Manny Diaz Comments on Chuck Amato

Couple quick comments from the Dennis Burton written article at The Technician.

On how much credit or blame a coach deserves for the success or failure of a program:

“I think a coach deserves a ton of credit if he builds a program. You look at N.C. State six years ago when we came there. Outside of Raleigh and maybe the ACC, nobody knew about N.C. State. It’s all about relevance to me. Six years ago N.C. State was not relevant nationally. But now, the program is nationally known. We used to have to explain to recruits where N.C. State was, and now they know. Now N.C. State’s on the map. But no one wins every game, and you can’t expect to. The number one thing about what Amato has done there is that N.C. State football is now relevant.”

On the fan base’s unhappiness and criticism of the football program under Amato:

“I don’t think the fan base as a whole is unhappy. The part of the fan base that’s unhappy is just a small minority. It’s a squeaky wheel type of thing. It’s a small voice that’s reacting to what they read in The News and Observer or on other media outlets about the coaching situation.”

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

'06 Football Chuck Amato General

82 Responses to Manny Diaz Comments on Chuck Amato

  1. Sam92 09/27/2006 at 10:36 AM #

    at least he didn’t say “lunatic fringe”

  2. class of 74 09/27/2006 at 10:52 AM #

    Amato is a great defensive coach based on history here and at FSU. It’s the other side of the ball where he is woefully weak, again based on history here in Raleigh.

  3. BJD95 09/27/2006 at 10:56 AM #

    I have to disagree here (about disgruntled faction being a tiny minority). And another part of the problem is that some of the people who are unhappy are big donors (a problem that Sendek did NOT have).

    Amato DID make NC State nationally relevant again. But are we nationally relevant STILL? In any way that is not negative?

  4. Wulfpack 09/27/2006 at 11:00 AM #

    Yea I disagree about that as well. I know and speak to many State fans regularly, a few of which happen to be donors, and I can say with certainty that none of them are happy with the current situation.

  5. packpigskinfan23 09/27/2006 at 11:09 AM #

    you guys are right, and I disagree as well… its more then just a small part of the fan base. I dont know if I would say 50%… but close to it. BUT I do think this is a good point- A lot of the noise over the hot seat of Chuck Amato come from a”voice that’s reacting to what they read in The News and Observer or on other media outlets about the coaching situation.â€?

  6. BoKnowsNCS71 09/27/2006 at 11:11 AM #

    Manny nailed it. Who better to speak but a player.

    I like the old 10 – 80 -10 rule. 10% of the people think Chuck is taking the program in the right direction no matter what. 10% will think he is not — no matter what. The remaining 80% fluctuate based on wins and losses, articles in the media, etc but for the most part when we win — they think Chuck is great and when we lose they tend to get critical.

    I’m a donor. I have seats. I go to the games. The support from the fans near me is good.

  7. packpigskinfan23 09/27/2006 at 11:12 AM #

    in some ways I can see why Amato/Fowler hate the internet. It makes it seem as if there is not just a pond, but a LAKE full of fish ready to fry THEM. There are many who feel diffrent. I will take a middle stance on Amato… but Fowlup on the other hand…. i dunno.

  8. Rick 09/27/2006 at 11:22 AM #

    “And another part of the problem is that some of the people who are unhappy are big donors (a problem that Sendek did NOT have).”

    I had this conversation with someone recently. Sendek knew how to worm his way in with the big dogs. I mean saving a chair for Wendel Murphy’s dead mother. Come on.
    Chuck either is not good at it or does nor care.

  9. packpigskinfan23 09/27/2006 at 11:26 AM #

    is the fact he dosnt care a bad thing? I hate nothing worse then a liar and an ass kisser.

  10. sdail 09/27/2006 at 11:28 AM #

    Manny’s observation about the fans holds no water with folks who actually sit in the stands. Even the most diehard fans (those who would never boo) are very unhappy with the way Chuck is handling the team. Even after the great win on Saturday, folks are upset at the lack of discipline and the apparent inability to evaluate the talent (Stone vs. Evans)…

  11. BJD95 09/27/2006 at 11:30 AM #

    I like that Amato is a poor ass-kisser, in that it makes it more likely for him to be fired for performance, or forced out (IF necessary).

    But at the same time, it’s not smart (nor right) for Amato to be as brash with the big donors as he is.

  12. packpigskinfan23 09/27/2006 at 11:33 AM #

    ^true

  13. choppack1 09/27/2006 at 11:46 AM #

    Not being an asskisser is good, but not treating the donors w/ respect is bad. Like it or not, donors – especially big-time donors – pay his salary. One thing a lot of coaches don’t understand is that ultimately, they are in a service industry. Being such, they need customer service skills. I, as the paying customer, don’t want to be talked down to. The Southern Miss game was like me ordering a medium rare steak, and getting a steak burned to a crisp. OTOH, the BC game was to my liking. The first thing any coach should do in a press conference after a horrible game is apologize to the fans for screwing up their steak.

    Regarding putting NC State on the map – I think that there’s a certain grain of truth to that. However, before Chuck arrived, we beat a very good FSU team (one that would eventually play for the national championship) and won at Texas. In addtion, we beat Syracuse in 2 high-profile games. I think these games raised awareness. I think Chuck – to his credit – has raised that awareness level significantly.

  14. PackBacker001 09/27/2006 at 11:51 AM #

    “Six years ago N.C. State was not relevant nationally. But now, the program is nationally known.”

    I have to agree with that statement. The last several weeks we’ve been ridiculed constantly on national media regarding CTC’s comments about non-qualifiers. We even made ESPN’s Bottom 10 (#5) for it. Everyone’s heard about N.C. State now.

  15. WolfpackMan 09/27/2006 at 11:51 AM #

    The way to evaluate a program’s direction is to break it down in parts: coaching staff and transition, recruiting (talent and character), conference wins, non-conference wins against quality opponents, records in last three years, bowl level appearances, penalties, coaching decision-making from sidelines, clock management….Put yourself in Fowler’s slot and evaluate and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to come up with a conclusion that the program is NOT pointed in the right direction for the entire body of work….Saturday’s win was Amato’s first conference victory at Carter-Finley in eight games…Last 26 games, 13-13…..500…….Wolfpack’s offensive line has been lacking for three years…..Overall: Not a fundamentally sound football team which can consistently be successful…24-25 overall conference record is not acceptable to a fan base which has built one of the top facilities in the nation….Now, if the team suddenly makes a run at this year’s title, that turns the tables on the overall body of work….Team needs someone who can teach basic fundamental football techniques and build confidence and motivation (Cowher?)….

  16. 66pack 09/27/2006 at 11:55 AM #

    was not amato associate head coach at fsu? he was not the def cord.

  17. packbackr04 09/27/2006 at 11:59 AM #

    I would argue that if chuck put us on the map, then Phillip Rivers carried his italian butt piggy-back to the corner of the room where the map of the USA was and then all but held his hand while he put the pin on Raleigh with a red NC STATE pin! PR masked alot of the inadequacies that Chuck and his staff had and currnetly have.

  18. PackBacker001 09/27/2006 at 11:59 AM #

    Regarding my previous comment, I should add that I still support CTC and think we still have a shot at national prominence. However, it really does depend on whether the coaching staff can pull it together. Penalties, bad play calling, poor media relations…you guys have herad it all on here before. That must be remedied soon or it will be time to lay the blame solely on the coaching staff.

  19. class of 74 09/27/2006 at 12:01 PM #

    Manny has no clue as to what level of support exists for or against Amato. His view is relevant only as a former employee of Chuck’s, so I’ll accept his point of view is most of the former employees of Amato still support him.

    As to what level of discontent exists well, remember UNC or Clemson last year? And how about Akron or USM this year? I’d say it’s greater than 10% and less than 50% right now for the discontent group but anything can happen as evidenced by Saturday night’s game. It could build to well over 50% by years end or it could fall back to 10% but one thing is for certain, Chuck has opened the door for many doubters.

  20. packbackr04 09/27/2006 at 12:02 PM #

    not to start a riot on this thread, but PR could have made John Bunting look like Jim Tressel… not physically of coure

  21. Delete-Me 09/27/2006 at 12:33 PM #

    As long as Chuck beats UNC, this will all go away.

    BJD95^^ “And another part of the problem is that some of the people who are unhappy are big donors (a problem that Sendek did NOT have).”

    Do we really care what the BIG donors think? If it was up to them, we’d still have Sendek.

  22. WTNY 09/27/2006 at 12:37 PM #

    All the coaches that came in in 2000 and 2001 — their programs are hitting the adolescent stage. It’s the awkward teenage years of the program. You look at Clemson whose coaching staff was hired one year before Amato’s first year at N.C. State. A few years ago they were done and people said that program was dead in the water. Then they beat Florida State and rallied. And now their program is strong. But someone is going to flinch in the ACC, and when they do, whoever it is, is going to set their program back.

    We’ve all seen it happen — a coaching change that does not move a program ahead and in many cases sets a program back.

    It’s fun and games to dream of a coaching change being the fix-all. However, there are many ramifications of a change and they must be rationally considered.

  23. joe 09/27/2006 at 12:38 PM #

    Like it or not, the big donors have a lot of power.

    I remember thinking saving a chair for Wendell Murphy’s mother was way over the top. But I guess it showed how tight Sendek was with those big dogs.

  24. BJD95 09/27/2006 at 12:44 PM #

    It would be downright foolish not to think that the big donors have a significant impact. I may not always (or even usually) agree with their perspective, but they have put their money where their mouths are. And you can’t do much in modern college athletics without the big donors.

    In addition to being a former employee, I have also heard (from different people) that Diaz’ father had (has?) some business dealings with Chuck Amato. Factor that into your analysis, as well.

  25. redfred2 09/27/2006 at 12:45 PM #

    I would much rather have a coach who makes as ass of himself more often than not, but makes a definite statement irregardless of what the freakin media says about him. That would in direct contrast to a head coach that never says a thing and winds up totally kissing the ass of said media every time.

    As far as Philip Rivers goes, he set the stage and won the games. A combination of Philip Rivers’ talent and Chuck Amato’s personality got the ball roling, the excitement started, and the program up off of the ground for Chuck Amato. But from that point forward, Chuck Amato took over and became the name and the face that the NC State football program is now known for.

    Players are coming because of Chuck Amato, not because P Rivers once played here.

Leave a Reply