Well, it seems like the past few years (well really just about every year) things don't go as well as we hype them up to go. I've heard a lot of excuses over the years...a few years ago we were injured. Then we were too inexperienced. Then our coaches had lost their edge and needed to be replaced. I assume this year the most popular excuse will be the whole new coach, new system thing.

I'll be honest, I didn't expect us to set the world on fire, but I certainly didn't think we'd be 3-4 the way we have gone 3-4 (vis-a-vis the blowout embarassments). So what is the main thing that has gone wrong this season, and how do we fix it without causing more problems?

Edit: I don't want to seem like I'm writing this season off. I know that Fran has a history of successful second halves of first seasons. I guess to restate my question, what has gone wrong so far? Discuss...

[This message has been edited by Orbit (edited 10/18/2003 7:17p).]

T-A-L-E-N-T

We have HUGE holes in the both the OL and DL and at LB, in particular.

This is absolutely nothing more than the penalty being paid for a three year recruiting sabatical.

Nothing here a couple of recruiting seasons can't fix.

Excellence comes first. Winning comes with Excellence.

What is the deal with the need to assess "blame"? Are we going to tar & feather someone to make ourselves feel better?

There are a bunch of reasons why we aren't a good football team -- and they have been addressed ad nauseum on these boards for months.

The coaches can control some of it, but not all of it. We can't pull lost recruits from thin air. We can't snap our fingers and turn sophomore starters into Seniors with 30+ starts of experience.

The major changes in scheme are CAUSING some of the struggles.

But why the need to point the finger?

The only things that are going to make this team significantly better are game experience and recruits -- are neither is going to happen before next week.

quote:

---

We can't pull lost recruits from thin air. We can't snap our fingers and turn sophomore starters into Seniors with 30+ starts of experience.

---

EXACTLY ...

and you might add the incredible number of walkons with significant PT, large numbers of freshmen dropping their red shirts, etc etc etc etc etc

Excellence comes first. Winning comes with Excellence.

I think it is a combo of alot of different things. I think talent is one of them, but I also think that the entire way the team plays has had to be changed. The mental aspect, that is. I think when things kinda get rough, we revert to our old mindset. Who knows though

Let's face it, a lot of the teams we are playing are damn good and are improved over when we played them last year when we had a more veteran ballclub that went 6-6. VT is better this year than last, Pitt is probably better this year than last, ttu is better this year than last, Utah is better this year than last, NU is better this year than last. The way it looks, OSU, Mizzou, KU, OU are all better this year than last year. The only team that may be worse is tu and they are still a very good team.

Despite the coaching change, we are probably worse this year than last due to the loss of players to the NFL, the youth, and the new schemes.

I predicted a 7-5/8-4 type season this year and am disappointed as that looks unreachable at this point, but I'm certainly not discouraged as I think we will get better next year and beyond. The schedule this year is unfortunately very difficult and is laden with bowl bound teams and is taking its toll on our young squad.

[This message has been edited by MemAg92 (edited 10/18/2003 7:28p).]

TrinityAg,

I'm not planning to tar and feather anyone. I just wanted to hear some thought out discussion about our problems and how to fix them rather than the usual, "Reggie sucks, coach Fran's an idiot, we're going to go 3-9" crap.

I personally believe it is primarily a lack of talent and experience. Fran is a proven winner, but our players probably are still adjusting somewhat. Obviously our front seven defensively are both young and inexperienced. Hopefully some of the talent will develop into good players, and we'll recruit some better talent as well. We have very good receivers and pretty decent running backs. Our offensive line is inexperienced, but should shape up well within a couple of years.

I'm also beginning to think Reggie is overhyped. Take away is OU performance and his career here has been mediocre at best. The one thing that bothered me most about RC's staff was that they NEVER developed quarterbacks. QBs would come here, spend 4 or 5 years in the program, and leave not any better than when they came. That is one trend I desperately want to see end here. Obviously Reggie has all kinds of talent, but if he doesn't develop into a consistant passer and a better decision maker, our team is never going to be as good as it should be.

personally, I'm not "blaming" anybody. A change was made, we have a new coach, and it's going to take at least one season to get the new system in place, and to recruit players that fit that system.
I'm going to support this team this year, and next year is when I will start to see a substantial improvement on the field.

You would have to be a pansy hermit to think we have less talent than tech, osu, kansas, pitt, or Missouri. Yet the "we have no talent" excuse is thrown out after every loss. Anybody who knows anything about football knows we have talent on this team. No, we are not as talented as OU, UT, or Nebraska. However, we are supposed to have a coach who can prepare players much better.

No big deal, we are what we are. Key losses at linebacker, inexperience at QB, DB, OL, DL, coaching change. Relax and enjoy the season. We got some big games coming up- we'll pull an upset or two, and we still got a shot at a bowl and a 7-6 season, 8-5 if everything breaks our way.

Focus on the positives. I was pleasantly surprised at our ability to run on NU, and I thought our rushing D showed improvement over the beginning of the year, and was certainly better than last year's debacle. This team will be good, maybe even this year!

Wow, I'm a pansy hermit!

All these years, I never knew what I truly was.

Maybe it's because all those schools you just mentioned all had a coaching change within the last 2-4 years, and are now having THEIR recruits playing in THEIR system.

And Larry Fitzgerald must be a crying little skirt. Yeah, he sucks.

What do I know, though, seriously. I'm a pansy hermit!

It's tough to hold the people that are responsible for it any more accountable than they were.

Superunkown, I was being sarcastic with the pansy hermit thing. There are a few here on this board who feel like they are all knowing about our talent being the worst in the country when it obviously is not. I guess I would be a clown to think we have better talent than harvard.

I was making a point that we are now getting the talent issue as the big excuse for our losses. Just like it was injuries or whatnot the last 4 years.

It is just not true to say we have no talent. We may be young, but we are not a team that has no talent. Call it inexperience if you want, but to say we have no talent is false.

It's still all a bunch of excuses. I'll admit OU, tu, and NU are loaded with talent but all thses years we have faced teams that have beat us with far less talent than we have had. So this year we have less talent than they do and we can't beat them. All we hear every year is how tech is a wanna be that nobody wants to go to yet they beat us like their talent comes from the NFL. They graduate a good QB and another one takes his place who hardly plyed last year and he just comes in an blows us away. Something is definately missing in our program and somebody better find it. Our players aren't mentally prepared to face the other teams in the Big 12 and it showed today against NU. We will never compete with them if we aren't convinced when we go out on that field that we can beat them. Even with those two interceptions, Reggie should have come back with his talent but it didn't happen. Our guys just aren't tough enough yet to compete. When we beat teams like NU, tu, or OU on the road, that will show how tough we really are.

quote:

---

I'm also beginning to think Reggie is overhyped. Take away is OU performance and his career here has been mediocre at best.

---

Come on. Reggie is as young as most of the other guys on this team. He hasn't had a career yet here to be mediocre as he has only played significantly in like 7 to 8 games. He still has 2 more full years to go. I'd be willing to bet after his career is over here that we may look back at this game as his worst one.

If you throw out the OU game, arguably his best effort to date, then throw this one out too which is his worst game to date. The rest in the middle are about what you'd expect, from a young QB who is having to learn a new system.

[This message has been edited by MemAg92 (edited 10/18/2003 8:18p).]

I think we have talent on this team, particularly on offense. However, it is very young and the weakness on O is still in the line, which is where the O starts and stops. The D is another story. Seriously, for those that have followed A&M football for a while, when is the last time you saw and A&M D this slow? We just have zero team speed on D...and it shows big time. I think the speed on D will get a big boost next year with a few of the RS fish and true fish at DE. Just my two cents...

Patience!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our turn is around the corner.

Look at Michigan State. Sorry team last year.
Now 4-0 in the Big Ten.
WE HAVE NO TALENT ON THIS TEAM. IT WILL TAKE TIME TO DEVELOP. Let people get their licks in now.

MemAg92,

I understand that he had an atypical day today. However, I know you aren't blind and deaf to they ridiculous hype surrounding Reggie, if only from A&M fans. People would lead you to believe he is the second coming of Michael Vick, and he just isn't. Reggie has shown flashes of brilliance (most of which were in the OU game) and been very mediocre the rest of his time here. I understand he is both young and inexperienced, but there are other Big 12 QB's doing pretty well that are his age in Brad Smith and Vince Young.

I guess the problem I'm having is that I wasn't expecting him to mature or grow if RC coached him for four years, because that is the history of A&M QB's during Slocum's tenure. I was just hoping to see a little more from Reggie by this point in the season under a coach who has a reputation for getting the most of his talent. I don't think Long is any better honestly, but I don't think we are as solid at the QB spot as a lot of people think we are.

No blame, just realistic reasons. Whether you want to admit it or not, we are extremely young. Our best players are freshman or sophmores for the most part. Reggie is working on starting his 9th game next week as a college QB. He still has to learn how to be a division one QB in one of the toughest conferences. I say we need to give him his time. We have an OLine and D Line trying to learn an entire new system with an entirely new coaching staff. Our defense is not particularly talented, except for the mentioned young guys. Coaches are trying to learn about their players, as well as build depth. Combine this with a new system and new coaches, while trying to learn this playing one of the toughest schedules in football, you get a tough year. I think it would be more realistic and fair to closely judge our progress next year. Afterall, Fran and staff are trying to build for the future, and sometimes the here and now suffers. 8 turnovers will not get it done, but I have got to believe that we will be something special when we eliminate these mistakes. Have faith and Fran and staff will have our football program where we want it. GIG'EM!!! BTHOOSU!!!!

Orbit, I agree that Reggie received a lot of hype. No argument there, but all I am saying is that it is too early in his career to determine whether or not that hype is deserved or not.