Mean Green 93-98

Thanks, GreenBat. Congratulations, Casey!

It surprised me that Coach Dodge said he was only looking to sign one DT.

Absolutely--a chill went down my spine.

Any chance you could post the text of the article?

I strongly disagree. He was definitely one of our better O-line prospects.

This story is a bunch of bunk. Here is the link to the website for the Rogersville Review. You're welcome to see if you can find any mention of this story there. I might add that Mike Williams is the sports editor for the Rogersville Review, not Gary hampton.

Great point. And we have yet to lock up a kicker.

A follow-up question: How much easier will it be to raise a little less money for a decent, practical stadium versus raising more money for a jaw-dropping awesome stadium that will excite fans--and donors--more?

That's what happens when a recruit commits to a program like UNT instead of Kentucky!

Well, then, as I said, the same could be said of Todd Dodge and all his offensive coaches (except Leftwich). Todd Dodge has never been a head coach at the college level before this year. He has been head coach of a ludicrously successful Texas 5A high school football program, but so has Ron Mendoza been DC of a ludicrously successful Texas 5A high school football program. If you want to attack Mendoza based on past credentials, you have to discredit Todd Dodge on the same basis.

I assume you mean "no proven experience in such a role at the college level"? The same could be said of Todd Dodge, and every one of our offensive coaches.

I have never been a huge Michael Vick fan. Nonetheless I, for one, hope that his repentance is genuine; and that he comes back and lights up the NFL a changed man.

Vick sentenced to 23 months in federal prison for dogfighting Dec. 10, 2007 CBSSports.com wire reports RICHMOND, Va. -- Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison Monday for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy that involved gambling and killing pit bulls. The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback could have been sentenced up to five years by U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson. Vick, who turned himself in Nov. 19 in anticipation of his sentence, was wearing a black-and-white striped prison suit. After Vick apologized to the court and his family, Hudson told him: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you." "Yes, sir," Vick answered. Vick acknowledged he used "poor judgment" and added, "I'm willing to deal with the consequences and accept responsibility for my actions." Federal rules governing time off for good behavior could reduce Vick's prison stay by about three months, resulting in a summer 2009 release. Before the hearing started, Michael Vick's brother, Marcus Vick, sat with his right arm around their mother, comforting her as she buried her head in her hands and wept. Vick pleaded guilty in August, admitting he bankrolled the "Bad Newz Kennels" dogfighting operation and helped kill six to eight dogs. He has been held at a jail in Warsaw, Va., since he voluntarily began serving his sentence. In a plea agreement, he admitted bankrolling the dogfighting ring on his 15-acre property in rural southeastern Virginia and helping kill pit bulls that did not perform well in test fights. He also admitted providing money for bets on the fights but said he never shared in any winnings. Falcons owner Arthur Blank called the sentencing "another step in his legal journey." "This is a difficult day for Michael's family and for a lot of us, including many of our players and fans who have been emotionally invested in Michael over the years," Blank said. "We sincerely hope that Michael will use this time to continue to focus his efforts on making positive changes in his life, and we wish him well in that regard." At a news conference after pleading guilty last summer, Vick apologized to the NFL, the Falcons and youngsters who viewed him as a role model and vowed: "I will redeem myself." Court papers revealed gruesome details about Vick's dogfighting operation, including the execution of underperforming dogs by electrocution, drowning, hanging and other means. Those details prompted a public backlash against the once-popular NFL star and outraged animal-rights groups, which used the case to call attention to the brutality of dogfighting. Vick was suspended without pay by the NFL and lost all his lucrative endorsement deals. Two of Vick's co-defendants were sentenced Nov. 30. Purnell Peace of Virginia Beach got 18 months, Quanis Phillips of Atlanta 21 months. Another co-defendant, Tony Taylor, will be sentenced Friday. The case began in April when a drug investigation of Vick's cousin led authorities to the former Virginia Tech star's Surry County property, where they found dozens of pit bulls -- some of them injured -- and equipment associated with dogfighting. Vick initially denied any knowledge about dogfighting on the property. He changed his story after the three co-defendants pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government. By 8 a.m. Monday, about 50 people were in line outside the courthouse waiting for the doors to open. About two dozen animal rights activists stood across the street holding posters showing injured pit bulls and the messages, "Report Dogfighters" and "Dogs Deserve Justice." "We want to make sure the focus on the animals in this case isn't lost," said Dan Shannon, spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Julia Novak arrived with her small beagle, Frankie, who wore a sandwich board with the message on one side: "Dogfighters use dogs like me for bait."

The whole gametime experience directly affects attendance. Obviously exciting games that result in wins will bring people (and their friends and family) back more than anything else. But right now, UNT has a stadium that detracts from the gametime experience by being so far removed from everything that takes place on the field. Bring the fans closer to the action, don't make them too spread out, build the stadium so as to contain noise, and make it attractive . . . you can't put a number on it, but there is no doubt that it can impact attendance significantly.

In my short history of viewing the legendary stadium threads on this board, I have generally been solidly in the 40,000+ camp. But a couple posts made by Arkstfan back in summer changed my mind, including the following: If we build a stadium that is never more than half full (except for one game a season when our opponent's fans outnumber us 2-1 at home), it will never create the perception that a ticket to a North Texas football game is a hot commodity. If impressing recruits is such a goal in building a large stadium, think of which is more impressive: a massive stadium that seems empty at gametime, or a decent-sized stadium that absolutely rocks during games. An oversized stadium will be to the detriment of the program in the immediate future. Down the line, if demand is sufficient, the higher-ups will be able to charge a lot more for admission, making justification for an expanded stadium much easier.

Thanks for posting. Looks like he has good closing speed.

I believe in Plumm-ese, the opposite of "old nestors" is not "young nestors," but rather "young gun alumni."

Nobody's making excuses, just stating facts. With the size of our alumni base, we should have no problem raising the necessary funds for a first-rate stadium. But as you can see, we have not raised them yet; and a large part of that is because of the reason just mentioned.

It takes a lot of fans to equal one well-monied alumnus eager to donate to his alma mater. We do not have nearly as much of the latter as does SMU.

This is just plain sick. Students Dress as VT Victims, Cause Outrage It started with a picture on Facebook and has now created a firestorm of outrage. Two Penn State students, dressed as Virginia Tech shooting victims, at a Halloween party have enraged people from the Virginia Tech community, as well as the entire country. 10 On Your Side has seen all of the controversial pictures. They are of two Penn State students and are extremely graphic. Both are wearing Virginia Tech t-shirts and elaborate make-up. Both have bullet holes in their bodies. Our decision not to show you the pictures is a result of our desire to be sensitive to a community that is still grieving. We also want to show respect to the shooting victims, their families, and their friends. Showing these pictures would serve no purpose. We talked with one of the students who wore the costume. He said the outfits were worn to a small party and meant to be private. "It's not that it was funny, it's that we are notorious and infamous in the state college, so we have to do things that push the envelope just for shock value," he said. Penn State officials were quick to respond to the costumes. "We are appalled that these individuals would display this level of insensitivity, indifference, and lack of common decency and sense by dressing up in this manner," the school said. "The fact that one of these individuals is actually from Virginia, makes it even more difficult to understand. Just because something is within the bounds of the Constitution and free speech, does not mean it should be undertaken. We certainly condemn these ugly and senseless actions. Most Penn Staters are as offended by this as anyone from Virginia Tech would be-- and rightfully so. These two people do not represent 90,000 Penn State students. They represent themselves." After seeing the pictures, a Virginia Tech student created a Facebook group called, "People Against This Costume." Some of the upset members have left threatening messages to the Penn State students. "This is a group of college students who now think it's trendy to be upset about their friends being killed," one of the two Penn State students who wore the costume said. "I don't know what they teach people in Virginia Tech, but at Penn State we don't learn to threaten people with murder to teach them that murdering is wrong." He goes on to defend the pictures. "The thing is, everybody's making a big stink about Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech was 32 deaths out of the 26 thousand that happen in America everyday," he said. "That's the problem with college students. They all live in an ivory tower of privilege. They don't understand, when it all boils down to it, it's someone wearing a costume." Reaction from Tech students and Blacksburg residents was disgust. "That somebody would have the nerve to mock [the victims]. They were really good people," said local business owner, Carol Gwin. Gwin knew three of the victims in the shootings and considered them cherished friends. Link to story

I don't know if this is a joke, and I certainly doubt that it is reliable, but the ponyboard is saying that Craig James is going to be their new HC: Link

Red letter? Well, I imagine this stadium will set us back quite a bit, but in the long run it will be good for the university.

That's a strange deadline. Why not shoot for the beginning of the season?

Good call.

Congrats, Giovanni! Also to Casey, Jeremiah, Kelvin, Brandon, and Craig!