Attempting to make sense of ‘The Grudening’

R&B group Timex Social Club said it best back in the day. “Look at all these rumors surroundin’ me every day. I just need some time, some time to get away from all these rumors, I can’t take it no more.”

Cane fans, take a deep breath as it’s been a topsy-turvy weekend. A lot to process right now and we’re being governed by emotion, not logic. Attempt to process what’s taken place between Saturday morning and Sunday night.

A fifth loss of the season. An emergency meeting regarding the state of the program. The firing of Randy Shannon. The Kirby Hocutt presser on Sunday morning. All of which led up to this Jon Gruden chatter and rumors of a deal being struck less than 24 hours after Shannon was let go.

In all the talk there is one key component none of us outsiders truly know; Gruden’s motivation. Does the Super Bowl winning coach want to try his hand in the college game, is he happy in the booth or is he ready to bolt back to the NFL.

I first heard about “mutual interest” between Gruden and Miami on Wednesday November 10th, from a reliable person close to the situation. I was told both sides were working to keep the story way under wraps, but that there had been some back and forth soon after the loss at Virginia.

The logic was simple. Gruden wanted to get back into coaching, but wasn’t interested in leaving the Sunshine State. He’s spent the past few years in Tampa, he’s taken on a volunteer assistant coaching role at his son’s high school (Carrollwood) and only has to hit the road a portion of the year as a highly paid analyst.

During his Monday Night Football tenure, comments had been made about the talent level at UM and how ‘The U’ is a pipeline to the next level. Despite its recent woes, Miami is the most successful football program in the past three decades and is as close to a NFL franchise are you’ll find at the collegiate level. It’s almost a “best of both world” scenario for a higher profile coach.

When you combine several weeks of Gruden chat with Hocutt’s comments about money not being an object and looking for a ‘home run’ hire, you can start to connect the dots.

Some will then ask why the services of consultant Chuck Neinas were needed. In simple terms, a $50K insurance policy should Gruden talks fizzle out. With December around the corner and Signing Day two months out, UM needs its ducks in a row and cannot afford to be caught flat footed.

Let Neinas do his homework. Find some viable candidates, show that there’s interest in Miami circa 2010 in a way there wasn’t in the pre-Shannon era, due to the drop off in talent and PR hit the program took with the FIU brawl, a then uncharacteristic six-loss season and murder of Bryan Pata, all in a four-month span.

Should Miami land Gruden, you’re glad to absorb the $50K as you covered your back and got your man. If not, then you didn’t miss a beat and started your coaching search hours after Shannon was released, which is proactive.

I’ll be the first to admit that on the surface, “Gruden to Miami” comes off far fetched and like a pipe dream. UM isn’t known for reeling in a big fish and spending serious coin on a head coach of this caliber.

Outside of a 4-17 head coaching run in the early 1970s, Howard Schnellenberger was a perennial assistant and former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator when UM came calling.

Jimmy Johnson had five years of collegiate head coaching experience under his belt, coming to Miami from Oklahoma State, where he helped turn around a fledgling program, but never did better than 8-4 and finished with a combined 29-25-3 record in Stillwater.

Dennis Erickson had stops in Idaho, Wyoming and Washington State under his belt before heading south.

Butch Davis was a JJ protege, having followed him from Oklahoma State to Miami and eventually to the Dallas Cowboys, before taking over a probation-bound UM program. Larry Coker was promoted from within, simply the right guy at the right time, while Shannon had UM history and took a gig that nobody at the time wanted.

For obvious reasons, Gruden doesn’t fit the bill, but as alluded to here last Wednesday on allCanesBlog.com, timing truly is everything and if the timing is right, the possibilities are limitless.

Unfortunately, timing is the one thing that doesn’t mesh with the rumor mill because no one knows. Not a rabid fan base, not a know-it-all sportswriter and not even ‘someone associated’ with Gruden.

The coach, his agent (Bob LaMonte) and UM’s top brass are the only folks who truly know what’s going on and right now, no one is saying a word – and nor should they.

Gruden is in Glendale for tonight’s Monday Night Football match up between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. He remains under contract with ESPN and has an obligation to fill, which could be part of the reason things went from so hot to so cold on Sunday night.

If Gruden is indeed Miami-bound, that is a story that deserves to be broken by UM, preferably on Tuesday, on campus, when the new head coach would be announced. Not on a Sunday when out of town or a Monday when working for his present employer.

Add it all up and the Gruden rumor has a shelf life for at least 24-48 more hours.

The same individual who originally shared the Gruden news with me early November let me know as early as this morning that “Tuesday is a go” regarding Gruden to ‘The U’. He was also quick to add the caveat, “seeing is believing at this point”, which is pretty much the way everyone outside that collective inner circle should view it.

It’s far fetched, but crazier things have happened.

The fact that UM acted so swiftly with Shannon. The fact these ‘mutual interest’ fueled conversations supposedly started up a month ago. The fact that Donna Shalala supposedly gave Hocutt the green light back in October after the Florida State loss.

Even the fact that Gruden appears to have the itch to coach in a year when a pending NFL lockout is a real possibility. All of that comes back to timing and lends credibility to the impossible becoming possible.

I wouldn’t bet the deed to my house on Gruden being the next coach at UM … but between now and Wednesday, I wouldn’t bet against it either. Hocutt wants that ‘home run’ hire and outside of Gruden, who else fits the bill?

Attempt to enjoy the rumor, cross your fingers and when it’s time to officially cross Gruden off, do so and move on from there.

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