I suppose that IS another way of having fun...probably healthier than trying to make fun of other people...wait, is that not the same thing?jtstang wrote:(Ain't immaturity fun?)

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2006 Depth Charts?Moderators: PonyPride, SmooPower
58 posts
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Substitute "optomist" and "realist" for "sunshiner" and "doom and gloomer" and we get back to the old debate that has raged forever on these boards. A realist looks to the bottom line to determine the state of the program, where 8-9 losses pretty much makes you a bad team, while the optomist ignores the 8-9 losses per year to focus solely on the fact that our running back averaged 85 yards per game in those losses. Unfortunately that running back played on a bad team.
Wait till next year has always been the mantra of those on the short-end of the stick this year. I grew up a Washington Senators fan, talk about being a masochist. Of course, the Texas Rangers inherited all that ineptitude (the curse of Bob Short), so that is something that we can all relate to. Every winter, Rangers fans hope that the next spring will be theirs. A free agent signing or two, a good looking minor league prospect coming up next year, a new manager and thats all that's needed to get to the World Series. Or take the Mavaricks. Just lacking some small thing to get to the next level and yet, they never quite get there. Think about the lowly Cubs fan. They do this to themselves every year. So, yes, as we look toward 2006, we have to have some hope. In the back of our minds, we know that next year will probably be like this year, but maybe a true freshman or a JUCO will appear on the scene and lead us to greatness. Or Knute Rockne will be resurrected from the dead and come to help Phil Bennett. Who knows, but at the end of every season a fan can hope for a better season -Wait till next year.
Bottom line approach is fine. The problem with it is it doesnt necessary tell you when the program is getting better and is about to show results. Thats the key for adminstrators as well as really interested fans when they evaluate a coach/program. Anybody can look rear view and say this isnt good enough, obviously its not. The classic example is Frank Beamer at Va Tech which I was far from the first to say. Had Va Tech not recognized things not reflected in the bottom line, they probably never would be where they are now after he went 2-9 in his 4th year. Thats an irrefutable example of patience paying off.
I have disagreed with some calls Bennett has made, but those things are judgement and they are fixable. Much less important in the big picture than can this guy recruit going forward and can he raise the profile of the program? I happen to think with at least one more win, this year is much better than last. We have a few quality wins, and many more competitive close games with a chance to win than recent years. Is that good enough? No, but that doesnt mean its not a positive step.
The bottom line has remained the same for sixteen years!!!!!! I'm sorry, but I consider myself a really interested fan and I can say from a historical prespective that speculating we are "getting better and about to show results" is just sunshine blindness.
ok, your mind is closed to this, but when there is real improvement or reason for hope, won't a TRUE realist recognize it? Or is realism just confined to going backwards? What about the guy who didnt say we were really improving for the past 16 years, but now says we might be? He might just be correct.
We haven't been routinely tossed around in the trenches this year like so many previous years. We have gotten a decent juco recruit or two, unlike so many of those previous 16 years. We seem to be recruiting more jucos right now, good ones too. Bennett has charisma and energy, unlike Cavan or Rossley. We have 2 quality wins, 2 more than we have had in years. Those are things you can see. I dont blame you for dismissing them, but it doesnt mean that your are right or will be proven right. And before you label me sunshine, I predicted a whopping 4 wins this year in the prediction thread.
Sorry, but any discussion of our two "quality wins" must be tempered by reference to our folding to Baylor and Marshall, and losses to Tulane and ECU in games in which an truly improving team should have at least shown up in. How's that for realism? I don't think we have improved appreciably this year, and I think with losses to graduation and attrition on both sides of the ball whatever marginal improvment we've shown will take a step backwards next year. I do not share your reason for hope.
And I'm not saying I'm right about our lack of improvement, or that you're wrong. I mean, hell, opinions are all we are spouting here. I hope you are right and that we go to a bowl next year. But I am saying that when I as a realist point out the bottom line in wins and losses, you you as an optomist talk about not getting tossed in the trenches in those games where we lost anyway.
So how do all of you evaluate next season by position?
Just off the top: Offense - likely better Line - more experience, Better RBs - more experience, Better WRs - ditto, Better QB - Big question mark. Defense - push Line - Better LBs - A LOT of spots to fill - likely weaker, especially early DBs - Some spots to fill - same as above Special teams - possibly worse Returns - same good returners, a strength PK and Punting - Big question marks Net? Depends on the QB more that anything else. Go Ponies!!
Beat whoever it is we are playing!! @PonyGrad
I've already conceded the bottom line is it has not been a good year. As for the Marshall and Baylor "folds", somehow we had the leads well into the game. Nobody said we had figured out how to win yet. My opinion is there is more reason for hope than there has been in awhile. Thats it.
The real problem with these realist vs. optomist discussions is that each side knows there is about an infinite number of points that can be made to prop up each side's argument. The fact that we debate these issues in the firts place is the SMU's fault too. If the damn team would just start winning a little realism and optomism would merge and we could all be on the same side.
we are losing 5 big playmakers on defense-the way I view it right now I am only reasonably comfortable in one replacement and that is Carrington. The secondary will be a BIG questionmarks in pass coverage and LB. I see problems and very few answers and lack of depth which is not surprising considering the defections. These aren't just spots to fill they are big problems.
with all the speed guys Bennett has signed, we should be able to find some answers at cornerback. The linebacker worry is a big one. If we cant recruit an impact juco at lb, it could hurt the season alot. YOu have to believe Bennett is looking hard at a juco lb like Clayton Cox or whatever the guys name was who left. Therian and Haywood have made an impact. Makine and Goode look promising to me.
despite our only having 3 wins to show for it, I really do believe this team has improved considerably from last year. Let's see how we finish against Houston and UTEP before we declare this season a huge disappointment. Anyone who felt this team was bowl bound can be labeled a HUGE optimist (or sunshiner if you prefer)
Looking back just a few years, anyone with any memory left can surely recall that we were GROSSLY mismatched in the trenches...on both sides of the ball...and that we were a very SLOW team. We've improved on both counts and have reached a point where we are just a couple of key players away from being very competitive at the level we are competing We all have to be concerned about next year when we talk about the seniors leaving this defensive unit or how this team will fare at QB. Fortunately, the schedule is set up for a new QB to learn on the job without being totally demoralized. I haven't given up on Bennett yet and I like the Frank Beamer comparison. Give him a chance to see what he can do in 5-6 yrs before we talk about running him off. Beamer didn't find a winning season until his 7th year as I recall. Whether Bennett can get it done here depends in large part on how many "diamonds in the rough" he can find in recruiting. Justin Rogers is a great example of a lightly recruited guy turning out to have a huge heart and making himself into a quality Division I-A player. Will Justin Willis, who few projected as a QB at this level, turn into one for SMU? Will any of our lightly recruited linemen from last year muscle up to compete at this level? I don't want to write this season off just yet, but I've pointed for years to 2006 as the year this team "grows up". We will have more depth in the trenches than we've had in recent memory, we've got plenty of skill guys returning . I think we can all agree the key may be whether Bennett can bring in a few impact JUCOs at critical positions, but let's not forget about guys like Johnnie Fitzgerald who may finally get a chance to show what he can do next year. I'm not ready to declare the 2006 team bowl bound, but I do confess the optimist in me sees SMU vs TCU in the Ft Worth Bowl next year after we win 7 games
Again I say with a 12 game schedule, and the level of our competition, I EXPECT at least 9 wins in 2006.
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