BIG TIME Commitment(s)!!!!!!!!!!

[Donnell88]

I really hope we can win at least 3 games this year (which I feel like is the minimum to keep all this momentum going), but I fear we won't because the existing roster is so weak. The upperclassmen on this team were the ones who came on board when June was boycotting recruiting, and that scares me.

I think the 5-7 record of the 2013 team is a more accurate barometer of the team's talent.
The wheels completely fell off last year after the losses to Baylor and North Texas. Also, we should have won the game against South Florida.

I actually liked the team that I saw in the second half against UConn. Matt Davis had a great game, his scrambling kept their defence completely off balance. And our offensive line dominated in the second half, allowing our running game to get untracked.

[blackoutpony]

I really hope we can win at least 3 games this year (which I feel like is the minimum to keep all this momentum going), but I fear we won't because the existing roster is so weak. The upperclassmen on this team were the ones who came on board when June was boycotting recruiting, and that scares me.

I think the 5-7 record of the 2013 team is a more accurate barometer of the team's talent.
The wheels completely fell off last year after the losses to Baylor and North Texas. Also, we should have won the game against South Florida.

I actually liked the team that I saw in the second half against UConn. Matt Davis had a great game, his scrambling kept their defence completely off balance. And our offensive line dominated in the second half, allowing our running game to get untracked.

Glad you're referencing our game against another 1-11 team. Of course we looked better. They're just as awful as us.

[SMUstang07]

Last year's team was so much worse than the 5-7 squad. They almost beat UCF when then won their BCS game. We couldn't compete with UNT last year.

[JasonB]

I really hope we can win at least 3 games this year (which I feel like is the minimum to keep all this momentum going), but I fear we won't because the existing roster is so weak. The upperclassmen on this team were the ones who came on board when June was boycotting recruiting, and that scares me.

I think the 5-7 record of the 2013 team is a more accurate barometer of the team's talent.
The wheels completely fell off last year after the losses to Baylor and North Texas. Also, we should have won the game against South Florida.

I actually liked the team that I saw in the second half against UConn. Matt Davis had a great game, his scrambling kept their defence completely off balance. And our offensive line dominated in the second half, allowing our running game to get untracked.

GG saved our [deleted] that 5-7 year. Otherwise the record is much worse.

That said, the reason I thought we would be 5-7/6-6 last year was because of the number of returning players we had from 5-7. I thought that would offset losing Gilbert and we would find a way to use Davis (and of course I thought Burcham was going to be decent).

The most shocking thing about last year was the number of players at OL, DL, and LB who actually regressed from the year before. Wood, McCleneghan, Yenga, McCarty, Briggs, Weeks, Lasecki it could be argued all played better two years ago than they played last year.

With the new S&C program, I expect the players who took a step back last year to take a big step forward and play more to their potential. Add Gentry, Lawler, Minor, Gaines, Sutton coming to their own, a system that favors Davis, and a couple of the new kids coming through and I think we are 6-6 this season.

[Rebel10]

I really hope we can win at least 3 games this year (which I feel like is the minimum to keep all this momentum going), but I fear we won't because the existing roster is so weak. The upperclassmen on this team were the ones who came on board when June was boycotting recruiting, and that scares me.

I think the 5-7 record of the 2013 team is a more accurate barometer of the team's talent.
The wheels completely fell off last year after the losses to Baylor and North Texas. Also, we should have won the game against South Florida.

I actually liked the team that I saw in the second half against UConn. Matt Davis had a great game, his scrambling kept their defence completely off balance. And our offensive line dominated in the second half, allowing our running game to get untracked.

GG saved our [deleted] that 5-7 year. Otherwise the record is much worse.

That said, the reason I thought we would be 5-7/6-6 last year was because of the number of returning players we had from 5-7. I thought that would offset losing Gilbert and we would find a way to use Davis (and of course I thought Burcham was going to be decent).

The most shocking thing about last year was the number of players at OL, DL, and LB who actually regressed from the year before. Wood, McCleneghan, Yenga, McCarty, Briggs, Weeks, Lasecki it could be argued all played better two years ago than they played last year.

With the new S&C program, I expect the players who took a step back last year to take a big step forward and play more to their potential. Add Gentry, Lawler, Minor, Gaines, Sutton coming to their own, a system that favors Davis, and a couple of the new kids coming through and I think we are 6-6 this season.

The OL or players did not regress. It is just that GG hid their flaws due to his heroic play. We almost lost to Montana St at home 2 years ago. Had GG not been here they would have been exposed 2 years ago. I know you are still trying to defend Mason's recruiting in an indirect way but it was a lack of talent recruited by the entire staff. I understand that the current staff was somewhat shocked at the lack of talent on the team. So much so that they would like to temper expectations for this year and I don't blame them one bit.

[JasonB]

I totally agree that GG hid a lot of issues. Not arguing that point at all.

What I am saying is that those players absolutely did regress. To take GG out of the equation, take a look at the defense - we returned pretty much the entire front 7 and went from a group that held serve against UCF and several other opponents the year before to one that was completely blown off the line of scrimmage all of last season.

[Stallion]

I agree many regressed and I suspect it was S&C-but what you aren't admitting is that this program was stair-stepping down in talent for over 3 years.

[PonySnob]

I totally agree that GG hid a lot of issues. Not arguing that point at all.

What I am saying is that those players absolutely did regress. To take GG out of the equation, take a look at the defense - we returned pretty much the entire front 7 and went from a group that held serve against UCF and several other opponents the year before to one that was completely blown off the line of scrimmage all of last season.

Think the defense got some help that day against UCF from Mother Nature.

[PonyFan32]

I totally agree that GG hid a lot of issues. Not arguing that point at all.

What I am saying is that those players absolutely did regress. To take GG out of the equation, take a look at the defense - we returned pretty much the entire front 7 and went from a group that held serve against UCF and several other opponents the year before to one that was completely blown off the line of scrimmage all of last season.

Think the defense got some help that day against UCF from Mother Nature.

I can't imagine why you would think that the UCF team would not play better than normal in Snowmageddon conditions!

[ponyboy]

I agree many regressed and I suspect it was S&C-but what you aren't admitting is that this program was stair-stepping down in talent for over 3 years.

No doubt talent regressed over a three year period, but you don't go from borderline bowl team one year to one of the worst teams in history the next year based primarily on talent. It's not mathematically possible. There were other more important factors.

[Rebel10]

I agree many regressed and I suspect it was S&C-but what you aren't admitting is that this program was stair-stepping down in talent for over 3 years.

No doubt talent regressed over a three year period, but you don't go from borderline bowl team one year to one of the worst teams in history the next year based primarily on talent. It's not mathematically possible. There were other more important factors.

Yes, it is mathematically possible when you lose a player like GG that covered up a high amount of talent deficiencies. Are you just a bean counter or have you ever played the game? If we had not had GG we wouldn't have won but about 2 games or so thar year. And we would have lost to Montnana St. The most important factor was the low level of talent.

[ponyboy]

What the hell does playing football have to do with making intelligent arguments? You alone are pretty good proof there's an inverse relationship.

GG was highly underrated in terms of importance to this team. But not so important that we take such a dramatic nosedive from one year to the next. It's more than just talent.

[vielsiehorsepower]

GG was highly underrated in terms of importance to this team. But not so important that we take such a dramatic nosedive from one year to the next. It's more than just talent.[/quote]




You say that as If Burcham looked good in his two starts in 2013 and that there were high expectations for 2014. Everyone saw what this team was without a super man qb and then he, and his couple of good receivers graduated. You know the rest I assume.

Obviously last season was the result of the cumulative effects of poor recruiting, poor schematics, poor s&c, mismanagement of the roster, etc. Glibert, along with Holmes and Johnson (who should have been redshirted and been in the lineup in 2014) were the stop gap between winning 5 games and the epic disaster of 2014. Couple of key injuries and 2013 would have looked sickeningly similar to this past season

[JasonB]

GG was highly underrated in terms of importance to this team. But not so important that we take such a dramatic nosedive from one year to the next. It's more than just talent.

You say that as If Burcham looked good in his two starts in 2013 and that there were high expectations for 2014. Everyone saw what this team was without a super man qb and then he, and his couple of good receivers graduated. You know the rest I assume.

Obviously last season was the result of the cumulative effects of poor recruiting, poor schematics, poor s&c, mismanagement of the roster, etc. Glibert, along with Holmes and Johnson (who should have been redshirted and been in the lineup in 2014) were the stop gap between winning 5 games and the epic disaster of 2014. Couple of key injuries and 2013 would have looked sickeningly similar to this past season[/quote]

I think we will see what happens this season . If the current roster is in as bad shape as most of you think, we will get 3-4 wins at the most because frosh can't have THAT big of an impact.

If what we saw last year was more a result of regression, scheme, and quitting, then we will see 6-6 because of improvements in S&C, a better scheme that fits the QB, and the influence of the frosh who will play.

Can't wait to find out in a month! Looking forward to the season.

[Rebel10]

JasonB will never even let the thought pass his mind that just maybe his buddy Mason and staff did not recruit very well. A 6-6 season would still not mean SMU did not recruit poorly. Depending on how they progress freshman can have that big of an impact along with that DT from South Carolina. Many of us as Stallion predicted years before this happen saw the train wreck coming. But these kids do work hard and that is what we have going for us not talent.