Jim Grobe Regrets Not Taking Nebraska Job, Staying At Wake Forest (Updated)

[RacerDeac]

I think he made some fair comments in that article and that to outside observers this thread would seem to be a bit extreme.

I sent my dad the article and got this response "Thanks for sharing. He is still a class act the way he accepts responsibility."

Outside observers didn't know anything about Wake during those years because we weren't being talked about. No one suffered through them but us. Sort of like basketball the past few years. Most non-Wake basketball fans didn't realize just how bad things were.

As for your dad, there were plenty of Wake fans who bought Wellman and [name redacted]'s bullshit too.

 

[wsc8521s]

I think he made some fair comments in that article and that to outside observers this thread would seem to be a bit extreme.

I sent my dad the article and got this response "Thanks for sharing. He is still a class act the way he accepts responsibility."

One quote in the whole story, and even then it sounds like he's saying he should've tried less hard in recruiting.

Some people find what they're looking for to meet their previous perceptions

 

[DeaconCav06]

Right. The point is that my dad is an outsider and not a wake fan and from his point of view Jim Grobe brought Wake freaking Forest an ACC Championship.

 

[91deac]

WTF is all this talk about two sessions of summer school? Seriously, with a redshirting program and one summer session each year, you have to be an idiot not being able to graduate with a very easy course load. I understand the training and conditioning aspect but its only a month out of the year. If our guys can't hit the gym on their own at home for a month then that's more of a statement about the guys we are recruiting.

The redshirting program didn't cost the school anymore. You have the same number of scholarships on a yearly basis whether you spread them over a team with all 4 year players (no redshirting) or a team of 5 year players (where every redshirts). Redshirting means the kids are older in their 5th year, but you have less players available every year because ~20% of the team is redshirting. Everyone talks about redshirting like every school would do it, if the players would 'accept' being redshirted, but it costs you in depth - especially on special teams.

 

[DeacDaddy]

But I guess if you look at the bright side, Grobe might have helped expose a big problem with our AD. Upgrading facilities and overall support of the football program.

This is what I was thinking. This whole diatribe from him is ridiculous, but maybe the silver lining is that someone with a voice is (tacitly) critiquing Ron Wellman. I wish he would go all in, and call RW out.

Though at the end of the day, all of this just makes Wake look bad.

I also think Grobe is recognizing that Clawson is going to do some good things here, and he's getting out in front of the coming comparisons.

 

[RacerDeac]

Right. The point is that my dad is an outsider and not a wake fan and from his point of view Jim Grobe brought Wake freaking Forest an ACC Championship.

I'll never forget the ACC and the Orange Bowl. I'll also never forget what followed. I think we have enough evidence, some provided above by Grobe himself, to see that the OB run was as much, if not more about the Fresh Deacs than it was about some masterful coaching job. And, if there was any masterful coaching, it was by assistants that Grobe couldn't keep around while sticking to his guns on the one he should have let go.

 

[liveanddiedeac]

Right. The point is that my dad is an outsider and not a wake fan and from his point of view Jim Grobe brought Wake freaking Forest an ACC Championship.

I would think most outsider would understand that sometimes it's better to keep some things left unsaid then to air it out in public. If Grobe has regrets about not leaving for Nebraska, what good does it do to say it? What good does it do to talk about all that stuff publicly? Grobe had a great run here, he got paid very well, if was overall a great thing for him. Clawson is here now, he's getting the type of commitments on facilities and support he needs, Grobe should take the high road and say he appreciated his time at Wake Forest and wishes us the best.

 

[Stan Gable]

The redshirting program didn't cost the school anymore. You have the same number of scholarships on a yearly basis whether you spread them over a team with all 4 year players (no redshirting) or a team of 5 year players (where every redshirts). Redshirting means the kids are older in their 5th year, but you have less players available every year because ~20% of the team is redshirting. Everyone talks about redshirting like every school would do it, if the players would 'accept' being redshirted, but it costs you in depth - especially on special teams.

Very aware of the benefits and negatives of redshirting. I can see how Clawson wants the guys here for both sessions of summer school since he is trying to implement a new strength and conditioning program. Just can't see how not having the team for both sessions during a strength and conditioning program that has been in place for 13 years was holding the team back. Course work is not a valid excuse with a redshirting program.

 

[liveanddiedeac]

This is what I was thinking. This whole diatribe from him is ridiculous, but maybe the silver lining is that someone with a voice is (tacitly) critiquing Ron Wellman. I wish he would go all in, and call RW out.

Though at the end of the day, all of this just makes Wake look bad.

I also think Grobe is recognizing that Clawson is going to do some good things here, and he's getting out in front of the coming comparisons.

Maybe that could be why Grobe is saying all this stuff. Maybe he thinks he's helping us and Clawson by saying that maybe he didn't get the support from Wellman he thought he should, so it will help Clawson get it? Still doesn't come across very good though.

 

[wsc8521s]

I also think Grobe is recognizing that Clawson is going to do some good things here, and he's getting out in front of the coming comparisons.

Yep. Must really hurt him that a new facility got built with Clawson aboard, and even before he has coached a game at WF.

Something to be said for enthusiasm

 

[Brangus]

He is RAPIDLY ruining his respectable image from the fanbase are with each interview.

FIFY

 

[HCF3]

Grobe needs to settle down, stop talking about the past - it just opens up an ugly recent 5 year history where he really sucked as a coach and head recruiter. He got fat and happy and enjoyed the spoils of great success. Enjoy it, now shut up.

Previous failures aside - 4th and short vs Purdue, wrong hashmark Swank kick vs UVa, etc... Once again, running the option with TANNER PRICE! OPTION with Tanner PRICE! Stoopid, and any Pop Warner coach could see that. Last year was a 6 or 7 win team that Grobe/Lobo completely screwed up.

This support issue is complete BS - I never bought season tickets until 2006. Does everyone forget the seats rights program? You stop winning, people get pissed that they dropped so much money on WF football. Welcome, to SUPPORT, Jim.

Final thought: What would Grobe's buddy, Skip Prosser, think about Grobe's whining in the press over the past 6 months? Pretty sure he would tell him to shut up.

 

[RacerDeac]

Yep. Must really hurt him that a new facility got built with Clawson aboard, and even before he has coached a game at WF.

Something to be said for enthusiasm

If Grobe had generated any enthusiasm in the last few years, said facility would already be a reality I'm betting. To be fair, it was a perfect storm of failure on the football field and on the court, but Grobe had more than a fair amount of time turn things around on the field.

 

[LionelRichieDeac]

I'm stuck on you
I've got this feeling down
Deep in my soul
That I just can't lose
Guess, I'm on my way
Needed a friend
And the way I feel now I guess
I'll be with you till the end
Guess I'm on my way
I'm mighty glad you stayed

 

[StrickDeac]

Trying to see both sides of the coin.

I think some of JG's comments were fair, others maybe not.

The way things have played out, how many really think he "resigned," and wasn't told to do so? I think everyone would be bitter months after a similar situation. Then immediately after his successor was hired, plans for new training facilities, indoors, and football offices pop up - these were things he evidently asked for and weren't granted.

Still, I wish some of these comments hadn't come out.

The quote about Riley is a little silly. I know JG's bread and butter was the option, but you play the cards you're dealt. Riley came in, we based the offense around him, and we went on to win an ACC Championship. The Deacs decided to stick with that style after Riley graduated (can anyone really argue doing otherwise?) We went with a method without Riley and endured 3 losing seasons, 2 of which should have been bowl years. Love the kid Tanner Price is, but he wasn't Riley. We tried to install the option back this past year with TP still here and we all saw what happened.

Very happy for what he was able to give Mother So Dear. Very sad about the way things ended and continue to play out with situations like the one above and the trashing of a man who brought us something we never thought was possible.

Was asked a question recently.... if over the next 13 seasons, we were guaranteed 5 bowl games & an ACC Championship, would you take it? That means we would have to accept 8 non-bowl seasons. Or do you think we can do better? Is it too LOWF to accept that deal?

 

[wsc8521s]

His style wasn't the option -- it was misdirection and cut blocking. Once we ditched the cut blocking (and Calhoun left), it quickly turned to shit.

We were opportunistic offensively in '06 and '07 thanks to very good players like Skinner and Moore and since we could play that way with an elite D, and we were solid offensively in Riley's senior year in '09 -- but other than that we were terrible on O Lobo's entire tenure

 

[dcon69]

Grobe would have lasted one year tops. He is bitching about failure that came with not doing what he was paid millions to do.

 

[RacerDeac]

Then immediately after his successor was hired, plans for new training facilities, indoors, and football offices pop up - these were things he evidently asked for and weren't granted.?

From what I've been told, those plans are quite a bit older than Clawson's tenure at Wake. Which makes sense considering how quickly they surfaced. We've been talking about indoor practice facilities, locker rooms and weight rooms for years. Hell, they probably had the renderings in their presentation to Clawson. They were asked for, but there was no money to build them when Grobe was here because Grobe was underachieving all over the field. There's a reason that the money suddenly showed up after Grobe was gone. It's not as if we didn't spend shit tons of money on improvements for the program when the team was somewhat respectable.

 

[Fuck Your Couch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7mXYCruYok#t=15m00s

 

[awaken]

"I hate to say that Riley Skinner hurt us, because he won more games than any quarterback in Wake Forest history, but we ended up in a pro-style offense that didn't really fit us expect for Skinner," Grobe said. "We were throwing the ball every snap. We lost all that misdirection stuff. We just got stuck."

As someone already said "were you the head coach or not?"

I think one of our problems was the staff fell in love with Riley as a passer (Elway, Marino), where I saw him as more of a game manager (Eli Manning). When we abandoned the misdirection and cut blocking, Grobe stated at the time that teams "figured it out." Sure, teams played more zone against us, but that is when you run up the middle, or pull linemen for end runs. But yeah, we didn't really have the WR's to support a pro-style offense let alone that spread chit we installed and abandoned mid-season (about 5 years ago... the season we lost to Navy in regular season and beat them in the bowl) that had the FB as a flanker. Then there is the misguided option attack with slow footed Price. Nobody thought that was a good idea. It stunk in spring practice and it stunk in September. That's TWICE in five years Grobe had to ditch his offense mid-season. And he wishes he took a bigger job? I'd bet that Grobe got more total money staying at WF than leaving. Had he left, he would have been out of football much earlier on shorter contracts.

Like the others, I hope Grobe is doing some Wellman bashing and keeping pressure on to provide for Clawson. If so, I'm on board. But some of the rationale he uses in these interviews is ... to quote Casey Kasem... "ponderous."