g$$
11-07-2007, 08:44 PM
I was surfing the web & reading some of the Aggie stuff & uncovered these 2 posts on the Houston Chronicle site following Richard Justice's blog. Take it for what you will, but I happen to agree with most of it & find it very telling about Fran as a person. Some of it I knew or had been told, while some of it was new to me too. I sure hope Byrne gets the new hire right because our football program needs it. I'm torn between a proven Tuberville/Sherman/Spurrier/Tedford versus a young up & comer who might revitalize our stagnant football program like Billy Gillispie did in basketball. Probably lean towards proven HC with young, vibrant coordinators who can recruit their tails off with the other coaches. Must address the S&C program too. I just want change ASAP!
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2007/11/why_did_fran_fa.html
Posted by: Dan at November 6, 2007 11:13 AM
The idea that our talent level isn't good enough is just flat wrong. As a former collegiate player at the D1A level in the SWC/BigXII and former HS coach I know how to recognize and evaluate talent and I can promise you that the talent at A&M is at a level that should have won the BigXII in '06, competed for it in '07, and will look amazingly better in '08 with good coaching.
fran & _arnell (he doesn't know "D") and Torched-bush before him have consistently misused talent and just flat not coached it well. From an inexplicable shift in offensive philosophy from the high-powered passing scheme run so well by Reggie McNeal in 2004 to a plodding, option-based updated version of the veer in 2005 or killing the Wrecking Crew with the installation of a "bend but don't break" system there is nothing exciting about Aggie football anymore. Plodding, predicatble offenses and pillow-soft defenses don't attract fans, recruits, or positive media attention.
fran has taken two of the greatest QBs in Texas high school history and ruined them. He took Reggie McNeal out of a record-setting offense and changed systems his senior year killing what should have been a legitimate Heisman contender's career. McGee has been turned from a prolific passer into a poor-man's Eric Crouch. And those are just two of the players fran has ruined.
Furthermore, I do not believe that A&M must hire a "big name" to return us to prominence. I wholeheartedly believe that a young, charismatic, fiery, defensive-minded coach like Will Muschamp at Auburn, Charley Strong at Florida, or Tyrone Nix at South Carolina could come into Texas, relate well to recruits, return the Wrecking Crew to Texas Aggie football, and be sensible enough to hire a great offensive coordinator like Kevin Sumlin at OU (former A&M OC under Slocum) or Larry Fedora from Oklahoma State (College Station native).
Good riddance to bad rubbish. We Aggies deserve better and should demand it.
Posted by: Chad at November 6, 2007 02:48 PM
RJ you need to look at Fran's record with and without Gary Patterson. That in my opinion is one of the main factors in his demise. At New Mexico he was a sub .500 coach until Gary Patterson came aboard.
Let's not forget that while at TCU he walked into a situation where Tomlinson (possibly the best player in the NFL) and Aaron Schobel (one of the top De's in the NFL) were both sitting on the roster. The roster at Alabama was loaded with talent. Both of thos programs had nowhere to go but up.
What goes around comes around and this guy is getting what has been coming for a long time. No one at TCU blamed him for taking the Alabama job, it was the way he did it that still to this day infurries alumni at TCU. Lying over and over about his intentions to say at TCU. Bailing on the team two weeks before their bowl game and telling his whole staff that they had 24 hours to come with him or no job offer would be given (Patterson and Mike Schultz the current OC were the only two that did not go, therefore basically having to prepare the team with a bunch of GA's and nothing more). Showng up at LT's heisman ceremony with a crimson tie on and talking about Alabama football on a night that should have belonged to Tomlinson and TCU. Showing up at the Mobile Bowl in the third quarter while TCU was playing Southern Miss to talk about Alabama football in the booth on ESPN on a night that was not about Alabama football.
The man's ego superceded him. When notified that he would not be paid for his last month and a half at TCU because he had taken the Alabama job he came unglued and threw a fit. He could just not figure out why the check was not in the mail.
His lies and betrayals at Alabama are well publishised. Hold the rope he told his players.
The guy worked his way up the ladder at a quick pace, never having a long term plan, he was the king of the quick turnaround, did it with smoke and mirrors, and was exposed at A&M.
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2007/11/why_did_fran_fa.html
Posted by: Dan at November 6, 2007 11:13 AM
The idea that our talent level isn't good enough is just flat wrong. As a former collegiate player at the D1A level in the SWC/BigXII and former HS coach I know how to recognize and evaluate talent and I can promise you that the talent at A&M is at a level that should have won the BigXII in '06, competed for it in '07, and will look amazingly better in '08 with good coaching.
fran & _arnell (he doesn't know "D") and Torched-bush before him have consistently misused talent and just flat not coached it well. From an inexplicable shift in offensive philosophy from the high-powered passing scheme run so well by Reggie McNeal in 2004 to a plodding, option-based updated version of the veer in 2005 or killing the Wrecking Crew with the installation of a "bend but don't break" system there is nothing exciting about Aggie football anymore. Plodding, predicatble offenses and pillow-soft defenses don't attract fans, recruits, or positive media attention.
fran has taken two of the greatest QBs in Texas high school history and ruined them. He took Reggie McNeal out of a record-setting offense and changed systems his senior year killing what should have been a legitimate Heisman contender's career. McGee has been turned from a prolific passer into a poor-man's Eric Crouch. And those are just two of the players fran has ruined.
Furthermore, I do not believe that A&M must hire a "big name" to return us to prominence. I wholeheartedly believe that a young, charismatic, fiery, defensive-minded coach like Will Muschamp at Auburn, Charley Strong at Florida, or Tyrone Nix at South Carolina could come into Texas, relate well to recruits, return the Wrecking Crew to Texas Aggie football, and be sensible enough to hire a great offensive coordinator like Kevin Sumlin at OU (former A&M OC under Slocum) or Larry Fedora from Oklahoma State (College Station native).
Good riddance to bad rubbish. We Aggies deserve better and should demand it.
Posted by: Chad at November 6, 2007 02:48 PM
RJ you need to look at Fran's record with and without Gary Patterson. That in my opinion is one of the main factors in his demise. At New Mexico he was a sub .500 coach until Gary Patterson came aboard.
Let's not forget that while at TCU he walked into a situation where Tomlinson (possibly the best player in the NFL) and Aaron Schobel (one of the top De's in the NFL) were both sitting on the roster. The roster at Alabama was loaded with talent. Both of thos programs had nowhere to go but up.
What goes around comes around and this guy is getting what has been coming for a long time. No one at TCU blamed him for taking the Alabama job, it was the way he did it that still to this day infurries alumni at TCU. Lying over and over about his intentions to say at TCU. Bailing on the team two weeks before their bowl game and telling his whole staff that they had 24 hours to come with him or no job offer would be given (Patterson and Mike Schultz the current OC were the only two that did not go, therefore basically having to prepare the team with a bunch of GA's and nothing more). Showng up at LT's heisman ceremony with a crimson tie on and talking about Alabama football on a night that should have belonged to Tomlinson and TCU. Showing up at the Mobile Bowl in the third quarter while TCU was playing Southern Miss to talk about Alabama football in the booth on ESPN on a night that was not about Alabama football.
The man's ego superceded him. When notified that he would not be paid for his last month and a half at TCU because he had taken the Alabama job he came unglued and threw a fit. He could just not figure out why the check was not in the mail.
His lies and betrayals at Alabama are well publishised. Hold the rope he told his players.
The guy worked his way up the ladder at a quick pace, never having a long term plan, he was the king of the quick turnaround, did it with smoke and mirrors, and was exposed at A&M.