Tommy Bowden...

[sader24]

I gathered from that interview that he has absolutely no interest in the job. "Been there done that" just about says it all.

[sader24]

His son went to Curtis, he didnt want them here more than they had to be. Also, the interview that Bowden gives the only thing he says in reference to Tulane is , "Been there, done that". Not exactly positive.

[gbgreenie]

Wasn't an interview he was commenting on games of the day in the ACC and was asked about Tulane. Only lasted 2 min. They use him for commentary as a former coach.

[sader24]

Well after listening to his radio interview the only conclusion that can be drawn is he has no interest.

[sader24]

If Tommy Bowden was our head coach we beat that team 70-21, does anyone disagree? Now contemplate what that says about Curtis Johnson.

[sader24]

He's a recruiting coordinator, not a head coach, as evidenced by having Co-Defensive Coordinators.

[JerseyWave]

I would welcome Tommy Boy back in a heartbeat. Perhaps that's a possibility AFTER Cowen is gone!

[jmjclu]

he will not return unless the university truly makes a commitment
in all fairness to CJ and the staff, both the team and the coaches are learning on the job
the coaches did not have the experience to take these positions last year
another year and the program will be in good shape
I predict a BIG improvement by Thursday night

[rpw]

Tommy Bowden as head coach, but with the same players and assistants?

Here's what I think would be different:
1. Quickness. Bowden knew speed kills. This also means we wouldn't be so winded.
2. Intensity. The kind that comes from a head coach chewing your ass for mistakes and let-downs.
3. Game plan. Tommy would make sure we adjusted better, especially on defense.
4. We'd win.

[Pullinmyhairout]

Look, that sound good and all but here is our problem. We don't have any talent. Give Johnson some time to bring some in. The cupboard was as bare as any school in the country when he got here. If Johnson fails after next year then run his ass out of town and at least we will have some talent for the next coach that comes in.

[rpw]

Simply not true. CJ does lack talent at OL and LB. Otherwise, he should be sound. Not great, mostly average, but sound. On Bowden's success, USM's Coach Bower said that Tulane has always had talent, now they know how to play. I like CJ, wish him the best, but I know there are small things he should be doing to succeed that he is not. Many problems are in his assistants. He did choose those guys, though.

[Fred Dowler]

Even during the leanest of the Buddy Teevens years TU still seemed to be able to bring in solid receivers, backs, defensive backs and then, of course, Shaun King.

Recruiting for the other areas, e.g. defensive line, offensive line, OTOH has usually been the issue.

The few times when TU has had the manpower in the defense front 7 = the few times when TU has actually won, e.g. 2002.

To all the folks talking up how magnificent TU recruiting has been of late, well, turns out maybe not much is new. Couple that to yet another coaching staff that's having to be learning on the job and there you are.

[Wave QB]

Look, that sound good and all but here is our problem. We don't have any talent. Give Johnson some time to bring some in. The cupboard was as bare as any school in the country when he got here. If Johnson fails after next year then run his ass out of town and at least we will have some talent for the next coach that comes in.

+1000

I love the talent he is bringing in, but that USA game was lost because of a horrible coaching. We were bigger, stronger, and more talented than USA. Jackson State's defense looked stronger to me than USA. We could have put up 70 points on these guys. Montana was slinging the ball when he had even a second in the pocket. Darkwa was too strong for their defense and Grant was killing their DB's. Even with a horrible offensive line, Montana was able to put up points. Our defense played horrible in the first and second half. The defensive line sucked against JSU and USA. I guess they the git everyone including myself excited during camp because they man handled our sorry offensive line.

CJ needs to get his shit together. We looked like a FCS program on the field and sidelines that would finish 5th in the Southland and 3rd in the SWAC. As much as I hate to admit this, after USA scored their first touchdown, I said " All shit! We are about to fu-k around and lose this damn game." Even though the alums I was sitting with told me to calm down, I then pointed out the chemistry on their sideline vs ours. At that moment, everyone saw what I saw. I wish CJ the best at Tulane, but he is going to have to make a bowl game this season in order to get respect as a head coach.

[msdos]

in all fairness to CJ and the staff, both the team and the coaches are learning on the job

i know speaking relatively we're on the lower end of ncaa pay, but still, that's a SHITLOAD of money to be learning on the job.

i do not accept that as an excuse

[wavemania]

Bowden won with Teevens talent. He bolted because he knew his recruiting was not going to produce anywhere near the results he had with Teevens talent. The problem was not giving RR the job.

[jmjclu]

1) most of the posts here are incorrect
2) when a poster makes a statement of opinion, he or she may be incorrect , but each person is entitled to his opinion
3) it is my opinion the team starts to play much better this week

[JerseyWave]

If CJ is learning on the job then he never should have been named Head Coach. That's once again, the AD's incompetence. Tulane Football cannot afford to roll the dice on an unknown. I expect a professional Head Coach from Day 1. CJ needs to step it up very quickly before this season and his program spiral out of control.

[rpw]

What I didn't see on the sideline after the first score was emotion. Not from the players, not from any coach. Now, some teams may have the confidence to say, hey we got burned, we won't let that happen again. Other teams just stand around, draw a few plays up and get 14 more scored on them before they act excited. Which of those sounds like the team I saw Saturday?

Would Bowden have been okay with such an attitude? No.

[tpstulane]

The team wasn't ready to play, that blame falls directly on the head coach. By the time the Wave woke up it's was 28-7 and too difficult with the current talent level to overcome. One thing for sure in two years under Tommy Bowden the team always and I mean always came out ready to play. Because he would chew the living $hit out of them. The players were afraid of him. He took no $hit. He commanded the upmost respect.
CJ is the opposite IMO. He's too friendly with his staff and players. Maybe with all these suspensions players will fall in line. Solid recruiter, but has a lot to prove as a head coach IMO.

[Fred Dowler]

If CJ is learning on the job then he never should have been named Head Coach. That's once again, the AD's incompetence. Tulane Football cannot afford to roll the dice on an unknown. I expect a professional Head Coach from Day 1. CJ needs to step it up very quickly before this season and his program spiral out of control.

I believe the Curtis Johnson was not TU's first choice.

I also tend to doubt that TU actually had that much of a chance to get Rich Rodriguez, if he truly was the first choice, to agree to come back (at the time that there was the search to replace Bob Toledo).

There was some talk about the TU opening drawing the interest of a lot of highly qualified coaches. This I tend to doubt, too, considering what TU has ended up doing. That talk, like a lot of talk, has proven to have been pretty hollow.

Can the program, at this time when the number of regular die-hards is down to a few thousand (and the new stadium will be opening soon), really afford to have someone in the position who is a work-in-progress? Good question.

What kind of coach is TU likely to be able to hire, unless the powers-who-are completely junk the infamous same old model? Another good question.

[wavedat]

Bowden w/out RR is worthless. He's smart enough to know that and would never come back here.

[chigoyboy]

I'd much rather CJ over Bowden with no rich rod as the OC. He did nothing without rich rod

[tnelly15]

I'd much rather CJ over Bowden with no rich rod as the OC. He did nothing without rich rod

You kidding me? In over a decade of being a head coach Bowden has never had a losing season. Not one.

CJ has had a little more than one season as HC and he's looking for losing season number 2.

[IM42lane]

Why don't you guys just give up on the Tommy Bowden past. He was here very briefly, but he is now GONE FOR GOOD. He is NEVER coming back. He now has a gig which allows him to run his mouth on a national sports network and criticize every college football situation that develops.

[TU23]

Bowden is never coming back to TU (I know that wasn't the point of the thread). Bowden was a good disciplinarian and someone who set the tone for a winning program, but Rich Rod was the one doing all of the real X's and O's coaching. Rich is who we needed and we couldn't close the deal this time around because of how poorly he was treated last time combined with the fact that we couldn't come up with a godfather offer for him, which is what I believe would have been required to get him (over $2 million a year).