Be a river, not a flood

Well, Moos and Coach Pelini took over the reins for the weekly presser this week, something around 24 hours after Coach Jinks was relieved of his duties.  I watched it all, so you don't have to.  Though you might want to in this case.  It was something else.

There are a few big stories.

First, Coach Jinks did not take the news quietly.  In fact, Moosbrugger said he was "emotional" and the meeting did not go how he would have liked.  That must have been something else.  It was apparently Moos and Kit Hughes in the room.  The tenor was such that Moos said he called Jinks back later in the evening to make some points that he couldn't make because of how the meeting went.

That's a wow, to me.  I mean, they're prone to understatement, so if it was "emotional" enough to comment on, it could have been quite a show.

Coach probably feels like he finally got the team in the right direction and that just when he did, he had the rug yanked out from under him.  All we have seen from Coach Jinks is a very mild-mannered and cool demeanor, so you don't expect the kind of reaction that would have elicited that description.

As Moos said, "he thought I was wrong and he probably still thinks I'm wrong."

No donors stepped up to buy Jinks out.  He will be paid by Athletic Department funds and not general fee funds.  He gets paid every month as long as his contract would have run, so no lump sum was needed.  If he gets another job--and he will--that will be used to mitigate the amount BG has to pay him.  Root for him to do well.

David Briggs asked about donors and Moosbrugger gave him a stare that could have dropped an elk at 200 yards.  "I would have thought you would have brought some checks with you."  WOW.  It was hostile.

Moos was careful, of course, to say that the move was not spurred by The Blade column and that it had been "contemplated" for a while.  Also, he said the Caleb Bright situation didn't have anything to do with it...and in fact presented a minor defense of the athletic department's actions that day.

He also said that the issues in the summer didn't impact the decision.  He said Coach handles them well and that things will happen with young people.

As for the future, he's committed to having a new coach by signing day.  He says that the University is prepared to pay more for a new coach than they paid Jinks, and his hiring record suggests he will hire someone with head coaching experience but that isn't an absolute requirement.

At that point, he introduced Carl Pelini, who looks like a character from Andy Capp and talks like Ty Webb.  He said that he tells his players that water is a powerful force....but they should be a river, with a single focus, and not a flood, which washes over the banks and dissipates off in the distance.

He said when his "initial shock" wore off he "immediately" accepted the role of interim coach "for the players."

He understands how difficult this is.  He was at Nebraska when Frank Solich was fired (two notes, the Solich firing was not mid-season and Solich was the first person to hire Carl Pelini at the college level and also is Saturday's opponent.  OK, three).

He said he is going to keep things pretty much the same routine wise, but that he has some ideas for microchanges he can make to adjust the culture, which is the most important thing.

He will call the defenses, which he acknowledges will be difficult while also being head coach. 

He also said that it has been harder to fix the BG defense than he expected.  He said he has never worked harder than he has the six months and that the defensive players are "on the verge of true understanding."  He feels some responsibility for what happened to Coach Jinks, FWIW.

He says the team keeps getting close and that if they can break through once it might "snowball."

He said they talked to the commits--and there was talk of there being 11 of them--and "most" of the feedback was good.  He's going to be working the recruiting hard, though I can't imagine getting a bunch of commits until a permanent coach is named.

It was revealed that he was an English Literature major in college...and that was at Columbia.  He made allusion to his time at FAU, which ended badly with very serious allegations of drug abuse, and said that he learned a lot about himself.  He is very introspective.  He talked numerous times about his passion for self-evaluation and growth.

He also talked in glowing terms about Bowling Green and what a great school and community it is.  He said it would be easy to recruit, too, that players loved to be students here.  He said he has noticed that in just a short period of time at BG.

Anyway, that was pretty much the show.  More to come on our new Coach....but in the meantime, one last thought.

Pelini is a candidate for the job and he was all about winning his first day today, and I'd say it played out pretty well for him.  He showed a clear ability to get the blood pumping.  If he can turn a couple wins out, he might have a shot.