By Staff
Paul Finebaum
Franklin County Times
Monday should have been a wonderful day for a legendary head football coach.
Bobby Bowden should have walked up to the podium, called it a career while embracing his successor, Jimbo Fisher.
Everyone should have been happy. Instead, it feels like another bad Bowden bungle. But lately, bad would be the appropriate word to describe most everything connected with FSU football.
Imagine if Bowden had done the right thing. The next few weeks would be filled with tributes. Instead, Bowden took yet another bizarre turn in a
Hall of Fame career gone bad, and opted for a self-serving farewell tour with no clear finish line.
Oh, give FSU officials credit for at least having a plan – something that has not been in evidence over these past few years as one of the most lovable characters in college football history has done his best to torch most of the goodwill and respect he has earned during a storied career.
Frankly, nothing good can come from putting off the inevitable. Bowden will simply continue to get in the way of forward progress at FSU and Fisher will grow increasingly frustrated until he can put his complete and total imprint on this program. And what happens if the offense under Fisher continues to sputter? Fans will be down on him before he even officially moves up.
I bought the argument several years ago that Bowden had earned the right to set the terms of his retirement. But that's when he was barely 70. Now, he's knocking on the door of 80 and this once-proud program can't be identified even with DNA samples.
The hiring of Fisher – who tutored under Terry Bowden, Nick Saban, Les
Miles and now Daddy Bowden – is a slick move. He's bright and innovative and has a chance to breathe new life into a decaying program. However, this program doesn't need an understudy for a year or two or who knows how long.
It needs a change at the top right now. Last year. Make it five years ago.
And while this is better than having no answer, it's still not very satisfactory and simply avoiding the most pressing point – that Bobby Bowden needs to go.
This year was billed as Bowden's last hurrah. He brought in some new faces and some old ones as well. Bowden had everyone convinced the good times were back.
And you know something – people bought it because Bowden was selling.
Nobody had the Seminoles winning it all but they were placed inside most people's top 20 with a chance to make some serious noise. Instead, it was another lackluster 7-5 season (which followed an equally lackluster 7-6 season in 2005). That's 11 losses in two seasons. And it could still be 12 with a bowl game (FSU is a slight underdog to Kentucky).
From 1992 through the 2000 season, Bowden lost the same number of games as he has the past two seasons alone.
This ignominious season included a 45-12 beat down by Florida – the fourth straight for the Gators in the series. Remember a time when Gator fans actually feared Bowden?
For a man who used to make a living appearing in national championship games, Bowden has broken double digits in wins only once in the last seven years.
However, Bowden is hanging on for dear life, not because he really wants to, according to friends. He simply does not want Joe Paterno to end his career with more wins.
Right now, Bowden has 373 wins, two more than the 80-year-old Paterno.
So the beat goes on for the FSU program, apparently being held hostage while Bowden and Paterno battle in college football's home version of
"Grumpy Old Men."
Meanwhile, FSU has put a Band-Aid on the problem of who is going to replace
Bowden but not when he is going to be replaced.
Sure, it would be a wonderful sentimental story if Bowden has Florida State playing in a BCS game a year from today.
But it's not going to happen. Instead, FSU is going to remain a punching bag and a punch line. And they have only Bobby Bowden's stubbornness and refusal to let go to blame.
Paul Finebaum is a guest columnist for The Franklin County Times. He can be reached via e-mail at finebaumnet@yahoo.com.