TIgreen01

So, any idea where that fits with Dickey's thoughts? From what I saw of Phillips last year, in one scrimmage in the spring, and the Spring green/white game...Phillips isn't that far ahead--if at all. Everyone always points to his 'great' spring game as what separated him, but I have to wonder how well W. Wilson would have done if you kept the same teams, but switched the QBs---so Wilson would have had the oline and Phillips would have been running from Ike Thomas all night. Don't underestimate the impact that Ike Thomas had on that spring game...he DOMINATED it. ...and so does Phillips....particularly his feel for pressure in the pocket, tendency to hold the ball too long and then force it into bad spots. To me, and knowing what kind of QBs Dickey has played in his 8 seasons here (going back to Attaway and Richard Bridges), Phillips possesses the #1 quality that would land him last on DD's list---his tendency to turn the ball over. So, to answer Big Dawg's question...I think it's still a 3-way battle. Anyone can come out on top.

Good for the Sun Belt?? BS. The 12th game addition is BS if you ask me. Let's see, the NCAA now allows one game against IAA to count toward bowl eligibility and at the same time we get a 12th game?! This is not breaking news, but 11 of the 12 Big 12 teams are filling that 12th game with a IAA squad. Pathetic....just another way to make sure that ALL of the bowls are locked up by BCS teams....maybe, just maybe the entire Big 12 will be bowl eligible this year!

Ok, is this whole thread an analogy to our new QB---'El Presidente'-Woodrow Wilson? Can we expect him to cause great casualties (losses) across the nation? You can't just bring up Pres. Wilson and not expect us to think it's NOT b/c of our or new QB....

Great post, Stebo. Your vision of the program are eye-eye with mine. I, unfortunately, missed the Mitch Maher days by 1 year....but I STILL remember the first time Scott Hall got into a game at Fouts Field. It was our 2nd game of the season (I believe) and we had Baylor at home....and we were out of the game and our offense was doing NOTHING (which was the norm for DD's first 3 years). Scott Hall comes in, and drives the team down the field for a TD---scoring on that old option pass play (which was the only passing play in the playbook in those days--or so it seemed). I was sitting with my best friend and some other friends on the student side and the option play was run to our sideline. I remember how he SOLD the option, then in one quick motion, went from running full speed to dropped back -looking downfield....then he actually delivered a DEAD ON accurate pass to a wide open receiver. This might sound like a play that you expect out of your QB, but as soon as it happened everyone around me KNEW that we finally had a PLAYER at QB. Then, as the year went on, you could tell that he was one heck of a competitive SOB. I remember a WR reverse pass play that went awry...Hall got the ball to the WR on the end-around, then headed downfield to look for the pass back to him...only problem was the that defense was not fooled and the WR just chucked the ball up...which only made it to the LOS....Hall was there and out-jumped several defenders to get his hands on the ball, then got crushed....but he caught the ball and avoided a turnover. We didn't have that kind of toughness and grit at QB last year. I'm not saying that Meager and Phillips can't get there....Phillips sure took some big shots last year and always got up. Meager seems to be much more talented than Hall ever was (maybe even more talented than A. Smith)...and Hall's team didn't win but 2 games in his Freshman year also. So, I think that there is hope. I do remember how Hall's Soph. season started out, though. 0 - 5. RV was in the paper talking about evaluating DD's job. Then, the switch came on and the team started fighting. I kind of expect that same thing to happen again this year. I just hope we have the kind of leaders on our team that we did in 2001. Hall was clearly a leader the minute he stepped onto the field...we haven't seen that yet in any of our QBs, but that doesn't mean that we won't. We also know very little of W. Wilson....not much other than he refuses to quit trying at QB....which is a trait that I like to see. He could be the guy??

I have no beef against BU...my wife and my sister both went to school there. I've attended at least one of their games for the last 4 years running. I think that your first paragraph said basically the same thing I was trying to say, but apparently I didn't come across very clear. Let me say it another way, I think that this is a rebuilding year for BU...they lost all but 4 starters on their D, which was the strength of their team, and they are now making drastic changes to their offense. I don't think it's harboring a grudge to say that they will probably struggle (at least early) this year...now 2007?? Could be their year?

Well, if we're talking favorite plays.....I'd have to add Brian Waters taking the handoff from KSU and taking it for 6....that and the Booger sack of MTSU's QB where he rolled over him and somehow stripped the ball in the same move.

Snappy, but no.....BU plays all the games they need to win to reach a bowl game at the start of the season, before Big 12 play opens. Last year they played 3 OOC games and won all of them, then they won 2 Big 12 games. Realistically, BU isn't going to win many Big 12 games this year either, so they really need to be clicking early in the season so they can pile up as many wins as possible against lower tier competition. Throw in the fact that they will be breaking in 7 new starters on D. NT is exactly opposite BU in that regard...we have a realistic shot at winning our conference and a tougher time getting wins in OOC.

Ouch...I'm going to go ahead and throw out any more talk of bowl game for BU until I see them on the field. They were TERRIBLE offensively last year. If they lost all of their starting LBs (strenth of their D), they will not bounce back quick enough to win 6 games....but that's just my 2 cents.

Yes, and last year we were talking Tulsa and LaTech. Those games didn't turn out to good for us. SMU will be a stiff test for us this year....provided that the redshirt Freshman QB from Denton Ryan steps up....in only his second collegiate game ever? I think SMU kind of parrallels our team from last year (offensively)....they return virtually everyone from the offense except at QB (granted we also lost our glue-man/center)...and they have supposedly the conferences top RB and great depth at that position. I think they will struggle and we should be able to shutdown their offense. Here's hoping our Offense shows some improvement over last year by week 2.

What do they lose on defense? Seems like they had a number of key lineman and LBs graduate. The strength of that team last year was their D...

What the?!.....USC #3? That's quite a stretch. Of course, UT at #7 probably is too.....that, and they are basically giving UT 2 losses with the top 10....OU and OSU.

Super Jamario. My wife went to White Oak HS (near Longview) and Spring Hill was their arch-rival school. Her Dad actually coached at both schools. I had a hard time (ok, not that hard after he started popping off TD runs his freshman year) getting her to root for him, but now he's the entire family's favorite player. btw, is this just a board thing or is there something more to this?

Let me just say that OGG needs a job at UNT. It sounds like you still have a serious passion for NT and are ACTIVELY promoting the university to your kids....then again, maybe you just need to be placed at the most talent rich HS in the state so you can send a few more up to Denton?...either way, I hope this is a sign that there are a ton more just like you out there.

WHAT?! Is it possible that TJ Raymond will return this fall?? I thought it was all over for him? The thought of both TJ Raymond AND Ike Thomas on the same Dline makes me downright giddy! Please say it's true!!! As a matter of fact, if we get both of these guys back (and they stay healthy), I'll go ahead and predict a conference championship right now....

Oh CRAP! I take back everything I said. I'd take any of the dumps that are already on that corner over a Fiesta Mart! Sheesh....

Ok, I'm confused....we're basically losing the side of Hickory that was full of dives (outside the Tomato, Cool Beans and Chopsticks). I frequented those places less than 10 times the entire time I was in Denton. Now, if this was Riprocks, Lou's or anything on the campus side of Hickory I'd be worried. Those places actually attempted to not suck. ....oops, didn't see MeanMag's post before posting mine... Most of the Fry corner is not as crowded as people on this board are trying to make it sound...oustide of one day late in April when the Fair is going on...and this whole argument about conservative vs. arts kids is ludicrous as well. The bottom line is that people need to develop a connection to the university to be moved enough to give back when the opportunity presents itself. Developing more attractive hangouts near campus can only help our "commuter" image problem and help keep kids in Denton. Keeping students IN Denton on the weekends will go a long way to improving our fortunes. Getting more business(I was a business grad) students on campus during weekdays doesn't do us much good if they never latch onto NT.

Good grief....sounds like a tough guy! Let's hope he stays healthy through June...

Well, Twellman was part of the 4-1 disaster loss to Germany...after that game, Bruce Arena said that nobody played themselves onto the roster. I assume that Twellman took a big hit from that game, regardless of what Arena says now. That, and Eddie Johnson has real WC potential...you need someone, as rokemi pointed out, that is electric and has attitude at striker. I don't know about Brian Ching (haven't seen him much), but I've read that he did well in the qualifier games and is on a hot streak to start the MLS season. I imagine that Arena traded off Twellman for Ching for the sub-par performance against Germany by Twellman and the hot start by Ching....at least that's what makes sense to me.

?? What? Who's going to play QB for them?

At this point in the argument, neither of you (rokemi and Huns) has even gotten my main argument. I don't disagree that DE is a safe(maybe better) pick. MARIO WILLIAMS at #1 was! It becomes an EVEN worse pick when you know that Reggie Bush was sitting there...either to take or trade out of the pick....I do not think that Reggie Bush is going to just blow up the NFL in his rookie season....few rookies do....but I still think the guy is un-freaking-believable and I'd bet he becomes an NFL superstar soon. As for Peyton Manning....well, what can I say?....he's a ninny! ...and about fantasy football. You don't have to be good when you're in a league full of guys who would drop Antonio Gates.

WTF? You're going to argue where I got my rankings?!? Sheesh....go to ESPN.com.

Booger not an impact player? WTF?! You can't be serious!!!

Ok, I'll give you Marshall Faulk...but not Peyton Manning. That guy has been a choker since his college days. Well, crap. I don't think I'm going to continue the argument about Ware ...but the Julius Peppers/Jevon Kearse angle is still valid. If you are going to take a DE #1, I'd sure hope that he performed as well as either of those guys (or guys like them that are escaping me right now). I'd say that M. Williams didn't perform well at all considering his #1 status now. Whether or not I think Bush is a stud doesn't change the fact that he's a rookie. Drafting rookies in round 1/2 is the equivalent of suicide in the cut-throat NW Texans league! That and he'll be joined in the backfield by another good RB in Duece McAllister....seemingly they'll form a backfield similar to Miami last season with Ricky and Ronnie Brown. Both RBs were game breakers but neither had great fantasy value....now a few years down the road when/if Bush becomes a feature back? All that said, I still say he was the best player in the draft and the best college player that I can remember watching (as you pointed out has only been for about 18-20 years ) any team would be lucky to have him....to pass on him for freaking Mario Williams is/was absurd. Ok....fire away.

...or anyone who followed the Sun Belt as D. Ware was the Preseason Defensive POY. Then Troy had the Mizzou upset on ESPN...he was out there plenty. How about Julius Peppers (who everyone seems to compare M. Williams to)?...I damn sure knew who he was in college or even Jevon Kearse. There ARE defensive players every year that people know. Mario Williams was NOT one of them. True...Houston has an absolutely pitiful oline...but they addressed that in the 3rd round...will any of them pay off? Who knows, but having Bush sure wouldn't have hurt them any. provided he's not holding out?? I have no problem with Houston not drafting Bush...IF they thought they couldn't sign him or could get more value for the pick by trading it away. Under no circumstances should any team make as big a reach on a DE (who underachieved in college) as Houston did when you have Bush and Young at the top of the draft, arguably the 2 best college players (who produced in a big way) in the last 20 years...that also have great pro potential.

No, you could not. Bush vs: #24 Oregon 20 car, 122 yd, 1 td #14 Ariz St 17 car, 158 yd, 2 td #9 ND 15 car, 160 yd, 3 td #16 Fresno St 23 car, 294 yd, 2 td #11 UCLA 24 car, 260 yd, 2 td #1 Texas 13 car, 82 yd, 1 td The only "big" game he didn't break 100 yards was against UT...but he still managed a TD and 82 yards...though he didn't take over that game like he did most of the others listed here. I have to agree with those who think that Mario Williams was a bad pick. Picking a DE at #1 isn't necessarily a bad pick...but picking one who nobody ever heard of before the combine is.