Yes, we will move on. Right after this. We have plenty of time to talk about what’s going on at University of Hawaii football practice in the coming weeks. But first let’s cut to the bottom line of this Aaron Price debacle.
The offensive coordinator (in name) who never coached a game was simply a bad hire.
And if you really need someone to blame, put it on the person who made that hire, head coach Norm Chow.
Regardless of the stage-whispered reasons UH won’t confirm or divulge for this six-figure-salaried employee’s sudden departure, the Hawaii public is well within its rights to be outraged that Price will continue to receive a UH paycheck into 2014.
Some day, this school has got to stop paying people not to come to work.
Now, the spin UH is projecting is that it’s better he’s gone now than later, during the season.
Not sure what to make of that, other than if the guy is that toxic, why not fire him with cause instead of continuing to pay him? Can’t keep him around and give him other duties? Why not?
What would have been better is hiring someone you wouldn’t end up having to part ways with before even one down is played.
Did Chow even really want an offensive coordinator? I think he wanted an advisor. When you call someone coordinator, he might actually think he runs things.
One reason Chow was hired was his reputation as a play-caller and offensive mastermind. That rep has taken hits in recent years, and last year he was seen as overly conservative. (I thought of it more as doing the best with what he had available.)
So, it’s good to bring in someone with fresh ideas. See things through a different set of eyes. Challenge your belief system.
Great. But next time, try a consultant instead.
Tommy Lee was Chow’s OC last year, and when Wes Suan was June Jones’, they knew their boss well and they knew the score. They weren’t there to call plays, they were there to coach and provide advice. They were consiglieres, not dons.
Now Chow says this is "our" offense, meaning everyone’s, and jokingly (I think) said he’d take plays from us.
My favorite play is the one that ends with the guy in the end zone with the ball, celebrating. I don’t care how he gets there, as long as he does. I’ll leave it to Chow and his assistants to craft the X’s and O’s and develop the game plan.
Everyone’s worried about whether they’re going to pass or run more. Newsflash: They have to do both, or be able to do both to the point that the defense must prepare for both.
As quarterback Taylor Graham said, "If you go into a season one-dimensional, it could be a long season."
Chow is the head coach and the de facto offensive coordinator. He is CEO and director of one of the two most important divisions.
Is it too much? I don’t know. It’s basically the same set-up as last year, but the personnel is improved.
I’ve liked most of Chow’s decisions since he became UH’s head coach. But this time he made a bad hire and all of us have to pay a guy who doesn’t have to report to work. Again.
OK, now let’s move on …
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.
