Before Montana can return to the elite level of FCS it must first acknowledge that it is no longer an elite program and then begin working to understand why.
But first we must prep that guy…
You know the guy. He thinks he is part of the team. He talks about the Griz using the term “we” and “us”. Basically he considers himself to have some special quality or relationship to the program that makes him special and that sets him apart from other, lesser Griz fans.
That guy has something in his personality that makes Griz football a little too personal. Like a stalker who sincerely believes Jennifer Anniston really loves him…
Griz Nation is his religion. Washington-Grizzly is his church…
That’s actually a bad analogy, think less church and more cult.
You know the guy. We all know the guy…
Blind Devotion – (Reality + Logic) = That Guy
That guy still believes Montana is an elite FCS program. Saying otherwise proves you’re not a “real fan”.
That guy hates to hear anything critical said of the program, so I fully expect the Westboro wing of Griz Nation to declare a football fatwa after this post…
The Griz are not an elite FCS football team at this point in time.
The Griz used to be an elite FCS football team, very recently too.
The Griz could be an elite FCS football team again fairly soon.
Right now though, at this point in time, they’re not.
STOP!
Don’t be that guy. Just keep reading…
Remember all of the stats Griz fans could throw out when debating with people (Cat fans) about Griz football? Remember all of the amazing records for consecutive playoff appearances, consecutive wins over the Cats, consecutive conference titles, and consecutive non-losing seasons.
All of those are in the past. Now look at where we are today…
The Griz have not won a playoff game since 2011 and the NCAA says that no longer counts.
So technically the last playoff game the Griz won was against App. State in 2009.
The same goes for winning a Big Sky title. 2009.
Another way to put the decline in perspective… Jordan Tripp was a true freshman in 2009. He was the last Griz player on the roster to have played in and FCS national championship game.
So that makes this the first year since 1995 the Griz do not have a player on their roster who has played in an FCS national championship game.
That’s f*****g remarkable. It shows how long Griz Football had been an elite FCS team.
Key words – had been
So let’s all take a deep breath and face reality…The Griz program is no longer an elite FCS program.
This could devolve into a debate about what it truly means to be elite, but I don’t want to go there…
Instead I’d like to start looking at what’s keeping them from being elite.
Reason #1 – Royce Engsrom
The Griz could return to the elite status within the next 3 to 5 years, but I but don’t believe being an elite program is a priority for the current UM leadership, especially Royce Engstrom. If it had been, he wouldn’t have fired Pflugrad and one of the most respected FCS athletic directors in the country.
Make no mistake about it, Royce wanted to blow up the ship that is the Griz football program. Thanks to Mick Delany and the current staff, he didn’t succeed. However, he did effectively kill the program’s momentum that was started under Read when he fired Pflugrad.
Delany has done a superb job plugging the holes and keeping the ship from sinking, but the ship has slowed and we’re falling behind teams like EWU and, yes, MSU in the Big Sky and teams like NDSU nationally.
So it’s an unfortunate irony that the same guys who minimized the damage of Royce’s attack and kept the ship from sinking don’t have the ability to build momentum on their own.
They are personable guys. High-character guys. They are the guys who this program needed the last three years. However, they are not the guys that will get this program back to an elite level.
Bring the hate…
Reason #2 – The Coaching Staff
Again, I’m not saying they are bad guys. On the contrary. From all accounts they are great guys. Most have significant connections to Montana’s glory days, which is both a blessing and a curse – more on that in a moment.
However, they are all career long position coaches for the most part. The Griz don’t have strong coordinators. Not on offense, on defense, or on special teams.
Prior to being tapped for the HC spot at Montana Mick’s only previous HC experiences was with Great Falls High (’74-’77) and Western Montana (’91-’92).
Offensively there are actually two coordinators; Scott Gragg and Kefense Hynson.
Gragg is a former Griz o-linemen who had a very good professional career in the NFL. He was the head coach of his high school for four years before coming back to Missoula. He’s been TE coach and O-line coach, but was tapped as co-offensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Hyson – He did have two years of OC experience at Western Washington in ’07 and ’08. He left that to become receivers coach at Yale before coming to UM in 2012. He was named co-offensive coordinator after Rosenbach basically quit on the Griz.
Side note: What are the odds when Delany steps down, Engstrom steps in and makes it so Gragg becomes HC, Hyson OC, and Gregorak DC? All in the name of continuity and tradition?
Defensively there is Gregorak – By all accounts a great guy. He’s been with the program a long time, but would have gone with Hauck to UNLV. In fact he did go to UNLV, but then got into trouble. Had he gone, he would have most likely still be a position coach at UNLV.
He became coordinator only after Breske left for WSU after the 2011 season. The chaos of 2012 and the NCAA cloud hanging over the program most likely made it difficult UM to bring in a new DC. To be fair, Gregorak deserved a shot at the job.
I just don’t think he’s done that good of a job as DC. I think the ridiculous talent he’s had covered for the relatively weak schemes. Good coaches exploit weak schemes - think Coastal Carolina...
Considering all of the turmoil in 2012 I’m grateful as a fan for what these guys did. Besides providing stability to the program and minimizing the damage of Engstrom’s decision, I think their biggest contributions has come on the recruiting trail.
They have done an exceptional job bringing quality kids into the program, which is a huge part of what great position coaches do - they recruit! Make no mistake about it, these guys are great position coaches.
That being said, taking the emotion out of the discussion, does anyone truly believe that these men would be in the same leadership roles at any other FCS or FBS school?
If not for their history with the school and the circumstances of 2012, does anyone think they we even would be the HC, OC, and DC at UM?
I think the answer is no.
So if Montana wants to get back to being an elite FCS program, then it’s going to have to start with addressing the talent gaps on the coaching staff.
How to handle that elegantly, showing them the appreciation and respect for what they’ve contributed to the program, while potentially showing some of them the door, is no easy task.
Reason #3 – Montana Only Hires Montana
However, it can be done. Look no further than Montana State. When it came time to cut ties with the previous coaching staff and start fresh, they didn’t confine their search to the MSU campus or Bobcat Alumni.
Rob Ash was not a guy with MSU history prior to 2007. The same can be said for most of his staff. Look at their current OC or the previous ones Ash has had to replace during his tenure.
Those were not guys with Bobcat connections. They were the most talented and accomplished coaches and that’s why they were hired.
Montana doesn’t seem to do that. They instead look for first and foremost with a guy who has some previous connection to Montana. Then they put the illusion of a national search before they end up hiring the less qualified, less accomplished guy with ties to Montana.
The last Griz coach that took the helm with no prior Griz connection was Don Read. That turned out okay. Dennehy, Glenn, and Hauck all did very well too and moved on to bigger schools.
So it’s a formula/philosophy that worked. In fact it was working. I think the program was right back in the elite category with Pflugrad in 2011, but Engstrom destroyed the elite status of the program and corrupted the formula.
I think Pflugrad was the absolute ideal candidate for Montana HC. He had the Montana connection, coaching with Read, leaving for the PAC-10 and then coming back to Montana in 2009 in Hauck’s last year. True he didn’t have previous coordinator experience, but it’s not because he didn’t have the talent.
He made different career decisions for his family that kept him from going to schools like Alabama. Montana was a perfect fit for him. He was later in his life and wasn’t in a position to chase a bigger contract somewhere else. Montana was his dream job and I think he would have stayed here a very, very long time.
He also had developed strong connections in the coaching community that would have enabled him to bring in high-quality coaches on his staff to replace the guys like Breske who would inevitably leave for more money.
If you think back to the 2011 offense and what JJ was doing as a sophomore in that offense. What Breske or a new experienced DC could have done with Tripp and Coyle…
The Griz could have been the Ducks of the FCS, right down to the alumni at Nike. I believe the program was poised to do what NDSU has done the last several years. I really do, which is why Engstrom’s decision to fire Phlu and O’Day was so devastating.
But I digress…
I would hope though at this point in time that Montana finally goes outside and looks to start fresh rather than promoting Gragg to head coach and dropping the ‘co’ from Hyson’s title. If that happens it will be done in the name of continuity. I also believe it will set the program back another 2 to 5 years when it comes to getting back to being an elite team.
I think Montana needs to look for the next Don Read. Bring in someone that’s ready to define the program for the next 20 years rather than remind everyone how good the Griz were during the past 20 years, similar to what Ash is doing in Bozeman.
Could you imagine what kinds of numbers JJ, Van, Canada, Ellis, Jones, and the gang could have been putting up the last few years if UM hadn’t gone away from the Oregon style spread offense that UM was running in 2011?
Instead they've reverted back to the vanilla, pro-style offense that could not be described as elite. Solid? Yes. Well balanced? Yes. Elite? Nope.
A QB who put up 800+ yards of offense and has thrown or passed for 14 touchdown in two games is elite. Those are truly elite numbers that get guys recognized nationally. It’s ironic/disappointing that Prukop was added to the Payton watch list the same week JJ was taken off. I get the sense that one program is trending up, while the other one is trending down...
In Conclusion...
To conclude, Montana is no longer among the elite FCS programs because of the decisions Royce Engstrom has made. Mick and his staff have done an admirable job the last few years. They minimized the damage of Engstrom intentionally inflicted on the program. However, the circumstances that required Mick and the rest of the Montana legacy guys to lead this program are now solidly in the past. The time has come to bring in new leadership that is more qualified to return the program to the elite FCS level. However, they must continue to be high-quality, high-integrity guys like the current staff.
That’s definitely an area that’s not been lacking with the current staff.
