Welcome Aboard Willie Fritz and staff!!!

[jonathanjoseph]

It was nice to finally have a coach that didn't stammer through half of the press conference. I feel like we finally have a steady presence at the helm and that's going to be a big improvement regardless of scheme etc. Bob Toledo was out to lunch (and dinner). CJ was in way over his head.

What really got me was the fact that Pierce gave a ringing endorsement regarding he fact that we are focused on winning. Pierce isn't the type to bull$hit you. Also speaks volumes about the baseball program commitment moving forward.

Now we just have to send out RSVP's for the basketball press conference in 3 months.

I agree that Pierce's endorsement is noteworthy.

It's only been about 2 weeks since Pierce was the only bright spot at the Wilson Center. Now with Pierce, Dannen and CWF things are looking up and as quickly as one could hope.

And yes, with that caliber of folks on board it's exciting to think about what kind of basketball coach Dannen can find us in about 3 months from now.

[Jonathan]

I agree. We have three winners. Now get rid of Conroy and give us a fourth. Do not renew his contract.

[cajunfanatico]

But then we hear ex-commit Jack Abraham said his offense doesn't fit him too well.

I hadn't seen the news that Jack Abraham de-committed, but what he apparently said confirms what I mentioned earlier elsewhere....some commits, especially those on the O side of the ball, will change their minds because of the offense (actual or perceived) that a new coach runs.

[Jonathan]

Get back on your ULaLa Lafayette board. Fire Conroy.

[GreenPuddleSplash]

Three yards and a cloud of dust is probably what some fear. Fritz has been know to run it first. He's old school. He has to find big lineman to make that transition at Tulane. You'll probably see run, run, pass. Run, run, run first. This offense will eat clock and help keep the game close. That's a big reason why his team's never get blown out.
As fans we are just going to have to adopt to the run first mentality and hope it is successful here as it has been at GSU.

It is not always a slug fest up front for establishing the run. On each snap when you present a defense enough potential threats (run/pass), while isolating and reading off of the DT, DE or Safety you create a numerical advantage on offense. If anything it requires good communication and execution.
Waaay back in 1982 when we played SMU, their O-line lined up with about three to four foot splits. When the ball was snapped their O-line didn't even try to move any of our D-line. They just allowed our D-lineman to go wherever, but always kept inside, or outside position on the D-lineman. Our linebackers received a similar reception by any uncovered guards and tackles. The QB would show a sprint draw action and hand the ball off to Eric Dickerson, or Craig James 9 yards deep and they managed to turn the game into a track meet without ever applying force to the players in the box. The secondary had a nightmare on their hands as they were the only reason SMU didn't score 100 points.

I think the entire point of the Baylor offense is you don;t need the 4-5 star lineman. You operate on deception and confusion, thus allowing the lineman an advantage to overcome talent deficiencies. Briles walked in and immediately upgraded Baylor, that was on scheme not talent.

Not sure about that. This is the first year where Baylor hasn't had as much speed/talent at the skill positions but they are finally looking like a top 5 program in the trenches. At first, Baylor was about scheme and pace, now they have the OL/DL talent to match, hence a top 10, top 5 program.

I do think a lot of Baylor's linemen were 2-3 star recruits because they came from smaller rural Texas schools where they didn't get much scouting exposure. Art Briles has a great relationship with local texas high school coaches from rural schools because he once was one himself and so he's able to find these unpolished diamonds. With that said, Louisiana is a hot bed of talent, so if WF can find some gems like he has at GA Southern, I'm sure he can easily mold 2-3 star linemen into a successful spread/slant/combo block type of line. It seems like having agile, smaller lineman doing slant and combo blocks work wonders, I mean Navy has been able to be quite successful running that sort of line, so I think we're onto something good!

[JerseyWave]

Four years ago we watched the Clown Show press conference with Cowen, Dickson and CJ. What a difference four years makes. Fitts, Dannen, and Fritz is a professional, upbeat, committed to success chain of command and they are talking about a plan for winning. Tulane is finally out of the darkness. The "Sleeping Giant" is awakening!!!

[DfromCT]

Four years ago we watched the Clown Show press conference with Cowen, Dickson and CJ. What a difference four years makes. Fitts, Dannen, and Fritz is a professional, upbeat, committed to success chain of command and they are talking about a plan for winning. Tulane is finally out of the darkness. The "Sleeping Giant" is awakening!!!

Heck, what a difference two weeks makes!

Naming Dannen the AD AND moving tricky Rick out of the AD role hopefully signals the end of the failed Tulane Model. This is a big break from the CowDick show we all loved to hate the last 15+ years. Now if we can get SC off the payroll and out of any influential role, the University can start the healing process and we can all move on.

[winwave]

Three yards and a cloud of dust is probably what some fear. Fritz has been know to run it first. He's old school. He has to find big lineman to make that transition at Tulane. You'll probably see run, run, pass. Run, run, run first. This offense will eat clock and help keep the game close. That's a big reason why his team's never get blown out.
As fans we are just going to have to adopt to the run first mentality and hope it is successful here as it has been at GSU.

It is not always a slug fest up front for establishing the run. On each snap when you present a defense enough potential threats (run/pass), while isolating and reading off of the DT, DE or Safety you create a numerical advantage on offense. If anything it requires good communication and execution.
Waaay back in 1982 when we played SMU, their O-line lined up with about three to four foot splits. When the ball was snapped their O-line didn't even try to move any of our D-line. They just allowed our D-lineman to go wherever, but always kept inside, or outside position on the D-lineman. Our linebackers received a similar reception by any uncovered guards and tackles. The QB would show a sprint draw action and hand the ball off to Eric Dickerson, or Craig James 9 yards deep and they managed to turn the game into a track meet without ever applying force to the players in the box. The secondary had a nightmare on their hands as they were the only reason SMU didn't score 100 points.

I think the entire point of the Baylor offense is you don;t need the 4-5 star lineman. You operate on deception and confusion, thus allowing the lineman an advantage to overcome talent deficiencies. Briles walked in and immediately upgraded Baylor, that was on scheme not talent.

We have a winner. That's what RR did and what WF will do.

What WF has said is that when his teams ran the ball for one more yard than his opponents his teams have won 90% of the time. The way some are reacting you'd think he said we are going to run the ball 90% of the time. R-E-L-A-X. We have a coach that has the trait of a great coach- he adapts to the talent he has.

[GreenLantern]

Four years ago we watched the Clown Show press conference with Cowen, Dickson and CJ. What a difference four years makes. Fitts, Dannen, and Fritz is a professional, upbeat, committed to success chain of command and they are talking about a plan for winning. Tulane is finally out of the darkness. The "Sleeping Giant" is awakening!!!

Heck, what a difference two weeks makes!

Naming Dannen the AD AND moving tricky Rick out of the AD role hopefully signals the end of the failed Tulane Model. This is a big break from the CowDick show we all loved to hate the last 15+ years. Now if we can get SC off the payroll and out of any influential role, the University can start the healing process and we can all move on.

What a difference one person makes. I am, of course, referring to President Fitts. We are excited about Troy Dannen and coach Fritz (as well we should be) but give the majority of credit to our Prez. Expect him to leave Tulane in a much better state than he found it.

[GreenLantern]

I have scoured the entire athletic site (tulanegreenwave.com) but cannot find a link to the press conference. Anyone know where I could watch this?

[jonathanjoseph]

Four years ago we watched the Clown Show press conference with Cowen, Dickson and CJ. What a difference four years makes. Fitts, Dannen, and Fritz is a professional, upbeat, committed to success chain of command and they are talking about a plan for winning. Tulane is finally out of the darkness. The "Sleeping Giant" is awakening!!!

Yep.

[jonathanjoseph]

Four years ago we watched the Clown Show press conference with Cowen, Dickson and CJ. What a difference four years makes. Fitts, Dannen, and Fritz is a professional, upbeat, committed to success chain of command and they are talking about a plan for winning. Tulane is finally out of the darkness. The "Sleeping Giant" is awakening!!!

Heck, what a difference two weeks makes!

Naming Dannen the AD AND moving tricky Rick out of the AD role hopefully signals the end of the failed Tulane Model. This is a big break from the CowDick show we all loved to hate the last 15+ years. Now if we can get SC off the payroll and out of any influential role, the University can start the healing process and we can all move on.

What a difference one person makes. I am, of course, referring to President Fitts. We are excited about Troy Dannen and coach Fritz (as well we should be) but give the majority of credit to our Prez. Expect him to leave Tulane in a much better state than he found it.

Ha! Well, that's almost inevitable since Cowen couldn't have left things in worse shape. To be fair, Fitts didn't make a move for 18 months, so it's a better late than never situation, but there's still a lot of damage that needs to be repaired. We've got a long way to go, but for the first time it appears that adults are in charge.

[TU23]

We really just needed a president that would get out of the way and wouldn't inject himself into every little decision. Fitts wants to make his mark, and I think he sees that athletics was so badly botched and ignored by Cowen, etc. that it could be a real coup for him. Dannen and Fritz are a good start. Getting Conroy out and bringing a real coach into the fold would be a great second act.

[Wave755]

We really just needed a president that would get out of the way and wouldn't inject himself into every little decision. Fitts wants to make his mark, and I think he sees that athletics was so badly botched and ignored by Cowen, etc. that it could be a real coup for him. Dannen and Fritz are a good start. Getting Conroy out and bringing a real coach into the fold would be a great second act.

And, this time around we will have no trouble getting a good hire for MBB coach with Fitts and Dannon running the show and selling a job for coaching in the AAC, not CUSA.

[GreenLantern]

Ha! Well, that's almost inevitable since Cowen couldn't have left things in worse shape. To be fair, Fitts didn't make a move for 18 months, so it's a better late than never situation, but there's still a lot of damage that needs to be repaired. We've got a long way to go, but for the first time it appears that adults are in charge.

Are you familiar with the adage "Make Haste Slowly"? That would be Prez Fitts. Don't think for a second that he wasn't in full-bore analysis mode the second he arrived. It would have been irresponsible of him to make wholesale changes within the first few weeks. Like all good managers, I'm sure that he had made termination decisions on a number of failures long before any action was taken. As my first boss taught me, fire people anytime you feel they are unredeemable...but kick them off the payroll and remove them from the building at a time that is tactically expedient.

Watching President Fitts at public functions, he comes across as a little goofy...socially inept. Last night I watched him hug Riptide (mascot) with the same fervor I would reserve for Kate Upton. When he speaks he does not display a tremendous amount of poise nor does he inspire confidence with his oratory skills. However, I'll wager there's an intellect and business acumen like a steel trap beneath the doofus exterior.

Do I think he moved too slowly? I absolutely support everything President Fitts has done. Would I have liked to see him ridicule and mock Scott Cowen's failures and bone-headed decisions? That would have been amusing and deserved, but President Fitts is too much of a patrician for that. I'll be content to have Cowen and his lackeys gone. As for Rick Dickson and Coach Johnson, they are simply primary and secondary symptoms of the Cowen disease.

Embrace the journey. Fitts ain't done yet.

[jonathanjoseph]

Ha! Well, that's almost inevitable since Cowen couldn't have left things in worse shape. To be fair, Fitts didn't make a move for 18 months, so it's a better late than never situation, but there's still a lot of damage that needs to be repaired. We've got a long way to go, but for the first time it appears that adults are in charge.

Are you familiar with the adage "Make Haste Slowly"? That would be Prez Fitts. Don't think for a second that he wasn't in full-bore analysis mode the second he arrived. It would have been irresponsible of him to make wholesale changes within the first few weeks. Like all good managers, I'm sure that he had made termination decisions on a number of failures long before any action was taken. As my first boss taught me, fire people anytime you feel they are unredeemable...but kick them off the payroll and remove them from the building at a time that is tactically expedient.

Watching President Fitts at public functions, he comes across as a little goofy...socially inept. Last night I watched him hug Riptide (mascot) with the same fervor I would reserve for Kate Upton. When he speaks he does not display a tremendous amount of poise nor does he inspire confidence with his oratory skills. However, I'll wager there's an intellect and business acumen like a steel trap beneath the doofus exterior.

Do I think he moved too slowly? I absolutely support everything President Fitts has done. Would I have liked to see him ridicule and mock Scott Cowen's failures and bone-headed decisions? That would have been amusing and deserved, but President Fitts is too much of a patrician for that. I'll be content to have Cowen and his lackeys gone. As for Rick Dickson and Coach Johnson, they are simply primary and secondary symptoms of the Cowen disease.

Embrace the journey. Fitts ain't done yet.

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

[nawlinspete]

Excellent, excellent, excellent post @ 2:05 PM Green Lantern. Right On.

Roll Wave

[JerseyWave]

We really just needed a president that would get out of the way and wouldn't inject himself into every little decision. Fitts wants to make his mark, and I think he sees that athletics was so badly botched and ignored by Cowen, etc. that it could be a real coup for him. Dannen and Fritz are a good start. Getting Conroy out and bringing a real coach into the fold would be a great second act.

After watching Tulane struggle with winless Prairie View in an empty arena, Conroy's days are definitely numbered. I figure once Dannen gets settled some time in January he can turn his attention to the basketball program, the final piece of Dickson's failure.

[jonathanjoseph]

We really just needed a president that would get out of the way and wouldn't inject himself into every little decision. Fitts wants to make his mark, and I think he sees that athletics was so badly botched and ignored by Cowen, etc. that it could be a real coup for him. Dannen and Fritz are a good start. Getting Conroy out and bringing a real coach into the fold would be a great second act.

After watching Tulane struggle with winless Prairie View in an empty arena, Conroy's days are definitely numbered. I figure once Dannen gets settled some time in January he can turn his attention to the basketball program, the final piece of Dickson's failure.

I said the same thing elsewhere, just enough time for Dannen to get settled before it's time to get us a basketball coach.

[Wave755]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

[JerseyWave]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

From the looks of today's press conference in the photos I saw, Gayle Benson, was sitting and smiling right along side the Fritz family in the front row. It appears Tulane should continue to have a strong relationship with the Saints organization under Coach Fritz.

[jonathanjoseph]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

This is dumb. CJ didn't "deserve" anything, he was paid seven figures. We don't "owe" the Saints anything, in fact Ms. Benson OWES US a duty of care, as that is a specific legal responsibility she volunteered for.

It was time to move on 10 years ago. Nothing about Tulane or Tulane Athletics was "played perfectly" until about 2 weeks ago. The last two weeks have been played perfectly, but nothing else.

[Wave755]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

From the looks of today's press conference in the photos I saw, Gayle Benson, was sitting and smiling right along side the Fritz family in the front row. It appears Tulane should continue to have a strong relationship with the Saints organization under Coach Fritz.

+1, we are without question "copacetic" with Gayle & Tom Benson and our partner the Saints. I have no doubt whatsoever we still have access to the Saints Indoor Practice Facility whenever we need it. We gave CJ his 4 years; CJ blew it, not Tulane.

[GreenPuddleSplash]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

From the looks of today's press conference in the photos I saw, Gayle Benson, was sitting and smiling right along side the Fritz family in the front row. It appears Tulane should continue to have a strong relationship with the Saints organization under Coach Fritz.

+1, we are without question "copacetic" with Gayle & Tom Benson and our partner the Saints. I have no doubt whatsoever we still have access to the Saints Indoor Practice Facility whenever we need it. We gave CJ his 4 years; CJ blew it, not Tulane.

Better use the connections now before Rita and Company take over. It's already looking like Tom is going to lose this fight with some concessions of relinquishing control of the trust. I hope WF gets to utilize all this momentum before it's too late.

[Wave755]

Well there's a big difference between not making wholesale decisions in the first few weeks and not making any decisions in the first 18 months. It's part of the job description to figure that out earlier, and why you see so many new CEO/Presidents bring in their own trusted people right off the bat.

Is Fitts really much better behind closed doors than his exterior appearance? Maybe. I have no idea. But just being a non-Scott Cowen yes man was enough for him to get things back on track. Firing loyalists and non-performers and running hiring processes to replace those people with competence. Just bringing in new blood was a refreshing change for all, that the new blood appears to represent some really strong leadership for those roles is definitely icing on the cake.

CJ deserved a year 4, he got his year 4, we did right by CJ & the Saints. All agree now is the time to move on. Fitts played it perfectly.

This is dumb. CJ didn't "deserve" anything, he was paid seven figures. We don't "owe" the Saints anything, in fact Ms. Benson OWES US a duty of care, as that is a specific legal responsibility she volunteered for.

It was time to move on 10 years ago. Nothing about Tulane or Tulane Athletics was "played perfectly" until about 2 weeks ago. The last two weeks have been played perfectly, but nothing else.

Coming from the guy who has been espousing "Oliver Stone Like Conspiracy Theories" for the last 2 years (i.e.-Fitts is the "puppet" of Cowen; Dickson will be A D forever because Cowen made Fitts agree to that for his job as president; Barbara Burke will be new A D because Cowen already picked her, etc. etc.)? You were wrong on everything about Fitts. CJ deserved a year 4, no one dissents for his firing, Fitts played it perfectly. Things are looking up and everyone is more than a little sick of "JJ the prophet of doom." You should get a room with Oliver Stone or better yet get a room with the Cajun Troll Tulane haters in their little dungeon at the bottom of this forum.