Rhule: Substance, credibility over talk

Comcast's feed was better than the one broadcast on Temple's YouTube channel.

The last thing Steve Addazio said a  couple of days before walking out the door was that this off-season "would not be a box of chocolates" and "would be a rough deal" for the players and that "they would work harder than any team in the history of Temple University."
The last two weeks have more like a box of chocolates than a rough deal.

Life is like a box of chocolates for BC fans now.
They have no idea of what kind of run play they are
going to get.

The comment about working harder than any team in the history of the school was an insult to Al Golden and Matt Rhule and every one of the guys who played for them and practiced outside in a couple feet of snow those first few years. It was an insult to guys who practiced on a rock-strewn field for Bruce Arians (now the Student Pavilion). It was an insult to Wayne Hardin's guys who had their chin straps stolen by neighborhood thugs in the 1970s when practicing at 16th and Norris. Addazio didn't know what went on then. He couldn't have.
Yet he talked. He liked talking.
By now, though, we know that Addazio was mostly talk, little substance.
On this day two years ago, Daz said "make Temple a destination school" and "don't be passing through" yet he passed through quicker than any of his players and rented a home.
Yesterday was Matt Rhule's day and he was a little talk, but heavy on substance.
The new head football coach at Temple University did not drop any "box of chocolates" line on his first day, but you knew from listening to him that he didn't have to.
That box of chocolates is all eaten now and the Owls will get back to work, Rhule-style.
My guess if it ever snows again the players will be out there working out in it.
Rhule still owns the home he will move right back into soon.

'Twelve of those said Temple was their dream job and seven of them were interviewing for other jobs at the time and couldn't make it to our scheduled interview'
_Bill Bradshaw

Actions speak louder than words, yet Rhule had his say after Bill Bradshaw dropped the funniest line of the day: "The interest in our head-coaching position was overwhelming, diverse and national in scope. We had 119 serious applicants and narrowed it down to 36 potential candidates, 12 of those said Temple was their dream job and seven of them were interviewing for other jobs at the time and couldn't make it to our scheduled interview. Four of those needed a GPS or an on-star to get from the airport to campus, so we eliminated them as well."
Bradshaw then said Rhule "was an Acre of Diamond in our own backyard."
Good Russell Conwell stuff, but there was more.
Just as Al Golden did seven years ago, Rhule referenced Russell Conwell in his remarks.
As far as I  know, Addazio still doesn't know who Russell Conwell is because I was not able to remember a single quote  from Daz about the founder of Temple University and his unique story.
Rhule did not address who his assistants will be or what kind of offense he will be running. Hopefully, TEMPLE will go back on at least half the helmet because that kind of branding was important to Golden. We'll find out that nuts and bolts stuff soon enough. More importantly, he addressed larger issues like trust and commitment.
For a group of kids who have been abandoned twice in three years, that's what they needed to hear.
If the larger university community came away with a sense that this was a young man who said what he believed and believed what he said, the first day was a big success.
The empty box of chocolates has been shipped to Boston.

Got a winner in town

Philadelphia fans have got a winner in town and it isn't the Eagles.

'God, you've got to love the grit, I don't care who you are, you've got to love the grit of Philadelphia and the grit in this team. It's just about a damn gritty team that wants to compete and that isn't intimated. I wouldn't trade that team for any other.'
_ Steve Addazio

My guess is if you can use one word to describe Philadelphia Eagles' fans right now it's exasperation.
I know.
I'm one of them.
After watching Michael Vick commit two of his 13 turnovers for the season in a 26-23  loss to Detroit on Sunday, I'm done with any emotional investment in that team. Vick keeps turning it over and seemingly without repercussions.
Fortunately, I have another team to root for who practices four miles north of Lincoln Financial Field and plays in the same stadium.
The Temple Owls.
Unlike the Eagles, the Owls have a winning record (3-2) so, to borrow a quote from former Eagles' coach Buddy Ryan, you've now got a winner in town.

Like the Eagles and Michael Vick, the Owls also have a left-handed quarterback (Chris Coyer).
Unlike Vick, Coyer rarely turns the ball over and is tough as the team that plays around him.
Coyer, the New Mexico Bowl MVP, hit a game-tying pass to Jalen Fitzpatrick with 16 seconds left in regulation that was a thing of beauty at UConn last week. Without a doubt, it was the most clutch throw I've ever seen a Temple quarterback make and I've seen 30 years of clutch throws as a season ticket-holder. With a big-time rush coming at him, Coyer made a throw completely across the field and into Fitzpatrick's breadbasket.

You can get Sixers tickets for 9 cents and TU-Pitt tickets
for $9 but RU-TU seats are a hot item at $40 apiece.

Temple won it in overtime, 17-14, when Brandon McManus, who head coach Steve Addazio calls "the best kicker in the country" nailed a 29-yard field goal straight down the middle.
While the Eagles' defense showed an alarming lack of toughness by allowing a 10-point lead with five minutes left to vanish on Sunday, the Temple defense on Saturday showed a Navy Seal-like toughness in overtime, forcing UConn to a three-point attempt that missed.
The Eagles had to fire their defensive coordinator, Juan Castillo, today and borrowed some Temple TUFF in his replacement, former Owl Todd Bowles.
Temple TUFF, with the spelling of "tough" changed to suit the school's first two initials.
While Andy Reid's post-game press conferences are full of "we've got to do a better job" for about the umpteenth time, Temple head coach Steve Addazio has adopted the Philly mindset and wears his heart on his sleeve just like Philly fans do.

Todd Bowles representing TU.

"God, you've got to love the grit, I don't care who you are, you've got to love the grit of Philadelphia and the grit in this team," Addazio said. "It's just about a damn gritty team that wants to compete and that isn't intimated. I wouldn't trade that team for any other."
I wish I could say the same thing about the Philadelphia Eagles. I can't.
There's a winner in town and it isn't the Eagles. Hopefully, soon the rest of Philly will support it like they do the exasperating other tenants of the stadium.

Tomorrow: TU-RU by the numbers 
Thursday: Throwback Thursday with TU/RU theme