Dear Michael Crow, Lisa Love and Steve Patterson,
Hello there! I'm sure you haven't spent a lot of time reading my articles on House Of Sparky, even though President Crow did email me back in April to thank me for my "steadfast support of ASU and its proud athletic tradition."
At the time, an email from the president of my alma mater filled me with pride. It was legitimately one of the highlights of that month for me and reading it again, I wanted to share with you one more passage.
I very much appreciate your great pride in ASU, your recognition of the quality of our student-athletes, and your commentary encouraging others to show their school spirit.
We all want the same things for Arizona State. A successful football program, a strong fan base and a coach who is willing to put in the hard work necessary to facilitate both short-term and long-term success.
The problem is that we seem to be moving in the wrong direction, as we are losing coaches and recruits to an in-division rival: UCLA. We should hear more today about WR coach and recruiting guru Steve Broussard heading to Westwood, and it has been rumored that OC Noel Mazzone may be joining him there (though that is yet to be determined).
Without Broussard, Mazzone or recently fired head coach Dennis Erickson, there is no reason for any of the current batch of recruits to come to Tempe.
If this turns out to be true, I must inquire as to what the ultimate goal of this coaching search was. To find a new coach? Understandable. To alienate the fan base and set back the football program years in a very competitive conference? Unacceptable.
It's true, I have great pride in ASU. I would love to show you my school spirit right now. Here's my plan for getting this train wreck back on the lines, and it is my hope that my suggestions be taken seriously.
- Bring Noel Mazzone into the meeting room immediately, sit him down and give him a substantive raise that reflects the significant offensive improvement he has brought to ASU.
- Make an offer to Tennessee DC Justin Wilcox, a young guy with recruiting ties all over the country. He will cover the defense while Mazzone works the offensive side of the ball, at least in 2012.
- Examine any and all possibilities for saving Steve Broussard (and our recruiting class) from being poached up by the Bruins. Jim Mora Jr. should not reap the benefits of the work done on ASU's dollar.
- Sound the alarm to the media, recruits and the rest of the Pac-12: ASU is completely behind Wilcox, Mazzone and the team on the field. They will fight fire with fire, bringing an intensely defensive-minded attitude to the desert while still exercising a strong offensive mindset.