I think that is a question that comes to mind in both pro and college athletics on a regular basis...
I think that is especially the case when a coaching change is made like what has happened when Dilly, a really young guy, replaced a retirement age man, at ASU...
I'm wondering if a young man like Dilly can pull off a turnaround the way Dan Campbell has done with the hapless Detroit Lions before he arrived in Detroit to coach the Lions...
He started out as an intern with the Dolphins after his NFL playing career, worked his way up to being a TE coach in Miami, then became the Asst HC for the Saints, before becoming the head coach of the Lions...
He has now taken a pathetic franchise and transformed it into a title type of team that almost made it to the Super Bowl last year...
Our Devils have never been as pathetic as the Detroit Lions were but have been pathetic the past couple of years, as we all know...
I also think of coach Jim Harbaugh who drinks milk but took Michigan to a national championship before taking over the Chargers and my guess is that he will transform the Chargers into an NFL championship team in the not too distant future...
Is there any commonality between the personality types of Jim compared to Dan or is it just a random sort of thing that some coaches have while others do not...
Dan is very intense and very passionate about what he does and how he does it and Dilly is very passionate and intense in what he does for our Sun Devils but is that the magic ingredient involved in the transformation of teams and programs..??
Art Briles, when he coached at Baylor, turning that program around, told those around him that there will be "no excuses, no comparisons and no compromises" under his leadership at Baylor...
I bring this up because I'm really trying to figure out the identity of Dilly and how that might impact our Sun Devils under his leadership...
There is no doubt that he knows his football and can dazzle you with his knowledge but I wonder how that is being translated at the team level that might be overwhelmed by how he approaches matters...
In another thread, he said that the Devils would refocus and simplify things during the BYE week and, if I'm reading what he said correctly, he seemed to be adding stuff on both sides of the ball in addition to what his assistant coaches were using to prepare the Devils for their game with the Red Raiders...
That reminded me some of the way Todd Graham would take over defensive play calling during games as he just couldn't help himself in that regard, I guess...
So, I'm meandering here but still want to figure out what sort of head coaching personality profile might lead to success rather than failure...
Can you be too intellectual about stuff as a coach or does that matter..??
Are our Sun Devils being given too much info at any given time esp since Dilly has said this week that the coaching staff needs to "simplify" things...
Or is it just a matter of being really well schooled on the fundamentals of blocking and tackling, etc..??
I know Dilly is very passionate about what he does but I'm wondering if he knows how to communicate in a legible enough way to his team that instructs rather than confuses...
I guess we'll find out more in the coming weeks...
On another somewhat related note, ASU used to be viewed as a "sleeping giant" but what should we be known for today..??
Getting back to the subject at hand, how would you describe our identity under Dilly..??
Enlightened, well coached, tough, gritty, or something like dazed and confused too often, etc..??
And, are we taking on that identity as a team this season..??
Go Devils!!!
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