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This is what I think will happen.

Somebody pretty far down on the food chain is going to get fired. Could be the O-coordinator. He doesn't make much money (in relation to the head coach) and is a good scapegoat considering the play calling. Under different circumstances he might have succeeded. He did a good job at one of the La Las (I can't remeber which one) before he came to SMU. He even had a highly rated QB in his system. Somehow he came here and became ultraconservative in his play calling. I doubt that decision was his alone. He was probably told what to do and was simply following orders.

SMU is not going to fire Bennett. He makes too much money to buy out. The O-coordinator will be let go to show SMU fans that we are serious about our football and are doing everything in our power to right the ship. This charade will go on for a couple of more years until, would you believe it, Bennet's salary is down to something someone will buy out. Sound familiar? I think we have seen this movie before. How many O-coordinators did Cavan have?

When you hire someone who has no previous experience as a head coach it is nothing more than a gamble. Great coordinators do not necessarily become great head coaches. It's the Peter Principle--the cream rises until it sours.

Bennett will be here next year and probably the year after unless SMU goes 0-double digits next year.

The real problem is Copeland. He hired Cavan, Dement and Bennett. None have done anything. The blame gets passed around to O-coordinators and finally head coaches. I hate to think about who Copeland will bring in after Bennett. Maybe he will form another one of those blue-ribbon search pannels to share the blame with him.

Here's my solution. Next time you hire a head coach, hire someone who has a proven record as a head coach in d-1 football. Preferably someone who has turned programs around. Jerry Jones got it. We didn't.

<small>[ 10-12-2003, 06:04 AM: Message edited by: Nacho ]</small>

Thank you for that prophetic repose. Agreed.

Echo that!

You're talking about a very long time before SMU has a coach who can win. I don't have that long. I think I'll switch my alegiance to OU since I was born in Oklahoma.

If you don't care who you root for as long as they win, well, Oklahoma looks like the right team for you. Have a good time.

Don't be like the Dallas Cowboy fan who earns a bad rep for all the other Cowboy fans by only supporting a team when it wins.

And Nacho, it's not about how much money Coach Bennett is making. They're not going to fire him because he deserves a chance to have the players hes' recruited mature before such a decision is made.

"Next time you hire a head coach, hire someone who has a proven record as a head coach in d-1 football. Preferably someone who has turned programs around. Jerry Jones got it. We didn't."

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Jerry Jones works with the Cowboys. Copeland works at SMU. There is no proven D-1 head coach who has turned a program around that would ever consider taking this job. Same thing in basketball.

Very good coaches get fired or leave every year for one reason or another. Some retire for a while and then want to get back in the game. To say there is nobody in college football who meets the criteria leaves me speechless. Let's look at the end of the season and see who is available. All it takes is money to get a top notch coach. About a million/yr is the going rate. SMU wants to do it on the cheap. Hence our current level of ineptitude.

That said I'm not for firing anbody, including the OC. I hope Bennett turns it around. I root for him. I have nothing against him. Seems like a nice man. I will say that I was firmly opposed to his hiring. It was a misstake and I knew it. So did Stallion. He wanted Charlie Waters. The brain trust at SMU decided differently. So be it. I will pull for Bennett until he leaves. I don't want him to do badly. I do want you guys who constantly blame the players to grow up and take responsibility for your actions. I see no lack of effort on their part. They are doing their best. They then get slammed by everybody who has a vested interest in slamming them. Makes me sick.

They're riding shetland ponies boys. Shoot low.
Lewis Grizzard.

<small>[ 10-12-2003, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Nacho ]</small>

Yep, Charlie Waters (whom I personally like), another inexperienced head coach we should have hired. How long would we have given him to turn it around? We are all frustrated, especially the players who are all working their butts off...sometimes that frustration becomes your enemy and works against you.