Dan Bickley

The Republic | azcentral.com

Arizona State’s football program wants to operate like an NFL franchise. Too bad they only resemble the Cleveland Browns.

Ray Anderson is the subject of national ridicule. Herm Edwards lost his safety net and both incumbent coordinators. The new model’s first play from scrimmage was a false start. The waves of criticism will reverberate in living rooms across America, jeopardizing an entire recruiting class.

And if Todd Graham wins the Hyundai Sun Bowl with a team that feels orphaned and abandoned, concluding his final season at ASU with eight wins and another addition to his coaching tree, the perception will only get worse.

But chaos offers opportunity. The loss of Billy Napier to Louisiana-Lafayette looks worse in headlines than it does in reality. The program has plenty of experience replacing short-term assistants on the fly. The ongoing debacle could be a blessing in disguise, lowering expectations to the bottom floor. And for all the ill-fated promises and words spoken by the current athletic director, only one of his statements matters going forward.

“Equally important, the head coach will be a dynamic and tireless recruiter,” Anderson said after terminating Graham’s contract.

This is the moment when Edwards must seize full ownership. His job description has changed dramatically. He is no longer just a closer, a delegator, a motivator and the central figure in a bizarre collaboration that sounds more like a corporate merger. He must assume the responsibilities he should’ve been given in the first place, rebuilding a Division I program with his vision, his voice and a staff of handpicked helpers.

More than anything, Edwards must be a dynamic and tireless recruiter, using his force of personality to mitigate the damage. He must turn question marks into commitments. It’s the one promise from Anderson that can’t be broken.

It’s also the perfect time for ASU to impart a new offensive philosophy, taking this NFL concept to the next level. They should re-brand their image as Quarterback U, a school dedicated to producing NFL-ready quarterbacks and offensive linemen, filling a huge void in the professional game. Edwards can lean on his vast network of professional contacts to bolster this cause, turning one of his weaknesses (a man who doesn’t have college connections) into a positive.

And while I keep proposing Kurt Warner for a variety of important jobs, ASU should jump at the chance to hire the Hall of Fame quarterback as a part-time consultant. He’s already offered his services to Edwards and firmly believes in building a new pipeline to the NFL, filled with properly trained skill players.

Finally, ASU needs to invest in alumni relations. The best programs never lose the affinity and allegiance of their star players. They create enduring brotherhoods. Listen to how former Miami Hurricanes talk about their program. Or those who played basketball for Kentucky. Those schools turn lineage into leverage, where former players become walking testimonials.

ASU has leaned hard on the legacy of Pat Tillman, as it should. But the marketing department needs to connect and promote all their celebrity athletes and success stories, from James Harden to Terrell Suggs to Jake Plummer. This will help foster the pride that is often missing in the stands, where game-day attendance is too often predicated on the team’s record or the quality of opponent.

Plummer recently ripped the fan base for its skepticism and volatility. He still remembers how 20,000 seats were empty the week after his legendary 1996 team beat Nebraska 19-0, one of the signature wins in team history. That proves the problems at ASU are deep-rooted and complicated and supports Anderson’s view that the status quo was no longer acceptable in Tempe.

Many mistakes have been made in this awkward transition. Anderson shouldn’t have thrust another man’s coaching staff on a new head coach, especially if he wasn’t certain that Napier and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett were going to return. He shouldn’t have blasted the recent actions of Tennessee’s program, calling Phil Fulmer a “pariah” in the circle of athletic directors. Not when he was under attack for hiring a former client who hasn’t coached a game in 10 years. Not when Tennessee once won a national championship at Sun Devil Stadium, with Fulmer as head coach.

Contrary to current belief, Anderson isn’t stupid. He was appointed chairman of the recently formed Division I Football Competition Committee. He is the guy that hired Bobby Hurley to resuscitate a dormant basketball program. He understands football and Graham’s weaknesses better than most. The only unexpected loss was Napier, who was impressive but certainly not irreplaceable following one season at ASU.

But his radical makeover of the football program is not going over well. It feels and sounds like other disastrous experiments in the Valley, akin to Josh Byrnes hiring A.J. Hinch to manage the Diamondbacks without a whiff of experience. Or when the Suns staked their future to Earl Watson, an unproven head coach who sounded nothing like his colleagues.

The only way out of this mess is full investment. Edwards needs to feel insulted and fueled by all of the doubters, pouring everything he has into recruiting. His leadership and salesmanship are the only way to put a slogging train back on the rails, and the only way to save a friend who has become the talk of college football – for all the wrong reasons.

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Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him on twitter.com/dan.bickley. Listen to “Bickley and Marotta” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on 98.7 Arizona’s Sports Station.