Forgive the title as I thought it would be funny to carry on the former coaches of the Jets that's already on this forum. Al Groh as we know is a former Parcells disciple, and he did work under Belichick for one season in Cleveland. He coached one season with the Jets in 2000 going 9-7 before resigning. Forgive me if this has been done before as I've only been a member for a few months now, but hypothetically what do we think Groh would have been as a head coach had he stayed? So a quick run of highlights for that season. - Parcells resigns and anoints Belichick as head coach blah blah blah we know the story. - Jets trade Keyshawn Johnson to the Bucs for two first round picks 13th John Abraham and 27th Anthony Becht. - Jets also have two other first round picks which are 12th Shaun Ellis and 18th Chad Pennington - "Monday Night Miracle" Jets win 40-37 in a comeback victory scoring 30 points in the 4th quarter - Jets lost their last 3 games at the end of the season needing only one of those wins to clinch a playoff spot I actually liked Groh as head coach and was surprised he left after one season. That Jets team although they didn't make the playoffs were a lot of fun to watch and played tough football. I think Groh personally would have done a decent job going forward and lead this team to a couple playoffs appearances. With that said I don't think he would have been a long term coach and probably gets canned at some point before the decade is over. Again, I'm obviously asking this question hypothetically just to gauge some of my fellow posters opinions judging off that one year.
Groh was fine. Parcells saw the handwriting on the wall with the new ownership. He likely figured the Johnsons would take a very active hand as new owners and he didn't want to get involved in that so he left. Groh followed because one of the first acts of any new owner is likely to be bringing in new leadership for the team and Parcell's exit assured that.
Reports came out after the season that the players disliked Groh so much that they staged a mutiny. Groh likely left to avoid being fired as the atmosphere was supposed to be extremely toxic.
He was never cut out to be an NFL coach. Belichick was supposed to be the coach, Groh is a lifelong assistant type. I think even if he came back he woulda been fired
- he was something like our third or fourth choice for the job that year - immediately traded away our best playmaker/wr with no one to replace him on roster - completely overworked/practiced the players to the point of resentment - started season strong and collapsed the last 4 games or so, to miss the playoffs - quit our team to coach college team what exactly is favorable about a coach who quit our team a year after BB did the same thing? is the BB thread next?
I mean, it was his alma mater-- seems like that was his dream job from the start, regardless of whether or not it was technically a downgrade. Similarly, Saban left the Dolphins for Alabama-- wasn't a downgrade for him.
I didn't mind Al Groh, I thought he had a decent chance of developing as an NFL HC, however, that lone season was obviously very disappointing with the way it ended. I remember being in a hotel room in upstate NY on the very day it was announced that Groh was leaving for Virginia and I was disappointed with the news. He had an almost impossible task at UVA, and obviously the results there were not what they were hoping for.
"Green Flashlight" was his legacy. At the time I was upset that he left, but we were addicted to the Parcells coaching tree at the time. He was decent that season, but reading now that there were problems with the players makes sense as to why he so quickly bailed out. It is good that he left. Things probably would have gone downhill for him here.
When do we have the Kotite favorability poll? And weren't these favorability polls @HackettStillSux thing, way to steal his thunder.