When_is_Dennis_McKnight_being_fired_as_special_teams_coach?

by **SMU 86** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:52 pm

When you get your keyboard fixed.

by **sbsmith** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:57 pm

June has plenty of NFL connections and I believe Joe Avezzano and Pete Rodriguez (2 of the best special teams coaches in NFL history) are available. I'm sure June can find something else for McKnight to do.

by **BUS** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 9:59 pm

He and JJ have been friends for a long time. He is a intense guy.

Tough to finish this post after watching this game tonight.

Just want my Mustangs to play up to their potential.

Go Mustangs.

by **TheBestAvailable** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:33 pm

SMU 86 wrote:When you get your keyboard fixed.

Lol

by **larskjenstad** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:35 pm

As_Soon_As_BUS-Is_Hired_To_ Find _His_Replacement...what was the exchange between BUS and McNight right before halftime ?

by **TheBestAvailable** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:43 pm

BUS wrote:He and JJ have been friends for a long time. He is a intense guy. Just want my Mustangs to play up to their potential.

Go Mustangs.

I'm sure he's a nice guy and he looks the part....
However he is failing as a special teams coach. The punt returners haven't had a clue all year, Sada shouldn't have touched the field ever with those short kickoffs when you have Szymanski, etc.

by **Insane_Pony_Posse** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 10:54 pm

larskjenstad wrote:what was the exchange between BUS and McNight right before halftime ?

BUS had words with McKnight? Good for you BUS!
why can't he teach our players to call a fair catch when they are
surrounded and about to get plastered? Am I missing something?
Why? Why? Why? are our guys just not able to comprehend the
concept of a fair catch? Also that run back on the kickoff right
after we scored was a frickin ballbuster!

by **Mestengo** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:00 pm

McKnIght needs to keep his mouth shut in regards to people in the stands or he will be looking for a new job.

by **WildBillPony** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:04 pm

Seems to me like SMU special teams has taken what Coach Gansz preached and flushed it down the toilet. But not Navy.

by **PlanoStang** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:09 pm

pFONY FANS have a pox on U, and go away :!:

As I remember Bennett didn't have one of those coaches :!:

by **PlanoStang** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:17 pm

BUT if Coach Gansz wrote a book ol Dennis needs to read it :!:

by **SMU 86** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:20 pm

Kerley did almost the same thing in the TCU game that Carrier did to us after a TD in this game.

by **JasonB** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:41 pm

I am frustrated along with everyone else. The KO TD was...well.... a KO.

That said, lets take a step back. Our young players just flat out aren't ready to play. And remember that some of those academic suspensions killed our speed from a depth perspective before the season.

The first few games of the season, a ton of starters were playing on special teams because we just don't have the depth. Now we can't do that because those guys need a break. We are throwing some of the inexperienced players to the wolves - who the heck was the guy who recovered the fumbled punt tonight? - and we are paying for it. They aren't playing disciplined and just aren't really ready. But I think the hope is to have them doing well by the last few games.

In short, it is just one of the growing pains we are going through with a young team.

I know that after BT didn't fair catch, McKnight had some words with him. They have been trying to get things into these guys heads. Just like DJ isn't supposed to field punts inside the 10. They are just trying to make things happen and not playing very smart. Things haven't clicked yet.

And they are trying to find the right guy for punt returns. Acker fumbled and looked scared to death against Tech. He needs to figure things out at corner, and fast, so they don't want to divert his attention. DJ has the athleticism, but obviously struggled. BT has the best hands, but no athleticism, but they tried him just to make sure that they caught the ball, and that didn't work. I wouldn't say it is for a lack of trying to find the right player.

On a side note, the blocking is horrible on punts. When was the last time our guys had a returnable punt? I can't really think of one this season. So, that is part of the problem - every single punt is caught under pressure, and the kids are choking.

If you think about it, the last two seasons we have had senior players on the team who haven't played starting roles, but played a lot of special teams. We don't have any experience out there now.

As for the Sala comment, Symanski had a groin issue the beginning of the season that kept getting strained when he practiced kickoffs. So he stopped doing that until it healed. The coaches aren't stupid, they were just using what was available. They thought about using the greyshirt kid for it, but wanted him to redshirt.

by **CalallenStang** » Sat Oct 23, 2010 11:45 pm

On a side note, the blocking is horrible on punts. When was the last time our guys had a returnable punt? I can't really think of one this season. So, that is part of the problem - every single punt is caught under pressure, and the kids are choking.

That's on the coaches.