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Ok, he either gets hammered for not being positive enough about North Texas and being it's cheerleader, or he's an uninformed blogger. You know, I see writers from all the other newspapers (Randy Galloway for one) offer their opinions. Why is Vito not allowed to offer his?

Can I get that on a tshirt? Small font obviously. Oh, and like 99% of everyone on this board, I read the first paragraph, realize its identical to the previous post and move on. Its like watching a romantic comedy...you could stay til the end but you'll end up wishing you had that portion of your life back.

I agree, he has a slant. It's a blog. And how can his opinion bother you so much when the PMG crusade is not only insulting (accusing those who disagree of naivety znd being easily pacified) and nauseatingly redundant. At least I have to click on a link external to this board to read Vito's side of the argument.

Someone told President Rawlins they were offended by messages on a private message board? Seriously? I wish I could write I'd be surprised at an alum being that uninformed. I hope Rawlins explained the very simple, "Just don't read the messages" to whomever it was. What the President of the university should not be amused by is someone wasting his time complaining about message boards.

From what I heard the players were ready for someone new to coach last year, I don't know if it is Canales or something any decent coach could do, and no one else does either. We don't have a clue if Canales can recruit, and back to the point that the players were ready for a change not sure that makes Canales special. A big bucks Coach has proven they can recruit that is part of the point of getting a Coach like this. I am not ready by a long shot to hand this team over to another experiment until I see the candidate list, why would you or anyone jump the gun on this hire. Lets see the list and get the best guy for the job.

He interviewed at UTEP, and was being strongly considered before they ended up going with Mike Price. Nothing to be too ashamed of. I assume you mean Clemson, not Auburn. But other than Clemson, we should have won the other two, or at least been competitive against Army. And comparing a 3-game stretch to a 5-game stretch is a little unusual, don't you think? I would say the 5-game stretch ending the season, the only one in which he is serving as HC, is the toughest of the season. Agreed. I would still call Troy the class of the Belt, but FIU may take away that title by the end of the season. I still would have to call this the toughest 5-game stretch of the season for UNT. Things did not go well for him at Arizona, and that's something to take into consideration, just like Coach Fran's tenure at A&M. I don't know of any candidates, or even potential candidates, who don't have a blemish somewhere on their record. Even Fulmer, whom we all acknowledge is out of UNT's reach, was canned for not producing like some thought he should have. As for coming to UNT, that's a strange thing for a UNT alum to hold against him. Regardless, most coaching staffs were already in place when he learned that Skip Holtz was not going to retain him. He had other coaching offers, but he wanted to be an OC and he wanted to work with QBs. And, as some have suggested, it may be that he saw the possibility of an interim HC opportunity arising here. I am not necessarily saying we should hire Canales. I never voted in the poll, and there are a few other candidates with whom I would be just as happy. But I don't understand how someone can look at what's happening with our team right now and say there's absolutely nothing there. There's definitely something, and I like it.

The problem here, again, is that the school found that Leavitt interfered with the the investigation and intimidated some of the witnesses. He was fired on three counts. Joel Miller did admit to fearing for his position on the team, as did others, and originally tried to cover to Leavitt. He stopped doing so in January of 2010. Leavitt and his attorney are fighting the windmills of their minds. He'll probably begin to realize this even moreso as schools question him and his agent, and he remains unemployed. As an athletic director, I'd be hesitant about hiring a guy in a pending lawsuit with student abuse as the main issue being led by an ambulance chaser. Bad publicity isn't worth it. Plenty of team win without coaches choking or hitting their players then lawyering up with doctor baiters. So, the official record - until such time as a trial court find differently, or Leavitt wises up and settles with the University under a no liability admitted term - remains that he grabbed a player by the throat and hit him twice for missing a block. Besides, we're not so desperate now that we've got to resort to hiring guys with unresolved legal problems. We're proving that an assistant with no prior head coaching experience can take a team rife with injuries and players he didn't recruit and win here. And, each win makes us less desperate. Hire us a guy who wants to coach football. Let Leavitt and Leach go play Ally McBeal.

Why are these high powered alums so concerned now? Where were they the day the stadium was announced and why didn't they demand change right then? The program was in the ditch so to speak as for wins and losses. We have not lost donors and donations overnight in the Mean Green Club. We have dropped from 700 members to 500. We will not reach $300,000 in MGC donations this year, so we are down $200K from 2 years ago. Where have these so caring, all knowing, all powered donors been? Why are these high powered donors caring now? Is the stadium the like dog chasing the car and finally caught it, only he does not know what to do with it?

Who cares, we're not in Junior High any more? As for Vitto, what I like about him is, you can talk to him, disagree with him and even criticicize him over opinions you may disagree with him on and he never seems to hold a grudge. He's very professional in that way. I promise you MeanRob could tell him what he posted to his face and Brett would take it in stride and give a valid response back. Rick

Don't you Vito bashers see the correlation between Vito and the way the Team is playing? Vito was treated by the prior coach as if he was a nuisance, a pain in the rear, an obstacle. We are seeing a complete turn around in Vito's attitude toward the coach/team. Kinda like what we are seeing on the field. See the correlation? Just like the team is enjoying football again, Vito is enjoying his job of covering UNT FB. Coach C understands that you NEVER p_iss off a guy with a pen or camera in his hand. He has been around some great head coaches at the NFL and college level and learned much. If Vito likes Coach C, its not his fault. He has a reason!! Coach C gets it folks.

It's a blog.. a place for opinions. D on't like it , don't read it. He gets paid by the hits on link so of course he might twist something just to get more viewers. I swear if all else fails this board turns it anger to either SMU or Vito.

I would like to see who the other top three candidates are as well as how the rest of the season plays out before making a decision. I think Canales has made it obvious that he has what it takes to be a great head coach and turn this program around. With the players buying in to what he is doing and the record he is posting as a head coach, it would be great to have some continuity between this year and next year and not have to start rebuilding the program all over again. I think he would be a great choice and a perfect fit for this position, but I would like to see what else is on the table before having him sign the dotted line.

You either don't know what your talking about or have not read the report very well. Miller admitted to the interview team that he went on his own to visit coach Leavitt twice at Leavitt's office. Once to simply watch some special team film, the second time to ask the coach to apologize. So because of this contact, brought on by Miller himself, the interview team then gave the school their opinion that Leavitt had interfered with the investigation. A ridiculous claim at best, but good enough to draw up some trumped up charges for termination. Miller then claimed that Leavitt told him to "Choose your words carefully...I'm the most powerful man in this building", that was Miller's accusation after he knew he was in this thing too deep to get out of it. And as I have pointed out countless times now, and by his own admission to the interview team, his word doesn't mean crap. Rick

How do you lose one with Death on the team? That's underachieving at its finest.

I think Brett writes a good game. Therefore, I've constructed a little poem: Columns are columns, blogs are blogs; cheetos for children, milk bones for dogs. © 2010 The Fake Lonnie Finch I love the English language, so I use it every day in everyday situations such as these!

25 years of experience with some big name coaches in successful programs would get the attention of others.

This is where there is seperation between Coach Canales and the Leach, Leavitt, Fran group. We know they can put together a successful staff. They have done it. We know they can recruit against the big boys. They have done it. We know they can develop talent. They have done it. We don't know whether Coach Canales has the management capabilities to identify the right assistant coaches and put them in a position to be successful. The timing of this hire is very important, as is turning around this program as fast as possible. I just feel more confident with any of the other 3 than I would with Coach Canales.

I think if you believe that it's simply team inspiration, then you're overlooking the X's and O's side. This team isn't the Cowboys. They didn't get a ton of money and get lazy. They didn't need someone to come in and make them accountable. They needed confidence, sure. And Canales can be given credit for some of that. Confidence, like losing, is contagious. One of the best coaching decisions made at this school was Canales sending his freshman kicker in to kick a 53-yarder against the wind on the road. He put his faith in the team and they responded. And I knew they would. But these kids aren't winning because they've got a magic feather in their caps. Dodge isn't suddenly a good quarterback because he mysteriously lost confidence under his father. The team is being put in a position to win games. That's also play-calling and execution. Also, if you simply thought of it as inspiration, you'd be ignoring Canales' past success at other schools. He has both fans and detractors, as any coach would, but he's been working in college football a long time, including working under one of the board favorites in building a program. I'm personally of the belief that someday he'll end up as someone's "franchise coach." Everywhere you look, from USF and Arizona and NC State, you'll find players who give a lot of credit to Canales, players with skins to back it up. Is that here? I don't know. I have concerns, too, that it's just a temporary thing. That if Canales were given the contract, he'd find the going a little tougher over the long-term. He lacks recruiting ties in Texas. USF mainly recruited up from underneath schools like FSU and Miami. Our expectations for him right now aren't high (nor should they be). That won't be the case two years down the line. What staff can he put together that DOES have more Texas ties? The fact that you WOULD have to give a multi-year deal to him makes me wary as well. But I'd have these (or other) questions about a number of coaches. I'm just glad the decision won't really come down to an internet poll on this website.

We will be happy to ship it to Jonesboro. You have to pay for shipping.

But don't you understand ... " Team Canales " has crashed through and is making people read anything that is pro-Canales (100% sarcasm intended) In all seriousnees .. if it's going to upset you just don't pick it up or turn it on.

It was my model girlfriend. She's Canadian. You wouldn't know her.

YADHTRIB YPPAH!

Where the hell does the NCAA have the right to sue a member institution, this should be a Sioux Indian Tribe issue, not a college sports issue. F the NCAA. Of course FSU gets to keep their mascot, but god forbid one of the poor kids get to keep theirs. I am offended by Fighting Irish, will the NCAA idiots go after of one their golden children?

Vito can't give his opinion on a list of potential candidates because he has no idea who they are. Does anyone really think that any of the candidates that fans want to be considered for the job would not have beaten Western Kentucky or a terrible MTSU team? This all goes back to last season when RV should have fired Dodge. The Sun Belt is just plain awful this year and the lack of a new head coach to start the 2010 season probably cost UNT a conference championship. I could throw darts at a board and find someone to win in the Sun Belt but for some reason it is so very difficult for RV.

94 Feet of Defeat.

If we hire a former head coach then (Fran, Leach, Levitt, etc) then it would be justified no matter what Canales does from here on out. However, if we're looking at coordinators then Canales is making it hard to not hire him.

I really dislike polls that have three answers to a binary question.

You evaluate when all the games are done, or if they want to announce at the K-State game then you wait through next week. And you interview in person or by phone everyone who is interested and meets the basic requirements of the job. That's just due diligence. So far, I like what I see in Canales and I do think the way he turned the team around and even kept them fighting in a loss should count in his favor. Canales is building a lead, but as Mean Green fans know all too well the game isn't over in the 3rd quarter but rather at the end of the 4th.

I have ESPN Game Plan so watched the game at my house.... It was the worst broadcast I have ever seen. I know the second half they kept saying it was a product of the Middle Tennessee TV and Film Department Students. Well, after watching the game, the Head of the Department should be fired and all the students should transfer immediately to Parks and Recreation. Yuck is the understatement.

Well, first... RTVF students aren't going to pack up a bunch of equipment and go on the road to produce a game. Second, KNTU was contractually obligated to broadcast the Denton ISD schools' playoff games. Third, the guys said on the radio last week and during the basketball game Friday that the football game would be broadcast on The Word.

But Bustle has never been able to recruit with the new "double-wide" recruiting center nor reap the benefits of said facility.

Canales is definitely on my short list, his enthusiasm is commendable but I think people are being awful quick to jump on the bandwagon after only a couple wins against sub par teams. It'll be interesting to see who RV brings in for interviews. Personally I'd like to wait and see who the other viable contenders are before playing team Canales. Things I'd like to see in other candidates are strong Texas ties and a man who can recruit the hell out of this state, a HC that can bring a winning staff I'm talking experienced assistants who know their X's and O's, and ideally a guy that knows and has experience with turning programs around. I'm still liking Fran if we could get him, also possibly Kraigthorpe I think he did a hell of job at Tulsa.

I've seen many high school media programs do better. If only that was saying much. If they have been doing that all season, and that's the best they can do, they should give it up.

i am not as bothered as you are.

Do we not have more pride in our university? Of course he wants the job, why wouldn't he?? He accepted the offensive coordinator position why on earth would he not want the HC job? When I read other people saying "Canales wants the job", who the freak cares? Other people want the job too. Have more pride in your university, just because someone wants the job doesn't mean they deserve it.

Riley Dodge epitomizes what college football is all about. There may be some that are bigger, meaner, or more talented but none have a bigger heart or will to win. Riley will succeed in life because there's no quit in him.

Denton has one commercial radio station. That station belongs to the University of North Texas...KNTU. It is Denton ISD's only option. In the Dallas area, several schools contract with radio stations to broadcast their high school games; usually on Friday nights. If the game happens to fall on a Thursday or Saturday night that contract is honored. It also includes playoff games. Regular programming may be shortened or eliminated to honor the contract. I don't know whether Denton High (Denton ISD) contracted to broadcast the Broncos' games or not but at the least the playoff game was contracted. KNTU, knowing that the UNT game was covered in Denton via KWRD, accepted the income that the broadcast provided. The station is still in the business to make money. They did that. There were no additional advertisers for the North Texas game as there were for the Denton Broncos game so carrying the UNT game would have been pro bono. Had there been no feed into Denton there would have been a legitimate gripe. But there was. Who missed the broadcast because they could only get KNTU and not KWRD? My guess is none because I often listen to the MGRN station on earphones or the car radio when I'm in Denton without a problem.

Sorry for the criticism. As you'll note, I deleted it just as you were posting the above. Agreed that it's inappropriate for a visitor to be saying such things. In hindsight, I can also understand your feelings about all the SDSU stuff. I've never registered on anybody else's board before and am just kinda feeling my way around here.

Interesting points, yet even more interesting is the opportunity to be considered for a HC position while being a HC. In most cases, it's a coordinator with no HC experience that's in line for HC role or a former HC. Is there any guarantee to what someone will do as a HC? Not really. I believe Canales has demonstrated the ability to put Ws on the board immediately. How is he doing it? I have no idea. But he is doing it RIGHT NOW AT UNT. Does that guarantee it will happen next year if he is retained? No! But there is no guarantee that someone else will either. I feel confident he will be a HC somewhere soon. If not UNT, than somewhere else.

The 71 some odd kids in letter jackets were not all recruits. There was some high school event that was scheduled for that day, not sure what it was, but there was a tent set up out north of Fouts for it. Several of them sitting down in front of us were not even big enough, in my opinion, to play varsity high school much less be d1 college talent. Second, just because people are hoping that NT gives everyone who wants this job equal consideration does mean they dislike coach Canales. Third, I have a question for Coach Canales for the next person who interviews him to ask. If your rewarded the head coaching job will you extend a hand to your friend Jim Leavitt to be your defensive coordinator? After all, he did the same for you TWICE when you needed a job. He now needs one and needs a second chance to repair his reputation. Seems like a match made in heaven on paper and would be a fantastic gesture between friends. What do you say Coach C? Rick

TU is the aggy moniker. Turn you down for admittance?

I think we will be able to get away with a 2 or 3 year contract with Canales. He's already here and as we can see he desperately wants this job. If we give him 2 years after this season of guaranteed money and up his salary significantly he wouldn't say no. I don't think we are screwing him but I think the message we would send that look we believe in you but you have to produce. If he can't produce after 2 seasons then we can go different ways.

You can't give a guy a 1 year contract to be head coach. Five is the baseline and seven is quite common. A coach with less than a 5 year contract is going to find it nearly impossible to recruit. As the opposing coaches will say, "Son, how can you put your faith in a man his own school doesn't trust to give him a standard contract." This does NOT mean I'm saying hire Canales now. I'm just saying whomever we hire should start with a five year contract. If we have that little faith in him, we need to find another candidate.

Let's hope it is nothing like that.

personally, i don't think he's stepped up. he's been this way the whole time. he fought through injuries last year too as well as the freshman learning curve. he's been this way the whole time he's been here. in my opinion...he's our mvp for this year, without question.

Riley could have easily folded personally and he could have decided not to give the program his best and no-one would have blamed him, but he did neither. Instead he is playing like the winner he is. Good football players usually choose to play and they want the ball; add a chip on their shoulder and sometimes they become Great players.

Like it or not UNT is still a place of learning. The kids who call the HS games are doing just that. If 88.1 was the exclusive home of NT Football then you would have a point. But the fact it's on 100.7 (a much stronger frequency in DFW) makes it alright in my eyes.

that mighty troy team got beat today by a 4-5 fiu team 52-35. at troy. at troy's homecoming. just sayin'

Hollar till you pass out!

Challenge I happen to believe that Ben Knox will develop into a damn fine usable big man and if he don't I'll take my lumps.....