The rumors are out there

[Corso]

Talk is circulating about whether Coach Cavan will be invited back next year. I, personally, think he should be because I firmly believe the Mustangs are going to turn it around, beginning with next week's win over Nevada. However ....

Not so fast, my friends!

If a change is made -- and at 1-6, that has to be considered a possibility -- here are a few names. I'm not going to get into the silly tossing out of ridiculous names (there are other forums for that kind of thing -- this is a great message board that truly supports SMU athletics.)

* Eric Schumann
* Turner Gill
* Mike Stoops
* Terry Bowden (although I think it would take millions to get him here, and we all know that won't happen)
* Cam Cameron (Indiana coach who is feeling the heat for a rough start this year, after a couple of really nice years at IU)
* Kim Helton (former UofHouston coach who somehow got fired after a 7-4 season, a bowl game and after becoming a favorite in the Houston community)
* Scott Smith (former SMU player, SMU asst. coach, Highland Park coach, current Baylor assistant)
* Dave Baldwin (San Jose State head coach who supposedly is quickly earning a very nice rep around the country)
* Is there a Lou Holtz-type out there, a veteran coach who has a huge name and just wants a chance to get back into coaching? Someone who could recruit based on his name alone?
* Raymond Berry (my personal vote)

Any others that the PonyFans have heard about?

[This message has been edited by Corso (edited 10-16-2000).]

[ponytalk]

If we get somebody, they better be an established coach.

I my feelings are mixed about getting a new coach. I think Cavan has to battle a lot of things, and a lot of the problems are not under his control, like recruiting. But then I look and see these crazy calls the coaches made, especially in the Houston game.

The problem with being a head coach is all the blame falls on you. And there is a certain amount of responsibility Cavan must take, but I see a lot of the problems with other coaches, not Cavan.

Why is Pipkins running up the gut and Briggs to the outside?
Why is Comet constantly getting screen passes? Why isnt he going deep?
Why isn't Johnnie Freeman at TB?
I think our secondary has talent. Price and Jonas are great athletes, I think they are poorly coached. KG is awesome, but again, I think he could be much better with a great secondary coach.

I think no matter who coaches at SMU, until our recruiting policies and our bush league program get thrown away, we will never be any good. That is why I am not shouting fire Cavan, it is not all his fault.

[jettison]

I'm not willing to say the secondary coach (isn't it Douglas?) has done a poor job. If you remember, he has coached Rhinehart, Mitchell and Tracey Hart all into NFL draft picks and/or free agent signees.

Young DBs are like grilled salmon: Without a little seasoning they get burnt... know what I mean, yo?

[ALL4SMU]

Good analogy Jettison. I agree. I am not going to throw Coach Douglas on the fire just yet. He is playing with very young talent. There is only so much he can do.

[Joe]

What about Gene Stallings. That is a real Coach. Talk about someone who believes in discipline.

[Big D]

I'm not real sure what to do about the coaches right now. I firmly believe, the biggest problem right now is, that we have a new offense, and people are still being moved around to find the best fit. I believe, when we get our talent settled in, and they get comfortable with new positions and assignments, they are going to get much, much better. Look at how many people have had to learn a new offense and a new postion. It has to speak volumes about their athletic ability, to play at the D1 level, and not be completely blown away. Yes, they've lost some games, but not just completely blown away. When they get settled, I think there will be a world of difference, if some folks can please wait to just not give up on them.

[SMUPonyFan]

It is good to see the fans on this board have something to say about Cavan. Obviously there are problems, but posting a hundred messages a day saying fire Cavan says nothing. After reading the messages about coaching on this board, I realize more and more that firing our coach might not be the solution we are looking for.
I think there is a lot more to the issue than firing our coaching staff. I don't know how much that will help. Maybe sort term affects, but in the long run, we will still be hurting if the program stays the way it is.

It is nice to see some input that makes sense and is not written by a bunch of ignorant fans.

------------------
Go Red, Go Blue, Go Mustangs, S M U

[This message has been edited by SMUPonyFan (edited 10-16-2000).]

[PonyGirl]

Kudos to all the PonyFans out there. This is the most impressive thread ever posted on this board, because it would be all too easy to sit here and demand Cavan be fired, without offering a reason why.

This has been a tough season for all of us, but there are other sites out there for people who want to spout off a bunch of ideas that haven't been thought out or those that are suggested merely to light a fire under other fans.

The PonyFans who join this board for conversation should be commended for thinking clearly before spewing forth ideas about spending $3 million a year for Terry Bowden or pulling Jimmy Johnson off his fishing boat. Those, obviously, aren't going to happen.

I like Coach Cavan and his family, and I hope he turns it around. He's a good coach and a good man.

[HorsePower]

Question for "Joe" --

What do you think it would cost to get Stallings off his ranch? I think he's out of the SMU stratosphere, financially, and I hear that he is enjoying his time at home with his family.

I say that if a change is made, go get a coordinator from Virginia Tech - any coordinator. The Hokies built their team on strong defense and special teams first, and added a great offense about the same time they added Michael Vick (funny how that happens.)

If we get a new coach, we need someone who stresses discipline and fundamentals and can recruit, recruit, recruit. (Speaking of which, because of his relationships with area coaches, Coach Ringo needs to be kept around. He is a fine coach, and reportedly he's a terrific recruiter - we'll see in February.)

[MustangFan]

How about an NFL assistant? I'm not sure who, but there have to be professional assistants out there who would like to try their luck as a head coach.

And I would think that might be appealing to possible recruits. Coach could tell the guy that since he's coached in the NFL, he knows what it takes to get players to the professional ranks, etc.

Any suggestions?

[DallasDiehard]

Jim Jeffcoat

[SMUPonyFan]

Buddy Ryan and Jerry Glanvil, a duo at head coach

[D]

Jettison,
I wouldn't be so fast to give Douglas credit for the DB's. He only switched over in Donald and Jacoby's senior year and by that time all three of the players you mentioned were talented starters. I would give most of the credit to Coach Grey and Cornell Parker (and the other older DBs) that took these guys under their wings and turned them into great ball players. There was also a great amount of talent in those guys, but IMO Grey took them to the next level.

[PonyFan]

D: I also wouldn't be too quick to give the credit to coach Gray. From what I hear, he was a great player whose idea of "teaching" was to yell at his players to "get on it" -- rather than showing them proper technique. For inspiration, he would tell them that he was able to do certain things when he played, and therefore they should be able to do the same. Quite uplifting.

[PonyPower]

Two more candidates who would be great head coaches:

* Hardy McCrary, the defensive ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas. His players absolutely love him, and he knows every high school and college coach in Texas, not to mention legions of contacts in other states. He would be a recruiting machine who could get quality assistants to come on board with him.

* Brent Venables, a defensive assistant (co-coordinator? linebackers?) at Oklahoma. Another very strong recruiter with numerous ties in the high school coaching ranks. He has proven he can teach -- when he was coaching at Kansas State, he recruited those studly LB's (Ochs, Simoneau) and TAUGHT them to such a level that they became third-team and first-team All-America players. We could use someone like him.