The Fake Lonnie Finch

The upside against Tulsa is they graduated all four starting defensive linemen. The downside is we play them the last game of the season when they new starters will already have 11 games under their belts. I wish we played Tulsa early to maybe catch their new defensive line before they have a chance to figure it out. The flip side is that we have to have sustained drives on offense this year. I believe our OL gives us a good chance for that. If we can keep Tulsa and a few others off the field with our own sustained drives, we can balance out our lack of depth and talent on the DL.

Ugh...at minimum, four teams with great running games. Hopefully they lost many OLs. Our DL will be greatly tested this year. That will be the determining factor in whether we have a winning or losing season. I have this nightmare of us being ball controlled to death game in and game out.

CDC research is tangential and defaming? All I did was point to CDC research to demostrate that what Collins is doing is admitting high risk for HIV/AIDS acquisition. I don't regard that as brave at all. I see that as admitting he willingly participates in high risk sexual activities, which is foolish. As to gay women, look again at what the body is and what it does. In humans, the females carry the eggs that when combined with the sperm of the male creates new life. Evolutionary biology doesn't explain sexual proclivities among small groups of individuals. About two decades ago, a researcher tried to conjure up discovery of a "gay gene." However, subsequent research could not prove it, and sometimes even disproved it. Wishing there was a gene to explain homosexuality is one thing; proving it is another, and that hasn't been done. Women who have sex with other women, like white heterosexual males, do not make the CDC HIV AIDS list because they are not using the anus as the main means of sexual contact. It reinforces, then, the appropriate physiological and biological function of the anus. As far as women who have sex with other women and STIs, bacterial vaginosis is more common than it is in heterosexual women. Again, from the government's own research: http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/lesbian-bisexual-health.cfm#e So, back where we started - is what Collins has done "brave" or "courageous"? No. ---------- Here is what I see as the true problem: Because the truth is ugly, people want to ignore it and bombard the public with emotional cover stories. Doing so makes a certain element of the populace "feel good" about themselves. However, that doesn't help the situation of HIV/AIDS prevention. When you take an honest look at the scientific evidence, the group with the least acquisition of STIs, psychologocal problems, etc is monogamous, heterosexual couples. Why this scientific fact is offensive to some, I'll never know. The paradox (hypocrisy) of those who incline toward the left of the political spectrum is that in many issues they will tell you "science, science, science!" Yet, when it comes to sexuality, they ignore stark scientific warning signs about misusing the body sexually. Why? It isn't difficult. The question about what the parts of the body do and what their correct uses are is not the same as Big Bang versus Creationism arguments. In Big Bang versus Creationism, neither side can conclusively prove the other right or wrong. As to sexuality, evolutionary biology proves that the human specie is continued by male-female reproduction. In phsyiology and anatomy, the anus is the final part is the digestive system. It is not a part of the sexual reproductive process. HIV/AIDS did not spring from monogamous, heterosexual relationships. That isn't an opinion, it is a fact. And, it is a fact that, to this day, is still supported the weight of scientific evidence. You cannot change what the body is or what it does by wishing. If you abuse and misuse the body, it will react against such. --------- Now, in the gigantically big picture, the group at least risk for any type of STI is married, heterosexual couples. Why is that? From what we know of science and evolution, how can you not conclude that is it because people in those relationship at using their bodies for what they are intended to be used for? We now waste billions of dollars on HIV/AIDS drugs when the known prevention of it is simple - stop using the anus as a sexual organ. The research has already been done. Accept it so that the money and time used for it can be used on truly non-discrimintory diseases, such as cancer.

Yes, you are correct. Firefighters subduing fires and saving lives are courageous. Someone telling the public about their risky sexual proclivities is not courageous.

It's not courageous. Every other week someone is announcing they are gay. They don't kill you for being gay here like they do in muslim countries. Here, an announcement that you are a gay, black male is doing nothing other than admitting that you are in the highest risk group for HIV/AIDS. In my mind, it's more selfish than courageous. You are most at risk for having the disease and are willing to put other athletes who aren't using their bodies inappropriately at risk by playing a physical sport with them. From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dated March 2013: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/msm/pdf/msm.pdf Note, again, that white, heterosexual males are not on the list. I've posted this information before. White, heterosexual males didn't make the last list either. We can all agree that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is not a church, religious organization, "right wing" think tank. or political action committee. It is a research outift of the United States' government. Here are the words of the CDC regarding the spread of HIV/AIDS: "Prevention Challenges As a group, gay, bisexual, and other MSM have an increased chance of being exposed to HIV because of the large number of MSM living with HIV. ... Sexual risk behaviors account for most HIV infections in MSM. Unprotected receptive anal sex is the sexual behavior that carries the highest risk for HIV acquisition. For sexually active MSM, the most effective ways to prevent HIV and many other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are to avoid anal sex, or for MSM who do have anal sex, to always use condoms. MSM are at increased risk for syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia, and the CDC recommends that all sexually active MSM be tested annually for these STIs." Again and again and again, when you abuse the body it reacts against the abuse. The anus is not a sexual organ, although gay and bisexual men use it as such. They reap disease because of it. Sadly, people are being lauded as heroes for flaunting the misuse of their bodies. It doesn't matter whether Collins is an NBA basketball player or just some average Joe off the street. He doesn't use his body as it is meant to be used from a physiological and biological standpoint. And, as the government's own research shows, the end results is disease. Engaging in actions you know could damage your body and put others at risk is not heroic - it's selfish and stupid. What do we do next, give Medals of Freedom to people who kill, maim, or paralyze others while driving drunk or stoned?

Tight end is an important position. We've been using tight ends again for almost four seasons. Ah, who am I kidding...we are what we are: complacent. ACU and Tarleton State are having more players drafted these days. We've got a newer stadium and have traded conference names, though; so, we've got that going for us...which is nice.

I like Derek Thompson as the starter.

Agreed.

Insane people used to be confined to asylums. They now are given tenure at universities.

I'm going to buy a $1 UNT lunch tray.

If we had a cellular biology department worth a damn, they'd clone Derek before the season began to help us out a little.

My only worry is that Derek won't also be able to play wide receiver and defensive tackle, positions where we really need help. He's only one man. If only there were 21 more of him. And, also a deep snapper like him, a punt like him, and a kicker like him. So, we need, really, 24 kids with Derek-like ability and attitude. Otherwise, we will fail and fail and fail.

I keep thinking about how lucky we are going to be to have #7 lining up at center this season - a fifth year senior...three year starter...with a better interception per attempt ratio than USC's Matt Barkley. We'll be the envy of the C-USun Belt. Hear me now, believe me later. Derek Thompson is THE man. Loyal and hard-working. Love his blue collar toughness. Derek, Derek, he's our man...if he can't do it, no one can!

You visiting fan gotta love our UNT fanbase. We've got a third team quarterback who couldn't win the job at Kansas or Random Arizona JUCO, and they compare him to Johnny Manziel. Ol' football Johnny sat out a year and stuck around to compete for the job he now has. Even after the coach who signed him got canned, he stuck around - even after Kevin Sumlin made him no guarantees about the starting job. He won it and the rest is history. We've got people so hard up here that they've lost all perspective. You've got 11 men on the field at a time, not one. Derek Thompson may not be Superman, but he's no slouch either. I'm 113% not worried about Derek Thompson.

I'd say yes. Threw INTs more often than Thompson Matt Barkley, USC: 15 in 387 = 1 every 25.8 / Trojans 7-6, lost Sun Bowl Munchie Legaux, Cincinnati: 9 in 230 = 1 every 25.56 / Bearcats 10-3, won Belk Bowl Gary Nova, Rutgers: 16 in 388 = 1 every 24.25 / Scarlet Knights 9-4, lost Russell Athletic Bowl Sean Mannion, Oregon St.: 13 in 309 = 1 every 23.77 / Beavers 9-4, lost Alamo Bowl Riley Nelson, BYU: 13 in 308 = 1 every 23.69 / Cougars 8-5, won Poinsettia Bowl Steele Jantz, Iowa St.: 12 in 269 = 1 every 22.42 / Cyclones 6-7, lost Liberty Bowl Bo Wallace, Ole Miss: 17 in 368 = 1 every 21.65 / Rebels 7-6, won BBVA Compass Bowl Derek Thompson, UNT: 14 interceptions in 369 attempts = 1 interception thrown for every 26.35 pass attempts Threw INTs less often than Thompson Jake Medlock, FIU 2 in 263 = 1 every 131.5 / Golden Panthers 3-9 Jacob Karam, Memphis: 3 in 274 = 1 every 91.33 / Tigers 4-8 Graham Wilbert, FAU: 6 in 405 = 1 every 67.5 / Owls 3-9 Shaun Rutherford, Texas St.: 5 in 299 = 1 every 59.8 / Bobcats 4-8 Tanner Price, Wake Forest: 7 in 410 = 1 every 58.57 / Demon Deacons 5-7 Brett Smith, Wyoming: 6 in 330 = 1 every 55 / Cowboys 4-8 Rakeem Cato, Marshall: 11 in 584 = 1 every 53.10 / Thundering Herd 5-7 Phillip Sims, Virginia: 4 in 203 = 1 every 50.75 / Cavaliers 4-8 James Vandenberg, Iowa: 8 in 389 = 1 every 48.63 / Hawkeyes 4-8 Corey Robinson, Troy: 9 in 389 = 1 every 43.22 / Trojans 5-7 Zac Dysert. Miami (OH): 12 in 480 = 1 every 40 / RedHawks 4-8 Tyler Bray, Tennessee: 12 in 451 = 1 every 37.58 / Volunteers 5-7 Cameron Coffman, Indiana: 11 in 407 = 1 every 37 / Hoosiers 4-8 Chase Rettig, Boston College: 13 in 467 = 1 every 35.92 / Eagles 2-10 Ryan Griffin, Tulane: 11 in 394 = 1 every 35.82 / Green Wave 2-10 Andrew Manley, New Mexico St = 11 in 384 = 1 every 34.91 / Aggies 1-11 Mike Wegzyn, U Mass = 10 in 346 = 1 every 34.6 / Minutemen 1-11 Travis Wilson, Utah = 6 in 204 = 1 every 34 / Utes 5-7 James Franklin, Missouri: 7 in 234 = 1 every 33.43 / Tigers 5-7 Jordan Webb, Colorado = 8 in 265 = 1 every 33.13 / Buffaloes 1-11 Dalton Williams, Akron = 16 in 522 = 1 every 32.63 / Zips 1-11 Tyler Wilson, Arkansas = 13 in 401 = 1 every 30.85 / Razorbacks 4-8 Nathan Scheelhasse, Illinois: 8 in 246 = 1 every 30.75 / Fighting Illini 2-10 And, so, because football is a team sport, it's important to recognize that UNT wins and loses as a team. Quarterback is not even close to our biggest concern. Schools who had quarterbacks that threw more interceptions per attempts still made bowl. Many whose quarterbacks threw fewer didn't qualify for bowls. A football team is comprised of three components - the offense, the defense, and the special teams. We could have a quarterback throw 400+ passes and less than 10 INTs and still have a losing record. We could have a quarterback average almost two a game and still go to a bowl game. Derek, Derek, he's our man, if he can't do it, maybe the special teams and defense can. But, hopefully, all three units will have great years.

Agree. That's why I posted Bronco Mendenhall's 3-3-5 explanation. Look at BYU's roster and ours. They've only got two 300 pounders, we've only got two as well. Our other linemen appear to be about the same size/frame. http://byucougars.com/roster/m-football?sort=asc&order=Position http://www.meangreensports.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=9053&SPID=562&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=1800&SORT_ORDER=6&Q_SEASON=2013&PRINTABLE_PAGE= It's not that I don't respect Dan McCarney's judgement. He did a heck of a job at Florida. But, at some point, I think you look in the mirror and realize we are not going to pull in what Florida pulls in at defensive tackles. I think that may be what makes a great coach, the ability to adapt. Would it be nice to have 4-6 300 pounders every year to rotate. Yes. It would be a dream for a place like UNT. But, look...it ain't gonna happen. BYU and other schools who don't get the players other big schools get have adjusted by scheme. I'm just more leaning to that being the answer. We seem to by trying to put the square peg in the round hole. I think we've got some great athletes at linebacker. By the way, even though TCU runs a 4-2-5 and not a 3-3-5, I think they disguise their coverage/secondary the same way Bronco Mendenhall does. Look at that clip again and see what he says about lining the secondary up so as not to tip coverage. I'm going to see if I can find some coaching-type footage of TCU and see if that's what they do as well.

And, stopping the run. Stopping the run is the #1 objective of a defense. If a team can run on you at will, at any time, you are in trouble. We gave up 163 yards rushing per game at a 5.0 yards per carry clip. That's not good. Any time someone needed/wanted to run on us, they could. We have our asses worn out on defense because of the thinness of the defensive line. Grand Moff Tarkin was right about our bickering about the quarterbacks - it's pointless. No matter who the starter is, it makes no difference if he's standing on the sidelines watching our defense be bled to death. Listen closely because I'm only going to say this 437 more times until the season begins: we need a realistic defensive scheme for the players we have and the recruiting circumstances we have. BYU led the nation in rushing defense last year. Alabama was #2. We expect Alabama to be way up there because they get whomever they want. BYU is different. They only get those who agree not to be drunk and have sexual relations with the young mormon women on campus with them. That narrows down the field significantly in recruiting. Young mormon women are wildcats in the sack and hard to resist. Every recruit must know that by now. Not only that, but they will agree to marry you as well. BYU makes up for not being able to land Bama-type DT recruits in scheme, using 3-4 at times, 3-3-5 at times. Bronco Mendenhall explains: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=272&sid=12785897 "...giving lesser players and smaller players a chance, running full speed, to create conventional defense; a chance against bigger, more physical, and maybe, more skillful players." Yes, This is what we need to do because we cannot get the depth and talent at defensive tackle that we need to be successful in the 4-3. When we hired Dan McCarney, I never would have believe that because I thought he would be able land more and better defensive tackle recruits than we'd had. After all, he had the national title ring from Florida to wave in recruits' faces from his days as their DL coach. Three classes have been signed now by McCarney and the depth and skill at defensive tackle has not improved. It's time to go ahead and admit it and try to get a scheme that can better fit what we are able to recruit. It's called reality, and I think it's time for us to accept it, embrace it, and adjust according to it for the betterment of the football program's future. Bronco.

Yes, it did seem as though we weren't fielding 11 in 2007 and 2008. Oklahoma in 2007, Rice the following year...those were unbelievable.

Also, I'd like to go ahead a say that if the Vandals do get past us in the opener don't everyone freak out at once. It's not a David/Goliath matchup. It's more like a David/David matchup.

I posted what I posted for shock value. But having him quit, it's a legitimate fear based on his history. We want the best quarterback. If it turns out to be Brock in the fall, that's fine. But, given his history, I wouldn't be shocked for him to walk away when times get tough this this - and, I say when things get tough because they will due to the defensive line. I don't think there will be a game where we are favored. And, yes, I know Idaho and UTSA are on the horizon. But, I still don't think there is a game where we are going to be running away with the score, not even against the Vandals or Roadrunners. In short, there will likely be pressure on the offense with every possession. This talk of rotating the quarterbacks in games we have control of is what is far-fetched. I just don't think we are at a point, yet, where we say for sure that we're going to push this team or that team around to the degree that we can run in quarterbacks willy-nilly. UNT looking past anyone, at this point, would be a mistake. I'm 113% positive Coach McCarney is drilling the same mindset into the team. It's been a long time since we've lined up across from anyone we could take for granted as a gimme W.

4-8 We do not have the defensive line to keep enough teams from ball controlling us. I wish we could admit that we can't land enough defensive tackles to be competitive and, therefore, be realistic about what kind of defense we run. To me, that means going to a 3-4 or 3-3-5 a la schools like BYU and San Diego State run. The excuse is always one of two things - (1) There aren't enough defensive tackle prospects, and/or (2) the best are taken up by the biggest programs. I think both are true, and that we are in a state raided by every big player in college football. So, why do we not try out of the box stuff to help ourselves? Maybe this is a downside to an old, experienced coach like McCarney who has probably done 4-3 his entire career. Perhaps? I just don't see us doing enough on defense to win. I'm also concerned about the part of the defense that is the punting portion of the special teams. A good punter, as we all know, helps a defense immensely. We bog down in tearing down Derek Thompson and defensive lines and overlook how a less effective punter would hurt us this fall. 4-8: wouldn't be surprised by 3-9; would be shocked at 5-7. Six and over is not possible.

Neither one of these guys is ready to be a Jedi. You could take what Yoda said to Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back and apply it both Young and Berglund: "Ready, are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind. This one a long time have I watched. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh! A Jedi craves not these things. You are reckless!" If you won't listen to me, at least heed to wisdom of Yoda.

What does Drew Allen have to do with Berglund? Allen has playing experience and hasn't jumped around; so, he's a more stable character. Besides, what's the problem with wanting a kid from a winning program to finish his career here? We take on transfers from all over. OU just happens to be about an hour and half up the road, and many of those who transfer out of there are from Texas. Why wouldn't we be interested in players transferring out of their program? When I was in school at UNT, we took on Reggie Finch from OU. We currently have former Sooner Marcus Trice. Heck, McCarney even hired an OU grad assistant, Ryan Walters, to be our new secondary coach. So...what's the problem? The kid may or may not win the starting job a Syracuse. But, had there been a sniff of a chance of him landing here, everyone should have been excited. And, more excited than with this Berglund because he has stayed in one place, played, and graduated. In other words, showed some stick-to-it-tiveness. I wish the best for Berglund. But, for me, seeing is believing. I've already said I'm completely on board with him winning the job. But, that's the thing - he has to win it. He hasn't shown the ability to do that at other ports of call. My relatives are from Missouri, the Show Me State. So, until he shows me something, I'm on board with the kid who has shown toughness, loyalty, and grit - Thompson. Hopefully, Berglund can learn some of those things from Thompson and contribute in the future as well.

My fear is that Berglund will leave the field in the middle of the game and walk out of the stadium, never to be seen or heard from again. That's my fear. I don't have that fear with Derek Thompson. No matter how poorly the team around him is playing, he'll be there leading them. I only wish Derek could punt and play a little nickel as well as playing quarterback. He's a throwback athlete. He'd have been a superstar in the one platoon era.