Topic: Q and A with Pruett

[HERDUSA]

And no comments one way or the other. Time would have been a board would have lit up like a christmas tree if Pruett sneezed. My how times have changed.

[W0lfman]

I thought it was a great read put togehter by Hanshew.  I think the best thing about the whole article was Pruett putting the health issue to bed.

[DJdaHERDfan]

Pruett really came out on how he was gonna handle things.

I see alot more stiffer penalties for players in 2005.

[HERDUSA]

Pruett really came out on how he was gonna handle things.

I see alot more stiffer penalties for players in 2005.

Right just like he disciplined Randy Moss and Stan Hill and all the others. Discipline is great until your ass is on the line as a coach , then suddenly it doesnt factor in, just ask former Louisville coach Denny Crum and The Hug at Cincy for two, Pruett will never do what he should regarding these kids not at the possible expense of Bob Pruett, there he will draw the line at the expense of the kid.

[tradebait]

Pruett really came out on how he was gonna handle things.

I see alot more stiffer penalties for players in 2005.

Right just like he disciplined Randy Moss and Stan Hill and all the others. Discipline is great until your ass is on the line as a coach , then suddenly it doesnt factor in, just ask former Louisville coach Denny Crum and The Hug at Cincy for two, Pruett will never do what he should regarding these kids not at the possible expense of Bob Pruett, there he will draw the line at the expense of the kid.

Sounds like you've got a problem with Pruett.  I thought the interview sounded like a guy who is going to take a sterner approach to discipline.

[Herd48]

There are indications of changes occuring already. Conditioning is much more intense than last year. If a player is late, there are consequences. If a player missed conditioning now, he better have a very good reason. Coach Jenkins is tougher and more demanding than before. Looks like a change has occured early in '05.

[Garbanjo]

That's good to hear Herd48. It can't be a short-term fix though. Our O-Linemen in particular, have to commit to increasing their strength and agility and dropping excess weight................I believe they will.

[HERDUSA]

Not a major problem but you have to admit there has really been no discipline with the program the entire time Pruett has been here, its about time but after the last two seasons I guess he's finally willing to try anything, even discipline.

[Blade]

Not a major problem but you have to admit there has really been no discipline with the program the entire time Pruett has been here, its about time but after the last two seasons I guess he's finally willing to try anything, even discipline.

So the answer is "Yes", Tradebait.

[Mako]

I have challenged the Pruett detractors before and not once has one of them ponied up the goods.  Here's my challenge.  Find me a single Division I-A football program that hasn't had any off-field arrests in the past two years.  There are 117 programs.  Surely you can find one.

[HerdHead]

Mako,
Perhaps your request is too difficult to research.  For example, where would I go if I wanted to find out if Central Michigan has had an off-field arrest in the previous two seasons?  Your request borders on the impossible, so I wouldn't assume a non-answer to your request proves anything.  Secondly, why are you worried about other programs?  Let's focus on Marshall.  I don't think it's relevant if other programs have off-the-field problems or don't have off-the field problems.      

I will agree with you that many programs do have off-the-field problems.  However, when a program has both off-the-field problems and on-the-field problems (underachievement, no bowl games, no championships, lethargic performances in bowl games, out of shape players, etc), it makes fans begin to wonder.

[HERDUSA]

I have challenged the Pruett detractors before and not once has one of them ponied up the goods.  Here's my challenge.  Find me a single Division I-A football program that hasn't had any off-field arrests in the past two years.  There are 117 programs.  Surely you can find one.

OK , Rice , Indiana, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Duke, N.Mex State, for starters

[Mako]

Assuming that's true, and I haven't begun the search to find out, every single team you listed is a conference bottom feeder.

[Marco]

herdusa can go to hell as far as i'm concerned.

we have discipline.  we had some things get out of hand this year.  our program's problems aren't that bad.  i trust coach P to deal with it and really don't give a flying %^&* what herd usa thinks or what his agenda is.  probably the same guy we've been reading with a new handle.

[mrherd05]

What did Randy Moss ever do at Marshall that would have warranted discipline.

[Luke80]

I really don't like wasting time arguing with fans from WVU or Toledo or whereever you are from HerdUSA, but since I am in Nashville I know that Vandy had a freshman beat up a kid in an elevator and he got charged with assault early in the season.  

Did you do any research before making your comments?  I'll help you here - no you didn't

[Marco]

herd77, whale tail...herd usa................blah blah

at least it's one guy

[HERDUSA]

Assuming that's true, and I haven't begun the search to find out, every single team you listed is a conference bottom feeder.

You ask for the names of schools in 1-A that dont have the continuous problems that plague the Marshall program , not the names of schools ranked in the top 25. To follow your line of thinking then leads to the assumption the only schools with problems are those in the top of the college rankings which we all know is not the case. .


Also keep in mind the main word is CONTINUOUS, not ocassional.

[Blade]

Assuming that's true, and I haven't begun the search to find out, every single team you listed is a conference bottom feeder.

You ask for the names of schools in 1-A that dont have the continuous problems that plague the Marshall program , not the names of schools ranked in the top 25. To follow your line of thinking then leads to the assumption the only schools with problems are those in the top of the college rankings which we all know is not the case. .


Also keep in mind the main word is CONTINUOUS, not ocassional.

Since you want to spout off without any regard to research, truth or accuracy, I decided to do a google search.

Just typing "College Football Player Arrests", I congered up 54,300 hits.  Looking at just the first 40 hits, I came up with 38 programs with college arrests.  Unfortunately for your bombardment of the program, none of them were Marshall.  We didn't even make Find Law's Top 20 in ANY year.

Ironically, two of the programs you aspire Marshall to emulate DID show up.  As a matter of fact, Duke was #3 on Find Law's most troubled program list for 2000.  It appears thugishness knows no bounds.

Now, if you still think Marshall has an isolated problem, do some research and go through the 54,260 remaining hits and get back with us.

School
Florida State
Navy
Duke
Missouri
Wisconsin
Miami FL
Georgia
Alabama
UNLV
Tennessee
CSU-Northridge
Oregon State
Georgia Tech
Colorado State
Kansas
UT-Chattanooga
Clemson
Auburn
USF
ECU
Colorado (26 arrests)
Ohio State (14 arrests)
West Liberty
Boston College
WVU
Michigan State (6 arrests)
Vanderbilt
Minnesota
Florida
BYU
Penn State (16 arrests)
Toledo (8 arrests)
Michigan
FAU
UN-Reno (9 arrests)
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Texas

[Marco]

he's particularly interested in south carolina..........don't know their arrest record but after their on field display with clemson.....i'd be more worried about them than the herd.

[jimmyhatherd]

I think Moss is a perfect example of how Pruett handles his players and their discipline issues.  Moss basically got kick out of ND and FSU and ended up at Marshall.   He got to MArshall and didn't want to sign autographs, Pruett told him that was a part of business and it wasn't optional.  Moss signed autographs while at MArshall.   There where no off the field issues with Moss during his time at Marshall, what has he done since he left???  He is now the NFL poster boy for a bad attitude.  Pruett controlled him, the people that pay him don't seem to be able to.

The uninformed want us to believe that the program is out of control, if you look at is realistically the reality is we're fine and are dealing with the same issues every other program deals with.  Stan got busted for drinking last year, any problem this year??? NO.  

Some OSU player comes to a MArshall football party looking for trouble and gets his ass kicked.  How does that reflect poorly on Marshall???

The Morris situation is unfortunete and that led to him playing how much the year???? Oh thats right he didn't play at all.  He was disciplined.

So all the strict disciplinarians here, please tell me how Coach Pruett should have handled things differently????

And I wonder how much HerdUSA would be complaining if we ended up 10-2 or 11-1.  Some how I don't think discipline would be quite as important to him...

[carolinaherdfan]

I believe Coach Pruitt has done an admirable job both coaching, and disciplining the Thundering Herd since the beginning of his tenure.  I am sorry that we do have incidents, but I believe it would be rather naive to
believe that incidents will never happen.  

I read other boards where there has be a greater frequency of incidents, and their fans are not nearly as hung up on perfection.

I believe I have been in groups of individuals during my life time including U.S. Army Reserve, college life including that school up north, and have, and can prove that much worse behavior is consistently taking place.

GO THUNDERING HERD!

[HERDUSA]

Marco I have no idea who you think I am but obviously you have me confused with someone else. so please waste your time on someone or something else. Thanks

As far as discipline is concerned 13-0 is not worth it if its done with a group that has no off or on  field discipline. or both. There is no substiute for running a tight ship and a clean program no matter what the sport.

Regarding Moss, read any article in the past 5 years and it all eludes to the fact the Pruett never did discipline Moss at Marshall, Moss was allowed to do what he wanted to and when he wanted to do it , that is a known fact by anyone who was around the program at that time. The.NFL sportcasters one after another two weeks ago and last week said the same thing he was never outside of being dropped by ND and FSU disciplined for anything at Marshall. One day some of you will realize that Pruett has pulled the wool over alot of eyes when it comes to his so called interest. He is interested alright but in Bob Pruett first and foremost. His lack of discipline has begun to show especially in the last two seasons where he is trying to win without having talant like Pennington Leftwich and Moss for three. Now when it comes to coaching the real Pruett is left standing on the sidelines not going to a bowl with an 8 win team then going with one that barely won 6 games and was embarassed totally by a weak Cincinnati team in Texas.

No you can have all the 11-1 12 or 13-0 or 9-3 teams in the world as without a dicisiplined program there are far to many questions regarding the character of the players and coaches..I dont go for the win at all cost by any means.Regarding some of the programs mentioned, there is going to be something on any program out there at some point, its when the character of the program is questioned time and time again that it becomes concerning and that is the point that was being made.

[HERDUSA]

  There where no off the field issues with Moss during his time at Marshall, what has he done since he left???  He is now the NFL poster boy for a bad attitude.


How quickly you or some of you forget. Remember the incident with the girlfriend ( the domestic battery) or whatever she was , that is one that I dont see how you or anyone could have forgotten.

The uninformed want us to believe that the program is out of control, if you look at is realistically the reality is we're fine and are dealing with the same issues every other program deals with.  Stan got busted for drinking last year, any problem this year??? NO.  
.

Hill was out of chances to begin with and rightly so, now when the incident occured with OSU his name was suddenly dropped from the topic or have you forgotten that.

The uninformed, no its the other way around its some that actually know more than many believe that know what and where the problems are as well as how close some situations came to being mush more serious than they ended up.


You cant run a successful program year in and year out and not have it blow up in your face at some point unless you have discipline and its a known fact by the players that there will be serious penalties for any breech of the rules. Without it , at some point there is going to be a major problem, its only a matter of time.

[marshallmark]

You're full of sh** if  you think Randy "got away with everything" while at MU.  Randy's not dumb -- in fact, in spite of what you might think, he's actually a very bright and perceptive person.  He didn't get away with anything at MU, because he didn't DO anything at MU.  He went to class, he kept his nose clean and he didn't get in trouble.  Remember, he was only here for about a year and 1/2.  Randy knew that if he screwed up those 18 months, he'd be out millions of dollars and, as I said, he wasn't stupid.