Just suppose...what if Penn St. players refused to play unless Franklin was reinstated?
I realize this isn't gonna happen but this could happen someday.
Replies to: Just suppose...what if Penn St. players refused to play unless Franklin was reinstated?
Just like in the movie Hoosiers?
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Link: https://youtu.be/zFaEUnrsjL4?si=wQKsucxKMFLq-aiV
Gotta have a "Chitwood" though...
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More realistic: players refuse to play in a bowl game without additional $$$
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The sympathy for Franklin here is bizarre.
The extraordinarily-well compensated coach followed up the worst loss in the program's history with the second-worst, right after confirming his status as the worst big game coach in modern college football. Had Kelly experienced a stretch like this with a loaded team that was talked up as a NC contender before the season, majority of ND fans would've been calling for his head.
But poor, poor abused James Franklin. I think we should all write a letter to the PSU president and AD registering our deepest offense taken at their capricious decision to fire a coach after 12 seasons who didn't deliver what was expected, capping it with his worst coaching performance of all 12, and have all the PSU players sign it.
I really don't disagree with most of the points you've made.
To be clear, I don't like him. I think he's slimy. And it does boggle the mind that he has such a terrible record against the top teams.
My questions here are from a logic standpoint. I question the ability of that program to get someone that will so clearly get better results that at $50MM buyout and a mid-season firing makes sense.
Kick them when they’re down but don’t kill them syndrome.
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Kelly had a similar situation in 2016
2015 was a season where if Brian Van Gorder had simply exercised a shred of logic, we would have been in the playoffs, and maybe in the NCG. We could have beaten anyone in the nation, except Alabama.
2016 was a season where Brian Kelly choked in seven games, where we lost by one score, often times by special teams blunders, but mostly defensive ineptitude. Even the eighth loss, against USC, was winnable.
The Board of Trustees gave him a mulligan based on that 2015 season, and at least he elevated his game during the Kelly 2.0 era.
I honestly believed that Penn State would give Franklin a similar ultimatum after this year, seeing how he could have finished with at least a bowl-eligible team, but it appears that their Board of Trustees isn't quite as forgiving as ours.
I would even argue that James Franklin had better success than Brian Kelly did. At least he won some NY6 bowl games, in addition to last year's semifinal CFP appearance.
But, something truly stinks in Happy Valley, and it's only logical to surmise that the powers-that-be could only keep it covered up for so long, no matter how much tasty butter cream frosting they spread on a moldy cake.
McElroy and Cubelic were having a discussion over this on their radio show (highly recommend people listen to it, if possible), and said that there were rumblings about how Franklin was constantly being quite unpleasant towards his staff, his players, and just about everyone else, off camera. I'm more inclined to believe them, since they tend to be better informed than most of the other talk show folks.
JF can't hold BK's jockstrap. Only one of JF's NY6 Bowl wins was a Top-10 Team (Utah 8th).
The other 2 were average Washington and Memphis teams ranked outside the Top-10.
Brian Kelly had a winning record against Top-25 and Top-10 teams. He won about half those games. James Franklin had an overwhelmingly losing record against Top-25 and Top-10 teams, including when his team's ranking was close to those opponents. Penn State plays a joke schedule every year. They get ranked from dunking on midmajors and shitty BIG teams, and lose every game they play against quality opponents. For all of Brian Kelly's difficulties defeating Top-5 teams, he won more than he lost against good teams.
I strongly dislike BK, but he has a much better record against good competition than JF. Neither has been able to beat great teams, but Kelly's record at ND and LSU is far better than Franklin's at PSU.
James Franklin (until this year) is probably the most overrated coach in CFB. Now he is just "rated" because he was the first notable coach to be fired.
I think you're missing my point
Back when Bobby Knight was fired, the players said unless Mike Davis was hired they would refuse to play.
I'm just saying this could happen again someday.
How'd that turn out? There also is NIL at play, and no admin is going to let the inmates run the as
ylum.
I agree...though I understand wanting him to remain THERE.
Seems also to be a misunderstanding of the new world of College Football...which. amazingly, is even more "win now" and cutthroat than it had been previously...
I knew he was gone during the game and texted same with relatives who went there. They knew he was gone.
No idea why so many here are shocked and perturbed.
Forget about any of us knowing he ws done...
he knew he was gone after the game ended.
You could see it quite clearly on his face as the game was ending...
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By the looks of it they weren't playing anyways, so that leverage went away a while ago.
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