Dodge Was Hired Because Of His Exciting Offense

the real grad88 · November 26, 2008

When Dodge was hired, the hoopla was all about his unbeatable Spread offense. Got to admit, I was real excited that first season, to watch North Texas move the ball. Then, reality quickly set in and a reminder of what really made some of the Dickey teams so good...DEFENSE! When I watched the OU/Tech game, it was clear that what really separated those teams was OU's defense, which contantly destroyed Tech's game plan and put the offense in the right positions to score.

That is exactly what the Dickey defenses did in the good years. I always had the feeling that we would be in every game because of the defense. It was nasty, mean and fast. There was nothing more exciting that watching Booger just destroy and offensive play and then come to the sidelines shaking his head, "NO". Dickey's good teams would destroy this team hands down...because of the defense.

I for one would love to see all of the stops pulled for defensive players. We need a good DL line rotation that can play with an attitude and put the pressure on the QB. We need some quick LBs that can move from sideline to sideline like our teams of old. We need great DB play. Put it all together and we will win some championships. If Dodge's defense doesn't show improvement next year, then I say he must be given the exit.

I don't buy for a minute that Dodge doesn't have the resources to win...in the BELT. We are not in CUSA or the BIG XII. We actually should have an advantage in recruiting against the other BELT schools. We are in the Metroplex for crying out loud. Denton is a heck of a lot better town than most of the other BELT schools, and in a much better location.

RECRUIT DEFENSE OR ELSE!

Edited November 26, 2008 by the real grad88

TheColonyEagle · November 26, 2008

When do we get to see this exciting offense?

aztecskin · November 26, 2008

When do we get to see this exciting offense?

right after we sign 15 more receivers.

Green Mean · November 26, 2008

I think OU is one of those exceptions where the spread is so dominant and yet their defense and turn it up 10 notches when it needs too. But in general there needs to be an emphasis and value on defense. I think Texas Tech and Mike Leach is one example that sort of realized that defense needs to be a lot more prioritized and that is why over the last couple of years they have greatly improved in that area. On top of a solid/great defense, I think the best offense is a balance between passing and running. You have to do both well to succeed in all types of games. I am not the biggest fan of the spread especially if you dont have much of a running game.

trud1966 · November 26, 2008

Its simplier than that. DEFENSE is what wins games, in ANY sport.

GreenAlums · November 26, 2008

Its simplier than that. DEFENSE is what wins games, in ANY sport.

It takes a good ofense to consitently win against a good defense, in any sport! A balanced TEAM will win consitently.

The Fake Lonnie Finch · November 26, 2008

It takes a good ofense to consitently win against a good defense, in any sport! A balanced TEAM will win consitently.

No, it takes good defense to win consistently. Look at TCU. They've had a good offense one season - this season - under Gary Patterson. Every other year, the defense has carried them. If the other team can't score, they can't beat you.

You need good offensive and defensive linemen at this level. Todd Dodge was too arrogant or ignorant to admit or understand that. He's now snowed under. And, what's worse, since his bazillion WR recruits aren't panning out, he's still scrambling to find those - despite wasting too many scholarships on them his first two years.

It's just a poor situation we're put in with Todd Dodge out there representing the school. We are getting out butts handed to us on and off the field.

SMU and Baylor are running circles around us. June Jones may not be getting the best of it on the field yet, but he understands how to build it. He's already got 19 committment to his 1-10 team. Of those 7 are offensive linemen, 3 are defensive linemen. Yes, more than half of his second recruiting class is linemen. It's because he understands football. He's also gotten six 3-star recruits to commit. He's got a Top 10 prep kicker on board from perennial California power Anaheim Servite as well as Ennis' Deonte McDade, track star and son of former Oklahoma Sooner Billy McDade.

Last year, Jones singed 8 OLs for the Ponies. Two were Terry Robiskie's son, Andrew, and former UT lineman Kirk McJunkin's son, Blake. He also signed former Oakland Raider Art Whittington's son, Quincey, a WR, last year. Two classes, 15 OLs. Athletes with good, athletic bloodlines. SMU is cashing in on Jones' knowledge of the game and his longtime connections for recruits.

Jones also has Tam Hollingshead as his Director of High School relations. Hollingshead was the head coach at Odessa Permian, Temple and Rockwall. He also was on R.C. Slocum's coaching staff for nine seasons. He's helping Jones clean up.

We've got nothing like that. SMU may not be showing on the field game after game. Although the Mustangs gave up 56, 43, and 48 in their first three games against FCS schools, they have only allowed more than 40 once since their loss to TCU back on September 20th. In other words, they're not getting blown out as badly as we were last year despite their youth and new coaching staff. They came within 6 points of the Tulsa team that blew us out.

Only two of SMU's 28 singees last year were JUCOs. Of the 19 committed this year, only one is a JUCO. In other words, Jones has gotten enough of his prep targets that he doesn't have to patch up with JUCO.

I'm not even wasting my time going through how much better Baylor is currently doing with their first year coach on and off the field. It's already been posted elsewhere. Suffice it to say that Briles and Co. are also running circles around us.

I wish the madness would end. But, it won't. We're getting whipped at home. We've got virtually no ties to go out of state to make up for it. We're using the shotgun method of offering JUCO recruits - just pull the trigger and see how much we can hit.

It's a joke. The punchline is those who still fall for it.

Edited November 26, 2008 by The Fake Lonnie Finch

pollock · November 26, 2008

So tired of hearing how defense is what wins games/championships/whatever.

Scoring more points than the other team wins. Period. Doesn't matter if you win 2-0 or 77-76.

Defense didn't beat Texas Tech last weekend, OU did. Had that game been a close shootout, you could easily argue that "offense wins championships."

That said, I agree that we need better defense than what we have now. What an epiphany.

untjim1995 · November 26, 2008

No, it takes good defense to win consistently. Look at TCU. They've had a good offense one season - this season - under Gary Patterson. Every other year, the defense has carried them. If the other team can't score, they can't beat you.
You need good offensive and defensive linemen at this level. Todd Dodge was too arrogant or ignorant to admit or understand that. He's now snowed under. And, what's worse, since his bazillion WR recruits aren't panning out, he's still scrambling to find those - despite wasting too many scholarships on them his first two years.
It's just a poor situation we're put in with Todd Dodge out there representing the school. We are getting out butts handed to us on and off the field.
SMU and Baylor are running circles around us. June Jones may not be getting the best of it on the field yet, but he understands how to build it. He's already got 19 committment to his 1-10 team. Of those 7 are offensive linemen, 3 are defensive linemen. Yes, more than half of his second recruiting class is linemen. It's because he understands football. He's also gotten six 3-star recruits to commit. He's got a Top 10 prep kicker on board from perennial California power Anaheim Servite as well as Ennis' Deonte McDade, track star and son of former Oklahoma Sooner Billy McDade.
Last year, Jones singed 8 OLs for the Ponies. Two were Terry Robiskie's son, Andrew, and former UT lineman Kirk McJunkin's son, Blake. He also signed former Oakland Raider Art Whittington's son, Quincey, a WR, last year. Two classes, 15 OLs. Athletes with good, athletic bloodlines. SMU is cashing in on Jones' knowledge of the game and his longtime connections for recruits.
Jones also has Tam Hollingshead as his Director of High School relations. Hollingshead was the head coach at Odessa Permian, Temple and Rockwall. He also was on R.C. Slocum's coaching staff for nine seasons. He's helping Jones clean up.
We've got nothing like that. SMU may not be showing on the field game after game. Although the Mustangs gave up 56, 43, and 48 in their first three games against FCS schools, they have only allowed more than 40 once since their loss to TCU back on September 20th. In other words, they're not getting blown out as badly as we were last year despite their youth and new coaching staff. They came within 6 points of the Tulsa team that blew us out.
Only two of SMU's 28 singees last year were JUCOs. Of the 19 committed this year, only one is a JUCO. In other words, Jones has gotten enough of his prep targets that he doesn't have to patch up with JUCO.
I'm not even wasting my time going through how much better Baylor is currently doing with their first year coach on and off the field. It's already been posted elsewhere. Suffice it to say that Briles and Co. are also running circles around us.
I wish the madness would end. But, it won't. We're getting whipped at home. We've got virtually no ties to go out of state to make up for it. We're using the shotgun method of offering JUCO recruits - just pull the trigger and see how much we can hit.
It's a joke. The punchline is those who still fall for it.

It seems to me that if you have the ability to get into SMU and can play at that stadium in the heart of Dallas, that the choice between them and us is not a hard one to think over. June Jones gets paid a million dollars. We pay a coach about 75% less. Their stadium is very nice for their situation. Ours sucks--and will still be ours for the foreseeable future. They play teams people have heard of around here, often at home in both conference and OOC. We, ahem, don't. We get Middle International Kentucky most weeks. Ditto on all of this for Baylor, especially with the fact that you get to play in the Big XII. Comparing our sitaution to any of theirs on a recruiting front is apples-to-oranges, IMHO. Compare us with Louisiana-Lafayette or Louisiana-Monroe or Arkansas State when it comes to recruits--that is who we, as a university, chose as its athletic peers. SMU and Baylor, as well as Rice and TCU and others should out-recruit us every year. The only reason they all didn't the last season is only because of Dodge and his ties to Texas High Schools. Now has it paid off or will it ever? Doesn't look like it. It appears that he is in over his head. But to just say that Dodge doesn't know how to recruit and that SMU and Baylor are just kicking our tails is a bit misleading.

Let's say that you are a high school lineman from Irving MacArthur and you get June Jones, Art Briles, or anyone from UNT to come and talk to you. You have great grades, so academics are not an issue here at all. You get offered a full ride to Baylor of the Big XII, a private school with very influential and supportive alumni. You also get offered a full ride to SMU of CUSA, a private school with a terrific academic reputation and is in the heart of metro Dallas. You also get Darrell Dickey/Matt Simon/Todd Dodge of UNT to visit and offer you a full ride at our very large, widely apathetic-to-sports school, that has the worst stadium in America, and the schools you play are not located within the state you live, nor are they anyone that you dreamed of playing growing up in Irving. What are you gonna choose? Think about this--the problem has much more to do with what UNT has done in the past versus what the head coach says in his pitch. You may be right in that a new coach can come and succeed right away like at FIU or MTSU, but until we get a stadium that is something to recruit to, as well as to play teams that recruits want to play, this scenario that you are talking about is not going to go away. The fact that UNT ever had more success than either of those two schools says more about their leadership at that time than it does about who our coach is/was. And, unfortunately, those schools' administrations understand that football in Texas needs resources and they have the alumni and the conference revenue streams to do that--we don't. And never have. That isn't Todd Dodge's fault--and he has plenty of other faults to look at before blaming recruiting on his ego.

Edited November 26, 2008 by untjim1995

The Fake Lonnie Finch · November 27, 2008

Jim,

I get what you are saying. However, you've got to remember that part of what people were so excited about with Dodge is that they believed he would put us on par with the SMUs and Baylors of the world with DFW preps because of his influence here. That hasn't turned out to be the case. No even close.

Part of my point about Jones is that he's not only beating us in our own backyard - the backyard Dodge and his supporters said he'd carry two years ago - but, because he's been at the game at the highest level for so long, he can get players from all over the country. In a very small way, Darrell Dickey was that way. He got some guys out of Oklahoma (Brown [Charlie and Jeremy], Burruss, Cobbs, Wyatt, Calvin Miller's son), Missouri (Pearl), Kansas (Venegas), Idaho (Pruitt), Florida (Early), and Kentucky (Bailey).

It doesn't matter that we are public. We were led to believe that Todd Dodge could be a difference maker in the living rooms of DFW kids. SMU and Baylor were as bad off as we were. Now, well into the third recruiting season, they are taking their fill of preps from DFW and we're scrambling for JUCOs all around. We are getting our butts kicked in the area Todd Dodge was said to have strength and influence - DFW preps.

And, don't even mention the Lousiana schools. If Dodge doesn't have the influence they said he'd have in DFW, there's no way he trips across the border and starts "stealing" from the likes of ULM, ULL, and La Tech. Throw in Tulane as well.

They tried to sell us his offense. They tried to sell us that he'd own DFW among the little guy schools. Turns out the whole thing was just a big bag of nothing. Every team we play from Florida International across the league westward has our offense figured out. And, everybody and their dog is already filled up with DFW recruits. Meanwhile, our coaches are begging JUCO players to jump aboard.

It is sad. It is frustrating. It is pathetic. And, unfortunately, no matter how badly Arkansas State pounds us Saturday, nothing will change. We take our lumps and prepare for another round of embarassing beatings in 2009.

UNT Mean Green · November 28, 2008

It doesn't matter that we are public. We were led to believe that Todd Dodge could be a difference maker in the living rooms of DFW kids. SMU and Baylor were as bad off as we were. Now, well into the third recruiting season, they are taking their fill of preps from DFW and we're scrambling for JUCOs all around. We are getting our butts kicked in the area Todd Dodge was said to have strength and influence - DFW preps.

Do you have facts to back that up? I don't have the time (and am just curious to see the results) to check it out. I would imagine you start with the D/FW Area ranked Top 100 and work from there, since your statement regards getting our butts kicked in recruiting the DFW area. Start with the 2007 class and the 2008 class and compare to SMU. I think (don't know for sure, and again am interested to find out) that Dodge has had the upper hand in DFW high school recruiting in his 2 years over SMU (could be wrong). If you have time, would you provide this data?

oldguystudent · November 28, 2008

I'll agree to one point in this little debate. This team is pretty offensive.

OldTimer · November 28, 2008

Do you have facts to back that up? I don't have the time (and am just curious to see the results) to check it out. I would imagine you start with the D/FW Area ranked Top 100 and work from there, since your statement regards getting our butts kicked in recruiting the DFW area. Start with the 2007 class and the 2008 class and compare to SMU. I think (don't know for sure, and again am interested to find out) that Dodge has had the upper hand in DFW high school recruiting in his 2 years over SMU (could be wrong). If you have time, would you provide this data?

Its been posted several times....the UNT 08 recruiting class ranked well ahead of SMU and TCU.

You can't count the 07 class because it was assembled from leftovers and Dodge had less than 30 days on the job to recruit But he got some quality recruits here is some ......Cam Montgomery 4* JC ranked as the nations 3rd best JUCO RB, OL Matt Tomlinson...ranked in area top 100 prospect by Houston Chronicle, Vizza Offensive Player of the year on All Texas Team by TX FB Mag, Evan Walker 1st team 5A all state, Scoggins, Tp[ 50 and state top 100 recruit, top 100 overall area 100, Kyle Russo Team Tex 5a 1st team all state, area top 50, AJ Penson # 40 MLB nationally by Scout, # 7 LB in TX by Rivals, Padron DMN all area, FW super team, AP 1st team all state, Micah Mosley AP 1st Team 4 A all state, 2006 super team by Beaumont and port Arthur newspsper. wR BJ Lewis 06 1st team all state at DB, 1st team 3A Wr by TX FB, Marcus King area top 50 and state top 100 by FWTele, JJ Johnson C, 4th best center in TX by rivals, Breece Jonson AP 1st Team All state, *Tele super team, 1st team all state by TX fb, Bron hager...# 23rd best ILB in TX by Rivals, Sam Dibrell...4A 1st team all state by TSW , #17 ranked overall prospect in San Antonio area, Jesse DeSoto, #7 prospect in San Antonio area, all area 1st team ranked # 19 best DT in TX by Rivals, state top 100 by SA news, LB Marquiese Davis All Ammerican bow game, Oil bowl team, all rNeast TX region 1st team,

If you are going to state facts....be sure they are correct. 09 3* JC Linebacker Tony Charles had offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Fresno State and S. Florida, WR JC Jamaal Jackson had offers from Lousiana Tech and South Alabama.

NT80 · November 28, 2008

Its been posted several times....the UNT 08 recruiting class ranked well ahead of SMU and TCU.
You can't count the 07 class because it was assembled from leftovers and Dodge had less than 30 days on the job to recruit But he got some quality recruits here is some ......Cam Montgomery 4* JC ranked as the nations 3rd best JUCO RB, OL Matt Tomlinson...ranked in area top 100 prospect by Houston Chronicle, Vizza Offensive Player of the year on All Texas Team by TX FB Mag, Evan Walker 1st team 5A all state, Scoggins, Tp[ 50 and state top 100 recruit, top 100 overall area 100, Kyle Russo Team Tex 5a 1st team all state, area top 50, AJ Penson # 40 MLB nationally by Scout, # 7 LB in TX by Rivals, Padron DMN all area, FW super team, AP 1st team all state, Micah Mosley AP 1st Team 4 A all state, 2006 super team by Beaumont and port Arthur newspsper. wR BJ Lewis 06 1st team all state at DB, 1st team 3A Wr by TX FB, Marcus King area top 50 and state top 100 by FWTele, JJ Johnson C, 4th best center in TX by rivals, Breece Jonson AP 1st Team All state, *Tele super team, 1st team all state by TX fb, Bron hager...# 23rd best ILB in TX by Rivals, Sam Dibrell...4A 1st team all state by TSW , #17 ranked overall prospect in San Antonio area, Jesse DeSoto, #7 prospect in San Antonio area, all area 1st team ranked # 19 best DT in TX by Rivals, state top 100 by SA news, LB Marquiese Davis All Ammerican bow game, Oil bowl team, all rNeast TX region 1st team,
If you are going to state facts....be sure they are correct. 09 3* JC Linebacker Tony Charles had offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Fresno State and S. Florida, WR JC Jamaal Jackson had offers from Lousiana Tech and South Alabama.

If they don't produce or are coached to produce (wins) it doesn't matter how they were ranked when recruited. You get no style points for out-recruiting another school; only wins and losses matter.

Green Dozer · November 28, 2008

Its been posted several times....the UNT 08 recruiting class ranked well ahead of SMU and TCU.
You can't count the 07 class because it was assembled from leftovers and Dodge had less than 30 days on the job to recruit But he got some quality recruits here is some ......Cam Montgomery 4* JC ranked as the nations 3rd best JUCO RB, OL Matt Tomlinson...ranked in area top 100 prospect by Houston Chronicle, Vizza Offensive Player of the year on All Texas Team by TX FB Mag, Evan Walker 1st team 5A all state, Scoggins, Tp[ 50 and state top 100 recruit, top 100 overall area 100, Kyle Russo Team Tex 5a 1st team all state, area top 50, AJ Penson # 40 MLB nationally by Scout, # 7 LB in TX by Rivals, Padron DMN all area, FW super team, AP 1st team all state, Micah Mosley AP 1st Team 4 A all state, 2006 super team by Beaumont and port Arthur newspsper. wR BJ Lewis 06 1st team all state at DB, 1st team 3A Wr by TX FB, Marcus King area top 50 and state top 100 by FWTele, JJ Johnson C, 4th best center in TX by rivals, Breece Jonson AP 1st Team All state, *Tele super team, 1st team all state by TX fb, Bron hager...# 23rd best ILB in TX by Rivals, Sam Dibrell...4A 1st team all state by TSW , #17 ranked overall prospect in San Antonio area, Jesse DeSoto, #7 prospect in San Antonio area, all area 1st team ranked # 19 best DT in TX by Rivals, state top 100 by SA news, LB Marquiese Davis All Ammerican bow game, Oil bowl team, all rNeast TX region 1st team,
If you are going to state facts....be sure they are correct. 09 3* JC Linebacker Tony Charles had offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Fresno State and S. Florida, WR JC Jamaal Jackson had offers from Lousiana Tech and South Alabama.

Thanks for the info..you get smarter every time I read one of your posts, they sure make sense.

Green Dozer · November 28, 2008

Jim,
I get what you are saying. However, you've got to remember that part of what people were so excited about with Dodge is that they believed he would put us on par with the SMUs and Baylors of the world with DFW preps because of his influence here. That hasn't turned out to be the case. No even close.
Part of my point about Jones is that he's not only beating us in our own backyard - the backyard Dodge and his supporters said he'd carry two years ago - but, because he's been at the game at the highest level for so long, he can get players from all over the country. In a very small way, Darrell Dickey was that way. He got some guys out of Oklahoma (Brown [Charlie and Jeremy], Burruss, Cobbs, Wyatt, Calvin Miller's son), Missouri (Pearl), Kansas (Venegas), Idaho (Pruitt), Florida (Early), and Kentucky (Bailey).
It doesn't matter that we are public. We were led to believe that Todd Dodge could be a difference maker in the living rooms of DFW kids. SMU and Baylor were as bad off as we were. Now, well into the third recruiting season, they are taking their fill of preps from DFW and we're scrambling for JUCOs all around. We are getting our butts kicked in the area Todd Dodge was said to have strength and influence - DFW preps.
And, don't even mention the Lousiana schools. If Dodge doesn't have the influence they said he'd have in DFW, there's no way he trips across the border and starts "stealing" from the likes of ULM, ULL, and La Tech. Throw in Tulane as well.
They tried to sell us his offense. They tried to sell us that he'd own DFW among the little guy schools. Turns out the whole thing was just a big bag of nothing. Every team we play from Florida International across the league westward has our offense figured out. And, everybody and their dog is already filled up with DFW recruits. Meanwhile, our coaches are begging JUCO players to jump aboard.
It is sad. It is frustrating. It is pathetic. And, unfortunately, no matter how badly Arkansas State pounds us Saturday, nothing will change. We take our lumps and prepare for another round of embarassing beatings in 2009.

Lonnie,

A couple of things. First, I do not think it is fair to say Dodge had "2" recruiting classes. He was hired at Christmas of 2006. He then has to assemble a staff, evaluate the players here, get an off season program ready for the players when they return to school, etc. I am sure there was not a ton of info on recruits from the outgoing staff. Take away the week between Christmas and New Years (high school coaches out of their office) and he had five weeks. That is unfair to evaluate that class and use it to judge his ability to recruit. I think you throw that out, then grade him on the last one, and the one coming up.

Also, I do not understand how you can continue to compare us with Baylor. Big XII and Sunbelt, that's laughable. And the money, we are a third world football program compared to anybody in the Big XII. Sorry.

Edited November 28, 2008 by Green Dozer

greenminer · November 28, 2008

Why is it when we are evaluating the players in Dodge's first class, it is how amazing they are by any UNT standard...yet when we are evaluating Dodge's job performance, it is not fair to hold the first class against him because he had such short time?

Edited November 28, 2008 by greenminer

Green Dozer · November 28, 2008

Why is it when we are evaluating the players in Dodge's first class, it is how amazing they are by any UNT standard...yet when we are evaluating Dodge's job performance, it is not fair to hold the first class against him because he had such short time?

I do not understand what you mean. If you consider his first class good, I guess great. If you consider it bad, your choice. My point is to say things like the recruit pipeline being open, connections to the metroplex, etc. I do not think that can be evaluated on 5 weeks. I think we need to see how it evolves over a couple of years. Good, bad, indifferent, just don't think the first recruiting class is a good measuring stick of what we can expect from Todd Dodge in terms of his overall recruiting program.

Charlie NT 73 · November 28, 2008

I do beleive Coach Dodge and his staff have proven they

can recruit quality defensive and offensive players! Period!

I cannot believe some of you say there is no talent!

Cannot recruit? Are ya'll blind! Geez!

Jesse Desoto, Troy Franklin, Tevinn Cantley, just to

name a few. How about Royce Hill, John Shorter,

Darrin Williams, and D. Cook. Penson and Davis?

How about Scoggins, Barrett, Bringham, Mathis?

JJ Johnson, Coleman Feeley, Santiago, Tomlinson,

Dunbar, Hamilton, Johnson, Roberson, and the list goes on!

What about the current red shirts waiting for their

turn in 2009? The 2009 team will be loaded!

There are many many major college programs that

wanted these players, and these players commited

to North Texas and to Coach Dodge, to build a

great program and great team!

Give these kids time to develop!

Let the real NT fans support these kids!

Green Dozer · November 28, 2008

I do beleive Coach Dodge and his staff have proven they
can recruit quality defensive and offensive players! Period!
I cannot believe some of you say there is no talent!
Cannot recruit? Are ya'll blind! Geez!
Jesse Desoto, Troy Franklin, Tevinn Cantley, just to
name a few. How about Royce Hill, John Shorter,
Darrin Williams, and D. Cook. Penson and Davis?
How about Scoggins, Barrett, Bringham, Mathis?
JJ Johnson, Coleman Feeley, Santiago, Tomlinson,
Dunbar, Hamilton, Johnson, Roberson, and the list goes on!
What about the current red shirts waiting for their
turn in 2009? The 2009 team will be loaded!
There are many many major college programs that
wanted these players, and these players commited
to North Texas and to Coach Dodge, to build a
great program and great team!
Give these kids time to develop!
Let the real NT fans support these kids!

No, we want to get back to our winning ways. We want to change coaches every 3 or 4 years, because after all, its all the coach's fault? Has nothing to do with an apathetic alumnae base. 17 head coaches, 5 with winning records, and only one who was previously head coach has moved to a better job partly because of what he had done here. The other moved mainly because of his having been the off. coordinator at Neb. So, 17 men have not been able to do it here, yet its suppose to be this great opportunity for some body to really build something here. Again, I have said over and over, its not all the coach. Unless more alumni can show some patience, and some more support is found, there will be another 17 who won't either.

NT80 · November 28, 2008

I do beleive Coach Dodge and his staff have proven they
can recruit quality defensive and offensive players! Period!
I cannot believe some of you say there is no talent!
Cannot recruit? Are ya'll blind! Geez!
Jesse Desoto, Troy Franklin, Tevinn Cantley, just to
name a few. How about Royce Hill, John Shorter,
Darrin Williams, and D. Cook. Penson and Davis?
How about Scoggins, Barrett, Bringham, Mathis?
JJ Johnson, Coleman Feeley, Santiago, Tomlinson,
Dunbar, Hamilton, Johnson, Roberson, and the list goes on!
What about the current red shirts waiting for their
turn in 2009? The 2009 team will be loaded!
There are many many major college programs that
wanted these players, and these players commited
to North Texas and to Coach Dodge, to build a
great program and great team!
Give these kids time to develop!
Let the real NT fans support these kids!

Perhaps the talent is not the issue but if they are being used correctly or effectively? It doesn't matter if we have Tony Romo if he just sits the bench or is asked to simply hand off when in the game. The point is a player's skills have to be used in schemes that allow that to happen. Maybe the players are being coached-down?? :blink:

Green Dozer · November 28, 2008

Perhaps the talent is not the issue but if they are being used correctly or effectively? It doesn't matter if we have Tony Romo if he just sits the bench or is asked to simply hand off when in the game. The point is a player's skills have to be used in schemes that allow that to happen. Maybe the players are being coached-down??

Your right a player's skills have to be used in schemes to allow things to happen. But which do you do first, the player or the system? Given that, then how should Dodge implement his system? Or should the system be tweaked until you have "your" players so to speak, then fully implement. How long would you then give this thing to evolve then?