Craig James on the DMN Hotseat

[ponyboy]

Cheating is cheating no matter how many participate in the activity. And the way we cheated took it to a whole new level. We were every bit deserving of what we got, though not for the self flagellation masquerading as righteousness that followed the NCAA's punishment.

[thefamousguy]

It would be nice if someone posted a link to the article. I couldn't find it on the DMN website. BTW, many of us who remember games every Saturday against BCS opponents and playing them close or even beating them occasionally, are pretty sick of the depths to which we have fallen. CUSA is a nice conference, but come on, losing to ASU and UNT in successive years is very frustrating. And Stallion is right, the coach is not the one who bears most of the blame. Its the system we created 20 years ago. We've made adjustments, but we still see ASU, UNT, TCU, TT, Baylor, getting better players than us, year in and year out. Is that because the coaches are crappy recruiters? How come Bennett was able to snag outstanding players for KSU and get toaster leavings for us? Did he suddenly lose his touch? Bennett and Tubbs were about as hard wired into North Texas high schools as any two coaches in SMU history. So, why didn't they bag the 4 star recruits? John Shumate has been successful just about everywhere EXCEPT SMU. Same goes for Forrest Gregg, Tom Rosseley and Mike Cavan. Are other schools paying players? What are they doing that we're not doing? What are they doing that we can't do? Those are the questions that need to be addressed before the football and basketball programs really go to a top 25 level. As far as ever being elite in football again, I'm afraid, that horse has already left the barn with the BCS. So, yeah scream loudly for Bennett's head, and dream of elite coaches coming here and then wonder aloud why they withdraw their names from consideration or take other jobs. The fact is that if Bennett goes, there will be few options for SMU to turn to.

STOP BLAMING THE SYSTEM!!!! RICE WENT TO A BOWL LAST YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!! Our system is easier to get athletes than theirs. You see how well they are playing this year after downgrading coaches.

We have good enough Conference USA level athletes to win each and every year with some decent coaching. We havent become accept any player with legs University but SMU is getting more guys accepted now than at anytime since the DP.

Stop using the system as an excuse. If anyone has a systematic excuse it should be Navy or Air Force. They have even had winning programs.

[EastStang]

Whoopdee doo Rice went to a bowl last year and we didn't and they hadn't been to one in 40 years before that. A blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. They're pretty much are back to same old Rice this year. I ask the question again. Has every coach we've had in the last 20 years forgotten how to recruit, or is there something endemic that needs fixing? And guess what, I don't know where it needs to be fixed. All I know is that something has been wrong and still must be wrong. You can keep changing the deck chairs around on the Titanic, but until you find out where the boat is leaking its still headed under water. And why on earth should we want to just be as good as CUSA teams? I would hope that our goal is to dominate CUSA. So, let's find the leak, fix it and get on to winning championships.

[thefamousguy]

Whoopdee doo Rice went to a bowl last year and we didn't and they hadn't been to one in 40 years before that. A blind squirrel finds a nut now and then. They're pretty much are back to same old Rice this year. I ask the question again. Has every coach we've had in the last 20 years forgotten how to recruit, or is there something endemic that needs fixing? And guess what, I don't know where it needs to be fixed. All I know is that something has been wrong and still must be wrong. You can keep changing the deck chairs around on the Titanic, but until you find out where the boat is leaking its still headed under water. And why on earth should we want to just be as good as CUSA teams? I would hope that our goal is to dominate CUSA. So, let's find the leak, fix it and get on to winning championships.

Rossley and Cavan didn't have the level of athletes we have today. They did the best they could considering the League we were in and the level of athletes we had.

Bennett has better athletes than Rossley and Cavan. Bennett also has easier competition to face in conference and he isn't getting the full potential out of the team.

All you have to do is look at the games we've lost and see the mental breakdowns/lack of execution at crucial moments that turned the game the wrong direction.

For example, TCU last week with the blocked punt and no points scored the rest of the game.

Also, you don't go from not having a bowl game in 20 years to competing with USC for the national championship. You have to start somewhere and that is to win Conf. USA.