One of the recurring patterns I have seen through this entire run of misery is that every coach we hire seems to have one assistant who immediately becomes the scapegoat, rightly or wrongly. Perhaps more often than not, rightly. We also see that the head coach's loyalty to said assistant then becomes an issue itself.
Except that after the scapegoats are sent away into the wild many of the shameful performances remain or escalate! "Curses" are the result of emotionally-driven decisions. Solich himself was a scapegoat. Since then it's been one unfavorable decision after another. Once could argue quite irrational in nature. Each replacement was to be the cure for the previous when it's better to focus on a fit.
Every incompetent leader needs their scapegoats. Same is true for organizations. It has much to do with the selections, who's making them and what the options are involving mutual interest.
It's not the intent to pick on you. Rightfully deserved responsibility for failing isn't scapegoating. That's just a failure to perform one's duties. I understand what you're getting at though.
Mark Banker was scapegoated (To and extent). His being cast away into the wilderness resulted in even worse performances by his successor. You know what they say about karma...
Callahan cure to Solich
Pelini cure to Callahan
Riley cure to Pelini
Frost cure to Riley
I really believe that Trev Alberts was aiming for the right fit and not an antidote.
Neither Rhule, Satterfield or any other person will remedy the mistakes of the past and I think this sort of thinking has been (part) of our problem. The future is NOW and we can't get caught up in what's happened however heartbreaking the experiences have been.
Sometimes competent people error, too. Whether that's Rhule in Satterfield or the choosing of a quarterback. There are miscues and missteps, oversights. Then there are patterns of poor decision making. Intent and integrity matter. The employee that corrects themselves isn't a liability but an asset. It's wise that we exercise patience before arriving at premature conclusions.
Time will tell if Matt Rhule is a "goat" or not. Coaching gigs aren't as simple as we might like to think.
