As noted above, Sherman knows he is on a much shorter leash with the fan base than was Fran. He has nearly as many "non-performing assets" as a failing bank. He wants to be successful, and he knows he has to be aggressive in dealing with the personnel issue.

quote:

---

I hope that coach Sherman quits trying to get sympathy from the media and just does what it takes to put a good team on the field next season.

---

If you had actually listened to the presser, you would know that Sherman wasn't advertising this as a publicity stunt. It just slipped out when someone asked him if he had been on the recruiting trail. But never let facts get in the way of bias.

quote:

---

Whoop! Sherman is running off a bunch of our players. This will give us another great EXCUSE when we suck next year.

News Flash: We weren't HORRIBLE the year before Sherman got here. We actually went to a respectable bowl and almost won.

It doesn't have to be this way. This approach will push us back and delay any potential success we might have. This isn't the approach that Houston Nutt took (1st yr coach at Ole Miss who was 3-9 LY and in the Cotton Bowl this year). And it's not the approach that Leach took (bowl every year including the initial rebuilding years).

---

I'm gonna take this statement as an admission of ignorance concerning talent changes during the offseason and all things college football as well.

quote:

---

To answer your question, no I did not have to [google Werner Von Braun]...but that is only because I have seen "October Sky" about 20 times.

---

As you might guess from my screen name, I have heard of Von Braun. However, I also happen to own "Rocket Boys," the autobiography that October Sky is based on.


A ton of you are willing to cut Sherman no slack. Yeah, we had a decent team last year. Good enough to get to a third tier bowl and get beaten rather easily. Then we lost all five starting OL, both starting LBs, two excellent TEs and 3 starting DL in addition to the usual difficulties inherent to changing away from BS offensive and defensive schemes. How well do you think we would have done with the same last-in-the-nation defense and Fran's predictable option offense without an offensive line or TEs to block?


Someone mentioned Alabama under Saban and it is a good point. I believe they graduated only 9 seniors this year. That means Saban had a lot of attrition in the last couple years. It happens; no reason to cry just because it is happening here.

Sherm is from the NFL were it is their job to play football. The had to be disciplined. Sherm won't put up with to much.

Every program has deadwood. Most are afraid to take a bold step such as this for fear that it will absolutely kill recruiting.

I heard from someone say that Sherman thinks the players will crack any minute purple monkey dishwasher.

I hope Sherman interviews himself and his staff. I did not see a lot of coaching going on during any game. Did not see any halftime adjustments. Did not see any different formations. Did not see any trick plays that worked. Did not see a blitz that really impacted a game. Did not see an onside kick that worked that changed the course of the game. Am not seeing a huge recruiting class signing.

So maybe Sherm needs to interview himself and staff and then look for another school?




- The More Things Change, The More They Remain The Same -

[This message has been edited by 79TAMU79 (edited 12/9/2008 8:13a).]

Yeah, after attempting a FG on 4th and 1 when down to tu 14-0 and other brain farts it's time to get rid of the "undesirable" players.
Brilliant.

Modern day football is a business.
It has to be run like a business.
Touchie feelie is fine - unless the staff (players) don't fill the role intended...
Then, Highway 6 runs both ways...
And that's the way it is - and has been since the Junction days of Bryant.
OSU (Les Miles) made a whole new team in this manner that is now paying dividents for them and their current staff.
It is sometimes heart rending - just like in the REAL world!!
But, to "win" these decisions HAVE to be made - especially when someone (any one) does not work out as expected and is not earning their keep...

This is different from someone who got hurt, or was really doing their best, but cannot continue on - in these cases I believe they nearly always keep their scholie...

It's the "dead wood" that gets the ax...

Just like on an academic scholarship - if you don't keep the GPR necessary - it's a lost scholarship as well... No different in this regard...

AAAAAAAAAAg - Air Force Aggie Architect & Administrator from Amarillo, Altus, Austin, Arabia, Arkansas, Africa & now Seoul, Korea '65, '69, '73
Behavior is a mirror in which everyone shows his image - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Modern day football is a business.
It has to be run like a business.
Touchie feelie is fine - unless the staff (players) don't fill the role intended...
Then, Highway 6 runs both ways...
And that's the way it is - and has been since the Junction days of Bryant.
OSU (Les Miles) made a whole new team in this manner that is now paying dividents for them and their current staff.
It is sometimes heart rending - just like in the REAL world!!
But, to "win" these decisions HAVE to be made - especially when someone (any one) does not work out as expected and is not earning their keep...

This is different from someone who got hurt, or was really doing their best, but cannot continue on - in these cases I believe they nearly always keep their scholie...

It's the "dead wood" that gets the ax...

Just like on an academic scholarship - if you don't keep the GPR necessary - it's a lost scholarship as well... No different in this regard...

AAAAAAAAAAg - Air Force Aggie Architect & Administrator from Amarillo, Altus, Austin, Arabia, Arkansas, Africa & now Seoul, Korea '65, '69, '73
Behavior is a mirror in which everyone shows his image - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Token,

Where is your report on attrition?

A perfect example of how winning hides a lot is here in Louisville. Bobby Petrino was winning a lot of games and he was doing so by getting some players in that didn't have the best "character" per se.

When he left and Kragthorpe came in (who I think is a really good coach), the program has struggled. The reason: Kragthorpe has kicked off 44 players in the last two years due to team violations and off the field behavior.

A couple of the players have been shot, caught with drugs, and one even held up a convenience store with a semi-automatic. All of these players were recruited by Petrino.

With that said, Kragthorpe has done a remarkable job just keeping this team together, but his head is on the chopping block right now. Fans here are pissed and they want a winner at all costs. Kragthorpe is a combined 11-13 in the past two seasons with no bowls.

Unfortunately, that is the reality of college football.

If we had the results of tu, we would turn a blind eye to the shenanigans of some thugs too.

quote:

---

BCG didn't lose any players, and he was definitely harder on our players than Melvin was, mentally and physically.

---

Ummmmmmm yes he did. One of them made big news when the family contested it, and held an arbitration hearing regarding eligibility, before transferring and playing at a different school.

That was with Turgeon (though bcg may have something to do with it, in that he may have been planning to get rid of the player anyway). I cannot recall the players name but it happened last year and he went to Rice.

But BCG did run off guys like R. White and D. Devezin (now at Marist), as well as a few others.



[This message has been edited by Somos Extremos (edited 12/9/2008 9:27a).]

BCG had already over-signed.

Turge walked into a problem that BCG created.

But yes, that was just one example. There were others.

quote:

---

We're trying to get some good wood in here and you guys keep pounding Sherman in the ass!

---

Um... What?

as with running a company, the sooner that you cut out the ones who don't want to work for the overall benefit of the company, the better off you will be in the long run. Sherm & Co. need to spend their time on the players that are hellbent on turning this program around, not on the ones who have the "what's in it for me" attitude and have no aspirations to change the way that they think.

I have heard a few of the older football Ags(Chris Cole,Chris Taylor,Terrence Murphy) talk about how upset they are with the overall attitude of the current players. They believe that the current players have no true desire to do whatever it takes to win. Maybe Sherm is trying to do something about this.......

Rearranging the deck chairs comes to mind.

This can go either way depending on who leaves...I do agree with the mindset Sherman has, I just hope we see positive results on the field next year

Wouldn't it be nice to see a good story of hard working guys coming together after adversity and winning?

quote:

---

Wouldn't it be nice to see a good story of hard working guys coming together after adversity and winning?

---

It would be awesome. But it the likelihood of it happening in the B12 it is mighty tough. There is just too much talent to be overcome by simply working hard.

Paging Token.

I'm far from a Sherman apologist but I like this move. Its not like 20-25 players will be leaving. Its probably only 7-10 if I had to guess.

Still, in my opinion, many of our players on this team have just developed a mentality of acceptance of average football being "good enough" or have an over inflated sense of their skills. Sherman indicated this in his press conference and I honestly think it shocked him when he got here because he alluded to the type of mentality that players had back on some of the Aggie teams of the 90s when he was coach.

Not an issue in my mind. I'm still not sold that Sherman is going to be our Stoops or Brown, but this move is a good one and at the very least will hopefully lay some solid foundation to build on either by Sherman being successful or giving whomever would replace him better foundation.

Nothing wrong with trimming the fat

quote:

---

If I am not mistaken, these players are Aggies. I am not for running anyone off. And, we really don't have that many "upper classmen". Coach 'em up, and recruit new players. If Sherman runs off Aggies, and proves ultimately to be the problem hisself, he should ride out tied under the bus. Good luck coach.

---

I'm pretty sure Sherman is not going to "run off" any player who is proud to be an Aggie and is putting forth effort and displaying a good attitude. Also it's not like he's running anybody off right away, if this was happening last offseason I could understand your argument but he's given these players a full year to buy in and give effort and if they have not displayed that yet then it is in the best interest of BOTH parties to part ways

quote:

---

New coaches job is to get the kids on board. Look at Stoops, Saben, Urban Meyer. Did those coachs go around telling the upperclassmen to take a hike when they came to there respective schools?

---

How on Earth are you going to compare the situation to A&M, personnel and otherwise, to the situation at those schools. And as stated, I'm pretty sure those coaches cut some fat as well.

quote:

---

Why would top recruits want to go to a school where the coach is running off players? Does the top Engineering talent go looking for the companies that are laying off because they are getting rid of the dead wood? No, they do not.

---

Don't think this is a good comparison.
Every company (and every school)gets rid of "deadwood." If you are not deadwood your not getting let go. Maybe the greatest CEO in American history Jack Leach (General Electric) was, and is, a huge proponent of letting go the bottom 10% of your workforce consistently. Also consider that recruits look at depth charts when considering schools. Trimming the chart a little bit and freeing up scholarships to young guys gives them the opportunity to play early, and early playing time is one pitch we have to use on the recruiting trail cause we're running out of others.




Guys, it's not like Sherman is running off like half the depth chart. The OP hinted at like 5 or 6 guys. Sherman has to change the losing attitude around here and after ANY coaching change you are going to have some guys just content to go through the motions and suck off the sholarship teet while they are here.

Remember "IT'S DIVISION ONE FOOTBALL"

I am not sold on Sherman yet but you can't criticize him for this move. For all of you worried about hurting the players' feelings, recruiting, etc., please refer to the posts above about college football being a multi-billion dollar industry. I'm sorry for some of you that still think that players play solely for the love of the game. If you're looking for those types of players, I suggest you start following Division II football and the lower divisions and/or high school football.

I used to hate all the commercialization of college football but that's the way it is. Either Sherman treats this as as a business or we might as well pull a Vanderbilt.

Where might they be able to transfer?

I'm all for this move by Sherman.

That said, it's a high risk / high reward maneuver.

Gene Stallings cracked down and the team imploded.

On the other hand, if you have a coach that does this the right way, as a player you may hate him but if you know he has your back you'll take a bullet for him, then dig yourself out of the grave so you can take another bullet for him.

Mike Sherman is more than likely a creampuff compared to Jackie Sherrill. Sherrill rolled heads and put up with ZERO attitudes. The first thing he said when met the team after he was hired was "Take off your ******* caps when you're inside". But Jackie also had their backs and they knew it. His former players will still run through a brick wall for him to this day.

quote:

---

Mike Sherman is more than likely a creampuff compared to Jackie Sherrill

---

Wrong

quote:

---

Mike Sherman is more than likely a creampuff compared to Jackie Sherrill

---

I have a family member that played for Sherman.

Before Sherman was the coach for the Aggies, I asked what he was like as a coach.

His response was that he was a HUGE Hard @SS, and didn't accept you doing good enough.....you better do it exactly right.

quote:

---

His response was that he was a HUGE Hard @SS, and didn't accept you doing good enough.....you better do it exactly right.

---

THE HORROR! HE ASKS TOO MUCH OF OUR PLAYERS!

FWIW- I wasn't saying that was a bad thing, and neither was he.

It was in response to the person calling him a cream puff.

I realize that. I should've made it more clear who that was directed at I suppose.

Mack did it, Saban did it (twice), Holtz was a master at it. Geez, you nancy-boys act like it has never happened anywhere else. It did, just it is not your team so you didnt pay attention.

It is necessary and good for the program, and ultimately good for the kid as well - most of them will still be on scholly somewhere else.

Scholly's are annually renewable, they are not a 4 year commitment, end of story.

I am sure we will lose some marshmellows and a few jelly beans.