Harbaugh, Kelly might open some NFL doors, but not necessarily for Stoops
Published: 1/25/2012 8:23 AM
Last Modified: 1/25/2012 9:18 AM
Interesting point in Dave Sittler's column Tuesday – Jim Harbaugh's success in his first season coaching the 49ers will likely cause the NFL to start reconsidering college coaches. This after Oregon's Chip Kelly nearly became the Bucs' new coach.
Harbaugh had 15 years of NFL quarterback experience before jumping into the college coaching ranks at San Diego and Stanford. He also spent two years as a Raiders assistant. So there was certainly some pro pedigree at work.
Kelly, however, has been a college lifer. He's been at Oregon, coaching or coordinating, since 2007. Before that, he was a coordinator/assistant at New Hampshire, Johns Hopkins and Columbia. Not exactly the Steelers, Packers and Patriots. His hiring in Tampa would have signaled a significant breakthrough for college NFL hopefuls still suffering from the residue of Bobby Petrino and Steve Spurrier.
More pertinent to all of us is this question: How does it relate to Bob Stoops, another till-now college lifer?
My answer this morning: Probably nothing.
For one thing, Stoops is so consumed with rescuing his recruiting class right now he barely has time to think about coaching Landry Jones, let alone Felix Jones.
There is also a big picture at work. It, too, supports the notion that Stoops isn't headed to the pros anytime soon.
Start with the fact that Stoops is much more entrenched in Norman than Kelly is in Eugene, or Harbaugh was in Palo Alto. Heck, you could end with that fact as well, important as it is.
Something Ivan Maisel pointed out on ESPN.com: "Unlike Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who has rebuffed the NFL in part because he likes raising his family in Norman, Kelly is unmarried."
I'd say Stoops has rebuffed the Browns, Broncos, Cowboys or whoever else has called through the years in large part because of family ties. OU fans may expect miracles on fall Saturdays, but the other 350 days of the year, they treat Stoops (and his wife and kids) with respect. He is allowed a personal life away from Owen Field. I promise he both notices and appreciates that.
There are other factors at play, of course. Olin Buchanan brought up a few last summer on Rivals.com: "Why would he leave OU? It's one of the best coaching jobs in the country. He makes more than $4 million per year, his program is dominating the Big 12 and he'd have to uproot a family that has spent 13 years in Norman…
"Some have suggested Stoops might be ready to leave Oklahoma because he needs another challenge. But isn't there the challenge of winning another national championship at Oklahoma?"
Yes, there is. I sort of think Stoops would love to zip up critics who use his '03, '04 and '08 title game shortcomings as an excuse to poke fun at his old "Big Game Bob" moniker. If Stoops wins a second title, his fans can start sweating the NFL a little more.
That's not going to stop the speculation until then. Recently, as pro owners started pink-slipping their coaches, the NFL Network's Albert Breer wrote, "There are murmurs that if an NFL team approaches Stoops, he'll listen."
Maybe. But that doesn't alter a dynamic that, really, hasn't changed much since Stoops started coaching in those national championships.
His quote from Fort Lauderdale, leading up to the '08 title bout with Florida, courtesy of USA Today: "When you have one of these great and special jobs that year in and year out you have a chance to win your conference championship or in the national championship hunt…. I think it's fair to say in some cases we may have better jobs than some NFL jobs. So the allure, some of it, isn't as great as it used to be."
Stoops' quote from New Orleans, the week of the '03 title matchup with LSU, courtesy of the New York Times: "Here, it's about the unity and the team and developing young men. This is not what I get when I watch the NFL. It's all about salaries and individuals. And there's very little accountability by players for production and winning."
-- Guerin Emig
Written by
Guerin Emig
Sports Writer
