Chuckin' Em Under the Bus
This has been making the rounds of the local blogs already, but it's still just so juicy that I can't resist posting it here as well.
It's a Q&A that former N.C. State head coach/current FSU linebackers coach Chuck Amato had with Bob Thomas of the Florida Times-Union. There are a lot of sayings and phrases that many who followed Amato during his Raleigh tenure will find familiar. But the quote that really stood out comes lower in the article, when Amato talks about last seaon .
... knew what the problem was last year, and it's not my style to do something in the middle of the season because I learned it from him [Bowden] because it would only make the problem worse. The future was just getting ready to go ...
Hmm, let's try to figure out who or what Chuck's referring to here, shall we?
The "problem" last year for State was pretty clearly its offense. So that narrows things down. The running backs weren't the problem. And it's not like Chuck's ever hesitated switching QBs or other positions in and out. So it seems pretty clear that Amato's referring to former State offensive coordinator Marc Trestman.
He really seems to reinforce that when he refers to learning from Bowden about how such a "problem" should be handled. Despite all the heat Bowden got for having his son, Jeff, as the OC the last few seasons, Bowden never made a mid-season change.
Not to kick a man when he's already been canned, but this little quote may shed some light on why Amato had a reputation as a coach who was hard to work under. Amato had three options on how to handle this subject.
1) Come right and say, "Marc Trestman didn't get the job done as our offensive coordinator, and ultimately that led to my being fired." Not very nice, but at least it's up front and honest.
2) Not bring up Trestman because hey, Amato was the one that hired him. Blaming one of your assistants for your demise kinda sounds like passing the blame off, doesn't it?
3) Don't directly bring up Trestman's name so you don't cause a big controversy, but do enough insinuation so that people can be pretty sure that's who you're referring to.
That's the least admirable option here, but unfortunately, it's the one that Amato chose.
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