Arizona Cardinals hire away DC Patrick Toney; Austin Armstrong new DC

[Detroitgator]

Well, if Armstrong is going to Denver, my "bitch list" database is truly f'd!!!

 

[I Have No Friends :(]

Well, if Armstrong is going to Denver, my "bitch list" database is truly f'd!!!

I don't even know what to bitch about anymore!

 

[Spurdog98]

Uh oh boys, I’m feeling the pumper in me starting to come out!

View attachment 55034

You might want to re-evaluate that sentence and re-structure. Plus this ghey fker with the sweater......it's just too much.

 

[Back Alley Gator]

This is the high quality content that keeps me coming back to this site. Top notch!

 

[Durty South Swamp]

Glad toneys gone, but this doesn't really move the needle much:

"During his time in 2021 and 2022 at Southern Mississippi, Armstrong was the youngest coordinator in the NCAA. In 2022, Armstrong’s Southern Miss defense ranked 57th in total defense, giving up 372.2 yards per game and 5.4 yards per play."

 

[FireFoley]

I really have to disagree with the assertion that experience is irrelevant in coaching.

Let's just admit that Nick Saban or wouldn't make New Mexico into a college football juggernaut in 2 seasons; and that popping an objectively "good" coach onto an objectively "bad" team wouldn't instantly improve results. Players matter and the ability to execute matters.

College coaches (be they assistants or head coaches) need to do a lot. They need to coach up their players, they need to scheme, they need to make adjustments, they need to recruit, they need to mentor, they need to watch film, and they need to do it YoY. A guy could be the best DC in the country for 3 consecutive years...but in year 4, lose some of the top talent to the NFL, have an untimely injury, and also have a handful of 5* recruits turn out to be busts...and be out of a job in year 5. It happens. The quality of the coach didn't change, but the situation sure did.

Where experience matters is the same in every profession: you recognize things better, faster, and more efficiently. A guy who 3 years ago was coaching a Top 25 defense in the Big 10 will recognize the 3rd down audibles to a RPO because he saw Ohio State run it with Justin Fields...and will know which adjustment to make in the second half because he's already had to figure out what went wrong. A newbie from a 3rd tier conference might figure that out after the fact, but in the heat of the moment? That's asking a lot.

If it were that easy to just be "good," then you'd see more people jump into the college & pro ranks and instantly do well. It just doesn't work that way and never has. Sure, there's the occasional high-flier & few others who get lucky; but for the most part, experience matters. No different than you'll have 3* who outperform 5* in every year and every recruiting cycle...but by and large? Getting the best talent matters.

Your point is valid, but you completely misconstrued what I was saying. you are mentioning stats and numbers and wins and losses etc. etc. etc. I get that, but you can be a great coach and not win at the highest level b/c you coach at New Mex State, but as a process person, I can see if the guy is a good coach or not. Yes you have injuries etc etc etc, but what do you do with the guys you have? It isn't the spectacular, it is the everyday process and understanding game situations, game flow. Those are innate abilities that do not necessarily develop over time. When situations change, coaches change or they should. And yes the numbers will be different but a great coach will still look like he knows what he is doing. I disagree that so many would be good if it was that easy. I have said for 50 years there are not that many great coaches, b/c they do not have the attention to detail component that it takes to be great. Great players can hide that weakness, but it shows big time when you have equality.

 

[Grumbler]

No idea if this is a good hire, but encouraging that it took Napier one year to push Toney out and not two.

 

[AnObfuscator]

No idea if this is a good hire, but encouraging that it took Napier one year to push Toney out and not two.

Or 3.5 years and only when the AD forced your hand.

 

[gatorev12]

Your point is valid, but you completely misconstrued what I was saying. you are mentioning stats and numbers and wins and losses etc. etc. etc. I get that, but you can be a great coach and not win at the highest level b/c you coach at New Mex State, but as a process person, I can see if the guy is a good coach or not. Yes you have injuries etc etc etc, but what do you do with the guys you have? It isn't the spectacular, it is the everyday process and understanding game situations, game flow. Those are innate abilities that do not necessarily develop over time. When situations change, coaches change or they should. And yes the numbers will be different but a great coach will still look like he knows what he is doing. I disagree that so many would be good if it was that easy. I have said for 50 years there are not that many great coaches, b/c they do not have the attention to detail component that it takes to be great. Great players can hide that weakness, but it shows big time when you have equality.

Apologies, as I did misconstrue what you were saying. To the bold: I'm not sure if you ever watched Ted Lasso (great show & highly recommend if you haven't); but without giving a ton away from the plot or any significant spoilers--there's a part of the show where the head coach is trying to be a good mentor/friend/human to an aging player and says to the asst coach words to the effect that "we have to keep faith in him and he'll reward us, plus, he'll learn more this way." The asst coach fires back that this is the pros: Wins and Losses DO matter. To the team, to the players, to the community, and for their jobs as coaches (along with the jobs of others).

Objectively, in Season 1, Lasso was a good players' coach and a stand-up human being. But again, that doesn't count for a lot when there's more at stake than just teaching the game.

College football isn't quite the pros; but let's be clear: the coaches are here to win and get paid good money to do so.

I hope the guy does well and this might be all of us grossly underestimating him; but the University of Florida shouldn't be on the job training: we're expected to do well and to compete for titles year in and year out. If next year we end up losing a few winnable games because our DC wasn't up to snuff in an unforgiving conference, then Napier will be under a LOT more pressure to deliver results from very disgruntled fans...

 

[Theologator]

At least Austin Armstrong knows Billy’s system, culture, expectations etc. as well as Toney’s. We’ll see how it pans out but it should be a pretty smooth transition for the players.

 

[Spurdog98]

At least Austin Armstrong knows Billy’s system, culture, expectations etc. as well as Toney’s. We’ll see how it pans out but it should be a pretty smooth transition for the players.

So does Knute Rockne. But I will remain optimistic...like a midget in a titty bar.

 

[Dunder]

Keary Colbert too. And we know this guy can recruit. :-(

 

[williston_gator]

 

[williston_gator]

Thinking they either just just promote the assistant WR coach here, or go for Jeff Scott on this one instead because it makes more sense than TEs.

Colbert tweeted this a few minutes before they announced him to the NFL lol.

 

[Dunder]

Thinking they either just just promote the assistant WR coach here, or go for Jeff Scott on this one instead because it makes more sense than TEs.

Colbert tweeted this a few minutes before they announced him to the NFL lol.

So no Ike Hilliard I guess.

 

[soflagator]

So no Ike Hilliard I guess.

I’d rather have Ike just for nostalgia, but don’t know anything about this new guy. Maybe he’ll be great and is the better choice. I really just don’t like seeing Colbert go.

 

[chferg]

Hopefully Napier hires Scott for this role. Need a guy who can recruit and not some young guy with no experience.

Wasn't really upset with losing Toney and Peags but KC is actually a little bit of a loss. I was hoping Peterson or Bateman would be the ones leaving instead.

 

[chferg]

At least Austin Armstrong knows Billy’s system, culture, expectations etc. as well as Toney’s. We’ll see how it pans out but it should be a pretty smooth transition for the players.

Understatement.

We're two weeks away from Spring ball...installing a new system would be detrimental at this point. Not sure how well this guy will do but I see why Billy went with this hire

 

[williston_gator]

Hopefully Napier hires Scott for this role. Need a guy who can recruit and not some young guy with no experience.

Wasn't really upset with losing Toney and Peags but KC is actually a little bit of a loss. I was hoping Peterson or Bateman would be the ones leaving instead.

I do believe we now have too many LB coaches....

 

[Sec14Gator]

I’d rather have Ike just for nostalgia, but don’t know anything about this new guy. Maybe he’ll be great and is the better choice. I really just don’t like seeing Colbert go.

Stunningly, he comes from Louisiana, where he played WR and was later a quality control guy on Billy's staff. He is a grad assistant now. He has never been a full time position coach anywhere. This can't be the guy. Ike may not be the guy either, but if choosing between the two, only one has a resume that fits.

Well, except for the fact that Ike is missing that key time spent on the coaching hotbed that was Louisiana from 2018-2021.