I have not voiced my opinion too much about this, but it is about time I do. As most, if not all, now know, Gary Andersen is leaving a solid program in Wisconsin for one that is mediocre at best in Oregon State. First of all, I would like to say that I now have a bit of an idea why his team put forth such a pathetic performance last Saturday night. It is hard to concentrate with one foot already out the door. Don't try to convince me that he was not focused on another job. The team was not prepared.I have now gone to five Badgers games in my life and Wisconsin is 3-2 in those games. The two games they lost were by a combined 100. Ouch!
Anyway, his rumored rationale for leaving was because of academic standards. Seriously? I do not hear other programs complaining about that. Hell, I don't hear Bo Ryan do that. Bo just goes about his business and wins. People say Wisconsin will never be a national championship contender with that "restriction." If JJ Watt and Devin Harris stay their senior years, I would bet the Badgers would have won the championship in those years. The Badgers should not change this policy just to please a coach. He should have known this before he took the job. That's on him.
Did he want the Badgers to turn into North Carolina? These are STUDENT-athletes. Student always comes first. Unlike Cardale Jones, some athletes come to play school in addition to playing football. I think that was just a cop out by Andersen.
Now, I do believe him when he said he wanted to go back out West. He is from that part of the country, so I am not surprised he wanted to go back.
At first, I did not really care for the rumored hiring of Pittsburgh's Paul Chryst. His .500 record at Pitt was uninspiring, especially in the ACC, which is actually worse than the Big Ten. But now that I really think about it, I really like it. Chryst inherited a Pitt program that had three coaches in 14 months and stabilized it. Some Pitt fans think it was due for a breakout season next year.
I think this coaching job is Chryst's dream job. He is from Madison and played quarterback for the Badgers back in the late 1980s. He was the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin from 2005-11 and played a big role in the development of quarterbacks such as John Stocco and Scott Tolzien. I doubt he will have one eye on other job opportunities as Andersen did.Chryst will also not change philosophies. He knows what Wisconsin can do and what it cannot do. The Badgers can get skill players from out of state from time to time, but the heart of the team is the offensive line and the running game. And since Chryst has left, the tight end has been a forgotten about weapon. Under his watch, the Badgers offense was one of the best in the nation and would be up there again.
If Chryst is indeed hired, there are only a few I really would like to stay in terms of coaches. I would like Dave Aranda to stay, but he has been with Andersen awhile. The most likely coach to stay (who I want to stay) is probably running backs coach Thomas Brown. He is still young and is turning into one hell of a recruiter. It is going to be interesting to see who Chryst wants on his staff. That is, if he actually is announced the head coach next week.
The Packers have a tough game this weekend on the road against Buffalo. Out of the remaining three games on the schedule for Green Bay, this is the toughest game for the Packers in my opinion. First of all, the Packers are on a short week, having played Atlanta on Monday. A road game on a short week can be a struggle. The Bills are coming in at 7-6, fighting for their playoff lives. This is the last home game for the Bills and would like to make week 17 count as they could be 9-6 going into the season finale at New England. As a Packers fan, this game worries me.
Buffalo comes in with a top five defense, allowing just 311.9 total yards per game. Aaron Rodgers needs to keep doing what he has been doing, and the defense needs to play well. Green Bay leads the league in turnover differential this year, which makes me compare them to the 2009 New Orleans Saints. That defense was not very good, but they feasted on turnovers along with having a high-powered offense.
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