stebo

Well, Obama got pranked too - what is this world coming to??

Beth Maries Ice Cream, 51% off ice cream yesterday

In a way, it is harder to beat the transitional teams because while they have 2 years where they are not bowl eligible... they are playing transfer players that didn't have to sit out a year. They have all the benefits of a IAA for that first year and all the benefits sans a bowl game for their 2nd year of transition. The WKY coach was asked to describe the differences and he said - well, we have more ships, our pay went up, and then went on to talk about all his transfer players that were the backbone of his team. They stocked up that last year of IAA and those players got to play last year. Dodge has beat them not once but twice now. I take this win as a huge win. Look at their games this year, look at the scores. They have played some very good teams and played them very close. WKY is a good ball club and this was a SOLID win.

So you think Riley will eventually play QB over Vizza? Man, I just don't see that. I agree with you about the mechanics of Vizza but with a TE in now - as a blocker.... things could change. Riley might just end up as a full time athlete (receiver, return specialist, etc...)... I just think that they have spent an awful lot of time making Vizza the leader to pull him out of that position for any reason. If Riley gets a medical RS than that would let him play QB his JR and SR years and still keep Vizza hapy. I guess that is the best case scenario?

Voted - we are #105 as of today..

I struggled with an Acer for about 6 months before I sold it and got a Gateway. What I notced were lots of touchpad problems. Is that what you are having? If so - disable the touchpad and buy a wireless mouse. I also had problems with the sound... I never could get the sound to go up high enough to actually hear anything very well. Again, add external speakers. Finally, it would hop around between signals for internet instead of just locking onto one. I had to disable the Wifi and hook it straight into the wall with a cable. Yeah, I was ready to get rid of that thing after 6 months. Weirdly enough, my previous laptop (before the screwy one) had been an Acer and it was perfect. I read somewhere that Acer doesn't really make anything, they just buy from different sources in Asia. They are kinda the Dell of Indonesia and Asia. The 14" screen laptops come from a good source and the 15.4" screen laptops seem to have a problem. They are also making 8.8" screen netbooks that run on XP and supposedly those are as solid as can be... Is your problem any of the ones listed above and do you have one of the 15.4" screen ones? Just curious...

What about Riley Dodge? Where does he fit in?

Clean win, hard fought win. I am so proud of this team for fighting through this adversity and beating WKY at their homecoming. What a win! Maybe my favorite win of all time - I was going nuts!

bump, this is a doozie

Hey folks, I am lounging on the couch for this one - if you want to chat, the link is: http://client1.sigmachat.com/sc.php?id=73780

The two people that ate crow are probably two of the biggest North Texas fans that you will ever meet. They have both been through the good times and bad and will be around rain or shine, win or lose. How do I know this? I was one of them... and while it was more having fun than anything, I have been told that it motivated the team and they used it as motivation. Hell, Coach Dickey himself told me that he thought it was hilarious and that if only we could have 15K more fans that felt that passionately about Mean Green football we would never have a problem with support again. I don't want to eat corw again, but if someone throws down that gauntlet and is still at the games and still supporting the team - I would consider them to be a good fan, not a bad fan as you infer.

That is what was posted by a player's parent on this board so I am assuming it is true. I don't have any information, I just read the board like the rest of you do. Maybe that info is wrong but I really don't know why he would lie about it, no motivation to lie about that in my opinion. The other part was an opinion, lots of kids experiment when they leave the nest and then get bored with it. When someone turns 21 they can just go to a bar for social stuff. Again, no names should or will be mentioned, I don't know the names - I was just correcting a poster that was assuming these were JR/SR players with information that had been previously posted on this board by a parent. Geez... calm down folks.

Coach, I work in the education business as well (college level) and that is a FERPA release form. Basically that is a form that allows the school to drug test, I imagine it is used for anyone on scholarship at UNT. The FERPA part protects the student, just allows the administration to make sure a student is enrolled in, and going to his/her classes. Grades can be released with a FERPA form, some private information. Basically, FERPA was created in the 70's because many parents would call colleges to check on their kids and find out that their next "scientist" or "doctor" was now a Synchronized Swimming Major and flip their lids. Or they would get their kids grades... or their schedules... etc, etc... FERPA protects all of that. A student can sign a FERPA release form that is connected to a security word - but the information that can be given out is limited even still (lots of worry about identity theft these days). This does not give the school permission to drug test a student through a routine physical, if they were to do that - the University could get sued and the kid would just refuse it. If he was too scared to refuse the test and took it anyways, the doctor would NOT be able to discuss the outcome of that test with anyone but the player. There is no HIPPA release on that form. I am going to guess that they do sign a HIPPA release form as well so that doctors can discuss concussions and stuff with the coaches; but there is no way they would test or reveal the results of a test. Too risky for all parties concerned, especially when the school has their own waiver on file.

Maybe, Maybe not... but if the decision is made to let go of any of the coaches for any reason - they will not be able to hold information over the program in return for keeping their job... no more "hush" money. I think the words that were used were "If I am going down, we are all going down" or something to that effect... when we last wanted to get rid of a certain coach. Maybe that was pure rumour, maybe it wasn't. All that I know is that it made sense and from the antics that I saw from that coach, I could 100% picture him pulling a blackmail stunt like that. I also don't know how a player could ever be forced to sign a HIPPA release form by a coach. HIPPA protects records from anyone but the doctor and the patient. A coach would not have some super power to see the records, that would be against the law. Patient/Doctor confidentiality is pretty simple, the patient's medical information is his own. He or she can sign a HIPPA release form to release his information to another doctor or to an individual... or to an insurance company. The insurance company would have to be notified of a test like this. You can't take this out of "petty cash"... Parents would not need to be involved as the patients are all over 18. But a HIPPA release can be revoked at any time, orally or written form. If I was a kid that was being given a urine test and I knew that I was going to fail, I would just deny the test from the team doctor... that is unless it was a condition of the student conduct code as part of their scholarship. Still, HIPPA would not protect those records because they would have to be released. There is no way around this with secret testing. I guess that Dodge could have gone down to CVS and bought home urine tox tests but then it would be a cover up, he wouldn't be able to get counseling for the kids that needed it, and it would really be a scandal because it would be so unorthodox. No easy answer here, just that we have learned from our mistakes (I believe) and sometimes it is better to acknowledge the elephant in the room rather than ignore it. The vote is over, its time to clean house before we move into the new one. Thank you for yor excellent post Mr Meager, I don't always agree with your opinions but I always respect your words... People can disagree and still have respect for one another. We just happen to agree about this subject.

There is a flaw to the HIPPA arguement... some coaches might not want to leave after this season and may be asked to. We HAVE learned from our mistakes and will never let an assistant hold priviledged information over our programs' head again.

Another thing that happens when things get covered up... Coaches... like young or inexperienced coordinators (or any assistant coach for that matter) that need to be fired... well, they conveniently use that priviledged information (that they have) as blackmail saying things like "If I go down, we are all going down"... Is it worth another half million to make it go away a second time? Anyone ever wonder why we had to pay out the entirety of a coach's salary even though he was working the very next season? I think that this is NT learning from a very expensive mistake... It is a tough choice but I will take 15 kids going to some counseling over any type of hidden secret anyday. Some coaches might have to leave after this season, do you want any of them to refuse to leave and use information like this to keep their job? You choose.

To be fair, I believe that only 4 of the positive tests came from the JR/SR class. I would hope that by the time someone is 21 or 22 they would have smoking pot out of their system.

Yes, lots of former coaching staffs deal with hiding dirty laundry through HIPPA. Show me where the NCAA would ever approve of an entire team to be ordered a urine screen (twice) as a routine physical and I will show you a cover up. Then the FOIA would just show that the whole team was given physicals (right about the time that all these rumors started) and then it would leave things to everyone's imaginations... and then we would have pretty much what we had for the previous, oh whatever.. I am sick of arguing with parents. No kids' identities have been revealed. All of the kids that failed the test have been given a very reasonable request to just talk to a counselor about their lives to make sure that there are no serious problems... and maybe somebody will be kept SAFE as a result of taking this seriously instead of sweeping it under the rug. There has been too much tragedy associated with this program in the last 5 years, we don't need any more accidents just to "look good"...

I think that Mr Meager is very passionate about this and probably wasn't too worried about his grammar. I understand that this is a sensitive issue for the parent of a player and do not mind him disagreeing with my sentiments. We all have a right to an opinion.

I just wish that Dickey would have done this. As the article stated and I COMPLETELY AGREE... gateway drugs lead to harder drugs and eventually someone will get hurt, or die. It has happened before and I am sure that Dodge does not want that on his hands. I also know that he put personal feelings aside for this and I am glad that names were not released because kids do not deserve to have their lives ruined because they screwed up in college. THE ONES THAT WANT TO PLAY WILL SAY THAT THEY ARE SORRY, GO THROUGH THE COUNSELING, AND MOVE ON... the other ones... well, many of them have left the team. When you have plenty of money and your scholarship is just a "bonus" to your family, it doesn't really matter - you just go somewhere else to play and your parents pay your way until you get a ship. People wonder about the breakdown of Senior leadership... well, Dickey looked the other way. Some of the cover ups from the Dickey Era: Thefts, Assaults, Drug Use, Guns, Accusations of Rape, thefts from other players, thefts from the locker room, selling of stolen goods... just to name a few. Was the lid kept on it pretty good? Absolutely. How would you all feel about those 4 conference championships if the NCAA revoked all of our wins from the Dickey era and made those losses? Dickey and his staff were a walking time bomb. I will take an 0-12 Dodge coached team that is trying to raise our kids to be MEN over a 5-7 team that went to New Orleans with a waiver. Sorry for the harsh answer but I like to see things run cleanly, especially when our Mean Green Club donations pay for these scholarships and so does the bodybag game money. Are things in turmoil right now? Yes... Do you REALLY BELIEVE that Dodge created this turmoil? Not.... Dodge was brought in to clean up Dickey's mess, put in an exciting offense, and have a positive attitude... I would bet that he thought he could just lay down the law and the kids would listen but some of those habits started to bleed into his young team. He put his foot down and I am proud of him for doing it. We should be PRAISING Dodge, not scolding him. Why test the whole team? You kinda have to when your son is on the team or some jerk will accuse you of favoritism or trying to get rid of Dickey's players (clears throat... looks like someone already is accusing him of that). Younger players look up to the veterans and pick up on their habits. This is the time to clean things up... when there is no winning percentage to protect. I don't know what to think about Brett pulling a FOI act on this one. Nothing was being covered up... it is being fixed... and I would bet that the majority of us on this board already knew about this (I know that i knew about all this weeks ago). We need 2 more years to exorcise the demons in this program. I say that Dodge should do this by any mean possible. Thank you Coach Dodge for taking the hard road and doing the right thing. If you were winning right now, people would be praising you. Unfortunately the team is losing so your good deed is looked at as if you are somehow the problem. I guess that he supplies the pot to the kids, huh? Come on guys - it is easy to be a fan of a winning team. Be real fans and support your team when they are down. You will feel better when things turn around (with or without Dodge).

Dibrell knows what he did. Dodge is a class act and rather than ruin the kid's life, he let him leave with dignity - even though it makes Dodge look bad (having yet another player leave the team)... There are problems on this team that happen when you get a bunch of 18-19 year old kids into a place and they make 18-19 year old kid's mistakes. I think that a major problem with Dodge's recruiting is that a lot of these kids don't really "need" a scholarship. Their parents can afford to send them to any school that they want. So when the going gets tough - these kids get going and they just go "party" somewhere else. One of them is at SMU now... the core of Dickey's players were kids that had been looked over by most colleges and truly needed a ship just to go to school. It made them hungry and sometimes hunger is better than talent. We need a balance of both. I think that Mr Meager is saying (and I tend to agree with him) is that coaches can only do so much... It takes the Juniors and Seniors to set the example and if those kids aren't being given respect, they will not give that respect back and in turn you have a breakdown of the system. If this is the case, it is going to be another 2-3 years before this thing really gets turned around (and that is if enough kids stick around)... I will be here, watching them play in a new stadium as well.

Fair enough coach, fair enough. There are few people in this world that I have 100% respect for and just trust that they know character. Harry and FFRick are two of those people. Rick has spoken highly of you many times and I respect his opinion more than words can say. I just was trying to say that we look at things from a different angle than the parents. I am saddened by the state of the team and looking for positives for the future and I can hear the anger in your post. Not that one is right or wrong; but there is a difference. For everything positive that you post about Dickey and his team, I could list off about 5 things that were going wrong to outweigh those positives. I was very close to several players, they worked for me - they are friends of mine... even still. I don't know if you really know how out of control things were under Dickey... and yes, I know about the things now as well... but the shenanigans going on now is NOTHING compared to what was going on during the Dickey years. If I were a parent, I would take Dodge and his ego over Dickey and his antics. But neither one really matters in the long run. I was here before they got here and I will be here long after they are gone. I am not trying to play down your opinion; but the fact of the matter is that you probably won't be... hopefully Danny will be a fan like Rick and Harry... and he sees that coaches and players come and go; but the program is bigger than either. Take care and thank you for sending Danny to North Texas, he is a FINE young man and I have enjoyed watchig him play. Take care.

Believe it or not, I do respect you Danny. I don't know if typing "me" was a mistake or the combo of a dad and son posting together but I thank and respect both of you. I am not happy with the rsults on the field but I also know that sometimes it is better to say nothing at all... sometimes people say stuff when their emotions come out and they want to take it back later. We can second guess lots of things by this coaching staff, that is a fair statement. In fact, we lost a ton of players over the last 12 months to graduation and problems off the field... It was a hurdle that is impossible to get over this season without recruiting. I guess that we will just have to see how things play out over the next year and a half. As for Dodge, his record, and the crowds - It is amazing how easy it really is to be accepted at NT as a coach. If DD had just embraced the NT community, they would have rallied around him and the team the same way that the fans are rallying around this coach and this team. DD had a massive ego, just like Dodge... most coaches, players, and parents of players seem to have egos - in order to be succesful on the field, you kinda have to have a big ego, you know? BTW, when I said that it was dissapointing for Danny to end his career this way - I didn't mean him personally (playing)... I meant to see his team losing. Danny simply did not have the mobility to keep himself safe in this system and Dodge probably fel that he would have been badly injured by now. The spread is tough on a QB, Vizza is constantly on the run and it is almost like he is being blitzed every single play. Danny was the perfect fit for the Dickey system but Dickey is gone and we just have to move on. Why not focus on the good things? He is getting a great education and will graduate without student loans... I know that it isn't free because being a player is harder than working a regular job while in college - but a scholarship is a blessing. God gave Danny the natural ability to play a game and get an education from his talent! Why not embrace that and be thankful? I have never seen so much as a thank you, just complants. Do you know that the people on this board donate to the Mean Green Club and that helps to pay for your son's education? Why be so angry at a school that has been so good to your son and your family? I think that your whole family should be thankful of that rather than bitter about the coach's decisions. Anyhow, I appreciate your family choosing NT for Danny, even if you think it was a mistake now. Life is bigger than a football game. It is about memories and learning. Your son has grown up during these years and I hope that you can appreciate that NT has given him that opportunity. I imagine that next year we will see very little posting from PHSCoach, I have watched many players come and go and when their son is done playing, the parents just move along to the next thing. I thank you for supporting your son but we really need people that will support the program for life, not just an individual for 4-5 years. I hope that you are the exception to the rule but from the tone of your statements it makes me think that you have a bitterness towards NT. There are die hard fans that also have a bitterness right now but they aren't going anywhere... they love their school and want it to succeed. It is almost like you want to see us do bad to show that you are right. I hope that I am wrong, I really do. We need all the true fans that we can get. I hope that you will be a fan for life, like the rest of us. Things will come back around - with or without Todd Dodge. It is a fun ride being a NT fan, sometimes it is very frustrating - but it is always fun to cheer for an underdog. Hopefully this message finds you well and I hope nothing but the best for Danny, your family, and every player on that field. I know it is painful to be a player right now and I am sorry that you are all having to go through this. Hopefully there are better times ahead... if not, we will just get a new coach and try again. That is life as a NT fan.

I would guess that the number is pretty darn close to being accurate. Our numbers come from the scanners. A lot of people came in for a quarter or two and left. Maybe there were only about 15K in the stands at any one time but 18K walked through the gates. Season tickets not used are also counted into that number but our season ticket base is under 5K. Even if only half of those holders actually came into the game, that would be only 2500 extra on the number... which again, puts us over 16K for the game. Show me a team in IA, that with an 0-7 (now 0-8) record brings out 18K fans for a game and I will show you a VERY healthy program. The state of the program is very strong. I brought my g/f to the game and she could not believe the atmosphere. When we left at halftime, the parking lot was filled with a downright party. Tailgaters galore, campers, fires, cooking, people playing football, drinking, partying - just everything that you would expect to see at a big time football university. We have come a LONG way... the game atmosphere completely makes up for the poor play. It is worth the trip to Denton just to see old friends, hope for a little excitement on the field, and to enjoy the pre, during, and post game festivities. I was very proud of my alma-mater yesterday, despite the play on the field.