Phil Bennett and Staff can't coach, must GO!

[Bergermeister]

Despite what a handful of people would have you think, Coach Bennett is pretty dadgum popular with team members, students and alums. Some posters are following in their parents' Little League/YMCA footsteps with their "fire the coach". Consider the source.

[Nacho]

What is your source Berger?

[FloridaMustang]

if this is a sunshine board, i don't want to see what trash they're posting over at mustangmaniacs.com

i guess all the coaches we've hired in the last 15 years have just sucked. boy, we hire some bad ones.

funny how the only winning season we had with cavan was arguably with our best talent post-dp.
crazy how that works.

lets actually let bennett do things right and give him some support. you all are just creating more rifts in this program and disheartening the players we do have.

berger- you are absolutely right. the players love bennett. people ask the players how they like them and they grumble about the expected.. how hard the coach is on them. but ask any player if they think he's a great coach and i guarantee most will tell you yes.

<small>[ 10-29-2003, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: FloridaMustang ]</small>

[mattfair]

This reply is to Johnny Rock. SMU lessened the severity of its admission policy to SMU recruits two years ago. I just wanted to let you know that, yes, 3-4 or 10-12 years ago, this was a MAJOR problem at SMU when it came to recruiting, but the one thing Bennett was blessed with that Rossley and Cavan (REALLY SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER ABOUT) was being handcuffed by the SMU admissions board...

So, in closing, your argument in support of Bennett fails, due to the above. But I appreciate your feedback.

[mattfair]

Dear EastStang,

I take major OFFENSE to being called a Troll and if ever I met you would punch you in the face for telling me to go back to Frogland. Yes, it is unfortunate I live in Tarrant County due to the Predominance of TCU losers, but in no way am i friendly with the puke, er purple and silver boosters!

I do not know who would be the coach or A coach to come to SMU and take over as the new guy, but that was not why i posted. I posted because I am wanting to get feedback on whether I and a few buddies are wrong in our wisdom of college football coaches. Rick Neuheisel is an OUTSTANDING recruiter, but i believe he is lacking in his coaching skills as well. Now, do not get me wrong, i am not comparing Bennett to Neuheisel who is not coaching NCAA football, but I am telling you there are guys who can coach and guys who can recruit.. Bennett is the LATTER, not the former. Just look at what Tedford has done at California. A former Offensive coordinator at Oregon he turned a UNDER achievieng Kyle Boller into a First Round pick and Cal is no longer the laughing stock of the Pac 10. he has been at Cal the same amount of time as Bennett. Cal is academically a TOP tier (higher rated than SMU) and he inherited Holmoes cast offs and brought in young guys and is doing quite well. Very similar to Bennett as Bennett was a former DEFENSIVE coordinator, but thought of very highly as a coordinator.

Bennett seems like a nice guy, and i was very touched by all the articles about him and his family and how sad it was his wife died tragically. But I feel he may be best served in another capacity than HC of SMU fball.

[Hoop Fan]

Keller, you have completely shot yourself in the foot with your arguement. So the severe restrictions were lifted 2 years ago huh? Those guys are what, redshirt freshmen, now? You can't be serious. And I guarantee you that Cal did not have the situation SMU did with internal restrictions on visits etc..Its almost impossible to compare any school to SMU's situation, not even Tulane or Duke and certainly not Wake Forest.

<small>[ 10-29-2003, 06:57 PM: Message edited by: Hoop Fan ]</small>

[Bergermeister]

KP... wisdom? I must have missed something.

[EastStang]

Let me spell this out for you KellerFrog/Aggie. When SMU is trying to recruit someone, don't you think they check out what is on this board? Answer, yes. If they sense that Bennett won't be around next year, perhaps they pass. A Frog/Aggie would post something about how SMU should fire its coach (who's recruiting well and has been here less than 2 years) in order to sway that recruit to TCU or A&M. So when your first ever post is "fire the coach", then perhaps, you might see why I think you're not who you claim to be. By the way which dorm did you live in your sophomore year?

[EdWiz]

I'm very sick of the only excuse for the Mustangs pathetic performance on the field is talent. Do ya'll really believe that SMU has THE ABSOLUTE worst bunch of kids in the whole country(D-1A)? Because right now they sure are the very worst team. If indeed it is not the talent, then what is it.Coaching, for all you people that think yall know anything about sports. Im not saying that they have the talent to be BCS contenders but they do have the talent to have one a single game thus far. For Example, everyone on this board should be familiar with Tulsa right. Prime example, a team that has been awful in the years past, get a good coach in there and look what he has done. He is not winnin all games but he is competing, SMU is far from competing.
So, and all you people bashing Cavan and his recruits, find something else to do b/c you obviously dont know anything about football and all the things that it entails. Im not saying that Cavan was a great coach, but at least when he was here SMU scored touchdowns and actually won a few games and competed in most of the others. And whoever the guy was making the smart [deleted] comments about Holtz and Bear Bryant,,you have absolutely lost your mind if you can even compare Holtz and bennet. that is ridiculous.

[mattfair]

Hoop Fan,

Just for your edification, Cal is serving Pac-10 probation for violations under the Holmoe era. A 1-10 Cal team CHEATED (kids weren't in class, but getting grades, papers were done, etc...). Can you imagine a team that bad and they CHEATED to get that record? So, Tedford actually is using holdovers and the few recruits he can get due to these violations that were from a previous regime. So, Bennett has it EASY...

[mattfair]

East Stang,

you really think a HS kid is gonna believe what a pony fan is posting on a message board?? I mean, if i can't convince you that Bennett can't coach, how is a kid who has met Bennetts staff going to think that?

I am not an Aggie or a Frog or any other "opponents fan". I am just really irked that Bennett is unable to coach and wanted to see if there were other SMU fans frustrated with this fact.

[EastStang]

If Cal is on NCAA probation, probably means that he had some good recruits. You don't recruit well and get stinkers. And by the way Tulsa has how many JUCO transfers starting this year. As I said before, you don't fire a coach after a year and a half of coaching because other coaches just won't come for fear they'll meet the same fate. And for those of you who want Bennett fired now, you got the $1 Million to pay to eat his contract, and then pay a new coach on top of that. The athletic department sure doesn't have it lying around. They have an entry fee to pay to CUSA.

[Hoop Fan]

your logic fails you Keller. The effect of probation really comes 3 or 4 years after the probation period. Just like the benefit of new recruiting procedures is SEEN 3 or 4 years later. And to close that loop for you, what happened on the Hilltop in 1999 and extended through about 2001? M-A-L-I-N.

[McAndless]

Hoop Fan, I appreciate the God-like comparison, it meant alot. It boosted my ego just enough to continue posting when I had reached a point of retirement. But your unsettling claims forced me back and I must clarify for you. I dabbled with the game a while ago, and while I have the fortunes of knowing some of these players, I know their families, friends, and some assistant coaches as well. People that are employed directly under him would never, and thankfully, have never said a negative word. They are professional in their criticisms.

I have witnessed this coach pull off stunts that make me wonder what kid would actually want to put their everything in for and play for the ol gipper. I'm not going to come onto a message board and make substantiated or unsubstantiated claims as to what the coach does or says specifically, but it is safe to say he doesn't do it well and the only proof I need of that is 3-17 with ZERO sign of spark.

Ran into a former player that made it to Tulsa game and was amazed and how lackadaisacal, unmotivated, careless this team looked and also marveled about Tulsa's turnaround. There is a difference between quick fix JUCO recruitment, and a quick fix in attitude and approach by a coaching staff. You people fail to realize that.

I would like to thank Tea for pointing out the large river that flows south to north in Egypt, many here apparently drank the Kool Aid and are now fully swimming in it.

[Hoop Fan]

EastStang, I appreciate you bringing some sanity to the fray here. Its fine for people to demand results. I wrote my letter to SMU this week. But the constant blame game of coaches after one year is ridiculous.