Fire Mendoza!

yyz28 · October 7, 2007

C'mon... you are all thinking it... I'm just saying it.

We've been arguing with each other about who whould be playing QB, but the problem isn't really in the pocket.

Truth - OU's coaches lauged at our schemes.

Truth - With even decent defense, we'd be 3-2, and seriously in the hunt for the Conf. Title.

Truth - Dickey's recruiting strenth is Defense - This should be (as evidenced by the good play from the D last year) a good defensive team

We do not adjust to the opposing team, and the secondary might as well not be on the field.

THIS GUY ISN'T SHOWING ANY IMPROVEMENT WEEK TO WEEK. It is time to get a Defensive Coordinator with some college experience, or we're not going to see ANY success.

TheColonyEagle · October 7, 2007

C'mon... you are all thinking it... I'm just saying it.
We've been arguing with each other about who whould be playing QB, but the problem isn't really in the pocket.
Truth - OU's coaches lauged at our schemes.
Truth - With even decent defense, we'd be 3-2, and seriously in the hunt for the Conf. Title.
Truth - Dickey's recruiting strenth is Defense - This should be (as evidenced by the good play from the D last year) a good defensive team
We do not adjust to the opposing team, and the secondary might as well not be on the field.
THIS GUY ISN'T SHOWING ANY IMPROVEMENT WEEK TO WEEK. It is time to get a Defensive Coordinator with some college experience, or we're not going to see ANY success.

What he said.

KingDL1 · October 7, 2007

Get real - game 5

yyz28 · October 7, 2007

Get real - game 5

Zero improvement. Zero adjusting. Jr. High Schemes. This isn't going to change with this guy at the defensive helm. ...care to wager?

STE · October 7, 2007

Some thing tells me that Dodge is as loyal to Mendoza as Mac Brown is to Greg Davis.

GoMeanGreen1999 · October 7, 2007

Some thing tells me that Dodge is as loyal to Mendoza as Mac Brown is to Greg Davis.

That is what I hear. Though I have been told he probably wouldn't fire him, but move him to another role on the team, and bring in someone else.

akriesman · October 7, 2007

yyz28,

I can't argue with anything you are saying. The defense has been completely putrid.

But, the guy needs more time than 5 games.

RamoneArchie · October 7, 2007

I'm going to say it's almost too late for this year to totally change schemes that you have been practicing since Spring. I've only seen the one game tonight and we still missed alot of tackles. I say give him another year (we already said it would be a learning curve) and let him attend some clinics and talk to other D-I experienced coaches and he'll (our defense) will be alot better. Like I read in a Vito blog or some newspaper article there is not one defensive coach on that staff that has experience. Who can he go to for advice?

UNTBill · October 7, 2007

That is what I hear. Though I have been told he probably wouldn't fire him, but move him to another role on the team, and bring in someone else.

Works for me!!!

akriesman · October 7, 2007

"That is what I hear. Though I have been told he probably wouldn't fire him, but move him to another role on the team, and bring in someone else. "

I suspect this is true. And, it is probably the right thing to do after this season.

yyz28 · October 7, 2007

That is what I hear. Though I have been told he probably wouldn't fire him, but move him to another role on the team, and bring in someone else.

Fine... but someone else needs to be building the scheme. This scheme is terrible.

...and who is coaching these guys how to tackle?

KingDL1 · October 7, 2007

Zero improvement. Zero adjusting. Jr. High Schemes. This isn't going to change with this guy at the defensive helm. ...care to wager?

Not sure what Jr High you watch, but our guys got burned by blocking and speed tonight. Not sure you can teach speed and size.

yyz28 · October 7, 2007

I'm going to say it's almost too late for this year to totally change schemes that you have been practicing since Spring. I've only seen the one game tonight and we still missed alot of tackles. I say give him another year (we already said it would be a learning curve) and let him attend some clinics and talk to other D-I experienced coaches and he'll (our defense) will be alot better. Like I read in a Vito blog or some newspaper article there is not one defensive coach on that staff that has experience. Who can he go to for advice?

I fault Dodge for that. It was a rookie mistake not to surround himself with proven talent at the college level. It is the one thing that has bothered me about Dodge thus far. I hope (sooner rather than later) his idea works out...

RETSO · October 7, 2007

I fault Dodge for that. It was a rookie mistake not to surround himself with proven talent at the college level. It is the one thing that has bothered me about Dodge thus far. I hope (sooner rather than later) his idea works out...

I agree 100%....he should have hired a DEF cord with college experience!

mendoza should be making lesson plans for 9th grade world geography class, not making a game plan for Monroe!

eulessismore · October 7, 2007

I agree 100%....he should have hired a DEF cord with college experience!
mendoza should be making lesson plans for 9th grade world geography class, not making a game plan for Monroe!

Can he teach geography? That's a really important subject (I'm a UNT geography graduate, 1977). Still, I think, more outside speed on defense!

BIG DAWG · October 7, 2007

Dodge has done some GREAT things on the offensive side of the ball, and that is something we have begged for years.

BUT...he is responsible for the defense, just as DD was responsible for such a horrible offense. Granted he needs time, but for the love of god, show some improvement.

My biggest complait for example, tonight we played pretty well on defense early in the game, but then ULLA made adjustments, and then it was like we had no counter.

I love having Dodge here, but he is just as responsible for the defense as DD was responsible for the bad offense we had to watch for years.

He needs to be responsible to the players and the university, and not to some buddy of his...if there isn't improvement, which I haven't seen, a change needs to be made.

RamoneArchie · October 7, 2007

I didn't want to say this when Dodge anounced his staff, you know because people would say I was bitter because I was fired, but I was sure hoping he hired some guys with experience on the Defensive side of the ball. I'll take Mendoza as DC, but give the guy someone to consult with.

Bryan316 · October 7, 2007

FirefightnRick · October 7, 2007

I'm going to say it's almost too late for this year to totally change schemes that you have been practicing since Spring. I've only seen the one game tonight and we still missed alot of tackles. I say give him another year (we already said it would be a learning curve) and let him attend some clinics and talk to other D-I experienced coaches and he'll (our defense) will be alot better. Like I read in a Vito blog or some newspaper article there is not one defensive coach on that staff that has experience. Who can he go to for advice?

He COULD go to Butch Lacroix for one. That would be a start.

And it's never too late to change schemes. We have 17 returning starters that played 12 games in the 3-4 last year. It's never too late. In fact, they played the first two series out of the basic 4-3 and had some success only to go back to it the rest of the way tonight. I give the DC some credit for at least trying it. But then it just fell apart from there on.

Rick

Edited October 7, 2007 by FirefightnRick

RamoneArchie · October 7, 2007

Okay, just from my experience as a coach and a player...I guess I would have to agree with you firefighter. You can change schemes or do more things around your base Defense to help the players out. And we have 4-3 personal. We were only a 3-4 for one year under Bleil, so all of those players were recruited for a 4-3 scheme.

FirefightnRick · October 7, 2007

Okay, just from my experience as a coach and a player...I guess I would have to agree with you firefighter. You can change schemes or do more things around your base Defense to help the players out. And we have 4-3 personal. We were only a 3-4 for one year under Bleil, so all of those players were recruited for a 4-3 scheme.

I'd then have to say Bleil did an amazing job turning 4-3 guys who ranked 107th in '05 into 3-4 guys who ranked 64th a year later.

Coach Bliel said he was going to retire and from his age we figured he would. However, he's the DB coach for Tulane right now. I can't imagine he would not have considered staying on doing the job he's done for so long, being a DC over a DB assistant? And for reasons I will not divulge in due to personal issues, we should have kept Kenny Evans too.

We owe Coach Evans a great deal of respect as we do the rest of you, and that includes the Buick too.

Rick

Edited October 7, 2007 by FirefightnRick

Cerebus · October 7, 2007

We owe Coach Evans a great deal of respect as we do the rest of you, and that includes the Buick too.

A-Freakin-Men

Monkeypox · October 7, 2007

Okay, just from my experience as a coach and a player...I guess I would have to agree with you firefighter. You can change schemes or do more things around your base Defense to help the players out. And we have 4-3 personal. We were only a 3-4 for one year under Bleil, so all of those players were recruited for a 4-3 scheme.

Yeah, and I think he was trying some more things tonight and they worked okay, but we STILL gave up big plays. To me, I just can't understand it being a problem with the scheme itself so much as execution. You don't blister 70-yd-runs off without multiple failures on the defense, from play-calling down to assignments down to tackling. Part of that's coaching. A lot of that is KNOWING what you're doing.

Granted, it's probably been longer since I played on defense, but, IMO, the biggest problem in changing schemes is that, in order to make plays, you have to be COMFORTABLE in what you're doing. Right now it seems like guys AREN'T comfortable in their assignments or the scheme and when they try to make plays, it ends up for the worst.

Every scheme is designed with failsafes and, by taking yourself out of position or taking that gamble, the failsafe has to be reliable. THEY have to be comfortable in what they're doing to understand what YOU'RE doing and their new responsibilities are. And that, to me, is how these huge plays are broken. Guys have to be seeing the same thing out there, a linebacker and a safety just as much as a QB and a WR on any given play. There's a lack of understanding and execution. And I'm not afraid to say that we just need more monsters on the D.

And more experience coaching.

GoMeanGreen1999 · October 7, 2007

I'd then have to say Bleil did an amazing job turning 4-3 guys who ranked 107th in '05 into 3-4 guys who ranked 64th a year later.
Coach Bliel said he was going to retire and from his age we figured he would. However, he's the DB coach for Tulane right now. I can't imagine he would not have considered staying on doing the job he's done for so long, being a DC over a DB assistant? And for reasons I will not divulge in due to personal issues, we should have kept Kenny Evans too.
We owe Coach Evans a great deal of respect as we do the rest of you, and that includes the Buick too.
Rick

I was told Bleil had some desire to stay, but Dodge didn't want any of these from the older staff?

MeanMag · October 7, 2007

I'd then have to say Bleil did an amazing job turning 4-3 guys who ranked 107th in '05 into 3-4 guys who ranked 64th a year later.
Coach Bliel said he was going to retire and from his age we figured he would. However, he's the DB coach for Tulane right now. I can't imagine he would not have considered staying on doing the job he's done for so long, being a DC over a DB assistant? And for reasons I will not divulge in due to personal issues, we should have kept Kenny Evans too.
We owe Coach Evans a great deal of respect as we do the rest of you, and that includes the Buick too.
Rick

Rick, for the past week I have been agreeing with everything you post. WTF man?