What Should The Fans Expect From Canales

Green Mean · November 3, 2010

He's got room for 1 loss. It can be either game...but preferably it will be the KSU game for obvious reasons. If he ends the season only losing 1 game then he should be a serious candidate in my book. Maybe not the top one but he has to be the final discussions.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Green Mean

PlummMeanGreen · November 3, 2010

As odd as it sounds, I agree with the Plumm on this one, sans his polychromatic script.

I appreciate what Coach Canales is doing to resurrect what has been another dismal season in Mean Green Country. Canales may be an outstanding guy, and eventually a very promising potential head coach, but now is not the right time at North Texas.

North Texas needs to be able to sell potential ticket buyers that there will be real change from the embarrassing results they have witnessed and followed in the newspapers for the last six years. "We fired Todd Dodge but promoted his assistant because he beat a horrible Western Kentucky team and had the team playing well against a couple of other Sun Belt schools" just doesn't cut it. The change needs to be much more evident, and hopefully noteworthy in that it's somebody who will generate interest outside gomeangreen.com, and nobody from the current staff fits the criteria.

I will say that Coach Canales has seemed to inspire the team during that Western Kentucky game, and seems to be quite popular with many of the players and fans. Hopefully he will keep performing well and will have strong consideration to remain as Offensive Coordinator on the next coaching staff. Coach Canales is one of the main reasons that I find head coach candidate Jim Leavitt so intriguing. Those two have proven that together they can build a winning program.

And who knows what the future holds.....Canales could eventually be hired as the head coach at another school, or he could eventually inherit the head coaching position at North Texas.

Anyway, whoever it is, I want the new North Texas head football coach signed, on site, evaluating talent, building his staff, and starting the recruiting process before this football season ends. Waiting until after the season to evaluate and offer candidates is not an acceptable option.

Well, odd at North Texas and moreso with some on this forum is having the audacity of wanting to see North Texas duplicate some semblance of an era of Mean Green football that beat some notable name football schools and even get what used to be Top 20 rankings.

If those are odd or way out there thoughts, then let me be the oddest of all. I can handle it--I've handled much worse; but you are absolutely major "spot on" with your thoughts. I only wish all the others who I know feel the same would post their similar feelings on this subject since we know our Athletic Director does check in on this board from time to time. Of course, he or anyone else would only needs to see Harry's New Coach Poll results to understand what the majority on this forum really feel needs be our next direction.

I defer to the signature at the bottom of this post and will until we hire the right person during a very unique time in our school's athletic history; that is, with a once in a lifetime debut of a new football stadium coupled with what we all will hope to be the right coach to complement this golden opportunity to make a huge splash in DFW and the Lone Star State. I think the criteria for wins, being a PR type of coach, marketing across the state at NT alum get-together, helping our UNT powers find a Corporate Sponsor, etc, etc, would be a tall order to any possible name coach with proven NCAA FBS success. The fact that UNT will be asking very much from this new HFC I think is a given.

North Texas will not have this unique kind of hiring opportunity coupled with a brand new stadium ever again in any of you younger alum's lifetimes since we are hardly known to build new college football stadiums that often in Denton.

Edited November 3, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

NorthTexan95 · November 3, 2010

Two thoughts for Plumm ...

1. I don't count Canales as from a "perennially losing football". He's been the offensive coordinator for a lot of very good teams and he's only been here for half a season. The "stank" of losing hasn't attached itself to him yet.

2. You can hire "big name coach" and sell more tickets for a year or two. However, if he doesn't work out ... and there's no guarentee "big name coach" will work out ... then we're right back in the same spot in a year or two. In fact, if "big name coach" does fail then we're probably in a worse spot than we are now.

There's a lot of great reasons for hiring "big name coach" but selling tickets is way down on the list. We would be MUCH better off five years from now with "no name coach" developing a winning team who can win OOC than by hiring "big name coach" who flounders for five years.

I still think Canales is a long shot at this time. He's gonna have to get this team on a roll ... have the money boosters get behind him ... and have the "big name coach" decide he's not interested or demand too much. However, there are other "no name" coordinators out there we should consider. You can't just place all your hopes on Leach, Levitt, or Franchione coming because they may not be an option for us.

PlummMeanGreen · November 3, 2010

Two thoughts for Plumm ...

1. I don't count Canales as from a "perennially losing football". He's been the offensive coordinator for a lot of very good teams and he's only been here for half a season. The "stank" of losing hasn't attached itself to him yet.

2. You can hire "big name coach" and sell more tickets for a year or two. However, if he doesn't work out ... and there's no guarentee "big name coach" will work out ... then we're right back in the same spot in a year or two. In fact, if "big name coach" does fail then we're probably in a worse spot than we are now.

There's a lot of great reasons for hiring "big name coach" but selling tickets is way down on the list. We would be MUCH better off five years from now with "no name coach" developing a winning team who can win OOC than by hiring "big name coach" who flounders for five years.

I still think Canales is a long shot at this time. He's gonna have to get this team on a roll ... have the money boosters get behind him ... and have the "big name coach" decide he's not interested or demand too much. However, there are other "no name" coordinators out there we should consider. You can't just place all your hopes on Leach, Levitt, or Franchione coming because they may not be an option for us.

"Whoa Nellie" to quote former ABC TV college sportscaster Keith Jackson; but this thing is not a "Plumm thang'" at all but a North Texas "don't screw up another hire" thang' instead. Please check Harry's Poll which was most heavily voted on by posters to go for a name coach since the day after TDodge was fired and Harry put that poll on this board. Now that may change in a few days once the Canales vote-Castors get a bunch more votes in his column, but that is fine and most democratic.

TRY THIS EXPERIMENT, NorthTexan95... replace "big name coach or "known" coach with "unknown project coach" in each place you put the former and see what you have except one helluva' very angry UNT alumnus base who gets very pissed at UNT leadership for hiring yet another unproven project that didn't work like all the other ones type of a possible scenario? I think those who voted in Harry's poll for a "name" coach want the project coach experiment at North Texas to end and to end soon so we can get a new coach on the recruiting trail.

Deep Fry'd: Fry recruited players his first recruiting winter at UNT with players who helped beat Tennessee in his 3'rd year at UNT; he also beat other notable schools that same season--again, his 3'rd season. He tied for a conference championship his first year at North Texas. Who could make as quick a recruiting impact as a name coach with strong Texas ties? An unknown commodity would have to blow off his first recruiting season in a state like Texas where North Texas is not on the minds of many HS kids these days.

One ex Mean Green football player posted earlier today the question of "do we even know if Canales is a good recruiter"? Can we gamble on a 4 or 5 year contract of such a hire to find that out in a brand new football stadium to boot? No, we can't this time around in our school's football playing history. Can you imagine more bad recruiting to put in that new football palace that debuts next Fall? God help us all and especially those who want to keep the "project coach" experiment going at North Texas. I just don't see Rick V doing this with the stakes as high as they are. He's a pretty smart and savy kind of AD which has mostly been my thoughts of him except when he would give contract extensions to those who were not successful enough even at UNT to see those final extension years through.

UNT hasn't had a known coach coupled with being a well known to the state of Texas coach since Fry. He had his own blemishes coming in from SMU but his clone would be most welcome today with a much larger UNT constituency but now with a new stadium--this would have been a ready made miracle fixin' to happen for one like Fry but we know that is me just dreamin' more "odd" type stuff, right?

Edited November 3, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

SilverEagle · November 3, 2010

Here are my questions.

If Leavitt hadn't been fired at USF (a school that zoomed past us and is now in the B-East), as the OC of that program would we consider Canales a big enough "name" to go after?

How did Canales recruit against the other B-East schools? How about the other Florida schools?

Does anyone not think that his experience at USF was valuable in that he was part of building a very successful program, and as a result, might have a few good ideas about rebuilding our program?

And finally a comment.

Just because Canales was not hired for HC jobs that he applied for doesn't make him unacceptable as a candidate here. I looked it up, and Bill Snyder's FIRST EVER HC coaching gig was Kansas State. Before that, he was an assistant at every school that he had coached at, including Austin College, where he was OC right before he joined Hayden Fry at NT. He was OC for Hayden Fry from 1976 until 1988, when he was hired (at age 49) to be the HC at Kansas State.

I seriously doubt that anyone of the local KS fans thought that Snyder was a "big name".

GrayEagle · November 3, 2010

WOW! Plumm is back in living, bold, larger than standard text color!

To be honest, I don't care if Football Jesus is available, if Canales can prove he can win AT NORTH TEXAS, he should get the job. 2 wins won't cut it. 3 wins is iffy. If we win all our remaining conference games, I strongly put him in the running. If he won out, you better give that man the job. Once upon a time Gary Patterson and Chris Peterson weren't very sexy either.

Those two examples hardly apply here. Gary Patterson took over from Dennis Franchione at TCU after the Frogs had gone 25-10 under Franchione. Chris Peterson followed Dan Hawkins who had a record of 53-11 in his five years at Boise. Both had established fan bases.

What Plumm is saying is there's more than just having a good coach. Getting a coach with a name known to the alumni, community, potential donors and potential recruits is vital this time. That name results from having done major deeds in the FBS.

If it were up to me I would pick Leach, Franchione, Leavitt, either Bowden, and Kragthorpe (maybe another or two that I can't think of right now) before I'd consider Canales.

I do not mean to take anything away from Canales. I've enjoyed this last week and the way he's handled the job. Bear in mind that he beat WKU, a team that accounted for half of Dodge's winnings.

Even if he did the almost impossible and wins out he still belongs behind the above list. He has made a great start but at this stage it's just a start. His competition has been much further down that road.

LongJim · November 3, 2010

One of these Texas FBS (and FCS) schools is not like the other:

Previous HC Experience:

A&M--Mike Sherman, Head Coach: Green Bay Packers/Asst. HC: Houston Texans
TEXAS--Mack Brown, Head Coach: App. State/Tulane/North Carolina (MNC)
UTEP--Mike Price, Head Coach: Weber State/Washington State/Hired at Alabama (1st Rose Bowl in 60 years at WSU)
Tceh--Tommy Tuberville, Head Coach: Ole Miss/Auburn (~MNC)
UTSA--Larry Coker, Head Coach: Miami (MNC)
Baylor--Art Briles, Head Coach: Houston
Rice--David Bailiff, Head Coach: TSSM/DC, TCU
Houston--Kevin Sumlin, Asst. HC: Texas A&M
The last UNT Head Coach with ANY experience as a Head Coach at an FBS level football team was Hayden Fry.

Make of this what you will. UNT will soon be the 3rd largest university in Texas. Just ask yourself: Does UNT belong in the list above?

Is UNT serious about putting on its big-boy football pants? Finally?

Edited November 3, 2010 by LongJim

SilverEagle · November 3, 2010

Those two examples hardly apply here. Gary Patterson took over from Dennis Franchione at TCU after the Frogs had gone 25-10 under Franchione. Chris Peterson followed Dan Hawkins who had a record of 53-11 in his five years at Boise. Both had established fan bases.

What Plumm is saying is there's more than just having a good coach. Getting a coach with a name known to the alumni, community, potential donors and potential recruits is vital this time. That name results from having done major deeds in the FBS.

If it were up to me I would pick Leach, Franchione, Leavitt, either Bowden, and Kragthorpe (maybe another or two that I can't think of right now) before I'd consider Canales.

I do not mean to take anything away from Canales. I've enjoyed this last week and the way he's handled the job. Bear in mind that he beat WKU, a team that accounted for half of Dodge's winnings.

Even if he did the almost impossible and wins out he still belongs behind the above list. He has made a great start but at this stage it's just a start. His competition has been much further down that road.

And all of those guys didn't do it at NORTH TEXAS.

Anything that Canales does, he's doing it at North Texas. That's much different than doing it at any of the schools that the list of coaches above had coached at.

Sometimes we don't get it. We are North Texas and we don't see ourselves in the same way as others because we have always been in our culture.

Edited November 3, 2010 by SilverEagle

jimmyjames_99 · November 3, 2010

Is there the possibility that RV brought in Canales this season as an opportunity to get an upclose look at what he could do as OC and HC (if he was hedging his bets on releasing Dodge mid-season)? I thought it was interesting at the time that Canales would move to Texas for a 1yr turn as an OC on a very down FBS team.

:ph34r: (can't forget this)

MeanGreenTexan · November 3, 2010

Is there the possibility that RV brought in Canales this season as an opportunity to get an upclose look at what he could do as OC and HC (if he was hedging his bets on releasing Dodge mid-season)? I thought it was interesting at the time that Canales would move to Texas for a 1yr turn as an OC on a very down FBS team.

(can't forget this)

No. Dodge brought Canales here.

untjim1995 · November 3, 2010

One of these Texas FBS (and FCS) schools is not like the other:

Previous HC Experience:

A&M--Mike Sherman, Head Coach: Green Bay Packers/Asst. HC: Houston Texans
TEXAS--Mack Brown, Head Coach: App. State/Tulane/North Carolina (MNC)
UTEP--Mike Price, Head Coach: Weber State/Washington State/Hired at Alabama (1st Rose Bowl in 60 years at WSU)
Tceh--Tommy Tuberville, Head Coach: Ole Miss/Auburn (~MNC)
UTSA--Larry Coker, Head Coach: Miami (MNC)
Baylor--Art Briles, Head Coach: Houston
Rice--David Bailiff, Head Coach: TSSM/DC, TCU
Houston--Kevin Sumlin, Asst. HC: Texas A&M
The last UNT Head Coach with ANY experience as a Head Coach at an FBS level football team was Hayden Fry.

Make of this what you will. UNT will soon be the 3rd largest university in Texas. Just ask yourself: Does UNT belong in the list above?

Is UNT serious about putting on its big-boy football pants? Finally?

Don't forget another Texas school---SMU hired June Jones after he took HAWAII to a BCS bowl

PlummMeanGreen · November 3, 2010

Those two examples hardly apply here. Gary Patterson took over from Dennis Franchione at TCU after the Frogs had gone 25-10 under Franchione. Chris Peterson followed Dan Hawkins who had a record of 53-11 in his five years at Boise. Both had established fan bases.

What Plumm is saying is there's more than just having a good coach. Getting a coach with a name known to the alumni, community, potential donors and potential recruits is vital this time. That name results from having done major deeds in the FBS.

If it were up to me I would pick Leach, Franchione, Leavitt, either Bowden, and Kragthorpe (maybe another or two that I can't think of right now) before I'd consider Canales.

I do not mean to take anything away from Canales. I've enjoyed this last week and the way he's handled the job. Bear in mind that he beat WKU, a team that accounted for half of Dodge's winnings.

Even if he did the almost impossible and wins out he still belongs behind the above list. He has made a great start but at this stage it's just a start. His competition has been much further down that road.t

Can you imagine the uproar among the entire UNT community if we hired another project we know nothing about how he'd recruit in the state of Texas? (The next few weeks of this football season will not give us the answer to that major question, either. Who we do hire needs to salvage this years recruiting and at North Texas only a name coach would have that chance.

Unfortunately, most on GMG.com who are truly pushing for Canales for our job have never seen the effects a name coach can have on a program or bring to the banquet table. It would be a complete mind-changer for many on GMG.com if this happens with many who would say, "why in the hell didn't we do this a long time ago but rather keep doing what we saw was not working at UNT?" :no:

Recruiting, You Say? Lets say you have a Texas 3 or 4 star recruit in your home and a total stranger with no HFC background or prior NCAA FBS success comes in your home wanting to recruit your kid for a football program that has had 6 losing seasons in a row? Then said unknown coach gets asked by family members "so what program were you at last season when Coach Dodge was getting fired in Denton? Oh, ..........did I actually hear you say, uh, North Texas. We'll get back with you, Coach. Nice to have met you. :blink:

So is it worth gambling again on such a project hire? Especially when he would be given at least a 5 year contract to do what most other projects have done at North Texas which is not win many games and forget any chances for future nationally ranked standings.

Those of our holy tribunal who would collectively come up with such an unknown project coach (which most of us don't think they would now touch with a 10 foot pole) might still have to go hide in a mountain cave in Montana to avoid the fallout among the MG Nation for yet another failed project hire in Denton, but what the heck, the upside is they might find Bin Laden in one of those caves. :rolleyes:

Canales is probably the best assistant coach since the invention of sliced bread, but as GrayEagle posted, there will be many, many more things he would be asked to do other than calling offensive plays. North Texas official know they can't mess up this hire by taking such a huge gamble.

I think the right name coach (preferably with Texas recruiting ties) would help North Texas fundraisers close a deal with a Corporate Sponsor which means a sponsor who will shelve out $30,000,000 for our new stadium's naming rights but even then, our new HFC will be asked to do so much more.

New North Texas Head Coach Poll Results As of Today:

Still a marked difference of the "name coach" total votes versus the up and coming assistant coach votes.

Jeff Bower (13 votes [4.42%]) Percentage of vote: 4.42%

Mike Leach (103 votes [35.03%]) Percentage of vote: 35.03%

Dennis Franchione (43 votes [14.63%]) Percentage of vote: 14.63%

Mike Canales (34 votes [11.56%]) Percentage of vote: 11.56%

Kevin Wilson (5 votes [1.70%]) Percentage of vote: 1.70%

Steve Kraigthorpe (4 votes [1.36%]) Percentage of vote: 1.36%

Jay Norvell (3 votes [1.02%]) Percentage of vote: 1.02%

Up and Coming Assistant (12 votes [4.08%]) Percentage of vote: 4.08%

John L. Smith (3 votes [1.02%]) Percentage of vote: 1.02%

Terry Bowden (15 votes [5.10%]) Percentage of vote: 5.10%

Jim Leavitt (59 votes [20.07%]) Percentage of vote: 20.07%

I still defer to the signature below.

Edited November 3, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

wardly · November 3, 2010

How can you guys use 'effort' as a barometer to evalutate Canales' resume? Our players gave effort under Dodge. You could point to maybe a few quarters where effort was brought into question but for the most part I feel we were giving effort. That effort just didn't result in wins. For me, I need to see wins. The last two years have been filled with effort that results in a close loss. I need to see that change. Maybe it's Xs and Os, maybe it's an inspiring and passion filled halftime speech, or maybe it's decision making in critical moments. Whatever it is it should end with a W.

We may not have as much talent as Troy or MUTS or Kstate. But aren't we looking for a coach who can get us some wins when we're expected to lose? Aren't we looking for a recruiter who can walk into someone's home and point to some signiture wins he's had?

I'd love for Canales to lead this team into our new stadium. But I need to see more than just effort.

do you think any so called name canidates could beat troy and k.state at home, mtsu and monroe on the road with this years crippled team? i don't think so. so why demand coach chico do it?just asking.

MeanGreenTexan · November 3, 2010

do you think any so called name canidates could beat troy and k.state at home, mtsu and monroe on the road with this years crippled team? i don't think so. so why demand coach chico do it?just asking.

Dodge was held to that standard. He couldn't do it, so his termination was justifiable.

Why not Canales? Are you worried that he cannot do it? Why don't we just wait and find out if he's up to that challenge or not?

If he's a good coach and can get the guys on the team to respond to him, then they'll win. In that scenario, PLEASE give coach Canales a very serious look.

If he cannot, they'll lose 3 or more and we need to look elsewhere.

PlummMeanGreen · November 3, 2010

Dodge was held to that standard. He couldn't do it, so his termination was justifiable.

Why not Canales? Are you worried that he cannot do it? Why don't we just wait and find out if he's up to that challenge or not?
If he's a good coach and can get the guys on the team to respond to him, then they'll win. In that scenario, PLEASE give coach Canales a very serious look.
If he cannot, they'll lose 3 or more and we need to look elsewhere.

Forget Kansas State...but why use a very weak Sun Belt Conference remaining schedule as the bell weather or barometer to hire our next HFC at the University of North Texas. We have college football fans from other higher profile Texas universities laughing at us for considering any of this, folks. You ask a Texas Ex or TTech ex would their school even think twice about doing the same. A TCU friend of mine can only shake his head. :no:

Whoever we hire at UNT will be asked to beat teams much better than SBC teams year in and year out. Even La Tech fans expects to beat higher profile OOC schools and they have done better at this than we have the last 15 or so years. Check their record of doing such--it will make you envy the Bulldogs (who BTW we have to recruit against in Texas every year). Do you think the La Tech's of this world want us to hire a name coach? The far-reaching effects of our hiring a name coach might make the 'Dawgs feel it would diminish any chance they have to get in CUSA if UH and UTEP leave that league leaving 2 very big openings. Neverthelesss, this hire will effect UNT in so many ways.

Question: What are the present national rankings of all SBC football teams as of today? It's not going to look too pretty once you see what they are. We are a better school than to use this throw-together (still a) bottom-feeder league as a basis to hire anyone in Denton.

GMG!

Edited November 3, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

Got5onIt · November 3, 2010

Not a knock on Canales, but I don't think anyone on this staff should be considered.New stadium, new staff, new head coach. Now if the new HC interviews the current staff and decides to keep a few, then that's his decision. This program needs a PR boost to go along with the stadium opening.

Cr1028 · November 4, 2010

Those two examples hardly apply here. Gary Patterson took over from Dennis Franchione at TCU after the Frogs had gone 25-10 under Franchione. Chris Peterson followed Dan Hawkins who had a record of 53-11 in his five years at Boise. Both had established fan bases.
What Plumm is saying is there's more than just having a good coach. Getting a coach with a name known to the alumni, community, potential donors and potential recruits is vital this time. That name results from having done major deeds in the FBS.

If it were up to me I would pick Leach, Franchione, Leavitt, either Bowden, and Kragthorpe (maybe another or two that I can't think of right now) before I'd consider Canales.

I do not mean to take anything away from Canales. I've enjoyed this last week and the way he's handled the job. Bear in mind that he beat WKU, a team that accounted for half of Dodge's winnings.

Even if he did the almost impossible and wins out he still belongs behind the above list. He has made a great start but at this stage it's just a start. His competition has been much further down that road.

3 points:

1. Are you saying that if USF had continued to be successful without Leavitt hitting a player that Canales had no shot at getting the head gig there when Leavitt moved on? I had never heard of Chris Peterson until the Fiesta Bowl win over OU regardless of what Dan Hawkins did there. Gary Patterson was also not on many radars until the last couple seasons when they and Boise end up racing to the BCS.

2. Only 2 of the guys listed are not unemployed in the middle of the college football season. Those two that are employed are at schools below the FBS level.

3. So you are saying that someone that proves he can win out AT NORTH TEXAS with a beatup team(I feel this is highly unlikely but that is not the point of the argument) is a lesser candidate than someone who is unemployed and has not proven they can win AT NORTH TEXAS? Wins put butts in the seats, not names. That big name optimism wears off after the first few losses. I'm guessing you would rather have a falling star than one on the way up.

I don't give a crap who coaches the team, I just want to win! Don't put your "we need a big name to be succesful like other programs" crap out there. Your saviors Leach and Leavitt had never been head coaches until the gigs they got fired from.

Cr1028 · November 4, 2010

One of these Texas FBS (and FCS) schools is not like the other:

Previous HC Experience:

A&M--Mike Sherman, Head Coach: Green Bay Packers/Asst. HC: Houston Texans
TEXAS--Mack Brown, Head Coach: App. State/Tulane/North Carolina (MNC)
UTEP--Mike Price, Head Coach: Weber State/Washington State/Hired at Alabama (1st Rose Bowl in 60 years at WSU)
Tceh--Tommy Tuberville, Head Coach: Ole Miss/Auburn (~MNC)
UTSA--Larry Coker, Head Coach: Miami (MNC)
Baylor--Art Briles, Head Coach: Houston
Rice--David Bailiff, Head Coach: TSSM/DC, TCU
Houston--Kevin Sumlin, Asst. HC: Texas A&M
The last UNT Head Coach with ANY experience as a Head Coach at an FBS level football team was Hayden Fry.

Make of this what you will. UNT will soon be the 3rd largest university in Texas. Just ask yourself: Does UNT belong in the list above?

Is UNT serious about putting on its big-boy football pants? Finally?

Mike Price-UTEP: - Overall 39-39 Conference 25-26 has clearly equaled his success at Washington State

David Bailiff-Rice: - Overall 15-22 Conference 12-12 TSU is not "FBS" and DC at TCU is on par with OC at USF

Kevin Sumlin-Houston - Overall 21-12 Conference 14-5 Assistant HC is just the OC or DC they don't want to jump ship a la Will Muschamp at Texas or Jason Garrett for the Dallas Cowboys- Sumlin was a fantastic hire with no HEAD coaching experience

I wonder who coached at Houston before Sumlin was there? Could it have been someone with only 2 years coaching running backs at the college level? Someone that was just a high school coach prior to those 2 years? No, no way that could be.

Edited November 4, 2010 by Cr1028

Cr1028 · November 4, 2010

I will say that Coach Canales has seemed to inspire the team during that Western Kentucky game, and seems to be quite popular with many of the players and fans. Hopefully he will keep performing well and will have strong consideration to remain as Offensive Coordinator on the next coaching staff. Coach Canales is one of the main reasons that I find head coach candidate Jim Leavitt so intriguing. Those two have proven that together they can build a winning program.

Hiring Leavitt and asking Canales to be demoted back to OC would be a slap in the face IMO.

SilverEagle · November 4, 2010

Hiring Leavitt and asking Canales to be demoted back to OC would be a slap in the face IMO.

I agree. Coach Canales is treating this gig as a serious audition. If the team performs noticably better under him, and he is passed over, then I seriously doubt that he would want to stay on as an assistant......again.

LongJim · November 4, 2010

Mike Price-UTEP: - Overall 39-39 Conference 25-26 has clearly equaled his success at Washington State

David Bailiff-Rice: - Overall 15-22 Conference 12-12 TSU is not "FBS" and DC at TCU is on par with OC at USF

Kevin Sumlin-Houston - Overall 21-12 Conference 14-5 Assistant HC is just the OC or DC they don't want to jump ship a la Will Muschamp at Texas or Jason Garrett for the Dallas Cowboys- Sumlin was a fantastic hire with no HEAD coaching experience

I wonder who coached at Houston before Sumlin was there? Could it have been someone with only 2 years coaching running backs at the college level? Someone that was just a high school coach prior to those 2 years? No, no way that could be.

What's your point? Is it that sometimes a blind squirrel finds an acorn? Good for Briles. He's a good coach. That's one. Sumlin took over what Briles resurrected, so I'm sure not anointing him yet. He's not one year removed from HS ball as was TD, either.

I like what I've seen from Canales. He may well be the best HC in NCAA history. If he takes over UNT, I hope he wins every game and destroys the SBC.

But let's not pretend that there's not a reason programs want to hire a HC with previous HC experience. The point is--does UNT want to make this gamble with what they have at stake right now?

Edited November 4, 2010 by LongJim

Greendylan · November 4, 2010

do you think any so called name canidates could beat troy and k.state at home, mtsu and monroe on the road with this years crippled team? i don't think so. so why demand coach chico do it?just asking.

Well, here's the way I look at it: We have, allegedly at least, some chance at hiring a high profile coach who will create some recruiting advantages and bring some positive national media attention as we move into a fancy new stadium. Canales doesn't have that kind of experience or name, so we are asking him to complete a Hail Mary in order to prove that he should be placed within an elite group. In other words, if he does indeed go 5-0 with a team that had been 1-6, then he will suddenly have the accomplishments to become a pretty attractive coach to not only UNT but probably several other schools.

I think he's actually getting a fairly good deal here. Most coordinators with a similarly solid resume wouldn't even have the chance to throw that Hail Mary pass and prove that they should be considered amongst a list of big time current and former head coaches.

wardly · November 4, 2010

Well, here's the way I look at it: We have, allegedly at least, some chance at hiring a high profile coach who will create some recruiting advantages and bring some positive national media attention as we move into a fancy new stadium. Canales doesn't have that kind of experience or name, so we are asking him to complete a Hail Mary in order to prove that he should be placed within an elite group. In other words, if he does indeed go 5-0 with a team that had been 1-6, then he will suddenly have the accomplishments to become a pretty attractive coach to not only UNT but probably several other schools.

I think he's actually getting a fairly good deal here. Most coordinators with a similarly solid resume wouldn't even have the chance to throw that Hail Mary pass and prove that they should be considered amongst a list of big time current and former head coaches.

three hardest words i ever learned in business were "maybe youre right."

MeanGreenTexan · November 4, 2010

I think a general consensus from most of us is:

Let's see what coach Canales can do and compare with what the other coaching candidates have done/can do. We need a bigger sample from coach Canales. Personally, I think 6 games will be plenty.

I'd love to see him win out and put the coaching search to bed myself. For now, this is still a possibility, but with each loss, his chances will get smaller and smaller.

forevereagle · November 4, 2010

I think a general consensus from most of us is:

Let's see what coach Canales can do and compare with what the other coaching candidates have done/can do. We need a bigger sample from coach Canales. Personally, I think 6 games will be plenty.

I'd love to see him win out and put the coaching search to bed myself. For now, this is still a possibility, but with each loss, his chances will get smaller and smaller.

Too bad we are only getting 5. Unless he gets to a bowl.

Edited November 4, 2010 by forevereagle