5 Things Canales Can Do To Become A Better Candidate

untgirl04 · October 29, 2010

shaft, we just have a hardy handful (and numerically that would be what it would be,ie, a hardy handful) who are in lockstep with "their favorite UNT assistant football coach" to push forward this go around. We have this each time we are going to hire a coach.

The Canales choice is probably as absurd as my own personal favorite, ie, Coach Fran yet on the complete other end of the 180 degree spectrum. I don't think he would be interested in our job, but one can still hope, right?

I STILL REPEAT: UNT did not rehire Chuck Neinas and pay the money they will pay him to go out and find a new UNT HFC who is already on Todd Dodge's staff. Is that so difficult a concept to understand?

Canales would probably be a good choice (albeit another project hire at UNT and largely an unknown commodity since he's never been HFC at the FBS level) in any other era when Fouts Field would still be our stadium and it would make whoever we hired a non-matter since the stadium would keep us "bareful and pregnant" with a hopeless futue.....

..........but this is not the case because of what is happening in a most grandiose way between those 2 Texas interstates. Come on people, quit receommending those who might say "hello" to you, go out and have a drink with you or just be another good ol' boy but think about the future of our school's football program as it will be attempting to market the hell out of next football season to the maximum in light of the debut of our new football stadium.

Of course, this board so very much promoted getting our present Def. Coord. back on board which happened (but not because of this board), but what happened to all his luster as to why he is not being pushed as the next UNT HFC? He's been an assistant coach favorite on GMG.com much longer than Canales. Anyone? (And no, he would not be the answer this go around, either).

Look beyond Denton, Texas, folks, because who we need is presently not a citizen of "Do It In Denton" or "the Top of the Golden Triange" and all those other Chamber of Commerce bumper sticker catch phrases so cleverly made up decades ago to promote the town that has 2 major universities.

Moral of Story: "NO" school promotes "ANY" assistant coach from a losing staff unless they've lost their ever-lovin' freakin' mind due to a stroke or general lack of oxygen in the cognitive or thinking with reason areas of their brains. (If only you of this hardy handful gang had been a student walking around on campus in the Fall of 1975 and you listened to your school getting national kudos and raves from Keith Jackson on ABC TV bragging about "that Hayden Fry" at North Texas beating Tennessee, you, too, would be thinking way, way, way outside Denton county line and well beyond our present football staff for our next hire.

Has there ever been any school in the NCAA to hire an assistant from a program that had 1 win? Do we want to be true, bonafide trailblazers and be the first to do that, too?

Yes, and even winning a couple more in the Sun Belt this season is not going to sell out luxury suites or create record season ticket sales in 2011 with what the rest of the Mean Green community "outside this forum" would perceive as "just more of the same of what we always get" if they hired anyone from Todd Dodge's present staff. In our case, familiarity would be breeding a ver dangerous gamble that we just don't need to make this time around. (I think Canales would be a good consideration or addition to a new staff, though, but just not to be the main guy at this time).

GMG!

UNT hired Chuck Neinas to recommend the best coach for our vacancy. If Neinas believes, after researching our candidates, that Canales is the right person for that job, would you still have issue with it? I'm not saying that will be the case - I'm just recommending an open mind. We all seem to have our blinders: It's got to be a 'name' coach or, it's got to be a guy who's built a program, or it's got to be a guy who knows whatever. Frankly, I'd love to see Franchione here, but I will wait to pass judgment on our next coach until I've seen him coach a season. Until then, in my mind, everyone is fair game.

PlummMeanGreen · October 29, 2010

UNT hired Chuck Neinas to recommend the best coach for our vacancy. If Neinas believes, after researching our candidates, that Canales is the right person for that job, would you still have issue with it? I'm not saying that will be the case - I'm just recommending an open mind. We all seem to have our blinders: It's got to be a 'name' coach or, it's got to be a guy who's built a program, or it's got to be a guy who knows whatever. Frankly, I'd love to see Franchione here, but I will wait to pass judgment on our next coach until I've seen him coach a season. Until then, in my mind, everyone is fair game.

If Neinas recommended Canales and our Prez' and AD second that emotion, then I say go for it.

Yet in light of all our injuries, are we taking a verse out of that old favorite "The Impossible Dream" here?

Granted, we want our team to win every time they tee it up, but for the reason Todd Dodge could not win this year after having come so close to being over .500 last year (but instead having all those 4'th quarter meltdowns); anyway, we might be needing Oral Roberts to come out of the heaven's above, come to MG country and pull off some serious healing. We have some players worse off than many of those Oral used to say he played a part in healing. :blink:

Can this team beat Troy, MUTS, Kansas State, etc, etc? If we can, we may have wasted our monies on Neinas. I think beating such teams with our team still largely in the MASH unit is asking way too much of Coach Canales, quite frankly, and would be what I would call a most unfair "tease" if we have in deed told him if he can run most of whats left of the table for this season he could have our job. That would not be fair to him and would be an insult in my mind's eyes. I don't think anyone on staff at UNT would insult him by saying such; of course, there is nothing that could prevent them from thinking it' that is, offering him the job if he does pull off the miracle. :rolleyes:

The guy has obvious talents, but sometimes (as we all know) UNT has not been the best labatory for many to develop those talents throught the decades and that a big reason I think we need a tested, tried and proven name HFC who has had some semblance of NCAA FBS success at one time or another. Fair enough? :innocent:

GMG!

Edited October 29, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

untgirl04 · October 29, 2010

If Neinas recommended Canales and our Prez' and AD second that emotion, then I say go for it.

Yet in light of all our injuries, are we taking a verse out of that old favorite "The Impossible Dream" here and expect winning results?

Granted, we want our team to win every time they tee it up, but for the reason Todd Dodge could not win this year after having come so close to being over .500 last year (but instead having all those 4'th quarter meltdowns); anyway, we might be needing Oral Roberts to come out of the heaven's above, come to MG country and pull off some serious healing. We have some players worse off than many of those Oral used to say he played a part in healing.

Can this team beat Troy, MUTS, Kansas State, etc, etc? If we can, we may have wasted our monies on Neinas. I think beating such teams with our team still largely in the MASH unit is asking way too much of Coach Canales, quite frankly, and would be what I would call a most unfair "tease" if we have in deed told him if he can run most of whats left of the table for this season he could have our job. That would not be fair to him and would be an insult in my mind's eyes. I don't think anyone on staff at UNT would insult him by saying such.

The guy has obvious talents, but sometimes (as we all know) UNT has not been the place for many to develop those talents and that a big reason I think we need a tested, tried and proven name HFC who has NCAA FBS success at one time or another. Fair enough?

GMG!

Your hyperbole aside, I don't think we need an Oral Roberts from the heavens or any other location - what we need is an organized coach who understands in-game strategy, can identify and lure in assistants who can teach and motivate successfully, and close the deal with recruits as necessary. I think we can both agree on that. I doubt anyone at UNT has promised ANYONE anything at this point, but I do believe that in order for UNT to have due diligence everyone who is interested should be considered - current staff included. I don't think hiring Neinas is a waste of money unless we completely disregard his recommendation. Regardless of who he recommends, we will have benefited from his expertise.

I can't speak to UNT's ability to allow others to develop their talents, because I think, up until Dodge to some extent, all of the coaches hired have been set up to fail. I do not have the benefit of many years of UNT history to draw from, but in my years reading this board, and with my own observations, I think it's been a very long learning process for our administration. With a few brief exceptions, the administration has been at odds or at least indifferent to athletics up until halfway through Dickey's tenure. The facilities were inadequate, and the pay was not even competitive. Contrasting that with Dodge, I believe that his pay was climbing towards competitive, and the facilities are vastly improved. However, I think the AD should have taken more of a stand in his staff choices (especially the first few years) when it looked like a red flag, but I think RV has learned from that. While employees are ultimately responsible for their own decisions, a good employer will set guidelines and parameters for employees so that they can have the best chance to succeed. I think the biggest mistake with Dodge was that his mistakes (which in of themselves were not fatal) were not corrected fast enough to allow him to recover.

GreenMachine · October 29, 2010

I really think we are making too much out of the possibility of Canales being named our HC. When RV named him interim, would it have made sense to say that there was no way in Hell that Canales would ever be the HC? No. I would bet that if RV asked him to be interim coach with no possibility of being in the running for HC, we would get wiped clean these last remaining games because instead of coaching to win, he would be out looking for his next job. The only way Canales remains employed here is if Leavitt is hired and keeps him on as OC. If Canales wins 4 or 5 games he might get a legitimate shot but I still doubt it. RV was being a politician, saying the right thing at the right time to get the results he wanted, whether he meant it or not.

PlummMeanGreen · October 29, 2010

Your hyperbole aside, I don't think we need an Oral Roberts from the heavens or any other location - what we need is an organized coach who understands in-game strategy, can identify and lure in assistants who can teach and motivate successfully, and close the deal with recruits as necessary. I think we can both agree on that. I doubt anyone at UNT has promised ANYONE anything at this point, but I do believe that in order for UNT to have due diligence everyone who is interested should be considered - current staff included. I don't think hiring Neinas is a waste of money unless we completely disregard his recommendation. Regardless of who he recommends, we will have benefited from his expertise.

I can't speak to UNT's ability to allow others to develop their talents, because I think, up until Dodge to some extent, all of the coaches hired have been set up to fail. I do not have the benefit of many years of UNT history to draw from, but in my years reading this board, and with my own observations, I think it's been a very long learning process for our administration. With a few brief exceptions, the administration has been at odds or at least indifferent to athletics up until halfway through Dickey's tenure. The facilities were inadequate, and the pay was not even competitive. Contrasting that with Dodge, I believe that his pay was climbing towards competitive, and the facilities are vastly improved. However, I think the AD should have taken more of a stand in his staff choices (especially the first few years) when it looked like a red flag, but I think RV has learned from that. While employees are ultimately responsible for their own decisions, a good employer will set guidelines and parameters for employees so that they can have the best chance to succeed. I think the biggest mistake with Dodge was that his mistakes (which in of themselves were not fatal) were not corrected fast enough to allow him to recover.

Of course, I jest with all the Oral Roberts talk. Hope I haven't offended those who are of his faith or pursasion with all the faith healing talk and all.

I believe in most many of our adult lives North Texas has been its own worst enemy. In our alma mater's quest to erase anything that had to do with Hayden Fry's 6 year career in Denton as Athletic Director and HFC, its almost like we were developing a trend in Denton of "how would Hayden Fry "not" do any of this up here, especially now (or back then) that we find ourselves needing to hire yet again." Some of the search committees we've had up there could not have picked out an entire trumpet section in a major city orchestra.

Anyone else ever wonder why we never, never, never talked to Fry's long list of Iowa assistant coaches many of whom left Hawkeye Country to their own successful HFC careers?

Here's A Who's Who From Fry's Coaching Tree That North Texas Never Contacted When We Were Looking:

Bill Snyder (with Fry at UNT and Iowa); revived a half century long dormant Kanasas State football program

Kirk Ferentz – Iowa (1999-Present) Offensive line coach under Fry at Iowa from 1981-89

Bob Stoops – Oklahoma (1999-Present)

Played D-back for Fry at Iowa from 1979-82 (Grad Asst at Iowa in 1983)

Coached for Bill Snyder (Former Fry asst) at K-State from 1989-1995

Mike Stoops – Arizona (2004-Present)

Played D-back for Fry at Iowa from 1982-84

Assistant coach at Iowa from 1986-91

Bret Bielema – Wisconsin (2006-Present)

Played D-Line for Fry at Iowa from 1989-92

Assistant coach at Iowa from 1993-2001

Chuck Long – San Diego State

Played QB for Fry at Iowa from 1981-85

Assistant under Fry and Ferentz at Iowa from 1995-99

Assistant/Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma under Stoops from 2000-05

Jim Leavitt – South Florida

Grad asst for Fry at Iowa in 1989

Assistant at K-State with Stoops under Bill Snyder from 1990-95

Bo Pelini – Nebraska (2008-Present)

Grad asst for Fry at Iowa from 1991-92

Barry Alvarez - no info but had a multi-year and successful career at Wisconsin

Where would UNT be today if all this "Non Hayden Fry Approach" would have been reversed and we had (in deed) hired one of his assistants from Iowa of whom most were successful? Instead, UNT powers chose the revolving door which for all purposes we've had most of our adult life. You finally just lost count of the names and faces that went through our UNT Athletic Dept. doors--top to bottom.

And now back to Canales...with all the names we've seen on this forum of whom some were known to most all by their prior success at the FBS level, I still have to wonder why such interest by some for a coach who has yet to even finish out his first year at North Texas and that as an assistant coach? I've read the board since the beginning of this season and some alums (before the MASH unit visited us) had questioned his ability in play calling. Of course, a losing season somewhat begats that for most every coach on staff.

Our San Diego State poster who now posts regularly seems knowledgeable of college football even concurs that a program like ours with a new stadium soon to open probably needs the "name" coach. He is not that excited about Coach Fran because of what he thinks is a Dickey Ball kind of offense, but wouldn't most of us now take even that if we could find more wins than losses any given seaso--any given long term career in Denton? If Dickey's teams would have even been Top 50 teams, he would probably been able to ride that kind of success and still be our HFC today, but things went south pretty fast his last 2 years.

This hire needs an outsider like Neinas probably more than any we've had--most of us will concur with who Neinas recommends to our Prez and AD and then they will make the final choice.

Edited October 29, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

GrandGreen · October 29, 2010

I really think we are making too much out of the possibility of Canales being named our HC. When RV named him interim, would it have made sense to say that there was no way in Hell that Canales would ever be the HC? No. I would bet that if RV asked him to be interim coach with no possibility of being in the running for HC, we would get wiped clean these last remaining games because instead of coaching to win, he would be out looking for his next job. The only way Canales remains employed here is if Leavitt is hired and keeps him on as OC. If Canales wins 4 or 5 games he might get a legitimate shot but I still doubt it. RV was being a politician, saying the right thing at the right time to get the results he wanted, whether he meant it or not.

No, Canales will do everything he can to win here, no matter what his chances on becoming hc are. He is auditioning for his next job wherever that might be and being an interim hc can only help him unless the team completely deteriorates.

GreenMachine · October 29, 2010

No, Canales will do everything he can to win here, no matter what his chances on becoming hc are. He is auditioning for his next job wherever that might be and being an interim hc can only help him unless the team completely deteriorates.

none the less Canales will NOT be our next HC. Bank on it.