The Fake Lonnie Finch

This. Shanahan knows it begins on the offensive line. So many coaches try to complicate the offense these days. Get offense linemen who can block. On defense, get defensive linemen who can stop the run with end who can pass rush. (The stupidest thing I ever hear in football is "coverage sack." There are no sacks if someone doesn't get to the quarterback. You either have guys on your line who can do it or you don't.) If Jerry Jones had hired Shanahan, Dallas would have a run game, too, and could have a QB throw just 15-20 times a game. Dallas' offensive line is horrible. They don't run well. They don't pass protect well. And, so, what does Jerry do...he drafts guys like Felix Jones and Dez Bryant. Why is this so difficult for "football" people to figure out? Washington's problem is that they'll eventually have to throw the ball in the playoffs...and, they'll be playing teams not in the horrible NFC East.

OL is fine. RB is fine. TE is fine. QB is fine. WR is a problem if all we have is Chancellor again. DL is on shaky ground unless the redshirt DTs are really good runstoppers. LB is fine. Secondary should be fine with everyone getting that good ol' "experience" year under their belts. Punter is a wildcard. If that position is bad, it can kill you quick. Gotta hope for something good emerges there. One positive is that there hasn't been a bunch of turnover in the staff, so everyone should be on the same page. That is, everyone should be on the same page - coaches and players - as to the assignments and execution. I think 2013 is a big year. But, not as much as it would have been had the C-USA not begun to fall apart. Still, with everything as unsettled as it is beyond 2013 conference-wise, you just don't know. We could wind up with the majority of our "new opponents" being old Sun Belt foes in the long run. So...I just hope we can start beating whomever is on the schedule.

I'm a huge fan of this type of get. We need a bunch more like this. Right now, we've got a bunch of potential "diamonds in the rough." The only coach to ever make that scenario work for us was Darrell Dickey.

Act of God = natural disaster, circumstance beyond human control

3 T-shirts, white 2 Golf shirts, striped with blues, whites, and whatnot 1 Tuque, red A dozen Guitar picks with crosses imprinted on them Camera, Canon $1,600 in cash and gift cards

Unless by some miracle we gain a couple of playmakers at WR, run stopping DTs, and consistent pass rushing threats at DE, we're 4-8, possibly 5-7 again. If not, we will have three runners with 500+ yards again, not much at WR, and a defense worn out again in the second half of games...and done in November. Haven't seen much in recruiting to tip the scales on what we've seen so far.

Because it does nothing different for Tech; it doesn't improve them at all. They went status quo...the easiest thing to do. Texas and Oklahoma are in no way threatened by this hiring, and those are the standard bearers of the conference.

Denton PD is racist...most of the arrested are white folk. Where is Jesse Jackson when you need him?

Because Texas Tech pretends to be "one of the big boys." That they can't even land a head coach with experience is sort of telling about where they really fit in on scale of "the big boys." Kingsbury was easy to hire. It changes nothing about Texas Tech. They never left the spread offense that netted them zero championships under Leach or Tuberville. And, with those zero championships, they forge ahead with more of the same...just a less experienced more of the same.

Because Texas Tech pretends to be "one of the big boys." That they can't even land a head coach with experience is sort of telling about where they really fit in on scale of "the big boys." Kingsbury was easy to hire. It changes nothing about Texas Tech. They never left the spread offense that netted them zero championships under Leach or Tuberville. And, with those zero championships, they forge ahead with more of the same...just a less experienced more of the same.

I'd say this hiring is picking the low hanging fruit. But, it's even worse than that. It's like picking up rotting fruit off the ground. Amazing what schools will settle for. But, Tech is happy in the 7-5/8-4 world anyway. Yes, the managed to creep above it for one season...but, were still shellacked by Oklahoma that season. And, that season will be five years past when next season begins.

He couldn't handle it...and neither can Applewhite. Facing big conference speed once a year versus almost very week is a different world. Texas losing 4+ for three years in a row with the type of recruits they get is ridiculous. The best thing you can say about Harsin is that he's back in his comfort zone.

Well, at least Harsin and Petrino aren't inheriting 8+ year rebuilding projects. Harsin did a fine job of helping UT tank these past couple of seasons. We'll see whether he can do the same for Arkansas State.

From the "Horns Illustrated" facebook page comments: "Can we make it a package deal, Mack, Diaz and Rick Barnes" I think Harsin is good at reading the writing on the wall and, thus, jumped ship before he was made to walk the plank...and other such idioms. And, it looks at though the burnt orange faithful have had their fill of Mack as well: https://www.facebook.com/hornsillustrated

Texas fans have got to be dancing in the streets over this. Half of their prayers are answered. Now, they just need someone to hire Manny Diaz and they'll be ready to contend for the Big 12 title again. Harsin and Diaz were the biggest joke hires Texas has ever made.

You need to be more positive about our lack of wins.

Excellent idea for those schools. When basketball is your main thing, having other schools drag down your RPI can make a difference financially come March Madness.

Ease up. I chose eight because that's how many year it has been since we've had a winning season. The point is to show that every other team in the Belt except us has managed at least one winning season since we've had our last one. Those of us who are "negative" sometimes, you know, go ahead and show how long the "wait 'til next year"/"it's takes a long time to rebuild" game takes. And, apparently...it takes us a lot longer than the other schools who have been in similar - or worse - situations than we have. I know...wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...and, act/post happy about it. (By the way, it should also show - a la Western Kentucky - that the climb out of the bottom of the Sun Belt shouldn't take as long as it is taking us. WKU is a school which was playing I-AA/FCS five years ago. They've gone from 0-12 to two consecutive winning seasons in just four years in the 85 scholarship limit world...amazing, right? Wait, wait, wait.)

Oh, good lord...what have I done?

True. Tulane tried to hire someone with little experience, hiring a WR coach with no coordinator experience. NMSU's Walker had been a defensive coordintor for three seasons. The season before he was hired, UCLA went 10-2. During his three seasons as DC, Bruins were 7-6, 6-7, and 4-8. So, he was part of the demise of UCLA...which made him attracitve to New Mexico State. UNLV's Hauck had been a successful FCS coach at Montana, but had never been a coordinator at the I-A/FBS level before the Rebels hired him. Predictably, he hasn't been able to figure out the FBS game even among non-AQ competition. So...I like our odds of breaking away from the Franternity of Suck better than those guys. I only wish we would schedule them during the tenures of these coaches.

Thanky. Corrected.

Look, this is they guy who fired Mario Cristobal out of the blue from his dinky, little program. You think this is a guy who, you know, "sees the big picture" in all of it? (I think this is the guy who hired Isaiah Thomas as well, so...whatever that's worth in the discussion.)

I admit I was depressed while researching it. But, after looking at what is happening at UNLV, NMSU, and Tulane...I felt a little better?