Common Sense

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 12:52 pm

Dear ALL:

Many misunderstand what FREE wins means.

Free Win = WE ARE MUCH BETTER AND SHOULD WIN.

Sporting News, Athlons, all publications point out that our inexperienced QB this year is BETTER than our JC's last year.

If you guys think that anything less than 3-1 is satisfactory in OOC, that is, you think that 2-2 would be acceptable, then what hope do we possibly have in our Conference schedule?

EVERY single CUSA team is better than UNT, ArkSt, and SHSU. If we go 2-2, then there is no reason to believe we would beat anymore than perhaps Rice (which better be a FREE WIN this year) in conference.

You cannot say we will beat UNT and SHSU, lose to ArkSt/TECH, and then will go 4-4 in CUSA.

What 4 wins are there then? Tulsa, UTEP, UAB, Marshall, Houston, Tulane, and East Carolina are ALL much better than ArkSt - or NT, a team on the decline in Athlon's - if that is your loss instead of ArkSt.

Incidentally, ArkSt is not the good team that won the SunBelt despite losses to MTSU and UL-Monroe last year - they lost their very good QB and their two talented RB's.

"The great backfield has to be replaced losing effective running backs Antonio Warren and Shermar Bracey along with veteran starting quarterback Nick Noce." - Fox Sports

Are you guys telling me that we cannot beat ArkSt, and that this isn't a team to pencil in a a "W"? If not, then the season is already lost.

Now, I RECOGNIZE that anything can happen, and all is not lost at 2-2 (thus, it is altogether within the realm of possiblities that we could have some turnovers and lose one of these FREE wins). Yes, I understand that.

However, the expectation HAS to be that we are 3-1 in conference. Period.

Thus, 6-6 means we went 3-5 in CUSA.

That is a step back. If so, then you can put it in 3" letters:

"Phil Bennett fired despite first non-losing season in 10 years"

7-5 is even to last year.

8-4 is an improvement.

Period.

Quit making excuses.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:06 pm

PUT ANOTHER WAY:

Is this a team that
-should have beaten Baylor,
-played well for a half against aTm before their youth gave way to AGGIELAND and a fast QB,
-got screwed by Marshall officials,
-was ahead of UAB anyway, before rallying with 28 seconds to beat UAB,
-had Tulsa on the ropes, and
-ran off convincing wins against bowl-bound TCU, UTEP, and HOUSTON (and UAB?).

Or, is this a team that
-played well against Baylor,
-caught a TCU team napping between OU win (against a horrible OU team) and a UTAH Thursday night game,
-was lucky to be in a Marshall game (Marshall having recently lost to Georgia at Georgia 13-10),
-was lucky to beat UAB on the most amazing series of "if this doesn't work, we lose" plays
-caught Houston napping after their QB smacked about them playing BIG-TIME football in Houston now.
-caught UTEP napping thinking they could win the West

If you believe the latter, then this team will go 5-7, maybe 6-6 and we can call this an improvement.

In which case, PB should have been fired at 1-4 last year.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:09 pm

GoRedGoBlue wrote:PUT ANOTHER WAY:

Is this a team that
-should have beaten Baylor,
-played well for a half against aTm before their youth gave way to AGGIELAND and a fast QB,
-got screwed by Marshall officials,
-was ahead of UAB anyway, before rallying with 28 seconds to beat UAB,
-had Tulsa on the ropes, and
-ran off convincing wins against bowl-bound TCU, UTEP, and HOUSTON (and UAB?).

Or, is this a team that
-played well against Baylor,
-caught a TCU team napping between OU win (against a horrible OU team) and a UTAH Thursday night game,
-was lucky to be in a Marshall game (Marshall having recently lost to Georgia at Georgia 13-10),
-was lucky to beat UAB on the most amazing series of "if this doesn't work, we lose" plays
-caught Houston napping after their QB smacked about them playing BIG-TIME football in Houston now.
-caught UTEP napping thinking they could win the West

If you believe the LATTER, then this team will go 5-7, maybe 6-6 and we can call this an improvement.

In which case, PB should have been fired at 1-4 last year.

Lest you think I am a pessimist, I think we should expect 7-5 or 8-4. I believe in the FORMER situation above.

by **FordtoTolbert** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:13 pm

I have a headache....

by **McClown27** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:21 pm

We didn't just lose our QB, we also have a new batch of linebackers.

As I have done countless times, here is my breakdown of the season.

Probable Win
UNT
SHSU
Ark. St.
Rice

The season is imperiled by a loss to one of these teams. No one contests that we will probably win these games. Hell, this minister says we better.

Probable Loss
Tech
UTEP
Houston
TUlsa

Toss Up
Tulane
Marshall
UAB
ECU

The four tossup games are the key to the season. Contrary to some of y'all, I think a split of these games would make this season a triumph. If we win three of these games, it would be a spectacular year.

GoRedandBlue: Say we win all of four "must win" games and three of the tossup games, do you still think Bennett should be fired?

by **RGV Pony** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:23 pm

Wow, I wasn't aware of the Marshall-UGA score. Makes you wonder. I saw UGA first-hand at the SEC champ. game in the Georgia Dome, and was impressed.

Makes you wonder how Marshall hung with them, 13-10. Maybe UGA had an off game, or Marshall had a great game.

Maybe we're not as far off as we think.

Then again, I remember being at Kyle Field and thinking not that SMU played well in the first half, but that man we're still in this thing despite all the mistakes made so far.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:24 pm

4 must + 3 tossups = 7 wins.

I said that was even to last year.

6-6 he should and WILL go.

by **jtstang** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:29 pm

What happened to our "FREE wins" last year?

As a "former" advocate, you say we "should have beaten Baylor"--what happened to that FREE win? And didn't you think we were "MUCH BETTER AND SHOULD HAVE BEATEN" Tulane last year, a team that was displaced from its campus...no, life...only weeks before?? And what about ECU at home? Wasn't that a FREE win by your definition? And though they made a bad call, blaming the officials for that debacle at Marshall last year is gutless. We folded in the fourth quarter and OT and lost. It never should have come down to a call.

This team has no free wins. You should have no expectations.

If you believe in the "former" you are a sunshiner. If you believe in the "latter" you have reality as your ally.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:33 pm

McClown27 wrote:We didn't just lose our QB, we also have a new batch of linebackers.

As I have done countless times, here is my breakdown of the season.

Must Wins
UNT
SHSU
Ark. St.
Rice

The season is imperiled by a loss to one of these teams. No one contests that we will probably win these games. Hell, this minister says we better.

Probable Losses
Tech
UTEP
Houston
TUlsa

Tossups
Tulane
Marshall
UAB
ECU

The four tossup games are the key to the season. Contrary to some of y'all, I think a split of these games would make this season a triumph. If we win three of these games, it would be a spectacular year.

GoRedandBlue: Say we win all of four "must win" games and three of the tossup games, do you still think Bennett should be fired?

You should change the categories to

PROBABLE WIN: (Note: really need to fire PB if we lose any).
UNT
SHSU
Ark. St.
Rice

TOSS UP: (Note: We went 2-2 here last year, but arguably could/should have gone 3-1 with the Marshall fumble fiasco or an early fumble by DeMyron against a bad ECU team)
Tulane
Marshall
UAB
ECU

PROBABLE LOSS: (Note: we wend 2-1 against these four last year, with an almost win AT TULSA for an almost 3-0)
Tech
UTEP
Houston
TUlsa

by **PonySoprano** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:35 pm

Even if 6-6 gets us to a Bowl, you are saying PB should go? If that's the case, that is suprising. Its not often schools fire a coach that takes them to a bowl game, especially if its the first bowl game in 22 years.

by **Pony Fan** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:35 pm

I know I will get blistered for being a "sunshiner" but I don't think there is a team on our schedule, other than Tech, that we should not have a decent chance to beat.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:36 pm

jtstang wrote:What happened to our "FREE wins" last year?

As a "former" advocate, you say we "should have beaten Baylor"--what happened to that FREE win? And didn't you think we were "MUCH BETTER AND SHOULD HAVE BEATEN" Tulane last year, a team that was displaced from its campus...no, life...only weeks before?? And what about ECU at home? Wasn't that a FREE win by your definition? And though they made a bad call, blaming the officials for that debacle at Marshall last year is gutless. We folded in the fourth quarter and OT and lost. It never should have come down to a call.

This team has no free wins. You should have no expectations.

If you believe in the "former" you are a sunshiner. If you believe in the "latter" you have reality as yo ur ally.

If you believe such, and this season will tell, then, fire PB...that's the corrective measure.

ECU or TULANE were not FREE wins by any measure last year. Yes, Tulane had their issues, but still had better recruits than we did for the past 4 years.

by **GoRedGoBlue** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:37 pm

PonySoprano wrote:Even if 6-6 gets us to a Bowl, you are saying PB should go? If that's the case, that is suprising. Its not often schools fire a coach that takes them to a bowl game, especially if its the first bowl game in 22 years.

Will 6-6 get us into a bowl with a win against a Div-1AA team? And what if we lose that bowl, BADLY, to go 6-7...

by **McClown27** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:38 pm

I think Houston could be a toss up. Briles has a hot seat.

I changed the categories. Thanks, I wrote that fast.

I would be so pissed if we win 6 or 7 this year and the talk is firing Coach Bennett. Our talent level is slowly improving, and Coach Bennett can coach. Believe it or not, this will be a slow process.

by **jtstang** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 1:42 pm

GoRedGoBlue wrote:ECU or TULANE were not FREE wins by any measure last year. Yes, Tulane had their issues, but still had better recruits than we did for the past 4 years.

What about Baylor? FREE win? You admitted we didn't just "play well" against Baylor, but "should have beaten Baylor" last year. Is that a FREE win that we dropped?

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