Darrell Dickey on ESPN All-Night.

[Zeke]

In fact, come to think of it, someone has been posting that JaMel Branch is a failure at WR, and needs to be moved back to DB, can't remember who though. 

I can't see how suggesting a player change positions in "bashing" the player. Stebo never suggested that we do away with Branch alltogether, he suggested we utilize him in a different way.

[Cerebus]

I know that 30% of the UT fans want to get rid of Mack and he has done nothing but win there.  You don't hear him going around bashing fans on National tv or radio.

Say What?

He has bashed the crap out of thier fans, several times. Go over to the longhornfanzone after any Texas loss, and people will go nuclear, because some commentator will ask mack about the fans bashing him, and mack will say something like "I dont bother to listen to people who have never played a down, and feel entitled to run the team because they buy a t-shirt".

Stoops rips the fans too, the difference being he wins so much the fans dont care. If Coach Dickey had just come off of a undefeated season, he could call you out personally and you wouldnt care. He could be on the post game with Dunham and say "It was a tough game, made tougher by the stench coming off of stebo" and you would say "I lvoe that guy! He is so right! I need a bath!"

[stebo]

Tallk about revisionist, it is suggested that a player be moved back to the position he was given a ship for and that is quitting on him? Jeez, now that is a stretch! Buhahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!! OMG, now THAT is officially a spin, somebody needs to rename His SELF as the official spin meister, how ironic.

Edited November 23, 2003 by stebo

[Cerebus]

Tallk about revisionist, it is suggested that a player be moved back to the position he was given a ship for and that is quitting on him?  Jeez, now that is a stretch!  Buhahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!  OMG, now THAT is officially a spin, somebody needs to rename His SELF as the official spin meister, how ironic.

Damn, I was wrong, how did I miss your glowing endorsements of Branch?

I think Jamel has dropped as many passes as he has caught this year.  He has definitely dropped as many kick/punt returns as he has caught. 

We are trying to be a great team now and he can either A) Ride the bench... or Be moved BACK to Defense  Hey, Jeremy Pearl is in the pokie, a spot is open, give Jamel a shot.

Btw, his natural position in HS was running back.

[Cerebus]

I can't see how suggesting a player change positions in "bashing" the player. Stebo never suggested that we do away with Branch alltogether, he suggested we utilize him in a different way.

I said stebo considered Branch a failure at WR, and I think I am on pretty solid ground on that.

[HoustonEagle]

We have 120,000 (?) local alums and we can not fill a thirty thousand seat stadium despite our third straight trip to a Bowl game. I believe DD is entitled to vent a little bit. We will eventually lose Dickey. That is going to be a sad day for this program. Also, you do not turn around a pathetic, no facilities having, no fan having, football team in a year. So how about we all lay off the first few DD years. Sometimes I really wonder if you have all lost your minds!

[Guest e-bone]

Cerebus is right, Mack Brown has indeed bashed UT fans this season and they fill their stadium every game and have a huge, successful program. DD bashes fans from a few years ago when attendence was extremely pathetic and there were very few NT supporters.

[MeanMag]

I love coach Dickey. Listening to this show again, it is not bashing the fans. Give him a break. He doesn't deserve this from fans.

He can't please everyone guys. He is a class act, he is placing the success not on himself, but on the players. He appluaded the administration, and said that things are looking up. Said that we were gaining momentum. Try listening to the whole thing before you stop short, quote one thing that was said early and bash this man who has done a great job for this TEAM. He has done more for this program than many will ever realize.

I support coach fully and he supports the players fully and that is what matters. As long as he keeps winning and as long as I keep wanting to go to games to see MY team play for a coach they love and enjoy playing for I hope he keeps his job. I suggest you all do the same, and stop reading into every little thing he says...like women do...

You get on a nationally broadcast show for the first time in your life and we'll see what comes out of your mouth that people can bend to mean more than one thing. If you are in his positions and get some of the letters he gets maybe you would say the same thing.

Guys, the truth hurts we know this. We also know that Dickey is a straight forward kind of guy. I like it that way, better than being Baylor and not knowing what the hell is going on until it's too late. Become part of the team and hop on board with the rest of us as we support our program, whatever or whoever it is.

I am going to New Orleans, you guys can sit here and listen to the first 30 seconds of a show that was on late at night over and over again while I make a difference.

Edited November 23, 2003 by MeanMag

[stebo]

I am very Thankful for the job that Dickey has done. I have thanked him more times than I can count and I don't do it hiding behind a keyboard, I do it right to his face. I want him to be the coach that I tell the newer students about someday when I am telling them about my "good old days" and the great records/accomplishments that have have come about. I just hate that he is still in the bunker mentality.

I think you should get in a bunker mentailty when you are actually in the bunker, when you are fighting for your life. Not when you are out of the war, out of the bunker. Coach Dickey is a local celebrity, he is treated well everywhere in town. He got a a round of applause from the whole bar I was at after the Troy State game when he rolled in there. He has the ability to be loved but everytime he belittles people like he has been doing an awful lot lately, it makes a lot of us raise that eyebrow and wonder why he is so bitter. He has job security, he is making a good living, he has complete control over the program, he has complete respect from the players, he is getting national recognition, and he has an administration that is sticking their necks out (along with the Board of Regents) to build him some facilities to keep up the momentum that he has helped to build.

Finally, he does have fans that have been throgh all of this with him. He might not have been the most popular guy for the first three years, but that is what an 8-25 record will get you. In fact, it is the very thing that he is complaining about that allowed him to keep his job - lack of fan support. If there was more fan support, there would be a lot more money and a coach with an 8-25 record would have simply been let go.... (he was actually 8-30 before he turned it around midway through the next season). I don't know how a football guy that has grown up around coaching his whole life and played as a player could not understand why people were calling for his head back in mid 2001. But that is in the past now. He did turn it around and we are all proud of him and the players for doing it.

Now why can't he just appreciate the fact that we all stuck around through those lean years just like he did? I appreciate and respect his tenacity that he showed and I think it i only fair that he respect our tenacity and patience and endurance that we have shown through these building years. He has had the opportunity to air it out here now, get it out of his system if you will, let's hope that we can all have a group hug and move on.... but then again, that is what I thought the contract extension and 100% pay increase was doing - basically saying, "you were right, we were wrong, keep up the good work"....

For those of you that forgot why we were disgruntled at the time... here is a look at DD's first 3 and a half years:

1998-North Texas (Big West)

9/5 @ Oklahoma (5-6) L 9 37

9/12 vs. Texas Tech (7-5) L 0 30 @ Irving, TX

9/19 @ Arizona State (5-6) L 15 34

9/26 @ Texas A&M (11-3) L 9 28

10/10 @ *Boise State (6-5) W 21 13

10/17 vs. *Nevada (6-5) W 27 21

10/24 vs. Houston (3-8) L 9 31

10/31 vs. *Idaho (9-3) L 23 41

11/7 @ Kansas (4-7) L 14 23

11/14 @ *Utah State (3-8) L 27 28

11/21 vs. *New Mexico State (3-8) W 19 11

Final Record: 3-8-0

1999-North Texas (Big West)

9/2 vs. Nevada-Las Vegas (3-8) L 3 26

9/11 @ Louisiana State (3-8) L 0 52

9/18 @ Texas Tech (6-5) W 21 14

10/2 @ Baylor (1-10) L 10 23

10/9 vs. *Idaho (7-4) L 10 28 @ Pullman, WA

10/16 vs. *Boise State (10-3) W 17 10

10/23 vs. *Arkansas State (4-7) L 10 14

10/30 @ *Nevada (3-8) L 28 41

11/13 @ Texas Christian (8-4) L 3 27

11/20 @ *New Mexico State (6-5) L 9 22

11/27 vs. *Utah State (4-7) L 7 34

Final Record: 2-9-0

2000-North Texas (Big West)

8/31 vs. Baylor (2-9) L 7 20

9/9 @ Texas Tech (7-6) L 7 13

9/16 @ Nevada-Las Vegas (8-5) L 0 38

9/23 @ Kansas State (11-3) L 10 55

10/5 vs. Samford (non-IA) W 41 6

10/14 vs. *Utah State (5-6) L 12 17

10/21 @ *Boise State (10-2) L 0 59

10/28 @ Louisiana-Lafayette (1-10) W 13 0

11/4 vs. *Idaho (5-6) L 14 16

11/11 @ *Arkansas State (1-10) L 28 53

11/18 vs. *New Mexico State (3-8) W 30 23

Final Record: 3-8-0

2001-North Texas (Sun Belt)

9/1 vs. Texas Christian (6-6) L 5 19

9/8 @ Oklahoma (11-2) L 10 37

9/22 vs. Texas Tech (7-5) L 14 42 @ Irving, TX

9/29 @ South Florida (8-3) L 10 28

10/6 @ *Louisiana-Monroe (2-9) L 17 19

Overall Record when he was put on the "week by week" evaluation - 8 wins -30 losses.

This is when it turned around... as soon as RV stated publicly that DD was on a "week to week" evaluation period, he went on to win every remaining conference game, lost to Troy State in his only slip up and lost to what should have been a top 25 team in Colorado State to end the season. If anyone should be a proponent of the Sun Belt it should be Coach Dickey! The Sun Belt has been just what the doctor ordered for this program, that is for sure!

And LoRo, Jamel was brought to NT to play Special Teams and Defense. You know dang well that kids that play both sides of the ball at small schools are brought in for one reason or another. He practiced on the defensive side of the ball all through 2 a days and was slated to play special teams and defense here. Since we had nobody that could catch the ball or make things happen after catching the ball... and because Jamel showed "play maker" ability early on in his career at NT against OU, he was utilized on the offense.

He wasn't just "utilized" on the offense, he was asked to learn a whole new position on the offense at WR. He was mostly a running back in High School, that is not what he is being played at here 95% of the time, when he is used that way such as that reverse, he does very well with it... he just can't catch the ball with consistency. 3 years later he has not matured at that position but rather taken a few steps back. That is why I think he would be best moved to a position back in the spots that we brought him in here to play.

Some players show that they can adapt to their new position, i.e. Scott Hall his senior year in high school and his career at NT; others give it a try but never quite excel. I think that Jamel is too good of a player to not be out on the field, but his confidence and play making ability on the offensive side of the ball have simply not matured and even withered a bit this year and I just think that it couldn't hurt to try him on the deense during the Spring and see if we can't better utilize his talents than we are doing now. If that is quitting on a player than I don't know what to tell you, I guess we just disagree on what "quitting" is.

Peace out, I am not trying to argue.. just engage in a conversation on why DD seems so miserable here everytime he gets near a mike. As posters and fans... We are constantly being warned about what we post on here because players and recruits read this board. We are wanred by the admins and also by the atheltic department. Why do the rules apply to the fans about watching what they say for the overall good of the program... but they do not apply to the head coach? Sounds like a major double standard to me.

[GT(N)T]

"a coach with an 8-25 record would have simply been let go.... (he was actually 8-30"

Speaking of a double standard. Stebo, you want coach to forget about the bad times and yet you use every opportunity to point out UNT's record during his first 38 games. Maybe after you let by-gones be by-gones coach will too.

God bless (North) Texas!

[DeepGreen]

STOP THIS THREAD!!!

It's time for a group hug......down in New Orleans!

[Cerebus]

STOP THIS THREAD!!!

It's time for a group hug......down in New Orleans!

Agreed.