Coach Rod

[Merkin]

I grew up in MI and never understood why we were in the same time zone as NY. Just worlds apart, and not just distance.

Its because of the proximity to Chicago and Central Time Zone, right?

Looks like it, at least the NW.

[Bosy Billups]

Is there any thread discussing the soon to be Florida opening? Isn't that his "Dream Job"?

[UAEebs86]

I heard Rita Rodriguez has allergies and loves grass.

Has she been spotted with a real estate agent in Gainesville yet?

[Irish27]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

[azpenguin]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

The coaching speculation comes with the territory, but it gets old fast, that's for sure. Problem is, Muschamp is finishing out the season so that makes the chances that they'll announce a new hire before the season is over next to nil. So we get to hear "RR to Florida?!?" for the next few weeks and the premium sites will play it up all to hell and back to try to drive subscriptions. I doubt RR leaves but nothing's ever etched in stone.

[Macho Grande]

As I prepared to watch UDub take a knee and run out the clock yesterday, I remember thinking that losing to Washington might not be a bad thing if it meant that Florida would cross RR off their short list. Surely losing to an unranked team at home would have been enough to drop him down on their list a few spots at least. But then Petersen did the unthinkable.

[wyo-cat]

He hasn't done enough here to sway the big money people at Fla or anywhere right now. There's still a big blue blemish on his record and rep.

I don't see it happening now.

[dc4azcats]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

[azpenguin]

I went looking around at some of the Gators news sites and the writers there didn't mention RichRod. I really think he'd be a tough sell to the Gator faithful and the boosters. Also remember that Foley has had two coaching hires (Zook and Muschamp) that didn't pan out, so I don't think he's going to go too far out on a limb here. As I always say on these things, I have no insider info, so I could always be wrong.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

I get that, but at the same time would he want that pressure? Would UF give him the freedom to run the program that GB does? Florida fans will dissect the living hell out of any play, hire, recruit, or anything that goes wrong. They live and breathe this stuff down there so if things don't go great quickly your life is going to be a living hell. But yeah, our kind of fan support is not a good thing either. Which extreme would he prefer is the question. That's if he even gets the call.

[Irish27]

I went looking around at some of the Gators news sites and the writers there didn't mention RichRod. I really think he'd be a tough sell to the Gator faithful and the boosters. Also remember that Foley has had two coaching hires (Zook and Muschamp) that didn't pan out, so I don't think he's going to go too far out on a limb here. As I always say on these things, I have no insider info, so I could always be wrong.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

I get that, but at the same time would he want that pressure? Would UF give him the freedom to run the program that GB does? Florida fans will dissect the living hell out of any play, hire, recruit, or anything that goes wrong. They live and breathe this stuff down there so if things don't go great quickly your life is going to be a living hell. But yeah, our kind of fan support is not a good thing either. Which extreme would he prefer is the question. That's if he even gets the call.

How about his family? Rhett is the starting quarterback at Foothills and Raquel is a freshman at the UofA? The expectations at Florida will be just as high as it was at Michigan and would he want to go through all that again? He is establishing something here and the Pac-12 is easier to compete in than the SEC. I believe he stays.

[dc4azcats]

I went looking around at some of the Gators news sites and the writers there didn't mention RichRod. I really think he'd be a tough sell to the Gator faithful and the boosters. Also remember that Foley has had two coaching hires (Zook and Muschamp) that didn't pan out, so I don't think he's going to go too far out on a limb here. As I always say on these things, I have no insider info, so I could always be wrong.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

I get that, but at the same time would he want that pressure? Would UF give him the freedom to run the program that GB does? Florida fans will dissect the living hell out of any play, hire, recruit, or anything that goes wrong. They live and breathe this stuff down there so if things don't go great quickly your life is going to be a living hell. But yeah, our kind of fan support is not a good thing either. Which extreme would he prefer is the question. That's if he even gets the call.

The best thing that can happen is Oklahoma's AD leaves for Michigan and Stoops then leaves for Florida. If Stoops doesn't leave then RR will certainly get a call.

[qwertyus]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

[UAdevil]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

No shit.

[Irish27]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

No shit.

Great post!

[UAdevil]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

No shit.

Great post!

I thought so!

[azpenguin]

I went looking around at some of the Gators news sites and the writers there didn't mention RichRod. I really think he'd be a tough sell to the Gator faithful and the boosters. Also remember that Foley has had two coaching hires (Zook and Muschamp) that didn't pan out, so I don't think he's going to go too far out on a limb here. As I always say on these things, I have no insider info, so I could always be wrong.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

I get that, but at the same time would he want that pressure? Would UF give him the freedom to run the program that GB does? Florida fans will dissect the living hell out of any play, hire, recruit, or anything that goes wrong. They live and breathe this stuff down there so if things don't go great quickly your life is going to be a living hell. But yeah, our kind of fan support is not a good thing either. Which extreme would he prefer is the question. That's if he even gets the call.

The best thing that can happen is Oklahoma's AD leaves for Michigan and Stoops then leaves for Florida. If Stoops doesn't leave then RR will certainly get a call.

Yeah, that's what seems to be the sentiment. I don't get the sense he would leave but I do think he'll leverage this. Of course, this stuff makes me nervous because I still remember Smith leaving for USC. Arizona is not only still playing meaningful games this year but they're a contender in the Pac-12 next year.

[dc4azcats]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

Thanks for making my point in regards to our pathetic fan base. If RR leaves, it won't be because a couple of losers didn't want to drive down from phx. I've never put the problem of not filling the stadium on fans from Phx.

[Salty]

Arizona has decent fan support. It can and will grow.

Fan support will not be the reason that RR leaves.

[azcat49]

Another point is Meyer didn't leave Florida because of the pressure. The only pressure he got was from his wife about the gator coeds he seemed to like. Do you honestly think that the pressure at Ohio St is any different than UF.

how many times have we heard at RR talk about passion. His assistants have it, his players have it but the only place missing is the fan support in Tucson except for the big games

[Harvey Specter]

I will be very surprised if Rich Rod gets offered by Florida - but if he does, and goes - I won't blame him at all. That's a Top 5 job, in an area of the country he loves, and he may not get that chance again.

That said, let's be real about why he's going, and stop with these ridiculous suggestions that the AZ fanbase could have done anything to stop it. We are not Florida, and we will probably never be Florida. The only chance we MIGHT be is if we hire a coach who stays and builds this program into a perennial winner over a long period, ala Lute.

Was our fan showing yesterday sub-standard? Undoubtedly. But I don't believe for a second that a sellout vs UW would make a bit of difference on whether RR leaves or stays. If he gets the call and wants to leave, he's leaving regardless of yesterday's attendance numbers.

I don't think there is a program (outside possibly Eugene, and that's a big IF) where you will see fanatical support, sans a perennial contender.

No program is going to sell out every game, unless it's at a place with a fanatical and large college football fanbase. And no fanbase of that nature is going to sit around and "appreciate gradual progress in a 4-5 year re-building project" especially when they've seen how quickly 'Bama & Auburn got turned around. You want one, you get the other.

I really hope he stays... But I will wish him well if he leaves. I won't blame our fans if he does - and if RR even hinted at that as a reason I'd be surprised and disappointed.

[azcat49]

Mmmm that's a well thought out post Harvey and one I couldn't argue against. Well done. Let's hope he stays. Maybe they want Brittney Graham

[Harvey Specter]

Mmmm that's a well thought out post Harvey and one I couldn't argue against. Well done. Let's hope he stays. Maybe they want Brittney Graham

I actually was thinking that maybe I should have been cheering for the gerbils as I stayed up way too late last night rooting for the Beavs.

I was pumped they lost last night but now I am not so sure for the reason you mention...

[ZONACAT]

Rich Rod can leave. I'd be thrilled to hire Muschamp and an Air Raid OC, like Sonny Crumbie at TCU who is a co-coordinator right now. I have a lot of trust that Byrne will make the right hire. After flirting with L'ville, pretty much showed me that Rich Rod wasn't interested in being at Arizona for the long term, the attendance may be used as an excuse but any excuse will do when you are leaving. Very likely Rich Rod will leave Arizona going 0-6 against UCLA/ASU.

[ghostwhitehorse]

Rich Rod can leave. I'd be thrilled to hire Muschamp and an Air Raid OC, like Sonny Crumbie at TCU who is a co-coordinator right now. I have a lot of trust that Byrne will make the right hire. After flirting with L'ville, pretty much showed me that Rich Rod wasn't interested in being at Arizona for the long term, the attendance may be used as an excuse but any excuse will do when you are leaving. Very likely Rich Rod will leave Arizona going 0-6 against UCLA/ASU.

[ZONACAT]

I'm serious, Arizona will be a desirable job because of the talent here and the relaxed atmosphere.

[BearDown89]

Fantastic. I can't wait to read this thread everyday for the next 6-8 weeks.

[jimson]

This would really suck if Rich Rod left. GB needs to give him an extension immediately to squash all these rumors.

We're the 14th ranked team in the country and we couldn't get 48k fans to our game yesterday and you're worried about paying him?!?! I hate our pathetic fan base and they won't realize how freaking far we outkicked the coverage in getting RR here in the first place until he's gone and they get a load of who's replacing him.

All things being equal would you stay here? More than a million people in the metro area, 35k students, no other game in town and we can't draw 50k. I look forward to our pathetic fan base whining down the road as to the reason why we couldn't keep RR here? Noting that none of the excuses will have to do with the pathetic "I just don't want to be let down again" fans.

Man are you never going to get it? We have to have a break through (championship) to improve the fan base.

That's just the way it is.

[OSUCat]

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

Agreed. Arizona can be a football hot spot, it just takes time. You have a fan base that really just expects let downs. Its not like Arizona had a huge streak of success and good coaches. Heck even Dick Tomey drove fans nuts, than Mac, and a couple of years of bad Stoops. If RR stays and continues with the winning cultural I have no doubt that football will become a hot ticket in town.

You can't immediately make up the fans that gave up in football when it was terrible during their student years. It takes winning and rising expectations.

[TuiTouchdown]

Wouldn't Graham be a better candidate for any of these jobs than Rich Rod?

[RazorsEdgeAZ]

[azgreg]

Wouldn't Graham be a better candidate for any of these jobs than Rich Rod?

Might as well, he already has his laminated acceptance speech ready.

[TuiTouchdown]

But if RichRod does go (AND I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN), I say we throw the house at the HC at Marshall, Doc Holiday. Only because that would be the most fitting thing I've ever seen.

[qwertyus]

Another point is Meyer didn't leave Florida because of the pressure. The only pressure he got was from his wife about the gator coeds he seemed to like. Do you honestly think that the pressure at Ohio St is any different than UF.

how many times have we heard at RR talk about passion. His assistants have it, his players have it but the only place missing is the fan support in Tucson except for the big games

So? Urban Meyer was fine just saying that he'd been 'burnt out' football-wise. He didn't have to go into excruiciating and candid detail about how he'd lost all enjoyment. RR seems like the type of guy who loves underdogs. He loves building teams that people normally wouldn't look twice at into powerful teams. He spent a lot of time at WVU not just because it was his alma mater, but because it was the type of program that he wanted. We outkicked our coverage because Arizona is a project, a perpetual underdog, not in spite of it. He went to Michigan to get a taste of coaching a "big time" program. He didn't like it, and they didn't like him. If we can keep paying him, and if we let him run the program how he sees fit, I see no reason why he won't stay here at least a few more years.

[azpenguin]

RichRod is a bad coach and Florida shouldn't even look at him. Not for a second. Nope. No sir. They should look elsewhere for a coach who is actually good and brings in nothing but four and five star recruits. Really, he's not worth their time.

[Sage&Silver]

But if RichRod does go (AND I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN), I say we throw the house at the HC at Marshall, Doc Holiday. Only because that would be the most fitting thing I've ever seen.

Hell, we've already got his statue at the train depot.

[TuiTouchdown]

But if RichRod does go (AND I DO NOT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN), I say we throw the house at the HC at Marshall, Doc Holiday. Only because that would be the most fitting thing I've ever seen.

Hell, we've already got his statue at the train depot.

Damn he's so good we already have a statue built of him? Rodriguez to Florida, Holiday to UA confirmed.

[Gladiator Cat]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

[Merkin]

Wouldn't Graham be a better candidate for any of these jobs than Rich Rod?

Florida is his dream job.

[jimson]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

Although you may be right (Even Petersen left Boise eventually) things may be different for a coach who has been there and done that.

This big stocks and bonds retention package doesn't mean a thing when there are schools that can double or triple that, but then again, once you are a millionaire and can buy anything you want, what does more money get you?

You can make a solid case for RR wanting to stay here where he can survive 8 wins seasons and be lauded for better one's every few years, but I guess they can never resist the siren call and they usually crash onto the rocks.

[UALoco]

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be.

and that just sucks..I have to blame somebody and the fans who don't show-up are as good as anything else out there. I refuse to resign myself to the fact that Arizona will have a middle of the pack program that might have a good season now and again. Call it naive, I think we can and will have something special in my lifetime. This is the closest since the Tomey/Desert Swarm years and I'd like to believe that RR and his assistants can make it happen with support from the community. If RR bolts to Florida(a la Larry Smith), it might be the nail in the coffin for the program and proof that we can do no better than all those other Arizona teams who weren't able to smell the roses. Until then..I hope.

[catgrad97]

Twitter has Florida not giving RR a serious look. Common sense would say that you see W/L progress from year to year before committing to contract extensions. Smith showed that and Ced Dempsey still couldn't keep him here.

Assuming Arizona doesn't end the year 0-3, this is really going to be a Byrne decision, as far as how far to extend these coaches' contracts, and by how much. Beat ASU, make it to 10 wins and get to a Holiday Bowl or better and the metrics become far clearer and less-muddled than choking at Utah, another Territorial disappointment and a bowl collapse.

But this program has a goal or two to meet first before anybody backs up the dump truck of cash.

[UALoco]

Meh. It actually looked better from where I was sitting compared to Colorado, which drew 49.5 or something. Why do 2-3k seats up in the second level behind RR even matter? I guarantee you that there is no discernible difference between the sound that 47.5k and 50k fans make if both of them have 10k students. If RR leaves, it's not going to be because a couple of posters on here didn't drive down from Phoenix. All things being equal, you stay here so you don't end up like Urban Meyer, unable to enjoy winning because of the pressure and expecting to win every single game. The whining that we can't fill the last 2,000 nosebleed seats is getting old guys.

Capacity is 56k and we drew 47k. That is 9k short and there were huge swaths of prime seats open on the west side. The excuses are getting old too.

[azcat49]

Twitter has Florida not giving RR a serious look. Common sense would say that you see W/L progress from year to year before committing to contract extensions. Smith showed that and Ced Dempsey still couldn't keep him here.

Assuming Arizona doesn't end the year 0-3, this is really going to be a Byrne decision, as far as how far to extend these coaches' contracts, and by how much. Beat ASU, make it to 10 wins and get to a Holiday Bowl or better and the metrics become far clearer and less-muddled than choking at Utah, another Territorial disappointment and a bowl collapse.

But this program has a goal or two to meet first before anybody backs up the dump truck of cash.

One of the reasons Smith left was because at that time AZ could not give multi year contracts. His departure helped change that.

As far as extending RR, not sure we need to do that as that was done last year. The committment has already been shown that we want him to stay. If he actually romanced Louisville last year he may have shhot his wad with GB.

[dc4azcats]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

I'm sorry, but I must have missed the posts of those who said anything other than "The team always lets me down so I either don't go or I only go to 3 or 4 games (if that)." Or the always popular "when we start scheduling better OOC games is when I'll start going to games." Maybe you can post the ones that say I can't because my kid has a (name the sport) game? That's certainly understandable. Thursday or Friday night game? Understandable as well. If you have kids and it's a school night and or worked all day? More than understandable. Again, I must have missed those posts.

That being said. Do you really think it's to much to ask a fan to make a 6 to 8 week commitment over the course of a football season? Not all the games are in a row so it shouldn't make it that difficult? At the most you get 2 home games in a row usually and on the rare occasion you might get 3, but there will usually be a bye week in there. So for all of the things somebody might do over the course of 12 to 14 weeks you're saying that it's to much to ask for a fan to schedule 6 to 7 game days in that time frame? I wonder how all of the other universities are able to do it? Utah will be sold out for our game and fans there have a pro team to consider when choosing how to spend their disposable income.

Other than that you really made some great excuses as to why fans can't go to 6 to 7 games over 14 week period.

[dc4azcats]

Twitter has Florida not giving RR a serious look. Common sense would say that you see W/L progress from year to year before committing to contract extensions. Smith showed that and Ced Dempsey still couldn't keep him here.

Assuming Arizona doesn't end the year 0-3, this is really going to be a Byrne decision, as far as how far to extend these coaches' contracts, and by how much. Beat ASU, make it to 10 wins and get to a Holiday Bowl or better and the metrics become far clearer and less-muddled than choking at Utah, another Territorial disappointment and a bowl collapse.

But this program has a goal or two to meet first before anybody backs up the dump truck of cash.

One of the reasons Smith left was because at that time AZ could not give multi year contracts. His departure helped change that.

As far as extending RR, not sure we need to do that as that was done last year. The committment has already been shown that we want him to stay. If he actually romanced Louisville last year he may have shhot his wad with GB.

I think the real difficulty here is you can't just hand out raises without having the revenue to go with it. What was given to RR, SM and GB in the form of stock options if they stay was brilliant. As it allowed the University to effectively guarantee an amount of money that is not tied to raising revenue to support it. You're talking a number that could reach the 15 million or more. The UA AD can't raise that kind of money via revenue.

You can't get anymore revenue out of the hoops program and the football program is where it has to come from. GB isn't begging fans to come to games for the hell of it, he's begging fans because he knows it bugs the hell out of RR that we're 8-2 and ranked top 15 and can't draw 55k. You can't keep a coach like RR if you don't pay him. You can't pay Sean Miller anymore money if Football doesn't generate more revenue. The person who gave the stock options understood exactly what GB was saying in regards to, we keep winning and the coaches will want more money and rightfully so. If we don't generate more money from football then at some point it's going to come to a head.

We have the right coach, it's an incredibly entertaining brand of football, we're winning, we're ranked and yet people can't come out and support the team. I've said this a million times but if you asked any coach at the UA what you as a fan could do to help support UA athletics to a man/woman they would say buy football tickets. That would include Sean Miller.

For those who weren't there it was embarrassing how empty the stadium was when the team was warming up and when they came out to start the game. When the team is warming up 30 min before the game and the Zona Zoo is maybe a third full and the entire stadium isn't even a third full, it's something a staff notices and it's certainly something the players notice. It's pathetic and the excuses are even more so.

[jimson]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

I'm sorry, but I must have missed the posts of those who said anything other than "The team always lets me down so I either don't go or I only go to 3 or 4 games (if that)." Or the always popular "when we start scheduling better OOC games is when I'll start going to games." Maybe you can post the ones that say I can't because my kid has a (name the sport) game? That's certainly understandable. Thursday or Friday night game? Understandable as well. If you have kids and it's a school night and or worked all day? More than understandable. Again, I must have missed those posts.

That being said. Do you really think it's to much to ask a fan to make a 6 to 8 week commitment over the course of a football season? Not all the games are in a row so it shouldn't make it that difficult? At the most you get 2 home games in a row usually and on the rare occasion you might get 3, but there will usually be a bye week in there. So for all of the things somebody might do over the course of 12 to 14 weeks you're saying that it's to much to ask for a fan to schedule 6 to 7 game days in that time frame? I wonder how all of the other universities are able to do it? Utah will be sold out for our game and fans there have a pro team to consider when choosing how to spend their disposable income.

Other than that you really made some great excuses as to why fans can't go to 6 to 7 games over 14 week period.

Sooner or later the public shaming on message boards is bound to convince the town to fill the stadium, plus it's so enjoyable to read every year.

When did Utah get an NFL team?

[dc4azcats]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

I'm sorry, but I must have missed the posts of those who said anything other than "The team always lets me down so I either don't go or I only go to 3 or 4 games (if that)." Or the always popular "when we start scheduling better OOC games is when I'll start going to games." Maybe you can post the ones that say I can't because my kid has a (name the sport) game? That's certainly understandable. Thursday or Friday night game? Understandable as well. If you have kids and it's a school night and or worked all day? More than understandable. Again, I must have missed those posts.

That being said. Do you really think it's to much to ask a fan to make a 6 to 8 week commitment over the course of a football season? Not all the games are in a row so it shouldn't make it that difficult? At the most you get 2 home games in a row usually and on the rare occasion you might get 3, but there will usually be a bye week in there. So for all of the things somebody might do over the course of 12 to 14 weeks you're saying that it's to much to ask for a fan to schedule 6 to 7 game days in that time frame? I wonder how all of the other universities are able to do it? Utah will be sold out for our game and fans there have a pro team to consider when choosing how to spend their disposable income.

Other than that you really made some great excuses as to why fans can't go to 6 to 7 games over 14 week period.

Sooner or later the public shaming on message boards is bound to convince the town to fill the stadium, plus it's so enjoyable to read every year.

No less or more than those of us reading the sorry excuses why fans don't go.

[dc4azcats]

When it comes to filling the stadium on a consistent basis, most rational and reasonable people know the score and have lived up close and personal the lengthy history of a very average football product over the course of decades. It’s just the way it has always been and odd's favor that the lukewarm commitment to getting capacity crowd butts in the seats each weekend in Tucson will continue.

Even life long hardcore fans on this site who by all accounts are great people who love the UofA have told everyone they are hit and miss during home games. That’s just the way it is and shall continue to be, its called life and choices. There are other things in life that take president at the end of a long work-week and are far more important than college football. I know that sounds crazy but some folks do try to find balance in life. I'm actually quite stunned that the obviousness of having multiple enjoyable alternatives to partake in that evolves around family and friends are ridiculed to the extent that it is. The veracity and nastiness of those calling out people for simply having a different view and a different set of priorities on any given game day throughout the year is astonishing in its arrogance. The alienation factor by some folks is disturbing to say the least.

As for Rich Rod, for him to change the landscape in Arizona football a drastic dynamic would have to occur and it will boil down to the most basic element of sports played anywhere...............wins and losses! RR is never going to consistently fill the stadium unless and until he wins 9-11 games a year for a number of back to back years.

This has never been a rabid fanatical, fill the stadium fan base and I don't suspect it ever will be. There will be a hit and miss increases and decreases year in and year out. It is entertaining to see the discussion and even participate in it, but it’s mainly circle jerk exercise in the big scheme of things because it involves understanding the passions and apathy dynamics in play.

In closing and throwing my two cents in on RR leaving the UofA. The Arizona job has always been a transition job and that factor did not stop when RR was hired. The job and longevity factor has improved but, many of the old issues are still present and play a role. The Dick Tomey types who would have stayed here for 40 years if allowed are the exception.

Simply put, unless insane money and executive level perks above those present today were to be thrown at Rich Rod and his staff, there is no reasonable expectation that if a school like Florida were to actually offer the HCing job to RR where he could or would say no.

I don't expect it to happen, but if a Florida job offer was made, RR and the family would have moving vans rolling down I-10 so fast your head would spin and I don't even think that is a reach. But all of this banter is a mute point for the most part, because it’s very unlikely he will ever be offered a job like Florida without numerous PAC12 championships and with an appearance or two in the national college play-offs under his belt.

I'm sorry, but I must have missed the posts of those who said anything other than "The team always lets me down so I either don't go or I only go to 3 or 4 games (if that)." Or the always popular "when we start scheduling better OOC games is when I'll start going to games." Maybe you can post the ones that say I can't because my kid has a (name the sport) game? That's certainly understandable. Thursday or Friday night game? Understandable as well. If you have kids and it's a school night and or worked all day? More than understandable. Again, I must have missed those posts.

That being said. Do you really think it's to much to ask a fan to make a 6 to 8 week commitment over the course of a football season? Not all the games are in a row so it shouldn't make it that difficult? At the most you get 2 home games in a row usually and on the rare occasion you might get 3, but there will usually be a bye week in there. So for all of the things somebody might do over the course of 12 to 14 weeks you're saying that it's to much to ask for a fan to schedule 6 to 7 game days in that time frame? I wonder how all of the other universities are able to do it? Utah will be sold out for our game and fans there have a pro team to consider when choosing how to spend their disposable income.

Other than that you really made some great excuses as to why fans can't go to 6 to 7 games over 14 week period.

Sooner or later the public shaming on message boards is bound to convince the town to fill the stadium, plus it's so enjoyable to read every year.

When did Utah get an NFL team?

Last I checked the NBA was still a pro league. They've been playing for a month now.

[jimson]

Oh NBA, well it's not too far of a drive for us for NBA, NFL or NHL for that matter.

It's not just us either

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1814 ... ll-fans-go

http://online.wsj.com/articles/at-colle ... 1409188244

[azpenguin]

With all this talk going on, I keep reminding myself that none of this is any sort of surprise to GB and he's done as much preparation for this as he can knowing that the speculation of RR's name coming up for other jobs was going to happen. In the end, Florida probably hires someone else, RR gets some more money for his assistants, and life will go on until next season when his name comes up again for Miami or Virginia Tech or whatever. None of this is happening if he's not doing a good job here. (We're talking schools like Florida here... remember the whole "Stoops to Iowa State" hot rumors at the end of 2008? We've definitely taken a step up here )