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How Temple Should Stand as a Warning to the Rest of the AAC

Temple is overpaying on Rod Carey. As a result, they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place that should act as a warning to the rest of the AAC.
By Dan Morrison Mar 25, 2021, 9:00am EDT

EXCERPTS:

"in a move to gain stability (after losing a series of former Head Coaches to P5 teams), Temple offered (former Northern Illinois Head Coach) Rod Carey a massive contract, six years and $2 million annually. The first two seasons had a $10 million buyout. It’s down to $8 million going into his third season. That’s too much for Temple to be able to afford as they slide into the bottom of the conference under Carey..."

"It’s no secret that things are going poorly in Philadelphia. The Temple Owls went 1-6 in Rod Carey’s second season..."

(It had been years since) Temple last had a losing record (in 2013).

...the Owls were getting blown out. By the end of the year, even ECU beat them by four scores.

It’s not that Temple didn’t have any talent(ed players). It’s that they gave up, and seemingly quit on their coach.

Head coach Rod Carey's tenure appears to be trending downwards into a nose dive. It’s a worrying pattern, as he slid Northern Illinois from being an Orange Bowl team to a just above average MAC team.

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2021/3/2...ach-hiring

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The former Temple AD who signed Carey to such a lucrative contract should have done his due diligence. If he had, he would have noticed that under Coach Carey, Northern Illinois had one of the nation's least productive offenses in 2017 and 2018, and that Carey's teams had an atrocious 0-6 record in their bowl games).

He should have known the program was in trouble when Carey (who functioned as N. Illinois' HC and Co-Offensive Coordinator decided to bring his highly-inexperienced and ineffective Co-OC with him from Northern Illinois, rather than hiring an experienced, effective OC to start out his tenure at Temple.

Another warning sign should have been the fact that Carey's (a former Offensive Lineman (Center)) and his Co-OC's position specialties were as Offensive Line Coaches, prior to becoming Co-Offensive Coordinators.

Ordinarily, one would hope that a team's Offensive Coordinator would have spent his developmental years as a Quarterback or Running Back Coach, but Temple's offense is run by a couple of former Offensive Line Coaches, and that should tell you just about all you'd want to know about the Temple Owls offense under Coach Carey.

Despite inheriting a team with dozens of talented players, Carey's first Owls team only managed to defeat one team that had a .500+ record.
Miraculously, they became bowl eligible in 2019, thanks to playing seven sub-.500 teams, only to be blown off the field in the 2019 military bowl.

The 2020 Owls finished the 2020 season ranked #116 in the Massey Composite rankings, and were among the 15 lowest scoring teams in the nation.

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The question is this: What can Temple do, since they can't afford to buy out his contract?

The University doesn't have many options, but things are looking so bad at this point that drastic measures might be considered.

One possibility would be to relieve Carey of his duties, let go of his least effective assistants, and assign the role of Head Coach to an aspiring young Coach who would be willing to handle the Head Coach's duties for the amount that a top assistant might ordinarily be paid, around $200,000/year - - which would be considered a fortune by many Americans.

Q: Why would that even be contemplated?

A: It probably wouldn't be contemplated, but while it would be a gamble, if Carey's players keep giving up on him half way through the season, it's possible that almost anyone could do a better job of coaching the team than Carey can.

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I feel for you guys...I really do. One of the best recent slobberknocker defenses in the AAC, undone by inept coaching.
I know it's not any fun watching a sport when your team isn't very good. Memphis suffered for years and years until its administration took football seriously and sank some money into it.
I hope you don't think I'm condescending...totally not the case here. I genuinely respect the school and its history of good coaches.
I can tell you...I think Temple will get through this...and get the next hire right.

In other news...

The sky is falling.

(05-27-2021 08:13 AM)EarthBoundMisfit Wrote:  I feel for you guys...I really do. One of the best recent slobberknocker defenses in the AAC, undone by inept coaching.
I know it's not any fun watching a sport when your team isn't very good. Memphis suffered for years and years until its administration took football seriously and sank some money into it.
I hope you don't think I'm condescending...totally not the case here. I genuinely respect the school and its history of good coaches.
I can tell you...I think Temple will get through this...and get the next hire right.

I decided to write this post when I saw several Temple fans posting their predictions on one of Temple's message boards that the Owls would end the season with a 3-9 record.

Another influence was a series of pessimistic posts about TUFB recruiting.

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Will Temple turn it around at some point? Sure, but it will take a few years, since the program has lost all the momentum that it had built up over the past decade.

Fortunately, the future looks brighter for the basketball program.

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How much buyout did you get for Diaz coaching for 2 weeks? Buyouts work both ways.

It seems Temple wait till buyout is lowered and then buy him out.

There are two different buyouts: one to fire Carey and a different one if he gets poached. Temple can certainly afford to fire Carey, to say otherwise is nonsense. There are other issues at play: we have both an interim president and AD. Neither will act on the football HC, any action won’t happen until both positions are hired. Since the president isn’t expected until September/October, the new AD wouldn’t be on board until December/January at best. Even so, Temple wouldn’t fire Carey now; he has had one winning and one losing season. What will be interesting is what happens if our slide continues and we have a new president and AD? (Hopefully we go 9-3 and don’t find out)

(05-27-2021 10:21 AM)Sideshow2313 Wrote:  How much buyout did you get for Diaz coaching for 2 weeks? Buyouts work both ways.

It seems Temple wait till buyout is lowered and then buy him out.

True, and it won't happen before the 2021 season, but the longer the wait, the deeper the program could sink.

I don't really understand or agree with the notion that offensive coordinators should be QB or RB coaches first. OL is very complex to coach, and the OL have to understand all the blocking schemes. It's not an easy position to play or coach. There's plenty of guys who have become successful OCs and/or HCs from being the OL coach.

if only Temple had a rich alumni they could turn to for help.

(05-27-2021 12:58 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  I don't really understand or agree with the notion that offensive coordinators should be QB or RB coaches first. OL is very complex to coach, and the OL have to understand all the blocking schemes. It's not an easy position to play or coach. There's plenty of guys who have become successful OCs and/or HCs from being the OL coach.

Ken Niumatalolo was the OL coach in his first stint at Navy -- when Paul Johnson was the OC under HC Charlie Weatherbie. He moved up to OC when PJ got the Georgia Southern HC job, but may have kept some OL responsibilities then. He and Weatherbie butted heads and Charlie fired Ken. Spent some time at UNLV under John Robinson as TE coach, special teams coordinator, and had some in-game offensive play calling responsibilities (but wasn't called OC). He came back with PJ after the 2001 season - I think initially he was "Assistant Head Coach" rather than OC - PJ was gonna call the plays in HIS offense even after Niumat had an "OC" title. Might have initially had some OL responsibilities as well.
KN had to break himself of the habit of getting the best OL coach end zone view of the blocking, a habit which could have the effect of him drifting downfield and ending up far from the sideline conversations and interactions.

i didn't get why they were so offended by being a stepping stone that they went looking for a coach who would hang around a while. at our level we need upwardly mobile coaches. if they do great they'll leave us and hopefully we find another one.

I'm not sure I falla the OP. Al Golden resurrected the program from the ashes and he left for more money and P5 status to Miami, FL. Steve Addazio took over the mantle and he left for more money and P5 status to Boston College. Matt Rhule took over the mantle and he left for more money and P5 status to Baylor. Geoff Collins took over the mantle and he left for more money and P5 status to Georgia Tech. Rod Carey took over the mantel and...the jury is still out after a COVID ravaged second year at the helm. See the pattern here? Temple has been hiring good coaches...

(05-27-2021 09:14 PM)Meatwad Wrote:  i didn't get why they were so offended by being a stepping stone that they went looking for a coach who would hang around a while. at our level we need upwardly mobile coaches. if they do great they'll leave us and hopefully we find another one.

When a coach leaves after two years, and the coach who replaced him lasted about 15 minutes, the student athletes on the team became a bit disenchanted. Stability in the position was a qualifying factor. Will Carey be successful? This year will be telling. Yes they were ravaged by Covid (practice schedules from Hell) and yes the portal left the team with a lot of good players seeking P5 exposure) but Carey did a pretty good job in the portal bringing talent back. This year his coaching chops (or lack thereof) will be on display. I'm will to give the benefit of the doubt.

(05-28-2021 12:21 AM)Fishpro10987 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 09:14 PM)Meatwad Wrote:  i didn't get why they were so offended by being a stepping stone that they went looking for a coach who would hang around a while. at our level we need upwardly mobile coaches. if they do great they'll leave us and hopefully we find another one.

When a coach leaves after two years, and the coach who replaced him lasted about 15 minutes, the student athletes on the team became a bit disenchanted. Stability in the position was a qualifying factor. Will Carey be successful? This year will be telling. Yes they were ravaged by Covid (practice schedules from Hell) and yes the portal left the team with a lot of good players seeking P5 exposure) but Carey did a pretty good job in the portal bringing talent back. This year his coaching chops (or lack thereof) will be on display. I'm will to give the benefit of the doubt.

This ^^^^^^^^.

(05-27-2021 01:01 PM)8BitPirate Wrote:  if only Temple had a rich alumni they could turn to for help.

Slip Carey a quaalude, and have him sign a revised contract in which he's not due a buyout!

Genius!

The Owls are screwed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(05-27-2021 09:32 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I'm not sure I falla the OP.

`

If you don't follow the logic of the OP, here's a synopsis of Carey's career:

1. Carey inherited a Northern Illinois (NIU) team that had averaged 11 wins per year, finished the 2012 season in the top 25 (#22), and left him with a large pool of talented players.

2. The program's performance began to drop off, most noticeably in 2015 (8-6), as the pool of talent from the 2012 NIU team departed and was not successfully replenished.

3. NIU's average record declined to a mediocre 7.25 wins and 6 losses (.558) during Carey's last four seasons as Head Coach.

4. NIU's average ranking in the Massey Composite Rankings during Carey's last four seasons there was #74th - - quite a drop, considering that he had inherited a #22-ranked team only a few years earlier.

--With Carey at the helm, NIU finished the 2018 season ranked #87th in scoring and #120th in total yards per game.

5. Carey's bowl record at NIU was 0-6 and now stands at 0-7.

6. When Carey came to Temple, he inherited a program that had won an average of 8.75 wins per year over the past four years and had amassed a large pool of talented players.

7. Despite playing a relatively easy schedule (SOS: #75) in Carey's first season, playing seven of their regular season games vs. teams with losing records, the Owls only managed to go 1-6 vs. teams that finished with winning records, and three of their five losses were blowouts, including a 63-21 loss to UCF on Temple's home field.

--The 2019 Owls finished the season ranked #90th in pts scored and #92nd in total yardage.

8. Carey's bowl record dropped to 0-7 after Temple's 13-55 defeat in the 2019 Military Bowl.

9. Carey led the Owls to a 1-6 record in 2020. The 2020 Owls finished the season ranked #113 in pts. scored and #109 in opponent pts/game, despite playing a relatively easy schedule (strength of schedule: #86).

10. Despite inheriting a program that had won 64.8% of its games over the four preceding seasons, Carey's record at Temple now stands at 9-12 (.429), and the team's average Massey Composite ranking over the past two seasons is #86th.

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I will say this - Carey's agent is going to parlay this into a ton of new clients. That's a helluva contract he landed for the coach.

(05-28-2021 02:07 AM)panite Wrote:  

(05-28-2021 12:21 AM)Fishpro10987 Wrote:  

(05-27-2021 09:14 PM)Meatwad Wrote:  i didn't get why they were so offended by being a stepping stone that they went looking for a coach who would hang around a while. at our level we need upwardly mobile coaches. if they do great they'll leave us and hopefully we find another one.

When a coach leaves after two years, and the coach who replaced him lasted about 15 minutes, the student athletes on the team became a bit disenchanted. Stability in the position was a qualifying factor. Will Carey be successful? This year will be telling. Yes they were ravaged by Covid (practice schedules from Hell) and yes the portal left the team with a lot of good players seeking P5 exposure) but Carey did a pretty good job in the portal bringing talent back. This year his coaching chops (or lack thereof) will be on display. I'm will to give the benefit of the doubt.

This ^^^^^^^^.

I agree with everything Fishpro says, except the benefit of the doubt regarding Carey. I get we had Covid issues (everyone did) and injuries (everyone did) but we had blowout losses to Buffalo, SMU, UCF and UNC prior to that. With like 5 NFL guys on defense! We lost to a terrible Navy team last year and barely beat a terrible USF team (no offense Middies and Bulls) If what many prognosticators say will happen, namely that Temple is a 3 win team this year, what will we do? Congratulate ourselves on a 200% improvement? Again, hope I’m wrong and we are 9-3 fighting to get in the championship game. I just don’t see it with Carey.
As for Collins, he was neither a good coach or recruiter. We are feeling the effects of his dismal recruiting now. He underperformed with a championship team he inherited including a loss to Villanova. The yokels at GT said hey if he can win at Temple he can certainly win at Tech and hired him. Addazio left us in a similar position.
As for Bill Cosby what a piece of garbage.Thanks for leaving your stench on my school!

(05-27-2021 01:03 AM)jedclampett Wrote:  .

How Temple Should Stand as a Warning to the Rest of the AAC

Temple is overpaying on Rod Carey. As a result, they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place that should act as a warning to the rest of the AAC.
By Dan Morrison Mar 25, 2021, 9:00am EDT

EXCERPTS:

"in a move to gain stability (after losing a series of former Head Coaches to P5 teams), Temple offered (former Northern Illinois Head Coach) Rod Carey a massive contract, six years and $2 million annually. The first two seasons had a $10 million buyout. It’s down to $8 million going into his third season. That’s too much for Temple to be able to afford as they slide into the bottom of the conference under Carey..."

"It’s no secret that things are going poorly in Philadelphia. The Temple Owls went 1-6 in Rod Carey’s second season..."

(It had been years since) Temple last had a losing record (in 2013).

...the Owls were getting blown out. By the end of the year, even ECU beat them by four scores.

It’s not that Temple didn’t have any talent(ed players). It’s that they gave up, and seemingly quit on their coach.

Head coach Rod Carey's tenure appears to be trending downwards into a nose dive. It’s a worrying pattern, as he slid Northern Illinois from being an Orange Bowl team to a just above average MAC team.

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2021/3/2...ach-hiring

.

The former Temple AD who signed Carey to such a lucrative contract should have done his due diligence. If he had, he would have noticed that under Coach Carey, Northern Illinois had one of the nation's least productive offenses in 2017 and 2018, and that Carey's teams had an atrocious 0-6 record in their bowl games).

He should have known the program was in trouble when Carey (who functioned as N. Illinois' HC and Co-Offensive Coordinator decided to bring his highly-inexperienced and ineffective Co-OC with him from Northern Illinois, rather than hiring an experienced, effective OC to start out his tenure at Temple.

Another warning sign should have been the fact that Carey's (a former Offensive Lineman (Center)) and his Co-OC's position specialties were as Offensive Line Coaches, prior to becoming Co-Offensive Coordinators.

Ordinarily, one would hope that a team's Offensive Coordinator would have spent his developmental years as a Quarterback or Running Back Coach, but Temple's offense is run by a couple of former Offensive Line Coaches, and that should tell you just about all you'd want to know about the Temple Owls offense under Coach Carey.

Despite inheriting a team with dozens of talented players, Carey's first Owls team only managed to defeat one team that had a .500+ record.
Miraculously, they became bowl eligible in 2019, thanks to playing seven sub-.500 teams, only to be blown off the field in the 2019 military bowl.

The 2020 Owls finished the 2020 season ranked #116 in the Massey Composite rankings, and were among the 15 lowest scoring teams in the nation.

.

The question is this: What can Temple do, since they can't afford to buy out his contract?

The University doesn't have many options, but things are looking so bad at this point that drastic measures might be considered.

One possibility would be to relieve Carey of his duties, let go of his least effective assistants, and assign the role of Head Coach to an aspiring young Coach who would be willing to handle the Head Coach's duties for the amount that a top assistant might ordinarily be paid, around $200,000/year - - which would be considered a fortune by many Americans.

Q: Why would that even be contemplated?

A: It probably wouldn't be contemplated, but while it would be a gamble, if Carey's players keep giving up on him half way through the season, it's possible that almost anyone could do a better job of coaching the team than Carey can.

.

Wow - so up beat going into the new FB season. Gloom and Doom. The sky is falling. Covid affected just about everyone's season last year. "All we are saying is give us a chance. "