the real grad88

1. Going to the Navy game made a huge impact on me. We lost the game, and everyone is sad about that, but that game showed me the real potential of this program. I can't tell you the excitement I felt to watch this offense in action. Good grief, I would not want to try and defend against Dodge's offense. It's not just the scheme, it's the attitude and the pace. I think it is going to be overwhelming for our Belt foes when this ship really gets out of the dock. 2. We have the legitimate potential of being the leading football program in the metroplex. We had over 26K show up to watch a one-win team at the end of the season! That tells me how hungry our fans are to turn the corner, and they believe Dodge is going to take us there. Even though we lost, I don't think many fans left disappointed. I think they left encouraged. I did. 3. And a Plummish point: I had not been back to Denton in a while. The growth of this region and the univeristy is going to help this ship rise. The new people coming into the area don't have old mindsets and attitudes about UNT. They see it for the evolving potential that it is, which is enormous. They are excited about being in a college town like Denton and see UNT through new and fresh eyes. 4. The UNT-OSU basketball game tells us a lot as well. This ship IS RISING in all areas. If I were CUSA, I would be watching UNT very closely. We very well could be the future marquee team that they need in the metroplex. Troy State will never be who we are becomming, in spite of their recent winning ways. The region they are in just is not as attractive to a conference as the North Texas region. We are the leading economic center in the nation, and that is going to play a huge part in future developments. How is that for an optimistic post!

Wait a minute...I am an animal rights proponent to the hilt and "Red Wolves" offends me greatly. It is making trivial of a great species of animal, and I for one object. Where can I send my letter of complaint?

Agreed 100%. I think UNT has grown to the point and has enough of a following that we would eventually sell out every home game with a decent home schedule. I would do WHATEVER it takes to get as many of the type of programs to Fouts as possible like we saw on Saturday. It goes a LONG way toward continuing to change the old perceptions out there for UNT. Once those perceptions are permanently changed, there is no telling what this school could do or what conference we could be in. The kind of crowd we had on Saturday could go along way to helping us pay the fee to get more "name" programs to come to Fouts. I wouldn't stop calling until I had OK State, SMU, TCU, Tech, Houston, Rice, Tulsa, Southern Miss, etc to Fouts.

I would like to take expection to your post my friend. Maintaining that players must play and conduct themselves with respect for themselves, their team mates and coaches and fans IS not keeping emotions in check, it is about growing up to be a man. Both teams conducted themselves WITH CLASS that were on that field yesterday. I'll take that any day over a "Miami" thug culture that seems to be growing in college football today. Acting like an idiot is not the reasons team win, and you can play with emotion, but not irresponsible emotion. That is all Dodge is trying to create, and thank God for him.

We ARE NOT the worst team in IA ball...not even close. We just played lights out offensive football against a very good, bowl bound Navy team that has an offense that is one of the best in college football. Our record may not show it, but we would beat most teams right now in the bottom third of college football.

Just pulled in my Greenville driveway. I was thinking on the way home what to post...a lot of thoughts, but I will narrow them down. This is my first and only game of the season. I can't go to the night games... 1. I was very impressed with the attendance. It was major game day atmosphere, and for the most part, the fans got to the game earlier than normal. I hope we are setting a new trend. I say play one of the military academies every year. The tradition is wonderful. 2. The offense is tremendous and fun to watch and be a part of. I am a little surprised that the passing game doesn't open up the running game more. Vizza is going to be a tremendous QB, probably the best in UNT history before his time is done here. I was really impressed with the receivers going after the ball. They play aggressive football. 3. The defense needs help in a major way, but you have to give Navy credit. There offense is as tough to stop as our is...just in different ways. I wouldn't want to try and stop that offense. There are so many counter moves and so much deception in the backfield, it is really tough to see where the ball is going. You have got to play assignment football to the hilt! There can be no flying to the football because you may NOT be flying to where the ball is! 4. All and all, one of the most positive experiences I have ever had at Fouts. The chants are well timed and the crowd noise was pretty impressive at times. I was sitting in the middle of Navy fans (yes I bought single-game tickets), and several said, "Wow, they have their chants down, don't they." That made me feel good about how far we have come in that regard. 5. The Navy fans were the most classy fans I have ever been around and made me very proud. We had some great conversations going and some healthy back and forth jabbing going. A good time was had by all. I am convinced that with some changes on defense, we will be conference champs SOON.

Community colleges ARE seeing a good representation of today's youth. With the cost of tuition, most middle class kids are coming to the JC first and then transferring to the university. I think if you would hear the profs at UNT talking amongst themselves, you would hear the same thing. When you go to higher ed conferences, you get an ear-full, I can tell you. We are worried about the future of this nation, my friend. No, I did not teach the hippie generation, but it is obvious that they learned their academics, or they could not be doing the things and occupying the roles in society that they do, without intellectual ability. I am telling you that my 6th grade son reads better than most of the young men I have had in my classes over the last 5 years...no exaggeration. And, those are the young men who are actually enrolled in college!

Let's talk about it then. Do you know why Dodge beat the crap out of most other metroplex teams? Because he ran a disciplined program with class, that's why. When he brought his team against a team of hip-hoper, show-boaters, he destroyed them, that's why. That's the kind of program Dodge wants to create here at UNT. When Navy comes to town, we will see some real class, I can assure you. The problem is that hiphoppers don't recognize it as class. They see it as nerdy, wierd, and something to laugh at. That's what we are talking about here. The sooner we can get rid of all of those kinds of players, the better.

No sir, I beg to differ, with all due respect of course. I teach this young generation in college, and it is NOT the same. The hippie generation still learned and performed academically. They learned how to read and write at a level needed to be professionals and leaders some day, even though they wore clothes and hair that made their parents do a double-take. It's not just about clothing preferences or music, it's about the attitude they have toward learning and common respect. You can put off offensive mannerisms, but you can't just make up for a lack of learning basic academic skills over night. Hip-hop culture is destroying the intellectual foundation of our youth. THEY ARE NOT LEARNING, period and their culture shuns learning and rewards SLACKING. Social psychologists are studying this trend, and it ain't pretty. We have an entire generation of young men who ARE NOT going to be able to participate in normal society much less get professional jobs. My classes are 70% young women. Do you know why? Because the guys are hanging out with their buds because they never learned to read in school!

Dodge has a real struggle on his hands. It's a battle for the culture of the team. Dodge wants to prepare young men for a successful life of work and citizenship, and the current hip-hop culture, I'm afraid, does just the opposite. Kids must learn how to talk and how to dress in the professional world. This is college, it's isn't a dance or a party. I was a little worried about this with his coming from SLC...a very different culture that what is in vogue now among youth. I teach at a community college, and I and other instructors are shocked every day by the behavior, standards of dress and mannerisms of many of todays young people. If this ship does not correct its course, I truly fear for the future of our nation. Don't tell me this is no different than the hippie generation. The hippies still performed academically in school and got an intellectual foundation for life. They eventually cut their long hair and put on suits and got busy running the country...they even made it to the white house! This generation of young people is different. The hip hop culture loathes academic performance and works against it...slacking is in! Sadly to say, it shows in their intellectual ability (or lack thereof as well).

I had a discussion the other day at work with a former coach and AD who had a lot to say about how college teams win. He said that the public doesn't understand this or want to believe it, but that winning in college sports is 90% about recruiting...that simply put, it's the athletes on the field who win games and coaching and systems have very little to do with it. If you recruit superior athletes, you win, period. He said that is his experience and the opinion of most coaches in the profession, though most won't talk like that in public. He said that the main times that coaching actually makes a difference is when two teams are well-matched in talent. Except for those kinds of matchups, it is all about the quality of athletes. I guess that I have to agree. That said, I find a lot of hope for the future with Dodge, because I think he is going to recruit a superior athlete to North Texas relative to other Belt schools.

Give me a break. Let's quit talking about how much time Dodge has...like any of us really know. The man has a contract, and UNT will abide by it. No one is giving Dodge any timelines as of yet. It's just ridiculous to be thinking in such terms at this point. It's the man's first year.

The Mean Green Nation will survive all of this. Come on folks, some of us are acting like we have the history of Nebraska or something and that we just can't tolerate all this losing. With the exception of a couple of Fry years, a couple of DD years...with a little Corky Nelson thrown in the middle during our IAA purgatory, we should be accustomed to having to deal with losing. We know how to bounce back. Let's not lose faith in Dodge before he has even gotten started. Did anyone think this season would be in different? Come on, we have more freshman starting than at any time I can remember. If we aren't winning in year 3, then we may have a problem, but right now the verdict just isn't out yet. Some of us need to back away from the computer and take a deep breath. The sun will rise tomorrow and the Mean Green will rise again as well, you can count on it.

This thread is interesting and good food for thought for the future and totally appropriate for this board, so that's what I say to all of the "purists." Here would be my game plan. After we win 2 more conference championships in a row, and assuming we have built a new stadium by then, I (RV and the Pres)...would arrange for private meetings with the AD/Pres of SMU, TCU, Tulsa, Memphis, Southern Miss, Ark State, LaTech, Utep, Houston, Rice, and maybe New Mexico State. I would have my ducks in a row in terms of data to show the benefits of controlling travel costs and the possible revenue from a solid regional TV package that would surely come from such an arrangement. I would talk about the benefits of regional rivalries for midmajors and regional bowl games. I would discuss the advantages to the fan base of each school and the INCREASED attendance that could come from having close alliances. I would discuss the academic advantages for student athletes in having games that don't require overnight travel, and missing classes for many consecutive days (think B'ball here). I would talk about the increased media coverage in the region driven by increased fan interest and attendance. I think that common sense is going to rule at some point, and I think the time is coming in which the above institutions are going to want to put more of their money into facilities and not to the airlines!

Yep, that's right...this thread is about conditioning. I agree with Coach, it should become a priority during the off season, not during the season.

I think you raise a good point. I don't think it explains everything about this season, that is even worse than most of us believed it would be. I think retooling is the operant word. BUT, I do think that conditioning is going to have to play a role in the retooling effort. Clearly, the spread, no huddle offense is great at putting pressure on the other team. But, you know what? It also puts pressure on your team. EVERYONE has to be in better shape, the offense...who will run a BUNCH more plays with less time in between AND the defense who will also be on the field a lot more. So, I think you make a very good point. I don't think the offense or defense is in the physical shape that they need to be in to run this scheme. So, as you said, run the hades out of them. Heck, go old school and tie old tires around their wastes and make them run 40s.

My game plan would start with a philosophy: That this is a very winnable game provided that we kick it up a knotch. If the defense can play with some grit like they did last week, we might have a shot at this game. I would approach it from the standpoint that if we win this game, the entire conference race suddenly has a different light! I would have an attacking defense with lot of blitzes, fake blitzes and stunts, and I would keep doing what we are doing on offense, with a little more running game than what we have seen.

East Texas MG...where in East Texas do you live? We live in Greenville. I don't meet a lot of alums out here and further east. There are a few but not many. Most of course are from TX A&M Commerce (formerly East Texas State).

This is the biggest straw man thread of the year. Has anyone been calling for DIckey to come back? No, and just because people don't want to call Dickey the Antichrist doesn't mean we want Dickey back. Can't we just all agree that Dickey took us to places we had never been and that we are grateful for four bowl games and some of the best defense we have seen at North Texas since the Fry days...and leave it at that. Sure the last two years went down hill fast, and he developed a very negative attitude and it was time to go, but he did play a major part in where we are now. It could have been a lot worse. We could have got a coach that didn't even win the Belt and we could have dropped football altogether. We need to remember that Dickey shut the opposing forces on campus up for a while, so that we could gather some steam. When he first came to NT, the anti-athletics crowd was gaining strength on campus. Thanks to Dickey, we have something to build on. So, let's just build.

Did we think an SLCer could say anything else? Especially when my bias obviously runs counter to the brand of football that put SLC on the national map? Look, please do not take anything I say as a slam against Dodge. I couldn't be more excited about Dodge being at North Texas, but for me it has nothing to do with the scheme he brought, but just my confidence in the quality of coach that he is, and the man. Dodge would have done the same thing at SLC had he run the Wishbone or the old Vear. He had the metroplex's greatest atheletes, with quality families all 'round and through and through. He coupled that with great coaching and turned it into a dynasty. Here's to hoping he can do the same thing at good ole North Texas.

I think we lose every game from here on out until we dump this soft read defense and start playing the brand of defense North Texas has always taken pride in. Booger didn't come off the pile after a great tackle in the opponent's backfield, shaking his head "no" at the opposing bench after holding ground and reading the play...it was after a stunt or a blitz or both. We attacked man!

Alright, I'll say it. I believe that if we could assemble the same talent level on each opposing team, with equally tough defenses, the running team with great talent would beat the pass-happy team with great talent. The running team wears people down and then beats them like a drum. People can talk about how the spread has nothing to do with passing all they want...I understand that. A team can run out of the spread, but it is always after having been set up by 8 passes to every one run. No team has a spread offense for the sake of creating a dominating running game. Everyone knows that dominating running games require the linemen to be up close and tight. When the run is used in the spread, it's just a diversion...it's not the bread and butter. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's comments.

Give me an attacking defense ANY day over a read first and react defense. I don't care if it means that you do get burned once and a while. I think we should have an attack mentality on both sides of the ball. We have it on offense, but why not employ the same philosophy on defense? I think a defensive player has natural instincts to play that kind of ball. You don't restrain an attack dog, you let him go! Blitz, attack and the fake the blitz. Blitz from different areas of the field...make the offense hesitant. That's how turnovers are created, and that is how games are won. We had that kind of defense for many years. Our defense WAS NOT the problem. The sooner our coach learns that, the quicker we are going to get on with where we all hope this ship is going to take us.

To Arkstfan, I would say that you did much better against UT than other Belt schools have done because your teams athleticism has improved that much, not because of some different scheme you guys employed. To Plumm, I would say that you should not take this thread to mean that I am impatient with Dodge or am losing faith. I just wanted to shake up the board with some good football talk. I love talking Old School/New School. I really wish we had a time machine to bring back one of the old Nebraska teams with Oak Trees for Olinemen and race cars for RBs PLUS a true killer defense and see what would happen with the best the new offense has to offer....me thinks I know what would happen...

Someone mentioned defense. Well, great defense and the kind of football I am talking about do go together. Great defenses needs rest in order to be great, and the offense has to give them that rest. The great run-based offensive teams do just that. Tech drives down the field to score in a minute, and their defense is back on the field, and they can't figure out why their defense can't keep them in a game? I'm saying that great defense and great running games go together...and it almost always equals winning.