Go after Kafka
- Thread starter T_Levine
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His boss supposedly makes less than $4 million, so it's probably safe to say Kafka's salary is closer to 1.16 million than 11.6 million.
Ugh. Would be terrible. Need a young, dynamic coach on the way up…not some retread on the way down.
I've written a letter to the BOT recommending they do what's necessary to hire MK.
The points I make are 1. NU football must totally rebuild. There's little left of everything that has preceded the screamin' mess. 2. The new HC must have EXTRAORDINARY coaching skills, because NU recruits beneath the top levels in the conference and therefore must depend on superior coaching to succeed. Hankwitz proves this theory. 3. MK is such a coach, has been trained by the best in the NFL, has been entrusted to coach Patrick Mahomes, has rebuilt the NYG O and likely saved the careers of Jones and Barkley and has already been considered for a HC in the NFL. 4. NU must have coaches who can recruit. Though MK has no recruiting experience, his experience in the NFL gives him instant credibility. Most importantly, he will likely hire up and coming NFL coaches like himself, who will share the credibility of the NFL when they recruit. Hire MK, and NU gets an entire pro coaching staff. Harbaugh at UM shows how successful this approach can be.
I encourage EVERY NU FAN to write a similar letter. If NU hires MK, NU could become competitive again in 5 years. The BOT will not think of this by themselves and the threat of another Gragg HC selection is on the horizon. One letter won't do it.
Alternatively, NU can hire a less capable HC and spend decades and more trying to recapture the past. I admire Coach Braun and I'm thankful for him, but I prefer MK when it comes time to completely rebuild NU football. That would be now.
The points I make are 1. NU football must totally rebuild. There's little left of everything that has preceded the screamin' mess. 2. The new HC must have EXTRAORDINARY coaching skills, because NU recruits beneath the top levels in the conference and therefore must depend on superior coaching to succeed. Hankwitz proves this theory. 3. MK is such a coach, has been trained by the best in the NFL, has been entrusted to coach Patrick Mahomes, has rebuilt the NYG O and likely saved the careers of Jones and Barkley and has already been considered for a HC in the NFL. 4. NU must have coaches who can recruit. Though MK has no recruiting experience, his experience in the NFL gives him instant credibility. Most importantly, he will likely hire up and coming NFL coaches like himself, who will share the credibility of the NFL when they recruit. Hire MK, and NU gets an entire pro coaching staff. Harbaugh at UM shows how successful this approach can be.
I encourage EVERY NU FAN to write a similar letter. If NU hires MK, NU could become competitive again in 5 years. The BOT will not think of this by themselves and the threat of another Gragg HC selection is on the horizon. One letter won't do it.
Alternatively, NU can hire a less capable HC and spend decades and more trying to recapture the past. I admire Coach Braun and I'm thankful for him, but I prefer MK when it comes time to completely rebuild NU football. That would be now.
Honest question, do think all of the terrific qualities/attributes Mike would bring to the job could overcome NU’s deficiencies in regards to admissions, NIL and the transfer portal?
Only one way to find out, CS. Write your letter today.
Or if you have a better idea whither NU football, post it here and I'll write a letter to the BOT retracting the MK hype and promoting your idea.
I wrote a letter almost word for word except put in Urban Meyer. Well I didn’t but I am thinking of it now
^ You really think that hiring a HC known for bullying his players (among other things) is a wise move coming out of a hazing scandal?
Plus, want to see the Cats with an open, exciting O.
Pass on the coach who passed over Burrow (if Burrow had been chosen the starter, dOSU likely would have another Natty).
Plus, want to see the Cats with an open, exciting O.
Pass on the coach who passed over Burrow (if Burrow had been chosen the starter, dOSU likely would have another Natty).
Reading the Urban stuff is like reading The Onion. Utter nonsense.
Nearly predicted a NYG win and with MK's sabre gleaming with brilliance beneath the lights. I'm stunned.
I believe the NYG HC has decided to call the plays this season. Great thinking after MK's success last season. Lost interest in the game, but I vaguely remember a short clip at the end of the game when HC was asked about it and confirmed it as if were a good decision. I predict MK will not be with the NYG next season.
OTOH, the Cowboys showed they can be dominant.
Still all in on MK for HC at NU, regardless. Nearly every other alternative will require 10 years+ to mature. The MK option could be as little as 5 years. See Harbaugh. See Sanders. (LOVED Sanders' quote after the W, "We're comin'.")
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I expected to find a blame fest, but the available MK videos make everything seem just peachy.
Found some older ones, too, reassuring everybody MK was not after the NU gig. I was hoping to sign him THEN, when Schill fired Fitz, because I want NU to start rebuilding NOW. Looking back, I see that would have been unfair to MK or anybody else, and NU must continue sinking into the field for at least this season before it starts to rebuild.
The opening NYG game still reeks, but the game yesterday showed MK's extraordinary abilities. Also saw a post from Saquon telling everybody MK is not the problem.
IMHO, there is a huge leadership vacuum at the NU BOT. That is why I again ask NU fans everywhere to hype MK to them. The NU BOT has the inertia of a mountain. Their reflex reaction is to do nothing.
Found some older ones, too, reassuring everybody MK was not after the NU gig. I was hoping to sign him THEN, when Schill fired Fitz, because I want NU to start rebuilding NOW. Looking back, I see that would have been unfair to MK or anybody else, and NU must continue sinking into the field for at least this season before it starts to rebuild.
The opening NYG game still reeks, but the game yesterday showed MK's extraordinary abilities. Also saw a post from Saquon telling everybody MK is not the problem.
IMHO, there is a huge leadership vacuum at the NU BOT. That is why I again ask NU fans everywhere to hype MK to them. The NU BOT has the inertia of a mountain. Their reflex reaction is to do nothing.
Crowing after Kafka is pointless. Not gonna happen in a million years.
You seem wired, g, so tell us what you know... unless it's just the presumption that NU will never go near anybody associated with Fitz, no matter how distant.
You disqualifying Jason Wright for AD too?
I’ve heard for a very VERY long time now that he is a “pro coach.” It‘s a very different lifestyle coaching in the NFL vs. NCAA, mostly because college football recruiting has become a 24/7/365 job requirement. NFL coaches, on the other hand, basically just “do ball” with the ability to weigh in on personnel decisions.
Not terribly ”wired in” in general terms, but this is one area in which I’m pretty confident in saying that Kafka is not going to come to NU (or any college job) anytime soon.
I wouldn’t disqualify Jason Wright as AD, just don’t see why he would give up his gig as President of the Commanders to jump in the middle of the shit storm that is currently NU athletics. Maybe if he wasn’t going to be kept on by the new ownership group and he was a free agent, but have heard that that’s not the case. He will likely be at his gig in DC for at least a few years yet.
OTOH, in college ball, you can actually make your own recruiting decisions, instead of having them dictated to you by the GM or ownership.
Unless the GM is terrible, there is at least some level of collaboration between NFL front offices and the coaching staff.
But, even then, a lot of coaches might prefer it that way — here are your players, go try winning games. That’s the “just do ball” part.
I imagine the two main things that would either make you run towards or away from the fire that is college coaching:
1. Boosters. You don't have to kiss any of those a$$es in the pros. Or you think you know how to leverage them all to your advantage in college.
2. Recruiting. The thought of having to kiss a 17-year-old's a$$, and their parents, and have your whole living and where your family lives (or doesn't live) hinge on these dummies...it's gotta be infuriating...unless you're better at it than 99.5% of everyone else doing it.
Kafka's an interesting guy because pretty much his whole coaching career has been in the pros (yes, I acknowledge he did ONE year at NU as a GA) - whether it's his confidence in his ability to the job in front of him, or the insecurity of dealing with these added elements of the college game...I don't think money alone would be reason enough for him to make the jump if he were offered.
1. Boosters. You don't have to kiss any of those a$$es in the pros. Or you think you know how to leverage them all to your advantage in college.
2. Recruiting. The thought of having to kiss a 17-year-old's a$$, and their parents, and have your whole living and where your family lives (or doesn't live) hinge on these dummies...it's gotta be infuriating...unless you're better at it than 99.5% of everyone else doing it.
Kafka's an interesting guy because pretty much his whole coaching career has been in the pros (yes, I acknowledge he did ONE year at NU as a GA) - whether it's his confidence in his ability to the job in front of him, or the insecurity of dealing with these added elements of the college game...I don't think money alone would be reason enough for him to make the jump if he were offered.
It’s #2, mostly.
Also not “insecurity” as much as “I just don’t want to have to deal with that or the lifestyle it requires.”
Thanks for explaining. Thought we might be talking about disqualifying MK and JW because of the association with Fitz. If there is any of that out there, I think it's misdirected.
I hear what you're saying about MK being a pro coach and disinterested in college coaching. But I'm trying to think of how NU can be competitive again in the shortest amount of time. The rebuilding NU challenge is huge. Most of the coaches that could do it will not be interested. But maybe MK is a little sentimental about NU and if the compensation were right, he might be persuaded. Might need a little of the Chicago soft sell.
I think the biggest thing we need is someone who can recruit his ass off. While Kafka likely has the “tools” to do just that, he’s (i) never done it before in his life and (ii) it is not part of his current job requirements, so he would be learning on the job.
While the idea makes sense on a surface level, I don’t think it stands up to additional scrutiny. At all.
I completely agree. I'm sure he's a talented coach, but he's far from a sure thing. Of course, whoever we eventually get is going to involve a leap of faith.
Please leave mike Kafka in nfl where he will excel and some day be an excellent hc. Please don't drag him into the mess in Evanston and ruin him. In nfl he will be a nu grad success story just like Jason Wright
Reality is that with this administration, it has the strong potential of destroying a young guy's career
NU will have a hell of a time finding such a coach. The coaches who do that well want a product that's easy to sell. That's why they're already at Bammer, UM, duh-OSU, etc. and the opportunity to come to NU with its academic restrictions and recent extended move to the competitive ocean floor does not appeal. So NU is desperate. They're gonna face rejection like an encyclopedia salesman. They are likely forced to settle for some HC with only above average recruiting skills and NU will hover just above the competitive ocean floor for the foreseeable future. That's what NU faces.
One way to offset that would be to have a rock star HC. MK is not personally flashy in that way, but the skills/credentials he possesses are, and much of the world knows it. IMHO, that will enable him to recruit. In addition, he would bring up and coming pro level assistants with him, who will share his recruiting credibility.
MK is a long shot on many levels, but might be able to clean the NU stables. Whence comes such another?
It's disappointing to see folks here prefer the dismal alternatives... but good news for you - you're likely to get your way!
Here's some bedside reading from an SF Chronicle sports scribe about our counterpart, Stanford. They're in a similar situation as CFB changes. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/...-punt-football-cardinal-s-future-18375912.php
As I recall Barnett had the same issue of not getting the recruits he wanted, reportedly having 90% rejected when submitted (academics). t least that was the story going around. any coach here would be faced with the same issue, but it didn't stop Gary. So, there must ne someone out there with the abilities NU needs that would jump in with both feet (assuming he has some leeway regarding W- L Ratio) and repeat Gary's success. There are hundreds of thousands HS players each year and some are looked over but are successful anyway. It is the ability to see the diamonds in the rough while they are still coal (Brock Purdy, Stenson, Ekeler, etc.). That's a lot of what ifs ...
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