FOOTBALL New DC Scott Shafer
- Thread starter RaiderDawg78
- Start date
I like it. This guy has been at some big time programs. I hope he can do a turn around here like he did as Cuse DC.
He's certainly got a mind for defense. Looks like a solid hire through and through. Syracuse hasn't exactly been lighting up the world, but that's a tough gig for anyone right now.
This is kind of out of left field, too. I thought for sure the guy was going to be Mickey Matthews..
This is kind of out of left field, too. I thought for sure the guy was going to be Mickey Matthews..
He had previous defensive coordinator stops at Michigan (2008), Stanford (2007), Western Michigan (2005-06) and Northern Illinois (2000-03). Shafer also served as defensive backs coach at WMU (2004) and NIU (1996-99) after breaking into the coaching ranks as the secondary coach at Rhode Island from 1993-95.
Interesting choice. In between 'Cuse and MT. 4 months as DC at Maryland. Quit for personal reasons. Checking with a friend ( Maryland booster) for more information.
Excerpt from 4/16 Was Post article:
Shafer had signed the most lucrative contract of any of Maryland’s new coordinators in January, a three-year deal worth $2.25 million and including $65,000 in potential bonuses. According to a memorandum of understanding obtained by The Washington Post in January, Shafer’s contract also states that he would owe Maryland half of his base salary if he were to leave the school for another job or terminate the contract within the first two years of the deal. Shafer made $1.3 million as Syracuse’s head coach last season.
Excerpt from 4/16 Was Post article:
Shafer had signed the most lucrative contract of any of Maryland’s new coordinators in January, a three-year deal worth $2.25 million and including $65,000 in potential bonuses. According to a memorandum of understanding obtained by The Washington Post in January, Shafer’s contract also states that he would owe Maryland half of his base salary if he were to leave the school for another job or terminate the contract within the first two years of the deal. Shafer made $1.3 million as Syracuse’s head coach last season.
Western Michigan
In December 2004, he was hired by Bill Cubit at Western Michigan University, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2005-2006. Western Michigan was 1-10 the year before Shafer arrived, then went 7-4 in 2005 and 8-5 in 2006. In 2006, the Broncos ranked first in the nation in interceptions (24) and sacks (46), sixth in run defense, seventh in turnover margin and 11th in total defense. The Broncos' rush defense (76.1 yards per game) in 2006 set a MAC record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. Shafer was a nominee for the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the nation.[7] He also coached two players who won the MAC West Division Player of the Week. Ammer Ismail and Dustin Duclo won the award twice in 2005 and Ismail was named to the First-Team All-MAC Defense. In 2005, his defense forced 13 fumbles and intercepted 15 passes.[4]
Stanford
Jim Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal in December 2006. As part of his coaching staff, he hired Shafer as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Harbaugh was quoted as saying Shafer being "one of the most creative and innovative defensive minds in college football."[9] While at Stanford, he was part of the Cardinal's October 6, 2007 upset of USC. The Trojans were favored in the game by 41 points but the Cardinal scored a touchdown in the final minute to win the game 24-23. The upset was considered by some to be the greatest upset in the history of college football.[20] Shafer's defense at Stanford ranked fifth in the nation with 37 sacks and posted 101 tackles for loss, which was good for 11th in the country. The numbers were the Cardinal's best since their Rose Bowl season of 1999.[6]
Michigan
Shafer was hired as the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan by new head coach Rich Rodriguez in 2008.[5] In Shafer's only season as Michigan's defensive coordinator, the team was ranked 68th in total defense, 87th in pass defense and 80th in scoring defense among all Division I teams, allowing 28.9 points per game.[21] Coach Rich Rodriguez announced on December 16, 2008 that Shafer had resigned after one season as defensive coordinator.[22]
In December 2004, he was hired by Bill Cubit at Western Michigan University, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2005-2006. Western Michigan was 1-10 the year before Shafer arrived, then went 7-4 in 2005 and 8-5 in 2006. In 2006, the Broncos ranked first in the nation in interceptions (24) and sacks (46), sixth in run defense, seventh in turnover margin and 11th in total defense. The Broncos' rush defense (76.1 yards per game) in 2006 set a MAC record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game. Shafer was a nominee for the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the nation.[7] He also coached two players who won the MAC West Division Player of the Week. Ammer Ismail and Dustin Duclo won the award twice in 2005 and Ismail was named to the First-Team All-MAC Defense. In 2005, his defense forced 13 fumbles and intercepted 15 passes.[4]
Stanford
Jim Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal in December 2006. As part of his coaching staff, he hired Shafer as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. Harbaugh was quoted as saying Shafer being "one of the most creative and innovative defensive minds in college football."[9] While at Stanford, he was part of the Cardinal's October 6, 2007 upset of USC. The Trojans were favored in the game by 41 points but the Cardinal scored a touchdown in the final minute to win the game 24-23. The upset was considered by some to be the greatest upset in the history of college football.[20] Shafer's defense at Stanford ranked fifth in the nation with 37 sacks and posted 101 tackles for loss, which was good for 11th in the country. The numbers were the Cardinal's best since their Rose Bowl season of 1999.[6]
Michigan
Shafer was hired as the defensive coordinator for the University of Michigan by new head coach Rich Rodriguez in 2008.[5] In Shafer's only season as Michigan's defensive coordinator, the team was ranked 68th in total defense, 87th in pass defense and 80th in scoring defense among all Division I teams, allowing 28.9 points per game.[21] Coach Rich Rodriguez announced on December 16, 2008 that Shafer had resigned after one season as defensive coordinator.[22]
Cool. Now go get some lineman and dbacks.
What's up with the blue pullover with the MT logo already.
What's up with the blue pullover with the MT logo already.
interesting comments at the bottom of the article
syracuse.com:
http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootb...defensive_coordinator_of_middle_tennesse.html
Shafer will return to Syracuse as defensive coordinator of Middle Tennessee
syracuse.com:
http://www.syracuse.com/orangefootb...defensive_coordinator_of_middle_tennesse.html
Shafer will return to Syracuse as defensive coordinator of Middle Tennessee
I am happy from an X's and O's standpoint. The question in my mind is can he recruit?
"We will put a physical, attacking, multiple defense on the field that will excel in fundamentals and tackling,
This has me excited. Do this and we will have something special.
This has me excited. Do this and we will have something special.
If we can do that, we will have seriously upgraded. He's had a lot more success than the guy we had so we are in a better place. Multiple D with better fundamentals = awesome.
The good thing is, things can't get much worse than they were last year with Nix. ANY hire is an upgrade at this point, but I think Stock picked a good one here. His comments on an attacking style really resonate with me. What we were doing with Nix, where we sat back in a soft zone or man and reacted to the offense, just wasn't working.
With an attacking style defense that tries to dictate the game to the offense (instead of sitting back and letting the offense dictate the terms) we should actually be able to slow down some of the high octane offenses in our league AND produce more turnovers. It's all about finding pressure with the 7 or so guys in the box and having good coverage in the secondary to back them up. I firmly believe we have the athletes to do this in our league and look forward to watching it get implemented over the offseason. Looks like we might be heading back to the days where we need a sack-o-meter in the stands because our DE's are beating the $hit out of their QBs so much. Very excited to see what Walter Brady brings to the table.
Any idea what we are paying Mr. Shaffer?
With an attacking style defense that tries to dictate the game to the offense (instead of sitting back and letting the offense dictate the terms) we should actually be able to slow down some of the high octane offenses in our league AND produce more turnovers. It's all about finding pressure with the 7 or so guys in the box and having good coverage in the secondary to back them up. I firmly believe we have the athletes to do this in our league and look forward to watching it get implemented over the offseason. Looks like we might be heading back to the days where we need a sack-o-meter in the stands because our DE's are beating the $hit out of their QBs so much. Very excited to see what Walter Brady brings to the table.
Any idea what we are paying Mr. Shaffer?
I hope Massaro has done his due diligence. Interesting that nobody's talking about why this guy abruptly resigned as Maryland's DC last April after only 4 months on the job. He had some issues with Twitter tweets while he was Syracuse's HC. Something having to do with the ATL snowstorm and he apologized after deleting his tweets.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbna...ach-calls-atlanta-softnosed-for-snowpacalypse
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbna...ach-calls-atlanta-softnosed-for-snowpacalypse
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Hopefully, our DB's won't play 10 yards off the receiver every single play.
Well, he just left a HC job and had to move again abruptly. That alone is hard on a family. His kids were in their senior years of High School and College. He was probably a tad burned out and wanted to be involved in their lives more. Coaching is a hard business.
Maybe he didn't like the culture of the program either. Given how they finished this past season, there's plenty of reasons for that to be a factor.
I'm pretty sure that Stock and Massaro grilled him about this. They know way more than we will. If he's still here after spring ball, we're good.
Maybe he didn't like the culture of the program either. Given how they finished this past season, there's plenty of reasons for that to be a factor.
I'm pretty sure that Stock and Massaro grilled him about this. They know way more than we will. If he's still here after spring ball, we're good.
Amen! I bet we'll creep up those LB's too. I'm excited about this hire. If he can take down a number 1 team with a new defense like he did at Stanford, he can get us to playing in a CUSA championship game. Nix never did half the stuff he's accomplished.
I'm excited, a little wary, but mostly excited at the prospect of an improved defense. I wonder how our next season's talent on D will be able to execute what he wants to do.
I'm excited too. He will create competion for every position which should elevate their game. Seems to be a good evaluator of talent.
this was posted by a syracuse fan on the cusa board:
Your defense will be far more than serviceable. The guy is honestly one of the best DC's in the game - at any level.
His defensive schemes are also a ton of fun to watch. They're incredibly aggressive, and they're very adaptive. You will suffocate the other team's offense by the end of the game.
He's also great w/ players, and a great human being - in general.
He didn't work at SU because he had to hire a staff very late in the year due to A) Doug Marrone's late departure and B) the fact that Doug took almost all of his old staff w/ him. And, since the staff hiring process was very last minute and on a tight budget, the only people that SS could hire were his friends from his days in the MAC. He then went to a bowl in his first year, so he couldn't really change staff.
Then weak assistant coaches impacted year 2, and he shook up the staff - especially on offense.
And graduations and new coaches settling in impacted year 3, as he was fired about halfway through the year by a new AD who didn't really give SS a shot to succeed.
However, while a DC at SU, SS instantly turned SU's defenses into a force to be reckoned w/. And, he had just started turning around the SU offense. SU's ppg rank improved by 40 spots between years 2 & 3. In fact, if you pace adjust, SS' offense was actually more effective in his last year than current Dino Baber's offense was last year.
Dino is SU's current HC, and he runs the Art Briles Baylor offense.
Also, the AD that fired SS left to be the AD at Minnesota, and the mishandling of the FB players this year happened under his watch. His judgement is very, very questionable.
That's the very long way of saying that MTSU just made an absolutely amazing hire.
Your defense will be far more than serviceable. The guy is honestly one of the best DC's in the game - at any level.
His defensive schemes are also a ton of fun to watch. They're incredibly aggressive, and they're very adaptive. You will suffocate the other team's offense by the end of the game.
He's also great w/ players, and a great human being - in general.
He didn't work at SU because he had to hire a staff very late in the year due to A) Doug Marrone's late departure and B) the fact that Doug took almost all of his old staff w/ him. And, since the staff hiring process was very last minute and on a tight budget, the only people that SS could hire were his friends from his days in the MAC. He then went to a bowl in his first year, so he couldn't really change staff.
Then weak assistant coaches impacted year 2, and he shook up the staff - especially on offense.
And graduations and new coaches settling in impacted year 3, as he was fired about halfway through the year by a new AD who didn't really give SS a shot to succeed.
However, while a DC at SU, SS instantly turned SU's defenses into a force to be reckoned w/. And, he had just started turning around the SU offense. SU's ppg rank improved by 40 spots between years 2 & 3. In fact, if you pace adjust, SS' offense was actually more effective in his last year than current Dino Baber's offense was last year.
Dino is SU's current HC, and he runs the Art Briles Baylor offense.
Also, the AD that fired SS left to be the AD at Minnesota, and the mishandling of the FB players this year happened under his watch. His judgement is very, very questionable.
That's the very long way of saying that MTSU just made an absolutely amazing hire.
