There is actually a precedent for what is happening this season at UL, and it happened during the 2008 season when Louisville, under Steve Kragthorpe and our own Jeff Brohm as offensive coordinator, suffered a losing season only two years removed from an Orange Bowl victory under - you guessed it - Bobby Petrino.
So, of course, Kragthorpe and his coaching staff were on the hot seat and something had to be done. And that something was when Jurich and Kragthorpe blamed Jeff and threw him under the bus by demoting him to a non-coaching position, which he refused to accept, and thereby bailed from UL to take the QB coaching position under Howard Schnellenberger at FAU, who had been Jeff's head coach when he was the QB for UL.
So here is a sampling of some of the UL fans comments about Jeff following the 2008 season meltdown (keep in mind that Jeff, then as now, was supposedly a favorite son and a valued member of the First Family of Louisville Football):
“The only piece of evidence used to argue Brohm’s worth as a coach is the fact Nick Saban wanted him on his staff. That move was a calculated risk for Saban. Brohm worked under some of the true offensive geniuses in football, and there was a chance he could bring with him Petrino’s playbook. However, he had very little coaching experience with responsibility. Now, if you look at the actual results of Brohm’s coaching, there is very little that point’s to him being a good coach…”
“… Cantwell’s (the UL QB) mechanics never improved under Brohm. After his tenure at UofL, an elite QB coach was able to refine Cantwell’s throwing motion in a matter of weeks…”
“… Next, you can look at Jeff Brohm’s one year tenure at Offensive Coordinator / playcaller. It was a pedestrian effort at best.”
“… Whether or not Jeff Brohm is any good, you are right it is hard to tell…”
“… But the point isn’t that Jeff Brohm is god or is untouchable. I certainly would like to see him succeed and return here, but I want him to prove he deserves it, too…”
“… UofL football is bigger than the Brohms. Yes, they have contributed a great deal of success for the program. And, yes, their almost selfless moves to stay home and build their favorite program is much appreciated. But, their past contributions do not give them a lifetime pass to be involved in the program, especially when their later efforts are not furthering the development of the program.”
“Brohm was not a good coach. Period. I don’t like Krags, but him firing Brohm is the least of my concern as it relates to our football program.”
“… It seems like a lot of people are talking out of both sides of their mouth: keep loyal guys like Brohm around because of their past connections, or win at all costs. Well, we are attempting to win at all costs, and Jeff was let go in the process. I for one would like to win, because that’s the name of the game. The University and team are far more important to me than a purported ‘first family.’”
“… I have no allegiance to Jeff Brohm…”
“… Everyone agrees that the blame belongs to Kragthorpe. But on the other side of the coin, he should be allowed to make decisions, while he’s still here, to rectify the things that have gone wrong. Getting rid of Brohm is one of them…”
What's more is that after the 2009 season, when Kragthorpe was fired, Jeff Brohm, only a year removed from being UL's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach - and supposed favorite son - never got a sniff for the UL head coaching job. Instead, while snubbing Brohm, UL instead went with Charlie Strong, Florida's defensive coordinator - who, like Brohm, had never been a head coach. Some 'favorite son', huh?
So in the two years after the 2005 Orange Bowl win (where Jeff had been the QB coach since 2002 under Bobby Petrino), UL had a two year record of 11 wins and 13 losses - not unlike our current two year record of 12-10. Yet after comparable records, the Louisville media and UL fan base were up in arms - mostly against Kragthorpe, but as you can see above, more than happy to question and dump on their "favorite son." Which makes one wonder how Jeff might be treated if he returns to UL and does not go to a bowl game in his first two years.
So this is what Jeff is looking at... a fair weather fan base at UL that expects immediate gratification - OR ELSE - or staying at Purdue with a deeply appreciative fan base and athletic director that will give him every chance to succeed.
What would you do???
So, of course, Kragthorpe and his coaching staff were on the hot seat and something had to be done. And that something was when Jurich and Kragthorpe blamed Jeff and threw him under the bus by demoting him to a non-coaching position, which he refused to accept, and thereby bailed from UL to take the QB coaching position under Howard Schnellenberger at FAU, who had been Jeff's head coach when he was the QB for UL.
So here is a sampling of some of the UL fans comments about Jeff following the 2008 season meltdown (keep in mind that Jeff, then as now, was supposedly a favorite son and a valued member of the First Family of Louisville Football):
“The only piece of evidence used to argue Brohm’s worth as a coach is the fact Nick Saban wanted him on his staff. That move was a calculated risk for Saban. Brohm worked under some of the true offensive geniuses in football, and there was a chance he could bring with him Petrino’s playbook. However, he had very little coaching experience with responsibility. Now, if you look at the actual results of Brohm’s coaching, there is very little that point’s to him being a good coach…”
“… Cantwell’s (the UL QB) mechanics never improved under Brohm. After his tenure at UofL, an elite QB coach was able to refine Cantwell’s throwing motion in a matter of weeks…”
“… Next, you can look at Jeff Brohm’s one year tenure at Offensive Coordinator / playcaller. It was a pedestrian effort at best.”
“… Whether or not Jeff Brohm is any good, you are right it is hard to tell…”
“… But the point isn’t that Jeff Brohm is god or is untouchable. I certainly would like to see him succeed and return here, but I want him to prove he deserves it, too…”
“… UofL football is bigger than the Brohms. Yes, they have contributed a great deal of success for the program. And, yes, their almost selfless moves to stay home and build their favorite program is much appreciated. But, their past contributions do not give them a lifetime pass to be involved in the program, especially when their later efforts are not furthering the development of the program.”
“Brohm was not a good coach. Period. I don’t like Krags, but him firing Brohm is the least of my concern as it relates to our football program.”
“… It seems like a lot of people are talking out of both sides of their mouth: keep loyal guys like Brohm around because of their past connections, or win at all costs. Well, we are attempting to win at all costs, and Jeff was let go in the process. I for one would like to win, because that’s the name of the game. The University and team are far more important to me than a purported ‘first family.’”
“… I have no allegiance to Jeff Brohm…”
“… Everyone agrees that the blame belongs to Kragthorpe. But on the other side of the coin, he should be allowed to make decisions, while he’s still here, to rectify the things that have gone wrong. Getting rid of Brohm is one of them…”
What's more is that after the 2009 season, when Kragthorpe was fired, Jeff Brohm, only a year removed from being UL's offensive coordinator and assistant head coach - and supposed favorite son - never got a sniff for the UL head coaching job. Instead, while snubbing Brohm, UL instead went with Charlie Strong, Florida's defensive coordinator - who, like Brohm, had never been a head coach. Some 'favorite son', huh?
So in the two years after the 2005 Orange Bowl win (where Jeff had been the QB coach since 2002 under Bobby Petrino), UL had a two year record of 11 wins and 13 losses - not unlike our current two year record of 12-10. Yet after comparable records, the Louisville media and UL fan base were up in arms - mostly against Kragthorpe, but as you can see above, more than happy to question and dump on their "favorite son." Which makes one wonder how Jeff might be treated if he returns to UL and does not go to a bowl game in his first two years.
So this is what Jeff is looking at... a fair weather fan base at UL that expects immediate gratification - OR ELSE - or staying at Purdue with a deeply appreciative fan base and athletic director that will give him every chance to succeed.
What would you do???
