I know many felt that Detmer wasn't prepared for the role of D1 offensive coordinator. In retrospect, I agree. I feel that he possesses as much or more offensive knowledge as many who are in those roles today. However, I believe, that in the end, that's not enough to be successful. The toughest part of being an effective OC is not calling the right plays for a particular game situation, but calling plays that can be successful with the players you have, and the knowledge and level of expertise that they have, and managing the day-to-day activities of a D1 offensive team. Detmer wasn't able to do that.

I believe, that given time, Detmer would have been a successful OC. His learning curve was steep, but it was mostly about how to run an offensive organization at the D1 level. And how to work effectively with the resources you've got as you try to improve those resources over time, through both recruiting and teaching. His offensive knowledge alone wasn't nearly enough.

Grimes has 18 years of experience doing the things that Detmer was trying to learn on the fly from ground zero. That's a huge difference. And I believe we'll see the positive impact of that difference next season. I still believe Detmer is an offensive genius. But I also believe that Grimes is MUCH better prepared to be successful as a D1 OC than Detmer was, or would be, even in his 3rd year.