Jeff Bowden Must Go!

I am mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore. As an FSU fan I would say I have been more patient than most as it pertains to our new found mediocrity. The defense is still elite, and it always has been. The talent level is still elite, it always has been too. Through some miracle of modern science, the recruiting has not even fallen off; FSU still has top 5 recruiting classes every single year. Yet, now we lose 5 games every year. How can this be you ask? I am sure most of you already know, but for those who don't I will enlighten you. After FSU won their 2nd national championship in 1999, offensive coordinator Mark Richt (The best offensive coordinator in all of college football at the time) was offered and accepted the head coaching job at the University of Georgia. Can't blame him for taking that job. Upon Richt leaving, Bobby Bowden appointed his son, Jeff Bowden as the new offensive coordinator. This made little sense to most as FSU could have their pick of just about any offensive coordinator in all of America. But, there was something to be said for hiring from within, and he was a Bowden. Up until this point the Bowden's had done quite well with Terry and Tommy being head coaches at major winning programs. At the end of the day, like everything else regarding FSU football, it was Bobby's call.

Immediately the offensive numbers fell through the floor. They have continued falling each subsequent year including a number of record lows in 2005. The play calling, once innovative for it's shotgun spread offense and fun and gun style, was now a generic run, run, throw offense. FSU fans picked up on this almost immediately and started calling for Jeff to be fired around 2002. Each year Bobby assured everyone that we had other issues and Jeff was not the problem. Well 2006 rolled around and we now had a stud senior running back, a returning up and coming quarterback and a much improved offensive line. In other words, no more excuses. The Miami game was sloppy, but the 2nd half showed promise as FSU escaped the Orange Bowl with a victory. It has been all downhill from there though. A tight win over an average Troy and an ugly loss to Clemson and FSU is right back in the same pattern of not being able to move the ball. To the point that they are on pace to break those record low numbers from last year.

Enough is enough. FSU has elite caliber athletes on offense that schools like Boise State and Texas Tech could only dream of having, but we can't move the ball against teams like Troy and the Citadel. Jeff Bowden is the problem and only Bobby Bowden can be the solution. Bobby Bowden is a living legend and no one, and I mean no one can tell him what to do. Only he can fire his son Jeff as offensive coordinator. The AD, the school president, even Jeb Bush do not have that kind of authority. Ain't nepotism grand? Yet Bobby continues to bury his head in the sand and convince himself nothing is wrong. If he won't fire Jeff now he never will and I have officially hit the point where if Bobby won't fire his son, then maybe he needs to follow him right out the door. I never thought I would ever be in favor of running Bobby Bowden out at FSU but it is rapidly getting to that point. In my mind it is real simple, Jeff needs to go, and if Bobby won't do it then Jeff and Bobby need to go. I love Bobby Bowden and would hate to see him go, but it has come to that. It isn't like FSU couldn't go out and hire anyone they wanted anyways, as FSU is a top 5 football job in the nation. I wonder if Mark Richt still has a house in Tallahassee.