Do you believe in the Mean Green?

xyresic · November 11, 2019

This season has been a dissapointment - no doubt. Recruiting was poor the first few years of Seth's career as a head coach and we won close games that made our progress feel a bit ahead of schedule. This year we have seen a regression as some of that good fortune has worn off and we have seen some of the recruiting holes exposed.

SL is a young coach and he is learning, his recruiting wasn't where it needed to be. After some adjustments and staff changes the past two recruiting cycles have been greatly improved. He isn't perfect but with WB's help they can fix the defensive issues with similar success. The resources are in place to become a dominant team in the conference. Before Wren & SL there was zero demand for our coaches and staff. You didn't have to worry about other schools poaching our ranks, in fact they often had to take demotions to keep coaching see Cosh at the University of Delaware etc.

We have something building, there will be some year to year turbulence at times but the facilities, athletic performance and national reputation of our school is improving yearly. Wren just posted the best winning % across athletics in decades and the University is setting records in athletic donations and fundraising.

Now with a down season some are losing faith. I'm not a sunshine pumper but food for thought - in the past year SL, WB and NS have all been recruited and turned down offers from other Universities for more $. This fact says more about the state of things than poorly reasoned posts. I challenge you to find a time where our AD, admin and coach have all been of interest to other schools. A good team is in place, but if as a fan base we are constantly threatening to yank support and dragging them on social media they might just see those dollar signs and move on to greener pastures. Just five short years ago our entire budget/finances were in shambles we had Benford finding creative way to lose with stacked teams, Peterson going an almost impossible 5-24 and Mac's wheels falling off in the standings and recruiting. I appreciate what is now in place and will continue to support it. GMG.

Edited November 11, 2019 by xyresic

meangreenlax · November 11, 2019

Your take is too generous and rose colored. We’ve won zero big games, and zero bowl game wins over the past couple years with all of that same institutional support and an all-UNT history QB. We’re correcting back to the mean, which at UNT equates to .450 football.

Next year’s team is in for a world of hurt. There is no depth, or if there is they’re having a terrible year. The shine has been rubbed off of SL, and he’s not going anywhere. We’ll look back on these years and be incredibly angry that we didn’t capitalize on the many opportunities to make real changes to the program.

southsideguy · November 11, 2019

We have a long way to go but we have also come a long way. Not that long ago we were losing to bad teams. This season is a disappointment and with Mason gone next year will be hard year unless we can some how find a defense. I will buy my season tickets and being excited if we win and ok if we lose. I just will have to lower my expectations some.

I doubt I ever see another qb here like Mason Fine in my lifetime. It is to bad he had to play with a weak ol and this year a bad defense.

MeanGreenTexan · November 11, 2019

I think the problem was that expectations were heaped on this team in a way many of us have never seen before.

I don't recall ever EXPECTING a Mean Green team to win 10 games in a preseason before. And there's a huge difference between failing to reach a 10-win expectation by going 9-3 or 8-4, VS 6-6 (at best, possibly worse). That is a monumental collapse. Even when McCarney took us to 9 wins, I don't recall expectations nearly as high.
Blame all of the obvious (and valid) excuses as to why: Losing Hall/Brooks/Ejiya/Garner/Guyton, Losing Bussey early in the year, swing-and-miss on all 3 of the transfers we brought in, etc... The expectations were there, and we cratered.

Along the way, we put our bowl hopes in SERIOUS danger by losing to a vastly inferior Charlotte team, just like we coughed-up the magical 10-win season against ODU last year.

There is something very fishy about our team mentally.
I don't understand how a coach who is always very calm, cool, & collected (re: consistent), can have a team that does not reflect his demeanor and is all over the place in how they can get up for games (SMU last year, UTSA this year), and completely lose focus for others (ODU/Charlotte), and simply cannot get ready to play a game with weight (2017 CCG, all the bowls...)
It's just odd.

Of course, I believe. That's why I still think we're going bowling.

Withers940 · November 11, 2019

Im behind ya X. We've been in some dark times and this isnt one of them. We are not completely out of the bowl mix and all we have to do is win against Rice and UAB which isnt out of the realms of possibilities considering the A$$ whoopin Southern Miss put on UAB this last weekend. You can all say, "Yeah but we are going to go to a $h!tty Bowl!" but Hell, there are going to be a lot of teams that stay home this holiday season and I'd rather be 6-6 than 1-11 where we were not too many seasons ago.

The offense is going to be very talented next year and yes we will have to find a replacement for Fine but we are still going to move the ball and score a bunch of points. Im excited for the future of this offense because they are incredibility young and talented. If we can get a D coordinator in here that can run a different scheme, things will turn around for the better.

Every program hits a bump in the road and this is ours but with the facilities and financial backing for this program things are going to continually improve. Our recruiting class this year is very strong and I believe that we will continue to pull classes like this in.

Stay Strong and Go Mean Green

FirefightnRick · November 11, 2019

11 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

I doubt I ever see another qb here like Mason Fine in my lifetime.

I’m not bagging on you alone for this comment but it underlines a recurring illness this fanbase always seems to fall prey to.

We can never hope for or expect for a better coach, a better player, a better this or that.

No folks,...we can hope for and expect better. Hope for and expect a better team, not just for one player.

It’s called having standards and accountability.

Rick

SilverEagle · November 11, 2019

Do I believe in the Mean Green? Well, I believe in the all the people, (most of them graduates and some not), who are devoted to this school and all it's programs despite the mostly inept way in which (down the corridor of years) it has been run. You won't find a more selfless bunch of people.....and long suffering fans.

I think that SL and most of the coaches that came before him, were pretty clueless about the challenges of being a coach at North Texas. But I believe that that cluelessness is not just because they didn't want to fully realize the depth of the challenge ahead of them, but that the administrators who hired them enabled that view of North Texas.

God only knows what most of these coaches were told by the person(S) who hired them, but I am confident that most of it was fantasy. And in particular, the fantasy that the administrator knew the coach wanted to hear......and was willing to believe. You know, I'd be willing to bet some serious money that the coaches that weren't hired were the ones who said things like "what do you mean by that?" or "well, that's not what I heard about the program" or "you know, I'm pretty sure I can turn things around here, but I'll need more support than what you are talking about"

Looking back, I feel confident that only two coaching hires since Rod Rust was fired knew what they were getting themselves into. They were Hayden Fry and Corkey Nelson. Jerry Moore was fortunate enough to be hired away from North Texas after two years (the last coach to do so) before he fully understood all the challenges ahead of him.

In all those years since Rod Rust was fired, there have been countless numbers of dedicated student athletes who have come and gone here at North Texas. Many are still engaged with the program in some level or other. But many walked away, (hopefully with their degrees in hand), totally disillusioned and disgusted with their experience. I'll never forget the look on the face of a former player whom I had engaged in conversation during a game at Fouts. After he told me that he used to play for North Texas I asked him his name....Tom Middaugh. So I immediately said "Well, there he is folks #87 on your program". He couldn't believe his ears. He had NO EXPECTATION.....NONE....that he would have been remembered by a fan.

But I believe with all my heart that if this exchange had taken place between a Longhorn, Aggie, Texas Tech, or TCU fan and one of their former players........the player would not have been so surprised.

And I also believe with all my heart that that exchange is analogous of the overall challenge of changing the culture here at North Texas.

BUT I do believe in the Mean Green because the very nickname was coined NOT by some clueless administrator or overpaid consultant but by a very devoted and lifelong fan of our program Sydney Graham (with assistance from her husband Fred). And guess what? It's withstood the test of time.

Edited November 12, 2019 by SilverEagle

MeanGreenTexan · November 11, 2019

31 minutes ago, southsideguy said:

...

I doubt I ever see another qb here like Mason Fine in my lifetime.

2 minutes ago, FirefightnRick said:

I’m not bagging on you alone for this comment but it underlines a recurring illness this fanbase always seems to fall prey to.

We can never hope for or expect for a better coach, a better player, a better this or that.

No folks,...we can hope for and expect better. Hope for and expect a better team, not just for one player.

It’s called having standards and accountability.

Rick

I agree with both of you. I also doubt we'll see another Fine (I mean, maybe we will, but he's going to finish his career as a top 25 all-time QB statistically).

But I'll take upgrades in OL, DL, CB, LB play next season over finding another Mason Fine every day, just because that would improve our team more than what just 1 guy can. We should be able to expect the team to be excellent even after great players leave.

NorthTexasWeLove · November 11, 2019

1 hour ago, meangreenlax said:

Your take is too generous and rose colored. We’ve won zero big games, and zero bowl game wins over the past couple years with all of that same institutional support and an all-UNT history QB. We’re correcting back to the mean, which at UNT equates to .450 football.

Next year’s team is in for a world of hurt. There is no depth, or if there is they’re having a terrible year. The shine has been rubbed off of SL, and he’s not going anywhere. We’ll look back on these years and be incredibly angry that we didn’t capitalize on the many opportunities to make real changes to the program.

Oh, there will be depth. We'll have an abundant amount of WR's and safeties.

The recruiting things is being so over-hyped. It's a macro-look at conference ranking and star counts. We have no recruited well where it matters. And that will be exposed even more so moving forward into the future. Someone tell me who our starting 5 OL will be next year. Right when you do (if you got it figured out), I will post their offer sheets and you will see where we stand. Same for the starting DL rotation. It's a bleak reality we've decided to nestle ourselves into.

UNT78 · November 11, 2019

Facilities, attendance and recruiting is definitely trending way up! Did you notice La Tech's crowd (homecoming, 7-1 and 7,000 people at the game?) and, the absolute worst football stadium in the FBS yet they continue to recruit well, explain that one?

We finally have an AD that knows what his doing, Seth isn't going anywhere for now, if he doesn't win he's gone! He better realize "defense" wins championships". We had many injuries and no cover corners with speed on defense; that can't happen again! While I'm at it we need defensive linemen!!! Perhaps, Seth has learned from his mistakes?

This year's recruiting class is the best in the history of the program (assuming it holds until signing day). People, things are very bright for the future of this program. The most impressive thing I see is the fan base is growing tremendously, 40,000 students means we are bigger that most and will continue to grow in the metropolitan area.

Two things, football and men's basketball, that's all that matters in this game of thrones; don't care about any other sport, these create revenue and national recognition! If you really want to win keep the donation coming, buy season tickets; next year should be a good one!

One last thing, we're not going to a bowl game this year, just not going to happen, next year!

Udomann · November 11, 2019

If we ever hope to be a top notch program, we can't settle to be the training ground for future coaches. We need to get those guys in the door, get the classes in the door, today. Not 10 years from now.

Seth was great for establishing culture, but the program has now grown beyond him. We need someone who can win the big games. Recruit the big classes. Not just flail around trying to figure out if he's good enough. Hire someone who's good enough. For nearly 2Mil a year, we can do better.

We need to get off the treadmill and into the open road. We are still spinning our wheels trying to pick our direction.

Edited November 11, 2019 by Udomann

UNT78 · November 11, 2019

Seth, gets a free pass this year considering injuries, but he better win next year, irregardless!

greeneagle1 · November 11, 2019

I still believe.

We can beat an 0-9 Rice team. UAB may be 6-3, but their wins have come to an FCS team and 3 teams with 0 FBS wins themselves, and UTEP who beat 0-9 Rice. The one outlier is UTSA and they have beat teams with 0-1 FBS wins (we all know what UTSA is this year). Game is at home on MASON FINE DAY. Lets get to it, make a bowl, and finish the season strong.

UNTLifer · November 11, 2019

2 hours ago, NorthTexasWeLove said:

Oh, there will be depth. We'll have an abundant amount of WR's and safeties.

The recruiting things is being so over-hyped. It's a macro-look at conference ranking and star counts. We have no recruited well where it matters. And that will be exposed even more so moving forward into the future. Someone tell me who our starting 5 OL will be next year. Right when you do (if you got it figured out), I will post their offer sheets and you will see where we stand. Same for the starting DL rotation. It's a bleak reality we've decided to nestle ourselves into.

I think we bring in some JUCOs to go with M. Mose (Army/Navy), Anthony and Brammer. The OL isn't settled and has been a weak spot in our recruiting, but I think we have talent at the position, but not the right coach.

southsideguy · November 11, 2019

3 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I agree with both of you. I also doubt we'll see another Fine (I mean, maybe we will, but he's going to finish his career as a top 25 all-time QB statistically).

But I'll take upgrades in OL, DL, CB, LB play next season over finding another Mason Fine every day, just because that would improve our team more than what just 1 guy can. We should be able to expect the team to be excellent even after great players leave.

I agree with you, a great OL can make an average qb look very good. If he has time and decent arm he can be dangerous.

Ken14 · November 11, 2019

Im in it until the last snap against UAB....I very much believe in the Mean Green...

untjim1995 · November 11, 2019

Quite honestly, I love being Mean Green and having a degree from here, but my belief and expectations for our football and basketball teams are just don’t embarrass my degree. I want for the best, but I’m conditioned at this point to realize our institutional lack of support for decades CANT make up that gigantic gap to get to the expectations so many of you have on this board. Why? Because its killed off tens of thousands possible fans AND our reputation with the most important folks your program needs—the coaches and media in the state. La Tech doesn’t worry about any of this even with piss-poor facilities, all because they are not thought of as an also-ran in the media and with LA and TX HS coaches. Look at SMU—no fans, no success for 30 years. But the media is jerking off because of the memories they are conjuring up. We have none of it. Once you realize just how little we cared until the last 5 years, you can recognize just how far we gotta go to compete year-in and year-our with the SMUs, La Techs, and UHs of the world.

NorthTexasSportsNetwork · November 12, 2019

4 hours ago, Ken14 said:

Im in it until the last snap against UAB....I very much believe in the Mean Green...

That final snap with Mason under center is going to be very very emotional. I might not be able to control myself

cogido · November 12, 2019

I love the Green but... Seth needs to have lunch with Sonny Dykes just 30 miles down the road and find out how a team NT beat a year ago can suddenly jump into the Top 25 in the nation and stay there while UNT sinks back to the bottom.

Mo Green · November 12, 2019

Two weeks of this...AHHH...

MGNation92 · November 12, 2019

7 hours ago, cogido said:

I love the Green but... Seth needs to have lunch with Sonny Dykes just 30 miles down the road and find out how a team NT beat a year ago can suddenly jump into the Top 25 in the nation and stay there while UNT sinks back to the bottom.

Chad Morris couldn't win worth a damn but he recruited solid players.

Couple that with a buttload of P5 players that were immediate eligible. Put them in a proven offensive system and you've got a top 25 team.

Aldo · November 12, 2019

Just now, MGNation92 said:

Chad Morris couldn't win worth a damn but he recruited solid players.

Couple that with a buttload of P5 players that were immediate eligible. Put them in a proven offensive system and you've got a top 25 team.

Just add water

forevereagle · November 12, 2019

There may be some serious knee pain going on with a lot of our fan base.

TheColonyEagle · November 12, 2019

23 hours ago, FirefightnRick said:

I’m not bagging on you alone for this comment but it underlines a recurring illness this fanbase always seems to fall prey to.

We can never hope for or expect for a better coach, a better player, a better this or that.

No folks,...we can hope for and expect better. Hope for and expect a better team, not just for one player.

It’s called having standards and accountability.

Rick

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