The Fake Lonnie Finch

South Florida and FAU also started out playing I-AA/FCS. I think each played two seasons as independents at that level before making the jump. Either way, they've already proven it can be done quickly. And, guys like Larry Coker wouldn't be sniffing around if it wasn't going to go big soon. In South Florida's case, huge - from not having a program to I-AA to BCS conference in 10 years! UTSA could easily cut a similar path.

All good and well, but the federal government doesn't penalize people who don't utilize the internet for research. Nor did it set up a whole new level of bureaucracy, replete with all of the salaries and expenses that come with it, to be sure people make "reasonable use" of research on the internet. It's just another step toward driving good doctors underground and replacing them with the type who went to medical schools in Haiti and Mexico and the like.

Yes. This is a lost concept these days. See in the old days, people paid their own mortgages and their own debts by getting a job! Now, they just sit around and wait for the government to give them my tax money so that they won't have to pay the for consequences of their own poor choices. Yes, truly a great concept - float people who are too lazy and unindustrious to support themselves.

This is nothing more than the "Ninja Formation" that Mike Leach briefly used when he was OU's offensive coordinator in 1999. He unveiled it against Texas A&M. From that game, about at the :57 second mark of the video (by the way, #7 for OU in the highlights was former Dallas Carter running back Michael Thornton):

Sadly, what will happen is UTSA will surpass us, and quickly, once they get things off the ground. Like South Florida, Central Florida and Florida Atlantic did, UTSA's athletic department is interviewing coaches with many skins on the wall. The only competition for fans in SA is the Spurs, and the important parts of their seasons don't mesh since the NBA playoffs don't begin until far after the college football season ends. I'd be surprised if UTSA gives the Sun Belt anything more than a prefunctory sniff. I'd like to say that it's amazing that yet another start-up program will pass us by, but it's old news by now. The only difference is that this time it will be happening in-state so we'll be seeing it and hearing a bit more about it. Also, the Sun Belt projections to the future are probably far-fetched, too. The more likely scenario is Troy bailing to higher ground and having its spot filled by USA. Schools have long proven that they do what makes sense for their bottom line, not what makes the most sense geographically on paper.

Nothing about locusts or other swarming insects? The latitude is so wide.

AF-805B - A-11 Offense Installation Manual Kurt Bryan, Head Coach of Piedmont High School (CA) and Assistant Coach and Director of Football Operations Steve Humphries developed and then installed the A-11 offense last fall. Well, it was written by another high school coach. So, we at least know Dodge would be able to understand it.

You're absolutely right. I should have checked the translation closer. It actually says: "Don't worry so much about your neighbors and family disappearing. The important things is that I'm hung like a retarded mule." And, you're right...Mao's size currently has nothing to do with UNT football.

Two things here: one, ethanol; two politicians addressing problems. Folks, the red flags should have gone up immediately when the whole ethanol thing took off. The example everyone cited was Brazil. People, when anything Brazil does becomes a basis for a major part of your economy, you know the politicians have long ago checked reality at the door. Second, to address a problem, the politicians would first have to admit that there's a problem that they themselves caused! How many politicans can you think of who will go back to their constituents and say, "Hey, man, look...I pushed for that ethanol thing and it help f*ck things up. Vote for me in 2010 and you'll get (two or six) more years of this fine example of my great work. Also, you're decision to re-elect me keeps me closer geographically to my mistress."

Well, maybe CFBN has the opposite affect as the Sport Illustrated jinx. Last year, they picked FIU as the worst team for 2008. Then, the Panther went out and won some games. Of course, the X factor is Mario Cristobal having all of that dreaded prior college coaching experience. I don't know what our X factor could be, though. Magic, exploding coconuts, maybe? Pouring honey onto the opposing teams as they run onto Fouts Field then releasing swarms of wild locusts (as opposed to domesticated locusts) on them at kickoff? The old road runner and coyote falling anvil trick? Anyone?

Look, neither party has the balls to solve this thing. Neither does anybody on the current finance "team" cobbled together by Obama outside of maybe Paul Volcker, who will be ignored by the Blackberry-wielding class of Ivy League f*ck-ups who pass for the inteligensia these days. The tough medicine is that interest rates must be raised. But, no one will do it. Instead, as they have been since 1992, interest continue to be held artificially low by crass and cowardly politicians whose answer will always be to throw more money at the "problem." Well, the problem is really simple: easy money is what led to a false economic boom that began in late 1992 and went through the fall of 2007. It's what caused the whole problem in the first place! Money was handed out to people who couldn't handle it. Underwriting standards were thrown out the window on a variety of high purchase loans. The loans were then packaged into securities by very wise people with degrees from Ivy League and Big Ten business schools. Now that it's tanked, no one will just say, "Hey, look, we f'd up. You do actually have to let the market drive the interest rates. And, you have to underwrite loans." The last idiot - Bush - simply tossed money at the problem. Predictably, it didn't work. The current idiot - Obama, seeing how futile Bush's money-orgy was - proposes that we walk down the same path. Obama, though, ups the ante of idiocy by pretending that businesses can be saddled with more employment/labor lawsuits and stronger unions. Besides adding that can of gasoline to the fire, he takes the economically suicidal position that credit scores be ignored. All of that would seem to be stupid enough. But, wait...there's more! To even further screw up any attempt at righting the ship of underwriting and credit standards, he supports legislation that would have judges deciding what a mortgage says instead of the document originally agreed to itself. Bush was lost when the false economy finally broke down. Obama is Bush x 10 when it comes to misunderstanding the economic problems. But, McCain people shouldn't gloat. That idiot also voted for the "bailout" package and will vote for the latest boondoggle once they all get together, have a few drinks, and remember that their pensions are guaranteed by the American taxpayer no matter how badly they f*ck up the country. No amount of history can deter the current idiocy occurring now in Washington, D.C. They will completely tie the invisible hand that is at work in a capitalistic society. At that point, we'll simply be Mexico with only a slightly larger middle class and a bigger, more proven military.

Why are you always trying to mess up the Official Dodge Storyline with facts? All the 2008 recruits are here. See. They are all here. Not one of them has left. All are here.

Good save, Tasty. Praise was in that post, and in other places. You - I mean, they - just have to be able to read...or, find someone close to them who can. Reading is like The Humpty Dance - it's real easy to do.

Texas would have flipped him out to WR or stuck him as a backup DB. The scouting reports on him - the one by actual scouts and college coaches - also mentioned his lack of size and lack of arm strength. In just the little time he's put in, he wracked up a concussion. In his final high school game, he broke his collarbone. His size and durability at this level are legitimate question marks until he can get out on the field and prove he can overcome them at this level. If he can't, it's no big deal. Flip him back out to WR and let him make plays there. I'd personally like to see him returning punts and kicks. But, he can't do that and play QB.

The home opener will be a great gauge for us defensively. Ohio has traditionally been a run-based school under former Nebraska head coach Frank Solich, but threw it around a bunch last year. Solich's Bobcats finished the season almost a 50/50 split between run and pass plays (392 run, 386 pass). So, we'll see a truly balanced team at Fouts Field. A possible advantage for us is that Ohio will be breaking in three new starters on its offensive line. That should bode well for us because we will also have many new faces starting on our DL. Plus, we now have a bona fide college coach leading them. Ohio also loses their first and second string tight ends and their starting fullback to graudation, so they may be very susceptible to the blitz. If we can take advantage of so many new players in their blocking scheme, we could actually pull this one off. The flipside, though, is that the Bobcats return eight of their defensive starters. We're breaking in a new QB and WRs. If they're not on the same page in this game, the Bobcat defense could have an excellent day. On special teams, the Bobcats will be replaing their kicker. Everyone else returns. Their punter returners averaged 11.6 and ran one back for a TD. Their kick returner earned a healthy 23.6 per return. Their punter will be a junior, but only had a 37 and 38 yard average his first two years. If Gandy is as good a special teams coach as he is a runningback coach, we may actually have a push here if we can knuckle down on their return guys. The X-factors for the game will obviously be to see whether the offense is gelling with the new skills players. The X-factor for the Bobcats will be to see if they can improve in their second year of passing. Their QB is a California JUCO guy who led their shift to a more balanced offense last year with over 2300 yards passing and more than 300 rushing. He threw 19 touchdown (against 12 interceptions) and ran for three more. His backup is a carbon copy - also a California JUCO who can throw and pull it down and run. Ohio will test us the way we need to be tested - they'll throw it and run it and they have good return units. We'll find out whether or not we can shut down a dual threat QB, and whether or not our special teams, newly coached, can handle some speed.

Chase'll be standing on someone's sideline at minimum - hat turned backward, holding a clipboard. And, making the king's mint for doing so. Not a bad way to make a living in your 20s.

I think the point of the article is that these guys go head-to-head against the best in the business and succeed. Any school can lose its image appeal real quick. Washington was a stellar team in the 80s and 90s, but have fallen on hard times as their recruiting has become less effective. Texas and OU both stumbled throughout the 90s. Notre Dame has taken the backseat over the past few seasons. Tennessee is going through it now. Miami is just coming back from a so-so mid-2000s. You've got to really keep at it at a high level to keep your program competitive. This list is a good example of guys who are helping schools do it. Many are longtime assistants. They're worth a look when our job comes open because they already have the main skill sets we, or any program needs - many years of experience at this level, many contacts throughout the country, and a proven track record on and off the field.

When we are interviewing for the new head coaching position, every one of these guys should at least be contacted: http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=909438

All good and well, but OU and UT and the like don't sign classes full of two-star players. If someone doesn't pan out for them, it's doesn't matter because there are a whole bunch of other four and five star guys on the roster and more added every year. And, of course, the biggest hang up is that you've got to have a coaching staff capable of developing the three-star guys into Heisman Candidates. Bob Stoops and Mack Brown tend to have coaching staffs full of coaches who have done that for decades. Us? Not so much. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Precisely.

Yes. History has made it very different - we're begging kids from Mississippi community colleges with this staff.

Here's where I'll depart from most people who follow recruiting. The Tony Charles thing isn't a matter of him not wanting to play bad enough. It may not even be a case of laziness (although, I'll grant you, it could be). I'd bet the vast majority of us grew up in safe places with good, safe schools. We probably had both parents and never lacked basic needs - food, clothing, etc. Our extended family (aunt, uncles, cousins, etc.) was probably, for the most part, stable with many of those being college graduates. I'm here to state the obvious - we grew up in environments that were conducive to learning, both at home and schools. Again, stating the obvious, not everyone grows up that way. And, whether fair or not, many college athletes come from backgrounds that are not steeped in learning. Therefore, something that would be a no-brainer to you or me - passing three more classes - may not be for a kid with no real academic background. If you can't read, write, or comprehend well, you can't read, write, or comprehend well. No magic class or program will change it. And, as you get older, it gets more difficult. You can't be mad or surprised by kids like this. Academics probably wasn't in his background or his family's background. It's no indictment against them; that's just society. Best of luck to Tony at Arkansas Tech - off the field more than on it.

He doesn't have to be bought out. He can be reassigned to another position. But, there's still the problem of having an AD, Admin, and Board who understand enough about football to do it.

Ice closed our Dallas office, so I'm rifing through old boxes of junk in there garage (wife's orders). Anyway, I found the game program from the first game of my first year at UNT. Erric Pegram is on the cover. Starting Lineups: Offense: #4 - WR - Johnie Rodgers #76 - LT - J.D. Martinez #78 - LG - Scott Dukatnik #54 - C - Clay Bode #66 - RG - Paul Gallamore #53 - RT - Scott Bowles #25 - WR - Tony Cook # 1 - QB - Scott Davis #33 - FB - David Blanchard #13 - RB - Erric Pegram #9 - FL - Velton Morgan Defense: #90 - End - Lewis Fields #97 - LT - Mike Davis #84 - NT - Shawn Walsh #56 - RT - James Walton #40 - Mon - Willie Hughes #11 - LB - Keith Wilkerson #50 - LB - Byron Gross #36 - LC - Isaac Barnett #21 - FS - Sean Mayes #24 - SS - Walter Casey #6 - RC - Jeff Tutson Also of interest on the roster: -Both of Joe Greene's boys, Major (SR-DL) and DeLoss (SO-LB) -WR Clayton George, RS-FR -Steve Piskor, brother of the famous baseball playing Piskors from Plano East Quarterbacking for Abilene Chrsitian that night - current Colleyville Heritage head football coach Mike Fuller. At linebacker was future Hereford assistant David Wright. Gene Stallings future son-in-law Keith Gunn also suited up for ACU.

I'm cursed with degrees in literature, management, and law. Thank UNT for the lit degree. Professor Wright would be proud. Complain all you want, but at least I use short paragraphs. Long, yet concise.