July 15, 2009

Pressing buttons


OK, I've officially (re)-arrived....as I've now pissed off an entirely new fan base. (Congrats to me!)

I officially apologize for misunderstanding the A&M offense in terms of their QB situation. I was under the impression that Tannehill was being forced into the QB position because of Johnson's trouble's in 08. So, since most of ya'all haven't read my previous stuff before (almost all directed at the Northern teams)...let me fill you in on a few things:

1) If you want in-depth analysis..go to ESPN.com or Rivals. They obviously do a much better job than me. However, if you want straight-up truth and overall perception...I'm your guy. The fact of the matter is...no WAY should you have the resources that you do, and finish up 4-8. That is absolutely unacceptable, and probably a very good reason why you guys are all pissed off at me this morning. Oh, and I've had a pretty good track record of being right over the past couple of years. Just ask the Corn people.

2) If I'm wrong...I'll tell you I'm wrong.

3) If you feel I'm way off..go ahead and tell me. However, I do ask that if you take the time to reply with "hey idiot" or "hey shitforbrains" etc etc...you take the time to explain WHY you think I'm wrong. I'm all about free-speech here, and will call myself out when needed. However, I will also make sure to use your own words against you...so be careful.

4) The reason I expanded this blog to the entire conference was that I wanted to understand the fan dynamics that make things tick. I want to know what makes you hate other teams...I want to know why you feel last year was a fluke and how this year will be different. If Tannehill is better than Johnson, why was he moved out to WR? And if it was to get his talents onto the field...how did that work out for you? Obviously not very good...so what's the next step?

Either way...appreciate the feedback. Welcome and fire away.

I can take it.

15 comments:

  1. I love it when you backpeddle. So funny.

    GBR

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  2. Thanks for taking ownership of your errors. That takes a big man. As for Tannehill, he set a few school records for Freshman receiving last year, and many scouts believe he has a future as an NFL wide receiver. His upside at QB is just as bright. Who knows where he will end up this year, but he's entirely too good of an athlete to let sit on the sidelines as the backup QB. He will compete for the starting job before the season starts and then from there, it will be interesting to see where he ends up playing.

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  3. How did that work out for us getting Tannehill on the field? Actually, that was not he issue. Did you happen to watch any games? We had on OL that was badly injured and lacked depth. JJ ran for his life back there, while RT put up record numbers for a fish WR. JJ just won the top QB award at the Peyton Manning QB Academy. In attendance.....McCoy & Bradford. QB is the least of our worries.

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  4. No, that's cool...it was my mistake. I don't ever claim to be some news outlet..because that's not what I want to be. (And I hate research). All I can do is go by what I see on TV and what the stats tell me. I can take a look at previews and stuff, but that doesn't always pain the big picture.

    From what I could tell..it wasn't offense that was your problem at all last year. In this crazy conference, where balls are flying around all over the place...offenses are going to get their yards with defenses sitting on the field for so long. However, it's the defensive numbers that point to where the key problems are.

    Look...I'm well aware of why people get mad at stuff like this. (In fact, it's kind of the whole point of this blog). However as I said..I'm all for owning up to when I was wrong. In this case...I was wrong.

    That being said though, it does appear that youth was a major issue as well. That sometimes plays out OK..sometimes it doesn't. I dunno..we'll see. (Still not a Sherman fan obviously..but he has a little time to get it sorted out..hopefully).

    That being said, I'm going to shift focus of the blog. It's simply too hard to get TOO in-depth on every team...especially when it's pre-season and most everything is speculation.

    Appreciate the feedback again.

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  5. AJ,

    Just out of curiosity, why does everyone view Mike Sherman as such a failure in the NFL? He was the head coach and GM of the Green Bay Packers for 6 seasons, taking them to the playoffs 4 times and has a career winning percentage of about 60%. He didn't ever win a Superbowl but the list of guys that haven't won Superbowls is quite long. If you put Mike Sherman's resume up against the average NFL coach, Mike Sherman blows them away. I haven't looked it up but a comparison to Dennis Green, Jack Del Rio, etc... would probably yield better results/numbers for Sherman...yet those guys are well respected and Sherman is not. But for some reason, he seems to be universally viewed as an NFL flop and if you step back and look at the situation...it really doesn't make sense. Just a question I've always had and wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on it.

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  6. A very good question actually.

    Personally...I think he bit off more than he could when he took on the GM role with the Packers. I mean, it seemed they feasted off of a weaker division for a while, and only went as far as Bret Favre (and his ego) would take them. I don't think he was a horrible coach..in fact, he had decent success there.

    However, as Bill Callahan, Bill Walsh, Charlie Weis and others have shown us..the jump from the NFL to college is indeed gigantic. Gone are the ways of letting professionals handle themselves..and instead, a coach finds himself managing a team nearly twice as big with tons of rules binding his every move.

    The other reason I think it was a bad hire for A&M was the speed in which they plucked him out of the NFL. You would have thought Bill Byrne..with his close ties to Nebraska, would have seen what was going on there. Instead, it's almost as if they had him singled out LONG before Fran was gone.

    I just think they could have done better. Seems to me like they settled.

    My 2 cents at least.

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  7. I agreed with you initially in regards to Sherman, but after following recruiting and hearing the man handle the press, boosters and players. I am firmly entrenched as a believer in Sherman. I see us winning 6 games this year and 7-9 games in 2010 and then watch out in 2011. With our recruiting and resources we will be firm as the third best team in the division again. Rome wasn't built in a day and it sucks as a former student to have to acquire this patience, but, we are on the way back. Take your shots now.

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  8. Hey now...A&M fans don't live all around me and send me poetry and songs they've written about their team. Until they do, or until one of their local sportscasters CRIES on TV over a college baseball game..they will not get equal treatment.

    You are right though...actual statistical analysis is dumb. In other words, I'd rather cut with a rusty hammer than with a pocket knife. Leave the position by position breakdowns to others and leave the important items to me.

    Like how come you A&M guys don't have cheerleaders? I mean, I get the whole corps thing...but come on. What's the point? For example....I'm not sure USC even has a football team.

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  9. AJ

    More Song Girls....Less...whatever it is that A&M has.

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  10. "(And I hate research)"

    Yeah that pretty much sums up the whole blog. Maybe you should have that as part of your tag line.

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  11. 4-8, with one of those “L’s” being to Arky State, is unacceptable regardless of coaching change, youth, schedule, etc. But I think we can all agree that College Football is somewhat cyclical, who would have thought both Texas and OU would have been down, way down, at the same time when they both were (early 90’s). Neb fans have been through it, Buff fan goes in and out of it and even LSU was bad for a very long time.

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  12. True, but Husker fans are STILL going through it. IE - From 1963-1999 they won 23 conference titles and in the last 10 years they have ZERO.

    I'm just sayin. I don't have a stake in A&M either way...I'm just throwing that out there as a neutral observer. Personally, i'd rather see A&M take over the South than the bullies that run the show there now.

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  13. Hehe, AJ you thought Nebraska fans were bad just wait. I've never seen a surlyer (not a word?) fan base than the aggies.

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  14. They're definately more touchy...but again...I'd be a bit upset if I had to deal with the competition they have to deal with year in and year out.

    I never really had anything against them, even when they've won a lot of close games against Mizzou over the years.

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  15. Art Van Delay-Mizzou FanJuly 17, 2009 at 1:10 PM

    I've had to deal with far more nub fans than aTm fans so this may be part of my perception and attitude, but I have a ton of respect for aTm and their traditions. I have absolutely no respect for the in-bred hick culture that is nubbieville. There is no comparison between the two schools really with aTm far, far ahead. aTm actually has a fall back position rather than "We used to be good in football." Nubs completely suck. Never forget it.

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