If the Diaz rumor is true, we lost a great chance

[Op4isabitch]

to make a big time hire. I hate the rumor of this hire, we have the opportunity to hire a home run hitter with the funds that are available and instead we are talking about hiring a guy who is so so at best.

If you want to sustain the momentum and excitement we got going last year, you don't do it by hiring Manny F*****g Diaz.

I hope this rumor is not true.

[ShotgunDawg]

to make a big time hire. I hate the rumor of this hire, we have the opportunity to hire a home run hitter with the funds that are available and instead we are talking about hiring a guy who is so so at best.

If you want to sustain the momentum and excitement we got going last year, you don't do it by hiring Manny F*****g Diaz.

I hope this rumor is not true.

I really don't get this.

For as much as our fans make fun Ole Miss for only wanting to win the press conference, we sure act like that's all that matters to us.

I would be fine with O or Manny, but Manny is likely the better fit. He has more experience, fits schematically, and will likely bring stability to the position and won't be looking to leave except for a head coaching job.

I realize some people may have wanted to make a "splash" hire, but splashes don't win games. Manny is the RIGHT hire IMO.

[Harrydawg]

Great post*******************

[HoopsDawg]

Manny was bad at Texas, but he was really good at MTSU, MSU, and La Tech. And most people get better with experience. I assume he is a better coordinator now than he was 4 years ago.

As for his style, I like the pre-snap movement and creative blitzes. I also think we are living in an era of offensive football. It is just really tough to stop anyone these days. I mean Saban and Bama can't even stop anyone. So having a defense that creates turnovers is very important. And Manny has a great track record of forcing turnovers. We should be really tough to stop on offense so if our defense can create 2+ turnovers per game, we should win a lot of games.

[Ifyouonlyknew]

I'm not really a proponent of Diaz but he only had 1 bad year at Texas. His 1st year they led the Big 12 in total defense & was 2nd in scoring defense. His 2nd year the defense fell to middle of the pack 5th in total defense & 6th in scoring defense allowing a TD more per game than the previous year. His 3rd year he was fired after 2 games.

[archdog]

Yeah, some on this message board just want a fresh name for a big time hire. Manny or Coach O will be fine. I am less interested in winning the press conference more than securing our recruiting class and getting a defense installed that I actually see improvement out of. I am tired of seeing the same mistakes recurring week to week, month to month. For 3 months I saw our safeties play out of position and missing assignments. That is all coaching. I believe we have the players to make the plays, but they are continuously coached poorly and are out of position. Manny and/or Coach O is a chance to get this fixed and I am all for it.

[archdog]

Our d this year reminded me of our O last year. Constantly showing the same week to week inability to change tactics and schemes. LDP over Jrob was almost criminal considering the injuries LDP had. But with all of that, we see this year and our O looked at home and for the most part we played the best players. Special teams didn't. Defense played the 1b squad too much. I hope we will see a better mix of personnel this year on defense. Enough to keep our guys fresh but not entire squads in and out.

[defiantdog]

Diaz isn't the issue. He'd be a good DC again. But we'll be going through this shit again next year. I just wish we'd hire a guy that would stay 3-4 years at least.

[CadaverDawg]

Diaz isn't the issue. He'd be a good DC again. But we'll be going through this shit again next year. I just wish we'd hire a guy that would stay 3-4 years at least.

What makes you say this? Just because he did it once doesn't mean he would do it again. He now knows the grass isn't always greener, and I doubt he wants to end up back in Ruston or worse. I think he will stay a while unless it's to become a Head Coach if he dominates....so I think he will be here a while. Not sure why people keep claiming people will leave after one year......besides, even if he did, that's only one year shorter than Collins, or any other DC we've had.

You can't base your hire on what you "think" may happen a year or more down the road. You gotta go with the best fit for your job "right now". Anybody could leave after a year....not just Manny.

[Political Hack]

I mean Saban and Bama can't even stop anyone. So having a defense that creates turnovers is very important. And Manny has a great track record of forcing turnovers. We should be really tough to stop on offense so if our defense can create 2+ turnovers per game, we should win a lot of games.

this should not be overlooked with this hire. we need a big play D. This bend and consistently break crap has gotten old.

[CadaverDawg]

Manny was bad at Texas, but he was really good at MTSU, MSU, and La Tech. And most people get better with experience. I assume he is a better coordinator now than he was 4 years ago.

As for his style, I like the pre-snap movement and creative blitzes. I also think we are living in an era of offensive football. It is just really tough to stop anyone these days. I mean Saban and Bama can't even stop anyone. So having a defense that creates turnovers is very important. And Manny has a great track record of forcing turnovers. We should be really tough to stop on offense so if our defense can create 2+ turnovers per game, we should win a lot of games.

Good points

[bulldawg28]

If Diaz was our DC this year we win the national title.

[Percho]

I believe Manny would be the best hire of the two. I also would like for O to be on the staff.

[maroonmania]

Diaz isn't the issue. He'd be a good DC again. But we'll be going through this shit again next year. I just wish we'd hire a guy that would stay 3-4 years at least.

Not sure how we hire anyone that we could know would be around for 3-4 years. Given the way Mullen wants to control all things and the way we try to lowball salaries (compared to a lot of our SEC brethren) there is no way that we can be all that confident that any coach is likely here longterm except for the Mullen posse (i.e. Hevesy and Sallach).

[Really Clark?]

Not sure how we hire anyone that we could know would be around for 3-4 years. Given the way Mullen wants to control all things and the way we try to lowball salaries (compared to a lot of our SEC brethren) there is no way that we can be all that confident that any coach is likely here longterm except for the Mullen posse (i.e. Hevesy and Sallach).

Hughes and Knox have been here for the duration is not one of the posse. Turner has been here twice.

[maroonmania]

Hughes and Knox have been here for the duration is not one of the posse. Turner has been here twice.

Hughes is a MS guy so he is more likely to stay. Not sure what other opportunities Knox has even had. Turner came back when he was not being kept at KY. Point is I'm not sure in today's world how you hire a guy, especially one with no MS roots or MSU ties, and have any confidence they will be here for 3 to 4 years.

[Maroons]

If Diaz was our DC this year we win the national title.

Wrong. We don't have the same talent level as Oregon, Ohio St., or Bama.

[Really Clark?]

Hughes is a MS guy so he is more likely to stay. Not sure what other opportunities Knox has even had. Turner came back when he was not being kept at KY. Point is I'm not sure in today's world how you hire a guy, especially one with no MS roots or MSU ties, and have any confidence they will be here for 3 to 4 years.

Keoning was here 5 years with no ties. It's a two edge sword if they are doing a fair to good job you are more adept to retain them. If they are doing great then we should be losing them every 2 years. Means he is hiring well. Now later if we continue to build our program up then you start seeing guys stay longer.

[Coach34]

There is literally no way we will keep a DC 3-4 years. We dont pay big boy money for assistants. There are 20 schools out there that will pay $1MM plus for a quality DC- we cant/wont do that. Not even close.

So if we have a DC that is real good- he is going to get snatched by bigger programs- much like Manny and Collins were. Both left for huge pay increases. Not sure what people dont seem to understand about this

[CadaverDawg]

There is literally no way we will keep a DC 3-4 years. We dont pay big boy money for assistants. There are 20 schools out there that will pay $1MM plus for a quality DC- we cant/wont do that. Not even close.

So if we have a DC that is real good- he is going to get snatched by bigger programs- much like Manny and Collins were. Both left for huge pay increases. Not sure what people dont seem to understand about this

I'll tell you what people don't understand.....

Why are we not "all in" on winning a Championship? We now have the money, so it's disappointing to hear that we simply WON'T pony up, with no real reason. Why? Because we're cheap? Why? Because we're not committed to winning? Why? Why won't we pony up? We can raise enough money to build that ****ing palace of a baseball stadium, but we can raise an extra 400-800k for a bad ass DC?

IMO, THAT^ is where people get frustrated. It's not that we won't pay enough....it's WHY?

[Coach34]

We dont have an unlimited budget. And it's hard to pay a DC $1MM when you pay your other assistants peanuts. We would have to find a $1.5-2.0MM to raise asst salaries across the board to make things fair and keep things fair.

[CadaverDawg]

We dont have an unlimited budget. And it's hard to pay a DC $1MM when you pay your other assistants peanuts. We would have to find a $1.5-2.0MM to raise asst salaries across the board to make things fair and keep things fair.

Oh I know, and I get it....I'm just saying why people don't understand it. They see us forking out millions per year on expansions and renovations....yet we have a chance to build on our best season ever and we're going to play the "we don't have the money" card?

If you don't think a huge majority of our fanbase would say, "let's scale back slightly on the baseball stadium, and hire a football staff that will compete with the recent hires in our league", you're crazy. I know it isn't that simple, but hiring Manny and O or some good combo, would show our fans and the country that we are all in on football. There is a fine line, because once you start paying thT money, you can't drop back down to our current levels....and I think that is one thing people don't take into consideration. But hell, let's pay some Joe Schmoe 100k per year to do as good of a job as Rick Ray, and put that 900k towards our football assistants...at least that way we get something out of our investment. (I'm kidding, sort of)

[Ifyouonlyknew]

If there was a coach that Mullen said we had to have & we gotta pay $1mil then that coach would get it.

[I seen it dawg]

We dont have an unlimited budget. And it's hard to pay a DC $1MM when you pay your other assistants peanuts. We would have to find a $1.5-2.0MM to raise asst salaries across the board to make things fair and keep things fair.

According to Engies other thread about money there isn't a single reason why we don't have this money available...operating at a profit like we are? No reason not to spend it.

[Really Clark?]

According to Engies other thread about money there isn't a single reason why we don't have this money available...operating at a profit like we are? No reason not to spend it.

I agree with this but there are not that many guys out there worth over $1 mil a year. I do wish the overall staff budget would go up a good bit. Raise the floor all around.

[Coach34]

According to Engies other thread about money there isn't a single reason why we don't have this money available...operating at a profit like we are? No reason not to spend it.

I think we are headed that way. Just in Mullen's tenure alone- we have nearly doubled our DC salaries. There was word of us offering O 750K- we payed Manny about 400K in 2010. You'll see us up the salaries to close the gap- but we started a great deal behind these other schools and we arent going to catch up overnight.