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mad dog

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Posts posted by mad dog

  1. 20 hours ago, ColoradoEagle said:

    We've been to five bowl games in the last 8 years. I realize a lot of us want to do better than that, but it's a hell of a difference from the drought of 2005-2012. The only thing that kept me going back then was Johnny Jones.

    We're on an upward trajectory, and I have no doubt that will continue even higher once we move on from Littrell.

    Perhaps on a long enough time scale, you may be right that it's more upward than not. But here's another way to view the same period you just mentioned:

    Average wins: 5.5
    Averages losses: 6.1
    Number of bowl wins: 1
    Number of bowl losses: 4
    Average margin of defeat in bowl losses: 23.5 points.

    To my admittedly uninformed, casual fan eye, this reads to me as a "one step forward and one step back" team that routinely gets housed whenever they play outside a middling-to-low-end G5 conference. Which is, to my understanding, exactly who they have been since I started following UNT football in 2000. Maybe I'm wrong.

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  2. As a very lapsed fan (haven't touched season tickets since Portland State, been to maybe 3 games in the last 5 years), I think the truth of the matter is very simple: we live in a place that values winning. Win a little and you see a bump. Win a lot and you'll see a bigger bump. Win consistently over time and you'll see the biggest bump. But the second you lose, it all falls apart. Inertia only goes one way. It's one step forward and one step back, and has been for decades. Your fan base, generation after generation, is conditioned to expect the bottom to fall out because it always does. Until we consistently win over a long period of time, nothing will change. Just my two cents.

    • Thanks 1
  3. The liability for knowingly hosting events in a structurally unsound facility is enormous.  Stuff like that can even bypass some kinds of immunity and open up to damages, which is where things really start to get painful.  If true, the administration would be much better served shuttering the facility and having games in the gym next door.  Since that's not happening, I'm assuming (hoping?) the structural concerns are either not significant or not valid.  If the data is solid, though, whoever the source is owes it to the people who frequent that building to gather their proof and make it an issue because people's lives are at stake.

    On the upgrades, I'm not sure about ADA, but building code updates are periodically adopted by the city and generally grandfathered unless the footprint of the building changes.  I think I've seen one city attach special use permits to some building uses, which expire during a change in ownership or occupancy.  Then the new SUP would trigger the need to update code.  But in this case, neither the footprint, the owner, or the use is changing.  Unless Denton is doing something really aggressive, or there's some massive retroactively applicable bill that's passed down in Austin, I think the Pit is probably fine on updates for the foreseeable future.

    • Upvote 1
  4. 21 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

    I think the coaches were more hyped for the OL recruits than anyone else.

    As a guy who believes that football games are won by the guys who start the play with their hand on the ground, this is good news for me.  

    For the record, I 100% agree with this sentiment.  However, from my perspective, I thought the WRs inability to create separation was just as significant an issue.  I saw a number of times where Fine had 4-5 seconds to sit back and pat the ball and none of his receivers got open.  Or times where the protection broke down and he's sprinting to the sideline, and no receivers can even work back to the ball to give him places to throw.  I would defer to experts as to whether this is a speed, strength, or technique issue, but if you go 4 wide and give your QB 4 seconds to throw, one of the guys should be open.

    • Upvote 1
  5. I think the body bag game vs. home game payout is an interesting one.  I don't have exact numbers on number of seats per price point, promotions and discounts, or average purchase rates per price point.  However, you can always bar napkin the thing using the most conservative numbers possible and nudging them with some assumptions.

    Apogee's capacity is 30,850.  The highest ticket tier (face value) is $30.  So, assume a sellout with no promotional discounts, all at the highest price point of $30 per ticket.  In that case, the gate would be $925,500.  I don't count MGC donations because I think those are going to be the same regardless of how many home games there are (they may prorate them down if there are fewer home games, but I don't think it's going to be much).  When you assume a more realistic attendance, maybe the highwater average attendance of 21,030 in 2013, that number drops to $630,900.  If you use our average attendance from last year, it's $495,570.  And, let's just say that half the tickets sold are at the lower $10 price point, a realistic number is probably pretty close to $330,380.

    If you buy my logic there (and it may not be worth buying), unless your expenses are a half-million dollars, you're probably coming out way ahead in a million dollar bodybag game scenario.  Financially speaking, anyway.

    I don't work in an athletic office, but I assume there's a very good reason why they schedule them.  The AD and coaches might not like it any more than we do, but until we get a saudi oil baron to sponsor the team, it may be necessary to make ends meet.

    • Upvote 2
  6. First thing for me is to meet with my bosses (Board and President) and get a sense of what their vision for the athletic department is.  Have them paint a picture of what kind of athletic department they want to have.  There's no doubt they want the department to be successful, but success can look like different things to different people.

    Simultaneously, I'd be moving along parallel processes with current students and current and lapsed fans (include lettermen).  Get a couple of focus groups together, pull from various sources and points of view; the only criteria is that they have opinions and be comfortable sharing them.  They need to be ready to bring their own ideas for how to solve the problems they see.  Keep each group to five or six individuals if possible, and make sure I had representatives from marketing, operations, and finance there to field questions and provide their input.  The guiding principle for staff would be to determine how ideas can get done, rather than why they can't.  Nothing is off the table at this point - whittling down happens later.

    Drawing on feedback from administration, fans, and students, create a summary of objectives, goals, and possible avenues of approach.  Include comments from staff on costs, action plans, and lay out all the options.  Take this draft plan back to each of these focus groups and get their thoughts.  Refine as necessary.  Once the plan has a reasonable degree of consensus among all three groups, take a final draft back to the administration.  Have them pass a non-binding resolution to accept and approve the plan of action.

    To my eye, most of the problem with the department's administration is that it is far too insular.  Decisions made in a box without input from stakeholders have considerably less momentum than those made with it.  Closed practices, ninja recruiting, media lockdowns... these are all symptoms of a silo-ed organization that believes that they (and only they) have the right answers.  For my part, I don't particularly care WHO has the idea if it is a viable strategy.  I have felt like the department sometimes talks AT fans, AT students, and AT the BOR, trying like hell to sell them on an idea without ever considering what they all might be feeling.

    This is a partnership, not an autocracy.  It is a conversation, not a hard sell.  It is a story, not an obligation.   The AD cannot do their job without buy-in from decision makers and current and future customers.  Yes, there are procedural, legal, and financial hurdles, but it's better to open your doors and explain them to people instead of barring the doors and complaining about their ignorance.  And who knows, maybe several dozen minds may be able to craft a better solution than one or two.  Go figure.  :)

    • Upvote 5
  7. On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2016 at 4:02 PM, Harry said:

    The current state of our fanbase does not change the fact that all of us hope like hell you can succeed.  We do.  Badly.  Forgive us, but at this point in the game some (not all) of us may need to see some results before we can get back on track.  We need a trend upward for the optimism to rekindle.  We may need to see some competitive, smart football and recruiting before we can start spreading the gospel again.  Our skepticism did not come overnight, but was rather developed over time and in such it will take some time to subside.   We may be less willing to emotionally connect as we were in the past but the embers of that passion are still there...they just need to be stoked. 

    This is exactly what I told the ticket office rep who called and asked if I wanted to renew my season tickets.  The older I get, the greater the demands on my time (and resources).  From family to church to work to the specific programs I graduated from at UNT, I only have so much to give, and each moment and dollar is precious.  I love the school, and want the best for the program, but once they laid down and quit against Portland State, I couldn't justify the expense anymore.  It was kind of hanging on by a thread before that, but that was the nail in the coffin.  I believe that the coach and players have it within themselves to be great, but at this point, the credit is officially shot with me.  It can be earned back, but until I see it happen, I am living my life as though it won't.

    • Upvote 3
  8. What kind of confirmation are you expecting?  A signed affidavit from Smatresk that he undercut his own employee?  Anything else you want to the university to release that it never will?  The PIN number to the UNT endowment debit card?  How about about a blow by blow description from the athletic department about how Mac was fired?  

    Though, in fairness, wouldn't we all like to know how well endowed North Texas is?

  9.  

    I'm glad to know that name recognition is the biggest part of hiring an offensive coordinator.   I never knew that before.  So from a "first year OUTSIDE WIDE RECIEVERS COACH" to an Offensive Coordinator.....   That's the progression, that's the experience, that's the ideal!!!    Good to know that name recognition as the thing we hang our hat on!!!!

     

    now, 100% support to coach Harrell, welcome aboard and let's kick some ass!!!!  I hope I am proven wrong and that coach Harrell, along with Littrell, really is the offensive guru we all want him to be. 

     

    GMG.    Fire RV

    I kinda had the same thought at first.  It seems like an awfully quick promotion.  I hope that's because he's qualified and not just for name recognition.  Although Littrell can probably afford to have a less seasoned OC since he's the offensive guru.  But I agree with others - I would like to see a much more seasoned DC, just to balance everything out.

    • Upvote 2
  10. To me, my list is one item long.  It is nothing more and nothing less than being able to coach kids up that fit his system. 

    I think when you look at every example of mid-majors being able to sustain success, that is the one absolutely critical element.  It's the story of why Boise State and TCU have been able to continue to compete at a high level and others, like UCF and USF burn brightly for a few years and then fade into irrelevance again.  You can hit on a bunch of hidden gems, but without a cohesive system with clear expectations and a coaching staff skilled at teaching and molding players to fit their vision, it won't work long term.

    If we are being realistic (as was this thread's premise), then we must be honest and realize that we are not a premier destination for top recruits, and we never really have been.  Difference makers with lots of choices rarely come here.  That is not to say that they never will, but that's just the reality of it right now.  Expecting Seth Littrell to come in and immediately start raking in 4 and 5 star recruits is setting yourself up for disappointment.  We may get a smattering of 3s, but probably not enough to fill out an entire squad (and that's assuming we hit on all of them).  I'm more concerned with his ability to locate tweeners who fit his system and put them in a position to be successful.  That's how Gary Patterson did it at TCU.

    All the other stuff (season ticket sales, energizing fan base, championships, bowl games) flows simply from winning.  If he wins, those will come.  If he doesn't, they won't.  Having a sparkling personality doesn't mean much without results.  We'd take Bill Belichick's dour grumpiness as long as they're accompanied by victories, right?

    Winning cures all ills, but we won't get there unless Littrell has a vision, and can identify and sell his guys on achieving that vision.

    • Upvote 5
  11.  

    I've pretty much settled into this same place.  You can only take consecutive kicks to the nuts for so long. Maybe a couple of winning season will ignite that rabid fan flame again, who knows.......

    Same.  I used to live and die with the team.  Maybe I should have higher expectations, but it honestly isn't worth the headache and blood pressure spikes.  My hat is off to guys like Silver who have kept yanking the slot machine lever for 30+ years - they are truly something special and God bless them for it.  I love the team, and wish them nothing but the best - I truly hope for better days of competitive football.  But I think there's some old line about things won't change until they do, and that's pretty much where I am at.

    • Upvote 2
  12. UNT pays the fourth-highest salary in CUSA, and that might go up for the next hire. We have a good stadium and are located in DFW, the largest metropolitan area in the South and the No. 5 TV market in the U.S. These are all selling points.

    There's no reason to believe, as you appear to, that nobody good would want this job.

    No, there are certainly positive aspects to the job, as you pointed out.  My point is that turnkey coaches demand top dollar, and we aren't currently equipped to pay it.

    Saying that we have the 4th highest HC salary in the conference is accurate, but misleading.  Coach McCarney's salary ranks 85th out of 121 surveyed schools in this USA today poll.  I would love to see that go up, but even if it increased by 50%, that puts you barely ahead of UL- Lafayette at #71.  And your turnkey guys don't start until much, much higher on the list.

    Short of a Manchester City level cash infusion by Saudi oil barons, you're basically priced out of the kind of name that we could reasonably EXPECT to turn it around.  That's not to say that no one else COULD, but, realistically, the rest of the barrel are going to be gambles.  And if we are going to gamble, why not gamble on a guy who at least knows the landscape and challenges, and still wants the job?

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