A Troubling Trend

[chilly52]

I like this board. Good back and forth! I've been to other boards where there is nothing positive. I think the "negative" rants are mostly informative and give us another viewpoint to ponder. Of course, once the season starts and about three games in, we'll all know more about the program and A&M's chances in the SEC in 2014. Ooooh the suspense!

Recruiting of highly rated players does not always translate into great programs. Great programs are built on coaches that can get the most out of their players. Ask Pop!

 

[JimR]

Well this post drew me back in. Personal attacks again is that all you got? You can say what you want about my post but at least I do not call out posters and attack them but I guess I should so I can in the cool kid click.

Steps of being a troll:

Step 1 - Log in

Step 2 - Post a stupid, unsupportable message

Step 3 - Get hammered for it

Step 4 - Come back and say your original message didn't really say what it says, or doesn't say what it appears to everyone else but you it says

Step 5 - Get hammered for it

Step 6 - Come back and try to defend to original premise, the one you disowned in Step 4

Step 7 - Get hammered for it

Step 8 - Come back and say you are misunderstood, that you did not say what you said, or mean what you meant... but if you had, you would've been right, anyway. Give evidence to support this.

Step 9 - Get hammered for it

Step 10 - Take the high road, and say 'I am done with this', in a lofty way

Step 11 - Get hammered for it

Step 12 - Come back in (presumably on a lower road) and say, 'Yes I was done with this, but...' and proceed to rehash arguments made in Steps 4, 6, and 8

Step 13 - Get hammered for it

At this point, you can quit in indignant exasperation, or put in a go loop here and start the thing all over again

 

[doc longhorn]

Yikes!  I confess to posting a negative thread.  And it was me - the consumate optimist as well. 

But I also say this - there are too many "expert" recruiting geniuses on all of the UT blogs.  It's just that time of year and it's because we are not used to being hammered by aggy - in anything.

But I believe in Charles Strong.  What I like about him is his resolute forging ahead with his plan.  And he definitly has a plan.

Just remember this - Sumlin has recruited Texas for 13 years - Strong 6 months.

Give it time.

 

[harpethhorn]

Re: Patterson

My concern is less with his management of the "brand" than with his apparent willingness to allow MB one more year...i.e. "Let it ride" last December when the coaching change rumors were really swirling. Even with his boss Powers mandating MB stay on, how an incoming AD would allow that situation to linger is short sighted.

Six months tenure is not enough (for me) to know how/if his plan is working, but if Patterson was hired on his strength as a "agent of change", count me as someone who's not seeing it so far. Or- at least it's not being clearly communicated in my neck of the woods.

 

[Randolph Duke]

Does anyone have a 247 subscription? Evidently there is a follow up article to the Haney story. 

http://texas.247sports.com/Article/Horns247-talks-w-Texas-HS-football-coaches-about-Charlie-Strong-29325308

 

[armadillo slim]

i frankly don't buy the benefit of persistently negative posts for the "sake of discussion".  sorry.

TOS's owner has developed a business model that has forsaken the average Longhorn fan for the sake of turning his board into something akin to the main board and its a model that has succeeded in driving subscriptions, but at the expense of lessening the experience for the majority of subscribers--most of whom are silent lurkers.

i hate to say it but this is an area where aggie yell has it all over OB.  the owners are aggie fans who don't tolerate a lot of negativity, so the site remains more attractive to true aggie fans.

if you want to be negative, by all means, be negative........just be negative elsewhere.  this board's original premise was to be different from TOS but its becoming more like it everyday.  JMO.

 

[joeywa]

i frankly don't buy the benefit of persistently negative posts for the "sake of discussion". sorry.

TOS's owner has developed a business model that has forsaken the average Longhorn fan for the sake of turning his board into something akin to the main board and its a model that has succeeded in driving subscriptions, but at the expense of lessening the experience for the majority of subscribers--most of whom are silent lurkers.

i hate to say it but this is an area where aggie yell has it all over OB. the owners are aggie fans who don't tolerate a lot of negativity, so the site remains more attractive to true aggie fans.

if you want to be negative, by all means, be negative........just be negative elsewhere. this board's original premise was to be different from TOS but its becoming more like it everyday. JMO.

Just sit back, drink your scotch and worry about bats, bunts & baseball, will ya? Sheesh, everyone has an opinion around here. WTF??

 

[bcherry168]

Throwing in the towel six months in to a new administration seems more an internet poster reaction than anything based in reality.

We have a new football coach who hasn't coached a game. Assuming you're not truly privy to what Patterson has or hasn't done, throwing in the towel at this point is what I find most irritating about UT fans rightly labeled entitled.

We ALL clamored for change. Give it a f##king chance before surrendering.

Absolutely. All of the people who are ready to give up after 6 months are just being silly. Patience is the word. It always takes a year or so for a new staff to really get going on the recruiting trail. Strong has been impressive so far, but he came in way behind the other teams for the 2015 class.

Relax.

 

[Randolph Duke]

Absolutely. All of the people who are ready to give up after 6 months are just being silly. Patience is the word. It always takes a year or so for a new staff to really get going on the recruiting trail. Strong has been impressive so far, but he came in way behind the other teams for the 2015 class.

Relax.

How many years do we give Patterson? His job was to restructure Bellmont to deal with years of creeping bloat and people who were underperforming, to develop plans for capital projects and to manage the brand. How many years of seeing no change in the business side of the program do we accept?

 

[doc longhorn]

Does anyone have a 247 subscription? Evidently there is a follow up article to the Haney story. 

http://texas.247sports.com/Article/Horns247-talks-w-Texas-HS-football-coaches-about-Charlie-Strong-29325308

I read that article and have no doubt it was mostly true.

But remember this, Mack Brown was the poster child of sales.  He was the best I have ever seen.  He understood that HS coaches, i.e. high school chemistry and english teachers, had egos as big as most college coaches and they loved being shmoozed.  Particularly by big time coaches.  Because, who knows, Mack might even ask their advice and, heaven forbid, actually HIRE them.

I've met and talked to Mack on a couple of occasions and he could sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo - with an ice maker.  He NEVER forgets a name and he even remembered a couple of my grandkids names.  My wife wanted to dump me and marry him.

My point is, nobody in the country could touch him and that is why it was so hard for Dodds and Powers to get rid of him.  Hell, they and the BMD's loved him like their own brother.

Strong has to gain love through his actions on the field and in the clubhouse.  And he has started behind two other great salesmen in Sumlin and Briles.

But I like his chances.

 

[echeese]

Does anyone have a 247 subscription? Evidently there is a follow up article to the Haney story. 

http://texas.247sports.com/Article/Horns247-talks-w-Texas-HS-football-coaches-about-Charlie-Strong-29325308

Basically he said that Travis was marginally less menstrual than some of our posters. . . .

Not one coach Jeff spoke with offered a take remotely similar to Travis' claims. . . .

I'll post some highlights. . . .more evidence that the midol crowd needs to STFU. . . 

The high school where this coach goes to work every day has sent players to Texas, so he would know better than most about the differences between the two staffs. He's also sent players to numerous other schools, including a few who previously played for Vance Bedford during one of his stops.

The coach feels that this staff, in terms of getting things turned around, is exactly what Texas needs. He's noticed from being around the current players some in the spring that everything Strong has talked about appears to be more than just lip service.

Second Down: Another coach we spoke to was seriously impressed with the way this staff is going about evaluating and offering recruits. The coach was critical of the way that the previous staff extended offers at times, but with a player on his current roster holding a Texas offer he's familiar with how things go down.

Third Down: (this is an actual example of legit critisim. . .completely beyond the grasp of the chicken littles but something others of us have mentioned. . .Chambers over Wyatt was a mistake)   One of the biggest issues that's come up in our travels and in conversations is that Strong didn't hire enough coaches with ties to the state of Texas. Bruce Chambers and Les Koenning both have ties that run deep in various parts of the state and Joe Wickline has recruited in the state for a number of years, but according to one coach in particular that's not enough for the Longhorns to make dent in this recruiting cycle.

Fourth Down: One coach we spoke to feels like Texas has the staff makeup to be a championship program again.    That said, the coach said the only way the Longhorns will get it turned around in recruiting and get the program back on the right track is to win games when the ball gets kicked off this fall.

I'm not sure about the rest of you but I'm going to take the opinion over experts over agenda mongering unibombers any day

 

[echeese]

PS, 

Since last year I have come to realize that the content on 24/7 is the best in Longhorn land.    Jeff Howe and Blake Monroe do an excellent job. . . .Horns Sports has a chance to earn a very solid niche in the Burnt Orange universe but it seems a couple of posters are dead set on making it hell for anyone who doesn't agree with their knee jerk, irrational opinions. . . . .

 

[joeywa]

Steps of being a troll:

Step 1 - Log in

Step 2 - Post a stupid, unsupportable message

Step 3 - Get hammered for it

Step 4 - Come back and say your original message didn't really say what it says, or doesn't say what it appears to everyone else but you it says

Step 5 - Get hammered for it

Step 6 - Come back and try to defend to original premise, the one you disowned in Step 4

Step 7 - Get hammered for it

Step 8 - Come back and say you are misunderstood, that you did not say what you said, or mean what you meant... but if you had, you would've been right, anyway. Give evidence to support this.

Step 9 - Get hammered for it

Step 10 - Take the high road, and say 'I am done with this', in a lofty way

Step 11 - Get hammered for it

Step 12 - Come back in (presumably on a lower road) and say, 'Yes I was done with this, but...' and proceed to rehash arguments made in Steps 4, 6, and 8

Step 13 - Get hammered for it

At this point, you can quit in indignant exasperation, or put in a go loop here and start the thing all over again

Jim,

I do know MBHorn personally. While he does come across as opinionated, a troll he is not. He is one of the most passionate Texas fans I have ever met. He does have strong opinions on Longhorn athletics, and I believe he enjoys banter with other members here, as well as on his podcast. He has no problem sharing his take, nor does he have a problem taking a stance and supporting it to the end....a la our reigning Pissing Match champion echeese, ( No offense Chuck!)

He may rub some the wrong way, but at the end of the day, there's not a single poster on here that hasn't been fired up by something someone else has posted. It happens. It's what happens when passionate fans gather in one place.

Let's just agree to have a cold beer and relax. As Aaron said, N Texas is when we get to see what Charlie & Co have done and we can all put our couch coach unis on and become critical.

 

[streettopeschel]

How many years do we give Patterson? His job was to restructure Bellmont to deal with years of creeping bloat and people who were underperforming, to develop plans for capital projects and to manage the brand. How many years of seeing no change in the business side of the program do we accept?

let's start with more than .5. I'd also add unless you're inside the program you don't know dick about plans or management initiatives.

 

[North Texas Golfer]

i frankly don't buy the benefit of persistently negative posts for the "sake of discussion".  sorry.

TOS's owner has developed a business model that has forsaken the average Longhorn fan for the sake of turning his board into something akin to the main board and its a model that has succeeded in driving subscriptions, but at the expense of lessening the experience for the majority of subscribers--most of whom are silent lurkers.

i hate to say it but this is an area where aggie yell has it all over OB.  the owners are aggie fans who don't tolerate a lot of negativity, so the site remains more attractive to true aggie fans.

if you want to be negative, by all means, be negative........just be negative elsewhere.  this board's original premise was to be different from TOS but its becoming more like it everyday.  JMO.

In other words, don't post anything unless most people are going to agree with it

 

[pringlelake]

NTG...I didn't get that from Slim's post. What I hear is...it's o.k. to be negative from time to time but don't let it consume you to the point that all you do is bitch and whine about Longhorn stuff CONSTANTLY. A little bit of negative goes a long way.

 

[Randolph Duke]

let's start with more than .5. I'd also add unless you're inside the program you don't know dick about plans or management initiatives.

With UT being a private university, there is no reason anyone would be entitled to know dick about plans or management initiatives.
Oh, wait a minute. I forgot. UT is a fu@king public institution and every single person on the payroll is accountable to the taxpayers. Bill Powers has the balls to ask for the support of the alumni to save his job. Every single alumni has an absolute right to question Bill Powers why he deserves our support. We also have an absolute right to question the appropriateness of any hires Bill Powers made, especially when that hire is getting paid $1million per year.

Bottom line, we have every reason to question why we should support Steve Patterson, especially when he has utterly failed so far to deliver the change we were lead to believe he was hired to lead.

In the real world, where senior managers are expected to deliver, stakeholders generally expect something tangible after an employee has been on the job six months. Bill Powers was the guy in charge when the problems within Bellmont were allowed to fester. Anyone of us has every right to question whether once again, Bill Powers is not effectively leading what is a $165 million portion of the overall $2.3 billion operating budget.

We might not know dick about plans or mangement iniatives but Steve Patterson isn't entitled to tell us we aren't entitled to know dick about plans or management iniatives. That's not how it works. Public employees dont always get that option. Patterson may feel he can continue to deliver jack sh!t when it comes to promised change, but the clock is ticking. That's how it works when you work for a government entity.

 

[Hornfan4life]

let's start with more than .5. I'd also add unless you're inside the program you don't know dick about plans or management initiatives.

Well said, agree.

 

[echeese]

 He has no problem sharing his take, nor does he have a problem taking a stance and supporting it to the end....a la our reigning Pissing Match champion echeese, ( No offense Chuck!)

Actually you have insulted me .. . . 

Posters might not like my positions but I support them with facts and reality (not to mention history has shown I was far more right than wrong) but you will not find me offering the inane ramblings we see from our unibomber and his buddy . .. 

He and the other troll have opinions (in this case largely hyperbole and butt hurt), largely unsupported by reality .. . . .though I do agree with at least one of them's admission he "doesn't know dick about what's actually going on"

All they are doing is trashing the board and making it unreadable. . . ..

As S-T-P said, it's the same unibomber style manifestos repeated over and over like Huey Long. . .hoping some fellow simpleton blindly follows them without scratching the surface of . .  .the rest of the story .. . . 

 

[PeteA422]

Ok, so this is the way I see it, as the lurker that I am...

RD, I don't disagree with any of your points towards Belmont, this was one of the areas we all wanted to see change along with the football program.  There is a lot of fat that needs to be trimmed out of this area.  I agree, we need a performance based staff.  And when stuff hits the media wire against UT, I can see where some people get the wrong impression that you are bashing CS when you are really just upset at the lack of performance from the management side of the house.  I believe that Strong is the perfect man for what we want, however, he has his limitations as well.  This is where a good leader and manager will put people in place that will cover these limitations.  A good PR person for example, if Strong is not a great public speaking guy, but is great one-on-one, the PR guy schedules a 5 minute speaking before a lunch and an hour meet and greet during the coaches lunch time.  It isn't difficult and I can understand your frustration.  I don't think any of us are really bashing on Strong, but more are upset with the management side of the house. 

Being a Dallas Cowboys fan, I know that management can make or break a team.  When you let the coach run his team like he wants, and cover his weaknesses with others strengths, championships are won.  When you try and make a coach into something he is not and meddle, you ruin the team.  What we need is Belmont to step up and provide cover to let Coach Strong be himself and bring us championships.  I believe a front office that supports the strengths and covers for the weaknesses is what is needed.  When Mack was here, all was good on the marketing and PR side, but the player development suffered.  Now it is vice-versus, but the PR should be an easy fix for a good manager with the right people in place.

Now, again, being the lurker that I am, I may have misconstrued the points trying to be made.  I think a lot of people have taken the discussion on tangents, but utilizing my great critical reading skills I learnt from the TACS testing (do they still have that by the way?), I think the main point of contention is not in CFS, but in Belmont and Patterson.  So, while others may be in an uproar, I don't find things to have been to far off or terribly negative, at least not in this area of discussion.

For what its worth from a lurker.