I hate to post emails two days in a row, because, let’s face it, you don’t pay Bob’s Blog what you pay to read emails, but I did it anyway. We have spent a fair amount of time investigating the love affair with Coach Fran this week, and asking the question, “is he as great as we all thought?” That, of course led to the question, “is he worthy of being paid what Stoopes and Mack get paid?” Which then led to the obvious question, “and why is Mack Brown thought of as a stooge, while Coach Fran is thought of as the next Bear Bryant?”
I am not sure the correct answer. I suppose it is Aggie Faithful wanting him to be good so badly that they cut him slack, while Longhorns fans have become accustomed to being good, and now demand great or else. In doing so, with apologists, it is common to remember R.C. Slocum’s final recruiting classes as a bunch of Special Olympics athletes, and therefore allow Coach Fran some additional wiggle room. Meanwhile, if Mack Brown loses to OU 1 more time, despite being a Top 5 team just about every year, he will be nominated as dunce of the century. Its all about perception, kids.
Here are some pretty solid emails:
Can you imagine the crap storm Mack would endure if he failed to go for two like Fran did? The supposed “better recruiter than Mack and better gameday coach than Stoops” is being exposed.
I think Fran will be fine but remember Mack took over a 4-7 UT team with NO defense and immediately went 9-3 with a Cotton Bowl win. Yes he had Ricky Williams but he also had a freshman QB. They were steam rolled by UCLA and K-State and then turned it around and have never lost less than 9 games. Obviously, I’m a UT guy and Mack certainly has his flaws but how does Fran escape the criticism after going 4-8 and 7-5 and losing to a very average Clemson team that never scored an offensive touchdown and still won.
Derek
We do forget that Mack Brown took over a team that was horrible (66-3 to UCLA) and quickly put them in significant Bowl games and 9 win seasons. You might say Ricky Williams was one of the best players in the nation, but I suggest Reggie McNeal is, too.
Good to see you all ask what’s so special about A&M and Fran especially. For some reason the media loves him and he gets a pass- same with A&M. They are ranked too high every year and once again it shows. They have fallen past TT as the 2nd best team in the state. I don’t remember Tech even missing a Bowl when Leach took over. He has taken a mediocre program and made it up and coming. Of course he is not loved by the media so he gets very little praise.
Look at Fran and A&M
road record: 2-9
overall: 11-14
Mcneal: 9-13 as a starter
Aggies have lost 5 of last 6
Andy
Ouch, 2-9 on the road??? How is that even possible? At Iowa State and at Oklahoma State (both in 2004) are the only two wins away from Kyle Field. And, I would have never guessed Reggie McNeal’s record as a starter.
Sports Sturm:
After all of the Fran man-love expressed on the ticket, I put together some definitive statistical analysis. You guys are right, he really needs to do SOMETHING. Here is a comparison, at their current jobs. Also included are the years immediately preceding their hire.
Key findings (during their current tenures):
1. Mack averages 10 wins a year, Fran 5.5
2. Mack averages end of year ranking 10.86th, Fran has yet to be ranked at TAM
3. TAM won more in the years preceding Fran than UT did preceding Mack, 14 to 12. So you can’t make the argument that he took over a down.
Fran has done a good job at TCU and Bama, but he needs to do something
Sam Elliott
What does this prove? That we all liked Coach Fran more? That Mike Leach doesn't even get discussed because of his personality? That Coach Mack has absurd expectations (including Saturday night when he will be EXPECTED to win a game at Ohio State). Perhaps, all of the above...
Links:
Chris Young shut down after 1 inning …tired arm…
Longhorns believe because of Vince …I am not saying that the Longhorns have arrived, but doesn’t it feel different than the Chris Simms era? Simms never had any confidence, while Young oozes it. I don’t think they will be shocked to win anymore…
If second-ranked Texas is to beat No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday night in perhaps its biggest nonconference game since then-No. 3 UT played at No. 5 Auburn with Bo Jackson in 1983, Young will be the difference.
Young will be the one in the huddle cracking jokes, talking trash and getting his teammates to believe they can stare down the Buckeyes and their 104,000 fans. Young will have to be the one to raise his level of play if the circumstances get dire – as he did in leading comeback wins against Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas A&M and Michigan last season.
If the Horns are to win in Columbus, Young will have to break tackles – and Ohio State's will.
The man who made baldness-at-22 cool, Andre Agassi Advances to the Semi’s at the US Open …
USA plays like it doesn’t matter much, tie in Guatemala …
Biggio gives Astros a huge win in Philadelphia …That Wildcard race in the NL is really worth enjoying…
Ron Borges wonders which route Randy Moss will take in Oakland …Are you ready for some football?
Tomorrow, a full Cowboys preview…
14 comments:
my college football nipples are so hard right now - good early post.
Its just that the expectations are different. Texas thinks they should win every game and it is a huge dissapointment if they dont. Ags think they should F sheep. Its not that one is worse than the other, just different.
Mike
It's going to be a downer for who ever wins the Big 12 since the the conference is apparently much weaker than normal.
I guess that's good for Tech & A&M, but nationally we aren't going to get much respect. Yes, I know it shouldn't be about going to a bowl only, but not every team can win the conference..so out in Lubbock and to some degree College Station, they hope for the best, but expect....the Alamo Bowl, or somesuch.
I'm not bagging on ANY college, just asking that you look at the historical achievements of all the Big 12 schools the last 15 years. Wins, vs Bowls, vs. Championships vs. coaching changes.
Go Bearcats, Celina SUX!!!!!
I forogt that tomorrow night is the big game between Celina (Bob's perennial State Champ--which is mighty suspicious) and AttnyDan's Pilot Point Bearcats.
Surely Bob will address this clash of Titans on his blog somewhere!!!
Big 12 down year = UT's only chance to win it outright? Kinda like when the Rockets won the NBA championship when Jordan was out?
Just asking, NOT trying to pick a fight.
Go Grapevine whatevers!!!
Mustangs
How can you not care about 2A/3A Football..it's the only truly amateur sport left these days!!!
I'm a UT fan, but Mac had better do something this year (like win the Big 12 and play for the championship) or lots of bandwagon riders like me, will want him gone....replaced by...hmmm....anyone got any ideas?
P1 Coach Moore
genius intro.
ThankfulDip
After all these years, I still think Andre Agassi is HOT!! Steffi Graf is so lucky to have him.
There used to be a website that handicapped high school games in Texas, but it's gone. Anyone know if it has been replaced?
Current line (pulled out of my @ss, but I've seen both teams play)
Celina -17.5
Seriously, that is an EXCELLENT question--even though it's week 2 of the season.
If Mac goes, who do the UT faithful go after?
If Fran goes, who do the A&M faithful go after?
There has to be a wish list..right?
Of course, Leach ain't going anywhere...where else can you go 7-5, go to a Bowl, have job security and keep fans like myself just satisfied enough to not complain. Spike Dykes trained us well apparently.
poo poo...hahaha
What about Coach Moore?
Mike
AttyDan,
That is exactly why it is dumb for people to say that Mack is on the hotseat. We are not that far removed from the Mackovich years. Mack Brown restored pride and the winning tradition we had under Royal. The work is not done yet, but who is better than Mack AND available? Nobody. Do we hate losing to OU 5 years in a row? YES! But 11-1 is better than 5-6 under some new coach.
Longhorn P1
I think the reason there's the difference in expectations between Fran and Mack is because Mack is hyped all year long beyond all get-out as is UT's program. Fran just needed to bring some excitemet into the A&M offense using something called the forward pass and something else called the more-than-2-receiver set.
Year after year of awesome recruits, positive press and booster orgies have set the bar pretty high for Mack Brown and for UT. Look at last season: UT had a very successful season but still lost to OU and didn't win a national title. What's the response? "Mack sucks." "Mack chokes." "Mack can't win the big game."
Spare me. UT won the Rose Bowl and there's still people howling for his head? That's just foolish.
Mack Brown is a damned good coach, the best football coach UT's seen in a long time. Being owned by OU year in and year out has wrongly tarred him as a choker when all the guy does is put up winning seasons and, as others have pointed out, he didn't go through rebuilding to do that. He just started winning. Period.
Down in College Station, Coach Fran brought life back into Aggie football, something that had been missing from it at the coaching level ever since Jackie Sherrill left town. I was at A&M during R.C.'s first few seasons and watching A&M's offenses during his time as head coach were about as much fun as watching paint drying.
Folks in the Association of Former Students and the administration figured out that Mack and his style of play were going to throw a beating to R.C. year in and year out.
No, the wins haven't come. Yes, A&M has looked at times like the third best team in the state instead of a worthy challenge to UT. But the reason most Ags aren't ready to burn Coach Fran in effigy is because he's not on the uncompromising pedestal that Mack is on in Austin.
Poor Mack. If I were him, I'd just resign or go pro as fast as possible because despite the winning seasons without rebuilding, he's never going to be good enough for Burnt Orange Nation.
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