Mile High Report: Dorrell Was Nothing But Shanahan's 'Yes' Man

by Nestor on Jan 16, 2007 6:41 PM PST in Football

We are now in the middle of college football coaching carousel season. This is the time of year when head coaches and assistants are finding new gigs all over the place. One of these hirings caught our interest. Many of you college football junkies may know by now that the Minnesota Golden Gophers (who fired Glen Mason) recently hired Bronco TE's coach Tim Brewster as their new head coach. This led to our SBN colleague - TheSportsGuru - over at Mile High Report (who obviously covers the Broncos on a day-to-day basis and does a wonderful job at it) to post this reaction:

Though Brewster has a bunch of college experience, it was a bit of a surprise to me to see Brewster actually get the job, in a similar way that I was surprised Karl Dorrell was hired at UCLA.

Obviously, his words on KD got my attention. So I emailed the Guru and asked him if he would be kind enough to elaborate on that comment? As you can imagine, I was pretty interested in learning about the perspective on Karl Dorrell from a die hard Broncos fan, who follows his team on a day-to-day basis. So I asked the Guru how was he surprised at Brewster's hiring "in a similar way" as to when UCLA hired Dorrell? Well, here is the email response I received from the Guru, and I am publishing ot with his permission (emphasis mine):

At the time I thought Dorrell was a nice position coach, but no one I would have thought of as a Head Coach candidate at a major D-1 school. Even looking at his background, there just wasn't a lot of sustained success nor experience at big time college programs. In that way it is similar to Brewster, who had never been more than a position coach. The key difference, however, between the two is Brewster's experience as recruiting coordinator at Texas and North Carolina, where he recruited players like Chris Simms and Vince Young.

Dorrell really didn't have a strength, that I saw, as someone in a leadership position. It wasn't like the Broncos were rolling out Pro Bowlers under Dorrell, and as a matter of fact, every receiver the team acquired or drafted during his time there is no longer with the team. Sure, Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey are solid, but both were good players before and after Dorrell. It's a well known fact in Bronco Nation that Shanny has a tendancy to hire "yes" men as assistants, made obvious by the fact that there isn't a "coaching tree" to speak of. Karl Dorrell is among that group, and not someone I saw then, or now, as a coach with a bright head coaching future. Some guys are just better suited to be part of a team, not in charge of it, and Dorrell wasn't even a great assistant.

If the Bruins ever want to be taken seriously in college football, on and off campus, they need to get an established, proven successful head coach. I know Dorrell is an alum, but with no real football strength to speak of the Bruins will continue to win despite Dorrell, which is ok if 8-4 and 9-3 is acceptable every season.

I hope that makes sense....

Well, given what Dorrell has done in his four mediocre years in Westwood, it all certainly makes sense. Doesn't it?

GO BRUINS.

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Comments

Absolutely makes sense

Sad but true -- it makes sense. I'm really starting to get peeved at DG. I would be in favor of starting a countdown for him. If he doesn't put a real coach at the controls by (fill in the date) then we make a concerted effort to get him ousted and get some real leaders in power.

by Fox 71 on Jan 16, 2007 7:55 PM PST reply actions

DG...

It's a little disturbing to me that Guerrero didn't do his homework and realize that Dorrell didn't have much influence at any of the coaching stops he was at. How they came to the consensus that a guy that unproven was fit to run the football program of one of the most successful athletic departments in the nation is mindboggling.

by ucla21 on Jan 16, 2007 8:40 PM PST up reply actions

Explains an awful lot

Why in the world would people who make those decisions think he was HC material. I would say based on the article and what we have seen the last few years is that he has hit his Peter Principle and needs to take a step back to position coach.

by artybruin on Jan 16, 2007 8:38 PM PST reply actions

Can someone send this to DG?

This is ridiculous! i didn't want to believe it but now I'm starting to accept Dorrell was hired 'cause he was a Black head coach that would suite the athletic department well. That makes me sick! It's hires like this that sets back the minority community back 'cause it makes it look like the only reasone we're (people of color) hired is because we can say "yes" and remember birthdays really well. I'm pissed!

by uclaprof on Jan 16, 2007 10:07 PM PST reply actions

It might get sent to DG ...

But it doesn't seem like it will be read by DG. He doesn't seem to be all that responsive. Frankly, I think someone should go in and check his pulse. If he has in fact passed away, we should probably get a new AD. If he's just in a coma, then I guess we're in for more of the same.

by Fox 71 on Jan 16, 2007 10:13 PM PST up reply actions

great piece Nestor

not at all surprising, but wow. Well, there is a tight end coaching position available with the Broncos .. maybe Dorrell could go back.

by DumpDorrell on Jan 16, 2007 10:56 PM PST reply actions

8-4 or 9-3 every year?!?!?!

Dorrell can only dream of being that good.

by bornagainbruin on Jan 17, 2007 7:11 AM PST reply actions

Minnesota

wow, what a football juggernaut they are! Nothing but annual speedbumps to the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin! And what do they do? Hire a Broncos POSITION COACH WITH NO HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE!!!! Hmmmm... is this what our administration views as good enough for our own football program? Don't we deserve better than this? Why must we settle for a virtually unknown, "diamond in the rough"? At least Minnesota got a guy with some recruiting experience, because we all know how KD is doing in that department.

I am sure that I am stating the obvious when I say that we are currently in the "Lavin era" of our football program, a stagnant, (hopefully no longer than) 5 year period that we will all look back on with angst and bitterness, and rejoice upon a rightful return to dominance.

by godblesstyus95 on Jan 17, 2007 8:34 AM PST reply actions

This is getting creepy...

BruinEd03 did a post comparing UCLA and Minnesota...and now it is getting WAY too similar...

by tasser10 on Jan 17, 2007 9:09 AM PST up reply actions

How about more creepy stuff

Put up photos of Barry Bonds, Gladys Knight and KD. They may all be the same person.

by Fox 71 on Jan 17, 2007 12:50 PM PST up reply actions

In My Own Words...

Anyone watch this show? I recenty caught an episode featuring DG. He talked about the KD hire and a long term vision for the program. I found DG's tone to be very disturbing in a GW Bush, "stay the course" sense.

by chaphill1 on Jan 17, 2007 8:26 PM PST reply actions

DG is in denial

When gangrene sets in, not many people would talk about "staying the course." You either amputate the affected body part or you die.

When you buy your favorite stock and its value starts to fall, at some point you have to say that it's time to admit you made a mistake and sell.

_____

_______

(Fill in the above blanks with more examples.)

HEY DAN - LISTEN. WE HAVE STAYED THE COURSE. THIS IS IT. IT'S NOT GOING TO GET ANY BETTER. DO WE STAY THE COURSE UNTIL OUR FOOTBALL PROGRAM BECOMES THE WEST COAST EQUIVALENT OF DUKE? IT'S TIME TO ADMIT THAT THE DORRELL HIRE WAS A MISTAKE -- AND IT'S WASN'T EVEN YOUR MISTAKE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. DUMP HIM NOW, SO WE HAVE AT LEAST A FIGHTING CHANCE FOR NEXT YEAR!

Sorry for the shouting. I got sent into cliche-overload and something just snapped.

by Fox 71 on Jan 17, 2007 8:49 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah

I saw the show too (I think it was on Monday night). I actually thought his comments (on Dorrell) were carefully measured. IIRC he said that Dorrell was the right hire at the time to clean up the program or something to that effect. I don't recall him saying how Dorrell was doing the best job ever. Lot of adminspeak which he can easily wiggle out of later.

by Nestor on Jan 18, 2007 4:39 AM PST up reply actions

I'm so tired

"Adminspeak." Aren't there enough politicians in elected offices? Now we have to get this sort of stuff from people in the sports world?

Madeline Kahn's song in "Blazing Saddles" sums it up for me - "I'm so tired."

It's going to be the same story in 2007. The team will struggle. KD will manage his way to losses that should never occur. He will use all the same cliches. DG will stay silent. We will gripe. And Cheaty Petey and his gang of thugs will just go along with business as usual.

I now just have one request. Dan, please tell us you're satisfied with KD's performance and no changes will be made. At least help us know how far up the line the ineptitude goes.

by Fox 71 on Jan 18, 2007 5:57 AM PST up reply actions