tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post2608867790091866105..comments2023-10-17T03:58:34.147-07:00Comments on The Sports Minority Report: My shameful secret past (...I wrote for Bleacher Report...)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840670619286136224noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-36842579912893037002015-11-30T11:14:30.059-08:002015-11-30T11:14:30.059-08:00While as a Denton resident, I am always saddened b...While as a Denton resident, I am always saddened by UNT's struggles, I cooled on my fandom as so many of their issues seemed self-created (starting at the board level and frankly I was a Dodge guy. He was promised the stadium to recruit with and never got it. Record aside ---and it was abysmal --- I think that was morally wrong.) What I can say positively for Dodge is that the team he left was about 500% more talented than the team he inherited. With the worst stadium at the FBS level at the time THAT was quite an accomplishment. <br /><br />UNT fans don't want to acknowledge how totally screwed UNT was. Dodge's arrival absolutely played a big role in the push for a new stadium. No one gives him any credit for it. UNT NEEDED a name coach to help sell the stadium concept and if Dodge had passed on UNT like he did on Rice (horrible decision), I don't know if UNT would even be playing football today. There was no one else with a name who would have taken the job. <br /><br />You absolutely needed SOMETHING to build around. The team that he inherited had about 8 FBS caliber players. How the hell would any other coach UNT hired have done anything with the combination of Fouts, a school with a larger band than sports culture, a 150-200K head coaches salary, a cut rate assistant coaches salary pool, a crap conference that got no media attention in Texas, 8 FBS players, an athletic department needing student approval for a stadium ----that had just been busted by the students for trying to pull an end around on them and get the new stadium built --- and no media publicity whatsoever. <br /><br />UNT would have been scouring the Lone Star Conference for a head coach.<br /><br />Dodge was sold a bridge by UNT's president and Villareal and took the worst job at the FBS level by far at the time. They must have played on his loyalty as well as his arrogance. That is all I can figure. It was a horrible, horrible job. He is often ridiculed for bringing in his entire high school staff. I wonder if the truth was that was all UNT's assistant budget really allowed for. <br /><br />To his credit, he at least restocked the talent level and played a role in getting the stadium built. <br /><br />Along those lines I am one of the few who would advocate for Dodge to have another FBS head job if certain jobs open. I think New Mexico State would be a great gig for him. Expectations don't exist and they might be perfectly willing to give him a long term contract to solve their recruiting problem. But no doubt Dodge has to be smarter this time around. Special teams coaches are worth +3 to -4 wins annually. It is worth hiring a ringer. Dodge never figured that out specifically.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840670619286136224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-61538884481422902852015-11-30T11:13:47.374-08:002015-11-30T11:13:47.374-08:00I enjoyed your Canales write up and the linked UTS...I enjoyed your Canales write up and the linked UTSA article. <br /><br />I don't really write about UNT anymore because I can't seem to do it without wanting to light everything on fire. I probably am out until the day they replace the entire board of Regents. I think the university has gone as far as they can take them. <br /><br />And things don't get any better for me moving down the levels...<br /><br />One thing no one can question is that players like playing in a Canales operation. Years ago I had thought one of the undocumented problems that might have had an impact on Coach Dodge could have come out of coaches on his staff wanting to "be the interim" and not giving their all, but I could never get enough to ever prove it to the point I could run with it. There were several moves on the DL in particular that never made any damned sense to me, so I was quite glad DeLoach didn't get the interim gig. <br /><br />I was shocked that Canales was soooo much better, so much more innovative as an offensive co-ordinator once he became the interim head coach, that it really bothered me. Again, you want to be sure there is something there before you call someone out on that because that is who they are at their core. <br /><br />Was Dodge just a poor boss who didn't encourage innovation? I have a hard time buying that...So why did the whole "lets do something innovative each game" only come out of Canales's mouth when he was the interim? Always bugged me. If there is something there, then the guy should have the balls to take a head coaching job at a D-II school and work his way up as a head coach at each level, because that kind of thought process would not serve one's boss well. (For the record, I think Canales is wasting time as an OC. He is light years better as a head guy.) <br /><br />If Canales was overruled by a drowning dodge...If Canales the interim was simply buoyed by very capable play calling assistance from his WR coach (Very possible ---the guy was well respected as a play caller at LA Tech)......If DeLoach was forced to play his JUCO all-american cover LB at safety by Dodge....If DeLoach was repeatedly forced to push all-conference caliber DE's into backup DT roles based on Dodge's damage --- an irrational belief that a faster defense has to be a better pass rushing team regardless of all other factors --- than Dodge made his own bed. Fans have a lot of opinions. You can rarely tell the whole story at a lot of schools.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840670619286136224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-25447574052088490172015-11-26T00:12:17.870-08:002015-11-26T00:12:17.870-08:00I did. I thought of it again as I was writing up a...I did. I thought of it again as I was writing up a post about his final game. http://meangreennation.com/goodbye-mike-canales/Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11343522824317139522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-25863370453737559592015-11-23T20:09:26.873-08:002015-11-23T20:09:26.873-08:00LOL, I hope you liked it too...:)
Thanks, it is n...LOL, I hope you liked it too...:)<br /><br />Thanks, it is nice to be remembered.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840670619286136224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-39616726119558356232015-11-23T17:10:23.324-08:002015-11-23T17:10:23.324-08:00meant "linked"meant "linked" Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11343522824317139522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177452139044675406.post-76077710459820171622015-11-23T16:55:22.652-08:002015-11-23T16:55:22.652-08:00Yep. I remember you were the only other UNT writer...Yep. I remember you were the only other UNT writer on the internet, it seemed. I liked to your Canales piece. Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11343522824317139522noreply@blogger.com