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Not that I’m shocked at this point, but with less than two weeks before opening kickoff. I’ve become a witness to the meltdown within the Mean Green fan world. As soon as the words were uttered out of Coach Mac’s mouth that Thompson was the leader in the QB race the volcano erupted. Mean Green Nation went into overdrive. Let the bashing begin! The extreme pessimism has reigned supreme on this board. I would like everyone to take a HUGE step back at this point. Quit acting like the sky is falling because the guy you HOPED for is not the starter at this point. Let’s face it as soon as there was mention of the young talented freshman having a shot as the starter many people latched on to that hope. They ran wild with it. I don’t think many people are viewing this QB race as helping decide which player best helps the team win. I think many people hoped this race would provide something other than Thompson to be the starter. They needed to hear that Berglund or Williams was the leader in order to restore their hope in the upcoming season. To me that’s crazy talk. It’s not really hard to see why Thompson will end up starting. He was the best option to win now. He was the best QB in practice and in scrimmages. He was the most consistent. He has the most playing experience. Consider all your other options are based on potential. How can you as a coach go into your locker room and tell the team well player A won is going to be the starter because we think he MAYBE a star someday down the road. I’d be pretty upset as a player. I don’t want a coach to make a desperate decision based on potential. I want the guy who is gives us the best chance to win to be our starter. I want to trust my QB. We as a fan base chose our guy based on potential. We’ve seen Thompson for the past couple of years and have written him off because of one reason or another. So we turn our eyes and our thoughts to new blood in hope that they can deliver the goods. Well perhaps that in this case those new guys haven’t been able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis. If you are sitting there thinking that Coach Mac is the type of guy that coaches not to lose and that’s what he bases his decisions on, well you are out of your mind. You are so far lost its quite funny. Oh yeah we chose Thompson because we feel he gives us the best chance to not lose the game. Ha Ha that would be a great comment for an opening week press conf. We chose Thompson because he is a senior leader, who understands what we want out on the field and has showed us that he can accomplish that on the most consistent basis out of the group. The team really trusts him and responds the best to him when in the huddle. For those of you who are concerned about the Idaho game. Well you should be, and I hope our team is as well. Take nothing for granted. What I’m not concerned about our players being prepared. I know the coaches will have them ready to go. Right now there is no reason to meltdown. It’s not like Tom Brady was our starter and just went down for the year. We haven’t even hit the field against another team yet! Why not take a deep breath and watch us against Idaho first before you tie the cement brick to your ankle and jump off the deep end. You might be pleasantly surprised come August 31st.

I'm trying to reserve judgment on BB and just about everyone else on our school's football team until I get to watch them actually play a football game. Am I wrong by wanting to do that?

Or we have scholarshiped athletes that are easy to outperform.

according to phil steele UNT brings back the 8th most experienced team in FBS this year. here the experience rankings of all of our opponents Idaho (120) Ohio (39) Ball State (77) Georgia (61) Tulane (47) MTSU (31) La Tech (126) Southern Miss (101) Rice (2) UTEP (104) UTSA (3) Tulsa (84) Interestingly we are also playing 2 teams with even more experience (Rice and by default, UTSA) but some other teams we play bring very little experience on top of new coaches, namely southern miss (101st), Idaho (120th), UTEP (104th) and La-tech which combines a new coach with the least experience among players in all the country. That ought to put them at some serious disadvantage. also interesting: the breakdown of the two deeps into class members p.s. common disclaimer: sorry if this has been discussed and I just did not see it.

Right there with ya Mean_Green09! Aug. 31st and a win over Idaho cannot get here soon enough.

I must say I am excited for this upcoming season, and really hope and wish for the best. No matter who lines up on either side of the ball I am faithful the coaches who live UNT football 52 weeks of the year have chosen them to be there for a reason. I come on these boards because I am excited for the season, I enjoy reading posts. I look for others that are as excited as I am and are going to watch every single play this season. Perhaps share ideas, or opinions, memories and talk MeanGreenFootball. I must say it is somewhat discouraging to read the negativity and criticism of the players before the season has even started. It can be hard to look at these boards at times because of it. But my following of UNT football always brings me back. We are all here because we share one thing, we are invested in Mean Green Football and want it to be successful. Does not matter who you are, or how you're connected to the program. What matters is we all want a winning season and to celebrate it at a bowl game with these deserving players. Winning: the rest is just details! I choose to be positive and hope for the best and trust those that live UNT Football daily to have prepared these young men to WIN! GO Mean Green!

Hope they are not as good as Alabama-Huntsville.

I think you may be on to something

Probably need to pin this Incase anyone uses the " young team " excuse

I have also wondered about Chico. We have young men at QB that seem to have not developed that much under the tutelage of Coach Canales. The offense also saw a boost after the Dodge firing under the direction of OC Conroy Hines who, coincidentally enough, was called on to run drills at the Friday Night Lights event in the absence of another coach.

Third biggest problem...destertion of the fan base early in the season.

I certainly care about it.....in our recent past Casey Fitzgerald, Nathan Tune, Aaron Fortenberry, Ivan Delgado, Troy Kokjohn and Drew Miller among many others all were walkons. A walk on program is important for every team.

Well, maybe I stand corrected? So Weiss brought in a couple of ranked QBs that same offseason. Did he want BB to compete for the job and the kid balked? Or was it clear that BB would only ever ride the bench under Weiss? What's the complete story? Either way, I'm done worrying about how BB or DT are going to save or ruin our season. It is crazy. The coaches are going to start whoever they think gives us the best chance to win. Period. There is no conspiracy theory.

Just wait till we lose our 1st game..

I've seen this board melt down. This is not the same.

I think Coach Mac is making the right decision here. Its my belief that DT has earned the right to get the first crack at the job. He has experience and has shown that we can win with him under center. He hasn't had much help on the receiving end, not the mention that our defense has been less than stellar. I understand the QB gets all of the blame (and fame) for wins and losses, but this TEAM can win with DT. Like I said, I think he deserves a chance in the opener to prove that the job is his. If he doesn't perform, then let's start looking at Plan B. But get behind DT and give him a chance to prove himself.

Nobody "ran off" BB at KU, unless you mean the fact that Weis brought in Dayne Crist. There was a bunch of drama because BB wanted to leave, but Weis wouldn't release him from his scholarship.

I haven't seen a meltdown. Before Coach Mac's comments, most of us already expected DT to be the starter against Idaho. And a lot of the negativity that appears to be directed toward DT is largely a product of 8 consecutive losing seasons.

Good post. I support Derek and trust that our coaches know what they are doing. I can't wait for the season to start and yell at the top of my lungs at the games. This will be a defining season. I'm calling it. -JRock

I have not seen the Meltdown? You support your team and to think us on the outside know more than our Coaches is crazy. Now, we see them play a few games and then we will all be experts !

Good Lord. I'm tired of hearing about BB. Maybe he's just not that good running a D1 offense. Legal troubles aside, most Big12 coaches don't run off top 15 QB recruits unless they don't have it on the field. Especially the guys that have all the physical measurables. Coaching change or not. Also, everyone wants to keep bringing up Scotty Young, but he's in the exact same boat. Personally, I think if our offense tanks again this season that it will be Chico's last in Denton. When Mac speaks about the offense, it sounds like he detaches himself from it. It was pretty obvious that Chico was forced on him when he took the job. While Chico professes that his preferred system is the same dual-threat run based spread that Mac prefers, I just wonder if the implementation isn't quite what Mac had hoped for.

If I were Rick V and a few others, this type of comment would have me seething and feeling very unappreciated. I can't remember another time when NT put so many $$ into their athletic programs (fan since 86).. We are still WAY behind most D1 football programs when it comes to spending $$ on athletics. But, we are making progress at a rapid rate. I do believe that we could do a much, much better job when it comes to promoting athletics. in that regard, I tend to agree with you. But, somebody is really interested in seeing NT succeed or we wouldn't have that new stadium, mean green village, practice court, etc.

Everything is what you make of it. I didn't make it yesterday afternoon, but I had a great time with the poster thing. Sometimes we forget that this is supposed to be fun. Remember fun? We used to have it when we were kids. No amenities, just time with our friends. While I certainly want the best for every aspect of this program, I lament that somewhere along the way, "fun" in adulthood became a pissing contest of extravagance. Hell, I had fun at Fouts. Thank God it's gone, but when it was what we had, I had fun there. Life's waaaay too short to spend stressing and obsessing about every minute facet of one's recreational pursuits. I'll see everyone in less than two weeks. I can't wait.

Look, nobody's job is on the line here. Now, that does not mean it should or should not be, or whether we should or should not demand better. But again, Mac will be back for year 4 no matter what happens this season, like it or not. And that's just my opinion.

tailgaiting in the morning, football in the afternoon, walk across the bridge to the pit for basketball in the evening. sports

cook up some food, have the band there playing some tunes....just get liquored up !!!

I'm taking our hyperventilating overreactions a different direction. We've been talking a lot about the offense and quarterbacks, which in my opinion at this point is just status quo. So be it. What seems to be the most improved part of the DL according to our insiders? You know, the ninja that infiltrated the steel practice curtain? From everything I've seen and heard in recent recruiting, etc. - it seems like the secondary should be most improved. If that is the case? Then we have a chance to win some games if our line can just be "ok" or "decent".

Why is SilverEagle crazy to harp on pageantry? Tell the people at Virginia Tech that pageantry is overrated. Tell a recruit that a stoic march to midfield beats something like this. http://hokienation.us/17/virginia-tech-football-entrance-enter-sandman/

This, I think, contributes to the fears that some have here, especially around QB. You see a young unit like the OL perform so well last year, and all of these guys are back again to start... that is cause for excitement/joy! Then, you see a QB that has performed on an average level, and he also returns to start... that is cause for trepidation/fear.

The only 'meltdown' I saw on here were the ones who don't like the Throwback Unis to be worn on the 31st... I support Mac's choice, and Derek knows what to do. Berglund (whom I'm personally rooting for, next Season) can learn, and if God Forbid, Derek gets hurt again, can step-in. Go Green!

If Scotty Young is in the 'exact same boat', and LA Tech is starting a guy that compares to what all rumors are pointing to as 4th string at UNT, then LA Tech is in horrible shape. We should all chalk that game up as a lopsided victory for UNT.

This is great, great ,great. The story is awesome! Thank you very much for sharing your stories. I know you are very proud of yourself,which is one of the best feelings in the world! I am very proud of my University. University of North Texas!

So Canales has to lead DT to the water AND make him drink it?

I didn't know about a kid named Jamario, either, until his first series in Colorado.

Look, I also think Scott Hall should be a hall of famer. Could he do more than DT with our current talent? I'm sure he could, but that's not fair to DT to hold him to "hall of fame" standards. My point is just that I don't think DT has ever had the same luxuries as the guy who is often cited as our last great QB. For instance, in 2003, we were able to absolutely destroy Baylor. Was the pressure on Hall to take over and control that game with his arm? No, he threw five total passes. Smith threw ten more passes, and combined they had 124 yards. In the last regular season game of that same year Hall had a pretty rough game against NMSU. He went 4-11 for 85 yards and no TDs. And we won. That NMSU team was 3-9 that year. If DT had those kinds of numbers with this year's team against a similarly poor opponent, we would lose, and we would thoroughly castigate him for it. Scott Hall was awesome, and DT will probably never get to his level. But, Hall did have some bad games too, and when he did, we often still won. When DT has a bad game, we don't stand a chance. Does any of this mean that McCarney is making the right decision in starting Thompson over the others? I have no idea since there's no way of really knowing how they're performing right now. My point is simply that we're being just a tad harsh to DT.

Jim have you not met one of the Canales family

There was a band??? All I saw was a tight white sweater!

That's simply not true. Remember Tulsa a couple of years ago? He went 6 for 7 with 2 TDs and no INTs. He and Ivan Delgado were about the only bright spots from that game. When did he ever look "horrible"?

Seriously folks, the coaches jobs are on the line. Do you really think they have not put some serious thought into this decision? Be disappointed all you want that we have not found our football Jesus. I am. But to second guess the coaches when you have not seen a single practice or scrimmage is ridiculous. Lets just hope that DT can keep us one point ahead of the opposing team each game. Our Football Jesus evidently needs more time to develop.

None of the above.

In all honesty, you really did not miss much this year. Best part was just chatting with fellow Mean Greener's and a few of the players in attendance. My wife and I enjoyed the Varsity-Alum soccer match that happened after the Kick-Off Cookout more. If you had to miss one over the last few years...well, this would have been the one. Enjoyable, but certainly did not match up to those of recent years's past.

First time we've missed in years. This was the one weekend a month I had to work, and didn't get enough advance notice of the date to change my schedule. GMG!

Looks like they scheduled Rice too.

It's not over yet. I'm holding out for an official word.

Last year it was not just conservative play that bothered me it was the lack of execution, throws ten feet over receivers, dropped balls, missed blocks and on and on.

Your opinion, mine, and probably many others on this board.

You seem to be pretty critical of Chico. I think your ire is just directed one level too low on the coaching hierarchy.

I went to the scrimmage yesterday and was not impressed at all with Derek Thompson's play. He never threw a tight spiral, his arm strength was poor and his accuracy is on par with a high school QB. I don't know what the coach saw but hopefully once he goes over the film he will come up with a true #1. Dajon looked very good with a strong arm, good accuracy and super mobile. He is young and has tons of room to grow and needs to get better at handling the snaps because he fumbled a bunch of snaps during the scrimmage. Brock I thought stood out more than anyone. He has a strong arm and can run the ball so I am definitely drinking the Berglund Koolaid.

in one sense I don't mean to be bashing DT. He'll do the best he can and no one can ask for more. He won't fumble away games and I don't question his leadership. But, we know what we'll get and the talent, especially at quarterback, is greater in CUSA than it was in the Belt, where our maximum win total was five. Maybe I'm just more disappointed that Berglund hasn't stepped up. Did he not have the talent that the recruiting analysts and the Kansas and other coaching staffs, including our own, missed? Were the reports of his play on the scout team inflated? Has the hamstring not healed? Inquiring minds want to know. Dajon Williams apparently has the talent to be our quarterback of the future but it would be a lot to ask a true freshman to carry a team with only a few weeks of learning and adjustment. I'd like to see him have a redshirt year to get up to speed and have another year of eligibility after the current group leaves. I have no problem with DT being the opening day starter. He's earned that. On the other hand if he's not as successful as he needs to be that the staff will not be hesitant to try something new. Maybe that will be the case and this is mostly smoke and mirrors to take the pressure off of another starter. Time will tell. This is a good coaching staff and I'm hoping that they will do whatever it takes to get us in the win column. I am behind our quarterback, whomever it may be. I'll be there as long as I'm physically able. But, we need to attract new fans by putting a winning product on the field and that hasn't happened so far with Derek Thompson.

Well, let us never forget that the first great Derek Thompson controversy was whether we would regret having wasted a year of his eligibility on a few late plays in one game.