Phillips #2

[JasonB]

All this stuff is ridiculous. I still suspect that Phillips is carrying a hangover injury from last year. And that the velocity on his throws isn't very good right now. And that he can't throw the deep ball nor take many hits. Sure, that is a guess, and not based on personal observation, but it is what most makes sense. If Willis is elevated to number 2, it isn't because Phillips is in the doghouse. It is because Phillips isn't healthy enough. Players in the doghouse act like Bartel did on the sidelines, sulking away in private. They aren't active on the sideline like Phillips is. They aren't trusted with signalling in the plays, like Phillips is. They don't dump water on a coach after a big win, like Phillips did.

All this consipiracy crap is annoying. There are plenty of reasons to rip on the program right now and I am the first to step up and say I am tired of it. I want change now. And you bet that I will be at the young alumni Mustang Club meeting next week and will raise some serious issues and questions.

I also agree with everyone that we need our best players on the field. I agree that we do a very poor job offensively with getting our playmakers the ball. And that is a coaching problem.

So, with that in mind, I think if you look back on the Bennett tenure, you will see that our o-line has just been awful. I would suggest that there are only about 7 games that we actually won the battle at the line of scrimmage. And those are the 7 games that we scored over 23 points. I thnk that fron those games, one could determine that it is NOT our skill position players that are the problem. Because, when given the chance, they have succeeded. When the o-line succeeds and gives us time or holes, the skill players come through. And the fact that we have had dangerous players on the return team for quite some time now (see rutledge, cunningham, warren, henderson), might just indicate that we have some athletic ability, and that it is getting better.

Given that, what I consider to be a fact, the concentration of our discussions should be on the offensive line. Until we fix that, there is no point in bringing up conspiracy theories and [deleted] about who isn't starting. Because both our immediate and extended past indicates that unless the o-line comes together, we ain't going anywhere.

I think that there are some problems with the o-line's physical abilities. Obviously, we look like crap when we try to pull guys. They are not very athletic. But I think that some of the responsibility lies in the coaching staff. They are trying to make these guys do what they are not good at.

Instead of trying to do crazy schemes, lets challenge these kids as men. Let them go mano-a-mano. Tell them to pound away and drive. Lets see if all that strength work that we supposedly have done has paid off. Lets see if we can drive some folks off the line, and get a push going. As someone on here said before, o-linemen love to run block. That is what they like to do. It is also the easiest piece to learn. I would bet that we have some guys who don't get in the rotation now because their footwork isn't up to par. Well, if you do some power running, that isn't as important, and we can get those guys in the rotation and keep things fresh.

[jtstang]

All this consipiracy crap is annoying. There are plenty of reasons to rip on the program right now and I am the first to step up and say I am tired of it. I want change now. And you bet that I will be at the young alumni Mustang Club meeting next week and will raise some serious issues and questions.

The only problem with bringing this stuff up at young alumni Mustang Club meeting is nobody in that group has any influence. Your post was well thought out and articulate, and you should bring these matters to the attention of the old alumni branch of the Mustang Club.

Your thoughts on the real source of our offensive woes, the o-line, are right on the mark. Those guys cannot do their job but about once ever 3-4 plays.

[RGV Pony]

jstang, you bring up a good point. We're really, really screwed when old alumni branch dies off.

[Nacho]

I'm feeling ok so far. You never know though.

[SWC2010]

Chris Phillips protects the ball better than all these QBs.

Phillips does protect the ball better, though theres not many people trying to knockout it out of his hands on the sideline.

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Now that's funny, WH.

[Charleston Pony]

JT is right. Do you suppose the SMU administration appreciates the fact they are alienating an entire generation and is at risk of losing any support for SMU athletics in the future? I wonder what the long range plans for Ford Stadium might be?

[abezontar]

Not just SMU atheletics, SMU as a whole, it is much easier to forget about your alma mater when there is nothing noteworthy about it to make you remember.