So we went from “we don’t have enough talent to beat Middle Tennessee” to “we’re replacing half the staff” in a matter of a few months. And surprise, surprise, not only was Gattis a garbage coach, he’s also a garbage person. Mario should apologize to Keyshawn Smith’s mom.
Listened to it this morning and Feldman said it was both.
Honestly the interview made me feel better in some ways:
- Feldman claims even he saw the lack of talent (especially on offense) at a practice he went to last August so
- Mario realizes there are issues with the staff ("deadweight" and "rocky relationships") and is trying to address them
But worse in others:
- Why has Mario been so bad at seeing the issues and/or bad at how he approaches them:
- the way he hired the coaching staff; both hiring the assistants before the coordinators and ending up with coaches that are not carrying their weight compared to what Mario expects
- Adding a bunch of defensive players through the portal last year, but not much in the way of the offense that also needed help
- Mario's hiring process really rubs a lot of candidates the wrong way (and if it is so long and arduous, how is he still missing so badly)
- Potential coaches know the staffing situation is not great at the moment
None of this is new, but hearing it from Feldman who is a national reporter with connections to Mario as well (which cuts both ways) was interesting. It really was a solid listen if just for getting another point of view.