LSU hires Steve Kragthorpe
by Mike Rutherford on Jan 20, 2011 10:27 AM EST
in Football
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PrintSchedule LSU. Schedule LSU right now.
Tom Dienhart is reporting that the Bayou Bengal search for a new offensive coordinator has ended, and that former Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe is their man. Current U of L OC Mike Sanford was reportedly the Tigers' second choice.
This should, for once and all, put to bed any doubt surrounding Les Miles' decision-making ability.
Shadows and dust, Kragsimus, shadows and dust
Seriously, The Hat, The Krag and Ron Cooper on the same staff? LSU has been pushing it with the football gods for the past few years, now they're just blatantly taunting them.
Krag1N1 shots will be available at all Baton Rouge Walgreens stores beginning Friday morning.
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I'm just going to pretend this isn't true.
Louisville’s my home, but LSU is my family heritage. Dual fandom has never caused much of a problem before now :o(
isn't Cooper the DB coach as well?
WOW!!! This is historic…we gotta get them on the schedule, and fast!
Saw this this morning, hes visiting krags this weekend.
Spencer Region (Cullman, Ala./Cullman)
ESPNU 150 rank: 149
Region, a 6-6, 339-pound offensive guard, had a good trip to Louisville last weekend. This weekend he’s scheduled to visit LSU. Auburn, Wisconsin and Georgia are all still in the picture
Aaaaand Krag continues to fuck Louisville
We just can’t escape this guy’s curse
by SpeedStudent on Jan 20, 2011 10:40 AM EST up reply actions
He should at least
destroy LSU’s chances with any valuable recruit.
by REALISTICCARDSFAN on Jan 20, 2011 10:42 AM EST reply actions
Incredibly awesome (and adorable) profile pic
My heart is melting just looking at it
by SpeedStudent on Jan 20, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
In all fairness to the original Coop
He’s turned out to be a pretty decent assistant coach. The Krag on the other hand, well, proof is in the pudding.
Should we call timeout? Check the playsheet!
by CardinalDude on Jan 20, 2011 10:50 AM EST reply actions 8 recs
The only reason you didn't receive a rec
was because it made me hungry.
by SpeedStudent on Jan 20, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
Waffle House
4706 PRESTON ST
LOUISVILLE, KY 40213
by CardinalDude on Jan 20, 2011 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Will someone please
please tell me what “rec’d” means? record it?
by tnowka on Jan 20, 2011 11:08 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
Click on "action" under the post
and you can start rec-ing posts as well.
by UofL Redbirds on Jan 21, 2011 7:48 AM EST up reply actions
Any place that calls themselves Waffle House
Better have more than two choices of waffles on the menu.
This is why IHOP is the better option, every time.
I did a road trip from St. Louis to Miami
and as the driver made the unilateral decision that the whole way, both ways, we only stopped to eat at Waffle House. It was awesome. (Admittedly, the girl in the car thought it was disgusting, but that was obviously irrelevant.)
by Leeroy Jenkins on Jan 20, 2011 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
This entire post is a joke, right?
After watching Swamp Hunter last year, I decided those folks would be very, very low on the list of people you should **** with, let alone Krag them.
This is.....
Uhhh ummm…kragtastic?
I’m with Frank-mind blown.
Enjoy, tiger fans….
Krags at LSU…Roflmao
by twistedwedge on Jan 20, 2011 11:07 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Very few things surprise me these days
But, this is one of them. What are they thinking!???!!?!??
No reason to wait — I’ll just go ahead and say it:
LSU just got Kragthorped!!!!
________________________________________________
www.lordkayoss.com
by LORD KAYOSS on Jan 20, 2011 11:10 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Enormous profit potential..
Bet across the board next year on all LSU opponents, take the line, the over opponent, and the LSU under. Guaranteed returns of 10-50% in four months!
To be fair he's not coaching the defense
But he will still probably have a negative effect on them somehow
by Chris Redman is my hero on Jan 20, 2011 1:07 PM EST up reply actions
Probably will leave an offensive player out there so the D gets a flag
Too bad they won’t play Tennessee for all of their games.
I don't know how Miles justifies this hire
I guess it’s because Kragthorpe had a decent offense at Tulsa 5 years ago?
Good luck to Kragthorpe, I guess? At least all of our assistance coaches our safe now.
The Krag
The Hat and Co. have beaten just about everyone they’ve played——11 wins in 4 out of the last 6 seasons. That “idiot” has besten a lot of coaching “geniuses” like Saban and Meyer.
Maybe you better hope you don’t get what you ask for. With or without Krag, they’ll kick Loisville ass.
Your record since 2005 does not make this hire less awful
"We are on a collision course with the national championship; the only variable is time"
The LSU of 24 hours ago would have had a shot, but Krag is going to cancel out any and all talent you all had.
I’ll take the high road and wish your team good luck, because honestly…..you are going to need every bit of it.
Just so you know homey
He took over the offensive reigns his last year here. Disaster. Horrible, uninspired play calling. Penalties everywhere. I hope you like facepalming yourself on third and long, you’ll be doing it a lot.
Les Miles is obviously no idiot, and you might beat us, but if you do it sure as hell won’t be because of Krag.
The receivers will be
flying all over the place! You guys got anybody named Doug on the roster?
by ville 606 on Jan 20, 2011 3:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
18 ppg
That is what U of L’s offense averaged in 09 with Krap as OC/HC. You’re screwed, and Miles is certifiably NUTS!!
So we keep Mike Sanford....
I’m thinking this is the best thing Kragthrope has done for our program.
Besides getting fired
________________________________________________
www.lordkayoss.com
by LORD KAYOSS on Jan 20, 2011 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
LSU hiring Kragthorpe reaffirms the idea that Les Miles does grass.
"But how will I know limits from lies, if I never try."
by geoffissiffoeg on Jan 20, 2011 11:28 AM EST reply actions
and he's giving pot smokers a bad name
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
When Jurich got the call
Asking for reference on both of these guys…
Did LSU think he would give them an honest appraisal?
Very glad to have Sanford to mold Bridgewater/Smith into his system
I hoep LSU fans love seeing the Option to the short side of the field
if it does work the first 25 times it has to worth the 26th!
right Krags?
Either the LSU suits are on crack,
or Krags is the best pitch man since Billy Mays.
He can get people to believe anything.
________________________________________________
www.lordkayoss.com
lol, straight up
________________________________________________
www.lordkayoss.com
by LORD KAYOSS on Jan 20, 2011 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
they're gonna love his nuts
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
The Ducks play them for our season opener next year...
so all I can say is WOOOHOOOOOOO!!!! (yes, their line still scares me, but WOO HOO even so).
This entire thread was just one laugh after the next, loved reading it!
Dear Pit Crew,
If my ears aren't ringing, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
I thought I would get a kick out of using lunch to visit the LSU boards and see how insanely mad the fans were.
But a funny thing happened on my way to TigerDroppings. They are generally happy about the hire and dismissive of Krag’s time here. I understand that to some degree, but there was a lot of the usual "Petrino left him a mess" or "thugs" comments.
But the comments that really confused me were the ones indicating that the defense was the main problem at UofL and not Krag’s fault, and that he was an OC at heart. Well, apparently, no one has told these guys that Kragthorpe’s last job as an OC was in 2009 – not before Tulsa. He was our only OC in 2009, and he has admitted that he often overruled Brohm on playcalling during 2008, so we was something of a co-OC in 2008.
So for those LSU fans who visit, here’s a quick run down of our basic offensive numbers. 2006 is the year before Krag arrived. He coached UofL from 2007-2009. And 2010 is the first year after he left. The offensive personnel in 2006 and 2007 were nearly identical, and likewise the offensive personnel in 2009 and 2010 were nearly identical.
See if you notice a pattern?
Year – Pass. – Rush. – TDs – FGs
2006 – 3770 – 2409 – 57 – 21
2007 – 4103 – 1753 – 53 – 13
2008 – 2546 – 1974 – 34 – 5
2009 – 2507 – 1502 – 24 – 13
2010 – 2522 – 2275 – 39 – 14
It’s kind of painful to remember.
At least he's consistent?
Passing yards all 50 within 2500. That seems like it should be fairly hard to do (not the 2500 part, but the near-exact same number through the air 3 years running)
Dear Pit Crew,
If my ears aren't ringing, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
by Brass-billed on Jan 20, 2011 1:54 PM EST up reply actions
They had a post from a Cards fan.
Who seemed to think Krags never got a fair shake.
He might have better success as a recruiter being closer to Texas/Midwest, but he’s never recruited the upper level talent LSU is use to.
The comparison from 09 to 10 is what LSU fans should look at. Even 07 is a bit misleading. Our defense was porous, and still had Petrino coaches. And his supposed QB skills? Brohm’s draft stock was ruined, Cantwell regressed, and do we really need to talk about the guys he wanted, Burke and Froman?
by CardinalDude on Jan 20, 2011 2:44 PM EST up reply actions
That's the whole point. How many Kragthorpe coaches
are on the 2010 staff? Most newly hired coaches get to bring in their own hirings, and choose their staff…they don’t have a staff forced on them. However in Kragthorpes case, it looked like Louisville didn’t want to break up a good thing, and tried to keep as much as Petrino’s staff in tact. I’m not sure how you can be the new head coach, working with another guys staff. Which leads to 3 different offensive coordinators and 4 different defensive playcallers in 3 years? Sorry, Kragthorpe had his role in Louisville’s downfall for sure, but the administration certainly did not handle the Petrino transition well from the very beginning. In this case, Kragthorpe will be able to focus on what he does well, and will join a strong and stable group of coaches.
Here is the reality...Petrino left him with a mess
I’m not even sure why you reference 2006 and 2007. Offense was not at all the problem in 2007. The defense was absolutely abysmal…and a lot of that had to do with Petrino leaving Kragthorpe a depleted defense. The collapse of 2007 falls squarely on the defenses shoulders. After 2007, it was Kragthorpes mess to clean up.
http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/14296/kragthorpe-louisville-never-meshed
“More than 20 players left the program in Kragthorpe’s first year for a variety of reasons, which isn’t that unusual during a coaching transition. But because of the Cardinals’ recruiting misses under Petrino, that left major holes in the roster that Kragthorpe tried to fill with junior college players”
Kragthorpe will not inherit this problem with LSU. LSU is loaded with talent.
I smell an LSU/Arkansas game thread forthcoming
Has there ever been a game featuring a somebody’s previous four head coaches?
I dunno.
I mean he’s not a head coach now, doesn’t have to worry about all that comes with that….especially recruiting, we all know he can’t do that. He just has to call the plays, granted we all know he cant do that either lol. But still.
i'm over it
we have an awesome coach now, so Krags is done torturing me personally so why not wish the man well? if there is any time for a UofL fan to show class it’s now.
am i surprised he got such a good gig? of course, but i’m not going to wish the guy is a failure for the rest of his life…thats just retarded.
....I'M going to wish him failure
at least until after Labor Day weekend.
Dear Pit Crew,
If my ears aren't ringing, YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
by Brass-billed on Jan 20, 2011 1:57 PM EST up reply actions
I can't wait until LSU averages 70 points a game
with their next offensive coordinator. I just wanted to throw up a misleading headline. Krags and Jordan Jefferson, that’s going to be a hilarious offense.
truthfully
He will probably do fine there. The talent level is high, their exposure to bonehead coaching is high, add that to the Harry Potter-esque way everything works out for Les Miles, it’ll be ok. He’s a slapdick though, but no hard feelings. He tried hard he just blew, I wouldn’t smack a special kid for coloring outside the lines.
by James Sutherland on Jan 20, 2011 3:04 PM EST via mobile reply actions
it's gotta be the CC Teddy Bears
by UL is my hot hot sex on Jan 20, 2011 6:02 PM EST up reply actions
I think I’m switching how to end chinese fortune cookie fortunes to “in a box”
by Leeroy Jenkins on Jan 20, 2011 7:01 PM EST up reply actions
third and long
I can’t wait to see how many six yard passes he calls on third and nine. The Geaux Tigers have gone and went.
Hurricane Kragtrina
has made landfall in Baton Rouge. The majority of the damage is expected to be inflicted on the Tigers’ running and passing yardage.
The Spin is in here in LA
As a current resident of LA (along with the Art-o-matik), I find it absolutely hilarious how the University and media are presenting Krags. First of all, LSU fans are rabid – first fans I have witnessed that could compete with UK Bball fans… Another story, another time.
The local media is spinning this as Krags was the savior of Tulsa football. Even better he was the QB coach in the NFL for ProBowl QBs. Krags was able to “coach up” the QB position everywhere he went. And that is a key attribute Les is hoping for in Krags. “Kragthorpe has had success tutoring quarterbacks in college and the NFL” " It’s his teaching skill that got him the job" (See Brohm, B and Cantwell, H).
Forget what happened in Louisville, Krags was not the right person for that job. Krag (and they are calling him Krag) will fit into the current offensive system and have input from the entire staff on play calling.
Recent polls I have seen suggest ~70% of LSU fans think Krags was a good hire and I actually sense some excitement from the poor ignorant bastards.
I’ll let you all know when they first use the term “Kragthorped”
HAHAHA
I did LOL! I read an article somewhere that I was going to post, but figured someone else would beat me to it. It sounds like the same article cardiNO might be referencing. I was laughing at it too and the spin and the positive outlook they were giving Krapthorpe.
However, I think they’ll have to wait a game or two before they start using it.
You do realize
That Kragthorpe, as a head coach, inherited the staff in Louisville. That is not an ideal situation for any head coach. Furthermore, you want to villify him for the results of the football team during his time as head coach, that is perfectly reasonable. However, you cannot judge him as a quarterback coach during his time as a head coach. His job was not QB coach at Louisville, and it wasn’t OC..he was the head coach. Regarding Tulsa, you do recall Tulsa’s record in the year’s prior to Kragthorpe taking over? If you want to hang him for his results in Louisville, you cannot at the same time deny him his successes at Tulsa. If his stint at Louisville was an unequivocal failure, then his success at Tulsa was dramatic, especially in comparison to the state of the football program prior to his arrival. His success at Tulsa was THE reason he got the job at Louisville. With regards to his success as an NFL QB coach, it’s true that Drew Bledsoe had a banner year and went to the pro bowl during the one year Kragthorpe served as his QB coach is it not? Did Kragthorpe not also coach Matt Hassleback while serving as QB coach under Dan Henning at Boston College? If a coach is repeatedly hired as a quarterback coach that speaks to the credit that other coaches are giving him in that endeavor.
Krag was the OC at UofL in 2009.
We finished #91 in total offense and worse in points.
He allowed Brohm and Cantwell’s NFL stock to fall rapidly and for Cantwell to use terrible form throwing the ball. That was corrected by a trainer in 2 weeks after the season ended. It may not have been his job to correct, but what kind of coach allows a player’s form to regress all season without stepping in?
As for Tulsa, he was successful no doubt. But notice how the team did after he left. Looks like the assistants were the true stars, doesn’t it?
Ok..so the assistants are the true stars when he succeeds
and when he fails, it’s all his fault. I got it. “He allowed Brohm and Cantwell’s NFL stock to fall rapidly”. You really, really need to have a better understanding of the draft process to make a claim like that. Players are drafted on potential. You have no idea what Brohm’s stock was..and he’s been in the NFL and probably fared worse than where he was actually selected. all this with NFL coaching and without Kragthorpe to blame. If a coach affects a players draft stock, it’s certainly to the demise of poor NFL talent evaluators.
You never know, he could be another Ron Cooper
Awful head coach, highly regarded assistant. Some guys just don’t have the right personality to be a head coach.
I would bless Krag with the “blessing for the Tsar” offered by the rabbi in Fiddler On the Roof:
Rabbi: There’s a blessing for everyone.
Person: Rabbi, what about a blessing for the Tsar?
Rabbi: A blessing for the Tsar… Well… May the Lord bless and keep the Tsar – far away from us!
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
You guys are hilarious
Should someone sit you guys down and explain the difference between an assistant coach and a head coach? You do realize they are two different coaching positions, each with a different scope of responsibility? You do realize that Kragthorpe was not hired as LSU’s head coach don’t you? Do you also realize his track record as an assistant is impeccable? LSU valued an assitant with a track record of developing quarterbacks, that was the deciding factor in this hire. Kragthorpe was consitently either an OC or a QB coach throughout his career, as well as being a former QB himself. Also, please do schedule LSU..it would be fun to watch LSU pound on Louisville.
You do realize Krag was the OC for UofL in 2009 don't you?
You do realize he admitted he called most of the plays in 2008, don’t you?
Enjoy the ride.
Ok..so he wasn't the head coach of Louisville in 2009?
Or he was doing the work of 2 people. He was the head coach, the offensive coordinator, oh, and he screwed up Brian Brohm’s mechanics as well, so that means he was also the quarterback coach. Did Kragthorpe work in the cafeteria washing dishes at Louisville as well? If he was logging 3 jobs at Louisville then it’s certainly easy to see why he failed as a “head coach” during his time there. I will enjoy the ride…LSU has a stacked team and a strong coaching staff and unlike Louisville they didn’t make the mistake of offering Kragthorpe the head coaching position…he will have a singular focus at LSU and will be back to doing what he was successful at before his downfall at Louisville. LSU has won 20 games the past 2 years despite the lack of production at quarterback, any improvement at all should yield a national championship.
Q. Whose decision was it that Kragthorpe was his own OC?
A: Kragthorpe’s.
I’ve already posted that he may turn out to be a really good OC as long as he isn’t entrusted with the reins of the program, but there’s simply no sugar-coating the fact that his tenure here was a disaster.
Not to change the subject, but why does a stoner from LSU have such a need to join a Louisville blog just to defend the hiring of our former head coach as his team’s OC? Is jryan420 a pseudonym? Steve, is that you??
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
Yes. I realize that it was Kragthorpes decision...
and it was a bad decision. A desperate move, made by a coach trying to save his job. However, had Kragthorpe not been forced into Petrino’s vacated staff to begin with and been able to choose his staff then maybe it would be a bit different. Those situations can work, but they can often end in disaster as well. 3 different offensive playcallers, and 4 different defensive signal callers in 3 years indicates the staff was on shaky ground from the very beginning.
scapegoats
Krags Friendship with Tom Jurich was another main reason for the hiring of KRAPTHORPE. as the head coach, he is responsible for what does or fails to happen with the program. He failed as the head coach.
OK, so he turned Tulsa around, but they appeared to me to have peaked as well…
His friendship with Tom Jurich would have IMO ensured he would have had free reign to bring in his own staff as well, unless Jurich was like (seriously, you want to bring him here? We’ll go with what we have thank you).
I honestly don't think Kragthorpe had free reign
to disassemble a staff that had as much success as Lousivilles. They were heading into a season where they viewed themselves as legitimate national title contenders. They needed to replace Petrino, they were heading into Brohm’s senior year and I think they wanted as little change as possible.
1) We were lucky Brohm stayed – I thought surely he would bolt for the NFL and by all accounts, he would have gone very hi. AS it stands, he stayed and suffered under Krag (so yeah, I think it’s safe to say Brohm was Kraged)
2) We did lose some talent that year, but your argument that “They were heading into a season where they viewed themselves as legitimate national title contenders” throws a lot of weight against the points you were making earlier… Essentially you seem to be saying that the only thing that changed was Krag.
3) If Krag had such an awesome stint at Tulsa (he seemed to have peaked at about 8-5 if my memory serves), he should have been able to bring more coordinators on board…
I am saying there was a disconnect between
how Louisville viewed themselves, and how good they were going to be in 2007. Louisville viewed themselves as title contenders based on their success in the years prior. So, in that regard, they had good reason to have as little change in their coaching staff as possible. However, the defense was going to be an issue for Louisville in 2007 regardless of who the head coach was.
The disconnect, my friend, is in your logic.
When you say “Louisville,” I have to assume you’re talking about AD Tom Jurich, who is the one who would have had the power to tell Kragthorpe whether or not he could bring in his own staff. What anyone else thought is irrelevant.
Do you have any idea of the direction Louisville athletics has gone, across the board, since Jurich’s arrival? He’s probably the best AD in the country, if you measure by financial and on-the-field success in all sports. I don’t think your argument that he was clueless as to how good or bad we were going to be in 2007 holds water. His mistake was hiring Kragthorpe, not dictating Kragthorpe’s staff decisions.
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
How many of those three different offensive playcallers and 4 different defensive signal calers did Krag inherit?
"Screech, you CAN'T elope!"
"Who are you calling a cantaloupe, you melonhead?"
any improvement at all should yield a national championship
Good luck with that.
by Mike Rutherford on Jan 22, 2011 12:06 AM EST reply actions
Thanks...
You need a few bounces to go your way to win a title..but LSU’s chances are as good as any team in america.
just re-read the title...
and thought it was corrected to say LSU Fires Kragthorpe. Was going to say something to the effect that LSU finally came to it’s senses… lol
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