Before we proceed, allow me to direct you to the August 16th entry on this very blog:
I am Switzerland when it comes to College Football down here, whether it is the Red Raiders, Longhorns, Aggies, Bears, and all of the other colleges. I will not take a side, except that I would like one of you to knock the Sooners off their high horse one of these years to make things interesting. So, if you are offended by the photos and links that may make your school appear law-breaking, gay, or otherwise, please feel free to find law-breaking, gay, or otherwise photos of the other schools to even the score. No belly-aching allowed, no screams of “Bob is biased”. All funny stuff sent to me regarding Big 12 South schools will be posted, but I don’t find them myself. Therefore if there is never any material making fun of school A, then no one is sending me stuff to make fun of school A. Enjoy College Football Season,
Love,
Bob’s Blog
Now, that was regarding humorous things on the blog, but you get the idea. I consider myself an objective observer when watching Big 12 football, with no real biases, save my distaste for Sooner domination. And as you may imagine, I am pleased with the season OU has put together.
On to the premise of the debate: I am sick and tired of people kicking R.C. Slocum harder and harder each time Dennis Franchione loses a game. I am tired of how a coach who was fired 3 years ago is still blamed for losses in 2005. I am equally tired and somewhat amazed how many apologists remain for Coach Fran. I certainly recognize the need to be patient for his program, but not at the expense of further cheapening his predecessor.
I am not speaking to every Aggie fan. I am only speaking to those who continue to tell me and anyone who will listen how bad things were when Coach Fran arrived. In fact, their revisionist history is almost comical, because the recruiting classes from 2001 and 2002 have become worse and worse with each week that goes by.
So, I did some research. In case you missed the show, I decided to look at the NFL rosters, and as an objective judge of talent each program has produced, I wanted to find out how the Aggies compared to their Big 12 South brethren. I did not need to look to hard, since the Texas A&M game notes boast this very point: No team in the Big 12 South has produced more players into the NFL currently than the Aggies. 29 Aggies are currently on NFL rosters. 24 Sooners, 22 Longhorns, 13 Cowboys, 12 Red Raiders and 10 Bears round out the list (according to sportsline.com). I recognize that perhaps this is damning R.C. with faint praise due to the fact that if he had all of this talent, why didn’t he win more? But, that is a different discussion. The discussion I am having is “did R.C. leave Coach Fran with nothing?”
It is impossible to definitively answer this because who knows how the development of “player A” was impacted by the coaching influence of Coach Fran versus R.C.? For instance, take Reggie McNeal. Was he better suited for the offense and philosophy of Slocum or Franchione? Would he be a Heisman front runner were it not for the coaching change or would he still be floundering in the way that he currently is? We shall never know. But, that day in 2002 when he beat #1 Oklahoma, it appeared the sky was his limit.
But, what those statistics do show is that no program in the conference could find talent, cultivate it, grow it, and prepare it for the National Football League like this program under R.C. Slocum. 28 of the 29 (Mike Montgomery is the exception) were his players, and this is not a subjective statement. This is factual from scanning NFL rosters.
So, to suggest to me that R.C. suddenly stopped trying and left Coach Fran with nothing, and then this explains how 3 years later they can’t stay within 5 Touchdowns of Texas Tech is far fetched at best and absurd at worst.
Look, in no way can I suggest that Slocum was Paterno or Bowden or Stoopes; he was what he was and it was likely time to make an adjustment. He may be the all-time leader in wins, but he also presided over some underachieving teams. And for that, he was fired. But, for some reason, his successor is blameless when his teams underachieve – 2003 and likely 2005 are the first two losing seasons since 1982.
I cannot promise that Franchione will never be successful here. I do think that Aggieland was way too quick to pay him what they did and lock him up until 2012, but they targeted a guy and once they did they made sure they would not lose him to the NFL or to another competitor. I also don’t have a better idea for you, so don’t think I am demanding a firing or offering you a candidate that would push the Aggies up to the Sooners and Longhorns levels.
But, I do implore you to stop this revising of history. Slocum may not have left this program stacked, but he sure didn’t leave it bare. The 2003, 2004, and 2005 NFL drafts found 10 more Aggies “NFL worthy”. And since when can’t a first year coach take the previous coach’s crap and turn it into something darn competitive? Stoopes, Mack Brown, and Charlie Weis are three quick examples of turning things around quickly. In no way do I buy that a coach should be allowed 3-5 years to offer some level of competitive football.
Coach Fran is either going to take a few years to arrive or he is going to turn into one of the great busts in this state’s history (joining Chan Ho Park). But, to continue to blame Slocum in 2005 for things that are happening on the field with players that he mostly did not recruit and certainly hasn’t coached in 36 months is inexcusable. How about some accountability?
To most of you, it appears that you have decided Fran has had enough time to show signs of life. The heat is on him far more than it has been. But, there is still that group that so badly wanted Fran to be Mack or Stoopes that they continue to blame anyone but him for the garbage that we are seeing in many key games in the Aggie’s season. I am speaking to that group, and telling them to stop the silliness and if you are going to praise this guy for everything he does right, don’t be afraid to call him out, too.
Today's Links:
Mavs wither without Dirk …
Nowitzki is day-to-day, as is Harris, who turned his left ankle with two minutes to go in the third quarter and the Mavericks enjoying a 71-66 lead. Harris tried to make it up and down the court a few times before leaving for good.
That coincided with a 15-0 Philadelphia surge that put the Sixers up by 10, and their run would eventually reach 29-5 as they went up, 95-76.
And like I said, that is why you must have Keith Van Horn. For the inevitable Dirk injury. He misses very few games, but boy, does he get banged up.
Stars in Nashville tonight, unveil new tough …
Ott and Perrott were opposing forwards last season in the American Hockey League, with Ott gathering 279 penalty minutes for Hamilton and Perrott ringing up 276 for St. John's. In all, the two played 12 games against one another, and Ott estimated 80 or 90 of his penalty minutes came in fights against Perrott.
"I have a lot of respect for him," Ott said. "He's a good player, and he's definitely a heavyweight. He was killing me."
So it's ironic that when Perrott makes his debut in a Stars uniform tonight against Nashville, he is expected to line up as the right wing on Ott's line. The two could give the Stars plenty of energy and also offer an edge to the team's game.
"They have to be a hard working, hard to play against line," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "Nathan brings a little of that to the game."
Galloway on T.O. and Irvin …
Its Thursday: Time for the Jimmy Burch Big 12 Insider …
Jason Carter: Don’t blame Reggie …
Gotta Like Kansas Coach Mark Mangino. Earlier in the week, Texas was claiming offense over last year’s comments from the hefty Mangino. Yesterday, he hit back …
"If you're the best team in America and you're looking for motivation, maybe we have a chance Saturday."
— Kansas coach Mark Mangino in response to comments by Texas quarter- back Vince Young, who said this week he's "ticked off" after being reminded of quotes that the Longhorns were outplayed and outcoached in a 27-23 UT victory last season.
Drew Sharp has T.O.’s back …
The Raffy Comedy Tour continues …
Bill Simmons vs. Mark Cuban …
FRAN under fire.com …
The answer to yesterday’s email …
Winning that elusive first national championship came with a hefty price tag: North Carolina, which lost Sean May, Rashad McCants, Raymond Felton and Marvin Williams as early entries to the NBA, is the first defending national champion to be unranked in the preseason Top 25 poll since Kansas in 1989.
Mainstream media is catching up with the shocker …
Scenes from the American landscape:
*College football. The Georgia Bulldogs are squaring off against the Florida Gators, and a Georgia television goes to a live shot of some typically maniacal fans of the Dawgs.
A giant foam hand enters screen right. The index, middle and pinky fingers extended, with the ring finger bent and meeting the thumb in the palm of the big hand.
*Pro wrestler Matt Hardy enters the ring, and flashes a signal to the rabid crowd: index, middle and pinky fingers extended, with his ring fingers bent and meeting the palms of his hands.
*Prior to the 2005 Super Bowl, Fox goes to Iraq for a salute to our troops. As the 209 Broadcast Operation Detachment from Rome, Ga., says "Hi Mom!" in unison, three soldiers pull out giant foam hands with the three fingers up/ one finger down arrangement.
*The cast of an off-Broadway musical poses for an onstage photo. Virtually everyone in the picture is doing the same hand gesture: hand extended in front of the chest, ring finger bent down.
Noticed that "White Settlement" voted overwhelmingly to keep their name.
ReplyDeleteNext on the ballot:
Oak Cliff changing it's name to "Black Settlement" and Dallas changing it's name to "Brown Settlement".
I fully admit that I live in Honkeyville, but I sure wouldn't want to call it that.
On a serious note: The A&M/OU line has moved 3 points to 13 so the gamblers have spoken..is there ANY chance whatsoever A&M can keep this respectable? Surely, Coach Fran can make this interesting...right?
Bob, I really don't know who you are directing these Slocum/Fran rants at. As an Aggie fan, I can tell you of very few people who are still blaming RC for our struggles this season. Most people are pretty fed up with Fran and are putting the blame squarely on his staff.
ReplyDeletePeople blamed RC for us being so bad in 2003, and to a lesser extent for the times we struggled last year, and they were right to do so. That was an incredibly untalented A&M team in 2003 because RC had made a habit of getting his ass kicked in recruiting by Mack and later Stoops. Guess when Mack got to UT? 1998. Stoops to OU? 1999. So that would make the guys from the recruiting classes where they started kicking RC's ass seniors right around 2002 and 2003. And guess which teams were winning in 02 and 03 and guess who wasn't? You make the NFL argument for RC...well from the 2003 team the Aggies only had ONE guy drafted (Jamaar Taylor - 6th rd). Last year, we had only three (Terrence Murphy, Geoff Hangartner, Mike Montgomery). So the talent level had dropped precipitously. RC left Fran with a team with one senior who would play in the NFL and that was forced to start walk-ons at linebacker.
RC was great for A&M for a long time, but it was time for him to go. I agree, it's time to give the blame to Fran for anything that happens from now forward and I think that's what is happening. Just read texags.com if you don't believe me. But just because Fran isn't getting the job done so far, doesn't mean that RC was getting it done when he was fired.
Here's my two cents worth of Aggie psychoanalysis, with plenty of attempts by a Texas alum to draw Aggies offsides:
ReplyDeleteCoach Fran has made it very clear throughout his career that A&M is his dream job. Unlike most rational human beings, he has told the WHOLE WORLD that College Station and Texas A&M is his dream come true. This is precisely what all those Aggies with angry little man inferiority-complex overcompensation syndrome need to hear. They need to hear that their 4-8 years spent in College Station was not the Biggest Mistake of Their Lives. They need to hear that successful people, like Coach Fran, think A&M is a dream come true.
They really, really want Coach Fran to succeed. They want to reward him and protect him from criticism. If he fails, they might get some coach in here who doesn't think A&M is the Most Wonderful, Tradition-Rich, "Take Your Hat Off In This Building, Boy", Kyle Field is Sacred Ground, We're Definitely NOT Gay Yell Leaders College in America.
Or maybe they just want to remain in denial about sucking, and I say, the longer, the better.
Note to Mangino...your team will be lucky if they stay within 40 of Texas on Saturday, so it's best that you keep your pie hole closed (except for when you're excessively stuffing it at my feeding trough that is). But that's ok, I don't mind sharing.
ReplyDeleteBut please, for God's sake, go on a MAJOR diet before you drop dead on the sidelines please. I don't want to be on the field to see that happen.
Thank you, Brandon, Observer, and all the other whorns, for reminding me why I didn't go to Texas. Yep, Aggie football sucks, but one day we'll get better. However, t-sips will always be assholes.
ReplyDeleteOk all the "white settlement is a racist name" has gone too damn far this is rediculous. Just because the word white or black is involved doesn't just immediately make something racist. I have never heard any cry to change the names of White plains, NY or Blacksburg, VA. Political correctness has run rampant and needs to be reigned in by commonsensical people.
ReplyDeletehahahahaha....isn't it fun to laugh. Poooor aggy.
ReplyDeleteP1 Mike
Yep, just another Aggie with no sense of humor that can't handle the truth... ;)
ReplyDeletekansas came pretty close to beating ut last year, so i think mangino has every right to speak for his team. now they may lose by 50 but it wont be because of anything he has said. teams like kansas need to have a chip on their shoulder to play and to think they have a chance. you never know, texas really hasnt had that close game to scare them this year other than the osu game, and im talking about a close at the end of the game type of game.
ReplyDeleteWell Steve I guess your the expert for the whole world to determine who is ignorant and who is just stupid. The name White settlement is no more racist than Commanche, Texas. White Settlement was where all the whites lived outside of the Native American areas and West of Fort Worth (actual Fort). So it is more of a descriptive term, does a descriptive term make someone racist or ignorant. Well, if so then I now proclaim anyone who uses the following terms ignorant or just stupid : African-American, black, white, caucasian, Hispanic, Latino, Souix City, etc. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a 19 yr old is making wildly blanket statements.
ReplyDeleteCracker, I think we all know the real reason you didn't go to UT was either you couldn't get in, or they weren't offering the "sex with sheep" major you were looking for.
ReplyDeleteeric in keller
Eric, it wasn't sheep. It was cows. And they all rode mopeds. Hopefully, things have changed since the 80s, besides our former dominance on the football field.
ReplyDeleteAs a Texas A&M Former student, I can say that I'm done with Fran. The ONLY legitimate complaint that could be directed at R.C. would be that his ability to recruit had been decreasing toward the end of his tenure.
ReplyDeleteBut the rub is, IT'S COLLEGE...roster turnover is about 3 years. By now, Fran should have pretty much an entire team made up of players recruited by him. An exception would be Reggie...but he is a huge asset. Fran's recruits from his first year would be juniors now, yet they all suck.
Blame Fran.
Does this appear odd to anyone else?
ReplyDeleteThe Jets' priority next offseason is to fix their dysfunctional offense. Terrell Owens, the diva wide receiver, apparently isn't viewed as part of the solution. Although it makes for titillating, talk-show fodder, the Jets have no plans to pursue the Eagles' disgruntled star, according to a person with knowledge of the Jets' thinking.
-- New York Daily News
Don't dismiss the idea that the Jets could make a bid for the talented-but-troubled Terrell Owens when the Eagles jettison him, as expected, following the season, according to a person with knowledge of the Jets' thinking.
-- Newark Star-Ledger
Who cares about the F-ing Jets? Oh, and PH TO!
ReplyDeleteFYI - All the business's who were pulling out stated that there were other reasons they were pulling out. Like maybe the fact that the socio-economic demographic is not such that it can support those stores. Also if you think the right to bear arms is outdated then you definately have issues.
ReplyDeleteI think that you can pin the 2003 season partly on RC's lack of recruiting, since that season Fran was coaching most of RC's guys. But it is ridiculous to say that the 2005 season is RC's fault. At year 3 Fran should be showing improvement and if anything he has gone backwards. That is not RC's fault in anyway, especially since 2004 was so much better than 2003. I am willing to give Fran at least another year or so before I write him off, but pinning the woes of 2005 on RC is crap.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing: Ultimately Fran may be a better coach than RC.
But RC never lost to Baylor.