY current punishment we have received would actually be more FAIR to the University than taking away a few wins from an old man who doesn't even coach anymore. I mean that is a joke right? To even make the comparison is dangerous public relations, as an FSU opponent could suggest that the FSU appeals team is seriously suggesting that just that-  forfeiting hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue, (much less national exposure for future recruiting) is a worthy price tag for the pride of a man who has been milking the University for every penny he can get for the better part of this decade...

      Time to step away from the keyboard for a second before I owe my workplace a new monitor.

I kid, I kid.

Happy April Fools Day everyone!