Charlie NT 73

I do not think for one second that losing Justin Padron due to health reasons has hurt the outstanding class that Coach Dodge and his staff have brought in. What hurts is the fact Justin was a good football player that had great potential to be a very good LB for North Texas. Dealing with his health is more important than being a LB at North Texas. None the less, Coach Dodge's first two classes have more very good and high rated players than I have ever seen in several years. The talent level at NT has gone up several notches, which will payoff. The team is going through a learning curve, young players that are gaining experience, and now a DC that knows the college game. Sure the team will take a few hard knocks this season. The important point is, there is noting that can replace on the field experience. I remember reading in DCTF, the interview with Giovanni Vizza. Even though Vizza was sacked 39 times, had a record 20 ints, he still came back to pass for over 2300yds and 17 TD"s as a true freshman. Vizza said that he would not change anything about his first year, and especially gaining the game experience. I see the whole team in a transition with Coach Dodge and his staff leading the way. This team will grow up some more this season, and will have success. How much success? Who knows. That is why they play the game.

Heck, I did forget about Scoggins and Desoto! Both of these guys have completed a full year or weight training, so they both should be pushing 290 or even 300. Desoto was described as a dominate player by DCTF, so is this his year to break out? Scoggins looks like a street brawler that can handle himself. Will he prove he is worthy to be a college NG? Geez, I think the DL will have some major suprise players this season!

What intrigues the MGN, regarding going into fall practice? Can Gary DeLoach turn around the defense, and the DL? I say yes he can. He knows the players and how they preform. Will there be any new JUCO's? No, the staff will play the guys we have. There are quality defensive players, veterans and new recruits that will make a difference. Joesph Miller will be the starting point at DT. Mack Cole at DE? Maybe. Will charlie Brown slide over from DT back to DE? I hope so. NT, Ike Thomas, I question his health. Drayland Ross is huge, and can be considered a strong candidate at NG or DT. Stewart, only played sparingly LY. Cantley, still too young, needs seasoning. Hawthorne, looks more like a DE right now. How about McMillan, the walk on from Aledo? There is recruit Troy Franklin, who has been working out, reported to be 6-5, 300+. Played DT in HS. This guy is a stud, but was recruited to play OT. I think he ends up at DT, and will play alot this season. LB's will be set with Robertson, Nweigwe, and Penson, and real quality back up's. The secondary will be loaded with talent-too many battles to note here. Developing the secondary will be fun to watch. Along with the defense, special teams will be my next focus. LY, the two blocked punts by FAU cost us a big win. Please teach the line assignements! KO's were handled by Micah Mosely LY. I do not want my starting RB handling KO's. Transfer Jamel Jackson lit up spring ball with his punt and KO return skills. How about Lance Dunbar, Royce Hill or John Shorter having a try handling kicks. Yes there are questions to be answered. I have a very good feeling the coaches already have the answers, with the players we have on the roster now!

Rick Shaw is a class act, great person, and a real Mean Green backer. I had got to know Rick back in my collge days. I beleive he was recruited as QB, during Hayden Fry's early years. Rick ended his football career as a DB/Safety. Guy's like Rick Shaw is one resaon makes North Texas great!

The 2008 season is about to begin. Finally, I am ready for some more Dodge Ball. I am excited to see how the team develops, but, I do have some questions and observations to start with. #1, I believe the offense will be great. With the returning starters, and full year of experience, I do believe Coach Dodge and the staff will be able to add new deminsions and players, that will make Dodge Ball even more productive. I can't wait to see Roberson in a game! The OL will very good, which will open the run game. Mosely and Montgomery- what a very good 1-2 punch. Could these 2 guys be better than Cobbs and Thomas? #2, Will the staff be able to find the DE's needed? JUCO's- I do not think there are any available, or the prospects being recruited just have not worked out. So, looks like the staff will just have to find the DE's from the current players. Great opportunity for several candidates! I hope Charlie Brown will move to DE. I believe this will be Brown's year! #3, DT's- JUCO's, no, I do not see any help coming in that can play in 2008. Joseph Miller is the veteran and a proven player. I think Miller will have a great year, only he cannot do it alone. Ike Thomas, well, honestly, I worry about his health. I hope he can go, but, will he be able to? Back up players are very thin, so will Troy Franklin, Tevin Cantly, Joe Hawthorn play on the DL this year? Will Drayland Ross be the suprise player at DT? #4, LB's and scondary- I do believe these two areas will be stronger than what fans are expecting. The LB's, Robertson, Penson, Nwigwe, plus quality back ups, will be strong. The seconday- there is alot of new very good talent here. Can the staff put this talent in the right position, and get the seconday working together as a unit? Overall, the 2 a days coming up, are full of questions, and full of answers. I do see more options for the staff, both on offense and defense, which are all positive! What are your questions that need answers? How do you slove the questions?

I wonder if Mike Leach has seen this offense? If anyone in colege football would use this offense, he would be the one to try it. Maybe Jerry Glanville would give it a try also. Could this offese work at the college level, sure why not. I like this offense much better than the swinging gate! Anytime I saw a team line up in the swing gate, I knew right then and there, that team will lose the game. I can see the possibilities of this offense becoming popular. Look how the spread offense has grown in just the last few years.

FAU has 18 retruning starters from their 2007 SBC championship team and New Orleans Bowl win, so FAU is a no brainer for the favorite for the 2008 season. Troy, has almost the same number of returning starters, but must replace their key skilled position players at QB and RB. Troy has quality and talented players available at QB/RB so their 2 a days will answer these position questions. Regarding North Texas, I feel ranking NT at 7th place is too low. This ranking may give the other SBC teams a false sense of security about the 2008 North Texas team. Maybe this false sense of security by the other SBC teams will be our advantage this season. I do believe the 2008 version of Dodge Ball will be the suprise team of the SBC, and even be right in the middle of the champioship run later into the season.

Big story on Blueraiderzone.com, regarding the SBC Media Days meetings. Wright Waters, the commissioner of the SBC, will make announcement. http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=349&f=2388&t=2696269 If a second bowl tie-in is true, this would be welcome news for the conference!

Calm down guy's, there are several players that can play DE. The NT green sky is not falling! The staff must have known about Horton weeks ago- how do you explain the sudden appearence of Mack Cole? Late in the season to find a such a good DE prospect available! Wow! Oher DE candidates- Charlie Brown, 6-4, 255 Ryan Davenport, 6-2, 228 Kyle Russo, 6-3, 245 Kail Krider, 6-3, 245 Marquis Sykes, 6-3, 253 Daniel Calderon, 6-3, 240 Jordan Scoggins, 6-1, 275 Yes- time for DeLoach and the defensive coaches to earn there keep. The staff sees these players everyday- they know which players will be the guys to count on. Let the staff do their job. Yes, for the 2009 class, defensive players are priority, and the DL players are the toughest to recruit

Another kick in the nads! Horton gone, crap! Well, I guess with Horton disappearing, the sudden and surprising appearence of Mack Cole means the coaching staff must have known Horton was not coming to NT, far in advance. The staff must have went into a priority recruiting 911, to find Cole this late in the year. I am glad the staff was able to find pretty good DE recruit. But, is he a automatic starter? Candidates: Charlie Brown, 6-4,255,DT, move back to DE? I sure hope so. Great Athlete! Strong, quick! Marquis Sykes, 6-3, 253, has really bulked up, athletic, was a LB, has played in games. Kyle Russo, 6-3, 245, played DE in HS, ready to break out? Ryan Davenport, 6-2, 228, what position has Ryan not played since his arrival? Don't count Ryan out- he will play Kail Krider, 6-3, 245, currently at DT, young, but can play DE Possibilities, crazy ideas- Tobe Nwigwe,LB, 6-2, 237, very strong, can pass cover, handle OL guys Jordan Scoggins, DT, 6-1, 274, young, very good athlete, tough guy Bryant Seidle, LB, 6-3,230, good athlete that has played several positions Daniel Calderon,DT,6-3,240, too light for DT, good for DE? Troy Franklin, freshman,6-5, 300, nope- OT for DodgeBall I vote for the experienced players, Brown,Sykes,Davenport,Cole to be the 2 deep rotation. Russo and Krider to get playing time and experience in certain game situations.

Has anyone actually gone by Fout's to watch the "summer workouts" ? Coaches cannot attend these workouts, so are the players just together like a group of kids playing sand lot football, or are the players working on specific conditioning drills, blocking sleds, running cones/routes, or a program developed by the coaches the players are directed to follow? I would like to know how the summer work out are conducted.

Germaine Dawson, 6-1, 215, is a very good player. Great walk on story-now if can have a very good 2008 season to end his career! I always thought here is a kid with LB toughness, with the speed to play safety. Sems like a natural fit with Dawson's talent. I hope he can play alot this season, anywhere on the field. Safety, LB, Special teams. The kid needs to to be on the field.

Fitzgerald will be double teamed more this year, with every defensive coordinator giving special attention to him. Just like Crabtree at T Tech. I do believe Fitzgeral has the smarts and talent to beat the coverage and he will have a great year. With the DC's giving added attention to Fitzgeral, this should open up new opportunities for all the NT receivers. Dibrell, Roberson, Stickler, and all the WR cast. Vizza will have a great year. I also expect the run game to take off more this year because of the passing game.

The names of the nominated players were not published, and will be announced only during the SBC "Media Day's" event to be held in NO in two weeks. Here are my guesses on the "Pick Six" the NT coaches made. #1: WR, Casey fitzgerald --100%, All American Receiver. Easy guess. #2: QB, Giovanni Vizza-- no brainer, SBC Freshman Player of the Year in 2007! #3: LB, Craig Robertson-- made all conference after he became a starter during mid season! #4: OC, Kelvin Drake-- 2nd team all conference, played on a bad ankle injury LY. Now he is healthy! #5: P/K,Truman Spenser-- best punter in the SBC, or maybe in the country! #6: DT, Joesph Miller-- 2 year starter, vetran, bigger, stronger, ready for break out season ? Honorable mention possibilities. RB Micah Mosely WR Sam Dibrell S Kartey Agbottah, this is my sleeper guess- he just may be one of the pick six. New questions for you. Last year Coach Dodge took one player to the Media Days event. Do you remember who that player was? Next, which player or players will go with Coach Dodge for this years Media Days event?

The more I read about Gilmore, the more I believe the coaching staff did know Gilmore could possibly not work out for North Texas, whether academics or for personal reasons. I am sure the coaching staff has a plan, to answer the need at DE. I can see several possibilities. First, rule out recruiting a JUCO for the fall. Second, there are several young guns that will battle for the starting DE position, as well as the possibility of some players changing position, like DT Charley Brown, or DT Dryland Ross, both have experience at DE. Third, new defensive schemes against the spread calls for DE's that are quick and fast that can provide pass coverage to the flats, and contain outside running lanes. I do believe there are players on the roster now that can handle this coverage. Fourth, believe in the coaches. They see the players everyday, they know which players will fit the needs, and let the coaches do their job. Finally, do not forget about the supporting cast. The North Texas defense will have very good DE on one side, (Horton), a very good DT (Miller), a outstanding LB's (Robertson, Penson, Toby N.), and a vastly improved talent at each secondary position, plus the defensive team has much better overall depth. Although young in some areas, let these kids play. They need to start somewhere, so why not now!

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I hate to hear this. Geez- We were all counting on Gilmore. At least he got a nice photo in DCTF. Now, it is the time for the coaches to earn their money. Who will be the starting DE? Ther are young guns at DE. Like Russo, Sykes, and others, so it is time for these guys to step it up. You got to start somewhere. If I were one of these players, I see opportunity! We have Horton, who is a stud DE, to build the DL around, so not all is hopeless. I am sure the coaches saw the situation with Gilmore long ago, and have plans in place just in case Gilmore had to leave. Finding a quality JUCO DE at this point in the season will be mission immpossible, so I bet the defensive coaches will let the current roster DE candidates battle it out. There are several good DE candidates on the team now. I would not be suprised to see Charley Brown move over to DE, or even Drayland Ross who orginally was a DE. Davenport is quick, fast, and strong- I think he could be a very good W-DE. Russo was a SLC star at DE, and Krider was moved from DE to DT. Both could play into the mix. Not all DE's are 6-5, 265. Many are 6-1, 245, with quickness and pass coverage skills. The era of the spread offense has defensive coaches changing their defensive approach, by using smaller, quicker DE's that can cover the open flats. I think our current DE roster guys can fit in this new defensive approach against the spread offense. Like I said, now is the time for good coaches and coaching skills to step up. North Texas has good coaches, so let the coaches do their job. The DE position will be fun to watch, see how it develops, and which player will earn the starting position in the fall.

I have read several "Pre Season Reviews" that read very simular to each other, with the same reports on offense, defense, and players. As mention above, these pre season review writers do not complete much research. Riley Dodge is famous so these writers know of him, but the writers do no know Giovanni Vizza. I do believe Coach Dodge will redshirt Riley for 2008. I think redshirting Riley is the smart move to make. ( A extra year of development on our OL will make a huge differnce when Riley can play ) Eddie Gilmore- the writer got his name wrong, so how does he know Gilmore is out? Looked like during spring ball Gilmore was having a good spring, both in FB and classes. I see the team developing faster that NT fans expect, both on offense and defense. There are too many players to name, that will be the difference makers on offense and defense. To me, the pre season previews are just interesting reading, nothing more.

Was the term "prairie doggin", or "turtle neckin" mention? This means a 911, get the hell out of the way, I'm going in! When I was going through bootcamp with the NAVY, the "head" had a row of 20 gleeming porcelain white lid-less crappers with no stall partitions. There was no room to be shy early in the morning when 25 men all go to the head at the same time. Talk about a symphony of sounds and aromas! There were no "office rules" to follow, only get in and get out!

I was reading DCTF article regarding the Southland Conference, and Texas State. I was suprised to see the new DC for Texas State is Fred Bleil, the former North Texas coach.

At times, I think BV has good reporting information, and can write a pretty decent sports story. Other times, after reading one of his stories, I wonder why in the world did he have to write the story in a fashion that makes North Texas look second rate? Bad choice of words, or a cheap shot at North Texas? News is news, good or bad, but, being the beat writer for NT, one would think BV could be alittle more aware of how he writes his story about NT. In this story, why is a kid with a football scholarship offer from NT, then chosses $MU, considered breaking news? I guess if Rex Burkhead choses Michigan or USC, Burkhead's choice will be breaking news also?

Interesting that 7 Sun Belt conference teams are listed to choose from. I think the Sun Belt Conference should be expanding, by adding members of CDOA, er, sorry, CUSA.

Matt Tomlison will be recovering from off season surgery. I read in DCTF that Tomlinson will not be ready until the 3rd-4th game of the season. My guess is that Troy Franklin from Celina has a great chance for 2nd team, R-OT behind Jenkins. Maybe even push for starting OT. Franklin is 6-5, 300+ now. Victor Gill may be light as a OT, but Gill is quick and strong, plus the coached have stated he is developing faster than expected. Heck, the OL might even develop into a stength this year! What about Jacob Kasier, 6-7, 290+ I sure hope Kasier gets some game time this year. Slot WR, take a look at B.J. Lewis. I look for Lewis to have a break out year, even as a back up. Played last year, did play good for a true freshman, 10 catches , 86yds- the coaches see Lewis has the talent to be a very good slot WR. The O-WR's and S-WR's are very talented, all have good speed, all have a year of experience in Dodge Ball, good size for mis-matches of defensive backs. Best of all, look at the talent level, even with the 2nd, 3rd team players! WOW!

If the first game of 2008 was next Sat, I would go with UNTLifer's line up! I do think Ross will push Miller out as 1st team DT. I do expect DeSoto and Scoggins to play alot- both guys have had a over year working out, so they should be in the 290 range. DeLoach did state that Charlie Brown should get 40 or more snaps in a game. He may be lighter than a proto type DT, but- Charlie is quick and strong to shed off blocks and fast enough to chase down a QB. As Deloach said, he will use alot of rotation with the players to keep the guys fresh, which to me means, not only the starters but the 2 deep and in some cases the 3 deep will play this year. LB's and DB's will be the best NT has had in some time. Secondary will have very good players and depth- now if they can gel together. I have been reading about the new ways to defense the spread offense. First, is coaches are looking for quick agile DT's, that are not giant monster DT's. The coaches want DT's that can get around the OL guys. Second- the D coaches want DE's that can move- float into space in the flats, cover the RB's coming out, so again, speed and quickness for the DE's. Perfect fit for Gillmore and Horton, Russo,Davenport, Sykes, and Krider.

I like this idea. But naming the section "DogTown"? I guess the band will play "Who Let the Dogs Out" the other names suggested, "Dodge City", and "Green Zone" sound better. I would vote for Dodge City!