SilverEagle

He was taller than Flutie (by 2") and not near as fast. He only made better decisions with the ball than most of the other candidates, (and definitely better than Haynes and Ieans), and he ran the team in a very efficient and confident manner. I always wondered why that wasn't good enough in the eyes of the coaching staff. Before him there was Russell McQuistin(sp?) who walked-on a couple of springs before. There may be a variety of reasons why he left the program before the end of spring, but he was looking like a very good back-up candidate for Scott Hall. He was big (6'3" X 215) and he was out there doing the same things....putting the ball where it needed to be, running the team efficiently and confidently and (IMHO) looking better than Andrew Smith. But, what the hell do I know.

That's my cynical view of things too. But after watching Tune yesterday, he's too slow for DB and too thin for TE. Of course, like a couple of former walk-on QB's that I've seen, if Tune shows too much ability, he'll be gone.....for what ever reason.

I've seen Brown out there practicing, but not Fernandez.

At this point, I have no intention of joining the QB debate, however..... SE-66, FFR mentioned weeks ago that Tune looked great in the HS all-star game, and he couldn't understand why Tune was not offered a "ship" by some D-1 school. After watching him yesterday morning, I tend to agree. From what I've seen so far, we've picked up a bargain. Now, he might crash and burn during the rest of the fall camp. But if he remains consistent in his development, we've got a real steady QB option for the team. Not spectacular mind you......but steady and confident....so far. Stebo, if you saw the intensity and fire that Meager was playing with yesterday, you'd alter your comments somewhat. At one point I saw him grab Collins (a TE) and literally fling him toward where he was supposed to be. So based on what I saw, I would suggest that Meager was demonstrating some leadership skills in his comments to the press by not pushing the panic button.

As far back as I can remember Southlake Carroll was always filling their stadium. Of course, they've been winning since they were a tiny 2-A school.

I'm going to have to find subtle ways of needling Emmitt about WW this year. Especially if he doesn't start. And right now, I don't have an opinion on who should start. However, I observed that the new kid on the block, Nathan (?) Tune, had a very good day running the second (or possibly third) team offense. He placed his passes well, nothing spectacular, but on target, and he moved the sticks. He seems to be much more comfortable with the offense than the first time I saw him. When he scrambled, he made as much as he could, and then went out of bounds. He just generally made good decisions......until he telegraphed an out-pattern throw and Desmond Chatman jumped on it and took it the other way. (BTW, I don't like the out-pattern). Otherwise he looked good today. He had some problems with the center exchange just like the other QB's. The other QB's looked OK. All of them struggled with the snap from center. The guys playing center (I think it was Drake and Glass) were getting an ear full from the OL coach by the end of the scrimmage. Phillps looked about the same as he usually does. He throws pretty good passes and he doesn't move around a lot. Meager threw better today than Sunday and he moved around well. He seemed to have to scramble more than the other QB's. He made some good passes on the two minute drill. I arrived late, so I didn't see Jamario play. Robertson got a lot of reps and showed a lot of speed on his runs. Sometimes he was a bit tentative, but toward the end of the scrimmage, he ripped off some pretty long runs. Cox, got some pretty good runs. He didn't look like a home run threat today however. Maldonado got some good runs in. He even took it in for a TD on a goal line situation in the two minute drill. Then I think he later took a pitch from Meager for another TD on another goal line situation. The O-Line and D-Line are both looking good. I arrived in time to see Issac Thomas break thru and sack Meager in the end-zone. He showed a real burst on that play. Daniel didn't have time to juke or put any sort of moves on. Issac just jumped him. #65 Miller, and #61 Stewart looked good out there. They were flying around and harassing the RB's and QB's pretty good. Toward the end of practice, Stewart must have taken exception to #78 Nic Foster's blocking technique, because he popped him about three or four times in the helmet with his forearm. They then exchanged pleasantries and went on about their business. As far as the receivers go, #87 Fitzgerald continues to make a strong case for getting into the rotation. He was making some fine catches. Stubblefield #15 caught a TD pass and made some other good sideline grabs. Both of them seem to have very good concentration. Zac Muzzy #3 is also making a strong bid to get into the rotation. He is very hard working, and made some good catches over the middle. The experiment of moving David Collins from DE to TE is still on-going. He now wears #95. On one occasion he was shifting to the wrong side during a two minute drill. Daniel M. grabbed him by the jersey and literally flug him in the correct direction. A little later he caught a TD pass. At the end of the scrimmage, I noticed someone new wearing #9 and getting into some of the two minute drills at FB. It was obvious that he wasn't player listed on the official roster, Adam Burnett 5'8" x 177 lbs from Everman. As it turned out it was Ronnie Hull, who up to this point had been playing TE. So it looks like they may want his big body (6'3" X 250) and blocking skills at the FB position. So, near as I can figure it, the TE position looks like this. #88 Beau Davidson, #85 Gill, #83 Seidle, #99 Harmon (when he gets back from injury), and #95 Collins. If Hull stays at FB, then that brings up this question. Is James Mitchell going to stay at FB, or is he going to be put into the mix for Jamario's back-up?

We all seem to be too stunned to respond to this. I've never seen the Mean Green nation this quiet.

Well, the Greenbackers (and the Athletic Dept) have given students/fans/alumni a much better game day atmosphere...and it keeps getting better every year. Let's see, what else do we need?.......... ..........

Hmmmm, interesting logic. 60's Scrappy is pleased.......

Care to list any other professionals?

Well, I watched the ultimate "freelancer" play.....Ken Washington. It wasn't uncommon for him to scramble all over the field and end up with a 5 or 10 yard gain. It also wasn't unusual for him to scramble and give up a lot of ground in the hopes of getting free for a long run.....and then lose 10+ yards because he was caught way behind the line of scrimmage. So instead of 2nd or 3rd and 10, we had 2nd or 3rd and 20. Besides Scott Davis, one of the best QB's we ever had for gaining yards with both his arm and feet was Joe Stevenson. He didn't have the "home run" foot speed of Mr. Wilson, but he was just as quick and elusive. And his arm was almost as strong as Andrew Smith's....but more accurate.

While watching the 88 NT/UT game, I came away with something totally different than the bad officiating. I was reminded that North Texas took a team down to Austin that had about three stars on it, and the rest were somewhat above average over-achievers. What North Texas also took down there was an offense that didn't rely on JUST ONE PLAYER! The ball got distributed around to several players, and the UT defense really didn't know where the ball was going next. Texas did know that Scott Davis was the leader and one of the stars, but they were faced with several other weapons that they had to cover. We have several weapons in our current arsenal and we need to USE THEM ALL. I'm really getting tired of hearing that "If Jamario doesn't have a big season, or "If Jamario gets hurt" then we're screwed. Jamario is a great running back. But unless our OL gels into something better than the line we had during his freshman year, he is not going to ever have another "freshman year". What we need more than Jamario having a "great season" is for our offensive scheme to be more like the 1988 offensive scheme. It was aggressive, flexible, and adjustable. Everyone on offense was having a great time out there playing. And I believe that they were having a great time because everyone was a potential weapon.......actually more than potential. I don't believe in putting all our football fortunes on the back of one player.

Go to the Baylor fan board. Geezzz, talk about un-christian attitudes.

I agree with that. At the time that I attended, most of the faculty was either indifferent or conveying the attitude that sports was a waste of University funds. I too came from a spirited HS. As a result, it never occured to me to not be a devoted fan of North Texas. In my town, even the outcasts of society came to the game and cheered.

Everyone loves to see a QB scramble (myself included). But keep in mind that when a QB is "free-lancing", there is a greater chance of the OL getting a penalty for holding or an illegal block.

I was both. I couldn't afford to live on campus, so I commuted. I went to every North Texas event that time allowed me to attend (I often worked two part-time jobs). I became much more involved after I graduated and secured a full time job. Please don't call this a commuter school.....it is not. Please don't blame the commuters for a lack of attendance. MANY frats don't bother to attend athletic events at North Texas, unless they are required to do so. This University cannot afford to alienate ANY group of students. Your post sounds a bit elitist. Isn't that why we hate SMU? ......

Well, maybe the defense won't be out there as long as it has in the most recent past. And then Mr. Thomas (and the rest of the defense) could be much more effective when they're out there.

Ok, I'll admit, I was up there today. I left after about 2 1/2 hours. They were doing kick-off practice.....I mean showing everyone where to stand kick-off practice. Overall the team is bigger and (with some exceptions) a bit more muscular than in the spring. The defense is ahead of the offense, but that's pretty typical. There were four QB's that got reps while I was watching. Phillips, Meager, Wilson and Tune. Early reports are right, none of them are jumping out at you, but then, it's pretty early. I will say that Wilson's accuracy seemed a little better than in the spring. He still tucks it up and runs through the middle. He made one breathtaking run for a TD. He weaved his way through the middle and made just about everyone on the defense miss. I didn't see Steve Price suited up. Phillips has the strongest arm, but he just wasn't hitting much today. Meager made some good throws over the middle, but I think he and Phillips were both intercepted at least once. Meager is still the second most mobile QB out there. Tune looked OK . He looks like he might be a little more mobile than Phillips, but his throwing is so-so. Jamario looked good, but not spectacular. I only saw Devin Cox on a few running plays and he did fine. I still think he needs to work on his moves a little more, and less on trying to run over LB's. Robertson looked like the hardest working one out there. He made some very good open field moves and had some good gaines. I didn't see Maldonado get any reps, but they were working the freshman from Kaufman at RB and gave him some reps. He seemed pretty fast, but he wasn't as fast (today anyway) as Robertson. All the WR's looked good. JQ was his usual money-in-the-bank self. Casey Fitzgerald made a good grab or so, and Arthur Stubblefield made a spectacular catch (it looked one handed to me) on a bomb while wearing a DB, and then took it all the way in. Zac Muzzy looked a step faster out there. He was working hard too, and made some good catches on some pretty bad throws. Joel Nwigwe looked spectacular. He had a couple of big plays. Brandon Jackson did not practice, nor did Brock Stickler. I also didn't see Guy Fernandez suited up either. The O-line looks pretty good. They've moved Brian Carleson to tackle and gave him #70 to wear. He was running with the second team. Drake #68 was out there. He didn't look like a 300 pounder however. I didn't get to see Nic Foster (from Allen) even though he was out there. Players that seemed to get my attention....for what ever reason. #77 Esteban Santiago. This young man looks like a very impressive player. He looks ever bit 6'5" and 275. Actually he looks closer to 295 or 300. If a dirty uniform is any indication that a player is going to contribute, then he might be in the starting rotation. This young man looks like a football player. Marquis Sykes #43. I didn't get to see him play, but he also looks like a football player. He's every bit of 6'3 X 253. Sky Pruitt #56 was really doing great. He looks lighter, and he seems to be quicker off the line. Bush #35 looks like a veteran out there. This guy is good. Loren #29 also looks good. Questions?

Who suggested that we whine? I have never (nor will I ever) suggested such a thing. We've done more than enough things, football wise, to deserve to be treated with more respect.

I'm kind of tired of our University being "Mr. Nice Guy"?

Folks, we need to get some OCC wins. Plan and simple. We've got to beat some people that Joe (and Mary Lou) six -pack have heard of. Can you imagine the attention we would get today if we were beating teams like we were in 1988?...when we were 1-AA......in the Southland conf. More than ever, our mantra at every game needs to be. I DIDN'T COME HERE TO LOSE! We cannot move forward otherwise.

Well, if we're going to live with it for another 5 to 7 years, then I'd like to suggest that we try and make the end-zone seats, and if possible , the east stands more heat tolerant by looking at some sort of shading system. Similar to this. http://shadeconcepts.net/recreational.php I really feel sorry for those people sitting in the end-zone seats. Especially early in the season.

Well, here's the question. Are we ever going to get invited to any bowl game other than the NO bowl, on our own merits and/or potential? If not, then we are going to have to be invited to join CUSA or the Mountain West, or the B-12. How is that going to happen? Obviously having a 25 conference game winning streak, plus four straight bowl trips hasn't gotten it done. Also, two straight national rushing champs didn't get those other conference officials all tingly either. So what will? My first vote would be a better OCC record, AND a consistent 25K+ attendance at games. And finally, trips back to the NO bowl with consistent wins over our opponents. BTW, has anyone gotten any credible feedback from one of the aforementioned conference officials that a lack of a new stadium is what kept us from getting invited to CUSA? My guess is that Fouts wasn't the real reason.

I certainly hope they are all retired by now. However, just like any family tradition (negative or positive) attitudes like this get passed down to the next generation. Hopefully not.

"New Rule: If you turn to a sportswriter for guidance on how to be a college football fan, ......as Red Forman (from That 70's show) might say "you're a DUMBASS". 60's Scrappy would say the same thing.