NEW COACH AND AD

[Caballo]

Here's a guy with SMU connections who should be able to figure out how to get the job done.

http://www.gilligansisle.com/prof.html

No way. I have it on good information that this guy never even "made it" with Mary Ann, or that slut Ginger. If you are stranded on a deserted island and cannot seal the deal with either of those two nymphs, don't tell me he could sell an 18 year old on coming to play football here.

Try again.

[BRStang]

ponyboy wrote:

Phil Bennett aint the problem. Let's not run him off in our frustration to fix this thing.

I'm surprised, Stallion, to see you not hammering this point since you've stated so many times over the last few years that it's the MODEL not whoever happens to be wearing the whistle.

I'm sorry, there, ponyboy, but I can't let that kind of statement just stand. While Bennett is not the ONLY problem, he definitely has some blame to go around. Since he started, Bennett has been completely p!ss poor when it comes to play calling, clock management, and, yes, even motivating the players to get out there and show some frickin' enthusiasm. Now I can't fault those who hired him on the enthusiasm part, but for some reason there is a complete disconnect now.

But, you're right, it's not JUST Bennett, it's also the players who are seemingly content to just get their respectable advertising degree on a posh campus in a great city with hot women with no hopes or delusions of making it in the pros...(win? why worry about winning?);

It's also the Pye model that crippled us and from which we are still climbing out of 16 years later, which eventually led to playing in the WAC. It's the cold fact that nobody entering college these days was even alive when SMU was a great team...we might as well have been handed the DP after the Doak Walker years...The DP is ANCIENT HISTORY now!

It's also the city of Dallas for throwing almost no support behind this team...but can you blame them? If I'm Joe Bloe student or his parents from Mesquite, why should I take my kid to an SMU game? They lose, they aren't fun to watch, they no longer play teams at home in the SWC...AND I won't even be able to afford to send my kid there when he get's ready to go to college.

Lastly, although I may be forgetting something, it's the pathetic alumni and fanbase support that forever analogizes an SMU football game to a high school game. There's no great traditions (although the Boulevard is pretty awesome), there's no screaming until your lungs hurt, there's no exciting atmosphere, there's no one to impress by kicking the hell out of the other team. Hell, we can't even do the wave.

And the constant accrual of losses just further keeps this team down. It's a vicious circle, and the ONLY way out is to start with a determined, energized and committed AD who can rally the alumni, the fans, the community, AND, YES, THE ADMINISTRATION (for LOTS more money), and who can snag a combo BIG NAME TALENT + DREAMY SALESMAN coach who can convince the recruits to "swim upstream" and play for this school. And ANY NEW coach better have STRONG NFL CONNECTIONS at this point in the game.

Sorry for the speech, but I had to say it. Dems da breaks!

[SMU Football Blog]

Wow. Look! There's the nail! You hit it right on the head!

[Stallion]

I've given up defending ANYBODY at SMU-that Mike Cavan thing was really a way to get people on this board to THINK about the real causes of SMU's problems. (You ever heard of a Devil's Advocate-it can be quite effective sometimes). We all know once a coach gets into his 4th or 5th year here he is dead man walking anyway. But how would one go about defending 7-32 anyway? Yes the talent cupboard was bare-but honestly from my point of view its been bare for 16 years-even I'm shocked by 7 wins in 39 games. I've also said a good percentage of the toughest barriers on the admission issues appear to have been dealt with-the remaining issues being Division 1A Transfers, the expansion of the JUCO recruiting pool, allowing more(other than Clumbus Givens) late qualifiers and the curiculm issues. But Mike Cavan Rossley, DeMent, Gregg et al had it much tougher. How do you reconcile the substantial albeit insufficient changes made by the university with 7-32 when you compare that with what Cavan, Rossley et al faced PLUS he has the new stadium. To me the ultimate disappointment is his failure to develop the young talent in a rebuilding program the perfect example being playing walkons and unproductive upperclassmen instead of getting the talented recruits on the field so we can start building for the future. It should have started in 2003, 2004 and I can't believe we still don't get these kids on the field in 2005. So no I don't feel like defending 7-32-I have not called for him to be fired yet but I'm very concerned where this program is going and will judge Bennett critically based on the success or lack of success throughtout the remainder of the season. He damn sure better win a couple of more games and improve the on-field product especially on offense during the rest of the season. I also am concerned that Copeland really has no new ideas to offer and if we are going to hold coaches accountable then we should hold the AD choosing the coaches accountable as well. I think some fresh blood at AD and some new ideas to attack our problems are needed. I think SMU has a blueprint on how this program MUST be marketed (see Russ Potts, Brad Thomas and Mustang Mania) but doesn't have the will or desire to do so. I think if things don't improve over the rest of the year and Copeland and Bennett still keep their jobs then the people argiung that SMU is not committed to winning and is too accepting of mediocrity(if 7-32 qualifies for mediocrity) will have a pretty strong argument.

[ponyboy]

Fair enough.

I contend -- a few bonehead x and o mistakes notwithstanding -- that running off Phil Bennett would be a serious mistake, one that might put the nail in the coffin for good for good ole SMU football. He brings a spirit of enthusiasm and a presence that is irreplaceable, IMHO. Jim Copeland however needs to be fired today. We need someone young and hungry.