Tahi on Wells

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El Sapo
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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by El Sapo » May 23rd, 2018, 1:32 pm

Usurossco wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 12:41 pm
Wells is the worst down and distance coach I have ever seen. Two examples the bowl game run option to tooele from salt lake when trying to get to Provo. Everyone know you pound the rock. East west never works.

Two against New Mexico we could have kicked one field goal from inside the 10 and won the game. Instead we went for it 4 tones and lost????


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Is it Wells or the Offensive Coordinator?

No doubt the FG decisions are Wells, but the play calls are the OC. I can't really get too critical when it comes to individual play calls, but you watch the whole game, there's a strategy that emerges. You see what the coaches think will work because they use that play over and over. The play to Tooele is supposed to stretch the defense, make them cover the whole field, open up the inside. There are complementary plays that should work after you're in Tooele. If they don't? Why are you going there?

It's my criticism of the quick snap, up-tempo, no huddle. Where are the benefits? Most of the time our offense looks more confused by the changing pace than the defense.

Ultimately Wells has responsibility. Wins and losses are what counts. It's not a popularity contest



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Tahi on Wells

Post by Madmartigan » May 23rd, 2018, 1:53 pm

El Sapo wrote:
Usurossco wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 12:41 pm
Wells is the worst down and distance coach I have ever seen. Two examples the bowl game run option to tooele from salt lake when trying to get to Provo. Everyone know you pound the rock. East west never works.

Two against New Mexico we could have kicked one field goal from inside the 10 and won the game. Instead we went for it 4 tones and lost????


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Is it Wells or the Offensive Coordinator?

No doubt the FG decisions are Wells, but the play calls are the OC. I can't really get too critical when it comes to individual play calls, but you watch the whole game, there's a strategy that emerges. You see what the coaches think will work because they use that play over and over. The play to Tooele is supposed to stretch the defense, make them cover the whole field, open up the inside. There are complementary plays that should work after you're in Tooele. If they don't? Why are you going there?

It's my criticism of the quick snap, up-tempo, no huddle. Where are the benefits? Most of the time our offense looks more confused by the changing pace than the defense.

Ultimately Wells has responsibility. Wins and losses are what counts. It's not a popularity contest
Normally I’d fully agree with you, but the offense has been largely pitiful every year since Wells has been HC.

Coordinators change, but the one constant under wells is bad offense plagued by poor execution and play calling.

Ultimately I agree with your premise that it all comes back to Wells no matter the coordinator or position coach.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by thegreendalegelf » May 23rd, 2018, 2:49 pm

Madmartigan wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 1:53 pm

Coordinators change
Ding ding ding. Alex Smith was largely knocked in SF when he had a different OC each year. Once he got some consistency, he did much better. Not saying that Wells isn't a problem, but the inconsistency of our OCs is a huge problem. This year will be interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, this is the first time in Wells tenure that we are keeping an OC for a second year.

I think sometimes we are both too critical of Wells and not critical enough. Working here is a very difficult job. But we shouldn't be this bad in close games. This year will have a lot to say about if Wells should stick around.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by El Sapo » May 23rd, 2018, 3:10 pm

Love could make Wells look really smart. The offense is so disjointed I'm not so sure that can happen.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by sambonethegreat » May 23rd, 2018, 4:03 pm

thegreendalegelf wrote:
Madmartigan wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 1:53 pm

Coordinators change
Ding ding ding. Alex Smith was largely knocked in SF when he had a different OC each year. Once he got some consistency, he did much better. Not saying that Wells isn't a problem, but the inconsistency of our OCs is a huge problem. This year will be interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, this is the first time in Wells tenure that we are keeping an OC for a second year.

I think sometimes we are both too critical of Wells and not critical enough. Working here is a very difficult job. But we shouldn't be this bad in close games. This year will have a lot to say about if Wells should stick around.
McGiven was here two years. However, he had many QB injuries to deal with. Yost hasn’t faced that. If Love stays healthy, I expect a better offense.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Usurossco » May 23rd, 2018, 4:50 pm

I agree with all of you! Wells is going to earn it this year or he will be gone.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by 2004AG » May 23rd, 2018, 4:58 pm

I disagree with those saying this year will tell us a lot about Wells.

I think this season will be very similar to last. 6-8 wins. Some nice wins.....some baffling ones too.....another off season of discontent. The only way this season will tell us anything is if we get to 10+ wins or 4- losses.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Madmartigan » May 23rd, 2018, 7:04 pm

thegreendalegelf wrote:
Madmartigan wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 1:53 pm

Coordinators change
Ding ding ding. Alex Smith was largely knocked in SF when he had a different OC each year. Once he got some consistency, he did much better. Not saying that Wells isn't a problem, but the inconsistency of our OCs is a huge problem. This year will be interesting because, correct me if I'm wrong, this is the first time in Wells tenure that we are keeping an OC for a second year.

I think sometimes we are both too critical of Wells and not critical enough. Working here is a very difficult job. But we shouldn't be this bad in close games. This year will have a lot to say about if Wells should stick around.

For being an “offensive coach” wells offenses sure have struggled. I thought the consensus was no matter the coordinator he was pretty much still running the show and calling plays.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by JonnyCienPesos » May 23rd, 2018, 7:28 pm

2004AG wrote:I disagree with those saying this year will tell us a lot about Wells.

I think this season will be very similar to last. 6-8 wins. Some nice wins.....some baffling ones too.....another off season of discontent. The only way this season will tell us anything is if we get to 10+ wins or 4- losses.
Agreed. With the schedule the way it is, they can sleep walk their way to 7 wins.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Madmartigan » May 23rd, 2018, 7:33 pm

2004AG wrote:I disagree with those saying this year will tell us a lot about Wells.

I think this season will be very similar to last. 6-8 wins. Some nice wins.....some baffling ones too.....another off season of discontent. The only way this season will tell us anything is if we get to 10+ wins or 4- losses.
I think 8 wins or more gets him some serious looks from bigger schools.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by BLUERUFiO » May 23rd, 2018, 8:21 pm

Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Jjoey53 » May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm

BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by aggies22 » May 24th, 2018, 7:48 am

Jjoey53 wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm
BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.


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This what I don't get. There is no promise that in the event that Coach Wells leaves for another school, his replacement would be at least equal or better. In fact, history tells us that the next guy likely won't be equal to or better than Coach Wells. The guy has only missed going to a bowl game once, something no other coach in our 100 year history has done! I've seen way to much s---ty football in my life to want the one guy that's brought us the most consistent success to take a hike. Having consistent 6 or 7 win seasons with bowl game appearances beats the hell out of going 3 and 8 or worse every year. I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been problems along the way. Would I like to see the offense consistency improve? Sure! Perhaps an injury free season at QB and Coach Yost being here for a second consecutive season helps that happen. Did the defense take a step backward a couple of seasons ago? Yes. There were a few recruiting mistakes made along the way that contributed to this but judging by the amount of first year players that saw action last season, those recruiting mistakes have likely been rectified.

I have no problem admitting that things haven't been picture perfect during Coach Wells tenure but we've enjoyed unparalled success under his guidance. It's inconceivable to me as to why so many of you would like to see a change? What we should be hoping for is steady improvement is the weaker areas of the program. Perhaps those that are clamoring for a change, just haven't been fans for as long as some of us, so they don't have as many 2, 3, 4 or less win seasons under there belt. History tells us that there is no guarantee of improvement if a change were to be made, perhaps some of you should be careful what you wish for.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by 2004AG » May 24th, 2018, 8:00 am

aggies22 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 7:48 am
Jjoey53 wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm
BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.


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This what I don't get. There is no promise that in the event that Coach Wells leaves for another school, his replacement would be at least equal or better. In fact, history tells us that the next guy likely won't be equal to or better than Coach Wells. The guy has only missed going to a bowl game once, something no other coach in our 100 year history has done! I've seen way to much s---ty football in my life to want the one guy that's brought us the most consistent success to take a hike. Having consistent 6 or 7 win seasons with bowl game appearances beats the hell out of going 3 and 8 or worse every year. I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been problems along the way. Would I like to see the offense consistency improve? Sure! Perhaps an injury free season at QB and Coach Yost being here for a second consecutive season helps that happen. Did the defense take a step backward a couple of seasons ago? Yes. There were a few recruiting mistakes made along the way that contributed to this but judging by the amount of first year players that saw action last season, those recruiting mistakes have likely been rectified.

I have no problem admitting that things haven't been picture perfect during Coach Wells tenure but we've enjoyed unparalled success under his guidance. It's inconceivable to me as to why so many of you would like to see a change? Perhaps those that do, just haven't been fans for as long as some of us, so they don't have as many 2, 3, 4 or less win seasons under there belt. History tells us that there is no guarantee of improvement if a change were to be made, perhaps some of you should be careful what you wish for.
You're not telling the whole story. Sure, Matt Wells is winning 5-7 games a year, which is better than what Brent Guy did, but Matt Wells also gets the benefit of some things other coaches didn't have.


1- We are in the best conference we've ever been in. Can you imagine trying to recruit as an independent and a dying WAC?
2- Facilities. Other coaches didn't have a NEZ, Press Box, weight room etc.
3- Budget
4- Wells took over a team that finished in the top 25 the year before he took over. Any other coaches have that luxury?
5- Coaching salaries have increased

I think the odds of going back to the Brent Guy era are pretty slim to none. Past history has less relevance than you think, IMO.

(As I've said many times, I like Matt Wells. I hope he's succesful here. I don't want him fired, yet. His seat should be warm though)



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Roy McAvoy » May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am

aggies22 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 7:48 am
Jjoey53 wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm
BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.


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This what I don't get. There is no promise that in the event that Coach Wells leaves for another school, his replacement would be at least equal or better. In fact, history tells us that the next guy likely won't be equal to or better than Coach Wells. The guy has only missed going to a bowl game once, something no other coach in our 100 year history has done! I've seen way to much s---ty football in my life to want the one guy that's brought us the most consistent success to take a hike. Having consistent 6 or 7 win seasons with bowl game appearances beats the hell out of going 3 and 8 or worse every year. I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been problems along the way. Would I like to see the offense consistency improve? Sure! Perhaps an injury free season at QB and Coach Yost being here for a second consecutive season helps that happen. Did the defense take a step backward a couple of seasons ago? Yes. There were a few recruiting mistakes made along the way that contributed to this but judging by the amount of first year players that saw action last season, those recruiting mistakes have likely been rectified.

I have no problem admitting that things haven't been picture perfect during Coach Wells tenure but we've enjoyed unparalled success under his guidance. It's inconceivable to me as to why so many of you would like to see a change? What we should be hoping for is steady improvement is the weaker areas of the program. Perhaps those that are clamoring for a change, just haven't been fans for as long as some of us, so they don't have as many 2, 3, 4 or less win seasons under there belt. History tells us that there is no guarantee of improvement if a change were to be made, perhaps some of you should be careful what you wish for.
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by ChicAggie » May 24th, 2018, 8:13 am

swishh_15 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.
Donald Trump?

Bill Belichik?


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by thegreendalegelf » May 24th, 2018, 8:16 am

ChicAggie wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:13 am
swishh_15 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.
Donald Trump?

Bill Belichik?
Ty Detmer



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by flying_scotsman2.0 » May 24th, 2018, 9:11 am

thegreendalegelf wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:16 am
ChicAggie wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:13 am
swishh_15 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.
Donald Trump?

Bill Belichik?
Ty Detmer
Rodney Hood?

Say the name, dammit.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by bwcrc » May 24th, 2018, 9:28 am

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is such a great coach that few have the courage to actually use his name. He can pull out countless tricks with the mere flick of his wrist that will blow teams away.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by oleblu111 » May 24th, 2018, 10:19 am

It is true that USU finally has football facilities that are good. However fans here never want to talk about fan support, and money needed to make a top program. USU is 11th in the MWC as far as fan support when you count ticket revenue and donations. We have the smallest 1a stadium in west, and no need to expand.

I did not think Wells was ready to be the head coach at USU and told those that would listen why we was not, however he is here and overall has a decent record, if he does not have a winning record this season he needs to go, if he has 8 or more wins he will get hired by another school, so I would say the chances of him leaving are high. I think he will get hired by another school.

People have told me that they think G.A. will return to Logan. I doubt that very much. I think he remembers the 8,000 empty seats in his final home game.
Last edited by oleblu111 on May 24th, 2018, 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by AGGZILLA » May 24th, 2018, 10:21 am

2004AG wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:00 am


You're not telling the whole story. Sure, Matt Wells is winning 5-7 games a year, which is better than what Brent Guy did, but Matt Wells also gets the benefit of some things other coaches didn't have.


1- We are in the best conference we've ever been in. Can you imagine trying to recruit as an independent and a dying WAC?
2- Facilities. Other coaches didn't have a NEZ, Press Box, weight room etc.
3- Budget
4- Wells took over a team that finished in the top 25 the year before he took over. Any other coaches have that luxury?
5- Coaching salaries have increased

I think the odds of going back to the Brent Guy era are pretty slim to none. Past history has less relevance than you think, IMO.

(As I've said many times, I like Matt Wells. I hope he's succesful here. I don't want him fired, yet. His seat should be warm though)
I don't think you're not telling the whole story, either, on some of your points. While you mention being in the MWC as a benefit to recruiting, you don't to mention that we are also going up against schools in this conference that are our peers and others that are superiors, and that are able to recruit just as good, and better, than us. You mention our facilities, which are great, but when you look at what other schools in this conference are doing, you can just chalk it up to keeping up with the joneses. Things are tougher for Wells than they ever were for Guy, Dennehy, or even GA. We're striving to remain competitive in *this* conference, and more specifically in the Mountain Division, which is night and day from the likes of Idaho, NMSU, or Texas St.

You also mention that Wells took over a team that finished in the top 25 and if anyone had that luxury. Look no further than Ron Caragher at SJSU, who took over a team that finished in the top 25, and returned a lot of key players from that team, and promptly ran them into the ground in season 1 and was not a good tenure. Wells did much better at the start of his tenure with what he had returning, but he also had the benefit of UNM, Wyoming, and AF being down when we came into the conference. Obviously, they weren't going to stay down, and as a result, we have struggled against the teams in the Mountain division the past couple of seasons. We won't stay down forever, just like they didn't, but it's a little ridiculous to think that Wells was going to sustain 9-10 win seasons, just as he would only maintain losing seasons, like 3-9 in 2016.

Wells isn't a coach without flaws, and some of his strategies on the offensive side, along with in-game decisions, have been questionable to disastrous (UNM 2016 and in the AZ Bowl). But he has also implemented some creative strategies and I've seen his in-game decisions work in our favor many times. On top of having achieved more success than any of his predecessors, he has also done a fabulous job of graduating players on time. I'm anxious to see what he and the coaching staff do with this team this season.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Roy McAvoy » May 24th, 2018, 10:25 am

oleblu111 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 10:19 am
It is true that USU finally has football facilities that are good. However fans here never want to talk about fan support, and money needed to make a top program. USU is 11th in the MWC as far as fan support when you count ticket revenue and donations. We have the smallest 1a stadium in west, and no need to expand.

I did not think Wells was ready to be the head coach at USU and told those that would listen why we was not, however he is here and overall has a decent record, if he does not have a winning record this season he needs to go, if he has 8 or more wins he will get hired by another school, so I would say the chances of him leaving are high. I think he will get hired by another school.

People have told me that they think G.A. will return to Logan. I doubt that very much.
I don't disagree with your points about fan support. It does need to get better. Not sure how exactly that happens though. I do think Gary being back in some capacity is realistic if Wells is gone. Gary still has his house in Logan. I also heard from a little bird he offered to help Wells last year but Wells turned him down.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by JonnyCienPesos » May 24th, 2018, 10:30 am

swishh_15 wrote:
oleblu111 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 10:19 am
It is true that USU finally has football facilities that are good. However fans here never want to talk about fan support, and money needed to make a top program. USU is 11th in the MWC as far as fan support when you count ticket revenue and donations. We have the smallest 1a stadium in west, and no need to expand.

I did not think Wells was ready to be the head coach at USU and told those that would listen why we was not, however he is here and overall has a decent record, if he does not have a winning record this season he needs to go, if he has 8 or more wins he will get hired by another school, so I would say the chances of him leaving are high. I think he will get hired by another school.

People have told me that they think G.A. will return to Logan. I doubt that very much.
I don't disagree with your points about fan support. It does need to get better. Not sure how exactly that happens though. I do think Gary being back in some capacity is realistic if Wells is gone. Gary still has his house in Logan. I also heard from a little bird he offered to help Wells last year but Wells turned him down.
That is accurate. I don’t, however, blame Wells for turning him down. Not a great situation for him given his job status to have someone like GA looming regardless of his capacity.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by 2004AG » May 24th, 2018, 10:31 am

AGGZILLA wrote:
2004AG wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:00 am


You're not telling the whole story. Sure, Matt Wells is winning 5-7 games a year, which is better than what Brent Guy did, but Matt Wells also gets the benefit of some things other coaches didn't have.


1- We are in the best conference we've ever been in. Can you imagine trying to recruit as an independent and a dying WAC?
2- Facilities. Other coaches didn't have a NEZ, Press Box, weight room etc.
3- Budget
4- Wells took over a team that finished in the top 25 the year before he took over. Any other coaches have that luxury?
5- Coaching salaries have increased

I think the odds of going back to the Brent Guy era are pretty slim to none. Past history has less relevance than you think, IMO.

(As I've said many times, I like Matt Wells. I hope he's succesful here. I don't want him fired, yet. His seat should be warm though)
I don't think you're not telling the whole story, either, on some of your points. While you mention being in the MWC as a benefit to recruiting, you don't to mention that we are also going up against schools in this conference that are our peers and others that are superiors, and that are able to recruit just as good, and better, than us. You mention our facilities, which are great, but when you look at what other schools in this conference are doing, you can just chalk it up to keeping up with the joneses. Things are tougher for Wells than they ever were for Guy, Dennehy, or even GA. We're striving to remain competitive in *this* conference, and more specifically in the Mountain Division, which is night and day from the likes of Idaho, NMSU, or Texas St.

You also mention that Wells took over a team that finished in the top 25 and if anyone had that luxury. Look no further than Ron Caragher at SJSU, who took over a team that finished in the top 25, and returned a lot of key players from that team, and promptly ran them into the ground in season 1 and was not a good tenure. Wells did much better at the start of his tenure with what he had returning, but he also had the benefit of UNM, Wyoming, and AF being down when we came into the conference. Obviously, they weren't going to stay down, and as a result, we have struggled against the teams in the Mountain division the past couple of seasons. We won't stay down forever, just like they didn't, but it's a little ridiculous to think that Wells was going to sustain 9-10 win seasons, just as he would only maintain losing seasons, like 3-9 in 2016.

Wells isn't a coach without flaws, and some of his strategies on the offensive side, along with in-game decisions, have been questionable to disastrous (UNM 2016 and in the AZ Bowl). But he has also implemented some creative strategies and I've seen his in-game decisions work in our favor many times. On top of having achieved more success than any of his predecessors, he has also done a fabulous job of graduating players on time. I'm anxious to see what he and the coaching staff do with this team this season.
My main point, which apparently was missed was that the program has advantages NOW, that we didn’t have in the past. I think MW is an average coach. Not great, not horrible. Unless the next hire is completely botched, like say hiring the football equivalent of Tim Duryea, I would be shocked if the next coach couldn’t win 5-7 games a year.

Duplicating Wells 15-23 record the last few years won’t be that hard.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by oleblu111 » May 24th, 2018, 10:53 am

We have all rated the coach at USU how would you rate the job at USU ? Do we have the location, budget, fan support to be in the top third of the MWC ? I'm not a big fan of Wells, but a look in the mirror might not be a bad thing.

G.A. will not return to USU he is at his school in his hometown doing what he loves with coaching friends. Never forget that with the 11 win team we had 8,000 empty seats in G.A's final home game, that is something I will never forget.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by GeoAg » May 24th, 2018, 11:23 am

oleblu111 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 10:53 am
We have all rated the coach at USU how would you rate the job at USU ? Do we have the location, budget, fan support to be in the top third of the MWC ? I'm not a big fan of Wells, but a look in the mirror might not be a bad thing.

G.A. will not return to USU he is at his school in his hometown doing what he loves with coaching friends. Never forget that with the 11 win team we had 8,000 empty seats in G.A's final home game, that is something I will never forget.
First, it wasn't that many empty seats...

Scoring Summary (Final)
The Automated ScoreBook
IDAHO vs #25 Utah State (Nov 24, 2012 at Logan, Utah)

IDAHO (1-11,1-5) vs. Utah State (10-2,6-0)
Date: Nov 24, 2012 Site: Logan, Utah Stadium: M.Olsen Fld @ Romney
Attendance: 19350

That doesn't refute the point, but I just wanted to make sure your agenda is clear.

Anyhow, I think had GA stayed this would have been fixed quickly. Even so, it was on the upswing as shown that by the next year we didn't have any homes games below 20k in attendance. It takes time to overcome 30 years of suckage. The only immediate fix is the type of success we haven't seen yet.

Overall though, your point stands IMO. We have had decent to good football for the past 7 seasons and overall the fanbase has grown only slightly. We continue to complain about ticket prices that have hardly gone up over that time and parking that is the cheapest in the conference. Then we complain about marketing and that they aren't selling it hard enough to us. We get what we pay for folks and we already do more with less than anybody in this conference.

We all need to be more engaged and try to get more other folks engaged. When I strike it rich, I'll become USU's Phil Knight. Until then, this is all I can do.

This underscores why removing your support is a bad idea. Supporting the program helps your voice be heard. Removing support has unintended consequences. Where would we be know if some of our larger donors pulled out back in 2006 when Brent Guy lead the worst football team I've ever seen?


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by AGGZILLA » May 24th, 2018, 11:29 am

2004AG wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 10:31 am

My main point, which apparently was missed was that the program has advantages NOW, that we didn’t have in the past. I think MW is an average coach. Not great, not horrible. Unless the next hire is completely botched, like say hiring the football equivalent of Tim Duryea, I would be shocked if the next coach couldn’t win 5-7 games a year.

Duplicating Wells 15-23 record the last few years won’t be that hard.


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Your point wasn't missed. The advantages that we have NOW are on par when compared to what we are up against. Those 'advantages' have not put us ahead of anyone in our division. That was my point. You're saying that these 'advantages' which no other previous coach had, should allow for greater success than what he has achieved. I think they have only kept us on a level playing field with the others rather than surpassing them. I agree with Wells being somewhere in that middle ground between great and horrible, but there's obviously a lot of gray area there. I think he's closer to 'great' rather than the 'horrible' than some people here want to admit. Duplicating the 34-32 record that he has achieved will be a lot harder that you think.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by brownjeans » May 24th, 2018, 11:36 am

Jjoey53 wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm
BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.
Long term success is institutional. IMO USU football has progressed as an institution to where 7 to 8 wins should be the 10-year rolling average expectation for an average coach. Matt is performing just below that expectation (6.8) in his five years. A coach who performs above 8 wins at USU would be outperforming where we are as an institution.

The next coach will likely be about the same after all, average coaches are most common. Of course there is a chance that the next coach could be worse, or better.

Now, whether the players will like the next coach or not is totally unknown (and less important than winning).



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by BLUERUFiO » May 24th, 2018, 11:39 am

Does anyone know, did Hartwell hire the Troy football coach? I implicitly trust Hartwell to hire a good head football coach... But, it’d be nice to have some evidence from the past too.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by brownjeans » May 24th, 2018, 11:41 am

swishh_15 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.
Not sure who you're thinking of, but I think either Ed Lamb or Jay Hill would be solid.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by YoungBloodAggie » May 24th, 2018, 12:23 pm

His name is Gary Andersen, and it's dumb to think he couldn't succeed with better resources the second time around.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by brownjeans » May 24th, 2018, 12:46 pm

John Steinbeck wrote: You can't go home again because home has ceased to exist except in the mothballs of memory.



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by BigBlueDart » May 24th, 2018, 12:51 pm

Hey, remember when that Tahi guy ranted on Twitter about Wells? Those were good times!



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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by JSHarvey » May 24th, 2018, 1:12 pm

YoungBloodAggie wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 12:23 pm
His name is Gary Andersen, and it's dumb to think he couldn't succeed with better resources the second time around.
GA won't ever coach at USU again - he is very happy to be where he is at. Read any of the articles that have been published since he signed on at the U of U - he is where he wants to be and he has enough money in the bank that we couldn't offer enough to even tempt him.


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Re: Tahi on Wells

Post by Madmartigan » May 24th, 2018, 1:21 pm

swishh_15 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 8:02 am
aggies22 wrote:
May 24th, 2018, 7:48 am
Jjoey53 wrote:
May 23rd, 2018, 10:11 pm
BLUERUFiO wrote:Please let this happen. 8+ wins and a Wells buyout from a larger school.
Be careful what you wish for, next guy could be much worse.


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This what I don't get. There is no promise that in the event that Coach Wells leaves for another school, his replacement would be at least equal or better. In fact, history tells us that the next guy likely won't be equal to or better than Coach Wells. The guy has only missed going to a bowl game once, something no other coach in our 100 year history has done! I've seen way to much s---ty football in my life to want the one guy that's brought us the most consistent success to take a hike. Having consistent 6 or 7 win seasons with bowl game appearances beats the hell out of going 3 and 8 or worse every year. I'm not going to pretend that there haven't been problems along the way. Would I like to see the offense consistency improve? Sure! Perhaps an injury free season at QB and Coach Yost being here for a second consecutive season helps that happen. Did the defense take a step backward a couple of seasons ago? Yes. There were a few recruiting mistakes made along the way that contributed to this but judging by the amount of first year players that saw action last season, those recruiting mistakes have likely been rectified.

I have no problem admitting that things haven't been picture perfect during Coach Wells tenure but we've enjoyed unparalled success under his guidance. It's inconceivable to me as to why so many of you would like to see a change? What we should be hoping for is steady improvement is the weaker areas of the program. Perhaps those that are clamoring for a change, just haven't been fans for as long as some of us, so they don't have as many 2, 3, 4 or less win seasons under there belt. History tells us that there is no guarantee of improvement if a change were to be made, perhaps some of you should be careful what you wish for.
In the event that Wells were to leave for a better job, there is one in my opinion who is a perfect fit and I have a lot of confidence in his ability to win at high level at USU. Every time I hear the guy speak I come away very impressed. I won't say his name, but I think it's an obvious answer who the next coach would be.
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