Choosing Dodge Was A Bold But Risky Choice

[Green Dozer]

On the MT post-game broadcast the announcers talked about all the conference championship, national championship, and Super Bowl rings our coaching staff has. They made the point that our staff has struggled to put together an upper tier SBC team. Then they made the comment that it must be a very difficult job for a staff that has virtually no college experience to build a competitive team.

I know very little about Dodge's past, but we had a HS coach here in Murfreesboro who put together a HS dynasty. He was a decent HS coach but the reason why he was successful is he went out and recruited good players to move into his school's district. I've got to think Dodge did that at SLC and it played a huge part in his success.

No, not Dodge. Other coaches here in the state, yes. (Permian of Friday Night Lights fame was notorious for it in its day) Southlake is a very affluent community, very disciplined kids who are overachievers in everything, and parents with a ton money who can send them to the skill camps, hire trainers, nutrtionists, etc.

[SUMG]

Dodge is in way over his head. Now I firmly believe that if we had chosen any other candidate (other than TD)....we wouldn't be as bad as we are right now. Think RV pal Randy Butler (TE coach at USM) would have done this badly? Not that I wanted that guy....just saying...who could have done any worse than Dodge has?

And one more thing: Finally playing Danny Meager yesterday....for a few minutes in a blowout....was an insult. The kid threw for 600 yards in a game last year, and he isn't even worthy of major backup duties this season? With as many blowouts as we have been in?

But I'm sure Dodge will wax poetic this week (Senior Week) on how much he's gonna miss these seniors....many of whom Dodge has crapped on.

[GoMTBlue]

No, not Dodge. Other coaches here in the state, yes. (Permian of Friday Night Lights fame was notorious for it in its day) Southlake is a very affluent community, very disciplined kids who are overachievers in everything, and parents with a ton money who can send them to the skill camps, hire trainers, nutrtionists, etc.

I see. That makes sense.

[BlueRaiderFan]

Being lectured by a MUTS fan. UNT is truly at it's lowest point in athletic history.

Good win BlueRaiderFan.

Not really lecturing, just giving my thoughts on the matter. I like beating you guys, but it's to everyone's detriment to have a North Texas team that is this bad. I enjoy seeing you guys lose to us and would love to win this game every year, but I don't enjoy seing a UNT team so bad that it can't win any of it's OOC games. At this point, this problem goes beyond UNT because it's going to affect the conference over the long run and besides, this has gone beyond where it should have and when I see fans that are still supporting Dodge, I just can't stand by and not say anything because to support Dodge at this point is ludicrous. The guy is a terrible coach and I don't want to see any Sunbelt team go down this far. I think the team has gotten worse since last season and that shouldn't happen with a new coach under any circumstance. He hasn't improved over the previous coach in either of the last two years. There is no excuse for that.

[Green Dozer]

He would be banned as a high school coach in Texas if caught recruiting players to move into his district. Dodge began on the front wave of the spread offense frenzy in high school but hasn't been able to adjust his schemes at the college level. Other coaches now know how to coach and defend the spread too. It's been a fatal combination of injuries, player incidents and defections, mostly average players on the roster, better opponent coaching and not being able to adjust NT's coaching to any of it.

80,

It is common for high school coaches to recruit. Permian was notorious for it. And our own G.A. Moore was the biggest culprit, of which I have first hand knowledge and proof. If interested in the story, PM me and I will tell you. He was successful at Pilot Point and Celina recruiting and boosters backed him. I guess when he went to Sherman, they would not hear of it.

[Quoner]

80,

It is common for high school coaches to recruit. Permian was notorious for it. And our own G.A. Moore was the biggest culprit, of which I have first hand knowledge and proof. If interested in the story, PM me and I will tell you. He was successful at Pilot Point and Celina recruiting and boosters backed him. I guess when he went to Sherman, they would not hear of it.

I guess Chase Daniel just happened to move from Irving to Southlake in 8th grade because it helped the family get closer to their jobs in Dallas.

[GoMTBlue]

I guess Chase Daniel just happened to move from Irving to Southlake in 8th grade because it helped the family get closer to their jobs in Dallas.

That's the type of stuff I was referring to. I can't tell you how many good player's parent decided to move into this one school's district. Is that recruiting? No one can prove it but when it happens a lot you know there has to be something going on.

The point I was making about Dodge is I suspect he had better players on average than the majority of other schools they played. Unfortunately in the Sun Belt, we usually have less talented players than our out-of-conference opponents.

Anyway, I am disappointed with the Dodge experiment so far. I like beating North Texas, but I really wanted to see the Dodge experiment work out. Dodge received a lot of national attention when he was hired. If he could get North Texas on the winning track it is good publicity for North Texas and the entire Sun Belt.

[Green Dozer]

I guess Chase Daniel just happened to move from Irving to Southlake in 8th grade because it helped the family get closer to their jobs in Dallas.

Guess you are trying to be funny, and that is fine. Please go back and look through this thread. I answered the Mid Tn fan about whether Dodge recruited or not. I told him no, Dodge did not recruit at Southlake, I know now he isn't that smart. Guess you know something different though. Thank you sir!

[Green Dozer]

The ones who wanted this job and couldn't believe they got passed up for TD

To be passed up, they had to be interviewed. I do not think any type of search was done, I think Dodge was it from the beginning. JMO.

[Eagle1855]

To be passed up, they had to be interviewed. I do not think any type of search was done, I think Dodge was it from the beginning. JMO.

I think you might be wrong. JM informed O.

[Green Dozer]

I think you might be wrong. JM informed O.

Corrected, thank you, and thank you for your blunt, right to the point, friendly post.. I now recall Harbaugh and a couple of others from the USM days of our esteemed team in the athletic dept. Did you see one of those coach's defense that we passed up get after LSU, btw? 1855, my point was no serious search ( a couple of interviews, narrowing down to two, then having to flip a coin because the decision is so tough), Dodge was the target all along.

[Quoner]

To be passed up, they had to be interviewed. I do not think any type of search was done, I think Dodge was it from the beginning. JMO.

Let me reset the situation a bit - my short replies are not getting to the point today:

Suppose the famous head coach of major top 5 team called and said "I've got a guy on my staff that would be perfect for you and wants to come coach at your school. I can personally vouch for him."

Do you:

a) Listen and do the interview

Blow him off

If famous coach told his coach that he vouched for about the exchange, think he would think highly of the one who got the job over him with less skins on the wall?

Also, a few folks besides Dodge were interviewed, FWIW.

[Censored by Laurie]

Basketball team won again.

[Got5onIt]

Let me reset the situation a bit - my short replies are not getting to the point today:

Suppose the famous head coach of major top 5 team called and said "I've got a guy on my staff that would be perfect for you and wants to come coach at your school. I can personally vouch for him."

Do you:

a) Listen and do the interview

Blow him off

If famous coach told his coach that he vouched for about the exchange, think he would think highly of the one who got the job over him with less skins on the wall?

Also, a few folks besides Dodge were interviewed, FWIW.

Did this really happen?

[Censored by Laurie]

Did this really happen?

Guy hasn't won a National Championship in almost a decade...so over-rated.

I missed last nights Musburger game...anyone catch a score?

[Eagle1855]

Guy hasn't won a National Championship in almost a decade...so over-rated.

I missed last nights Musburger game...anyone catch a score?

nice non-sequitur... or was it?

Edited November 23, 2008 by Eagle1855

[Quoner]

Did this really happen?

What do I know? I just derail threads and take away from serious sports talk about bringing Dickey back.

[eulessismore]

I guess Chase Daniel just happened to move from Irving to Southlake in 8th grade because it helped the family get closer to their jobs in Dallas.

From reading the DMN article about Chase Daniel and his father last year before Missouri played in their bowl game, I got the idea that Chase Daniel's father was driving the decision making process about Chase's career. It was something like he decided that Chase Daniel was going to be a big time athlete, and that the Daniel family was doing what they thought was needed to help that along. Along with the cost of real estate in Southlake, as someone implied, that makes me skeptical as to whether (in Daniel's case anyway) "recruiting" was taking place. Just my opinion, because I've never been sufficiently affluent to consider moving to Southlake, and therefore don't know the thought process that goes on behind relocating there. I think many people have moved away from Irving because they can afford to do so, and they consider Southlake and other outlying suburbs more desirable. Perhaps football is part of the decision for many, but a variety of socioeconomic factors shouldn't be discounted.

[Censored by Laurie]

nice non-sequitur... or was it?

Think that we can say screw a new stadium and dedicate the new athletic fee to paying Brett Venables a Montgomery Burns-esque sum of money to coach here?

[Eagle1855]

Think that we can say screw a new stadium and dedicate the new athletic fee to paying Brett Venables a Montgomery Burns-esque sum of money to coach here?

I actually had the exact same thought last night. Unfortunately, his D's performance last night probably put him out of our reach.

[Quoner]

From reading the DMN article about Chase Daniel and his father last year before Missouri played in their bowl game, I got the idea that Chase Daniel's father was driving the decision making process about Chase's career. It was something like he decided that Chase Daniel was going to be a big time athlete, and that the Daniel family was doing what they thought was needed to help that along. Along with the cost of real estate in Southlake, as someone implied, that makes me skeptical as to whether (in Daniel's case anyway) "recruiting" was taking place. Just my opinion, because I've never been sufficiently affluent to consider moving to Southlake, and therefore don't know the thought process that goes on behind relocating there. I think many people have moved away from Irving because they can afford to do so, and they consider Southlake and other outlying suburbs more desirable. Perhaps football is part of the decision for many, but a variety of socioeconomic factors shouldn't be discounted.

I def. oversimplified and didn't want anyone to think I meant that Dodge went after Chase or anyone else in middle school, but the creative moving and encouragement happens all over the country. That's all I meant.

[Green Dozer]

I def. oversimplified and didn't want anyone to think I meant that Dodge went after Chase or anyone else in middle school, but the creative moving and encouragement happens all over the country. That's all I meant.

And since I kind of started this, I did not mean that high schools went and had recruiters hitting the junior highs. But if an opportunity presented itself, a booster club member in a club like the one at Odessa Permian years ago, would offer a parent a pretty good job if they would move. Or a kid in a nearby town would move to a school if the program were a little stronger. And a mail box would go up next to an empty pasture, or all of a sudden player moved to live an aunt or uncle of their fifth cousin who had married their second cousin.

[Green Dozer]

I actually had the exact same thought last night. Unfortunately, his D's performance last night probably put him out of our reach.

Wasn't he the architect or co-architect of the defenses that lost the national championship games, and also got beat by Boise? I know some OU fans who would be happy that he came here. He has had some good moments, but he and Big Game Bob have stumped their tow when the spotlight really got hot (though they made up a lot of ground pretty quick last night). Man, what a butt whipping. All that said, I think he is a good coach. But just because he coaches at OU does not mean he is a head coach, even for us. Two offensive coodinators have left OU for head coaching positions since Venables has been a coordinator or even co-coordinator. He has taken some heat, and some have questioned his decision making at times. I am tired of the experiment stuff for now, lets get somebody who has been a head coach. But it is all for naught, you are right, he is now out of our price range.

*Disclaimer-My opinion is biased as I am not a fan of OU at all. I respect your posts, and like replying to them as you seem informed.

[greenminer]

Yes, 3 and out, followed by a pick, followed by a turnover, quarterback roulette and black unis. Our offense sucked. Everyone was excited about Dodge because he was going to bring Dodgeball to UNT. We were going to score, run and gun, and be exciting. There was a big banner on Fouts with Dodge, Jackson, and a diagram of a pass play. He was hired for his offensive 'genius'.

Right, just like I was brought into the corporate world because I'm the fastest mouse-click in the west.

RV tried (and as of now, failed) to bring a guy who could turn the program around. The whole "Dodgeball" thing and his offensive success at Southlake was a great promotional idea, because fans like the fireworks...but that's it. A bell ringer. He was still hired as head coach, unless this is one of the biggest cover-ups in college football history. The job title was to turn this thing around. The whole program: defense, ST, etc...

He was hired because he won at Southlake. Because he "sounded" like the second coming of Fry.

If RV hired him just to watch boom!-pow!-wow! on the offensive side on the ball, we are in a more dire AD situation than even TFLynch has portrayed.

[aztecskin]

Right, just like I was brought into the corporate world because I'm the fastest mouse-click in the west.

RV tried (and as of now, failed) to bring a guy who could turn the program around. The whole "Dodgeball" thing and his offensive success at Southlake was a great promotional idea, because fans like the fireworks...but that's it. A bell ringer. He was still hired as head coach, unless this is one of the biggest cover-ups in college football history. The job title was to turn this thing around. The whole program: defense, ST, etc...

He was hired because he won at Southlake. Because he "sounded" like the second coming of Fry.

If RV hired him just to watch boom!-pow!-wow! on the offensive side on the ball, we are in a more dire AD situation than even TFLynch has portrayed.

You can't think I meant it like that. Of course the head coach is supposed to bring wins. Of course he is responsible for the whole of the program. RV didn't hire the dude for his special teams knowledge though. Yes, hiring Dodge inspired excitement, media coverage, hope, etc, but it was also made with the thinking that our offense needed major improvement. Look for yourself It was somewhere around 10 or 12 points per game there. Our defense was decent. The O kept putting the D in bad spots, with short fields to defend. That is why we got an offensive guy.

Also, maybe you were hired for your clicking skills. lol