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ES in many ways that was your best post ever. I don't know if I agree about Bennett. It is hard to judge a coach under these conditions but still you have to look at the record. I'm reasonably sure that Copeland will fire Bennett at the end of the season. I'm also reasonably sure that Copeland will not be fired. He will resign in a year or so. We are now down to hoping for a miracle at SMU. We lost control of the athletic department after the DP. Most, not all, university academics hate sports anyway. I'm sure they could care less about the football team. They are probably glad we are losing. The board is an enigma to me. Who knows what they are thinking.

EastStang wrote:Copeland is the hired gladhander of Turner and the Board of Trustees. Until they change the policies, you can put another gladhander, showman, ringleader, organ grinder or whatever other name you want to call him and we'll still have the same results. These changes are at the Board of Trustees level and need to be made there. Copeland is just bailing the water out of the hull. Fire coach so it looks like we care. Hire new coach who promises to turn it around. Fire coach so it looks like we care. Hire new coach who says all the right stuff. Fire AD so it looks like we care. Hire new AD, he/she fires coach, so it looks like we care. Hire new coach who promises the moon. And the cycle goes on and on. We won't get a great coaching candidate until the AD can say to the candidate, we'll made these changes to make your job easier. And if they made those changes, Bennett might just turn things around.

Yup, its the responsibility of the department head to communicate need for change to his superior which is Turner. Turner came after Copeland, but they seem to get along pretty well.

All I can think of to put pressure on Turner, and the board is boycott ALL contributions to ANY department of SMU if you are truly passionate about SMU major sports athletics in NCAA Div. 1A.

Nacho wrote:ES in many ways that was your best post ever. I don't know if I agree about Bennett. It is hard to judge a coach under these conditions but still you have to look at the record. I'm reasonably sure that Copeland will fire Bennett at the end of the season. I'm also reasonably sure that Copeland will not be fired. He will resign in a year or so. We are now down to hoping for a miracle at SMU. We lost control of the athletic department after the DP. Most, not all, university academics hate sports anyway. I'm sure they could care less about the football team. They are probably glad we are losing. The board is an enigma to me. Who knows what they are thinking.

Newsflash: By and large, like any organization, the Board does whatever the President tells them to do. Like a CEO, they hired him; they follow his lead.

They are not going to take the time to find out why SMU football is not any good. They, like I have said, are content with "It is the death penalty's fault" and "We are a serious academic institution" even though both excuses don't make any sense anymore.

What percentage of the average boardmember's time ist taken up by SMU board activities? I'd be shocked if it were 5%. I seriously doubt Laura Bush could tell you if SMU has ever won a football game in the past five years. Ditto Mark Craig. Ditto Jeanne Phillips. Gerald Ford could probably tell you who they beat last and Hunt might be able to tell you last year's record. Those are five off the top of my head. These people are too busy to worry about SMU football. I am dying for the day somebody sends a letter about SMU football to the Whitehouse and gets a generic, weird response from Laura Bush.

SMU Football Blog wrote:I am dying for the day somebody sends a letter about SMU football to the Whitehouse and gets a generic, weird response from Laura Bush.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, Mr. Phelps.

SMU Football Blog wrote:

Nacho wrote:ES in many ways that was your best post ever. I don't know if I agree about Bennett. It is hard to judge a coach under these conditions but still you have to look at the record. I'm reasonably sure that Copeland will fire Bennett at the end of the season. I'm also reasonably sure that Copeland will not be fired. He will resign in a year or so. We are now down to hoping for a miracle at SMU. We lost control of the athletic department after the DP. Most, not all, university academics hate sports anyway. I'm sure they could care less about the football team. They are probably glad we are losing. The board is an enigma to me. Who knows what they are thinking.

Newsflash: By and large, like any organization, the Board does whatever the President tells them to do. Like a CEO, they hired him; they follow his lead.

They are not going to take the time to find out why SMU football is not any good. They, like I have said, are content with "It is the death penalty's fault" and "We are a serious academic institution" even though both excuses don't make any sense anymore.

What percentage of the average boardmember's time ist taken up by SMU board activities? I'd be shocked if it were 5%. I seriously doubt Laura Bush could tell you if SMU has ever won a football game in the past five years. Ditto Mark Craig. Ditto Jeanne Phillips. Gerald Ford could probably tell you who they beat last and Hunt might be able to tell you last year's record. Those are five off the top of my head. These people are too busy to worry about SMU football. I am dying for the day somebody sends a letter about SMU football to the Whitehouse and gets a generic, weird response from Laura Bush.

5%, are you generous or what, I'd bet the farm it's 8 hours to fly into a
board meeting like a stockholder's meeting once a year for a couple
hours, and fly back.

Hmmm, naybe if we BOYCOTT ANY contributions during this critical
period of trying to get the BUSH Library somebody will take
notice .

If I understand your post correctly Blog you are saying that Turner is where the buck truly stops. He more or less controls the Athletic department. Is that what you are saying? Because if it is then why are we in such an unbelievable mess? Why can't he simply tell the board what to do and then pass it on to Jim Copeland for implementation? Why has this not happened? It seems so simple. What is holding up the process? Is Turner anti-football success? He must be if I follow this to a logical conclusion.

Maybe he just doesn't know any better, Old Miss (from what I recollect) has never been what you would call a powerhouse of college football. They have had some decent teams but by and large they are mediocre. If the buck does stop with Turner, and his past stops haven't had too much atheletic success to crow about, maybe he just doesn't know what is necessary.

Surely he is not dense. He must have some awareness. I mean it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

Here's the equation:

Great players+great coaches=great team.

Would somebody fax this over to Turner so we can get on the road to football success

Right, but if all he knows is how to fundraise and doesn't understand any of the other workings of a University he may not understand the restrictions the school has placed on it to prevent it from being successful, to prevent it from getting the good players and good coaches. I agree that I think it is a little far-fetched to say that, but it is another possiblity that should be considered. How much have any of us really done to try to inform him of our displeasure and what needs to be done to correct the situation?

u got it eaststang!!!

great post & its so true!!!

PlanoStang wrote: Hmmm, naybe if we BOYCOTT ANY contributions during this critical
period of trying to get the BUSH Library somebody will take
notice .

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You were doing well, Pony Stang, until your political slant get the better of you.

Yeah, right, losing the Bush library would change the face of SMU FB.

Stay focused & leave your political opinions on the doorstep OR to another message board.

I guarantee you that Mark Craig is aware of what is going on with SMU Football.

PlanoStang wrote: Hmmm, naybe if we BOYCOTT ANY contributions during this critical
period of trying to get the BUSH Library somebody will take
notice

That's a great idea!!

If Turner, the President of SMU, doesn't understand the self-imposed restrictions placed on the athletic dept by the university then he is either completely out of touch with a major part of the university (which I very much doubt since I see him on the Boulevard all the time) or Jim Copeland has not done his job in outlining this for him. I find the latter to be much more believable. Another possibility is that he, Turner, is having a very hard time convincing the academics to implement ways to end these restrictions affecting the admissions of athletes.

"Turner, is having a very hard time convincing the academics to implement ways to end these restrictions affecting the admissions of athletes."

my gosh - if this is the case the ship will never turn around -

u can even say that this is truly a case of the inmates running the asylum if this is in fact the case -

he77, if the inmates are calling the show, why are we even paying turner, copeland & the board their rediculously high salaries to make decisions when in fact they're not???