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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Job Performance

Mike Riley has a job.  His job is to win football games, period.  He was not hired to mold young men into role models or direct them towards opportunities.  He was re-hired in 2003 to win football games.  He made a promise then and continues to say each year, at the Pac10/12 media day, that he wants to compete in the conference for a Rose Bowl.  Sounds great, but he has yet to live up to that promise.

Year after year his teams start slow in September.  So much and often that the fan base, media, and boosters expect it without questioning the team's start.  He has created a culture of losing.  For some insane reason, no one cares about his slow starts.  Not even the players.  Leaders/seniors on the team have commented in the press about it.  They are used to it and now this crop of freshman are falling right into line with an expectation that Beaver football loses in September and they need to just accept it.  It is now their culture.

The media continues to write about how well respected he is with his peers in the NCAA and what a pleasure it is to be around him.  Well he should be, shouldn't he?  He is a coach at a Division I university that has a great reputation in a very competitive conference in his home town.  He is living the dream.  Anyone of us would act the same way.  This act warrants nice guy articles while distracting the media from being critical, almost to the point of feeling sorry for him.  Therefore no one wants to write a piece on his losing culture he has created.  His  win/loss record is mediocre at best.  Fans and media look past his record and "respect" him because he is nice and says all the right things.   The acceptance of being mediocre is embedded in Beaver Nation.

Unfortunately he has surrounded himself with his buddies, therefore he refuses to hold any of his staff accountable as they lose games they should win and win games they are predicted to lose.   His teams are bi-polar.  Fans have no idea what team is going to show up.  This can not longer be the norm and culture.  A smile, a cliche, or a tip of the hat will not hide the losses.  Riley should not be celebrated for almost winning.
Coaches at other universities have lost their jobs for .500 seasons, not rewarded with an additional year on their contract.

Oregon State football under Mike Riley is moving in the wrong direction.  It is 2011, change is acceptable and encouraged.

3 comments:

  1. If Mike Riley is such a horrible coach then answer me this. Why did USC offer to pay him so much to come coach their team, on more than one occasion, arguably one of the more respected football teams in college football? and not to mention we have been to a bowl game 6 out of the 8 years that he has been here. Lastly have you notice that we are one of the few teams that isn't being investigated by the NCAA for violations.

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  2. just because riley isn't having a successful career at OSU doesn't mean he isn't a good coach. which i would assume is why USC offered him a job on multiple occasions. i like riley... as a guy... as a coach for OSU... well, i think his time is nearing an end. the problem though is he fits what Oregon State wants in a coach. they themselves are more interested in building great student-athletes. they are fine with being mediocre. travel south and you have a school who will stop at nothing to be on top... we have seen that with the recent investigation. you can see the difference just in going to a game (even before their rise to the natty)... no one sits... as an OSU season ticket holder i have witnessed first hand the lack of energy the fans exude. UofO even the club section rarely sits... OSU you get tugged down by the lady behind you for standing when it is 3rd & 1... the problem with OSU is the culture it has created... not one coach, or one AD... it is Beaver Nation in general... maybe now that so many fans are complaining it will give the athletic dept more incentive to change the vision... although... i doubt it.. is it really wrong though? we want bcs appearances and you know they do too, but the whole point of college is to get an education.. not win championships... that is just icing on the cake...

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  3. @ cafenejunky - you make an excellent point about the culture created at OSU. I strongly believe that this culture of losing has begun with the lack of fire from Mike Riley and a weak AD Bob DeCarolis. I agree that having strong student-athletes that graduate are important to a program however, Mike Riley was hired to win football games. He wasn't hired to be a role model or make sure his players enroll in Art 101. He was hired to win football games. He hasn't done that consistently and every year takes the month of September off. In this highly competitive industry OSU deserves a coach that puts in the effort all 12 months and an administration that holds him accountable. This is not taking place and we the fans suffer. As to your point about the fans that sit during games and get irritated when we cheer, it is these same fans that live in Corvallis, love Riley, and are just happy to attend sporting events. They are a product of the culture and are scared of change.

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