Cowboys New DL Coach Brian Baker: "We’ll Turn It Around Pretty Quick"

[sbk92]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2011...-brian-baker-well-turn-it-around-pretty-quick


Multiple sources are reporting that the Cowboys hired Brian Baker to be the defensive line coach. The only thing missing is the official announcement from Valley Ranch.

Yesterday, Baker told Darin Gantt from the Rock Hill Herald that part of the reason he decided to accept the Cowboys’ offer was that he felt the Cowboys have all the pieces in place to win.

"They’ve got a quarterback in place, and all the pieces you need to win," Baker said. "I don’t think the world was out of whack saying ‘Whoa, that group should have won last year.’ I think last year was the anomaly, and that we’ll turn it around pretty quick."

Baker's hiring comes not a moment too soon, as the Cowboys have some important decisions to make on the future of the defensive line. Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher are all set to become free agents, and question marks surround Igor Olshansky’s future in Dallas. Baker will help make those decisions as the team prepares for the start of the scouting combine in three weeks - and perhaps the start of free agency sometime thereafter.

Baker had been an assistant at North Carolina for barely a month when the Cowboys job was offered last week. Baker told the Rock Hill Herald on Tuesday that the Cowboys' offer was simply too much to turn down.

"It was a huge difference ... I mean huge."

Strangely enough, Baker never signed a contract with UNC, according to a school spokesman. His predecessor at UNC had a base salary of $240,000 and it’s not hard to imagine that the Cowboys easily topped that.

In a story about Baker’s hire on the Tar Heels website, UNC Head Coach Butch Davis describes Baker as one of the top defensive line coaches in the NFL. Former Tar Heel Julius Peppers, who played for Baker in Carolina, also found some positive words for Baker:

"I learned a lot from him and I believe I improved as a player as a result of being coached by him… I know the players will benefit from his influence and guidance both on and off the football field."

According to the Panthers media department, Baker was extremely popular among Panthers players, who responded well to his enthusiastic and animated style of coaching. The DMN's David Moore describes him as a "high-energy assistant".

At the end of the day, though, it was the star that brought Baker to Dallas:

"I mean, it’s Dallas," Baker said. "The thing that made me entertain the offer after such a short time with North Carolina was who it was from. The Cowboys are a special franchise. … I’ve talked to a lot of people who respond like, ‘You’re crazy for thinking about not taking it.’"

Baker has 15 years of NFL coaching experience, with stops in San Diego, Detroit and Minnesota in addition to the last two years on the Panthers staff. Baker made his NFL coaching debut as defensive line coach for the San Diego Chargers in 1996 after working on the college level for 12 years.

If you want a better feel for what Coach Baker is like, here's a video of Baker answering some reporter questions:

[video=youtube;_PuXlyUn8yg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PuXlyUn8yg&feature=player_embedded[/video]

 

[Midswat]

The Cowboys are a special franchise

I'm not sure I like the idea of our new assistant calling us retarded.

 

[Cr122]

Excellent, we need a hard ass coach like Baker.

 

[sbk92]

This was been floating around the boards. It originated from a NC Tarheel forum.....


Morally & Ethically Wrong

Now that it’s official, I’ve got no problem calling this move by Baker morally and ethically WRONG. And this is not sour grapes. In fact, it’s not about us at all. It’s about the coaching culture and our society. I don’t care if he was offered a job coaching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. It’s not ok to even entertain an offer, no matter how enticing, once you’ve made a written or oral commitment to another.

It’s really disappointing to repeatedly witness decisions like this made by college coaches, pro coaches, and men in general. We, as men, are supposed to be setting a good example for our own kids and for the kids of others. We’re supposed to be teaching them about being men and women. How many times have we heard our players and those on other teams talk about a coach being like a second father or like the father they never had? How can we expect our student-athletes to make sound responsible decisions during their four or five-year college careers when their coaches are placing career and money above ethics? How can we possibly expect seventeen and eighteen-year-old kids to honor their verbal commitments when they see adult men ignoring similar commitments daily?

Boy would it have been refreshing to see Baker come out and say that he is turning down a prestigious pro job and Jerry Jones’ money because honoring a prior commitment is the right thing to do. I can guarantee that our student-athletes would have taken notice. Our society would have taken notice.

 

[NoShame]

Morally & Ethically Wrong

Now that it’s official, I’ve got no problem calling this move by Baker morally and ethically WRONG. And this is not sour grapes. In fact, it’s not about us at all. It’s about the coaching culture and our society. I don’t care if he was offered a job coaching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. It’s not ok to even entertain an offer, no matter how enticing, once you’ve made a written or oral commitment to another.

It’s really disappointing to repeatedly witness decisions like this made by college coaches, pro coaches, and men in general. We, as men, are supposed to be setting a good example for our own kids and for the kids of others. We’re supposed to be teaching them about being men and women. How many times have we heard our players and those on other teams talk about a coach being like a second father or like the father they never had? How can we expect our student-athletes to make sound responsible decisions during their four or five-year college careers when their coaches are placing career and money above ethics? How can we possibly expect seventeen and eighteen-year-old kids to honor their verbal commitments when they see adult men ignoring similar commitments daily?

Boy would it have been refreshing to see Baker come out and say that he is turning down a prestigious pro job and Jerry Jones’ money because honoring a prior commitment is the right thing to do. I can guarantee that our student-athletes would have taken notice. Our society would have taken notice.

Nope. Money talks, jackass. Nobody cares.

 

[Midswat]

Great.

Not only does Baker think the Cowboys are retarded, but he lacks morals and ethics too.

Worst. Hire. Ever.

 

[sbk92]

Nope. Money talks, jackass. Nobody cares.

I see both sides to it.

It's kind of insulting to leave after one month for another DL job.

On the other hand, everybody's got a right to take a better job. At least a better job in their mind. I may take a job today, that doesn't mean I wouldn't take an unexpected promotion from another company a few weeks from now. He didn't go into the North Carolina job with these intentions.

I don't really think Baker has to apologize for it, but I do understand why NC fans feel disrespected.

It's another Lane Kiffin situation to me.

 

[LAZARUS_LOGAN]

This was been floating around the boards. It originated from a NC Tarheel forum.....


Morally & Ethically Wrong

Now that it’s official, I’ve got no problem calling this move by Baker morally and ethically WRONG. And this is not sour grapes. In fact, it’s not about us at all. It’s about the coaching culture and our society. I don’t care if he was offered a job coaching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. It’s not ok to even entertain an offer, no matter how enticing, once you’ve made a written or oral commitment to another.

It’s really disappointing to repeatedly witness decisions like this made by college coaches, pro coaches, and men in general. We, as men, are supposed to be setting a good example for our own kids and for the kids of others. We’re supposed to be teaching them about being men and women. How many times have we heard our players and those on other teams talk about a coach being like a second father or like the father they never had? How can we expect our student-athletes to make sound responsible decisions during their four or five-year college careers when their coaches are placing career and money above ethics? How can we possibly expect seventeen and eighteen-year-old kids to honor their verbal commitments when they see adult men ignoring similar commitments daily?

Boy would it have been refreshing to see Baker come out and say that he is turning down a prestigious pro job and Jerry Jones’ money because honoring a prior commitment is the right thing to do. I can guarantee that our student-athletes would have taken notice. Our society would have taken notice.

He didn't sign a contract. And nobody is going to fault him for taking the same position in the NFL over the collegiate, especially for a team like the Cowboys.

 

[NoShame]

I see both sides to it.

It's kind of insulting to leave after one month for another DL job.

On the other hand, everybody's got a right to take a better job. At least a better job in their mind. I may take a job today, that doesn't mean I wouldn't take an unexpected promotion from another company a few weeks from now. He didn't go into the North Carolina job with these intentions.

I don't really think Baker has to apologize for it, but I do understand why NC fans feel disrespected.

It's another Lane Kiffin situation to me.

You're exactly right. Its a promotion and anyone would take it given the opportunity.

I could see if he was a couple months into UNC, started helping with recruiting and doing things of that nature, then he bounced... yea ok, that would be a little ****ed up. But he wasn't even technically on staff.

This just sounds like a bitter fan.

 

[SixisBetter]

This was been floating around the boards. It originated from a NC Tarheel forum.....


Morally & Ethically Wrong

Now that it’s official, I’ve got no problem calling this move by Baker morally and ethically WRONG. And this is not sour grapes. In fact, it’s not about us at all. It’s about the coaching culture and our society. I don’t care if he was offered a job coaching the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. It’s not ok to even entertain an offer, no matter how enticing, once you’ve made a written or oral commitment to another.

It’s really disappointing to repeatedly witness decisions like this made by college coaches, pro coaches, and men in general. We, as men, are supposed to be setting a good example for our own kids and for the kids of others. We’re supposed to be teaching them about being men and women. How many times have we heard our players and those on other teams talk about a coach being like a second father or like the father they never had? How can we expect our student-athletes to make sound responsible decisions during their four or five-year college careers when their coaches are placing career and money above ethics? How can we possibly expect seventeen and eighteen-year-old kids to honor their verbal commitments when they see adult men ignoring similar commitments daily?

Boy would it have been refreshing to see Baker come out and say that he is turning down a prestigious pro job and Jerry Jones’ money because honoring a prior commitment is the right thing to do. I can guarantee that our student-athletes would have taken notice. Our society would have taken notice.

I have no problem with what Baker did,or didn't do for the Tarheels.

Seriously,when addressing morals and ethics in regards to big time college sports,this doesn't even register on the meter.

 

[Midswat]

I bet Baker even one time told a girl he loved her, just to get some tang.

Scumbag.

 

[Sheik]

I have a cousin named Tang.

 

[Midswat]

Our new defensive line coach raped Sheiks cousin.

And this is the guy we're bringing in to coach our team?

 

[Sheik]

Our new defensive line coach raped Sheiks cousin.

And this is the guy we're bringing in to coach our team?

This cousin I thought up is a little boy. For what it's worth.

 

[sbk92]

http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/...ts-dallas.html

Baker on leaving UNC: 'I mean, it's Dallas.'

Brian Baker’s dream is still to become a college head coach. That’s why leaving his college job for the NFL makes so much sense to him.

Baker, the former Carolina Panthers defensive line coach, said Tuesday he’s leaving the University of North Carolina after one month to take the same job with the Dallas Cowboys. Baker cited many reasons for the move, including the obvious financial implications.

“It was a huge difference ... I mean huge,” he said of the change in salary, since the Tar Heels job was for less than he made last year with the Panthers.

But mostly, it was about the star. “I mean, it’s Dallas,” Baker said. “The thing that made me entertain the offer after such a short time with North Carolina was who it was from. The Cowboys are a special franchise.

“I can’t worry about the perception. I’ve talked to a lot of people who respond like, ‘You’re crazy for thinking about not taking it.’ But if they were around Butch Davis, they’d understand.”

Baker said looking at a few career paths that went through Dallas made it clear to him he could still realize his eventual goal of a college head coaching job. He pointed to Davis moving through his new job to the head job at Miami, to John Blake’s time with the Cowboys leading him to Oklahoma as well as Paul Pasqualoni’s recent move from the Cowboys defensive line job to the University of Connecticut.

“The fact all those were D-line guys, that was part of it,” Baker said. “But it’s clear that Dallas is a place you can move from."

And while he was careful to say taking the Dallas job had nothing to do with his other two NFL offers (to stay with the Panthers or follow John Fox to Denver), there were other differences in the one he took.

“They’ve got a quarterback in place, and all the pieces you need to win,” Baker said. “I don’t think the world was out of whack saying ‘Whoa, that group should have won last year.’ I think last year was the anomaly, and that we’ll turn it around pretty quick.”

-- Darin Gantt

 

[sbk92]

So he apparently had an offer to go to Denver.

Good. It would make no sense for Fox not to want to keep the guy if he's truly that good.

 

[Cr122]

I done told you, I done told you.....

~money talks bitches~