Mean_Green09

First off I’m proud of Derek for not pouting and crying about having to fight for his job. Competition never hurt a team or made it worse. In this case I never felt like it divided the team either. Part that was due to the fact that we just don’t know what the other guys can do in a game situation. In the end I felt like it was the best choice to name Thompson the starter. He knows as well as all UNT fans that a big improvement is needed in order for UNT to go to a bowl game. Last year I felt like Thompson wasn’t always put in the best situations and he was lacking some talent around him. That being said I also felt he didn’t quite perform when UNT needed him too. He was too inconsistent at times, missing open wide receivers and also his inaccuracy was a big concern. Let’s hope he has corrected the mistakes and taken his game to another level. I know the most level headed and sane UNT fans are not expecting him to be Superman. All we want is an efficient QB who moves the chains and puts points on the board. If Thompson goes out there and Throws for 2700 yards 17 TD’s, 3 INT’s and rushes for another 3 TD’s and UNT has a winning record, well I think we will all be happy UNT fans. I wish him all the best of luck. Derek you earned the nod now go make Mean Green Nation proud!

They only burn it if he plays.

The North Texas Case: North Texas has gone from a Spread during the disastrous Dodge era to a very conservative Pro Style offense under McCarney. I think the main pulse around UNT fans is that they want to see things spread out a little more, which is understandable after watching last year. But what percentage would you like to see UNT in a spread formation? Do you want it to be 75% of the time? Or are there fans out there who don’t want to see much change other than efficiency? For me I would like to see us just be more efficient. I like the fact that we are different than most teams in CUSA. Seems like 90% of the league would prefer to be a passing spread team. I also like that we have so many Tight Ends. My only hope is that they will used to create mismatches. Use those guys the way Penn St does. Make them a focus on offense and I guarantee our offensive output will go up. My hope for this UNT team is to be run focused with an efficient passing attack. I don’t need to see Derek Thompson put it up in the air 30 times a game. I would like him to stay around 20-25. He needs to be completing 65% of those throws as well and not throwing int’s or missing open guys. My belief is that if UNT is able to open things up a little bit and become more efficient on the offensive side of the ball then having 7-9 wins is not unbelievable. I don’t think we need to go 4 wide 70% of the time to be successful. So which style do you prefer and why?

31-17. Improved passing game from UNT hits a few big plays. The new 4 TE set that you guys have yet to see is unveiled and Idaho can't seem to stop it.

10 Predictions for 2013 We see more than one QB play on August 31st. When you look at the 3 guys behind Derrick they all are running threats. So I can see one of those guys getting one series where we see a little read option action. Derek Thompson throws for 2800 yards 20 TD’s 12 INT’s and rushes for another 3 TD’s. I think the added talent around him will make him a better player. The secondary will be the most improved unit. This year’s secondary will benefit from having to face the fire last year. To go along with the experience UNT also added talent with the likes of Chad Davis, James Jones and Zed Evans. All of those guys look like early contributors. The Wild Eagle will be run by Brock Berglund. Why not? He may be the most athletic guy out there. So he has trouble reading the defense, but you can still find other ways for him to help the team. Put him situations that he can excel like running the ball. UNT will have the best points per game defense in CUSA. I don’t think it’s too outlandish of a thought. I’m going to say that UNT will give up 24 points per game. That will be down from 27 last year. I think one that the defense will be improved and two the offense’s slow pace will help contribute to low scores. The Special Teams will cost UNT a game again. How many times do we see this? Even we appear to have a good special team it always seems to happen. We all remember the Troy debacle. By the end of 3 quarter of the second game Jimmerson will be the featured back. I like Brandin Byrd, but Jimmerson is the best offensive talent on the team. Chancellor is a close second, but Jimmerson to me has the ability to be a first team All Conference Back. He is such a smooth runner and his vision is really tremendous. UNT will turn out being one stop away from being 3-0 to start the season. I think UNT will be Idaho and squeak out a win vs Ball St. However, I think they will lose in a shootout to Ohio. I think UNT will lose because it just could quite slow down the Bobcats rushing attack. There will be no early talk of basketball season this year. One because of the blindside shot we all took last year. Two because the football team will have a chance at being bowl eligible and will be playing rather well. UNT will be 5-5 heading into the UTSA game with a shot at becoming bowl eligible. It will be just what the Dr. ordered a chance to shut those mouth-running cocky fans from down south up! The weather will be perfect, with a slight chill in the air. The stadium will be rocking like it was for Houston in 11’. UNT will unleash some frustrations out. The game will be such a beautiful sight that afterwards we here of UNT offering UTSA money because the game turned into a body bag game.

Top 10 Things I’m thinking 9 days from Kick Off. Is this finally the year UNT breaks its bowl drought? I think we are all hoping for the best. There are always the extreme positive people and then there are the people who think UNT will win 3-4 games. I think I fall somewhere in between. I think this team is going to be improved, but the tougher schedule is going to keep UNT from really taking off. I see this team winning between 5 and 7 games. I just think UNT is missing the really special player who can carry it over the edge. I’m not just talking about a special QB. It could be a QB, RB, WR, or defensive player. The type of player I’m referring to is a guy who you would be talking about drafting in the 1st or 2nd round of the NFL Draft. I’m sorry but I just don’t see that guy on UNT’s roster. Who will emerge as the playmakers? No doubt UNT struggled to make big plays last year. It only got worse when Chancellor went down. UNT is hoping that guys like Jimmerson and Carlos Harris take that next step and become an All Conference player. Who knows maybe one of the new guys like Kidsy will step up and surprise us. Can Derrick Thompson exercise his demons of the past? Thompson is probably the most criticized player on the UNT roster. Deserving or not his play has got to get better and be more consistent. There were times last year when Thompson looked like he was becoming a solid QB and then there were the times when everybody in the stands thought they could have made a better pass attempt. Thompson better show improvement early or he may be shown the bench. Conference USA Impacts. I love the move to CUSA, but I’m more than a little concerned on whether or not UNT will thrive. The tougher schedule and the ability of the current schools to out recruit UNT are at the top of my concerns. UNT has to really get off to a good start or else its going to spend a long time as a bottom dweller. Positive Recruiting. UNT has done a really good job of landing a few talented guys early. Can the undersized and understaffed defensive line hold its own? The good news is that CUSA is a passing league, but I look for UNT to really struggle against Georgia, Ohio, Tulsa, Rice & Middle Tenn. All those teams are going to put an emphasis on running the ball down UNT’s throat. Will the Offensive Line be able to carry over the success from last year? No doubt this unit had a pretty solid outing last year. UNT lost center Aaron Fortenberry so can they find a suitable replacement? Will the unit gel as well. How will UNT look running out of the gun? It’s going to be no shock to see UNT in a bit more spread situations, but how well can the O-Line get a push? To me I see UNT having some troubles being able to establish a push sometimes, because I think it’s hard to go from blocking in a shoe box to blocking out in space. Dan McCarney is he the guy. Don’t get me wrong, Coach Mac has righted the ship here in Denton, but I’m wondering if he is the guy to get UNT over the hump. I’m wondering if he can take us to that next level. I love his openness and honesty, but I haven’t seen the type of recruiting that I would like. I’ve felt like a couple of games too that UNT played it too conservative. While some of that had to do with the talent, I still believe you have to be willing to open it up these days. To me this is the year that will either make or break Coach Mac here at UNT. Young Talent. I’m wondering out of the young guys who UNT has on the team which one is going to be the guy who stands out. Maybe two guys, I certainly hope there will be more than one. I’m going to go outside the norm here of what most people are thinking in Dajon Williams, whom I really like. Instead Im going to pick Turner Smiley on offense and Sir Calvin Wallace on defense. Smiley was really productive in High School and looked smooth. JUCO & Transfer Guys. Now is the time for these guys to start paying off. How many guys has UNT missed on the past couple of years? Its time for a couple of these guys to make a big impact this year. UNT certainly needs them to produce if they want to go bowling. Random College Football Thoughts: Can anyone break through the stranglehold that the SEC has on college football? I sure do hope so. It’s getting quite old in the world of college football. I’m not sure who has the overall talent to really challenge Alabama. I would say that someone like a Stanford has the physical traits to stick with Bama, but the Cardinal are replacing some big time offensive weapons. I’m not buying the Ohio St hype. Don’t get me wrong I like Braxton Miller, but I just don’t think he is a Vince Young / Cam Newton type of player. He is good, but not special. Oregon is replacing Chip Kelly, but other than that they look like they will be flying again. When you look at the Big XII its hard to see a formidable team because they have some sort of big time weakness. If I had to pick one I would go with Texas. If David Ash comes to play this year well the Longhorns might be sitting at 12-0. In the end I really don’t see anyone beating Alabama this year. It’s hard to beat a Nick Saban team. Its damn near impossible when a Saban team has this much offensive power. Sorry College Football looks like another year behind the SEC curtain. I love me some Jadeveon Clowney, but I wish that guy would go hard all the time. He has Jevon Kearse talent. Whoever is picking number one in the NFL Draft next April is going to have a hard time passing up this guy. That is unless someone needs a QB which there looks to be many. I will go on record as saying the breakout players of the year are Daje Johnson, Texas and Jameis Winston Florida St. Breakout team of the year is Marshall. Can guys like Frank Beamer & Mack Brown revive their programs? Its going to be hard for Beamer to get it done without a big year from Logan Thomas. Mack on the other hand is facing quite a bit more pressure. My bet is on Mack Brown to last a few more years, because Major Applewhite is going to save his program again. Beamer will be gone after this year. Can we please get another play by play guy on ABC instead of Bret Mustyburger. I don’t want to be looking live at is face anymore. He is just creepy now. I love Lee Corso and the headgear every Saturday, but his time is up too. Its time for someone else to don the Buckeye Nut. My choice would be Frank Caliendo. May not be the best sports mind, but his entertainment would trump that. I thought it was poetic justice that Johnny Manziel wasn’t the first team all SEC QB voted on by the coaches. Instead he was second team. I would have gone with A.J McCarron. I mean what more could ask of the guy who has two national titles under his belt. Speaking of the Aggies, anybody else think they are in for a down fall this year? I don’t know how all the drama wouldn’t effect this team. Don’t compare this to the Cam Newton situation at Auburn either. Cam was way better at handling is off the field issues. I’m ready for the Aggies to turn on their QB. Finally ONE WEEK TO KICK’OFF BABY! Here We GO! Go Mean Green!

I don't fault anyone for hoping for better QB play. I to know we need to see improved play from our QB. What I fault people for is thinking just because DT won the job that we are worse off.

No I don't. I give credit to the best player. I trust myself and scouting ability to determine who gives my team the best chance to win. Based upon what I've seen from all our QBs I understand the choice for Thompson. Had I been allowed in practice and been able to watch film I may have a different opinion. I trust Coach Mac and Canales to make the right choice as should you.

You already know that their is a talent difference from Tony to Kyle. No matter how well Orton practiced an NFL coach and personnel dept. should be able to see determine who the best player is. Plus they already have in game evidence to help in their decision. That doesnt even compare to what we have going on at UNT. If you go by in game evidence well then Mac's choice is even more clear.We have only seen the in game evidence from DT. What evidence do you have to say with a certainty that one of other QB's is a better option than DT? Prove the case to me that UNT is better off with another QB not DT. Prove to me that it equals more wins. Prove to me that one of those other guys is a better option. I dont think you can. DT has earned his right to be the starter. The job wasnt just handed to him because he was a senior. He had to earn it this time around. Im hoping he proves all the critics wrong on Aug 31st. I'm not saying that the potential shouldnt be intriguing, but it shouldnt be used to determine who is the starter. Potential is a scary word to toss around.

Yeah not sure there is anything to smoke out of that comment. I refuse to agree with any meltdown before seeing the team play. I refuse to agree with the fans who believe that DT being labeled as a starter at this point of the season is a reason to believe we will lose more games than we win. This season does not hinge on DT alone. He may show huge improvement, but if we dont see improvement from other areas well then it wont matter.

Not that I’m shocked at this point, but with less than two weeks before opening kickoff. I’ve become a witness to the meltdown within the Mean Green fan world. As soon as the words were uttered out of Coach Mac’s mouth that Thompson was the leader in the QB race the volcano erupted. Mean Green Nation went into overdrive. Let the bashing begin! The extreme pessimism has reigned supreme on this board. I would like everyone to take a HUGE step back at this point. Quit acting like the sky is falling because the guy you HOPED for is not the starter at this point. Let’s face it as soon as there was mention of the young talented freshman having a shot as the starter many people latched on to that hope. They ran wild with it. I don’t think many people are viewing this QB race as helping decide which player best helps the team win. I think many people hoped this race would provide something other than Thompson to be the starter. They needed to hear that Berglund or Williams was the leader in order to restore their hope in the upcoming season. To me that’s crazy talk. It’s not really hard to see why Thompson will end up starting. He was the best option to win now. He was the best QB in practice and in scrimmages. He was the most consistent. He has the most playing experience. Consider all your other options are based on potential. How can you as a coach go into your locker room and tell the team well player A won is going to be the starter because we think he MAYBE a star someday down the road. I’d be pretty upset as a player. I don’t want a coach to make a desperate decision based on potential. I want the guy who is gives us the best chance to win to be our starter. I want to trust my QB. We as a fan base chose our guy based on potential. We’ve seen Thompson for the past couple of years and have written him off because of one reason or another. So we turn our eyes and our thoughts to new blood in hope that they can deliver the goods. Well perhaps that in this case those new guys haven’t been able to deliver the goods on a consistent basis. If you are sitting there thinking that Coach Mac is the type of guy that coaches not to lose and that’s what he bases his decisions on, well you are out of your mind. You are so far lost its quite funny. Oh yeah we chose Thompson because we feel he gives us the best chance to not lose the game. Ha Ha that would be a great comment for an opening week press conf. We chose Thompson because he is a senior leader, who understands what we want out on the field and has showed us that he can accomplish that on the most consistent basis out of the group. The team really trusts him and responds the best to him when in the huddle. For those of you who are concerned about the Idaho game. Well you should be, and I hope our team is as well. Take nothing for granted. What I’m not concerned about our players being prepared. I know the coaches will have them ready to go. Right now there is no reason to meltdown. It’s not like Tom Brady was our starter and just went down for the year. We haven’t even hit the field against another team yet! Why not take a deep breath and watch us against Idaho first before you tie the cement brick to your ankle and jump off the deep end. You might be pleasantly surprised come August 31st.

I think this program is in a position where it has to go with the guy that gives it the best chance to win. You cant look to the future this year there is too much at stake. If we are sitting at 0-6 then ya play a guy for upside. I really think that the decision will come down to DT or Dajon. Brock has just not played enough in the past couple of years to make me believe that he can turn it on so quickly. In all honesty I think most people including myself believed he would have already claimed the starting job. The fact that he hasn't makes me hesitant to believe he can win the job at this point. Either you can play or you cant, if none of these guys establishes themselves as the leader and QB of this program well then we are looking at a disappointing year. I wonder how many times in his career has Mac started a true freshmen QB.

When you watch him play two things stand out. 1 He is accurate. I'd be willing to bet he is more accurate then the 3 other QB's. 2 He is a playmaker. He has the ability to make something out of nothing. Like Chico said he brings something to the table that the other guys just don't. Plus he fits with what I believe UNT wants out of the QB position. They are looking for someone who is accurate, wont turn the ball over, has the ability to make plays with their feet, and can throw the deep ball. He does need to work on ball velocity a little bit, but to me its not that big of an issue. He showed enough arm strength to fit some throws in tight spaces. He has all the tools to be a BCS level QB. Plus he looks good in green! Does he have enough time to overtake the other 3 guys. Well I think that remains to be seen. Would you guys feel upset if he didn't start, but saw playing time with a few packages tailored to fit his abilities? Do you think we as Mean Green fans are blowing this kid up as the savior of the program? I mean in the last 48hrs he has become a household name. How many of you guys honestly thought he was this good back when he signed in Feb? How many of you thought he could be the eventual starter back when he gave his verbal? I think a lot of the Dajon Williams buzz has to do with us being a QB starved fan base. We haven't had a decent one in a decade or so. So we tend to latch ourselves on to what ever hope presents itself. The other part of the buzz is caused by Dajon himself. Its one thing to be a primetime recruit and to come into a university and have to live up to the hype. Give Dajon credit for making this a 4 QB race. He didn't come to UNT as a highly touted recruit, but he has put in some good work and so far has gotten rewarded with it. I don't know if he will be starting Aug 31, but I wish him all the best because I believe he can really help us

Riley was recruited as an athlete. The only reason he was semi successful was the fact that he could run the ball. That also led to him having to retire because he just couldn't take the punishment.

Browns Defensive Coord. Ray Horton on Craig Robertson: "My ace in the hole. I watched him on film, and he was young, athletic, fast and tough. Then I saw him on the field, I saw the same things. Sometimes, [an undrafted] player falls through the cracks and he falls to you." I'm a huge Browns fan so I love seeing this UNT alum performing at a high level for my guys.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/7/9/4456448/college-football-2013-conference-champion-predictions-projections Conference USA East: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 East Carolina 1.76 7-1 2 Marshall 2.72 4-4 3 Middle Tennessee 3.67 6-2 (Sun Belt) 4 Southern Miss 3.83 0-8 5 UAB 5.33 2-6 6 FAU 5.38 2-6 (Sun Belt) 7 FIU 5.88 2-6 (Sun Belt) West: Predicted order of finish Average standing prediction 2012 conference record 1 Tulsa 1.59 8-1* 2 Louisiana Tech 2.11 4-2 (WAC) 3 Rice 3.76 4-4 4 UTEP 3.94 2-6 5 North Texas 4.7 3-5 (Sun Belt) 6 UTSA 5.82 3-3 (WAC) 7 Tulane 5.94 2-6 Conference USA Championship, Dec. 7: East Carolina at Tulsa Last meeting East Carolina 51, Tulsa 49 (2010) Series record Tied, 5-5 2013 F/+ ranking Tulsa 59, East Carolina 74 Conference USA championships Two each Last Conference USA championship Tulsa 2012, East Carolina 2009

#32 is Reggie Pegram. Berglund is #4 and the starting QB. Jimmerson is the 3rd string RB. Brelan is rated at 76 with 89 speed. # 87 is Terrell. #86 Miller is the FB.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes fans cant handle the truth. We werent good last year and we havent been for sometime. That all can change and I'm optimistic it will. Its a defeated attitude when you think your upcoming season is a wash, not when your talking about last year.

I refuse to say anybody is good at this point because no one has played a game yet. Is Rice good? I dont know, but they can be. Are we better than Rice? Won't find out till we play them. Was Rice a better team then us last year? Yes that is a fact. No matter how weak the schedule you still have to go out and excute during the games. I don't think we were very good at excuting when it mattered last year. We let some opportunites slip away. Oh well!. Its time to move on. I think UNT can beat Rice this year, but it sets its self up on PAPER to be a tough match-up for us. We still don't have a proven QB they do.

What does comparing schedules with last year have to do with watching this years team? You intially wanted to know why Rice was being favored over us by our fans and the media. Which its pretty easy to see why. I believe we could have beaten either UTSA, So Miss, UTEP, or Memphis. Not Kansas or Tulane.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2013/7/2/4488632/tv-williams-announcement-kentucky-wildcats-nebraska-cornhuskers Sounds like we are out of the race.

Their two top prospects are outta stater’s too. They were able to go down to South Carolina and New Jersey and pluck away some guys. What's more surprising is comparing their recruiting class from last year to ours. I'd say they would have been ranked higher. Here's a question: I know that we have tons of talent right here in Texas, but do you feel that we may be able to do just as well recruiting out of state? I mean we can't do any worse. Recruits here don't know to much about UNT anyways just like the out of state kids.

UNT young? No we've been young for the past two years. This is an experienced team with exception of a few positions. They are most likely the most experienced team in CUSA. Well now looking at it they will be like the second most experienced team in CUSA behind Rice (86% of their lettermen returning). Anyways I would rather have experience over youth. If we had their schedule with our team last year I could see us winning 3 games. They were just better than us plain and simple. They won a bowl game. So why wouldn’t you pick them over us? What did we do to make me people think we are better than them? Did we out recruit them in the offseason? No. Until we prove it on the field there is no reason other than it being a home game to pick us to win. The great thing about that though is it can all change come August & September. We may prove it. Its just so hard to believe anything this far away from the Rice game.

What does the joining of CUSA mean to you? What are your “Biggest Hopes”? What are your “Biggest Fears”? How many years will it take UNT to win a Conference title? Do you think it will be Mac who leads us to that title or no? To me joining CUSA is a sign of progress for the university. It may not be a tremendous step up in conferences, but the change in scenery comes at the right time for UNT. My biggest hopes are that UNT can start fast. Show that it can compete with these schools and start to win some respect from recruits around Texas. My biggest fear is that we become bottom dwellers for the next 5 years unable to break through. I would also fear that some of the teams in CUSA bolt for other conferences which in turn merges the Sun Belt with what’s left of CUSA. I think it’s going to take 4 years before we win a CUSA title. I believe that in order to do that we need to win at least 6-7 games this year. Winning now will bring in the recruits and start the buzz around the program beyond just GMG. No. I’m hopeful that he gets us back on the winning track though. If he gets us back to a bowl game in 2 years and let’s say we win. I think he walks away. My vote is rent out Major Applewhite for 2 years before he becomes the HC of UT. I think we need someone that is fiery, energetic, innovative, but also appeals to the recruits. What are your thoughts?

Got a lot of people in here who CLAIM to know basketball. Well at least they are acting like it. Tony Mitchell had top ten athletic ability. He was a freak of nature. He was a great rebounder and leaper. Someone who could finish with authority around the rim. Beyond that he didnt have much of an offensive skill set. He wasnt a guy who could take you off the dribble. Didnt really have much of a low post game other than jumping above everyone to get a shot off. He suffered from being the main offensive focus when he clearly wasnt capable of handling that. He thrived in year 1 because he had shooters to help relieve pressure. He was scoring a lot on fast breaks and put backs. Not in a true isolation fashion. Year 2 struggled without the help of shooters. New coach didnt use him the right way. Suffered a motivational letdown because of lack of wins. NBA organizations werent willing to roll the dice on a kid who didnt dominate all the time when he should have. If we as fans had questions about his motor then why would and NBA owner and coach want to pay that kid guaranted money? You wouldnt. In the end he could turn out to be a steal for the Pistons. If he puts his mind in the right place. Its not like he is going to go play on a winning team right away. You hope for UNT and TM that he can turn the light on. All this ill-will for Benford is a waste of time discussing. He is not the reason that TM dropped out of the top 20. Stop your crying. The year is over it wasnt what it was supposed to be we all know that. Time to move on.