Changes Coming In The Football Program?

by Beergut on Nov 20, 2008 10:13 AM CST

Brent Zwerneman of the SAEN says he wouldn't be surprised to see some changes in Aggieland after the season. Among the changes, he says defensive coordinator Joe Kines might head back into retirement, offensive coordinator Nolan Cromwell may head back to the NFL, and Mike Goodson may go pro.

Of the three, I think Goodson declaring for the draft is the most likely. It isn't a secret that Goodson wants to test himself at the next level, and while the injury issues he has had have limited his playing time and production, he'll probably be a second day draft pick on talent alone. If he has a good combine, he may go in the first three rounds.

I do think that if Kines leaves after only a season, it will set us back. That will make three defensive coordinators in the last three seasons for our team. It is difficult to develop any type of defensive consistency with that type of turnover. I am also hoping Kines stays for the simple reason that I like him as a coach, and think he has much to contribute on our staff.

If we do lose both Cromwell and Kines after only one season, I think you would have to characterize this staff as a disaster. You can't have complete turnover of your coordinators after only one season. I'm hoping Zwerneman's premonition is wrong, but I don't think he would write about it if he didn't know something already.

0 recs | Comment 18 comments |

Read Related

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

This staff already is a disaster...

…as is this season. As is the entire six year tenure under Bill Byrne (football wise). I don’t think things get all that materially worse is Kines leaves after one season.

While I am not sure if it helps or hurts, the bottom line is this team is an unmitigated flop, playing vastly below their talent and their potential. I am not advocating that Kines be fired or something, but good god does A&M suck at football.

My Music Blog

by FuturePants on Nov 20, 2008 12:00 PM CST 0 recs

I do not think they are playing that far below their talent. I think the DL is the only place I would say that we are underachieving. With our OL, 4 wins is a miracle.

38-30

by miketag on Nov 20, 2008 1:07 PM CST 0 recs

The "talent cupboard is barren" argument....

….is making me exceptionally tired. Top to bottom our talent far exceeds Baylor; even on the offensive line. Getting beat by Baylor by 20 is a disaster by an underachieving team.

My Music Blog

by FuturePants on Nov 20, 2008 2:42 PM CST up 0 recs

if you think our OL was superior to Baylor's OL

you didn’t watch the game

you aren’t going to win many games when your two starting OTs are really OGs who have been moved

do we have better skill position talent than Baylor, overall, on offense? Yes.

But their line is better than ours right now, simply due to attrition from injuries.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Nov 20, 2008 3:40 PM CST up 0 recs

Did they play better?

Absolutley. Better coached? Absolutely. More effective? Absolutely.

Are they more talented? Probably not. Unless you really are saying that Baylor University’s recruiting was over Texas A&M’s – ranked in the top 25 every year that Dennis Franchione was here. If that’s your position and belief, then there is nothing more to be said because that would not be a reasonable thing to say.

This is why this coaching staff, at least so far, is a disaster. They have to turn a sharp corner this next year, for sure.

My Music Blog

by FuturePants on Nov 20, 2008 4:07 PM CST up 0 recs

Fran's recruiting was a failure in multiple ways

No balance among positions
No balance among consecutive classes
No balance among offense and defense
Way too many people that did not get in (guys that artificially increased our ranking)

Our talent is clearly closer to the bottom than the top. Hopefully the current players, regardless of talent level, are being taught properly and buying into the current schemes.

by WacArnolds on Nov 20, 2008 5:46 PM CST up 0 recs

reply

Unless you really are saying that Baylor University’s recruiting was over Texas A&M’s – ranked in the top 25 every year that Dennis Franchione was here.

Recruiting rankings are meaningless; it is what you do with the recruits when you get them on campus that matters.

I don’t know of a single recruiting service that had Robert Griffin listed as one of the top QBs in the state, much less the nation, but there is no doubt he is. That is the difference between rankings and on-the-field performance.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Nov 20, 2008 10:37 PM CST up 0 recs

I'm tired guys

I’m tired of the mediocrity that is this program. It is inexcusable that the program has fallen to this. Our two biggest rivals have a combined one loss this season, while the high of the season was coming back to beat a sorry Colorado team. I don’t blame Sherman because really the talent is atrocious, but I do think the way we have gotten blown out against mediocre teams is troubling. We shouldn’t be getting blown by the likes of K-State, Miami, or Baylor. I could live with blowouts to Tech, OU, and UT but not to teams that aren’t even going to a bowl game.

Our lines might be the worst in the entire conference. What I’m also tired of is the fact that the student body at A&M and it seems like the administration has come to accept this mediocrity. I am a student currently at A&M and it seems like the student body doesn’t care that we suck. They more care about the fact that people are leaving the games early because leaving in the middle of the game when your team is losing 66-21 is so wrong. Same thing with the Battalion all they bitch about is the fact that people leave early or there isn’t enough support instead asking questions as to who should be held accountable for the mess that is this program.

People care about bringing the bonfire back on campus more than the fact that our team is the laughing stock in the Big 12. This is university deserves a top 10 program but for whatever reason we can’t get it done. If a school with a pirate fascination can get it done then why can’t we.

How about we ask to hire Mike Leach? If you can’t beat them, hire them away to our side.

by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 20, 2008 5:02 PM CST 0 recs

what are the students supposed to do?

Why would you think the students are accepting mediocrity? Eventhough the absurdity level is at an 11 over there, just browse TexAgs for a couple of minutes to find out just how fustrated everyone is.

And why exactly do we deserve a top-10 program? No one – absolutely no one – deserves anything other than what they earn. We don’t deserve a successful program anymore than Baylor or Tech or any less than Texas or OU. We just flat-out missed on our previous coaching hire, so now we need to be patient – like 3 years patient – with the current regime and see where it leads us.

by WacArnolds on Nov 20, 2008 5:42 PM CST up 0 recs

+1

i agree that this will take sherman 2-3 years to get the players he needs and his system in order. but as well fans have been patient with this program since the beginning of the fran era, at some point you get tired of watching such a performance.

"Hey, I think it's easy for guys to hit .300 and stay in the big leagues. Hit .200 and try to stick around as long as I did; I think it's a much greater accomplishment. That's hard."-- Bob Uecker

by dmurphnextrusygreer on Nov 21, 2008 1:02 PM CST up 0 recs

if you are a current student

(and I’m guessing you are a fish from the 2012), and you don’t understand why people are concerned with students leaving games early, you don’t understand what being part of the 12th Man is all about. The 12th Man DOESN’T LEAVE EARLY!!! The end. Period.

If you are going to the game to support the team for THE WHOLE GAME, regardless of the score, then don’t go. The team is better off without you. If we’re being outscored, that just means you need to yell louder.

The reason the students bitch about this and the reason the Battalion mentions it is b/c our loyalty and undying support for our teams is one of the things that makes us Aggies.

The fact that you seem to think that Tech is one of our biggest rivals also indicates that you are not aware of the history of our program. While I do classify Tech as an in-state rival, we have more history with Baylor than we do with Tech. Just b/c they are winning while we’re in a down cycle doesn’t make them a big rival. Tech likes to think we’re an arch rival b/c they don’t have anyone to consider a rival, but it isn’t accurate. If we ever bild a Bonfire for the Tech game, maybe we’ll need to change our tune.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Nov 20, 2008 10:35 PM CST up 0 recs

(and I’m guessing you are a fish from the 2012), and you don’t understand why people are concerned with students leaving games early, you don’t understand what being part of the 12th Man is all about. The 12th Man DOESN’T LEAVE EARLY!!! The end. Period.

Pretty easy to say that when youre not at these games.

How many A&M games have you been at this year?
I am not taking the stance that every former student should be at Kyle for every game, some are able to be at more than others, but I would assume if someone is going to lecture a freshman about game attendance, he or she would have been to a couple of games this year.

In the sense of full-disclosure, here are the games I’ve been to.
Arkansas State – Yes
New Mexico – No
Miami – Yes
Army – No
Okla State – Yes
Kansas State – Yes
Tech – No
ISU – No
CU- Yes
OU- No
BU – yes
Texas – Yes

That is 7 of 12 overall
6 of 9 in-state
1 of 3 out of state

by jarrett.adams on Nov 21, 2008 10:47 AM CST up 0 recs

if I was still a current student

you would actually have a point.

When I was a student, I went to all the home games and a few road ones as well.

As for my attendance this season, no, I didn’t make a single game. It is kind of difficult to make it to College Station when you are out of town on business every weekend.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Nov 21, 2008 2:17 PM CST up 0 recs

Who is our second biggest rival?

I know that UT is our biggest rival, but who would be our second biggest rival Baylor? If you seriously think that Baylor is our second biggest rival then you are wrong. I consider Tech our second biggest rival because there has been some good history now for about 10 years.

by PrimeTime2012 on Nov 21, 2008 3:00 PM CST up 0 recs

really

If you seriously think that Baylor is our second biggest rival then you are wrong. I consider Tech our second biggest rival because there has been some good history now for about 10 years.

You’re showing your youth.

I Am The 12th Man.com

by Beergut on Nov 21, 2008 3:22 PM CST 0 recs

Just to clarify

Tech doesn’t consider A&M a rival, just a team we like to play. We don’t have a real rival, and that’s fine by us. There’s not really a need for it considering our student body gets fired up a ton to play UMass or SMU as much as it does for just about anyone. We may dislike y’all more than some of the others, but we don’t consider it a “rivarly” in the sense you are talking about. We don’t hold any special “A&M-only” events when you guys come to town, nor do we do anything different for Texas or OU. I guess you could almost say we hate all of them if they don’t have Texas Tech on their jersey.

It’s more fun to beat UT or A&M because we are seriously behind in the amount of money we can draw in; most look at us like we’re the ugly girl that doesn’t get invited to dance much. Extra enjoyment comes from the overall perception that UT and A&M think they are superior due to whatever non-football category Aggie or UT fans want to use as a barometer. But at the end of the day, when talking about football, that other stuff is completely irrelevant. You either win the games, or you don’t. All the wins are great and all the losses suck.

We just get fired up for all of ‘em. And win most of ’em. We’re a different university than y’all, and frankly most all colleges are too. But that’s what makes Aggies unique (not ‘better’ than anyone not affiliated with A&M, just unique). You’re old money, we’re nouveau riche. You have great history with UT, and you should embrace that. But we don’t need rivalries in the traditional sense of the word to get worked up over an opponent.

But, BG, admit it…you hate us. A lot, ; )

by Tech92 on Nov 21, 2008 4:18 PM CST up 0 recs