when it comes to the pulse of the team, I think the question for the AD is "who is the 'good cop' on the staff?".
No way is JP as attuned to the players as he likely was years ago. I've commented that in the past the team was probably 75+% from the immediate area and many played for coaches that Parker knew personally. As we now see kids from all over the US and Canada, the national development program etc. it can't be assumed that a guy with that many years under his belt understands the players, and why they are at BU, like he used to.
So, if Parker is the 40 year veteran who has seen it all and is old enough to be the grandfather of the players, who is the young guy that players can go to, that can pick up on things without being told directly, that could talk to a guy outside of Jack's field of vision etc. Somebody has to be that person if the HC isn't. Not to say that some coaches aren't able to be buddy and disciplinarian simultaneously, but that is a rare combo and 40 years of experience isn't your friend.
If I was the AD I would recognize that Parker's strengths inevitably create weaknesses and I'd expect the staff selected to compensate for those weaknesses. If Parker didn't see it that way, that is the conversation I would have had back when Quinn left.
