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COLUMN: Give Enos time as CMU football coach

By Matt Thompson on October 10, 2011 9:08 am in Columns, Football / 28 comments

 

In sports, you’re only as good as your last game.

Tony Romo was a hero for the Dallas Cowboys after leading them to a victory with messed up ribs two week ago.

Then he lost to the Detroit Lions last week and is now considered mediocre.

It’s silly, especially with some of the talk surrounding Central Michigan head coach Dan Enos. I love our live-chat followers and people who read and give comments, but I think it’s laughable to want him out of town.

He took over a team that lost probably the best player in program history (Dan LeFevour) and an NFL wide receiver (Antonio Brown). He was also changing systems from a spread to pro-style offense.

Athletics director Dave Heeke knew it’d take time to change schemes and I’m sure he knew growing pains would come along with that.

If you want to point fingers for Enos’ early troubles, aim them at those players leaving and Heeke’s decision to change schemes, not Enos.

I think you have to suck up last year and early struggles this year hoping and finding clues that success is around the bend.

Look at freshmen Titus Davis, Courtney Williams, Anthony Garland, Ben Brown, Cody Lopez, Dennis Nalor and Matt Losiniecki. They’re all making immediate impacts on this team and finding success at this level at an early age.

Even with their inexperience, they’ve scored three touchdowns and earned two defensive starting spots.

Those are some of the highlighted players from Enos’ first full recruiting class at CMU. He’s bringing in talent.

Give him a chance to bring along those athletes and coach them up with his system in place. They’ve already shown tons of potential.

So it seems like he’s quite the recruiter and I think he is a motivator too.

Last year on a rough 3-9 team, Enos got his players pumped up enough to scare Northwestern, only losing by five and the Chippewas beat rival Western Michigan.

This year CMU showed no life against WMU and Michigan State, but still came out swinging at Kentucky and North Carolina State.

Look at the teams CMU has played so far this year. Three Bowl Championship Series teams and two of the better Mid-American Conference programs.

All I’m trying to say is give the man a full chance. He’s showing signs of life. His offense is starting to show what it can be with a balanced attack. He obviously needs to get in quarterback Ryan Radcliff’s head on some of the interceptions, but you can see that the offense can click.

He’s bringing talent to Mount Pleasant. Let’s wait and see what he can do with it. Who knows, if he wins the next few weeks, you may want him to sign an extension.

 

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  • CE

    “Extension?”  Oh, you mean an extended-cab on the moving van.

  • CE

    “Extension?”  Oh, you mean an extended-cab on the moving van.

  • Anna

    *round of applause*

    Very, very well written. I couldn’t agree more =)

  • Anna

    *round of applause*

    Very, very well written. I couldn’t agree more =)

  • Anna

    *round of applause*

    Very, very well written. I couldn’t agree more =)

  • Wink&Pig

    In 3 years watching CMU football …. never have seen any comments on why the CMU Student section empties out nearing or at halftime.  It happened even when the team was winning EVERY game with Butch and his team.  What is the story CMU Students?   That is a sad thing to witness…

  • Centmich77

    I totally disagree with you! There was no reason to implement MSU style football at CMU when the spread offense worked so well under Brian Kelly and Butch Jones!  Heeke doesn’t get that CMU is not MSU and doesn’t want to be MSU!  CMU had its own brand of football that was quite successful until Heeke brought in Enos!  When Butch Jones left, CMU was in a position to hire a Head Football Coach that could have continued moving the football program upward.  Enos has destroyed the program and when he is fired, it will be much more difficult to hire a good Division I head coach! 

  • Centmich77

    I totally disagree with you! There was no reason to implement MSU style football at CMU when the spread offense worked so well under Brian Kelly and Butch Jones!  Heeke doesn’t get that CMU is not MSU and doesn’t want to be MSU!  CMU had its own brand of football that was quite successful until Heeke brought in Enos!  When Butch Jones left, CMU was in a position to hire a Head Football Coach that could have continued moving the football program upward.  Enos has destroyed the program and when he is fired, it will be much more difficult to hire a good Division I head coach! 

  • Tropps

    I have two issues with your column.
    1) You call Enos a motivator and conflict your own viewpoint by showing how he has proven to be anything but a motivator.
    2) The record doesn’t mean much to me right now. It honestly doesn’t. What bothers me is I don’t know what “Central wants to be.” Even with bad teams, this should be easily defined. You should know what your team wants to be – what it’s strength is or what it wants to be. This team, I really don’t know what that identity is. What is it? Is it a team that spreads the field vertically? Is it a team that spreads it across the line of scrimmage with long throws across the line? Is it a pounding team that wants to establish the run first? On defense, is it an aggressive team that will take mistakes while going for the big play? Is it a bend but don’t break defense, kind of waiting for the offense to make a mistake? Is it a team based around it’s secondary, it’s front seven or maybe it’s Dline? Answer these questions. If you can, you are a better man than me. Regardless of how few of his recruits he has in there yet or what he inherited, in 1 1/2 seasons we should have answers to these questions – at least partial ones. Right now, I don’t have that at all. That’s what is scary – not the record. If I was able to plus a theory into a flow chart and was able to say, “I can see this team getting better because they want to do this and this,” I’d be happy even with a weaker record than the team has now. Unfortunately, I can’t. If there’s an identity, it’s confusion that seems to confuse his own team, and quarterback. I guess it’s his multiple offensive formations in run and pass situations, but I don’t think he knows how he even wants to use those effectively. He just seems to use them to use them.
    For a program to have success, it’s players, coaches and fans should be able to answer this question…. “Central Michigan football is.. (fill in with what their identity is),” and have most people come up with the basic trademark answer. When LeFevour was here they were a spread offense that based its success on its QB’s arms and legs. There were other aspects of the team that were good at times, but that was what CMU football was. Look at Michigan football the last couple of years. They stunk. But everyone in the nation knew what they wanted to do to be successful. If you don’t have that defined one or two points, it’s going to be tough to succeed. Why? Because as a coach you don’t even know what you stand for. Maybe Enos will mature into understanding the value of such an identity. But 1+ seasons into his tenure, he’s flat out failed in doing so. That’s what is scary.

  • Tropps

    I have two issues with your column.
    1) You call Enos a motivator and conflict your own viewpoint by showing how he has proven to be anything but a motivator.
    2) The record doesn’t mean much to me right now. It honestly doesn’t. What bothers me is I don’t know what “Central wants to be.” Even with bad teams, this should be easily defined. You should know what your team wants to be – what it’s strength is or what it wants to be. This team, I really don’t know what that identity is. What is it? Is it a team that spreads the field vertically? Is it a team that spreads it across the line of scrimmage with long throws across the line? Is it a pounding team that wants to establish the run first? On defense, is it an aggressive team that will take mistakes while going for the big play? Is it a bend but don’t break defense, kind of waiting for the offense to make a mistake? Is it a team based around it’s secondary, it’s front seven or maybe it’s Dline? Answer these questions. If you can, you are a better man than me. Regardless of how few of his recruits he has in there yet or what he inherited, in 1 1/2 seasons we should have answers to these questions – at least partial ones. Right now, I don’t have that at all. That’s what is scary – not the record. If I was able to plus a theory into a flow chart and was able to say, “I can see this team getting better because they want to do this and this,” I’d be happy even with a weaker record than the team has now. Unfortunately, I can’t. If there’s an identity, it’s confusion that seems to confuse his own team, and quarterback. I guess it’s his multiple offensive formations in run and pass situations, but I don’t think he knows how he even wants to use those effectively. He just seems to use them to use them.
    For a program to have success, it’s players, coaches and fans should be able to answer this question…. “Central Michigan football is.. (fill in with what their identity is),” and have most people come up with the basic trademark answer. When LeFevour was here they were a spread offense that based its success on its QB’s arms and legs. There were other aspects of the team that were good at times, but that was what CMU football was. Look at Michigan football the last couple of years. They stunk. But everyone in the nation knew what they wanted to do to be successful. If you don’t have that defined one or two points, it’s going to be tough to succeed. Why? Because as a coach you don’t even know what you stand for. Maybe Enos will mature into understanding the value of such an identity. But 1+ seasons into his tenure, he’s flat out failed in doing so. That’s what is scary.

  • Tropps

    One more thing to add. Regardless what happens this year, Enos will be back next season. It’s not even a question if he’ll be given a chance or not. He will be regardless what fans think. Heck, I ripped him and would still give him three years. But, right now, he’s done little to merit being around that fourth season.

  • Tropps

    One more thing to add. Regardless what happens this year, Enos will be back next season. It’s not even a question if he’ll be given a chance or not. He will be regardless what fans think. Heck, I ripped him and would still give him three years. But, right now, he’s done little to merit being around that fourth season.

  • Vince88

    Ok Matt let’s let this Saturdays HC game against Eastern be the determining factor. If we win he stays, lose he goes. That’s pretty simple. See you at the game.

    You did write a good article. Thanks.

  • Vince88

    Ok Matt let’s let this Saturdays HC game against Eastern be the determining factor. If we win he stays, lose he goes. That’s pretty simple. See you at the game.

    You did write a good article. Thanks.

  • Vince88

    Hey Matt, I just read your article “http://www.cm-life.com/2011/10/09/cmu-midseason-football-grades/” and you gave Enos a C. Lowest grade in all the categories. These two articles don’t balance…just sayin.

    The team does have lots of talent. We will see if Enos can make the best of it.

  • Vince88

    Hey Matt, I just read your article “http://www.cm-life.com/2011/10/09/cmu-midseason-football-grades/” and you gave Enos a C. Lowest grade in all the categories. These two articles don’t balance…just sayin.

    The team does have lots of talent. We will see if Enos can make the best of it.

  • Cmufan7

    Time? So, two losing seasons isn’t enough “time” for you? Give me a break… He has taken a top 25 team down to a sub-par one. Yeah, sure: he hasn’t had enough time. He’s back in the dark ages; you can’t continue trying to pound the ball down the opposing team’s throat time and time again. Especially when it isn’t working. Fire Coach Enos! It’s gonna take years to build the program back up after CMU finally wakes up and fires that idiot. Fire Enos!!

  • Cmufan7

    Time? So, two losing seasons isn’t enough “time” for you? Give me a break… He has taken a top 25 team down to a sub-par one. Yeah, sure: he hasn’t had enough time. He’s back in the dark ages; you can’t continue trying to pound the ball down the opposing team’s throat time and time again. Especially when it isn’t working. Fire Coach Enos! It’s gonna take years to build the program back up after CMU finally wakes up and fires that idiot. Fire Enos!!

  • Anonymous

    They leave for alcohol. This is not a hard thing to figure out.

  • Anonymous

    They leave for alcohol. This is not a hard thing to figure out.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_42MFPDI4SGO4OZSMUQ2VKLNGYM frmatmn2ashes

    He did a wonderful job to end the half against NC State. CMU gets the ball back with 1:16 left, two timeouts, and the ball at the 41. What does Enos call? A short pass followed by two runs in a row the end the half. We could have EASILY been in field goal range if they tried, but they didn’t. Guy has no guts and no will to win. Give Stoops a call.

  • Florenceschneider

    Matt –

    There are many points to disagree with in your column, however, what is most disturbing is the lack of basic reporting skills CM Life has traditionally prided itself on.  This paper has never been a slappy for anybody.

    Allow me to focus on two underlying points you make and how they should be examined and questioned. 

    You claim “Athletics director Dave Heeke knew it’d take time to change schemes and I’m sure he knew growing pains would come along with that.”  Why did Heeke view it necessary to change schemes, particularly offensively?  Yes, we lost some significant talent in 2009, but we returned 18 starters from a 12-2 team and Radcliff set State of Ohio high school passing records running the spread? Have you asked Heeke or Enos this question? If not, why not?

    You also claim “If you want to point fingers for Enos’ early troubles, aim them at those players leaving and Heeke’s decision to change schemes, not Enos.”  Why did “those players” leave?  CMU only had 13 seniors on its 2009 team and its 2009 recruiting class was rated tops in the MAC.  Have you spoken to any of the players that did leave to confirm why they left?  If not, why not?
    CMU won three MAC Championships in four years during the Kelly/Jones years.  Why was it necessary to make such a drastic change with Enos?  Why not keep some continuity considering how young the 2009 championship team was?  Have you asked those questions? If not, why not?

    Kelly and Jones did amazing things at CMU, seemingly both on and off the field.  Were there some serious off field issues that led Heeke to turn his back on everything CMU had accomplished since 2004 to hire Enos? 

    Dan Enos is anti-everything CMU football did between 2004 and 2009.  The reasoning behind his hiring over more accomplished candidates who were part of CMU’s championship era should be explored in-depth. 

    Be a curious reporter, not a lazy slappy.

  • Bill Caldwell 84′

     
    I really like to read what people are saying about Enos. Most of the time people are making some good comments.  My turn!!  The mistakes Enos has made calling plays, and with time management shouldn’t happen to a school that had a winning football program two years ago. When you carry over a winning offensive line from the previous year and you are 3-9 that is unacceptable. I think anybody would have been happy with a .500 season last year. But 3-9 record after being 12-2 is not good!  I see so many of the same mistakes 2011that I saw 2010!!
       The only way Enos should stay in this job is if he posts a winning season! Unfortunately, Heeke has the Spartan connection, and I have a sinking feeling Enos will be with CMU for another year for sure.

  • CE

    I think you have to look at Heeke as well (as others have stated).  Did he have a “sweetheart deal” with MSU (next step up)?  Talk to the players parents, that’s where you’ll get the real scoop.  Why would you give a guy with no head coaching experience that kind of contract.  He should have gotten two years max, with notable improvement in the second year.  We got neither!  Dump his green & white posterior!

  • Central ’87

    Sorry, but the program had been built and established with tremendous success under Kelly and Jones.  In no way do you give a guy the chance to dismantle that program when he does not have the resume to support making such a big change.  What is Enos’ program going to deliver to Central that the Kelly/Jones program did not deliver?  Heeke already has stated our budget is too small to jump BCS, so if we are not moving conferences then how does Enos’ change make Central’s football program better?  Were we not 12-2 the year before he arrived?  Were we not MAC champs in recent years?  Enos was handed the keys to the family hauler and the best he could do was keep it out of the ditch.  Well, meet the ditch.

    If Central wants to remain the top program in the MAC then they need to make decisions fitting of the mantle.  Otherwise, let’s wait a few years and see what he does.  Let’s wait a few years and HOPE he does not screw it up.  Or we can take decisive action now and restore the winning ways.  Solich came to Ohio and enjoys being out of the Nebraska caldron…maybe Stoops or Rodriguez would like less pressure and more fun building a program and chasing the big guys.  A position coach from State should not be leading this program…not after it accomplished so much.

    Sorry, not buying the premise of the column.

  • Bill Caldwell 84′

    CE,
      I was told by a former CMU Football player on the plane ride home back to Ca. that Heeke has Enos because of the Spartan connection.

  • Tropps

    I will support CMU to a point here. Teams make changes all the time in philosophy. What Central did isn’t anything new. And it’s probably more likely to occur at the MAC level because, let’s face it, these programs aren’t the most attractive programs in the nation. Minus the Herb Deromedis of the world, these are stepping stones. Sometimes the best coaching solution means change within the program. And if they felt Enos was the best decision at the time, then change was probably needed. One can question if he was the best decision, of course, but what CMU did wasn’t that radical.

  • Keith Frye

    We need a CENTRAL man as a head coach. Enos might be a good person but he is way over his head as a head coach. I want to start by saying what about Reggie Mitchell as head coach. He is a CMU grad and one of the best running backs that CMU had. Last time I seen Reggie I believe he was running backs coach at MSU. But he is a CMU man!