Rick V Addresses Our Woes

[Green Dozer]

Complete Story LINK

North Texas AD athletic director Rick Villarreal did not say head football coach Todd Dodge is in trouble, but it would be nearly impossible not to reach that conclusion after my phone conversation with him today.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Harry

[NTerock]

LINK

http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/north-texas-ad-still-supporting-coach-to.html

[GrandGreen]

Small point, but why would you state a team that has lost 5 starters has it as bad as NT; who has lost twice as many.

Lot of hewing and hawing by RV, but I don't know what else he could do in his situation.

[NT80]

Interesting, thanks for the links and report.

RV sounds determined to make wins happen, one way or another. If it's with Dodge fine, if he has to go look elsewhere he seems prepared to do just that...when the appropriate time comes (6 losses?).

Glad to hear the stadium is on schedule too. In this football season of gloom it is one of few bright spots.

[foutsrouts]

Small point, but why would you state a team that has lost 5 starters has it as bad as NT; who has lost twice as many.

Lot of hewing and hawing by RV, but I don't know what else he could do in his situation.

:huh:It must be the curse of DD.

[stebo]

Small point, but why would you state a team that has lost 5 starters has it as bad as NT; who has lost twice as many.

Lot of hewing and hawing by RV, but I don't know what else he could do in his situation.

I believe that they were referring to USU losing 5 starters. BTW - have we really lost 10 starters or have some of those players been back-ups filling in for the starters?

[meangreenacct]

I don't think comparing "JJ's" slow start to TD is appropriate by all. I hardly think a 10 win or so turnaround in year one is a slow start like TD's performance is appropriate...

[NT03]

I hate to sound like a negative nelly , but it sounds like RV is counting on this new stadium to cure all of our woes. A new stadium may be attractive , but it's not going to be the sole reason a recruit wants to come here. Playing in a bowl game & playing on tv takes priority over playing in a new stadium. JMO

[Harry]

JJ starter

Tune starter

Bynes starter

Ford starter

Leppo starter after JJ out

Thompson starter after Tune out

All I can think of on top of my head. I'm sure I will be corrected.We've had some key losses at key positions, QB, CB and center.

[foutsrouts]

JJ starter

Tune starter

Bes Mal, Jonynes starter

Ford starter

Leppo starter after JJ out

Thompson starter after Tune out

All I can think of on top of my head. I'm sure I will be corrected.We've had some key losses at key positions, QB, CB and center.

Neal, Jones, Mosley and Brown were all in the 2-Deep, so I guess saying ten starters is stretching it a bit although they all were likely to get significant playing time.

[Harry]

Forgot about dewaylon cook!

[UNT90]

Small point, but why would you state a team that has lost 5 starters has it as bad as NT; who has lost twice as many.

Lot of hewing and hawing by RV, but I don't know what else he could do in his situation.

Funny, I thought his comments were crystal clear (that the 7 win edict remains in place). Maybe I am just hearing what I want to here.

I hate to sound like a negative nelly , but it sounds like RV is counting on this new stadium to cure all of our woes. A new stadium may be attractive , but it's not going to be the sole reason a recruit wants to come here. Playing in a bowl game & playing on tv takes priority over playing in a new stadium. JMO

I think he means competitive in our conference. With the new stadium, there is no excuses for finishing any lower than 3rd in this conference, and TD had the advantage of selling this stadium to the last recruiting class.

[Green Mean]

I think he means competitive in our conference. With the new stadium, there is no excuses for finishing any lower than 3rd in this conference, and TD had the advantage of selling this stadium to the last recruiting class.

You can sell recruits to new facilities and stadiums but if you don't know how to coach them it really defeats the purpose. But it does seem as if the stadium is what is going to all of a sudden make this team contenders. If you can pay 80 million for a stadium but can't fund a coach for $500,000-$750,000 a year for a coach that will bring prosperity to the stadium and school then the situation is an epic fail.

[UNT90]

You can sell recruits to new facilities and stadiums but if you don't know how to coach them it really defeats the purpose. But it does seem as if the stadium is what is going to all of a sudden make this team contenders. If you can pay 80 million for a stadium but can't fund a coach for $500,000-$750,000 a year for a coach that will bring prosperity to the stadium and school then the situation is an epic fail.

I'll be severly disappointed if we don't increase the head coach pay to close to $500K for the next hire. If this program is serious about winning and making an impact hire, this is a bare minimum.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Obviously RV doesn't believe a new stadium is going to make a winning team. He is just saying coaches can no longer excuse poor performance by saying, "Well, what do you expect? We have a sucky stadium." That excuse is gone, and so should all others.

[gangrene]

Even though Dodge was hired away from Southlake Carroll High School by Villarreal it sounds as if it will take a major turnaround this season for things to remain status quo.

Interesting choice of words. I'm sure the writer didn't intentionally demean the UNT HC job by making it seem as though a HS HC job (albeit a highly successful and prosperous HS) was somehow more appealing than a FBS college HC job? To view Dodge's "hiring away from SLC" as anything less than a major promotion is an insult.

The only other I-A team to have been hit this hard by injury is Utah State, which has five starters out for the year. UNT is down to its third-string QB as well.

After being dismissed from UNT, Darrell Dickey was hired as the OC at Utah State, where he was later let go. Coincidence? Maybe there's something to this DD curse?

[Mean Green 93-98]

Interesting choice of words. I'm sure the writer didn't intentionally demean the UNT HC job by making it seem as though a HS HC job (albeit a highly successful and prosperous HS) was somehow more appealing than a FBS college HC job? To view Dodge's "hiring away from SLC" as anything less than a major promotion is an insult.

Rice had expressed interest in him the year before UNT hired him, but TD made clear that he was not going to move his kids. When TD was interviewing for the UNT job, there was some doubt as to whether he'd take it. I don't think it demeans the UNT job, but he left a pretty good thing for a much more stressful situation. He got a job higher up the ladder, but also much more difficult.

[UNT_playmaker]

Rice had expressed interest in him the year before UNT hired him, but TD made clear that he was not going to move his kids. When TD was interviewing for the UNT job, there was some doubt as to whether he'd take it. I don't think it demeans the UNT job, but he left a pretty good thing for a much more stressful situation. He got a job higher up the ladder, but also much more difficult.

I really wish Rice or SMU really did take him and also Riley, all of the SLC coaches and assistants that came with him.

[Green Dozer]

Interesting choice of words. I'm sure the writer didn't intentionally demean the UNT HC job by making it seem as though a HS HC job (albeit a highly successful and prosperous HS) was somehow more appealing than a FBS college HC job? To view Dodge's "hiring away from SLC" as anything less than a major promotion is an insult.

After being dismissed from UNT, Darrell Dickey was hired as the OC at Utah State, where he was later let go. Coincidence? Maybe there's something to this DD curse?

Did he break out the black jerseys? Those are how he starts the curse.

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I believe that they were referring to USU losing 5 starters. BTW - have we really lost 10 starters or have some of those players been back-ups filling in for the starters?

That makes them starters.

[stebo]

That makes them starters.

I disagree. We have lost 5 starters and another 5 on the 2 deep. Still very tough as we lost both the starter and the back-up in two positions - but not the same as losing 10 starters (in my opinion).

[SteaminWillieBeamin]

I disagree. We have lost 5 starters and another 5 on the 2 deep. Still very tough as we lost both the starter and the back-up in two positions - but not the same as losing 10 starters (in my opinion).

IMO, if they show up as the starter in the game in which they are injured, they are a "starter." If you want to say 6 of the starters from the season 2 deep, then so be it, but it leaves a grey area.

Let's just assume the Thompson made it to game 8 before getting injured, would he still be the backup starter -- or would he be a real starter? It doesn't matter, just curious at what point the backup starter is called a starter.

Edited September 21, 2010 by SteaminWillieBeamin

[greenminer]

If they started a game, they are starters. IMO, it doesn't matter how they got there.

If you're going to be nitpick about who was starting opening day vs. who wasn't, so be it.

Same logic applies when we read all those pre-season mags and their evaluations say things like, "UNT's offense line returns 10 players with 48 starts between them."