Keeping CJ

[RobertM320]

If it is Dickson's call of course we are going to keep him. Name me another AD in the country who gives losing coaches extensions. What scares me is that Burke might be a Dickson clone. He hired her.

This is the part you have to consider, for those of you who think Burke is acceptable. If she is the type to make changes, why would Cowen and Dickson hire her in the first place? If she going to shake things up, they'd have found someone different. And if RD is actually OK with changing the approach of this department to demand accountability, why not start a year ago by demanding CJ shake up his staff after last years 3-9 season?

There's no way she can be the type that wants to change the approach and yet be an acceptable hire by CowDick. It just doesnt add up.

[jonathanjoseph]

If it is Dickson's call of course we are going to keep him. Name me another AD in the country who gives losing coaches extensions. What scares me is that Burke might be a Dickson clone. He hired her.

False. Kushner reported at the time that Cowen hired Burke. So it's even worse than a Dickson clone, she's a Cowen yes-woman.

[TulaneSportsGuy]

Have you ever actually seen how CJ is inside closed doors. He is NOT a good person. He's an even worse person than he is a coach. He treats his plays LIKE sh*t. If you're his favorite (aka Badie or Monroe), then you're treated like you're not even a human being. Curtis Johnson is a terrible person. Sooner or later the public will see. He need to go. Bob Toledo has character and was a man of his word, though a bad coach. CJ is a bad coach, but the opposite character of anyone we want here at Tulane. The players who aren't his favorites hate the guy. And that's not just a few either…

Not sure where this came from. I have not heard that. My son is currently a student and close friends with several of the guys on the team, and I’ve spoken to a few also. To use a direct quote of their words, CJ is a “p**sy” who can’t bring himself to discipline them. They see him as almost too nice of a guy to discipline the players hard when they screw up or don’t give enough effort.
I’m sure he does have his favorites, as every coach does, but outside of an isolated and disgruntled player or two,(which exists on every team) I haven’t seen or heard of anything resembling a consensus like this. Sources?

This is coming from 5 players who I have spoken to who played under CJ. One who is still on the team. The others were guys who graduated in either 2012 or 2013. And for another example, go read former players tweets during games (for example Kenny Welcome and Cedric Wilson). There are former and current players who want to speak out

[DrBox]

There's no way she can be the type that wants to change the approach and yet be an acceptable hire by CowDick. It just doesnt add up.

How did they come up with Pierce if they want to lose?
Honestly, some of you guys act like Cowen and Dickson are the "Producers."
You are making the mistake of assuming that Dickson wants to lose. He doesn't. He just doesn't know how to win.
Cowen didn't want to lose. He just wasn't willing to do what it takes to win.

None of that precludes whether Burke can be a competent AD.

And let me ask this. If Burke was a Dickson stooge, why is he pushing Sidwell (a confirmed Dickson stooge) and, secondarily, Wickstrom?

And yes I know , the usual suspects will tell me that Cowen is still running the show. Zero evidence to support that, and a lot of evidence against it.

[Bham Wave]

Good morning everyone,


University Action - Would the university actually keep CJ. We all know CJ is a great guy, loves people, keeps his word, is a minister and really is a great ambassador for the university as far as values and flat out being genuine. He is a great role model for many young men. However, for whatever reason his winning formula has not worked. We lost Neu, Speedy's co-coordinator etc after the first year. Our Special Teams have been bad for 8 years (with the exception of Santos and DiRocco this year. BTW, hats off to DiRocco for believing in himself and improving). The question is, will the University keep CJ and whose decision is it. I think if it's RD's decision he will keep him. I honestly believe that the board has gotten to Fitts and he will be gone. Partially because of alums complaining, embarrassing us on TV many times, AAC pressure and losing money.

Have you ever actually seen how CJ is inside closed doors. He is NOT a good person. He's an even worse person than he is a coach. He treats his plays LIKE sh*t. If you're his favorite (aka Badie or Monroe), then you're treated like you're not even a human being. Curtis Johnson is a terrible person. Sooner or later the public will see. He need to go. Bob Toledo has character and was a man of his word, though a bad coach. CJ is a bad coach, but the opposite character of anyone we want here at Tulane. The players who aren't his favorites hate the guy. And that's not just a few either...

WE NEED CHANGE NOW, #TULANE. NOW!


It's been a long few decades of suffering as a Tulane fan. Please, help us make change..

This is pretty much what I have heard as well. That is why I always laugh at this "nice guy" label that everyone attaches to him.

[Wave QB]

CJ is not a prick. However, he is a bit too nice to players and coaches. He needs to fire the Price bros and McDonnell in order for me to have any type of hope for next season. Even the Southern game worries me.

[Hornetswave]

I am not going to Re new my tickets if they retain CJ for next season .

[jonathanjoseph]

And yes I know , the usual suspects will tell me that Cowen is still running the show. Zero evidence to support that, and a lot of evidence against it.

When you say there is "zero" evidence to support that you are turning a blind eye to reality. You are literally believing what you wish were true, rather than what is. Cowen isn't a moron, so he isn't going to do things that make it overtly obvious that he's still running the show.

But Scott Cowen is still collecting his full salary, and the reported "leader" for the position is someone who was hired directly by Scott Cowen, an outcome more than a few of us saw as likely when he hired her 18 months ago. Chalking this up to mere coincidence, in the wake of the last 15 years, is at this point ridiculous.

Search committee members have already said, very directly and explicitly, that the new AD is not likely to be involved in either the decision on CJ's future nor the facilities planning for Tulane Athletics, making it implicitly clear that the new AD will be working on Cowen/Dickson strategic initiatives and without so much as acknowledging any fault in the existing plan and execution.

Sometimes it's hard to believe something that takes an emotional toll. I don't think you'd believe there was a problem even if the program declared bankruptcy, an outcome that could come a lot sooner than anyone realizes if they retain CJ and hire Burke.

[JTLiuzza]

You are making the mistake of assuming that Dickson wants to lose. He doesn't. He just doesn't know how to win.
Cowen didn't want to lose. He just wasn't willing to do what it takes to win.

Apparently you missed the "wins and losses don't matter" revelation.

[Jonathan]

We need a Tommy Bowden type of coach with discipline. Both CJ and Toledo are lightweights. If Tommy saw one of his players making a stupid mistake on field during a time out he would grab him by his chin guard his face red ,drag him off the field and he sat out the game. CJ does not have the disposition for discipline as he is weak.

[RobertM320]

There's no way she can be the type that wants to change the approach and yet be an acceptable hire by CowDick. It just doesnt add up.

How did they come up with Pierce if they want to lose?
Honestly, some of you guys act like Cowen and Dickson are the "Producers."
You are making the mistake of assuming that Dickson wants to lose. He doesn't. He just doesn't know how to win.
Cowen didn't want to lose. He just wasn't willing to do what it takes to win.

None of that precludes whether Burke can be a competent AD.

And let me ask this. If Burke was a Dickson stooge, why is he pushing Sidwell (a confirmed Dickson stooge) and, secondarily, Wickstrom?

And yes I know , the usual suspects will tell me that Cowen is still running the show. Zero evidence to support that, and a lot of evidence against it.

No one ever said they WANT to lose. But they want to win THEIR way, which doesn't work. Sure we got Pierce, but baseball's a different animal. For one, we actually have a history of success there. Second, we don't know yet that Pierce will stay long term. If he's got in mind a dream job, say Rice or Arizona State, are you convinced he'd stay here if that job opened up? If you're looking for a place to play the waiting game as a baseball HC, Tulane is better than Sam Houston by a mile.

And you still never answered my question. How does a person with a 180 degree opposite view of how to build a strong athletic department get hired by a group that's not interested in a strong athletic department? Because if Burke is an agent of change, then that's what happened. I don't buy it.

[DrBox]

Sidwell is the Dickson clone.
Fitts is the one who will have to fire CJ. Dickson won't. Burke would, but she's not the person to do it unless she's named AD by Saturday morning, which she won't be.

As for the question to me, it wouldn't surprise me at all if pierce left in a couple of years. So what? Hiring someone that may leave is a change in itself after 15 years of stability hires.

As for why would they hire her if she's an agent of ahange. What can i say to that? If you assume that they don't want to change, then anyone they hire will have agreed to play status quo. But the one hire she was involved in was different.

[HoustonWave]

If we flush CJ after the last game, who hires the new coach? Do we wait until we get a new AD (no telling how long that will take)? Do we form another committee to undertake the search? Or absolutely worse of all, do we let Tricky Rick leave one more turd in the toilet? I would rather another season of CJ's clown act, than letting Tricky Rick make another decision.

[jonathanjoseph]

Sidwell is the Dickson clone.
Fitts is the one who will have to fire CJ. Dickson won't. Burke would, but she's not the person to do it unless she's named AD by Saturday morning, which she won't be.

As for the question to me, it wouldn't surprise me at all if pierce left in a couple of years. So what? Hiring someone that may leave is a change in itself after 15 years of stability hires.

As for why would they hire her if she's an agent of ahange. What can i say to that? If you assume that they don't want to change, then anyone they hire will have agreed to play status quo. But the one hire she was involved in was different.

That's right. They have absolutely asked everyone they hire to agree to the status quo. When you agree, you are awarded overwhelming job security. See, Lichtenberger, who despite now being in the "should be fired as Tulane ST coach TWICE now" group, is still collecting a paycheck from Tulane Athletics after 9 years. NINE YEARS!

As for baseball, it's a different animal. It's not a serious revenue sport, and designations like P5 carry no meaning or weight. The ~$10M spent on baseball is enough to compete nationally. It requires orders of magnitude more investment and commitment to compete in the revenue sports.

Tulane has the baseball facilities and tradition to compete, and thus a guy like Pierce is willing to take the job. Doesn't mean qualified candidates, like Kingston, were completely unwilling to even consider working for this disastrous organization. How long will Pierce tolerate the situation when he has better options?

[jonathanjoseph]

If we flush CJ after the last game, who hires the new coach? Do we wait until we get a new AD (no telling how long that will take)? Do we form another committee to undertake the search? Or absolutely worse of all, do we let Tricky Rick leave one more turd in the toilet? I would rather another season of CJ's clown act, than letting Tricky Rick make another decision.

Doesn't matter, because no one would be willing to take the job under those circumstances. Unless a strong AD hire is made in the very near future Tulane Athletics is about to embark on another failure and national embarrassment. Or keep CJ, which is the same thing.

[Wave755]

Wouldn't it be ironic, to quote Alanis Morissette, if LSU fires Miles paying his 15 million dollar buy-out and we renew CJ for a year five (Teevens got 5 years. Scelfo 7 years & Toledo 5 years, after Tricky Dick "noted improvement" for the 2010 season ).

Read attached brief NBC Sports article on Miles: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... cnews:text

[HoustonWave]

Until we get the new AD, we're dead in the water. And depending on who the AD is, we may still be dead in the water.

[jonathanjoseph]

Until we get the new AD, we're dead in the water. And depending on who the AD is, we may still be dead in the water.

Yep. And depending on who the AD is, the better analogy might be nail in the coffin.

[ExileWave]

Wouldn't it be ironic, to quote Alanis Morissette, if LSU fires Miles paying his 15 million dollar buy-out and we renew CJ for a year five (Teevens got 5 years. Scelfo 7 years & Toledo 5 years, after Tricky Dick "noted improvement" for the 2010 season ).

Read attached brief NBC Sports article on Miles: http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... cnews:text

Talk about delusional fans! And they want Jimbo Fisher? LMAO. Before the season this was a rebuilding year for LSU...2016 was their expected big year. They are loaded- CJ would have a hard time going to LSU and losing. Miles can take the $15MM and go live on a private island for the rest of his days.

[winwave]

If we flush CJ after the last game, who hires the new coach? Do we wait until we get a new AD (no telling how long that will take)? Do we form another committee to undertake the search? Or absolutely worse of all, do we let Tricky Rick leave one more turd in the toilet? I would rather another season of CJ's clown act, than letting Tricky Rick make another decision.

The new AD will make that hire. CJ gets fired Monday and the new AD is announced a couple of days later.

[ExileWave]

If we flush CJ after the last game, who hires the new coach? Do we wait until we get a new AD (no telling how long that will take)? Do we form another committee to undertake the search? Or absolutely worse of all, do we let Tricky Rick leave one more turd in the toilet? I would rather another season of CJ's clown act, than letting Tricky Rick make another decision.

The new AD will make that hire. CJ gets fired Monday and the new AD is announced a couple of days later.

Why wait until Monday? CJ and his entire staff need to know they are coaching their last game Friday, win or lose.

[Jonathan]

Who on this board wants to keep CJ. Fire him and Conroy today,both are losers.

[HoustonWave]

Let's have a group firing. Is there any other Dickson selection that needs to go? Let's do it en masse.

[HoustonWave]

Until we get the new AD, we're dead in the water. And depending on who the AD is, we may still be dead in the water.

Yep. And depending on who the AD is, the better analogy might be nail in the coffin.

I think we have been nailed in the coffin for the last 15 years--we are just rattling around inside, trying to get out.

[jonathanjoseph]

Until we get the new AD, we're dead in the water. And depending on who the AD is, we may still be dead in the water.

Yep. And depending on who the AD is, the better analogy might be nail in the coffin.

I think we have been nailed in the coffin for the last 15 years--we are just rattling around inside, trying to get out.

Nah, everything was wide open until they broke ground on an $80M, 22K seat stadium as the key to their strategy.