MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF

He's throwing multiple interceptions in practice to guys who also were lightly recruited, if at all, by FBS schools. It's a joke. Except Lamar, we are playing a schedule full of teams that are not relying on FCS/Division II offer guys. We have a ridiculously winnable schedule. I just doesn't look like we have the roster to do it outside of a few guys - who were signed by McCarney: Kishawn McClain, Jeffery Wilson, and Turner Smiley.

If this kid is willing to come here, we should take him in a heartbeat. He had a drinking offense - and, wasn't going to be an immediate starter. OU will tolerate alcohol and drug offenses, and assaults on women, from starters. In fact they will even take them from other schools. But, bench guys who drink and get caught - they're done at OU. This is a highly rated recruit and would be the best player on our roster the day he hit town. If OU follows through and gives him a complete release, we should offer him a chance here now.

People are sensitive about SMU Jesus. He's very publicly staked out this position of "we only recruit Texas," and many people here like that...even though the hard evidence has shown that since 1969 only one school in Texas has won an national title outright: Texas in 2005. Personally, if I'm an SMU fan and SMU Jesus doesn't have a winning season in his third year, that's a problem, given what the expectations were when he was brought in. And, knowing that in Year Three of June Jones, the hated Jones was taking the Ponies to their second consecutive bowl game. History is what it is. And, people in Texas overly defend the "Texas first" or "Texas only" approach to recruiting that simply has proven not to work. If you recall, Todd Dodge initially talked that way when he got here. So, my thread quoted a national sports article about George Dunham's rival and our 2017 opponent, SMU's schedule and how favorable it was to them. It was an echo of what the DMN had written earlier in the year here: https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/smumustangs/2017/02/09/smu-releases-2017-football-schedule Perhaps people see SMU Jesus as a foreshadowing of what could happen here - consistently poor recruiting sinking the school even when the schedule is favorable. And, both UNT and SMU have favorable schedules in 2017. If they can't win this year, and we can't...it doesn't bode well for the future... ...and, many people here hate to admit that so early in our new coach's tenure.

Yes. Although, other posters are probably correct in surmising that he's already got a resume to go up. But, let's assume he doesn't want to leave Texas. After all, he said at the outset of his SMU Jesus hiring that there was no need to go outside the state of Texas to recruit. So, playing Devil's Advocate, let's say he's a man of his word and wants to be in Texas recruiting only Texas kids. Who do we have a leg up on? Texas A&M: After Sumlin's initial 11-2 outburst in 2012, A&M has not had another season with a winning record in the SEC, and has gone 8-5 three in a row. He hired Neal Mazzone as OC, but that still didn't get them over 8-5. Another 8-5 and, perhaps, Sumlin gets the heave-ho along with his assistants - and, especially if Tom Herman does well in his first year at Texas. I'd say an SMU fired Morris is attractive to whomever is the next HC as A&M. Texas Tech: Hairgel Hands is circling the drain in Lubbock. He's had Eric Morris as quasi/co-OC since 2013. I'd say any new coach at Tech would love to have Morris on board. CAVEAT: Tech is so stupid, though, they might ignore Morris' failure at SMU and go ahead an hire him as head coach if for some acid-tripping reason a guy like Sonny Cumbie doesn't take (or get offered) the job. Remember, these guys hired obvious mis-fit Tommy Tuberville and woefully unprepared Hairgel Hands after running of Mike Leach for giving Craig James' son the 1950s college football era player treatment. So, you never know. All I can even say about Tech, really, is just, f*ck Tech. TCU: Gary Patterson might be the safest coach in college football if he keeps winning. Certainly, he's now the safest in the Big 12, along with Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State. It would hard to imagine his co-OC Sonny Cumbie not taking the Tech job when Hairgel Hands is fired. Would not be surprised at that point to see Patterson and the Frogs make a play for former rival Morris. Baylor: Matt Rhule is going to be given time. He was a strange hire, with no prior ties to Texas at a school that had pretty much nothing but Texas-tied coaches for decades. He does have one co-OC who played and coached at Tech and Midwestern State in Glenn Thomas. Hard to see much shuffling going on with Baylor's staff in the early part of Rhule's tenure...unless their offense is a complete fartsicle in 2017. Houston: Like Matt Rhule at Baylor, this is Applewhite's first go round. He has an OC in Brian Johnson (not the AC/DC Brian Johnson) that will likely not even be calling plays much. I don't think there's any danger of Houston sweeping in on Morris unless their offense goes titsup in Applewhite's first year as well. Rice: Now, here's an interesting one. David Bailiff at Rice is about to begin his 11th season there. In his first ten seasons, he's posted 56-69 record. Sure, he's only had four winning season in 10 years, but two have been pretty nice 10 wins seasons. But, they've had two losing seasons in a row and won fewer games season over season three years in a row(10 in 2013, 8 in 2014, 5 in 2015, 3 in 2016). It's not a pretty trend. So, does Rice pull the trigger and fire Bailiff if he fails to win for a third consecutive season? He survived three losing seasons in a row from 2009 to 2011 after posting the 10-2 record in 2008. He's had the same OC since 2011. If he loses and survives, does he part ways with some assistants? If so, surely Morris is attractive to him. And, again, as with the A&M and Tech situations, I think Morris is an attractive OC candidate to any new Rice coach. UTSA: Frank Wilson...personally, I think something dirty is going on with their recruiting, but have no proof, and neither does anyone else...YET! Anyway, their OC is well-traveled Frank Scelfo. Scelfo does have experience coaching in Texas at the high school and JUCO level...but that was in the early and mid-90s. If Wilson wins again and is hired away by a bigger school, I think the new UTSA coach would be very interested in Morris. In fact, i'd go out on a limb and say that if SMU loses again and Morris is fired, UTSA would probably still consider him a head coaching candidate. Hey...isn't Charlie Strong a head coach again, the very next season after f*cking up his Longhorn job? Yes. Yes, he is. Morris' last Texas HS coaching gig was at Lake Travis, just up the road a piece, as we say in Teas, from UTSA. Okay...a good piece of the road. But, you get my point. Even a fired Chad Morris is attractive to UTSA. North Texas: I've preached before that we are not in a vacuum. Yes, we are getting an IPF. But, having an IPF is no longer a game changer. And, as Syracuse and Minnesota have proven, it never really was. It's like a new car stereo - nice to have, but does nothing for the actual performance of the car. If Littrell f*cks around with 4 to 6 wins again with this easy schedule in 2017, it will surely be because the offense is shooting blanks. If we can't win more than six this year, and the offense displays the same uneven performance (good one half, bad one half) as 2016, I don't know why he'd keep Harrell. Unless, of course, behind his simple, country-guy coach façade is nothing but another Big Southern Dummy football coach. At that point, yes, Morris is an improvement...and, a very welcome one. However, it is far-fetched to think about it. Or, is it? You've had Texas hire two coaches in a row with no strong ties to the Lone State state. And, Littrell, really was on very few people's radar before we hired him out of the ACC. At that point, he hadn't coached in Texas for eight seasons. Morris to UNT would be a moon shot but...we did land on the moon - in most people's minds. I'm tired of typing, so I won't go through the rest of the Texas schools. Let's just suffice it to say that Tom Herman's OC is probably going to stick for more than a year. And, the remaining two Texas FBS schools - Texas State and UTEP...both would be pleased as punch to have Morris as either the head coach or OC. It's just that, as much of a long shot as it would be to see Morris come here if fired, it would be really weird to see him in San Marcos or El Paso as anything but the head coach.

...he should be fired: 14. Advantageous schedule, part VIII: SMU doesn’t leave the DFW Metroplex until Oct. 7 and doesn’t leave the state until Oct. 21. https://www.yahoo.com/sports/40-schedule-observations-college-football-season-162333703.html Sept 2: SFA Sept 9: US'N Sept 16: @ TCU Sept 23: ARKANSAS STATE Sept 30: CONNECTICUT Oct 7: @ Houston Oct 14: BYE WEEK Oct 21: @ Cincinnati Oct 27 (Friday Pie Day): TULSA Nov 4: CENTRAL FLORIDA Nov 11: @ Navy Nov 18: @ Memphis Nov 25: TULANE Seven home games, including six of the first nine. Only one instance of back-to-back weekends on the road. If SMU Jesus can't go bowling with this...back to the OC role somewhere. If SMU leaves September 2-3 or worse, throw dirt on them and SMU Jesus.

I partially agree. However, as stated before, you don't hire guys in who say, "We're going to do the same job as the guys before us did." When you make a new hire - following a fired, losing coach and coaching staff - you are expecting better, not the same. If we were winning, and a coach and his assistants were hired away? Yes, then it would be fine to hire a guy who say, "We can do the same as the guys who were here." At some point, I suppose (because it hasn't happened with us), you get a coach and coaching staff in who dramatically change the direction of the program. These guys are not it. It's not that they are bad coaches. It's just that they have shown themselves to be no different than the prior coaches regarding recruiting. And, recruiting is the most integral piece of the puzzle. Whether you believe it's the Xs and Os or the Johnnys and Joes that make you successful, you do have to have the Johnnys and Joes in order to execute the Xs and Os. So... ...again. Because it's not a vacuum, you have to pay attention to what everyone else is doing. If more schools than not in your conference are getting more FBS-ready recruits year in and year out, it's not good for your school. And, that's what is still happening to us. That is why we have excuse threads with one of these themes: (1) "They were overlooked, and our coaches are smart for offering them first"...as though no other coach in America sees game film or holds camps. (2) "We're taking the Gary Patterson approach"...using an obvious outlier as an example while ignoring dozens upon dozens of other coaches who failed when they couldn't recruit to the proper playing level. (3) "We're recruiting the guys that fit our schemes"...because, of course, no one rated higher would be able to "fit our scheme," right? It's only the low or unrated guys who are ever called, "fit our scheme" guys. If you have one or two of these "overlooked/Gary Patterson/fit our scheme" guys per class, that would be one thing. But, when you get year after year where that's the majority...you are digging a hole for yourself at this level, because you are constantly waiting on guys to develop while your opponents are plugging guys in who were ready to play when they signed. I'm just at that point, 28 years this year, of watching it happen over and over again to us.

Dog park...for very small dogs?

Composting?

Because the coaches who recruited and coached those guys are no longer on campus. Plus...Littrell and his coaching staff. They are what they are on the recruiting trail: Simon/Dickey/Dodge/McCarney equivalents. So far, with very few exceptions, unimpressive.

Asian Jasmine?

I'm beginning to agree. With each new mega apartment complex that goes up here, Frisco is beginning to be a mini-Houston...which sucks to no end. Too many apartments now. Too many traffic lights. And, a city council in full denial about overbuilding/density. All the markings of a big city whored out fully to developers wrapped up in a city of just over 150k. If the kids weren't deep in with school friends, sports friends, and church friends, I'd have already moved. Frisco was good two to three years ago. But, they've gone full apartment developer whoring. Used to build neighborhoods. Now giving huge chunks of land to apartment developers. Awful. Plus, strip shopping centers now being built in front of existing strip shopping centers. Again, it's becoming like a mini-Houston. City councils, planners, and developers never learn. (I take that back about developers. It's not that they don't learn. It's just that once they get their tax credits, they don't really give a sh*t what happens to the cities they overpopulate/overdevelop. The only earthly beings as soulless as developers are true communists.)

Yes. But, I don't have the ability to go to all games due to kids soccer/football/baseball. And...the school gets more money per ticket if I buy at the gate on game day. Once the kids get older and on a regular schedule of games that don't fall on Saturdays, we'll buy season tickets again. Son is now in middle school, so most of his games will be during the week from here on out; although, baseball is scheduled all over the week. Daughter's soccer is still mainly Saturday afternoons...with at least one always in the evening. Yuck. Hate the Frisco does that. But, there are still a sh*t ton of kids that play soccer here, so they squeeze the games in all hours (which has f*cked up the fields, by the way...but, that's a different topic).

Thanks, Mark. Will try to have the family at this one - pending future soccer and football practice schedules.

Wish he was going in with at least one former player. But...good enough as it is. Overdue.

Yo...when you buy a ticket in - so far - you can pretty much sit anywhere. It's empty in many places. We buy at the gate and sit in the best available empties. That will change, of course, if we ever start consistently selling out games. But, it's a pretty universal strategy for going to games at stadiums you know won't be full.

All I ever expect is 6-6. Anything above that is gravy. But, we've only been at 6 or more four times - three with Dickey, once with McCarney) over the past 22 seasons; so...the recruiting speaks for itself across five different coaching staffs now.

Year 28 here...You pups missed out on the I-AA days.

Really? Who was the head coach when the players were signed? Do we also say that Frank Wilson gets no credit for signing his first class? How about Tom Herman at Texas? Does he get credit for the guys he signed in February? You see how ridiculous that is? But, many here accept that low standard here now: every coach gets pass the first year. Sign a subpar recruiting class? Not his fault; first year. Have a losing season? Not his fault; first year. Maybe the new helmet logo should be "Not His Fault" in script. Sorry, man. Been at it too long. No more excuses in my book. The hired Littrell to do the job from day one not in the second year, or third year, or some other year on down the line. The fact is, this will be his third signing class, and it's not looking different than the first two - or any of the other 20+ since 1995. The only difference, really, between Littrell on the other former head coaches is that our new AD decided lowly ranked recruiting classes and APR bowl qualifications warrant a $1 million a year paycheck. Some of you believe it is "Mean Green" to keep falling for the same bullsh*t year after year, coach after coach. I'm just done with it. Quit making excuses and win. Recruit FBS-ready players. We have the facilities now, the coaches are being paid well. No more excuses.

Fine isn't a bust; he's just too small to play quarterback at this level on a consistently high level. Same as Riley Dodge, he's a great athlete who would be a greater contributor at WR/Returner if we had another viable QB on the roster. With Dodge, we did have another viable QB, but he walked away...or, saw the writing on the wall. People will disagree about which it was. I think it was a little a both, and have always been disappointed that Giovanni Vizza didn't just hang on and gut out his time here. In my opinion, as things worked out, he'd have been the starter again due to Riley's injuries. We don't run a complicated offense. If our receivers can't get open, defenses simply will shadow Fine and continue to punish him when he pulls the ball down and runs. And, like Dodge, he'll be beat up by year's end every season. Dodge was so beaten that he only lasted three games at McNeese State once he transferred down to FCS. We really need another QB to step up so Fine can be used in a position where he can use his athleticism to help the team. During the C-USA media days, Littrell lamented the WRs not getting open enough. My guess is, Fine would be a more disciplined and shifty route runner than the guys we had at WR in 2016. I believe his former days as a QB would make him a smarter WR as well, more apt to understand the timing of a play and innately knowing when he might need to break off a route and get to a place where a pressured QB can be helped. This is the type of little thing that can't really be taught. A guy has it or he doesn't. Fine seems to me like a gamer and student of the game who would bring that quality to WR that we haven't had, really, since JQ was confounding opponents over at Fouts.

Hey...at least he stuck it out and graduated from ASU instead of quitting, so he could transfer to an FBS instead of an FCS or Division II. He had classwork to do and did it.

...on the recruiting trail here in Texas: http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1109&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1110&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1111&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1112&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1114&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1113&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1115&path=football http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1122&path=football Eight of the ten field coaches for Bowling Green are either former Texas college coaches; most, like head coach Mike Jinks, came directly from Texas Tech. Add in the strength and conditioning guy as well: http://www.bgsufalcons.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1124&path=football So, basically, BGSU has become like a 13th Texas college competing for Texas preps.

NOTE: The reason there aren't more kids we've offered going to FCS/Division II schools is that the are committing to us when we offer them. As stated before, they'd obviously be crazy to not take the best offer they have. The other kids are taking the offers they have. So, if I'm sitting there with an offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State and North Texas, I'm going to North Texas. If I've got an offer from North Texas and LSU, I'm going to LSU. Those numbers don't mean anything. What counts is, who are you getting versus who your future opponents are getting? If our conference mates and regional opponents are outdoing us every signing day, it doesn't matter who we offered. What counts is who you sign.

Might? These state-based recruiting sites, again, show you nothing. Last year, of the top 20 nationwide prospects, only three were from Texas. Also, as stated yesterday and before, there are 12 FBS-level football-playing college in Texas now. Twelve. A dozen. So, if we are getting guys ranked even past #6 on a "Texas only" list at positions like QB where there is only one on the field at a time, we are not getting cream of the crop even in Texas. Worse, when we are getting "Texas only" guys ranked below 24 on things like the offensive and defensive line...that's way down the list. That means every other FBS Texas school (plus out of state talent raiders) are taking two or three better OLs than we are getting. And, again, that is why we are getting guys with only offers from FCS/Division II schools. That is our competition on the recruiting trail. Sadly. (We are paying the coach $1 million as well for all of this...plus the raises for the assistants who are stealing these guys from FCS/DIvision II schools.) I know we can all say, "Time will tell." But, the truth is, time has already told. It's been telling us since 1995 when we returned to I-A. Our recruiting has not changed. Darrell Dickey had a three year run of winning seasons...and, it turned into nothing as far as recruiting. Three coaches later, we are still picking from the bottom of the FBS barrell in the state. The "flew under radar"/"overlooked" players are fewer and more far between the further we go into the 21st Century. There is film everywhere. From coaches, from schools, from recruiting sites, from the players themselves (biggest joke of all...who is going to show a bad play? If you've got one big play per game, you have 12 highlights and some poor school is drooling over you.). Camp after camp after camp...all summer long...sophomore through senior year. Just face the facts: we are getting our butts kicked in recruiting. It's just that simple. We went bowling a 5-8 in 2016. It appears to have meant nothing to Texas preps...or, preps in the surrounding region. Another sub 6-6 season in 2017, and it is hard to imagine the recruiting going anywhere. Can't get much further down, and it surely won't go up. This is the third go round with this staff in recruiting as well. All of these "connections" people keep saying they are making...fool's gold.