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Wow - some interesting comments based on an interview with Patrick Nix by a Miami writer. Thought I would post them first, then offer a translation:
Let's break these comments down and translate them:On leaving Georgia Tech to seek his own identity away from Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey, who was widely viewed as running the team’s offense even though Nix served as offensive coordinator last season: “For me and my career, I knew I had to separate from coach Gailey. Sometimes you have to make that separation so the people can understand who you are, that you can handle it, [that] you can do it. “
On why he wanted the Miami job: “It’s a place you’re going to have a chance to win. You’re expected to win — big. Not just win 9 or 10 games a year. At Georgia Tech, sometimes they can’t decide what their expectations are. You win your side of the conference [as the Yellow Jackets did last season], then they’re saying you should have won [the ACC title game against Wake Forest] when at the beginning of the season they said you shouldn’t even get there. That’s frustrating at times. It didn’t seem like we had the full support all the time by everybody. Here, you know going into the season what’s expected. I think that’s fun. I think that’s the way it should be. That’s what I’m used to. At Auburn [where he played from 1992-95], that’s the way it was. You’re expected to win every game.”“
“For me and my career, I knew I had to separate from coach Gailey. Sometimes you have to make that separation so the people can understand who you are, that you can handle it, [that] you can do it. “
Translated: "I was ready to move out of the house and make my own decisions, but Dad...... err Coach Gailey.......... thought I wasn't ready to have friends over to the house by myself. Well, I was. Now, nevermind the fact that Coach Gailey handed me the play-calling duties last season and EVERYONE knew that I was the guy calling the 3-and-1 reverse or completely abondoning the use of the ACC leading rusher when we needed hyim most. Being "the guy" scared the life out of me last season, and without Calvin Johnson and Tashard Choice it might have been worse, and to prevent being exposed at a school that presents more challenges, I wanted to go somewhere else where my chances of success are higher WITHOUT being exposed. As part of my schtick, I will begin saying that I need people to "understand who I am" and that I needed to "separate" from Coach Gailey.......... What do you think? Is it working?"
“It’s (Miami) a place you’re going to have a chance to win. "
Translated: "Miami is a place that can consistently pull in the best recruits in the nation and the academic and legal standards are low enough to get them in. Heck, if they could get Willie Williams into "the U" with his glittered juvenile arrest record, then it's going to be a LOT harder for me to screw this up than it was at GT. I might not even have to worry as much about my skills at developing gameplans and calling plays. I can continue to sit in my office diagramming plays and not have to spend much time on the practice field with my players. Throw in the fact that Miami has been down the past few seasons and the fanbase is frustrated, and it sure will be hard for me to screw this up."
You’re expected to win — big. Not just win 9 or 10 games a year. "
Translated: "Obviously I care a lot about what other people think, and as such I let expectations impact the quality of my coaching. If people expect me to win more than 9 or 10 games per season, well then I better just work harder than I did at GT."
At Georgia Tech, sometimes they can’t decide what their expectations are. You win your side of the conference [as the Yellow Jackets did last season], then they’re saying you should have won [the ACC title game against Wake Forest] when at the beginning of the season they said you shouldn’t even get there. That’s frustrating at times.
Translated: "At Georgia Tech, it's harder to win than at Miami. As a result, fans and the media differ in their opinion of what your program can be. Some people were highly impressed making it to the ACC Championship game. Some people thought we should win more than we did. I had a hard time with that, because..... well......... winning at GT is hard. I wasn't sure I could do it, so I wanted to go somewhere that had no limitations imposed on me to win. It's kind of like the Geico cavemen. I wanted to go somewhere where it should be so easy to win that even a caveman could do it. "
"It didn’t seem like we had the full support all the time by everybody (at GT)."
Translation: "That's the beauty of Miami football. Everyone supports your program no-matter what. The media writes nothing but nice things about the school, and never challenges the direction they are headed. They pack the stadiums every home game and travel well on the road. They do pack the stadiums in Miami.....right? They surely lead the ACC is attendence, right? They support their team win or lose, right? At Miami, they MUST get the full 100% support "all the time by everybody".............. Surely only at Georgia Tech are fans nutty and irrational......... right?
"Here (at Miami), you know going into the season what’s expected. I think that’s fun. I think that’s the way it should be. That’s what I’m used to. At Auburn [where he played from 1992-95], that’s the way it was. You’re expected to win every game.”“
Translated: "I like when expectations are high based on nothing that I have done. For the sole reason that it is Miami or Auburn, people just expect you to win all the time. That way I don't have to live with the burden of being the guy who helped build something from the ground up. At GT, I didn't think I had the background or skill to build them into a consistent top-of-the-conference winner. But at Miami or Auburn, I don't actually need the background or skill. Everyone else can help me along because it is a football factory. I can git-er-done on the backs of great recruiting and the rest of the coaching staff. I just wanted to be at a place that has every conceivable advantage when it comes to winning. Besides, am I going to be able to get my big head coaching break at my young age coaching at Georgia Tech? Not likely. I will have to learn the ropes. At Miami, I can ride the coat-tales of Randy Shannon, then sucker some program into hiring as a head coach in the next 3 years........... if of course I stay that long at Miami."
Lastly, I ran across this article with this quote - the season BEFORE Nix took over play-calling duties:
"Here's a guy that's been in the NFL. He's been there and done it all, but he'll still come up and ask, 'What do you guys think about this?' He's sincere when he says that he'll take something out if we don't think it'll work. That's amazing to me. It's fun to be around a guy like that."What you meant is "fun for awhile".
Ok -so I was a bit hard on Coach Nix. However, in my mind, I think he opened himself up with his comments. Fair-game if you ask me. I wish him nothing but the best at the U, except against our Jackets. Coach Nix seems to have a bright future coaching and in the end, we will just be one of the short stops along the way.
I will take some comfort in knowing that while he is pushing away from Coach Gailey much like a teenager leaving the house, other comments made me realize what he has learned from Coach Gailey. In other interviews, he talks about winning football games in terms of ball control, not in terms of flashy passing stats and high scoring affairs. He talks more about the basics of the game, and this is a guy with a history of coaching teams with fancy passing stats. All philosophies he learned directly from our current head coach.
UPDATE: Forgot to add the most important commentary of all. Coach Nix likes Auburn and Miami because they expect to win all the time. I guess the actual winning is not so important - just the expectation................ Did we happen to mention that Auburn and Miami's combined record against GT the last 4 games is 0-4..................... Put that in your pipe and smoke it Chief War Eagle.
All in good fun, and Jacket fans have moved on and welcomed our new OC, Coach Bond, who has universally gotten positive reviews to this point. Of course, if our points / game goes down to about 17 this season, we'll see what the bloom on that rose looks like. Of course, at Georgia Tech, we don't fully support our coaches anyhow and we have no idea what we want, right? I mean, what do you want people?????