[BJWilliams]

I'm sorry. Did I miss a discussion where anyone was happy with the way the season went last year?

My thoughts exactly.

Our return game is average at best (I can't recall when we had a kickoff return for a TD since Fogg graduated, although we have had I think a punt return TD or two in that time frame), Lunsford had issues with his short range game (even though he hit a downright legendary kick against Richmond)...a change was needed there. While I think Id show some latitude if I were the AD, I can tell that JB is going with a "Big South...or else" sort of leaning heading into the 2016 opener

[R i]

I'm sorry. Did I miss a discussion where anyone was happy with the way the season went last year?

I was translating JBs comments. No one was happy with how the season went, but its a little different when you add the fact that JB sounds willing to pull the plug if things go that way this year as well.

[Purple Haize]

I'm sorry. Did I miss a discussion where anyone was happy with the way the season went last year?

I was translating JBs comments. No one was happy with how the season went, but its a little different when you add the fact that JB sounds willing to pull the plug if things go that way this year as well.

You are just interpreting his tone? I think it would be a horrible idea to pull the plug after this season unless the rails come flat off

[BJWilliams]

I'm sorry. Did I miss a discussion where anyone was happy with the way the season went last year?

I was translating JBs comments. No one was happy with how the season went, but its a little different when you add the fact that JB sounds willing to pull the plug if things go that way this year as well.

You are just interpreting his tone? I think it would be a horrible idea to pull the plug after this season unless the rails come flat off

QFT. I like the guy but to pull the plug on this year barring a Karcheresque season would be at best a knee jerk reaction in the no doubt emotional aftermath.

[Jonathan Carone]

I'm sorry. Did I miss a discussion where anyone was happy with the way the season went last year?

I was translating JBs comments. No one was happy with how the season went, but its a little different when you add the fact that JB sounds willing to pull the plug if things go that way this year as well.

You are just interpreting his tone? I think it would be a horrible idea to pull the plug after this season unless the rails come flat off

I was interpreting tone. If you're smart, you learn to interpret the different tones of your bosses when you're around them. The tone Jeff used there is one where he's annoyed and wants more results.

[R i]

You are just interpreting his tone?

Yes

[Purple Haize]

My point is I wouldn't expect anyone to be happy with last years results. I wouldn't expect the AD to be all fired up excited about it. But IMO he'd be foolish to put Gills job on the line based on the results of the upcoming season.
So you can read one of two things into his tone
He's not happy about last years results
He will fire Gill if he doesn't reach some as yet undetermined result this upcoming season

[rtb72]

So I''m curious....what do some of you think the "high water" mark is? At what point will JB's rep be in question should he "stick with Gill" to long? What would be considered to long? Just asking what others think. I really don't know at what point in LU Football this might be as I have a limited knowledge on the history of it at LU....but when money (donors, club members, season tickets) starts to wain, questions start getting tougher. I know I love attending the games as it is more than just a game for me and my family....but honestly I would not find it much fun to have many seasons with GW/Monmouth 2015' games in it. I'm guessing LU Football is the "money sport", so too long may be too late. Just wanted to get a little insight/knowledge on those of you with more time in LU sports.

[BJWilliams]

I think there's a lot of layers to this sort of thing:

1) Wins. Its been said on multiple occasions that winning cures a variety of ills. When DR was here we won 8 or more games 4 times, including back to back undefeated runs through the Big South. When you have that kind of success, you start to expect it a lot more, especially when you factor in...
2) Facilities. When DR and JB came in after KK was fired, we had a 12,000 seat stadium with a press box that barely could be seen as an NCAA level press box. Now we have a multimillion dollar operations center, a 19-20,000 seat stadium with ability to expand even further, we are in the process of adding an indoor practice facility...when you have that kind of investment in facilities, you expect to see a pretty significant return on that investment on the field. When you have that kind of money sunk into your football program, 6 and 7 win seasons really aren't going to cut the mustard.
3) Money. You touched on it a bit, but we are not an SEC level program by any means in this area. With that said, we do have a lot of people investing a lot of money in this program, in major donations toward the aforementioned facilities, in luxury box reservations, in season tickets...while we don't have people asking to have a "seat at the table" because of their investment financially into the program, we do have people that will start to re-evaluate their investment (if they haven't already) if we continue to languish at 6-7 wins and the fan base starts to wane. While I don't see JB as the type to make "knee jerk" reactions in the emotional aftermath of things, I do think that if he starts seeing more aluminum in the seats because people have tired of waiting for that "next step", you will see him make that tough decision to change at the top, otherwise, even though they are friends and all, you may see JLFJR put his head on the chopping block.

Id be willing to bet that other posters could take this analysis even deeper but that's what Im seeing in my going on 14 years supporting LU athletics as a student, alumnus and fan

[rtb72]

I think there's a lot of layers to this sort of thing:

1) Wins. Its been said on multiple occasions that winning cures a variety of ills. When DR was here we won 8 or more games 4 times, including back to back undefeated runs through the Big South. When you have that kind of success, you start to expect it a lot more, especially when you factor in...
2) Facilities. When DR and JB came in after KK was fired, we had a 12,000 seat stadium with a press box that barely could be seen as an NCAA level press box. Now we have a multimillion dollar operations center, a 19-20,000 seat stadium with ability to expand even further, we are in the process of adding an indoor practice facility...when you have that kind of investment in facilities, you expect to see a pretty significant return on that investment on the field. When you have that kind of money sunk into your football program, 6 and 7 win seasons really aren't going to cut the mustard.
3) Money. You touched on it a bit, but we are not an SEC level program by any means in this area. With that said, we do have a lot of people investing a lot of money in this program, in major donations toward the aforementioned facilities, in luxury box reservations, in season tickets...while we don't have people asking to have a "seat at the table" because of their investment financially into the program, we do have people that will start to re-evaluate their investment (if they haven't already) if we continue to languish at 6-7 wins and the fan base starts to wane. While I don't see JB as the type to make "knee jerk" reactions in the emotional aftermath of things, I do think that if he starts seeing more aluminum in the seats because people have tired of waiting for that "next step", you will see him make that tough decision to change at the top, otherwise, even though they are friends and all, you may see JLFJR put his head on the chopping block.

Id be willing to bet that other posters could take this analysis even deeper but that's what Im seeing in my going on 14 years supporting LU athletics as a student, alumnus and fan

Thanks for the great analysis! I knew there was some success under Rocco, but apparently not enough? Was it the lack of playoff appearances or was the program just not progressing fast enough, that resulted in his demise?

As for the money piece; I know that has driven some programs, albeit bigger ones, to make changes a lot sooner even with better success at the time. I just brought that up because I wasn't sure what level of patience existed among the most passionate of the LU Football program donors. Do they even expect a "seat at the table"?

Let me be sure to clarify also that I am in no way looking to get rid of HCTG. I really like him! The students really like him! When I was at LU and even now with my nephew attending.....he really does a great job of motivating and engaging the student fan base. With that said, I know that only goes so far when you can't put digits in the win column.

[Chris Lang]

Rocco's demise can be traced to two words, and they rhyme with Pasa Lapman.

This will be Gill's fifth season, which is an entirely fair time to look at the overall state of the program. Liberty has zero business losing to programs like Gardner-Webb and Monmouth. Gardner-Webb is horrible. The Bulldogs scored 141 points last year, and nearly 25 percent of them came in one game against Liberty. Barber has every right to demand better than what he's seeing, because his guy has been out-coached and out-classed by a staff at Charleston Southern that is working with a fraction of the budget and amenities that LU has. Not all 6-5s are created equal. That 6-5 last year should have been 8-3, and LU should have been in the playoffs two years in a row. If LU can't find a way to beat a second-year Kennesaw program and a traditionally awful PC team on the road and sweep home games against Monmouth and GW to set up a championship game against CSU, which will be at home, then yeah, I think you start to look at the return on investment and think about cutting bait. Football is no longer a game for the patient. There's too much at stake financially. You look at that schedule, and I think it's pretty safe to say it's playoffs or bust, or Gill's seat becomes a scorching one.

[Jonathan Carone]

Unfilitered Chris is my favorite Chris.

[Purple Haize]

Rocco's demise can be traced to two words, and they rhyme with Pasa Lapman.

This will be Gill's fifth season, which is an entirely fair time to look at the overall state of the program. Liberty has zero business losing to programs like Gardner-Webb and Monmouth. Gardner-Webb is horrible. The Bulldogs scored 141 points last year, and nearly 25 percent of them came in one game against Liberty. Barber has every right to demand better than what he's seeing, because his guy has been out-coached and out-classed by a staff at Charleston Southern that is working with a fraction of the budget and amenities that LU has. Not all 6-5s are created equal. That 6-5 last year should have been 8-3, and LU should have been in the playoffs two years in a row. If LU can't find a way to beat a second-year Kennesaw program and a traditionally awful PC team on the road and sweep home games against Monmouth and GW to set up a championship game against CSU, which will be at home, then yeah, I think you start to look at the return on investment and think about cutting bait. Football is no longer a game for the patient. There's too much at stake financially. You look at that schedule, and I think it's pretty safe to say it's playoffs or bust, or Gill's seat becomes a scorching one.

Yeah. I love unfiltered Chris too.
If LU doesn't make the Playoffs this year then I would say he is on the hot seat. But unless the wheels come off again I don't think you fire the guy after this year

[thepostman]

I agree. He is getting close to the hot seat but he isn't there yet.

[Dalegarz1]

It ain't over to the fat lady sings! As far as TG goes she's not singing-however, I think I can hear her warming up!

[ballcoach15]

I guess we will never know why we went to Gardner Webb "not ready to play". I predicted we would beat them 56-0, and I was being conservative.

[BJWilliams]

With all due respect, I think we all know why it happened ballcoach...I just think no one else decided to bring it up anymore because we know it was a bad loss and dwelling on the why it isn't going to make it any better. All we can do is look forward to 2016 camp and hopefully crushing the Pups in Lynchburg this year

[ballcoach15]

When a team loses a game like that , you have to dwell on it. Maybe dwelling on it will prevent it from happening again. Heck, they should show that game on video to the team on first day of practice in August. use it as a teaching tool.

granted there are some defeats a team should put behind them and move on. But this is not one of them.

[Jonathan Carone]

Beej - with all due respect, ballcoach is right. The G-W and Monmouth games were giant red flags. They'll be dwelled on until they prove they were flukes and not signs of a bigger issue.

[BJWilliams]

I should have said that as a fanbase, dwelling on it isn't going to make it any better. How the players and coaches address it this summer and heading into 2016 is up to them.

[thepostman]

There you go again beej...

[R i]

JFLJR Promised some evidence would come out, that would make all of us naysayers sound like total scum. Well , is the reverse also true ?

Sorry/Not Sorry for bringing this up. It was a major turning point in our athletics (as Chris alluded to) and was the beginning of some faith in administration being lost. Once a year reminders should be allowed.

[Purple Haize]

JFLJR Promised some evidence would come out, that would make all of us naysayers sound like total scum. Well , is the reverse also true ?

Sorry/Not Sorry for bringing this up. It was a major turning point in our athletics (as Chris alluded to) and was the beginning of some faith in administration being lost. Once a year reminders should be allowed.

Evidence about what?

[Jonathan Carone]

Asa.

[Purple Haize]

Asa.

That's what I thought. But I wasn't sure if he was referring to BJ referring to the GW game or what. I get confused easily. Ha