Dan McCarney on coaching memories

Cerebus · June 23, 2016

13 minutes ago, Aldo said:

That has left me scratching my head.

It's not that heard a concept to grasp. Dodge, like Trilli was a very good recruiter. Preparation, planning and gameday adjustments? Not so good.

Aldo · June 23, 2016

Just now, Cerebus said:

It's not that heard a concept to grasp. Dodge, like Trilli was a very good recruiter. Preparation, planning and gameday adjustments? Not so good.

Yeah that's where my mind was going, but on the flip side you have to say that McCarney was a good coach. I really liked him at the beginning, but he coached good players at the beginning, lost some assistants, and then ended up being not a good coach to either his players or assistants.

Cerebus · June 23, 2016

Just now, Aldo said:

Yeah that's where my mind was going, but on the flip side you have to say that McCarney was a good coach. I really liked him at the beginning, but he coached good players at the beginning, lost some assistants, and then ended up being not a good coach to either his players or assistants.

He took very good talent that probably should have won us a CUSA title and got us to a bowl game. So he under performed a little there. Recruiting wise it was a train wreck and the results you saw in his last season was the result.

NTAlum09 · June 23, 2016

6 minutes ago, Aldo said:

Yeah that's where my mind was going, but on the flip side you have to say that McCarney was a good coach. I really liked him at the beginning, but he coached good players at the beginning, lost some assistants, and then ended up being not a good coach to either his players or assistants.

You mean was a good used car salesman?

Stix · June 23, 2016

6 hours ago, oldguystudent said:

The only answer I've been able to come up with for that is Skladany.

The reality of the 2013 season is that the defense was so stout, that it put the opposing defense on the field for too long. You could see the fatigue on the other teams in the second half.

I have zero doubt in my mind that those very same players, recruited as freshmen and sophomores under Dodge, would've been neglected like their predecessors and given up 50+ points a game had there been no coaching change.

Skladany is the variable in all the other constants.

I recall a few articles back in 2013, both on meangreensports.com and on Vito's blog, about the seniors, especially on defense, "taking ownership of the team" - that they took it up themselves to "hit 6" and make it to a bowl game. I'm not saying that Skladany wasn't a factor, but the players determination (and skill) was probably the biggest factor.

Mean Green 93-98 · June 24, 2016

6 hours ago, Stix said:

I recall a few articles back in 2013, both on meangreensports.com and on Vito's blog, about the seniors, especially on defense, "taking ownership of the team" - that they took it up themselves to "hit 6" and make it to a bowl game. I'm not saying that Skladany wasn't a factor, but the players determination (and skill) was probably the biggest factor.

There was definitely some solid senior talent on that team . . . Abbe, Orr, Trice, Chancellor, DT. When they left, no one came close to filling their shoes.

FirefightnRick · June 24, 2016

31 minutes ago, Mean Green 93-98 said:

There was definitely some solid senior talent on that team . . . Abbe, Orr, Trice, Chancellor, DT. When they left, no one came close to filling their shoes.

We had people like BillySee, Scotty and SUMG who religiously follow recruiting, (the latter two fellas for nearly two decades now) back in '11,'12, and '13.....telling us how $hitty Mac's recruiting was going and few people listened, me included.

It took 66-7 for everyone's eyes to open up.

Rick

MeanGreenHoops · June 24, 2016

19 hours ago, Cerebus said:

He took very good talent that probably should have won us a CUSA title and got us to a bowl game. So he under performed a little there. Recruiting wise it was a train wreck and the results you saw in his last season was the result.

Agree. Finding a coach who can both recruit and coach is a difficult thing to do. The last one we had was Dickey. But he was saddled with brutal OOC schedule that had us starting off every year 0-4, 1-3. You cannot build a fanbase that way.

We have so desperately needed the school to invest in winning and they just never really have. They do it all while trying to stay in budget. The schedule that so many on here hate now actually gives us the best chance to turn this thing around since probably ever.

But what would really help is if SL can recruit and coach. I mean go 3-1 in OOC and blow the teams we can beat away, then win some conference championships. If we had some Marshall type seasons, or Southern Miss a few years ago and then actually beat one of these P5's on the schedule the flying worm might finally turn.

TreeFiddy · June 24, 2016

6 hours ago, MeanGreenHoops said:

Agree. Finding a coach who can both recruit and coach is a difficult thing to do. The last one we had was Dickey. But he was saddled with brutal OOC schedule that had us starting off every year 0-4, 1-3. You cannot build a fanbase that way.

We have so desperately needed the school to invest in winning and they just never really have. They do it all while trying to stay in budget. The schedule that so many on here hate now actually gives us the best chance to turn this thing around since probably ever.

But what would really help is if SL can recruit and coach. I mean go 3-1 in OOC and blow the teams we can beat away, then win some conference championships. If we had some Marshall type seasons, or Southern Miss a few years ago and then actually beat one of these P5's on the schedule the flying worm might finally turn.

We are as close as ever with regard to the OOC schedule. 1 paycheck game (still one too many) plus an FCS and two winnable H/H series. If we are good we should go 2-2 or 3-1. We did not have that with Dickey or Dodge.

untjim1995 · June 26, 2016

On June 23, 2016 at 10:30 PM, FirefightnRick said:

We had people like BillySee, Scotty and SUMG who religiously follow recruiting, (the latter two fellas for nearly two decades now) back in '11,'12, and '13.....telling us how $hitty Mac's recruiting was going and few people listened, me included.

It took 66-7 for everyone's eyes to open up.

Rick

To me, the real wake-up call on how poorly our recruiting was going showed up in the La Tech game here in 2014. We just got our asses handed to us and Josh Greer was our starter. Our defense was small and just couldn't get off the field--this was a season removed from a complete butt-kicking of LT in Ruston...That was when I realized our recruiting situation was in terrible shape.

i will say this--my client whose son is the head coach at Frisco Lone Star has said that Littrell and Harrell have been full of energy and positivity about our future...last year, he told me that the HS coaches liked Mac, but it was personal, not professional--they knew his offensive strategy was never going to get kids interest to come play here. So far, SL is making a solid impression. The big question they all ask, though, about us is if you can truly build a winner here...it sounds as if a lot of TX HS coaches have their doubts.

North Texas Shep · June 26, 2016

The Heart of Dallas Bowl was a blast but there is no way in hell I am listen to that crap. That SOB put us in a crap position for years to come.

ADLER · June 26, 2016

There were priorities more important than winning, and vengeance if anybody questioned that.

24_IowaRootsPRINThoroz-e1443076249147-19

untjim1995 · June 27, 2016

12 hours ago, ADLER said:

There were priorities more important than winning, and vengeance if anybody questioned that.

That priority may have buried our chances of ever being considered as anything more than a low level G5 program. If we had followed up 2013 with a decent season and an increase in attendance, even still being in CUSA would have our name out there as a program that the MWC or AAC might want one day. Instead, we fall apart in 2014, keep falling in 2015 to the point where they both caused us to get crushed in the worst loss in modern college football history, and finish in just horrific shape, all while the rest of college football keeps looking forward. It's possible that the McCarney/Todd Dodge combo has insured our place in college football's landscape.

NTAlum09 · June 27, 2016

On 6/26/2016 at 1:55 AM, untjim1995 said:

To me, the real wake-up call on how poorly our recruiting was going showed up in the La Tech game here in 2014. We just got our asses handed to us and Josh Greer was our starter. Our defense was small and just couldn't get off the field--this was a season removed from a complete butt-kicking of LT in Ruston...That was when I realized our recruiting situation was in terrible shape.

i will say this--my client whose son is the head coach at Frisco Lone Star has said that Littrell and Harrell have been full of energy and positivity about our future...last year, he told me that the HS coaches liked Mac, but it was personal, not professional--they knew his offensive strategy was never going to get kids interest to come play here. So far, SL is making a solid impression. The big question they all ask, though, about us is if you can truly build a winner here...it sounds as if a lot of TX HS coaches have their doubts.

What high school kid would want to play for that boring offense? Play for a coach who doesn't like change? You could tell Mac took the fun out of the game with the players.

MGNation92 · June 27, 2016

4 hours ago, NTAlum09 said:

What high school kid would want to play for that boring offense? Play for a coach who doesn't like change? You could tell Mac took the fun out of the game with the players.

I don't think that's entirely true. If I was a running back in Mac's offense I would've been having a field day. Guaranteed 30 carries a game

NTAlum09 · June 27, 2016

Just now, MGNation92 said:

I don't think that's entirely true. If I was a running back in Mac's offense I would've been having a field day. Guaranteed 30 carries a game

What about QB?....ya didn't think so.

Cerebus · June 27, 2016

Can we please stop crapping all over a letterman and fellow alumnus?!

Anyone put out on the field was just doing the best they could by the people in charge. The people who we paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to and made those decisions and are not are fellow alumni? THOSE ARE WHO WE SHOULD BE ANGRY AT!

GrandGreen · June 27, 2016

Mac's offense would have been just fine if he had the players to run it. The problem was that Mac just didn't want to take any chances and that only worked the one year he had a good defense. As far as passing the ball, Mac did much more than DD; who got few complaints about the offense until he also didn't have the defense to get away with it.

VideoEagle · June 27, 2016

10 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

Can we please stop crapping all over a letterman and fellow alumnus?!

Anyone put out on the field was just doing the best they could by the people in charge. The people who we paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to and made those decisions and are not are fellow alumni? THOSE ARE WHO WE SHOULD BE ANGRY AT!

Yes!

NTAlum09 · June 27, 2016

34 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

Mac's offense would have been just fine if he had the players to run it. The problem was that Mac just didn't want to take any chances and that only worked the one year he had a good defense. As far as passing the ball, Mac did much more than DD; who got few complaints about the offense until he also didn't have the defense to get away with it.

High School kids do not want to play for that style of offense...repeat....that raisin bran style of offense

shaft · July 2, 2016

You know y'all suck right?

Of course Mac his going to talk about his Iowa State days in an Iowa interview.

The whoa-as-me, revision history that this board bellows daily is stale and unproductive.

Dickey - failed because he didn't upgrade his coaches, offense strategy, and recruiting at the right time, and he didn't play well with boosters.

Dodge - failed the day we walked in the door and brought a nearly all high school staff with him.

Mac - failed because of poor quarterback play, and trying to recruit Louisiana. I respect Mac for firing the recruiter who wasted that recruiting season, but there simply wasn't enough depth to sustain a loss season. I fear history may repeat it self.

meanrob · July 2, 2016

Man, DD ran circles around Mac. In every way. I was on board with the Mac hire but at the end there has never been another UNT coach that I couldn't wait to fire. And that's saying something.

FirefightnRick · July 2, 2016

6 hours ago, meanrob said:

Man, DD ran circles around Mac. In every way. I was on board with the Mac hire but at the end there has never been another UNT coach that I couldn't wait to fire. And that's saying something.

Thank you Brint Ryan.

Rick