Poll: Grade Coach Herman

Herman Report Card

  • A - Excellent. Exceeded expectations.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • B - Good. Met expectations.

    Votes: 2 3.3%
  • C - Fair. Missed some expectations due to injuries.

    Votes: 15 25.0%
  • D - Needs Improvement but bowl win will raise his grade.

    Votes: 30 50.0%
  • F - Unsatisfactory. Did not apply himself.

    Votes: 13 21.7%

  • Total voters
    60
Fair, but not willing to give him a pass due to injuries. Every school in the country has to deal with injuries.

I think that game planning and play selection have a lot to do with three or four losses this year, along with some visible coaching issues.

Combine the incoming recruiting class and the left-over talent, it seems to me that there needs to be a significant improvement in the number of wins next season. oOtherwise, he won't have nearly as many supporters as he did before the Tech game.

I truly hope he will have a great season next year (9+ wins). No Marylands, no OUs, no USCs, and certainly no Techs. Those should be totally unacceptable.
 
Coaching Hires:
SC (Yancy McKnight) = A

OC (Tim Beck) = F
QB (Tim Beck) = F
RB (Stan Drayton) = D
WR (Drew Mehringer) = D
TE (Corby Meekins) = Incomplete due to injuries
OL (Derek Warehime) = D

DC (Todd Orlando) = A
DL (Oscar Giles) = B
LB (Todd Orlando) = A
CB (Jason Washington) = B
S (Craig Naivar) = B

ST (Craig Naivar) = B
Final Hiring Grade = C​

Culture instillation = B
Pee peering = C
Talent evaluation/application = C
Kissing players at The University of Texas = D
Sideline antics at The University of Texas = F
In game decisions = D
Press Conference maturity = C
Not screwing up the uniforms = A

Overall Grade = C
 
Defense - B+

Offense - F

Special Teams - C (this is about coaching and Dicksons talent had nothing to do with coaching)

Overall - D

It's not all about 6-6 for me, but the record indicates coaching results. I was teetering on a C, but the absolutely awful offense and fg kicking game took out the defensive play that kept us in most games. Great coaching should have improved those areas by seasons end and I saw no improvement. Had we beaten Tech by the spread I probably would have graded a C or C+.
 
From my perspective in the cheap seats, I say he failed at virtually every aspect of the job. Bringing Orlando with him was his only positive IMO. After seeing a season of results. I can't figure out why he was the golden child of coaches last year. It's funny (actually not funny) that we hire a coach whose pedigree is on the defensive side (Charlie) and our defense sucked. Then we go hire a guy that's supposedly an offensive specialist and the offense sucked. I could cut him some slack if I saw even the smallest of improvements during the season. But I didn't see anything that I could point to and say we're pretty good in that department (exception being punting).

I look at the service academies and usually see teams that aren't perennial winners but the players do their jobs. They usually are "out athleted" by bigger and stronger athletes, but they do their job. I can cut them some slack because they're doing what they're supposed to do but end up getting beat by a more talented team. I don't feel that way when I watch Texas play. We may not have superior athletes at every position but it doesn't appear that the players are doing their jobs. Coaching (or lack thereof)? I think so.
 
I voted D but Orlando deserves an A. Its a passing grade because they made a bowl and did better than last year. I am very disappointed in the offensive side of the ball's performance.
 
Not sure I give Orlando an A+. He certainly did better after the mid-term grading period though...but there is room for improvement given the number of times the schemes left the middle of the field open for large chunk plays at critical moments in too many games. I'd give a B+ overall for Orlando.

Beck failed...miserably. In the old days, he would be one of those students that the aptitude tests suggested would be an ideal candidate for being on the business end of a shovel. He is NOWHERE NEAR capable of the position he is in and is an anchor firmly attached to Herman (and the rest of the staff). Herman needs to get to working the hacksaw to undo that shackle...

Herman...would be on probation with a requirement that grades (and effort) substantially improve. At the moment, he is the dumbest smart kid on the block. The past efforts suggest that the potential is there but he needs to apply himself to the task at hand. The offensive woes were offensive...and while the team was beset with a number of injuries, they are not the proximate cause of those woes. The best players were not allowed on the field, with no rational reason being given. Herman was the walking epitome of Groundhog Day.

I reserve the right to re-evaluate my grade of him with a Dilly Dilly performance in the bowl game, but the season will NOT go above a C- for Herman.
 
Hey ... what about grading locker rooms ... and the hallway we see on the Jumbo tron???

That's gotta be an A++, right?


and ... and ... the pyrotechnics ... who has better pyrotechnics? Definitely an A there.

In fact, I think I'm gonna start attending to watch the fireworks ...and sound all aggylike during March Grandioso TEXAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASS FIGHT .... (pitch change which sounds an awful lot like that whooping noise) (at least we stopped the whoop for counting cheerleader backflips!)


(it's been this way a long time, but I learned TEXAS ... FIIIIIIIIIGGGHHTT!!!! .... course, my Southern Baptist also sings the original fight song lyric ... not what we're gonna give 'em and make 'em eat. SMH!)

ughh
 
I give Herman an Incomplete. If he can keep this top ten recruiting class together and add a juco offensive lineman or two and convince Connor, Holton, and/or Malik to stay another year, I could forget this season ever existed.
 
I gave him a C. Couple of reasons why:

1. Vastly improved defense outweighed the "F" the offense seemed to be getting some weeks. Malik was playing like the Malik we thought he could be. Same for most of the DBs, who some considered to be the glaring weakness the last two years. I also thought that switching to a 3-man front was going to hurt us against the run, and we improved instead. We lost all of those DTs to transfer/attrition, yet didn't have a ton of issues with Ford/Nelson manning the middle. All this stuff alone isn't enough to fail Herman for the entire year.

2. Someone posted the Strong/Herman first year comparisons, and it's really not even close. When Strong went 6-6, we were still outscored for the year and our average loss was by like 18 points. We had a tougher conference in 2017 than Chuck had in his first year. I know that's not enough to give him an A or a B, but it's progress in my opinion.

3. Buechele's nagging injuries. If Shane doesn't get hurt, Ehlinger is basically reduced to a "Belldozer" role, which would suit him well for a freshman. Buechele would have shown improvement from 2016 when he was 236-391-2958-21-11. But he didn't get that opportunity. Somewhat because of the OL, but mostly because of his inability to stay healthy.

Needs Improvement:

1. OL. Jesus. You shouldn't need 10 different starting lineups. I get that injuries occur, but at the pop we had this year? I'm not sure Warehime knew what he was getting into.

2. Finishing games. I'll give the Maryland, OU, and OK State losses their credence because we never had enough of an advantage in the 4th quarter to win those games. But there really shouldn't have been an opportunity for USC or Tech to come back and steal it from us. It was mismanagement at its worst. And mostly on the shoulders of Beck for being unable to call a game with an opponent's game on the line.

3. RB management. I just don't think Warren got a fair shake at the position. I was worried by a lot of the offseason comments of Beck/Drayton saying things like "they've never seen anyone with his build play that position before..." like they were planning to change his position without any regard to his performance. And then he easily went for triple digits against SJSU and we figured he was our workhorse. Does anyone really think he couldn't have plowed into the endzone from those 1st and goal from the 1 plays against Tech? On top of that, Herman's reluctance to give the primary carries to players other than Porter was strange. Porter was incredible in HS, but much like Buechele, had nagging injuries that followed him to UT. I just don't think he's ever gotten over that hurdle to recovery, yet they keep feeding him the ball. It was like Johnathan Gray's senior year when everyone knew he was getting the ball and everyone knew he was going to plow into 3 defenders for a 1-yard gain.
 
I reserve the right to re-evaluate my grade of him with a Dilly Dilly performance in the bowl game, but the season will NOT go above a C- for Herman.

Maybe we should send Tom (and the binder) to the Pit of Misery for some attitude/aptitude adjustments. We fans have been in the Pit for a while now.
 
He gets a C- in my book. Last summer, I set the over/under at 8 after the bowl game. I guessed 7 regular season wins and a bowl win. That would have been a B for me. 6 wins is a C, but I did not like the offense, so he gets a C-.
While we were close to 8 or 9 regular season wins, you have to expect that the other teams want it too. I'm disappointed about 3 of the losses that could have been, and feel we should have gotten 2 more if not for stupid late game turnovers.
 
Last edited:
Joe, I copied your post from the other thread, hope you don't mind, but I was going to write the same thing here.

"How about running 260 lb. Chris Warren (who did not forget how to take a handoff in the backfield) 4 times in a row over Connor Williams? If they stop that, then OK. Unless were trying this (at least once), we were not giving it our best effort."

8 carries and no CW, who is almost guaranteed to get 2-3 yards against a brick wall, is reason enough alone to get an F. I don't care is it was Drayton's decision, Tom can certainly over rule.

In addition, the frustration of watching Sam not even look for a receiver until they're down field enough to be covered while Shane is great with the short passing game. The only thing that ever stopped it was penalties yet Shane just stands on the sideline. Another reason for an F, regardless of the culture change. In game personnel and playcalling were an abomination.
 
For me D+, D for inept offense and 6-6, the + for getting into some bowl. I was so eager for this year thinking the Herman hire would bring some on field fireworks featuring my boy Warren and with Boo keeping the defense honest with quick slants all the way done the field. When Warren failed practice standards or the pee test I lost my faith and became another disgruntled (but still loyal) fan. Sooooo disappointed in the results this year but more so because of my perceived inappropriate lack of Warren carries. No way can you convince me he could not get the ball across the goal line against TT. Ugh, but I'll be back for more next year. :bevo:
 
I give him a D, and here is why. I watched 2 very well coached teams yesterday in Bama and Auburn. The reason I was impressed? EVERY player, EVERY down, gave 100% the ENTIRE play! They were full speed ahead until the whistle blew! Our receivers upset me the most. They never seem to go full speed, and when they are covered, they just stop and stand around. They never seem to adjust, and find a hole in coverage. The fire is not there. It is the coaches job to get them inspired, and it is not happening with our team. Also, as stated above, NO WAY they stop CW behind CW for 2 1/2 yards 3 times, yet it was never ran!
 
I gave him a C with a bowl win. D without the bowl win.


The Defense was for the most part very good. They choked though in key situations. USC, OU, Texas Tech, Maryland, etc..overall B +
Special teams were overall good...overall B -. Punting was outstanding, kick offs and coverage strong. Place kicking wasn't that bad really.
Offense was not good for whatever reason you fancy. D.

A ton of parity in this league. With K-State, WVA, I-State, Tech, Texas being all about the same.
TCU,Ok. State, and OU a notch above. To get above to the next level will take an improvement in the offense without a letdown in Defense.

Which can give us hope for the future as that seems possible.
 
I'm at a D-

Based on expectations and pedigree, what we have seen versus what we expected has been about as stark a contrast as I can imagine.

I wonder how many on this board, given the prospect that Herman would have a first year regular season record of 6-6, would have supported his hire. Charlie Strong could have brought us 6-6. Perhaps better.

I tire of the cultural change discussion. When Mack was let go most agreed that we needed a cultural change, and we got one. We expected a much tougher team, and players to be coached up. What we got was 16-21, and plenty of blowouts.

With Herman we expected a "smart coach," one that would meticulously control every aspect of his program. Mind you, Tom Herman is indeed an intelligent individual and his concept of alignment and preparation makes sense to me. He would seem to have the ability to manage a top level program, but Herman also appears to have a few Achilles Heels that are quite surprising. For example:

A) Herman's in-game decision-making skills are troubling to say the least. Expectations are set based on pedigree and track record yet we have observed no better clock and game management from this Mensa member than we did from his predecessor. Long term, this is an area of great concern to me.

B) The Offense. Great coaches, and great offensive minds, make the most out of the hand they are dealt. Herman has simply failed by this measure which, again, is troubling based on his pedigree. I could cite examples but others have already done so quite eloquently.

Can Herman be the coach we all hoped that he would be? After Maryland I wondered but then, Maryland was only game One. After Tech, I am truly conflicted because I was all-in with his selection.

I think it is reasonable to speculate that Herman has generally lost a large chuck of the fan base. There are a very large number of skeptics. There should be. To make that observation last December, or even in August, would have been unfathomable, but that's where we are today.

I just hope that the 2017 season will turn out to be somewhat of an aberration. For now, I don't know what to believe, or expect.
 
I gave Herman an "f" due to, a) Bad in game decisions b) misuse of personnel c) hard headedness-unwilling to change d) playing Sam after a concussion- of course Sam is going to say he is alright but Herman has to make the right decision and Shane was better rested at the moment. E) not playing Shane in the second half against Tech- We should have beaten Tech. F) probably left out some things....he is good at recruiting and culture changes but the W/L record is what counts most. To me he is more suited to an administrative position as someone else mentioned. I wonder if Herman is going to learn from his glaring mistakes. Why do I have this feeling it won't happen.
 
Last edited:
I give Herman an Incomplete.

I'm an F also ... but I can understand this point, too ... because HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL! SMH.

But here's the deal ... I'm gonna be stubborn as Herman, too. I will not call for his replacement before the middle of the '21 season (end of this contract). I thought it was unfair to hamstring Charlie in his first year, when he DID make a change of culture (who can argue the '14 team wasn't markedly tougher?) ... which included a BUNCH of dismissals of the 2-deep chart. So ... getting fired two years after the correction was insane to me (short of criminal conviction of course). It's a game and that move shouted how unreasonable our program directors had become ...

I think Charlie got the buggy whip from a group who realized the coaching change should have happened after the 11 season and they were embarrassed. Of course, in all that mess was the Powers termination and hiring of Fenves!?

How many ways can the University get fouled-up at one time??? Hello First Class.

(The Constitution of 1866 directed the legislature to put the university in operation at an early date. In 1871 the legislature established the Texas A&M College, but the university was still postponed. The Constitution of 1876 specified that the legislature, as soon as practicable, was to establish, organize, and provide for the maintenance and support of a "university of the first class" to be located by vote of the people and styled the University of Texas, for promotion of the study of literature and the arts and sciences.)

So ... I'll praise TH like @Creek and I'll critique Herman as hard as @dukesteer ... but I shant call for his firing before hand, I'd rather WVA be our last win for 4 more years than to renege on what I've stated about the transition from Mack's time. We made this bed, now we have to lie in it. If Herman doesn't fix it, we'd better fix those who are making the selections ... because then ... THAT would be the 2nd consecutive bust and a past-due which started it.
 
Y'all covered all the details very nicely. I gave him a D. The grade is somewhat divorced from the overall record. It just didn't pass the eyeball test. As they say, I can't define porn but I know it when I see it and I didn't see a clear indication of a great coaching staff hampered only by the installation of a new program, injuries and youth at quarterback. In other words, the soundness of excellence is always apparent even in the face of a challenge.
 
I give Herman an Incomplete. If he can keep this top ten recruiting class together and add a juco offensive lineman or two and convince Connor, Holton, and/or Malik to stay another year, I could forget this season ever existed.
If all ^^^this happens, then I will again believe in Santa Claus. I would really like to be able to believe in Santa again.

gahornphan, that is a nice list. I'm wishing and hoping along with you.
 
I watched the first game of the year and was thoroughly disgusted by what I saw

I watched the Tech game and was thoroughly disgusted by what I saw.

The ten games I saw in between, I saw our defense improve immensely, the offense was outright awful. We're about to lose the coach that is responsible for the defensive resurrection (Orlando), but the offensive "genius" (Herman) stays.... I give Herman a solid F.
 
I watched the first game of the year and was thoroughly disgusted by what I saw

I watched the Tech game and was thoroughly disgusted by what I saw.

The ten games I saw in between, I saw our defense improve immensely, the offense was outright awful. We're about to lose the coach that is responsible for the defensive resurrection (Orlando), but the offensive "genius" (Herman) stays.... I give Herman a solid F.

Orlando rumor?!?!?
 
While this poll still has a small sample, the results are very troubling. I’m thinking even the average fan (anyone not posting on HF!) is struggling with support of our head coach. And scratching my head as to how TH couldn’t stop this runaway train wreck of an offense. I know it’s year one, but this is starting to smell like the Charlie years. God, I hope not!!!

So, realistically, what does Herman do? It’s fun playing Monday morning QB, but this is WAAAAYYYYY over my head & probably even above the most knowledgeable football minds. It seems like every coach since DKR has been on brain-lock when doing self-evaluation & actually addressing & fixing the team challenges. As great as Mack’s record was, even he seemed stuck in self-denial after 2009. Must be some sort of 40 acres curse!!
 
Back
Top