SHURMUR IS NOT THE ANSWER!

SHURMUR IS NOT THE ANSWER! Ok, I said it. Are you happy? I have alluded to it and I get ripped for not being harder. Albeit, the group I do get ripped from

SHURMUR IS NOT THE ANSWER!

Ok, I said it. Are you happy? I have alluded to it and I get ripped for not being harder. Albeit, the group I do get ripped from it a very small group who just happens to be connected to MSU. To be honest, I do not feel beholden to any group except Spartan Nation. With over 731 emails sent to me on this issue, 93% say, in some form or another: NO WAY ON PAT SHURMUR!

I love the fact that Pat Shurmur is a Spartan and I would lie if I said that I did not love everything he did at MSU. But that does not make him the best man for this job. When looking at the University as a whole and the hires they make I often find myself shaking my head in bewilderment and angst. To me, when the University looks to hire, if two people are on equal ground and one is a Spartan, the job should go to the Spartan. However, the facts are clear in this case: Shurmur is not the best guy for the job. If Shurmur did not attend Michigan State, his name would not even be mentioned as a candidate. If someone with the same exact credentials but no MSU ties, would he even be mentioned for the job? There is not even a chance.

What is going on here? At the beginning of the search all I did was drive in the fact that MSU was handling this search correctly; all of my sources were confirming this. That chatter has gone away now; I am just not hearing it anymore. I want to make it clear that this is too big of a hiring, the biggest since Munn, to screw up. If Shurmur gets the job a lot of people will be rolling their eyes and questioning MSU. One nationally known media person with no MSU ties told me yesterday that, “…that means politics as usual if Shurmur gets it, the cats have been preaching him since before John L.”

Again, I know I am going to get tons of heat from people who can make my job tough for saying this, but I have a job to do. Memo: Shurmur not only has no head coaching experience, but he has no coordinator experience either. One well-known NFL person asked me yesterday “what are they thinking? Reid had several chances to promote him and didn’t. Childress could have taken him when he went to Minnesota and didn’t and you guys are the only ones going after his services? Do they not know that got Marty (former Lions coach) got promoted above him?”

I know I will be labeled a Spartan hater for his, but so what? It’s the truth. I do not want to be sitting here three years from now when he gets canned and think how terrible and heartbreaking this is. I do not want to be sitting here wishing that the hiring never took place. The picture just seems too clear to me; if Shurmur is hired, we will all be saying these things. 

I would love to see Pat come here or anywhere for that matter, to be a coordinator (if he is capable). However, we cannot afford to bring him in as a head coach to learn on the job. We are not fostering a Coaching 101 clinic. One high ranking MSU official, during our discussions on Shurmur, said to me, “…if he brought in the right coordinators, however, it would lessen the learning curve.” Are you kidding me? Since when is the MSU coaching job kindergarten? No one should be learning on the job here. There should not be a learning curve! This is a dream job that should be pursued by the accomplished, not dolled out as a political toy.

All of those stated above are on field issues that disturb me, but what about the political ones. We were told when JLS got canned he never got a fair chance from the beginning and I agree! If we are being honest do you think that a polarized fan base, that is on the border of being apathetic, is going to make this easy on him? I love Pat. I would love to see him on the sidelines one day here as a coach but he isn’t ready in my opinion and the pressure of the fans will NOT buy him or this program any time. Say what you wish, if the fans don’t give money or buy tickets the program will implode. The fans will give him no time and I am certain that he will need it. 

I know some of my colleagues are telling us how he is the guy; please let’s be honest and stop the insanity. People, my word is to be objecting and analyze the situation. We must see that hiring Pat will be doomed from the beginning and I, for one, have too much respect for Pat to see that happen.

If you love MSU you have to have open dialogue to look at the situation and I am attempting to give it. I have not one issue with Shurmur, no axe to grind and no agenda other then I love MSU. Everyone I know likes him, but last I checked this isn’t the seventh grade dance, this is major college football. MSU does not have to listen to the fans, it has proved that, but MSU should and they are clear on this on: no way.

I am certain that many of my critics will try to ostracize me and discredit my opinion. They simply must learn to grow up and respect my opinion. I am pleading for the sake of a good man; to ruin his career would be a travesty. I am pleading for the sake of a great University who has to do what is right. To be this far along in the process and to still have Pat on the board tells me: oh my God!

This has all the signs of a major train wreck. People will be angry and sadly, people will think that Perles is behind this. However, he is not. The MSU people are not listening to him. I applaud Perles for his loyalty to his player; he should try to promote his former athletes. However, he is not on the search committee, nor does he have any say, so don’t blame him!

I get so many emails and phone calls from ticket holders and donors who make their voice clear and I am telling you this--like the idea or not if Pat comes in and struggles, this could get real ugly. Remember my thought; if all things are equal you hire the Spartan. Right now, things aren’t so equal—so don’t!