⚡ CFB Dashboard

OK, thought I'd weigh in here, since this thread has kept on rolling ... • No, I don't hate Franklin, though I think he has some quirks, especially with the media, that are weird and unnecessary. The "say hello" thing is odd, even when he does it correctly, like when he got me in the intro presser. OK, lesson learned. Whatever. But in this one recently, the reporter said "hey, coach" first. Then Franklin insisted he say hi again. It's OK to say that's a little strange. And if it was Dabo or Lane or, shoot, Al Groh back in the day and not the coach of your team, you'd think it's a little weird too. • I think Franklin is an excellent coach. I said that the day he got fired by Penn State, when I went on our podcast and said VT fans should be thrilled if they land him. More importantly, I think he's the exact coach Virginia Tech needs for this moment. The old way wasn't working. The Hokies needed someone to shake things up, push the envelope and be a dynamic personality that helps this renewed commitment to fundraising. He's challenging the way things were done, which is exactly why you hire him. (And all the Penn State fans still so hung up on him need to get a life.) • No, I don't hate Virginia Tech. I just cover the Hokies dispassionately, as you're supposed to in the traditional sense of a journalist. I don't have a rooting interest because when you want the unfiltered truth about a program, you don't want those biases leaking in. I realize sports journalism has gone away from that. And yes, I write on a fan site now. But I think the dynamic works. We have fans among our employees giving one perspective tinted in orange and maroon and me giving another that's not. That variety isn't a bad thing. I don't want to speak for him, but I don't think Will regrets hiring me. • Yeah, I sure wouldn't mind if Virginia Tech was good again. Good teams are enjoyable to cover. *Everybody* wants to talk. It makes interviews easier and you get good stories. The Auburn 2010 national title team was a treasure trove of work. Very rewarding professionally and a blast to cover big games all over the country. Last year here was interesting from the rock bottom aspect of it, but if it weren't for the coaching change, that would have been a slog of four months of coverage. • No, I'm not a contrarian on purpose. I just say what I think. College football is a strange, exhilarating, stupid blend of awesomeness. It's OK to have some fun with how ridiculous some things are. And honestly, if everyone agrees all the time, it doesn't make for interesting podcasts. • No, I don't think sports journalism is a super serious profession. We ain't covering Watergate. We're talking about sports. But I do take my job seriously, as I imagine all of you do. I have to. I teach a Sports Journalism class. It'd be pretty messed up if I did that without thinking journalistic standards or training are important. • No, I don't ask questions so I can get clicks. (We don't get paid on clicks anyway.) I ask questions i think will provide good answers to topics I think are interesting and I think fans do too. Franklin was very effusive with his praise of his time at Maryland this week, though he really didn't go to the head coach in waiting part, so I followed up on it. He didn't give much on an answer there, but it's a question worth asking, since that's such a storyline this week. And when a question needs to be asked in post-game situation, I'll ask it. It's the job. • I like noon starts because it allows me to finish all my writing and get back home to watch the night games, which are usually the best on the slate. I like a good night's sleep as much as the next, and working until 3 a.m. isn't preferable, but that's not the reason. And 3:30 kicks kind of put you in no man's land with how much time we spend in the stadium. You pretty much miss all the games. It's why I like Friday night kicks so much. I get to watch everything on Saturday. Anyway, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. (I'm writing this during some pretty slow office hours for my class.) Carry on with the bashing! #PimpletonMinute4Life