If you were Dr Gragg what would you do
- Thread starter SadCatFan22
- Start date
I would force him to fire JON and Springer immediately, at a minimum. I would consider also making him immediately fire McGarigle as well if I thought we'd be able to bring in people to replace all the coaches being lost. I'd make calls and do research to learn how many coaches you can realistically get away with firing during the season before the team becomes unmanageable.
In the offseason, I'd strongly consider forcing him to fire JAKE with the intent of bringing in an OC with HC experience and forcing Fitz to allow that coach to implement his own offense and overall philosophy within interference from Fitz and for that OC to be in charge of offensive decisions independent from Fitz (similar to how younger offensive or defensive NFL coaches might bring in a very experienced coordinator on the opposite side of the football to run things fairly heavily). I'd only bring in such an OC who was running a completely different system, preferably a spread setup, that prioritizing explosive plays.
I would require additional media access to coaches like other programs see, including coordinators having to answer questions occasionally as happens elsewhere.
I would also get to work with Pat Ryan in lowering academic standards.
In the offseason, I'd strongly consider forcing him to fire JAKE with the intent of bringing in an OC with HC experience and forcing Fitz to allow that coach to implement his own offense and overall philosophy within interference from Fitz and for that OC to be in charge of offensive decisions independent from Fitz (similar to how younger offensive or defensive NFL coaches might bring in a very experienced coordinator on the opposite side of the football to run things fairly heavily). I'd only bring in such an OC who was running a completely different system, preferably a spread setup, that prioritizing explosive plays.
I would require additional media access to coaches like other programs see, including coordinators having to answer questions occasionally as happens elsewhere.
I would also get to work with Pat Ryan in lowering academic standards.
His only card is to get permission and fire him. Fitz would never comply with such demands. Not many coaches would
There’s absolutely nothing he can do other than to force Fitz’s hand with assistants. Fitz’s contract is too much of an albatross where he is unable to fire him even if he wanted.
He’s in a very tough spot where his only option is to put hope in Fitz.
He’s in a very tough spot where his only option is to put hope in Fitz.
The Athletic Director is everyone's boss and runs the program. Unless NU has built some kind of crazy penalty into Fitz' contract that causes something wild to happen if anybody other than Fitz makes a personnel decision, Fitz can go along with it or not, Gragg can just bring those coaches into his office and inform them they're fired.
Actually, a better answer to the question than my answer might be "let Pat Ryan know you'd like to schedule a meeting with him tonight or tomorrow morning to discuss the future of the football coaching staff and lay out these ideas to him and see what he'll back." Fitz and the assistant coaches may work for Gragg, but realistically Gragg works for Pat Ryan, so if you intend to go do anything Pat Ryan doesn't like he can just have to eliminated.
Athletic Directors inform coaches they are being required to fire assistants literally all the time. If you want to make an argument that NU might be different because Fitz can always go over Gragg's head to Pat Ryan and threaten Gragg's job or that maybe Fitz' assistants have some kind of extra special insane job security in their contracts that's fine, but ADs do that in other programs all the time.
Also, it's a ****ing question prompt on a web forum and just answering "I call Pat Ryan to make sure he isn't mad at me and take my Monday am meeting with the Chief Women's Administrator to discuss academic progress so I can keep my cushy job and not irritate Mr. Ryan" is pretty ****ing boring.
That would be a more effective approach. Without the right people blessings change, Gragg would go before Fitz.
Fitz has precisely as much power as Gragg, Schill, and Ryan give him. Those three...period. If there's consensus amongst those three on what should be done, it is done...whether Fitz likes it or not.
For Fitz, this is absolutely the worst time for his program to be tanking. He has no equity with Schill and almost none with Gragg. I can envision a scenario where he looks at Pat Ryan, who in turn says, "well Fitz, something needs to happen." And then there's a blank stare and awkward silence.
For Fitz, this is absolutely the worst time for his program to be tanking. He has no equity with Schill and almost none with Gragg. I can envision a scenario where he looks at Pat Ryan, who in turn says, "well Fitz, something needs to happen." And then there's a blank stare and awkward silence.
Have you considered the possibility that McGarigle is being forced to implement a linebacker scheme that is downright foreign to him. Do you remember how he played the position? How about Fitzgerald? How did he play the position? Was he a read and reacter? I very much doubt that R&R is McGarigle's preferred scheme. Timmy tackler was an aggressive, attacking linebacker that had a record number of tackles in his career. And what if the LBs that were recruited prior to JON's scheme change were agressive, attacking types forced to play R&R. Might they not be like fish out of water? I really don't know if any of what I've written is valid, but sure looks like we don't read, or react in time. Is it possible that our LBs would rather act than evaluate, but can't?
Chime in any time Waterboy!
You're not on the rock where I do most of my posting, but yes, I have started multiple major threads on this exact point and have specifically advocated for JON being fired immediately primarily so McGarigle can be evaluated under a different DC to determine if JON is implementing weird keys or if McGarigle simply can't teach.
If McGarigle "simply can't teach", why wouldn't it have shown up when he coached under Hankwitz's tutelege. Why would he all of a sudden not be able to coach the position? My brother-in-law coached with Hankwitz at A&M. If I were to ask him if Hankwitz would cover for one of his position coaches, I already know the answer. McGarigle seemed to do OK at Illinois while he was there.
Whatever, if you wanna go to bat for the guy with the worst position group on the team despite many of the better recruits, knock yourself out. McGarigle has never successfully developed a single player during his time at Northwestern while serving under either Hank or JON.
So Paddy Fisher and his Irish mafia benefitted nil under McGarigle. If I recall, Joe Bergin was pretty undersized, and Blake Gallagher was a little slow, but they both played their ass off - probably due to personal motivation. Of course, they were all 4 stars coming in, so not much development needed. But not a single player.
With all due respect to Timmy Mac, the defenses were so bad that it seemed like he was always tackling someone after a 9 yard gain.
No, that was Szymul. Timmy held the guy to only an 8 yard gain.
Timmy also had 2 sacks against Wisconsin in 2005! Those were huge in that victory.
Thinking thoughts of happier seasons. How about the 2003 team? Very few expected them to make a bowl and they did.
You cut his nuts off and make him earn them back. Make him a highly paid figurehead like Bobby Bowden but make it known to the community he isn't making decisions anymore.
He wants to coach? Okay maybe you start kicking field goals on 4th and 4? Go for it? Not your call buddy. There are ways to make a guy leave. Don't allow coaching or even scholarship decisions.
Joe Bergin was trash. Look at any tape from 2021. He shouldn't have been a starter for NU much less a MAC school.
Chris Bergin, not Joe. He never asked to be the best player on a terrible unit. He did OK prior to JON. He was a decent LB. Blaming him for last year is like blaming Hilinski for this year
Don’t give him a choice. He has a lifetime deal. If he don’t like it, let him walk. Maybe Green Bay still wants him.
This doesn't list his email, only his @, and the email nomenclature seems like it's two different formats. You could a) try both formats or b) call and say you're and alumnus and want to send him an email, they would likely share it.
Since the original question was...
I would find a new basketball coach. Once that is done, I'd evaluate the football program.
You cannot go after Pat Fitzgerald before you solve the Chris Collins problem.
Period.
If you were Dr Gragg what would you do
I would find a new basketball coach. Once that is done, I'd evaluate the football program.
You cannot go after Pat Fitzgerald before you solve the Chris Collins problem.
Period.
I once sent an email to this address: Derrick.Gragg@northwestern.edu
It did not bounce back, so I am assuming it went through. I never received a reply.
It did not bounce back, so I am assuming it went through. I never received a reply.
Two things:
1. Worth noting that Jim Phillips would respond to emails personally, and within a few hours. It was weird - I would send an email right before I went to bed and get a reply from that man at, like, 5:30 a.m. Super nice guy, but admittedly I never emailed him about things like this.
2. I started a separate thread about this, but if I were Fitz or Gragg I would bring in an analyst/consultant - Dan Mullen specifically comes to mind (generally successful coach who Fitz knows/trusts) - to take a look at things and just offer honest, non-binding suggestions.
1. Worth noting that Jim Phillips would respond to emails personally, and within a few hours. It was weird - I would send an email right before I went to bed and get a reply from that man at, like, 5:30 a.m. Super nice guy, but admittedly I never emailed him about things like this.
2. I started a separate thread about this, but if I were Fitz or Gragg I would bring in an analyst/consultant - Dan Mullen specifically comes to mind (generally successful coach who Fitz knows/trusts) - to take a look at things and just offer honest, non-binding suggestions.
I think the key in something like this is to bring someone in that Fitz trusts who would also basically have zero interest in a job at NU - that's the only way the very, very insecure Pat Fitzgerald can take feedback, otherwise we'll get a whole lot of "hashtag I don't care" rhetoric and "you can't tell me what to do!" A guy like Tim Brewster (remember him?!) also comes to mind...who's been an assistant coach for national championship teams since he blew it at Minny.
If one were to follow the format of Dr. Phillips, it would be D-Gragg@northwestern.edu. I'm going to try both.
NU appears to use a dash rather than a period.
Thanks.
