Derek Thompson is a Mean Green Hero

[JesseMartin]

I think there are more people on this board that think he doesn't have an NFL shot than there are people from other schools. Doesn't matter who is right and who is wrong, but it is kind of odd that Derek gets more unilateral praise from outside of the program than from within.

[EagleGreen]

Man, DT stuck with UNT when others were quitting, stayed true to being a tough somebitch when folks were asking for him to be benched, and led the mean green. It wasn't always pretty, but he led the mean green through thick and thin and is now a champion. Great job!

[UNTcrazy727]

Seems like the majority of UNT fans didnt think DT was HOF worthy before the bowl, but since he played a great game suddenly everyone thinks he's sure fire? Sorry, but one game doesn't erase a career of average to below average play. I'm glad he saved his best game for last and I'm happy for him, but he's not HOF in my book. Just because he's a great guy and played long enough to break some of UNT's craptastic (sorry, but true) QB records doesn't mean he should be mentioned as the same caliber player as Orr, Chancellor, or Dunbar. Guys who were game changers and the best at their position in their respective conferences.

Don't take this as hating on DT. I'm glad he came out and proved a lot of people wrong this season, but he just doesnt fit my definition of a hall of famer.

[Green Mean]

Am I reading this correctly? Is the Senior Associate Athletic Director of Athletic Communications taunting his own fan base in writing on the internet? Dude. @eric_capper or however the hell that twatter world works. You're supposed to be better than that. #asshat

Sorry, but the dude's job is communications. That's some sandlot unprofessional bullshit coming from an AD employee whose very job is dealing with the public.

In other news, DT was a freaking warrior and a leader yesterday. The entire experience was amazing. My old legs are pretty tired from all that standing, and I lamented that I had to stand on the train the whole way home. My voice is a little hoarse. Totally freaking worth it.

Bingo.

[GOMG2013]

DT had a UNT HOF worthy SEASON by leading a team to 9 wins, including a bowl victory. But HOF usually looks at total careers.

Edited January 2, 2014 by GOMG2013

[MeanGreenTexan]

Seems like the majority of UNT fans didnt think DT was HOF worthy before the bowl, but since he played a great game suddenly everyone thinks he's sure fire? Sorry, but one game doesn't erase a career of average to below average play. I'm glad he saved his best game for last and I'm happy for him, but he's not HOF in my book. Just because he's a great guy and played long enough to break some of UNT's craptastic (sorry, but true) QB records doesn't mean he should be mentioned as the same caliber player as Orr, Chancellor, or Dunbar. Guys who were game changers and the best at their position in their respective conferences.

Don't take this as hating on DT. I'm glad he came out and proved a lot of people wrong this season, but he just doesnt fit my definition of a hall of famer.

His career numbers and this one bowl win are enough to get him in. He blew Hall's numbers out of the water... granted, Hall played under Dickey... but Hall is in the HOF. Craptastic records or not, DT is either on top, or top 3 in just about all of them, and that means something.

[GrandGreen]

Not sure Capper should have publicly expressed his view given his position, but he absolutely had a point. Thompson like any other QB has his ups and downs, but has been criticized very unfairly by many fans on this board.

[oldguystudent]

Not sure Capper should have publicly expressed his view given his position, but he absolutely had a point. Thompson like any other QB has his ups and downs, but has been criticized very unfairly by many fans on this board.

We here at UNT have a history of AD employees giving a big FU to the fan base. I believe the last was named Darrell.

You can say FU to haters. I can say FU to haters. We can BE haters. But we are not the paid face of the programs whose job it is to promote players to various entities and glad hand the people who write the checks for those players to be.

You can scream to me all day and all night about accountability with coaching hires, fedex snafus, slow response time to emails, funky phone systems, but you do not publicly berate your customer base in writing. Unprofessionalism defined.

[cdizzle86]

It wasn't just limited to DT. Everybody in the athletic dept. has been criticized as of late, and up until the end of this season, it was justified. If Capper doesn't like fans having high expectations, then he can go to SMU.

Edited January 2, 2014 by cdizzle86

[UNTcrazy727]

His career numbers and this one bowl win are enough to get him in. He blew Hall's numbers out of the water... granted, Hall played under Dickey... but Hall is in the HOF. Craptastic records or not, DT is either on top, or top 3 in just about all of them, and that means something.

His career numbers are very average if you compare him to the rest of the nation. In his 3 years of starting he averaged 2475 passing yds per year, adjusted QBR 46.5 (below average) and a TD/INT ratio of 13.6/12.6. That's not going to move anyone's needle outside of UNT.

The fact that DT is so high in the record books shows how bad our history at QB has been, not that he's a great QB. I can't put someone in the HOF just becasue he's a tough player and started for 3 years.

[Eastwood Eagle]

His career numbers are very average if you compare him to the rest of the nation.

It is the UNT HOF not the NCAA HOF. I'm not sure why you would compare him to players not a UNT, you need to compare DT to other QB at UNT and if you do that, he should be in the HOF. If you compared our HOF to other players in the NCAA, we would likely have small HOF.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Eastwood Eagle

[forevereagle]

His career numbers are very average if you compare him to the rest of the nation. In his 3 years of starting he averaged 2475 passing yds per year, adjusted QBR 46.5 (below average) and a TD/INT ratio of 13.6/12.6. That's not going to move anyone's needle outside of UNT.

The fact that DT is so high in the record books shows how bad our history at QB has been, not that he's a great QB. I can't put someone in the HOF just becasue he's a tough player and started for 3 years.

If we are arguing that whether he belongs in the North Texas HOF, doesn't our poor history elevate his chances? We aren't comparing him to the rest of the QBs in the nation, but recognizing his contributions to the North Texas Athletic Program. Given that he had the best bowl game in the history of the program, that seems to play in his favor. He owns most of the major passing records. The fact that he started three seasons also is a significant contribution. There are very few in the history of NT that have started that many seasons. Like it or not, he made a lasting impact on the NT football program. I think he cemented a place in the HOF with a gutsy performance yesterday.

I think DT is a HOFer, but I still don't believe that he should be a first ballot inductee. That should be an honor that is saved for only the truly elite players in NT history.

[Army of Dad]

It is the UNT HOF not the NCAA HOF. I'm not sure why you would compare him to players not a UNT, you need to compare DT to other QB at UNT and if you do that, he should be in the HOF. If you compared our HOF to other players in the NCAA, we would likely have small HOF.

Yes, but comparing him to his modern day peers would help to account for playing in a different era than previous UNT QBs.

[BillySee58]

Yes, but comparing him to his modern day peers would help to account for playing in a different era than previous UNT QBs.

Must resist agreeing with you. Can't. Agreement level too high.

Can we talk about his HOF candidacy later? Still got plenty of time to enjoy this win and his heroic and solid performance.

Edited January 2, 2014 by BillySee58

[MeanGreenTexan]

His career numbers are very average if you compare him to the rest of the nation. In his 3 years of starting he averaged 2475 passing yds per year, adjusted QBR 46.5 (below average) and a TD/INT ratio of 13.6/12.6. That's not going to move anyone's needle outside of UNT.

The fact that DT is so high in the record books shows how bad our history at QB has been, not that he's a great QB. I can't put someone in the HOF just becasue he's a tough player and started for 3 years.

You're talking to a guy who was on the fence about DT even starting this year until he was actually named the starter for the Idaho game. I've been pretty critical of him during his career. Like Forevereagle said above, he can't be compared against Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel or something. He's compared against other Mean Green greats. I think he compares favorably. I guess we'll see in about 10 yrs.

[BillySee58]

You're talking to a guy who was on the fence about DT even starting this year until he was actually named the starter for the Idaho game. I've been pretty critical of him during his career. Like Forevereagle said above, he can't be compared against Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel or something. He's compared against other Mean Green greats. I think he compares favorably. I guess we'll see in about 10 yrs.

I think giving it a little time is what will determine whether he is or not. If the team struggles to replace and we cannot replicate the success of this season then that would honestly improve his chances.

[forevereagle]

Yes, but comparing him to his modern day peers would help to account for playing in a different era than previous UNT QBs.

Does it? Stats can tell you a little about performance, but always leave out at least half of the story. Individual statistics never tell you about who was on the other end of the ball (for QBs) and who they were playing against. It has always bothered me that we measure WRs by number of drops, but a QB gets that counted against them. Doesn't that saddle the QB with the WR's negative stat? It benefits QBs who have WRs that don't drop passes or that play in systems where they throw high percentage routes or that play against teams with DBs who aren't very good. There are so many variables that a comparison to your contemporaries is just as problematic as a comparison to players of a different era.

I think giving it a little time is what will determine whether he is or not. If the team struggles to replace and we cannot replicate the success of this season then that would honestly improve his chances.

So if it turns out that the coaches were able to recruit and develop a player to fill the spot and that player performs well, somehow DT was not as good? I don't think that the next QB should have any impact on whether DT makes the HOF.

[BillySee58]

So if it turns out that the coaches were able to recruit and develop a player to fill the spot and that player performs well, somehow DT was not as good? I don't think that the next QB should have any impact on whether DT makes the HOF.

If statistics are used as the primary factor in whether or not he will get in, then if the next qbs come in and do better than 14/11 td-int ratio and 24.5K yards a year then it might not help his case from a statistical standpoint. But he has a lot more going for him than just statistics.

[PlummMeanGreen]

DT/#7 !

I was country when country wasn't cool...I was for DT/#7 when that wasn't cool around here, either.

Q. Coach, talk about the performance of Derek Thompson at quarterback.

COACH HAUCK: Yeah, in fact we had all their games this season obviously, and we watched them all. It was in my mind his finest performance of the year. He took some good shots, we hit him, knocked him down, roughed him up, he got right back up and did a nice job. He's not only a good player, he's a tough player. Frankly in previewing film during the season, I didn't think that he could do what he did today, and kudos to him.

Edited January 2, 2014 by PlummMeanGreen

[forevereagle]

If statistics are used as the primary factor in whether or not he will get in, then if the next qbs come in and do better than 14/11 td-int ratio and 24.5K yards a year then it might not help his case from a statistical standpoint. But he has a lot more going for him than just statistics.

Statistics are great, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Our next QB will have a few, what look to be, stud freshman WRs coming in that DT didn't have. Stats from year to year are interesting, but never tell the whole story. If the defense isn't as good as this year, our next QB may have to play from behind more and need to throw more, inflating his stats over where DTs were this season. It is a good thing that DT will not only be judged on stats, because those don't give you the whole narrative on how someone played in their time at NT.

[BillySee58]

Statistics are great, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Our next QB will have a few, what look to be, stud freshman WRs coming in that DT didn't have. Stats from year to year are interesting, but never tell the whole story. If the defense isn't as good as this year, our next QB may have to play from behind more and need to throw more, inflating his stats over where DTs were this season. It is a good thing that DT will not only be judged on stats, because those don't give you the whole narrative on how someone played in their time at NT.

I agree. That's why I said he has more than just stats going for him. Although I wouldn't be so quick to brush off the talent DT had to throw to. Chancellor and Smith were very good and Harris was a solid slot. Maybe the freshman turn out good next year, but these receivers did their job of getting a lot of YAC (chancellor and Harris) and making some sweet acrobatic catches (Smith).

Those guys got open all year, and the line gave DT time all year. We were able to surround DT with the cast to have a successful passing game and it helped him lead us to 9 wins. We just didn't always have to throw it 40 times a game to win, as you said.

Edited January 2, 2014 by BillySee58

[UNTcrazy727]

Statistics are great, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Our next QB will have a few, what look to be, stud freshman WRs coming in that DT didn't have. Stats from year to year are interesting, but never tell the whole story. If the defense isn't as good as this year, our next QB may have to play from behind more and need to throw more, inflating his stats over where DTs were this season. It is a good thing that DT will not only be judged on stats, because those don't give you the whole narrative on how someone played in their time at NT.

Let me spin this the other way, if DT doesnt have our stellar defense and special teams carrying us to a 9-4 record does he make the HOF? I don't think so.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Personally, I think HOF talk is waaay premature, either way. There's a reason why players aren't eligible for any HOF immediately after their playing careers end.

Whether or not he makes the UNT HOF, he will go down as a football hero.

[forevereagle]

I agree. That's why I said he has more than just stats going for him. Although I wouldn't be so quick to brush off the talent DT had to throw to. Chancellor and Smith were very good and Harris was a solid slot. Maybe the freshman turn out good next year, but these receivers did their job of getting a lot of YAC (chancellor and Harris) and making some sweet acrobatic catches (Smith).

Those guys got open all year, and the line gave DT time all year. We were able to surround DT with the cast to have a successful passing game and it helped him lead us to 9 wins. We just didn't always have to throw it 40 times a game to win, as you said.

Not discounting those two, but the freshman are different types of receivers, so we can't really say how they will be used in the offense and what impact they will have and how they will change what the new QB will be able to do.

Let me spin this the other way, if DT doesnt have our stellar defense and special teams carrying us to a 9-4 record does he make the HOF? I don't think so.

The same could be said for a lot of players. If their defense allows a lot of points, it doesn't really matter how well they play, the team loses. How bad would you like the defense to be in order to make your point? You cannot really quantify how much less "stellar" the defense and special teams would be before DT isn't able to make up the difference. Sure makes it easy to make the statement that DT is not good enough to overcome a situation you created in your mind that you cannot prove and no one else can disprove.

[KRAM1]

Just cue the music with "How Do You Like Me Now", and recall the 9-4 record. Lots of years and teams and QB's between this year's 9-4 record and the last time we saw something anywhere near 9-4.

Justify it any way you like, but DT was the QB of the 9-4 Bowl Champion Mean Green of 2013 (and one day of 2014). And, did I mention that he was Bowl MVP playing on a dislocated kneecap?

Enough for me. I'll let history and the experts determine the rest!