Mike Jackson

"video summary" more appropriate title when showing clips of an execution

I think all the comments about the wives' tag along trip are very mild and natural. We aren't assigning blame to the wives trip. However to us novices it gives the appearance that culturally our priorities are not in order and managed properly. Like I have said before I have no problem with a late season holiday related wive's tag along trip. But setting up a perk/tradition like that is something you do going into maybe season #3 when your coaching staff has maybe accomplished something that make them attractive to P5 programs. Most fans in the forum don't run around in FBS coaching circles. Regardless I think it is absolutely ridiculous to allow a "family" perk to be set around a non-holiday conference road game. I don't care if they lost by 1 point or 30. Moreover how about the coaching staff get a winning overall record before organizing these "perks" around games. What do you think the U of H Cougar board sounds like after it is revealed that the 9-11 coaching staff allow a wives trip to be set up for a mid-season game against UCF that turned in a historic beat down? But on the #OldDenton board anyone questioning this poo-pooped on? I think culturally we are aiming very low #OldDenton. (Houston loses coaches all time should they set up road conference game tag along trips for family to keep their coveted coaches. When was the last time a successful coach was hired away from UNT? I am talking full time coaches at least nominally in charge of a position group or above that.) All I think we are saying is that until the program starts winning at a level where just starting 3-0 in conference is not an occasion for the team to getting full of themselves. They beat back from the dead UAB and upstart UTSA at home in miracle come back fashion, for 2 of those wins. The losing coaching staff has no business green lighting in season road game associated "perks" like this. If they did the same thing in season 1 shame on them. I am guessing that last years trip was set up around the Army road game. That is a non-conference game so I would not have a problem with it. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Forgetting all the cultural things mentioned above that people I think kid themselves when they say they don't matter, 69 points doesn't automatically make everyone think of firing the whole defensive coaching staff. But through 20 game this defense has not been good. Mediocre might even be generous when classifying this defense. When will we see some big time improvement or a coaching staff move? The last good defensive performance against FBS competition was exactly a year ago today against Army. And schematic wise that isn't a difficult offense to defend it just take mentally tough disciplined gap/man assignments. With a 9-11 record so far and bottom half of CUSA recruiting class a P5 program would be foolish to steal one of our coaches. And that is is even if we run the table after this.

Yep, and at this point I am not asking them to win the game themselves just hold up there end of bargain. Just a couple of timely 3 and outs and a 3rd down conversion rate around 40% or less. Those aren't team carrying stats. However I still want to point out they are trying to figure out "perks" to keep a staff with a 9-11 overall record and a 6-6 conference record through a season and a half. And you have fans coming at my mild comments about those 'perks" after watching one the most embarrassing losses ever. smh #olddenton mentality

And why in the middle of a good season building momentum do you take a PR risk like this? It is stupid. At bigger programs where football more visible they are burning the coach in effigy right now just from the score let at lone news about a road trip being used as perk for spouses. This coaching staff hasn't won anything yet. They are 9-11 overall and 6-6 in conference over 1.5 seasons. The DC should probably be fired. And on paper it looks like lost the 2016 recruiting battle in our conference and in the process of bring up the rear in 2017 recruiting battle. Seth is a proven offensive coaching mind that is separate from all this. But head coaching requires more than just than. All these issues point to a young staff and maybe the AD not understanding the difficulty of getting this program where it needs to be. I am all for treating the families of these coaches and other staff well. But there are better times and places for that than a mid-season road conference game in Boca Raton after the biggest regular season win for this staff. I would much rather be talking about a 14 point or less hard fought loss with a few X & O mistakes and some bad calls. I expect that 3 to 6 times a year. I don't expect for my alma mater to be a punchline Sunday morning or Monday morning at work.

It is relevant maybe not to the outcome but perception. I forked out MGC money this week but I didn't expect a conference road game to be turned into a "perk" for spouses. And if I had shelled out big money I would be even more skeptical. Not a good look for a program always pleading poverty (justifiably pleading poverty no doubt but little comfort for those who donate and saw this performance)

I disagreed on the point 2 and that points directly back to everyone's thoughts about the defense this year. You really can't be humbled if you haven't achieved anything. This offense has dragged this defense along for all the wins against FBS opponents this year. And even Lamar had the scheme but not the players to put more points on the scoreboard at Apogee. I recall Lamar dropping 12 points in TD passes that game.

"Pool party and wives trip maybe?" anyone else think Brett was dying to ask about that but knew it was inappropriate and counterproductive?

Exactly and it's not like Alabama doesn't have the resources to do nice things for coaches wives. And at that level throwing more money doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. Any one on Alabama's staff could be hired away by an NFL job at any time. I like Seth a lot but his lack of head coaching experience gave me some reservations. I don't think an experienced FBS head coach allows this. Majority of Reffet's experience was in the Sun Belt. I think you hire coaches from programs you aspire to be like, not programs that you have distanced your program from with a conference affiliation upgrade. Even the terrible ESPN3 commentators mentioned the lack of focus on defense. If you look on the resumes of the offensive coaching staff compared to the defensive coaching staff those comments rings true. None of the defensive staff I am read about on Meangreensports.com have P5 coaching experience, but maybe I am missing something. Most of the offensive coaching staff have P5 level coaching experience even if is just one or two seasons in some cases. We are expecting the defensive staff to learn on the job and it is not happening from all the evidence we have seen this year.

I am done with this controversy this was literally the biggest road conference game ever for building momentum to drive attendance and revenue for the program. Distraction or not anything out the routine that doesn't translate to better prepared for the game is HORSE BLEEP. This coaching staff has not won anything yet. So I believe adding the wives to the trip reinforced the feeling in the locker room that they have "arived". Coach Saban would call that "deadly rat poison" that would be detrimental to his program and he sure as hell wouldn't clear it for a game against a solid SEC opponent on the road in mid-Season. That being said, I propose a challenge that requires your imagination. Imaging you are Troy Reffett's agent. What would you say to sell him to another program now? (Remember he is the DC and Safeties Coach) Can't think of anything to say?..... My point exactly. He could stay in Boca on vacation as far as I am concerned and have all the time with his wife he likes.

This way a business trip that the players and coaches treated like a vacation, especially on the defensive side. You want a vacation get to a bowl game and fly the wives there. This is a conference game and every 3 years we should be traveling to FAU or FIU. Maybe if this was an out of conference game against SDSU, Hawaii, USC, or UCLA I would understand. Because who knows when the team will ever return to those cities.

Most likely but if the improbable happens and they run the table the rest of the way and beat a ranked P5 team in a bowl game... Well after this performance it makes him look like a miracle worker and he might get hired away. But that is VERY improbable nigh impossible with CUSA bowl tie-ins this year.

So I have one question first before I dig in. Has anyone seen anything from this defense to warrant DC keeping its job? The biggest mistake UTSA made last week was not going for it on 4th down get a first down and run out the clock. This team has won primarily in spite of the defense. No but I expected them to compete with all the opponents they had left. However I reviewed some of the past seasons of a couple our CUSA rivals and blow out in conference play aren't an extreme anomaly. Before we walk off cliff, we need some perspective. This is where this hurts the worse. To improve attendance at these game we need to compete consistently and this wasn't competing this was horse bleep. The gap in talent doesn't account for this beat down. This is why coaches that get G5 programs to compete (not get blown out) and win on a consistent basis are gobbled up quickly by P5 programs.

Not sure I thought Pearson wasn’t redshirt eligible. Who else do they have? I misplace my program from the last game.

The ‘it’ shows up in competitive close games. Hell, even if you put Michael Jordan on one those horrible 20 win Mavericks teams of the past they aren’t going to compete many nights. If you want a football comparison reference Steve Young with Tampa Bay. When a team is out match physical and mentally one player’s ‘it’ factor isn’t going to flip the whole game.

For the person that doesn’t like the idea of the backup quarterbacks getting some time in a game that is out of reach, I would like to know why? Having Fine or Shanbor getting beat up in the second half serves no purpose. We have the rest of the season for Fine to get better.

Experience for Quarterbacks that haven’t played this year is what I want to see. We know what we have in Shanbor and Fine. I honestly think those 2 are about the same. Fine has a leadership ‘it’ factor that makes the difference.

Fine is great but he can’t overcome bad line play. If he were 6’ 3” with the same mobility and accuracy maybe. But with those measurements he probably wouldn’t be here. No offense to Fine. But I want to see one of our taller QB in the game that aren’t redshirt eligible.

Every time we get momentum that might attract turned off alumni and students they come out and do something like this. Not just loose but play like they don’t belong on the field with a conference opponent. Well look on the bright side. We will definitely have Sleth for another season or two with this coaching job on tape. He is still a good coach but a P5 team that could afford his buyout now isn’t going to bite with this game management mistakes.

Just now down by 24 points are the trying to speed up the pace? Another o-line penalty? Really?

Okay now I definitely say they are being out coached. That 7 points is entirely on the staff. No time out to review that call that kept FAU pocession then trying to sub on 4th down when they have been quick snapping it all game. STUPID. I am kind of done with our defensive coordinator. He should be gone regardless of our record at the end of the year. The offense had been carrying this team most of the year.

If we recovered that ball it would have been reviewed. That was horse poop!

Okay are the officials paid off why wasn’t a whistle blown on that fumble to be sure?

Bad officiating!!

Our lines have to compete better to give us a chance. I don’t expect them to dominate just compete.

For all you belly aching fans - we don’t have the lineman or depth to get where we want to go. We have a core of skill position players and a decent offensive coaching staff. Athlete for athlete we have been outmatched for the close games we have had. Great performances by that skill position core bailed us out in those conference games. That is the reality but still no excuse for a 24-0 start. They desperately need to dig out of this hole and put the conclusion of this game in doubt to not lose all the momentum they have built up.