The Fake Lonnie Finch

I'm old and have gray hair. Gray hair makes you patient and wise. Plus, I have two young kids...so, I'm real patient and getting wiser by the minute.

I still think it's so simple that it won't be done. Todd Dodge has got to have someone on the offensive coaching staff with more experience at coordinator to give him a different look at things. I know there's a cult of Dodge/Ford. But, what is it, really? Ford was his high school coordinator. What does he really add when the game is on the line, or when the team is in a rut? All he knows is being Dodge's assistant. This will be a tough call for Dodge, but Ford and George have got to go in favor of more experienced guys. You can't have yes-men all around you. I've already posted weeks ago that if Dodge would jettison those two and get college guys in there, I guarantee a Sun Belt title in 2010. Dodge clung to Robert Drake for a season too long. If he clings to Ford and George, with this offense, it will always be inconsistent. Every other school in the conference takes stock of what happens and makes changes. This thing doesn't exist in a bubble. Dodge has got to give himself a full deck to play with. He can't continually let opposing defensive coordinators beat him in the second half...and sometimes throughout the whole game. That has been done since day one. It's still that way. Ford may be a nice guy, but opposing defensive coordinators figure him out and he can't adjust. And, George's guys still run iffy routes and drop too many passes. It's not personal. At this level, it's a business. Dodge has got to realize this. How can he look at the way they were shut down in the second half again and not understand it?

Look, alot of you really thought this could be a turn around season. I didn't. So, this is right...my bar wasn't very high. When I said this wasn't the turn around season, I got alot of hate. It just didn't look loaded to me on paper like it did for some of you. Even though I'm not a coach, it just didn't look good everywhere to me. Still, what can you do? You have what you have. We do need more DLs. We do need a full year under Char strengthening and conditioning this team. Shavod and others out there really look more fat than strong. I don't think that will be the case next season. If Char could get Shavod to drop 20-30 pounds, he'd be a beast. You all know I'm no Dodge cheerleader. But, I just feel like we're a tick here and there from getting over the hump. A couple more offseason coaching moves, a few more DLs/DEs, a full offseason under Char...and, guys, I think this thing can go well in 2010.

I predicted we'd be 2-8 going into the Army game. We're 2-8 going into the Army game. Yes, it's disappointing that two very injured and "on the ropes" teams beat us, but...I'm not freaking out unless Army beats us. If Army beats us, I'll call church. Still, it's hard to understand why we can't get the offense, defense, and special teams together for 60 minutes for one full game under Dodge. Even for me, it's hard to believe. But, I'm a man of my word. We're where I thought we'd be after 10 games. Unless we lose to Army, this coaching staff and roster is about where I thought we'd be in 2009.

I think you can re-watch the game here: www.channelsurfing.net I watched the game there. Audio was non-existant. Also has other games.

My wife won't let me invite hookers over. She's such a prude.

Those two guys sounded real depressed about the state of things in their barbershop thingy. I listened to it last night with a glass a milk and a plate of cookies before I went to bed. Look, if these guys are beginning to see the light, you gotta figure Rick V is seeing the light. Bruce Springsteen was blinded by the light, and then later Manfred Mann's Earth Band as well. Again (and again and again and again), this weekend is chance to Dodge to show he can prepare his team...for another 2-7 Sun Belt team desparate for a win. If Dodge cannot somehow convey the urgency to his squad and have them play with some ramped up intensity, then one of two things is at play: (1) the man just can't do it, or (2) the man knows his job isn't in jeopardy, so he isn't properly motivated. Along the lines of #2, could it be that RV and others have intoned to Dodge that his has such a long rope on this thing that he doesn't feel the urgency of seasons gone awry? If so, then the joke's on true believers like Harry and Evan who spend alot of personal time and money on this thing...along with alot of other fans. It would be really disappointing if this was the case. As stated yesterday, this FIU team is similar to ULM in that it has injuries in key areas and has lost two of three before facing us. The situations are identical. Last week, I asked whether or not Dodge could get his squad to take down a wounded animal. The question is the same this week. If T.Y. Hilton isn't playing and QB Paul McCall is out with the injuries he's battling...FIU already had eight starters out injured...there is no reason we shouldn't be able to go into Miami and win this one by a couple of scores (and I mean touchdown-type scores, not field goal-type scores). So, my question is the same one I've asked for three years, and that Harry and Evan are now asking on their barbeshop thingy - can Dodge get it done? Against this team, this weekend, with all that is going wrong for them personnel-wise, there is no way we should come out of this thing with a loss. If FIU somehow manages to beat us with their M.A.S.H. unit of a football squad, you can forget about "Tanking Army" and whatnot. If what's left of this FIU squad can't be beaten by us, there's no way we compete with Army or Arkansas State (who by the final game may be playing their butts off to save their head coach's job for the inexplicably crappy job he's done with that team this season).

ULM was a very winnable game. FIU is the same animal as ULM...injuries to key guys and lost two of the three before playing us. The only difference is that we're on the road for this one. Another blowout loss?

Yeah, there are similarities if you put Ohio and Louisiana into the same category talent level as BYU and Nebraska. I don't. No one does. Ohio and Louisiana wouldn't finish games against BYU and Nebraska within one and seven points - and neither would we. Also, I'd take Landry and his 17 touchdown passes versus 11 interceptions in his redshirt freshman year over what we're getting in a heartbeat. Landry's done his business against much tougher competition than Riley and his 7 touchdown and 10 picks. And...Riley's sat out our two toughest games - Alabama and Troy. Landry's been in every OU game thusfar. Given the differences in comeptition level, it would make more sense if Jones had the 7-10 numbers and Dodge the 17-11. But, it's isn't that way. I'd love to have a legitimate 6-4, 220 pound 4-star quarterback recruit throwing more TDs than picks to complain about. But, I don't. I've got Riley. Also as to OU's linemen: C - Ben Habern - 4 star recruit: http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p...amp;nid=2991593 G - Jarvis Jones - 4 star recruit: http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/...vis-Jones-45512 G - Stephen Good - 5 star recruit: http://rivals.yahoo.com/dallasnews/footbal...phen-Good-52697 T - Trent Williams - 3 star recruit: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recr...-Williams-36432 T - Cory Brandon - 4 star recruit: http://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/...y-Brandon-33062 Looks like their recruiting on the OL is just fine. What it looks like to me is their OL coach ought to get off of his butt and do what he's paid to do - get his four- and five-star prospects up to speed. Believe me, I'd love it if Spencer Leftwich was having to stuggle along with OU's poor four- and five-star linemen.

I don't buy it. I don't buy it from Stoops - who has more than enough skins on the wall. And, I certainly don't buy it on behalf of Todd Dodge. Stoops' 2009 squad has had injuries. But, so what? He's still 5-4, and a field goal here and there in a few games from being a little better in spite of all of the injuries. Either way, it's his responsibility and his staff's responsibility to have whomever is available ready. At four losses by 12 points to schools like BYU, Texas, Miami, and Nebraska, I fail to see what OU fans are so upset about or what Stoops is so defensive about. Dodge's situation is night and day different. He's just inept at this level, has no history of success at this level, and it doesn't appear as though he ever will here in Denton. It would take him 10 years to win as many games as Stoops' school usually wins in a season. If we were 5-4 with the only losses by a combined 12 points, we'd be giving Dodge a 10-year extension and naming half the buildings on campus after him. But, he isn't. As with his first two seasons, his team is uninspired and alread guaranteed another losing season. And, 5-4 type teams are beating us at home by four tocuhdowns. It's different. The only similarity is this - Stoops and Dodge can whine all they want about what their players do and do not do. But, the bottom line is both are responsibile for the product they put out of the field. So, they should both kept their mouths shut, quit throwing their players under the bus, and get on with what they're paid to do - coach and win. There's no excuse for either one of them. The players don't coach themselves.

It's expectations. Out athletic department expects that no one will want to come here, and so they dumb down their search. By the way, if Dodge had been out recruiting instead of coaching at Southlake through that title run, we might have had a more coherent 2007 signing class. But, we saw what was more important to him - Southlake over UNT.

I don't see how this compares to us at all. In Stoops first 10 seasons at OU, he racked up 7 conference titles, 1 national titles, four trips to the national title game, 7 BCS games, 2 Heisman Trophy winners, multiple Butkus Award, Thorpe Award, and O'Brien award winner along with Lombardi and Outland Award winners and others. So, in his 11th season, six starters are lost for the season due to injury. Tough luck. But, to say his situation in any way is like ours here is ridiculous. Without the injuries, OU is likely sitting at 7-2 or 8-1, if not 9-0. We're getting blown out by ULM by four touchdowns at home in our head coach's third season. There's no comparison. As it stands OU's four losses have come by a combined total of 12 points. Anyone who thinks this season is some sort of sign that Stoops is losing it or can't judge talent is simply wishful thinking. If you hate OU, then just be glad they've had a spate of bad luck. If you think 2010 will be a repeat, you'll be sorely disappointed. Stoops' problem this year is that he got caught having to play a bunch of guys during the season who they hadn't planned on playing even in August. Remember, their tight end's injury came two days before the start of the season. That guy was an All-American. The day before, their starting center was injured. His backup was injured the week before in practice. So, they flipped the backup at tight end to center. Suddenly, they are going into game one with a walk-on starting at tight end and a guy playing center who hadn't ever played OL in his life. They have basically one day to practice with this group before they go to Dallas. They do a walk through with this group once beforre the BYU game. So, they've got one full practice and one walk through with that bunch after practicing with the other guy all spring and fall. They lose Sam Bradford in the first half of that first game. And, they still only lose 14-13 to BYU when their 50+ yard field goal attempt falls short with less than a minute left. Guys, if Bob Stoops has a winning record this year with all of the injuries his team has racked up, he should be coach of the year. But, to somehow lump what is happening up there to what is happening down here is ridiculous. For the past three seasons, this thing has been awful. All the way around awful. OU may have a guy jump here or there, but they're still sending linemen into the NFL. Check out former Sooner Phil Loadholt starting for the Minnesota Vikings in his rookie season! He was a JUCO guy. Our JUCO guys aren't going to even get a sniff in the NFL as free agents. Stoops may have had some bad luck this year. But, he's still managed to guide his school to a winning record. Dodge hasn't done that in three seasons. Any conversation with Stoops and Dodge even being mentioned together is, on its face, ludicrous. Besides being human beings who walk on two legs, there is nothing remotely similar about the way the two men coach, or their fates as a results of their coaching effort. Stoops will still be OU's head coach long after Dodge has been fired and forgotten. If Dodge is lucky, Stoops may hire him to coach receivers or something after his dismal tenure here ends.

Safety help on deep pass plays? Anyway, wherever the blame lies, one thing is sure...the secondary has problems. When a kid with a broken thumb is lighting you up, it's a problem.

Are you suggesting that Dodge would be a bust in the CFL or Arena League as well?

You know, KRAM and I don't agree on a whole host of issues surrounding the football program. But, I admire his faith in the athletic department despite its constant and plain show of ineptitude when it comes to promoting the team. God bless you, KRAM. Your patience with this whole thing is not unlike that of Job.

Not at all. I'm suggesting that coconuts migrate:

Rick, Come on, man. They are at least lining up guys at tight end this year. Give Dodge another year or two in his learning curve to figure out that you can also throw to them on a regular basis with great success, as Tom Hicks might say. Yes, we all expect that Dodge, and perhaps Ford, might look at the type of spread Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma (before Jermaine Gresham was injured) use and get the notion that a tight end is useful. Heck, he could even look at the game film of last year's game against Tulsa and see how they use Charles Clay as a tight end/fullback hybrid called an H-back. They might then realize he has a Charles Clay clone in Micah Mosley standing on his sideline. But, again, it's just Dodge's third year up here. Give him a little time. Besides, as has been pointed out before, you and I aren't coaches, so what could we possibly know about any of it?

His boss(es). The athletic director and administration. That's real fuzzy language. Way too subjective. Again, some of these clauses can be stronger. But, the flip side is that you have to get someone to sign it. No coach, except the brainy guy up at Colorado, guarantees they can win a certain number of games. And, given the nature of things, I doubt any would want to be held to a certain number on paper.

The "out" is in there - Article 5.06 Right to Reassign. RV could reassign Dodge to any other duty, coaching or non-coaching. Dodge's refusal to accept the re-assignment trigger the Termination for Just Cause. Termination for Just Cause takes the school off the hook for the rest of his salary. So, to those of you who say he can't be bought out...he doesn't have to be. The contract also contains a clause that says our payments are "reduce or ceased" in case he is fired "Without Cause" if he find other "comparable employment." I'd have made this clause strong by just saying that our responsibility to continue to pay the salary after termination for just cause ends when Coach Dodge has found new employment in any field. The wording of the current contract is weak, with words like "mitigation." Forget "mitigation." Just write a contract that says if we fire you and you gt a new job, we stop paying you. Do not misinterpret this post. I've posted elsewhere that I'm not advocating the firing of Dodge. I'm just point out that, pursuant to former discussions on the matter of his employment, he can be reassigned. And, if he refuses the reassignment, he can be fired without being owed another dime by the university.

All of this are now in this thing for different reasons - blind faith, morbid curiosity, loyalty to the coach, loyalty to the players and school. Whatever reason, I say - again, for the second time this year - hold off on the firing talk. Saturday was atrocious. Of the past 33 games, well...most have been atrocious. But, I'm a man of my word. I said we'd be 2-7 after nine game and 3-9 on the season. FIU is bad. Army is bad. And, Arkansas State...well, they shouldn't be bad, but they are (they have the least excuse of all for their performance this year, actually). I'm not the sunshine pumper in here, but, as much of a dadgum roller coaster as this thing has been with Todd Dodge, we could be cranked up on top again next week...before we hit the loop-de-loop ending with Army and Arkansas State. The ride could be wild, but rewarding. As with all roller coaster rides, at the end you're either (1) excited, (2) scared, of (3) vomiting your lunch at the next batch of passengers. A win or two and I think we're excited about next season. One win, we're still scared about the direction. Three losses...well, get the barf bags ready. I kind of view Todd Dodge as a baseball player now, hitting at six in the lineup. He's too good to put in the bottom third, too inconsistent to hit in the top third, and has just enough occassional pop in his bat to get the ball over the fence - but, he strikes out alot. I see this point of Dodge's career as him standing at the plate with two outs in the ninth and the winning run on second. He's got two strikes and keeps fouling off pitches. We're out there in the crowd, some mumbling under our breaths because our team's fate is in the hands of a batter who hasn't always been clutch. But, we also know deep down that he has it in him to knock the hide off the thing. So, we'd be no more surprised if he struck out than if he homered. And, that's just it. That's what these final three games are. Us waiting to see if the guy who suppposedly has the talent and skill to deliver will deliver. He ate up minor league pitching, but the breaking balls up here are killing him. Can he finally deliver? The showdown is perfect. On the mound is FIU, a school with a history of making him look bad at the plate. Big whiffs. Big, big whiffs against FIU in the first two at bats. Can he crank it up on them? Look at this...I'm so eager for us to succeed, I'm losing my sports mind. I think I'm getting the space madness.

This one, I cannot believe. I don't really know what Memphis thinks it has. To me, this is like New Mexico forcing Rocky Long out...or Southern Miss forcing Jeff Bower out...or East Carolina forcing Steve Logan out. At some point, you admit to yourself (and your budget) that you aren't Big State School With Automatic Following (insert Tennessee, in this case) and you be happy with a guy who has brought you success like you hadn't had before. Prior to this season, West had four winning season in the past eight, plus another 6-6 season...last year! He's taken the Tigers to five of the six bowl games in their history (the other was in 1971). He led the Tigers to three in a row 2003-2004 and two in a row 2007-2008. This season will only be the fourth that he hasn't taken a Memphis team to a bowl game. Someone is going to improve on what Tommy West has been able to do at Memphis? Not likely. It's a basketball school. They should be happy they can get a guy who succeed at football and stick with him. They're nuts. Sorry, man. I just don't see this one. One season after back-to-back bowls? Memphis?

He'd make a great H-back in a spread offense like Tulsa's. They currently have Charles Clay doing that. He's listed as a fullback and, at times, will line up like a true fullback. But, most other times, he's out just behind the line off the the left or right, two or three yeards back from where a tight end would be. From there he blocks or runs middle routes. Against us, he ran for a touchdown and caught another one last year. Although he's listed as a fullback (and he's a big 6-3/230), he had over 1,000 receiving out of the H-back spot in 2007. It's a wrinkle I wish we had for two reason: (1) to get Micah onto the field, and (2) to get some sort of consistent, credible threat over the middle. Alas...it's a fullback/tight end hybrid position, so I doubt we'll ever see it here.

For the record, having seen Boise live this year against Tulsa, they look very beatable. Tulsa, breaking in a new QB, RB, and linemen, took an early lead on them and eventually lost by 7. Boise could never fully put Tulsa away. I think TCU, Cincinnati, Texas, Florida, or Alabama woud run roughshod over Boise. Boise is very young - five seniors - and isn't good at finishing. Of all years, this is the year they are fortunate to play in a conference without top competition. I still think they'll lose one along the line. They just didn't look good in person. And, they've struggled some in other games. I'd love to see TCU or Cincinnati in a title game with Florida. I don't really think Alabama can beat Florida this year. And, I think Texas is too up and down on offense. I think a Florida-Texas matchup would look identical to the Florida-OU matchup of last year. Plus, it'd be something of a switch to see an SEC team play someone other than a Big 12 school for a title. It would be more interesting to see Cincy or the Frogs in with the Gators.

Agree 110% on Gandy I'd also love to see Peterson on the side of the ball Air Force had him on as a co-offensive coordinator or run-game coordinator, as some school now do. He's also a pretty decent recruiter. It's just always been weird to me that he's the secondary coach with virtually all of his other experience being on the offensive side of the ball, and a bunch of that as a coordinator.

Yes. I do have an agenda - I want my alma mater to have a competitive football squad. And, I want it so much that I'm willing to part with Deloach as well as Dodge because, at this point, neither one of them seems to be able to get their sides of the ball in synch for the same game. I just want someone to come in here and not get kicked around by 27 to Louisiana-Monroe and a broken-thumbed quarterback at home. It just doesn't seem like it should be as hard as we all make it out to be. The point about ULM's DC is that we shouldn't be making excuses for Deloach either. Yes, we're giving up fewer points this year. And, on the other side of the ball, we're averaging a little more. But, neither one is able to get their charges to do it consistently or even for one dadgum game in three years! One game! Seriously, if you look at the 33 games so far as a whole, the only coach who has had guys ready to go, game in and game out, has been Shelton Gandy. He's dealt with injuries and whotnot and has been able to produce capable running backs from a variety of players. No one else is doing that. Just look at Deloach. He's coaching the linebackers, right? Well, so when our best goes out with an injury, the whole thing craters with his replacement? Anyway, yes, I have an agenda - get a coaching staff that can get my alma mater to play with a little inspiriation at home - even if they lose! Dude, 33-6...two field goals? A quarterback with a broken thumb wracking up almost 300 yards passing after sitting out two games? I mean, come one. We're not talking about LSU shutting us down on one side and throwing and running all over us on the other, we're talking about ULM - in year three of this thing!