I'm just not very impressed with him. Yes, he brought Miami back from the depths of probation to national prominence again. But look who he did it against: Temple, Rutgers, Boston College, etc. They are a far cry from the rigors of the SEC week in and week out. He never even came close to getting it done in Cleveland. His reign was one giant cluster****. You thought we had QB problems here? Look what he did with Couch, Holcombe, Garcia, etc. It was an awful situation the entire time. He had lost the respect of the entire team this year. Players don't respond well to a coach that they don't respect. Anybody remember Dinardo? Please, no Butch Davis.
I'm with you - word is that he had a panic attack recently. If he had some sort of breakdown in the last few weeks Tiger Town might just put him in the grave...
Well I think those are valid thoughts, the reason I am sort of a fan of his, Saban taught us recruiting is the key, and word on the street is Davis is the best recruiter in the United States. However hasnt Davis already said he is not coaching anymore due to health reasons, I got lost with all the rumors flying around.
Yes, he had a panic attack 4 hours before the Bengals game. He doesn't want to deal with the pressures here, if that's the case. He said he's put on 25-30 pounds since he left Miami due to the stress in Cleveland, and wants to deal with his health. I hope he's serious about that, and we don't consider him.
I've avoided coaching talk thus far. I choose to fool myself into believing Saban is staying. However.... I would avoid Davis as well. There are documented reports of his panic attacks and of his anxiety problems. He has personally cited health problems and needing to take a year off. At this point it is obvious that he can not dedicate himself to such a job.
Recruiting is a big part of the battle. But it's only half the battle. You still need to have a plan and be an X's and O's guy. Everything I've heard is that he's not good with that part of it. He out-talented everyone at Miami, and he wasn't able to do that in Cleveland. Ron Zook was a fantastic recruiter. His players loved him. But he couldn't get it done on the field, so Florida fired him. Hell, Dinardo recruited pretty well himself. The players didn't exactly love him. I want someone who will do both well.
Davis has proven at the collegiate level he can: recruit, hire great assistants, and win big games. WTF else do you want?
You Are Right On the Money, BMoney I just posted something almost identical to your post on another board. You are absolutely correct: even playing a pitiful Big Least schedule, he still managed to lose at least three games 5 out of 6 seasons. Despite playing that pathetic excuse for a schedule, his teams still gave up 19.88 points per game. That's closing in on Lou Tepper defense. He's a great recruiter, but I don't think he's a great X's and O's guy. About the only thing that he did that I like is that he won his bowl games. The problem is he wasn't playing on New Year's Day every year. I think it speaks volumes that Larry Coker went almost two full years without losing using the talent Butch recruited. Any chance we can get Coker?
