Per poster on VQ. (Long)
Hart said in his Presser that everything would play out in December. I think everything is going along his plan, and in the end he will come out of this looking like a genius.
In the movie The Sting, Paul Newman and Robert Redford played confidence men who burned the Mafia Guy played by Robert Shaw. The key to the sting was that they had to do it without the target ever knowing he was being made. I think Hart is doing just that.
If we got a splash hire, The biggest impediment to the Success of the Football program would be the academic side. Hart answers to Cheek, who in turn answers to the Faculty Senate. They hold the keys to the kingdom. I suspect Hart is orchestrating panic in the coaching search to manipulate the academics side of the campus. He knows if the turbo-donors are stressing with the hiring, they will ask what seems to be the problem!. Hart and Cheek can point their fingers at the academic powers that be. The donors will root out the problems.
The Senate has been squeezing the goose that lays the golden eggs so long they have begun to take football money for granted. Hart can point to lousy revenue streams from the Troy and Ky games as a harbinger of things to come. Hart can use the financials to show the Senate their controls over the football program are cutting into their future income.
My theory is that Hargis at the times free press has been leaked info by the Turbo-donors. They want Gruden and they tried to advance his hire, but Hart didn't want to do so until he had pressured the admin side a lot more to get them moving towards changes. I think Hargis's source was Grider. They both live in South Pittsburgh and Hargis has covered Grider for years. Grider is best friends with Gruden, they vacation together. Their wives are tight. I think he was provided documentary evidence from Grider to advance the Gruden hire.
Gruden is making well north of $400k per week on Monday Night Football. He likes the gig. He has two more shows to do. There is no reason to give that up. The recruiters have been on the trail saying, something big is on the way, keeping commits,and even prospects' interests high. I think Hart has the Gruden deal in his hip pocket and has for some time, but he can't reveal his "sting"or he has lost his leverage on the Senate. He needs for people to panic.
When Mike Grundy said no to a lateral move, followed by Strong, our fans started to pucker. The alarm was palpable.
"Oh No! We lost Gruden! "
Then it's, "Oh No! fisher is not interested!"
Then it's, "Oh No! We lost Gundy!"
Then it's,, Oh No! We lost Strong!"
Fans had thought the hard fighting Hart had lost over and over and over.
My theory is Hart wants the pretext that The solid coaching prospects don't want to come here because of the academic stuff. Hart needs the fans and boosters to be angry.
"How can all the other SEC schools get a coach and we can't? Hart wants you to think that. He wants leverage on the academic side.
Gruden is enjoying the attention. He keeps getting the attention. delay is to his advantage. The current UT staff is keeping in touch with recruits. He can come in in two weeks and be the hero to rescue the team from the smouldering ashes. Once the NFL season is over part of his staff will immediately be available. Hart will be able to get a little more money from the boosters to pay Gruden's all star assistants that he is assembling. Grider will be on staff with his buddy. Gruden's kids will be at Webb. The fans will be ecstatic. Hart's job is secure, Cheek will be out from under so much control from the Senate . And the senate will be thankful their goose is back in the golden egg business.
Flame away. This theory ties all the conflicting ends together.
