PlummMeanGreen

For certain we are merely dreaming with all this [b]CajunNation , but as you would know, that is what major accomplishment and changes for the better usually begins with. Again, my main contention with SBC membership is our best team of any given year's inability to get significant votes (if any at all) to even become seriously considered as a Top 25 player, but other than that the Sun Belt Conference has really been a decent place for some of our schools to hang our hats, but I'm not so sure that now is the time for us to think about changing our hat racks for our long-term betterment. Troy U gives us an interesting study of what all SBC football schools may continue to face in the future with the voting media mostly located in Big 12 and Southeastern Conference territories, ie, the territories that surround the Sun Belt Conference. NOTE: We might as well add CUSA as another league that will get regional media consideration (and Top 25 votes) before the Sun Belt does just as well. Case-point: Troy University Trojans Folks, Troy U has been beating & playing close upper echelon D1-A schools almost since they transitioned to become NCAA D1-A and an official SBC member. Who can forget their stadium's grand opening (on a national ESPN telecast) win versus a Big 12 school, ie the #17 ranked Missouri Tigers? Troy U should have at the time of their Missouri win started building (voting) media attention and support so that by this Fall (2007) they would begin garnering more than just 2 ridiculous votes for Top 25 consideration. This kind of lack of attention for the SBC could easily go on another 10 years minimum, but I'd bet one Florida school and one from Alabama won't stay around the SBC scene long to continue in this slobber-knockin' slap by the regional media who make Top 25 a reality for other schools. EYE-OPENER FOR SOME, PERHAPS? The new WAC (after their main schools left to form the MWC) were still successful with poll voters as they all but started over with their (basically) new league while the Sun Belt remains the "ONLY" NCAA D1-A conference that has never had one school even close to a Top 25 ranking. The Trojans beat another Big 12 school (OSU Cowboys) and that should have been yet another "voting media types" eye-opener--it was not. They played the Georgia Bulldogs and had a less than 2 TD loss in Athens, Georgia, but then they lost some votes after even playing an SEC school close? I'll say it again, yet the SBC (because of our league members being surrounded by almost 1/4'th of the entire D1-A division football schools cannot seem to get the attetention of those who will make the Sun Belt Conference's best team of any year (of which Troy U is that team from last year as well as this year).

"We need to be in the WAC to be able to outrecruit (or stay on a recruiting par) with the Texas-based CUSA schools." (anonymous) First of all, a letter to the editor from a subscriber to the Dallas Morning News just 1-2 Sundays ago had their own New SWC listing of schools but North Texas was even left out of their listing of schools. How many of you want to continue taking this abuse that many of us have for almost half a century. Some things are just written in stone, folks, and I think our "league assocation" with all the Texas-based CUSA schools we'd need votes from is one of those things written in stone to never happen. There is still just too much politics with the old SWC schools versus North Texas (for whatever their reasons and crazy as they may be) but its still the reality of the situation and all the politics involved with all this will most likely ever prevent a marriage to happen with those schools with our beloved alma mater. Some of us have been around this SWC politics for decades so just trust us with all this, Young Gunners. Secondly, I don't think UNT has the history of doing things that all the Florida upstart schools do to warp speed their football programs forward and even get into better conferences so I (in all honesty) think North Texas will continue to plod along in the SBC, but I'm not so sure that we may need to start looking for change and why change can better our entire program across the board. Last year, I thought being in the WAC would be a joke for UNT, but that was before Boise State did what they did with the OU Sooners and then with their leagues having some football progarm most always in the Top 25 and now......... .....with the WAC having 2 of its football teams in the Top 25 with even one having an outside chance of the WAC having a 2'nd BCS Championship Bowl Series team in as many years. TODAY..........One Metroplex Mean Green football fan had brought to my attention some interesting points for us all to ponder concerning the WAC & I'll try to remember them: Said the distance from Miami to Denton compared with Boise to Denton is not much difference in mileage. Said flying to many (but not all) WAC member's cities might now even be cheaper than driving ($3.00 a gallon?) to Jonesboro, Murfreesboro, Miami, Western Kentucky, etc, etc etc, Said UNT would most years pick up Top 25 ranked rivals along with rivalries that could happen fairly quick with La Tech with a resuming of our rivarly with New Mexico State. Said why not a WAC hosted bowl in the Cotton Bowl? NO's has 2 bowl games with less than 500,000 pop. post-Katrina so why not Dallas with 2 bowls with close to 6 million populationn? After all, even Fort Worth has its annual TCU Frog Bowl Game about every other year. Cotton Bowl? And aren't talks still on to completely renovate that stadum at Fair Park so Dallas can keep the Texas/OU game? Said FAU and Troy U have a very upwardly mobile NCAA D1-A "rising up the D1-A totem pole" attitudes inasmuch as FAU's Coach Schnellenberger has made it no secret of his wanting out of the Sun Belt to upgrade their program's ambitions with even a new stadium on their horizon. Yet doesn't it seem thats just the way they do things in Florida as we look at other Sunshine State upstart college football programs upgrade to better conferences? Wonder why such attitudes as the Florida schools have seems to not be prevalent in Texas? Of course, Troy U has already become the toast of the Sun Belt and would probably like to put their football ship in larger (more ambitious) waters where they would have a chance to get more than 2 votes for a recent win over Oklahoma State and even with a farily close loss to Georgia. NOTE: Anyone else beginning to detect how difficult its really going to be to get whoever our SBC football power for the moment is inside (or even close) to Top 25? Said many WAC schools are not immediately surrounded by other higher profile schools (such as ULL being so close to Baton Rouge, Murfreesboro to Nashville or Knoxville) and one can just go down the line of SBC schools and all our Big Brother/Traditional U schools who surround us (and, of course, get most of the media attention and Top 25 votes. All this while an unranked SBC football champion gets to play an un-ranked CUSA opponents in the NO's Bowl each year. Said even this year the WAC's Hawaii football team may be a candidate for a BCS Bowl Championship Series bowl game just as recent WAC champion Boise State was quite recently; and their bowl game versus OU that those who saw it will not soon forget. Said recruiting edges might come from a WAC membership over CUSA & SBC schools since they have had a BCS Bowl Championship entry along with annual Top 25 rankings and the other 2 aforementioned conferences have not. (Anyone else wonder why La Tech has never been interested in SBC membership now)? I said the WAC could probably come up with a better TV package which would include the North Texas Metroplex and moreso since DFW is the 6'th largest TV market in the USA (which would be the largest in the WAC). The MWC has most definitely dropped the ball with their TV package but I really think they had just signed that TV package as TCU was becoming a member of the MWC--seems rather foolish that the MWC doesn't want DFW in their TV line-up BUT.................I'd bet the Western Athletic Conference would and I think their commish' has even stated such in the past. I know I left out some other pro-WAC points out our fellow Metroplex Mean Green fan made and maybe I will remember them, but only after I eat some turkey and dressing in a bit. Happy Thanksgiving All...

BLASPHEMOUS SUN BELTED THOUGHTS Would you prefer to have a matchup this Saturday with a Top 25 ranked Boise State, a Top 25 ranked Hawaii, a Fresno St., a La Tech (an annual rivalry waiting to happen), or a New Mexico State (Hello, remember those Aggies?), etc, etc, etc, or.............Western Kentucky (still officially in 1-AA as they transition to 1-A)? Chapter One Why Treat The (never, ever been ranked) SBC As If It Were Holy or Sacred Ground? How many in the good ol' Sun Belt Conference would leave the SBC in a New York Minute if they had the opportuntiy to do so for an upgrade? Heck, SBC Commish' Wright Waters has even been shopping himself of late for other commissioner job possibilities so I don't think we have something so sacred here with the SBC that those who feel they could better themselves wouldn't. Would Troy U or MT turn down a most "inudated with Texas member schools" CUSA if invited? Is the Pope Catholic? Is Billy Graham Baptist? Would Hillary Clinton Flip/Flop Issues In The Space of 5 Minutes & Say Just About Anything To Get Elected President? Aren't Many Who Call Others Biggots Many Times The Biggots Themselves? I'll stop there... Having been an "intererested" follower of all things North Texas since 1972 (and that includes more than just athletics BTW), I have met more than a few UNT leaders during that span of time and, quite frankly, we've had some good ones IMHO, but many of those same UNT leaders seemed to do so few things that would really catapult our varsity sports programs to new & better heights (of which I call having ranked varsity programs new & better heights). Certainly, as posted by many of us older farts ad nausem, Hayden Fry gave us a too brief taste of glory that few of us who experienced it will forget in our life times, but at UNT.................. we just seem to move at a snail's pace when it comes to getting things done, built, raised as far as mega-buck donations by the truly Big Texas Tycoons that few (if any) on this board are in the neighborhood of giving such Big Monies. And I'm talking about the kind of mega-bucks which moves an NCAA D1-A athletic program from one level to the next level, no small feat if you think about it. I know we probably don't have our own version of T. Boone Pickens, but maybe even someone with lesser millions than Pickens would fit the bill for UNT, but I suppose those names and phone numbers of such Big Donors are kept in locked safes in the UNT Administration Bldg I suppose. FWIW and IMHO..............I just don't see the Sun Belt improving quick enough (the next 10 years?) to make it to where any of our schools will ever get much Top 25 ranking considerations even if some of our schools meet some of the same criteria WAC & MAC have, ie, their schools which have been in the Top 25 more than just a few times the last few years. Anyone ever think that the WAC has a voting bloc of western USA-oriented sports writers (and voters) for Top 25 that we will never have as a member of the Sun Belt? Might the Big 12 and SEC have all such votes literally tied up in their "tradition-oriented" mindsets that they (as a block of voters which is what we'd have to have to get rankings); anyway, could any of that bloc of voters ever seriously consider a SBC school for a Top 25 ranking, least of all such rankings for an SBC football school on an annual basis which Boise State seems to have found their niche in doing? Yet at UNT unless someone has finally found our mini-version of T. Boone Pickens, I think we will do our typical "slower than a snail's pace" modus operendi in doing what we need to do for our football and basketball program that would ever help us lose the bad name we get with the schools we are presently associated (and yes, I even include UNT in that association with the rest of the SBC so I'm hardly saying our crap stinketh not and everyone elses does, either, BUT THE FACT REMAINS... ........4 bowl games in the Big Easy did nothing to get us even close to Top 25 rankings while schools in the WAC and the MAC were in it during that same time we were bowling. All of us Sun Belters seemed to merely stand around with fingers up our nostrils just enjoying the hell out of all our Bottom 25 success stories. Chapter Two Like many of you, I like the Sun Belt. It has served a purpose for UNT, maybe even saved us from the NCAA graveyard for schools that spend just enough money for their football program to keep it on life support. DD's 4 bowl games merely got our noses above water and it probably kept Mean Green football from drowning and we looked at his first 4 dreadful years as our HFC (and again, many of us gave DD due credit for the 7 years we supported him until it all came tumbling down); but still..........it did not get our entire varsity football torso (if you will) out of the water in such a way that Top 25 rarely ever came up for discussion on this board during the Dickey Years other than in pipe dream ways, ie, pie in the sky by and by type stuff and something to shoot for some other coach in some other decade (maybe). Who on this message board truly thought our recruiting the last 10 years would make us a Top 25 fixture? As previously said, for 7 years many of us gave Coach Dickey his due AND..............DD recruited some pretty damn good football players from time to time with one very good class in the late 1990's, but I will defer to what I always do say when I say the aforementioned inasmuch as he just didn't recruit enough good players to complement the small core of good Mean Green football players. Whatever way Boise State ran their football program after we both left the Big West the same year, UNT officials just might need to investigate what they did because we hardly emulated or came even close to the kind of success the Broncos had post-Big West split. This for those who can look beyond a coaches first season: Many of us think Todd Dodge (in due time) will get this program near or to Top 25 caliber talent-wise, his recruiting seems to be headed that direction, but I fear if this football program is still in the Sun Belt, we will not attain Top 25 rankings such as WAC and (for crissake's folks) even MAC schools have been in the last few years. I say things have changed and things will keep on changing & UNT better look out for its own good and take care of ourself because that is what everyone else is doing, but looking down the road for our long term gain (and true Top 25 ranking possibilities), lets get a couple of fellow SBC schools to join us and Go West(ern)Athletic Conference. Why? I really feel the annual ranked WAC teams give us better rivals (for attendance purposes) and................ IMO...............we can get Top 25 votes out West whereas I don't think we ever will as a Sun Belt member. Troy has only 2 votes with their fine team & even with a win over Oklahoma State. Just my .02, that's all.

I know, here we go again with all this WAC(ky) talk, but what the heck.... Hayden Fry told a gathering at one UNT athletic function within the last year that we should try to get out of the SBC as soon as we can. Hmmm? Obviously, Hayden (who lives with his wife in Nevada) is not imbedded in our Mean Green forest where so many of us cannot (sometimes) see the trees for the forest when it comes to so many things and even what our conference future should be? I know all the reasons why we shouldn't go to the WAC, but the only thing we ever seem to get when "said" SBC football school which has the "hot hand" (and the NO's Bowl berth) for a few seasons running (Troy U?) is how they will be the next school in CUSA (and UNT now seems to come in 3'rd on the CUSA potential list with MUTS even being talked up for it since Troy and MUTS fits their league footprint moreso than another Texas school). I realize we all think we would be a superb addition to CUSA, but I don't think there is "ONE" CUSA Texas-based school would ever give us a vote (since having too many Texas schools in one league was actually one of the listed reasons another similar conference imploded in the mid-1990's). Troy U got 2 freakin' votes for Top 25 this last week? Folks, if Troy U had been in the WAC that "speed merchant" team would be in the Top 25 vying for a WAC championship (IMHO, of course).

OK, I guess I have to tell all now We are removing Scrappy & Eppy from our alma mater's history forever and adopting former Athletic Promotion's Director from the Hayden Fry era (one Mr. Bill Vogel) and instead of an Eagle mascot roaming the sidelines during a Mean Green football game, we (instead) will have an ex Talon manning the inside of a giant aluminum can with a paper wrapper surrounding that can that says: MEAN GREENS Believe it or not, several cans of, uh, Mean Greens (pretty good tasting green veggies as I recall) made its official debut at a Fort Worth Mean Green Club function we held back in the 1980's at a Cowtown tradition (and eatery) called Paris Cafe Shop (on south Hemphill). That eatery is owned by UNT grad Mike Smith who was one of John Denver's Fort Worth buddies long before his fatal plane crash. Denver often visited Mike at that FW landmark eatery. So there you have the scoop of the week! Pretty gol' darned exciting, eh?

Cooley, it is very difficult to judge any 1'st (or for that matter) 2'nd year coach IMHO. At the end of our 1974 football season in Denton, I thought maybe Coach Hayden Fry may have lost his passion (or maybe) ambition for coaching when his 2'nd Mean Green team at UNT only won 2 games. As I've been wrong too many times to talk about being an admitted novice of college football, I couldn't have been more wrong in my assessment of a coach who would get a Big 10 job because of what he did at UNT (high profile wins for starters) and become a future College Football Hall of Famer, ie, one John Hayden Fry. Even in light of TDodge's 1'st season, I still couldn't feel any more optimistic about the long term upside & possbilities for our varsity football program. Its just a gut feeling that I (apparently) share with many others as we just feel good about Coach Dodge and what he brings to the table with his: (1) His enthusiasm (2) His apparent openess to be available our upper echelon administrators in the area of public relations & fundraising (3) His work ethic (4) His stressing a "be part of our family style" discipline to his players on and off the field (5) His ability to walk into any Texas high school and not have to introduce himself (as a total stranger to Texas high schools and most of their HFC's would have to). I have heard there are so many other intangibles that Todd Dodge has already brought to our alma mater's table that will pay dividends for anyone who calls him(her)self a Mean Green fan. Albeit I don't make as many basketball games as I used to when I lived near campus, it is so good to see one who I've been pulling for from the git-go, ie, Coach Johnny Jones bringing his program right along, because we know his coaching career beginnings in Denton also had its share of detours, too. All those years of patiences seems to now be paying off for the UNT leadership who had confidence in Coach Jones to make it happen. Actually, it is a BIG PLUS when our alma mater's varsity basketball program is now doing so good because successful basketball and football programs really can complement each other year in & year out. Anyone doesn't think when we bring potential football recruits (signees) to the Super Pit during Winter recruiting that its really icing on the cake for these recruit's visitation weekend when the Mean Green basketall team wins a big game?

Phil, you have to be one of our Top 10 MG Fan Who Travels The Most Miles (and who comes to the games on a regular basis). Sorry we didn't have more time to talk under the Press Box side last game, but mother nature was calling and I just had to go in and reminisce about the good ol' days of our famous Men's Restroom Wailing Wall. It is one of the first things that still sticks out in my mind concerning Fouts as a Mean Green fan (and NT student) back in 1973. Seems the student side mens restroom was even in worse shape if I recall. Yall have a Happy Thanksgiving and BTW....... who does your Aggie daughter want to take Coach Fran's place when TAMU fires him?

I don't have all the attendance numbers for all our home games this Fall, but aren't we pretty darn close to hitting an all time per home game attendance record for all home games that were at Fouts Field? Then again, who knows, we may not even be close. But back in the day, we were able to inflate some home averages because of some decent crowds we had when we hosted teams at Texas Stadium, but anyway.....anyone have some attendance figures thus far and............. .......how many do we need to have versus WKU to (possibly?) set an all time Fouts Field per home game attendance record in 2007?

Wonder how many Baylor fans wanted Morris back for just one more year? Seriously, a D1-A football program (like Baylors and ours for that matter) have to ask the question of: "How the heck do we market this coach next Fall?" Baylor really had no choice and it will be interesting to see who wants that job. They do have a new Athletic complex (they had promised Coach Morris) but will have its grand opening for its new coach. Might make some wonder now if the construction delay on that $33 million facility was on purpose?

I, too, detect the sarcasm on the 1-aa part of your posts, GrandGreen, but lets say "what if".......... if future UNT officials (since our present group would never consider such tom-foolery IMO); anyway, if future UNT leaders would dare try such a move of going back to 1-AA it would be over the dead bodies of a helluva' bunch of us who went thru the last 12 years of the purgatorial existence that NCAA D1-AA became to our football program (and its followers). I'm not so sure that we still ain't trying to recover from those 12 years of 1-AA truth be told. I'd say lets aim this Mean Green Ship to Top 25 rankings in NCAA D1-A, right?

THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION: Do you really want to redshirt your first year at another campus (which is the common practice at the majority of NCAA D1-A schools) but then during your 2'nd year on that fine campus, ie, you might still (possibly) be on a depth chart which has you looking at Year 3 as your 1'st year to be considered as a starter? Get in on the ground floor of something very special now happening at the University of North Texas. Be part of a pioneering project at a major Texas university; in fact, this northern Texas university located in Denton which has been projected by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to become the 2'nd largest university in the state of Texas (only behind UT) within the next 10 years. Consider joining up & becoming a pioneer in helping UNT Coach Todd Dodge & Staff build a program that becomes an annual Top 25 football program (much like our former conference-mates, ie, the Boise State U football program has done. Remember BSU, right? They won a BCS Championship Bowl game over OU last year in a game many consider one of the best bowl games ever? YET.......how many traditional conference's schools may never play in a BCS Championship Series Bowl Game a la Boise State U (go ahead--make our day--insert sublimenal North Texas ), you know, like maybe at least 2 of the 4 Texas Big 12 schools for starters and all the other traditional 2'nd division teams of all the other traditional conferences? If projections holdfast as expected, before you graduate at UNT as part of the Mean Green team, you will play an integral part in the debut of what will be one of the most modern (with all the latest ammenities) and most visible college football stadiums in America... ...and with this new football venue which has multi-acres of real estate already in place for its future location. Also, this new Mean Green Football Palace which will be built at the juncture of Texas Interstates 35E and 35W & inside our fabulous Mean Green Athletic Village of existing new and modern student/athlete oriented venues. In fact, the south end zone of the new stadium will (in deed) be our already completed Athletic Center that you would undoubtedly be most impressed with your first visit to Mean Green Country. Come be part of an exciting journey that will be as exciting as its eventual destination in Mean Green Country. Also, come be part of this pioneer adventure and get in on the ground floor of something special that is now just in its beginning stages in Denton, Texas, America. ________________________________________________________ Inquire within and/or send your resume' (and some video would be nice, too). ** Other positions besides that of offensive and defensive linemen will also have openings in due time.

Haven't heard how that scheduling bugaboo has been finalized but I have heard that we will make some nice money due to the flip-flop. I know we need the income, but (as Huff said) I do wish we could open up with some 1-AA's from time to time. Texas State U (not the Armadillos, of course) would bring a nice crowd to Fouts Field and a more competitive game than our opening in the Pit of LSU.

Yet Cincy' does not and still does not have that traditional football name (and it was that way when we were in the same conference with them, too). I think some of us older nestors would tell you that it is the gut feeling of many of us that our (Big Time Win) is on the way. We just need to continue to let things merely fall in place because the feeling of many is that there really is a plan in place to raise this program back up yet to new heights. UL-Monroe with their win over the Crimson Tide of Alabama today gave us all fresh new proof that it is not impossible. PS: Some of us have been asking the same question of your thread title for a few decades now; you know, a win over a school that has actually won a few national championships and is usually a traditional Top 10 (or at least) Top 25 program each year. Seems La Tech beat Bama a couple of times the last 2 decades and other non-BCS schools seemed to get their Big Tater' win as well. Since the Tennessee win in the 1970's, ours just hasn't materialized like one might thought it would have.

The late, great Bear Bryant is turning cylinders in his last resting place tonight. Congrats to the one team we beat this season &... BRING ON THE CRIMSON TIDE!

Great words and post from the P&RR... You are preaching to what used to be the Mogen David Choir (an old country song from the Gatlin Bros. of Odessa, Texas). Funny how so many of us could feel this way in the midst of a one win season, now isn't it?

I agree, KingDL1 and to the good post by "the real grad88." Yet we have the biggest piece of the puzzle that must be soon found among the mix of all the puzzle pieces and that largest piece be put in place soon; that is, UNT must have its new football stadium between Interstate 35E and Interstate 35W be put in place by the 2010 football season (or no later than 2011) and I think all that is most probable. And from the above post by "the real grad88" and his #3, I don't think any of that "the real grad88" is anything so original from my keyboard, but I do like "your" own illustration about the ship. All this is truly like watching the tide go out and then come back in higher than it ever has in our athletic history to raise this Mean Green ship to new levels. No matter how many we draw the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we seem to have set a new bar to reach at the turnstiles that I think will be reached & improved upon with each of the following seasons in Mean Green Country. Growth is always a positive no matter how you slice it and we (finally) seem to have made it a positive at UNT and for that I know myself and many, many others of you commend the entire UNT Athletic Dept starting with UNT AD Rick Villarreal all the way down to the departmental secretaries for each varsity sport. As we all know, there is much more that still needs to be done and some adjustments most likely to be considered and possibly made, but we seem to have those who are now sensitive to doing the things that need to be done and I'd bet we have those who will be smart enough to make adjustments when adjustments are absolutely neccessary.

Guess I come from the old school that says its always good to have 2 good QB's on the squad in case the starter goes down. Really not a bad situation for UNT to be in quite frankly. Congrats to Riley Dodge for the great senior year we knew he would have at SLC HS. Wonder if Riley can persuade the SLC HS RB to change his commit, too?

We have common ground here, TFLF, because...............we are all anti-loss. The other night gave most of us that empty pit in the stomach feeling and a disappointment moreso for all our guys (whether recruited by DD or TD). We all want these kids to have some success. Many of them will have success off the field of battle because they are moral, competitive and that will translate quite well to this thing we call...life. I (and numerous others) only want others on this forum to be fair in the sequence of time given a new coach's regime to see just what they can do. As you know from (maybe) a couple of my posts DD did have 9 years and his first 4 were under .500 in the W/L department. We have no idea how long this is going to take with TDodge, but my gut feeling is we go over .500 in his Year 3 (DD's was Year 5). But I feel we all want this program to go up the NCAA D1-A rankings food chain this time around because if we don't do that, we have not progressed this football program and then it would merely look like the same one many of us have been following the last (almost 3) decades. If Boise State can have an annual Top 25 ranked football program, then why the heck can't UNT since I believe we would probably have better across the board resources than BSU (with our location being a positive one if we would only make it be such)? I've never met Todd Dodge and (who knows) I may never meet him, but that kind of thing is not important to me anymore; that is, like it was when I was a Young Gun Alum BUT.................I really do like all that I am hearing about Coach Dodge of which some has not been made public, but (trust me) we will all be the beneficiaries of the foundation this man is building in all of our's 2'nd home town........ Denton, Texas, America. GMG! PS: Arkstfan (an attorney and well respected visitor poster to GMG.com) said a couple of good JUCO defensive lineman would really have made Coach Mendoza look good, too. And so to alter the lyrics of the great John Lennon............. All I Am Saying Is...Give T'odge A Chance!

Ok, sorry about the spare remark, and maybe you are perfect 300 game, but come on, untbowler (and others), all this questioning of the staff seems to have turned into a good old fashioned crucifiction--AND NOT LIKE THE ONE THAT HAD A SIMILAR ROMAN MOB MENTALITY PUT HIM TO DEATH (but didn't HE have a nice surprise 2 days later). Whoops, I can't talk religion or politics on this board, I forgot. (But we do seem to have more than our share of Doubting Jamario Thomases of late, though). (And for gosh sakes no, that not a put down on one off DD's best recruits who I think is still greatness albeit he's had terrifically bad luck with his hamstring). This is about Mendoza moreso than Todd Dodge, but it has much to do with those who don't have confidence in Dodge's decision-making skills. YET.............If by Year 4 or Year 5 (which is the usual number of years to give a new staff starting from scratch like I really feel this one is doing); yet, after Year 5 (DD's first above .500 year) this thing shows now signs of moving up the NCAA D1-A food chain, then I'll probably be right there with some of yall in the questioning (like I for darn sure was in DD's last 2 years after a 4 year bowl run), but for heaven's sake...............not now with this present staff; that is, before a 1'st season has even been completed, right?

OK.............. untbowler, you are a spare (and probably a typical front-runner UNT fan who will be kissing Mendoza's arse first successful defensive team he puts out on the field). Stick with bowling for dollars.

That was not the way I recall how the story went, but what the hell, does it matter with the anti-Dodge (Mendoza feeding frenzy) faction anyway? They think we could hire better at UNT and hire those who would probably need a map on how to get from DFW to Houston. Folks, listen to those every once in awhile that actually saw some higher profile success around here that some of you seem to not think possible anymore. The coach we had during that era had a very, very nice Texas HS football coach's connection and he used it to our advantage. I won't go over some wins over schools who back in that era would have been bowl teams because of their bowl elgibility; but one such school was located in Knoxville, Tennessee FWIW.

Mean Green Peanuts & Popcorn Former Dallas Cowboys HFC Bill Parcells made it public to the media that he had wanted to hire Todd Dodge a couple or so years ago, but it was UNT who hired him instead, that is, it was us that hired one that America's Team wanted straight from the high school level. A Texas HS Football Coach's Pedigree... Well, it seems the entire Big 12/University of Missouri Tiger's coaching staff all came down to Texas to get schooled by one Texas High School Football Coach & Twice National Coach of the Year--Todd Dodge. Dodge's success even caught the attention of the President of the United States of America who had the entire Dodge family in the White House last Spring. Last night during the Mean Green Radio Network's interview with Larry Lacewell, a former coach who has been called one of the best evaluators of talent in existence said "you guys have a good one" (as he was referring to Todd Dodge) and as I recall, I don't recall that being a solicited comment by George Dunham in his interview with Larry Lacewell. OK.............We're all know the problems and we all know what may (or may not) have to be done but it will be Todd Dodge who makes the final decisions on such things. I know there is presently a feeding frenzy going on with some on GMG.com on this 1st year coaching staff; quite frankly, it would probably happen at any NCAA D1-A outpost in these days of micro-wave expectations, that is, expectation of instant success. Those of us who choose to see the upside of Todd Dodge will never change the minds of you who choose to see the downside, but we all need to give him the same time most other UNT HFC's have most always gotten in Denton to install their programs. I had previously used the term cancer to describe some players that I had received reliable word the last season or 2 who were (in fact) discipline problems during the DD Era. Perhaps not the best choice of word to use, but I think most of you still got my drift anyway. On the field team discipline problems can be seen when a team has personal foul penalties galore (like was the case in the previous era in Denton) and when you hear horror stories substantiated by a reliable campus official or 2 of off the field discipline problems, dicipline problems then take on a whole different light--not a good light, either. Anyone think off the field discipline problems don't translate to the rest of the team and even on the field of battle? Such players that produced those were the cancers I was posting about--not DD's entire recruiting classes still on campus (and I think many of you knew where I was coming from---and I know others just wanted to add more fuel to the fodder on this board's present feeding frenzy mentality. Dickey (as I've posted numerous times even after the hiring of Dodge) did leave some fine talent behind at UNT, but it is still my opinion that he just didn't leave near enough of it behind coupled with the fact that our overall team speed is not (at this time) where it will be in due time. The first time I ever heard the phrase "you cannot coach speed" came from my own Texas HS football coach (and that was even back when helmets had face-guards on them, too, believe it or not). IMHO..........the upside of Todd Dodge will have much to do with his higher profile recruiting. It also has much to do with all his highly successful (and media documented) football camps he's had going on for several years here in the North Texas Metroplex. Good football players make good coaches. Anyone remember back when Vince Lombardy left Green Bay for Washington how he suddenly became an average coach? THE TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTION.........I think that is just one of the positives he brings to this program that a "non-Texan" or outside the state of Texas college coordinator(s) we could have hired to be our HFC would have ever been able to bring to our most unique table at UNT. And how many agree that ours is a most unique table compared to the rest of the other Texas-based NCAA D1-A schools? Yet such outsider hires as we could have put on our payroll may have eventually taken the "under the radar" approach to recruiting because of their need to prevent showing their was very little local recruiting happening for our football program. The Texas HS football coach's fraternity is one that can make you or break you as a Lone Star-based NCAA D1-A college football program (of which there are 10 such programs), or at least a D1-A football program that aspires lofty goals such as Top 25 rankings. And isn't UNT's such a football program that can ill afford to not have some semblance of rapport with many more top Texas HS footabll programs than probably in our entire history, especially come recruiting time? We can no longer shoot SBC fish in the barrell to get to a bowl game because all the SBC fish have moved to a much broader NCAA D1-A ocean now. It was a good run when we could in the SBC's first 4 years, but this league's formative years are now gone forever. Troy U has a new stadium, a Top 25 win to debut that stadium and is the "speed merchant" toast of the Sun Belt Conference now. The real shame is that after a 4 year bowl run that we seem to be starting from scratch all over again in Denton--a role we've all been part of for decades it seems.

Mean Green Peanuts & Popcorn... ASU almost beat Texas, we almost beat ASU, so therefore... Let's enjoy recruiting season and some new bridge building because we were going to have to do that whether we won 2, 3, 4, or 5 games this season now weren't we? Quote from Larry Lacewell: "North Texas has a good one." (referring to our HFC Todd Dodge tonight during the MGRN's half time show). Let's rely on the words of those who helped build Super Bowl winners, ya' think? I know, we have to put a face on who cost us this game (human nature), but I still don't think I saw Coach Mendoza suited out for this game, either. Gloves on DB's hands? Was it that damn cold at ASU tonight? Don't gloves prevent some DB's from intercepting passes? (That's just one of what will be one million reasons as to why we got beat by what was supposed to be a SBC contender this year). Who had the most disappointing season then? UNT or ASU? How many of us said 3 wins for 2007 the day Todd Dodge was hired based on the previous 2 seasons? Does it matter if it were 1, 2, 3 or 4 wins when we didn't compete for the SBC the last 2 years and our last bowl team was handed its head on a silver platter by a CUSA team that looked like men among boys? Did we know that our recruiting was quite deficient as far back as that Southern Miss loss? Speed problems in other words? Did adding years to many of the same players from the 2005, 2006 and 2007 MG teams who played in that Golden Eagle loss in the Big Easy add any more speed to this team? I'ts About Building A New Bridge On A Much More Solid Foundation Than Todd Dodge Inherited--Sorry, But It Really Is &............ We Have Our Last Bowl Appearance, the 2005 and 2006 Seasons For Proof.

Closer to Houston did it for him? (Sorry, H-Towners, you know how much I do love my past former home area)! Did this kid get to visit the Super Pit and take a look at our internationally famous UNT co-ed beauties? Can he still change his mind?