What Goes Around Comes Around
posted by Scott Hood, Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Yet, if you believe the accounts out of Arkansas, Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino was far less than thrilled when he found out Ward was taking another job for another SEC school, especially one that Arkansas faces every year.
He released a statement Monday confirming Ward was leaving but comically refused to identify the institution where he was headed.
Gee, do you think Petrino is still sore about Ellis Johnson leaving a year ago after 25 days with Arkansas? Yup.
Go ahead, you can circle Nov. 7 on your calendar right now. That’s when USC is scheduled to play Arkansas in Fayetteville.
You can bet that Petrino, Johnson and Ward will all have more interview requests than they can handle during that week.
Of course, Petrino is the last guy in the world who should be complaining about coaches leaving before the consummation of their contracts (Ward had one year left on a two-year deal that paid him $190,000 annually). considering his cowardly act of walking out on the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 before the end of the season without saying anything to the players except for a handwritten note in the lockers.
Hey, what goes around comes around. Right, Bobby? Let's put it this way - if he is angry, and I doubt he is, then he's a hypocrite.
I got the biggest chuckle, though, from a blog written by Jim Harris on ArkansasSports360.com shortly after Ward’s hiring by USC was reported by this site and other media outlets both around the Palmetto State and in Arkansas.
Believe it or not, Harris suggested University of Arkansas lawyers look into filing a breach of contract action against Ward, as if the rules that apply to the rest of us working stiffs in the real world apply to major college football.
Well, they don’t.
Ward isn’t the first coach to break a contract to take another job, and he won’t be the last. I can assure you that if the University of Arkansas followed Harris’ advice, Petrino would have a very difficult time finding anyone to work on his staff.
Suggesting otherwise would show incredible naivety.
Hey, in what other profession could a coach like Cooper disrupt a coaching staff, essentially be told in no uncertain terms to find another job and then come close to doubling his salary?
Next to Ward, the happiest guy following Monday’s announcement of his hiring might have been defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who has known Ward since the early 1990’s.
It was evident by the end of the Clemson game that Johnson was beaten down physically and mentally not only by the long season and the defense’s poor play late in the year but by the daily drama in the coaches office as well.
Weeks later, of course, we finally learned of the extent of the tension between some of the coaches, especially Johnson and safeties coach Ron Cooper. Did it have a negative affect on the players? In my opinion, the answer is yes. Players are not stupid. They sense when things aren’t right, and clearly there was something askew between the coaches.
One source I spoke with described Cooper as a “trojan horse,” and I’m not talking about the one in the epic poem by Homer describing that ancient war over Princess Helen.
So, in the end, Cooper left for LSU, which he described to me in an interview as a “better place,” and was soon a week later by someone Johnson trusts and has full confidence in. Will it make a difference? I would be very surprised if it doesn’t.
Clearly, with Ward and Johnson calling the shots, all of the defensive coaches should be on the same page next season, something that obviously didn’t happen in 2008.
During the negotiations with Ward, he made it known he would not make the move to USC unless he was given a coordinator’s title. Thankfully for him, Johnson was willing to surrender the title to get him here.
For a 41-year old coach, having the words ‘Steve Spurrier’ and ‘coordinator’ in the same sentence on your resume is special indeed, and something Ward hopes will someday help lead to a head coaching gig in Division I.
Ward has been a defensive coordinator before at Tennessee-Chattanooga for two years, but that was a decade ago. Is he up to the task of helping lead a defense in the SEC?
Of course, that burden will fall mainly on Johnson since he’s the one who will be ultimately responsible for the performance of the players, but he told me he’s going to lean heavily on Ward when he puts together game plans in addition to game day.
Moreover, considering Ward had to frequently deal with Al Davis during his one year with the Oakland Raiders in 2006, I’m sure directing a group of 18 to 22 year old college players is a piece of cake.
Lorenzo, eat well.
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The saga surrounding the hiring of new defensive coordinator and safeties coach Lorenzo Ward proves yet again that you never say never when it comes to college football coaches.
Yet, if you believe the accounts out of Arkansas, Razorbacks head coach Bobby Petrino was far less than thrilled when he found out Ward was taking another job for another SEC school, especially one that Arkansas faces every year.
He released a statement Monday confirming Ward was leaving but comically refused to identify the institution where he was headed.
Gee, do you think Petrino is still sore about Ellis Johnson leaving a year ago after 25 days with Arkansas? Yup.
Go ahead, you can circle Nov. 7 on your calendar right now. That’s when USC is scheduled to play Arkansas in Fayetteville.
You can bet that Petrino, Johnson and Ward will all have more interview requests than they can handle during that week.
Of course, Petrino is the last guy in the world who should be complaining about coaches leaving before the consummation of their contracts (Ward had one year left on a two-year deal that paid him $190,000 annually). considering his cowardly act of walking out on the Atlanta Falcons in 2007 before the end of the season without saying anything to the players except for a handwritten note in the lockers.
Hey, what goes around comes around. Right, Bobby? Let's put it this way - if he is angry, and I doubt he is, then he's a hypocrite.
I got the biggest chuckle, though, from a blog written by Jim Harris on ArkansasSports360.com shortly after Ward’s hiring by USC was reported by this site and other media outlets both around the Palmetto State and in Arkansas.
Believe it or not, Harris suggested University of Arkansas lawyers look into filing a breach of contract action against Ward, as if the rules that apply to the rest of us working stiffs in the real world apply to major college football.
Well, they don’t.
Ward isn’t the first coach to break a contract to take another job, and he won’t be the last. I can assure you that if the University of Arkansas followed Harris’ advice, Petrino would have a very difficult time finding anyone to work on his staff.
Suggesting otherwise would show incredible naivety.
Hey, in what other profession could a coach like Cooper disrupt a coaching staff, essentially be told in no uncertain terms to find another job and then come close to doubling his salary?
Next to Ward, the happiest guy following Monday’s announcement of his hiring might have been defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, who has known Ward since the early 1990’s.
It was evident by the end of the Clemson game that Johnson was beaten down physically and mentally not only by the long season and the defense’s poor play late in the year but by the daily drama in the coaches office as well.
Weeks later, of course, we finally learned of the extent of the tension between some of the coaches, especially Johnson and safeties coach Ron Cooper. Did it have a negative affect on the players? In my opinion, the answer is yes. Players are not stupid. They sense when things aren’t right, and clearly there was something askew between the coaches.
One source I spoke with described Cooper as a “trojan horse,” and I’m not talking about the one in the epic poem by Homer describing that ancient war over Princess Helen.
So, in the end, Cooper left for LSU, which he described to me in an interview as a “better place,” and was soon a week later by someone Johnson trusts and has full confidence in. Will it make a difference? I would be very surprised if it doesn’t.
Clearly, with Ward and Johnson calling the shots, all of the defensive coaches should be on the same page next season, something that obviously didn’t happen in 2008.
During the negotiations with Ward, he made it known he would not make the move to USC unless he was given a coordinator’s title. Thankfully for him, Johnson was willing to surrender the title to get him here.
For a 41-year old coach, having the words ‘Steve Spurrier’ and ‘coordinator’ in the same sentence on your resume is special indeed, and something Ward hopes will someday help lead to a head coaching gig in Division I.
Ward has been a defensive coordinator before at Tennessee-Chattanooga for two years, but that was a decade ago. Is he up to the task of helping lead a defense in the SEC?
Of course, that burden will fall mainly on Johnson since he’s the one who will be ultimately responsible for the performance of the players, but he told me he’s going to lean heavily on Ward when he puts together game plans in addition to game day.
Moreover, considering Ward had to frequently deal with Al Davis during his one year with the Oakland Raiders in 2006, I’m sure directing a group of 18 to 22 year old college players is a piece of cake.
Lorenzo, eat well.
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Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.