Statement On Taaffe From Hamilton Tiger-Cats

And THIS is why I don't try to be a news source. Link. Well, that and the fact that I don't really know any people that know anything.

Add me to the growing list of individuals who has been played by bad information. Perhaps even the target of an imposter?

Taaffe Update

Literally, the instant that the Ticat blogger and I completed that last article, this was posted. There is a brief note that just went up on the Ticats website about a statement to be made regarding Taaffe tomorrow at 4pm. To me, it implies that he is leaving Hamilton. If he was staying put, I'm assuming they would just come out and say that. They surely want to put all this to rest. I've also heard that Stewart said the OC position would be filled by tomorrow. Things could get interesting here people, so read the article below this one. It's chock full of good information, especially his bio link.

EDIT: So here it is after another contact. My insider believes that Taaffe is coming to WVU and that it will be announced tomorrow. I've never had an insider before, and the one I have now isn't from WVU. But let's just say that I am 100% certain that Taaffe is headed our way.

NEW EDIT: I just got an email from a person who asked me not to divulge their identity and affiliation with a certain team north of the border, so I won't. But it is 100% certain that Taaffe is coming to WVU as offensive coordinator. When this happens, I expect many kudos in my comments tab (just kidding). I stumbled ass backwards into a news break, sort of. Everybody was already thinking he might be the guy, but I guess having no life on a Saturday when The Editor is out of town has its advantages in the blogosphere. And before you question my credibility, since my blog is named Let's Go Drink Some Beers and is full of tomfoolery, let me remind you that I am not in the business of trying to break a story or anything like it. This blog is usually for fun and opinion, but this time it's absolutely the real thing. I'm not sure how I got in this position today, but it's damn fun. So anyway, not that big a deal, but cool.

Charlie Taaffe

We all know that it looks like this one is still up in the air. With that said, I think it's still helpful to get an idea of exactly who he is. Here is his bio from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats website, link here. There is an awful lot of good information there, and quite a bit of success as well. The fan consensus is that he's viewed across the CFL as a nice guy and great coach. They seem to respect him very much, outside of this last little fiasco.

I also did a brief Q & A session with Thomas Riddell, a Hamilton Tiger-Cats blogger from The Black and Gold Report. Thomas has been privvy to practices and conversations with Taaffe all through his first season as Head Coach, and we exchanged a few ideas on the situation. You can check out my answers to his questions here.

Me: The CFL gets little to no exposure in the US. So for those readers too lazy to look for anything on their own, what is Hamilton's reputation in the league?


Thomas: Hamilton used to be known for its tough defense and passing game. Since Bob Young bought the team (in 2003) we have yet to find our "Playoff Magic".


Me: How has your experience with Charlie Taaffe been as a HC? And what kind of offensive system has he had in place?


Thomas: To me, it seems to be a West Coast system with a lot of short passes and power running with our tailbacks. The one thing I can say is that our team never quit under Charlie. Fans often come to practice to watch and Charlie was always willing to spend time with them. I learned more about football in 1 year watching these practices and asking Charlie question than I ever did before.


Me: Why would he consider leaving?

Thomas: The GM that hired Charlie was fired after a 3 win season (this past season) but Charlie was kept. A new GM was put in place and they wanted to make sure Charlie was the right man to turn the team around. He was in limbo for about a month as he talked to the new GM about his ideas on how to fix a bad football team. Finally, Charlie was asked to stay on and he agreed.


Me: If he left, which appears doubtful, what would your plans be to replace him?

Thomas: Right now who knows? It could be Tom Higgins or Dave Ritchie or a dark horse candidate.


Me: Do you think he could be successful again in an NCAA collegiate offensive system?

Thomas: Yes. Charlie has a lot of talent, but he should be back in Hamilton. He is under contract, for now.

We're Coming, And Hell's Coming With Us

Load Up the Bus! The Magic Coaching Bus!

Judgment day has arrived minions. We are getting some official names and filling our staff. Here are my thoughts, not that any of you give a shit what I think.

Doc Holliday - What an awesome get. Not only was he good enough to be considered the frontrunner for HC, he is also one hell of a recruiter. Getting him to leave Florida is great, getting him to take a position lower than what he wanted is brilliant, and paying him WELL to show we mean business is very encouraging for the future of WVU football. I couldn't be happier about this and the way it's being handled.

Steve Dunlap - Nothing says "little brother" (M.R. or not, they are our little brother) like taking your Defensive Coordinator and making him our safeties coach. Fuck you Marshall! Not to mention this guy is a damn good coach. See Dwight Freeney and some of the old badass WVU defenses.

David Lockwood - This fine gentleman is a former WVU player and great recruiter from the Kentucky Wildcats. This is an awesome pickup. He brings in some younger blood, great ties, skill, and will do a brilliant job for us.

Chris Beatty - This is the one I really love that might slip under the radar. This guy is an outstanding HS coach from Virginia, and will really open up our pipeline to the types of guys VT gets (you know, the freakshow athletes, not the child molesting thugs!). Hopefully, we can get some of those dudes here to make our defense invincible. There's a boatload of talent down there, and we could really use that to our advantage. He seems like a confident guy, and really feels like he can market WVU to some highly rated players. But why wouldn't he feel good about it? We're the flagship of our conference, we have a sweet offense, we have a good defense, we win BCS games against the most traditional of powers, and we're close to that region. All combined, this means Chris Beatty is going to load us up with great talent.


So far, Sunshine Bill Stewart is kicking some serious ass with these selections. Not only are we getting great coaches, but we're paying them very well and luring them from good schools (other than Marshall of course!). WVU and Stewart are proving wrong the idiots. We are, in fact, serious about being a top flight program with money to spend on the assistants. I really think we come out of this significantly better than with RR. Way to go Bill Stewart, we love you. Unless we're idiots, that is. Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to have one hell of a staff when this is all said and done!

Ummm, What?

Allow George W. to illustrate my depth of knowledge about the coaching search. Holliday, Dunlap, Lockwood, and Taaffe are all rumored to be announced as coaches at WVU tomorrow. These same men are also all rumored to not be announced as coaches at WVU tomorrow. Both rumors come from actual news sources, and not from rumor mongering buffoons on message boards (although they are involved).
What do I think? I don't have a clue. Nor do I care at this point. This damn thing has had me so up and down that I'll just wait for an announcement at this point. Let it be duly noted that I would, in fact, but very happy with this group. That probably means it won't happen.
Come on, Sunny Bill, make something happen. I'm in your corner.

Also, our basketball team was pure shit tonight. I make this observation based on my ability to watch the last 4 minutes of play thanks to my dinner meeting. Stupid real life obligations ruined my whole evening. Anyway, if we didn't look like shit tonight, please tell me why. Huggins sounded like he agrees with me, but he always sounds like we were shit.

Bill Stewart Named Head Coach?

Well, I'm fine with this. If nothing else, the man earned a shot. If he's good enough for Mike Tomlin, Owen Schmitt, Pat White, the entire WVU team, and all of our assistants, he's damn good enough for me to at least give the benefit of the doubt.
If you don't like it, give up your tickets to someone who wants them and jump off a fucking bridge. And you, Ken Kendrick, shut the fuck up. We're tired of your RR loving ass.

Forgot To Mention

I'm out of town with a wedding and some other family goodness. I'll get caught up before the Fiesta Bowl.

Let's goooooooooooooooooooooo get a coach!

Jones Withdraws From Candidacy?

I heard this on Sporting News Radio today at about 3 o'clock. Unfortunately, I can't find anything anywhere to confirm this, other than some message board chatter. If anybody can find a link or some proof of this, please direct it to the comments in this thread. Also, if anybody else heard it, let me know. I wonder where this is coming from.

Regardless, if Butch took his name out, I think it means he wasn't likely to get the job. This seems to happen in most cases so that the coach doesn't look bad. I guess we'll find out at some point though.

UPDATE: According to West BY GOD Virginia, the statement has been retracted. What the hell is going on?!?! This coaching search is hilariously bad.

It's Down To 2 Candidates?

Mitch Vingle says so. Granted, nobody seems to know what the hell is actually going on at this point, so this article is being taken with a massive grain of salt on my end. That being said...

Any thoughts on this situation if it's accurate? Anyone? My initial reaction is that I might vomit. Though I would prefer Jones to Holliday. I think. Hell, I don't know. I don't want either one of them to be totally honest.
All I know is that we have one hell of a football team coming back next year. I guess I'd like to see the Butch Jones offense with our current guys running it. I think we'd finally be able to score up to our potential. Sadly, that means we'd also have to see the Butch Jones defense. Ugh. This appears to be a lose-lose situation right now.

I am hoping and praying that the AD pulls something out that we're just not expecting. Will it happen? I doubt it. But until they hold a press conference naming some garbage coach, we always have hope.

Coaching ClusterF--k Continues

Is it Butch Jones? Doc Holliday? Terry Bowden? How about Chris Peterson? Mike Locksley has been contacted, supposedly. Fisher's out, Trickett's out. What the hell is going on? Nobody knows for sure. Even the AD appears to be uncertain.

Frankly, the longer it takes, the less chance we have of getting someone shitty. Fine. Anybody have any ideas how they think this will play out?

Here's mine. Holliday is the #1 pick. The fan backlash terrifies the AD. The AD backs off and acts like the search is open, hence the Jimbo Fisher Incident. We botch the Fisher deal, on purpose, and look like we made the effort. Then we start talking about Butch Jones like he's for real. Everyone freaks again. Suddenly, the AD saves us from Butch Jones and names Doc Holliday as head coach. We're all relieved? Somebody give me a scenario that doesn't end this way. I dare you.

Response From Locksley

Many Mountaineer fans have been contacting WVU in regards to Mike Locksley, and some have contacted Locksley directly. His response in an email to a fan (not me)and the discussion about it can be found here:

Here is his answer to my inquiry as to his interest in the job...

"(personally called me by name),

Thank you and all the Mountaineer fans for your interest in me. I would have a genuine interest in the job if I had a legitimate chance at the position.

I have no interest in being a BCA interview. I feel like I'm a perfect fit for WVU, but am also very satisfied with continuing the process of making Illinois a national contender.

I have been following the hiring process very closely and it seems like they have a pretty good idea of the direction they're interested in going.

Merry Xmas,

Coach Locks"

As if I didn't like the guy enough already.

Fisher Staying At FSU

Eddie pulled the old switcheroo on Jimbo, and tried to renegotiate a portion or portions of the already agreed upon contract at the last minute. Smooth move brother. Now we're going to be stuck with Doc or Terry. FUCK!

Look, I love the coaching search. I really do. But I hate the way it's being run and the list of guys we're considering. Uuuuuuuuugh.

UPDATE - The Post-Gazette Article has just come out.

You and Me Goin' Fish(er)in' In The Dark

Round and round we go,
Where we stop nobody knows.

Jimbo's looking good right now.

Here's some more, from the FSU side.

How about from the FSU president? The key phrase in this one is "Wetherell said he had not talked to Fisher since Thursday".


This is getting downright exhausting, and there aren't even any damn flights to track! Curse WVU's administration for either being too dumb to run a real search or too smart to let us figure it out!

Return Of The.....Bowdens?

Interesting indeed.

Let's Get To Work People

RR said WVU isn't a national program, but our fans don't see it that way. The stream of phone calls and emails is working, but it can't stop now.

Courtesy of dreameer, on the WVU Scout Board:


chapter 11 The rise of Fan



All is quiet on the west virginia front
but don't be fooled by the kings punt

the real heros of the gridiron are home in bed
scattered home to family quickly they fled

but the slaves of benjimans are not asleep
the old blood line tentacles do run deep

plotting and planning at this moment for their win
hoping the fan is taking a real long weekend

the common mans entry into the battle has caused a scene
the fractures are widening between the court and the king

just when an ally is given the word
the bond is broken by a new one heard

we have been called out in the battle of our cause
why are you creating a riot, inciting a mob

it isn't our intent to tell them how to do their job
we just want it done right, not look like a slob

call the system ole boys, mafia, or down right incestious
we just want what's right, what's best for us

our ire is with the short list for the next leader we will love
one is friend of the king, the other a friend of the gov

both are righteous and may be coronated still
the fans want all to apply and you have tested our will

the grassroots campaign has had its impact
the king must walk easy and that is a fact

the king and his court are sleepless and nervous
they know they can no longer get by with just simple lip service

we don't like your dog and pony plan
we want you out there scouring the land

a phone call interview is classless and a disgrace
we want you out there meeting face to face

the prince of change is weakening and losing power
this is a call to arms, this is the hour

wake up the neighbors rattle the cages
this battle for change is one for the ages

everyone must dig deep down, it must come from the heart
only you can create change, you must do your part

this is working folks, they are hearing the soul of the common man
this is epic, this is the rise of Fan






craig.walker@mail.wvu.edu 304-293-6271

mike.parsons@mail.wvu.edu 304-293-2821

Ed.pastilong@mail.wvu.edu 304-293-5621

mike.garrison@mail.wvu.edu 304-293-5531

governer@wvgov.org 304-558-2000

valerie.lopez@mail.wvu.edu BOG secretary. members are on the search committee. Stephen Goodwin and Robert Wells(chairmen)

Mike Parsons? student president





locksley@uiuc.edu for the locksley fans


Phone calls and emails are working. Make sure they stay polite though, these are good people.

RUMOR RUMOR!!

Local TV in WV is reporting Jimbo Fisher may have been offered the position. Numerous idiots on the WVU Scout and Rivals message boards are claiming the same. This could be interesting.

What's A Guy Got To Do To Get Mike Locksley At WVU?!?!?!

This is the man for the job. Argue against it, fine, but I'm not buying it. I want Mike Locksley (scroll down that page for info). Or Chris Peterson, or Chip Kelly, or Mike Bellotti, or Pete Carroll. Sadly, it's unlikely that any of these will happen. Shit.

Locksley, though, I think we can get. He's an offensive coordinator that wants a head job, he's contacted WVU, and he's from Washington DC. I wish it were realistic.

RUMOR RUMOR!!

There is a plane coming in either tonight or tomorrow with Terry Bowden on board. A second interview will follow his arrival.


Goddamit, I WANT MIKE LOCKSLEY!!!11!! (photo above)

Wait. What? WTF Is Happening Here?!?!

We've gone from like 2 semi-crappy choices to people I really want!!!

Is this real? It certainly looks it if you don't pay attention to the University of West Virginia thing. I haven't even heard this name mentioned, but I would be so f'ing happy. I LOVE THE FAT MAN!!!


UPDATE: It is now being called a hoax. That is hilarious!