Butch Jones to Escape Central Michigan With No Egg on His Face

Cincinnati players responded to Brian Kelly's coaching move last week by mouthing off to the media.

Wide receiver Marcus Gilyard advised Kelly to "pack up his things and get to South Bend in a hurry."

Cincinnati fans in the community egged Kelly's house and posted obscene signs on the lawn.

Somehow, they feel entitled to act on their angry and stunned feelings without considering the void that their coaching vacancies have left in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

That's right. Not once, but twice in three years, the citizens in MAC country have awoke to the news that their head coach was on his way to Cincinnati.

Did they raid their refrigerator, grab all the eggs, and drive over to Brian Kelly's house in 2006 or drive over to Butch Jones' house today? Negative.

In fact, Jones might still coach CMU in the bowl game.

Cincinnati fans and players might argue that Kelly shouldn't have abandoned the school before it's "biggest" game in school history. Kelly left CMU before it won it's first bowl game ever and Jones made the announcement of his departure before CMU plays its' first bowl game as a top-25 program.

What the folks in Cincinnati have to understand, like people in Mount Pleasant understand, is that the program is just a stepping stone. CMU's program has served that role twice now to Cincinnati. In turn, Cincinnati is a stepping stone to a major school like Notre Dame.

All you can do is thank your coach for leading the program into uncharted territory, wish him well at his next stop, and move on.

There might always be a successful coach waiting at Central Michigan.

The timing isn't always good and it isn't always handled in the best way. But a college football coach has the right to move up in the ranks, go undefeated, and play for a national championship, while earning $800,000 more.

He shouldn't have to worry about cleaning the egg yolk off the front lawn.