Smitty

http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot Voted a bunch. Lost count how many. Ah, this brings back memories.

Preface: I have no idea which coaches are doing a good job and which are not. I am not inside that lockerroom or practices. But, to address the questions that have been raised here this season, that for the second year in a row changes in staff are needed and that Dodge may be a micromanager: IF a supervisor hires mulitple employees who cannot do the job, does it say more about the employees or about the supervisor? AND IF that supervisor is micromanaging the employees to the point that it inhibits their work, then what difference will changing employees make?

My view is not that we have 36 years or so until the next championship. I'm not sure how you extrapolated that from my post. I merely stated a fact, that UNT's Sun Belt championship team ended a forty-plus year bowl drought (previous bowl appearance was 1959). My post was in opposition to your statement that "we were just the least smelling turd." My response was in disagreement with that statement. However, I'm glad you agree that those Mean Green teams were good. And I certainly understand that you want better. This is not directed at you, but just in general response to the growing tone of the Dodge debate: Everyone who supports Dodge staying wants better for North Texas, and everyone who wants to make a change wants better for North Texas. It's not a matter of loving or hating Dodge, it's not a matter of being positive or negative, it's not even a matter of patience or impatience because no one realistically expected a championship last year or this year. But we all want championships in the not-too-distant future and the question is how best to get there: by sticking with Dodge or making a change. To me, that question is still in doubt, and an evaluation should come after the season. From my point of view, the jury is still be out - but the evidence presented thus far looks grim.

I would hope we listened.

That is the lamest defense of Todd Dodge I have heard - that North Texas really wasn't that good a few years ago. True, the Sun Belt is better today than it was, but your statement that "we were just the least smelling turd" is crap. Especially concerning the 2002 and 2003 teams. We were competitive in most of our non-conference games in those years. In 2002, North Texas played tough against Texas (eight QB sacks and held Cedric Benson to 49 yards on 18 carries), TCU, Arizona, and South Florida. And Cincinnati was co-champion of Conference USA that year, and we beat them in the New Orleans Bowl. In 2003, we crushed Baylor and played Air Force within seven points at their place. No, we did not get as many non-conference wins as we wanted. No, it was not a great Top 20 team. But it was a damned good team that sent mulltiple players to the NFL, and we should be damned proud of what they accomplished in bringing us out of the long shadow of forty-plus years of futility and frustration. I'm not criticizing Todd Dodge in this post and you can defend Dodge all you want, but not at the expense of that championship team.

Sometimes a coach's tactics and system at one level simply don't translate to the next. Look at Gerry Faust at Notre Dame, Steve Spurrier with the Redskins, Lou Saban with the Dolphins - great coaches at their former level but unsuccessful at the next. I'm not saying the judgment is final yet with Dodge, but it starts to look that he's another in that long line. I believe that in almost all cases, a coach deserves four or five years minimum. But no such rule can be unassailable and without exception. When you have two years in which the results are this lopsided, even in one of the lower FBS conferences, and so little progress appears to have been made, some very hard evaluations need to be made after this second season is over. I hope RV takes a hard look and consults privately with knowledgeable college football professionals, like some retired coaches, to determine if this staff deserves a third year.

I agree with working on the defensive line and better special teams, but I must disagree that offensive line should be the least of our worries next year. As long as we run the spread, the offensive line should be at the top of our priorities every year. Look at Texas Tech. I don't mean to compare us to them, because a top Big 12 program will be able to out-recruit us for the foreseeable future. But what makes Tech's spread work so well is their line. With so many receivers on the field, their ability to protect Harrell is what allows them to do the things they do. I wonder if sufficient emphasis was put on recruiting linemen in Dodge's first two recruiting classes, which seemed heavier on skill-position players. We need size and depth on the line and we can't be satisfied with five good linemen in any year, because there will be injuries. Depth on the offensive line means success on offense, fewer punts, and less time on the field for the defense. It all starts with the offensive line.

By the way, on the Owl TV broadcast, the logo they have for UNT is pre-script.

TD Cam. But the PAT is blocked and returned by FAU. 11-6.

Seems arbitrary and unfair to decide it that way. A steel-cage death match would have been better.

That's greatness. And extremely apropos.

Take a look at some of his earlier work, like The Terminal Man and The Andromeda Strain.

The things you see in a lifetime. Growing up, we only had to dial the last four digits of a phone number, there were five TV channels, and the Cold War seemed endless. And now... A computer in my home. Fax machines and cell phones and email and the internet. Digital anything. North Texas in a bowl game. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union. An African-American as president of the United States. Regardless of how you voted, I hope you appreciate the magnitude of this day. We have again proven that all things are possible in America.

Quoner is secretly a founding member of Bourbaki. Just trying to push the boundaries of obscure references.

Under the circumstances, sir, I believe that is your job. The task at hand, if you will.

I think I'm just asking, what does UNT need to do this week and the rest of the season to be able say that the Mean Green made real progress this year? I do think the WKU win last week was much more significant than last year's WKU win. This was a better WKU team than the one UNT beat a year ago at Fouts. However, I don't think one win equals real progress if UNT follows that win with three more blow out losses, comparable to how UNT followed last year's win over WKU. My answer is that these next three games are not MUST wins, but the Mean Green does need to be very competitive. If UNT gets steam-rolled in the last three, then I'm not sure you can say the Mean Green made progress this year. But if the Mean Green is competitive with FAU, MTSU, and ASU (and maybe find a way to win one of those games), then I think you can say that North Texas did make some progress this year even if the record does not reflect it. Just curious about anyone else's expectations the rest of the way.

I think most agree that last week’s game was a real gut-check win for North Texas, and it was a much deserved reward for the seniors who have endured a lot in the past four years. But now the question is, how significant was that victory in the overall scheme of things? What will make the WKU game not just a momentary success but a real step forward in this program's development? Recall that we had a moment like this last year when we beat Western Kentucky at Fouts. It looked like a step forward, but it turned out to be a false start when a week later UNT lost to a dreadful FIU team. However, I think this year’s win over WKU is much more significant than last year’s win. If you look at WKU’s recent results – a 27-13 loss to a 5-3 Virginia Tech, a 24-7 loss to a top-20 Ball State, and a 24-20 loss to FAU – you see three consecutive respectable, competitive games against quality opponents, and that suggests WKU has made real progress this year. Last week's 51 points scored by UNT is the most points WKU has allowed this year, ten more points than they surrendered in road games against Alabama and Kentucky. And after last year's game at Fouts, you know WKU wanted payback against UNT, especially at their homecoming. That was a good win for the Mean Green. So what does North Texas have to do to build on last week’s win and make real progress this season? I don’t think a victory this week is necessary to stamp last week as a step forward, but I do think North Texas must be very competitive against FAU. If we fall behind 35-0 this week, if UNT gets hammered by FAU and then by MTSU and ASU, then I’m afraid the WKU victory becomes just another momentary success rather than an indication of real progress. North Texas needs consecutive competitive efforts. It’s time for UNT to build some confidence, build some consistency, and follow up a good performance with a better performance. By the way, FAU has bounced back from four-straight losses to win two in a row, and they still have a shot at a winning season. This will be a good test to judge the state of the Mean Green.

Gutsy move by the Pistons. I don't know if it will work for Detroit this season, but as ESPN pointed out, they could be $21-$22 million under the cap after this season since this is the last year of AI's contract. They didn't win it last year, so they make the change and take a chance on AI and see if it works. Whether it works or not, they are well positioned for this year's free-agent crop or, more importantly, the 2010 free agent class, which could include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson, Joe Johnson, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Michael Redd. How about grabbing Wade and Bosh? How would you like to have that kind of money in that candy store? Quote from ESPN's website:

Then you're not paying attention.

Now I remember you. You were the one who wanted to skin Vito for the way he wrote the drug story.

Your avatar reminds me of something from Stick Death.

You have to look at that paragraph in the full context of the story and the paragraph that followed: Dodge is commenting on "all the adversity" and that certainly includes the drug tests, especially since this is the first game since the drug scandal broke. That's part of what UNT overcame this week. It is certainly part of this week's story, winning despite the losses and the drug scandal. Mentioning the drug tests explains the fuller context of Dodge's quote about "all the adversity." Vito is simply telling last week's story. Last week's game story was about overcoming adversity, so you need to mention the adversity the team overcame.

If UT wins out (they should) and OU win out (and therefore beats Tech in Norman in two weeks), then you're looking at a three-way tie for the Big 12 South title. Very realistic possibility. What's the tie-breaker? If it's point differential in those three games, it will be up to OU to run it up on Tech if they can.

To me, the most encouraging thing tonight is the mental toughness the team showed in the second half. Seeing a 17-point lead evaporate in the third quarter had to be demoralizing considering the everything that has happened this year. To rally in the fourth quarter says a lot for the team. Congratulations, guys.

Completely agree. I think we can reach the levels of success that TCU has achieved. Conference contender, Top 20 program, and in the mix for a BCS bowl. That's the long-term goal, regardless of who the coach is.