What Will The Media Do If Sherman Is Successful?

by Beergut on Aug 6, 2009 6:47 AM CDT

I keep seeing articles like this one, where the media is predicting A&M to finish dead last in the Big 12 South, and where the author throws in criticism of A&M for firing a coach seven years ago. Ignoring the comparison to Iowa State (Why is ISU being picked to finish in the cellar of the Big 12 North newsworthy? The majority of the time, that is where they finish, in the second-division of the Big 12 North), I think it is funny that columnists and media members lament the firing of R.C. Slocum. Apparently, Aggies should just accept a football program that averages ~5 losses a season, high expectations are for everyone else (from 1999-2002, R.C. lost 19 games). I still contend that firing RC at that time was the right decision, the mistake we made was in hiring Dennis Franchione to replace him. However, let's say A&M wins at least six games in the 2009 season, and goes to a bowl game. What will the media talk about during preseason 2010?

If Mike Sherman leads us to a conference championship in 2010 or '11, will the media admit we made the right choice? If we shock everyone, and play for a national title in the next five years, will the media admit we made the right choice? I know most people in the sports media want simple answers to simple questions, and after our disappointing season last year, we make an easy target. However, I really don't get the dislike for Sherman. When Franchione was busy stealing money from our athletic department while he spent five years masquerading as a football coach from 2003-2007, you didn't see this type of derision directed at him. When we went 4-8 in 2003, people in the media just assumed Franchione was right to tear down the team, we should just accept a losing season like that, and things would improve. Why aren't they giving Sherman a similar benefit of the doubt?

Baylor went 4-8 under Art Briles last season, finishing with the same overall record as A&M, yet the media is positively bullish on the Bears. With a quarterback like Robert Griffin, and the fact that Baylor was fairly competitive in just about every game he started, I can see reasons for optimism in Waco. However, it should be noted that Art Briles had a nice first season at Houston, too, finishing with 7 wins and a bowl game in his first year, before falling off to 3-8 in his second season. Nothing is guaranteed with Briles or with Baylor, but the media doesn't seem to see that.

So, what will the media do if we exceed expectations and finish with 6-7 wins next season? What if we beat Iowa State, Colorado, Baylor, Arkansas, New Mexico, UAB, and Utah State, to finish with 7 wins and a bowl appearance? Will the pundits give Sherman credit for being a good coach, or will we just hear how with all of the resources at A&M, a bowl game should be a given? Mike Sherman walked into a bad situation following the mess Franchione left him, he has made no complaints and pointed no fingers (except at himself) while taking complete responsibility for everything that has happened with this football program. It would be nice to see the media at large give him the benefit of the doubt until he gets a chance to prove those of us who believe in him wrong.

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We’ll see if all of the respectable recruiting that Sherm has been doing since his arrival will start to pay off this year.

I don’t see why your Ags can’t get six wins out of this deal- you should be able to start 3-0. You should have a very reasonable shot at winning “the cellar match” with ISU, and from there you just need to pull two wins out of Arky, KSU, TTech, Colorado, and Baylor… Or if you can’t get two of those five, work some magic vs. OSU, OU, or hated, cursed, wretched tu.

After that, you can enjoy a bonus game at whatever that stadium in Shreveport is called.

by Tackchevy on Aug 6, 2009 9:54 AM CDT reply actions

The media bashed Slocum until we fired him, then they praised him. Course, they also blew their wad when we hired Fran. It is already obvious to me that Sherman is a much better coach than Fran. I know he will get it done. If we go 6-6 and make a bowl we will be listed as a program on the rise in all the preseason mags next season. The media does not adit when it is wrong, it just moves onto writing about the next thing.

by miketag on Aug 6, 2009 12:48 PM CDT reply actions

I do agree that RC’s program had settled to mediocrity. Back when A&M had great assistant coaches, his program was one of the best out there. Unfortunately, great assistants wind up landing head coaching jobs, and they aren’t so easy to replace. A&M needed a change, there was no doubt. My recollection of Slocum’s last couple of seasons was one of extreme frustration with the offensive play calling. It was time for a change, even if change was painful. The hiring of Fran was met with much approval around the country, and much hope at Aggieland. That little experiment turned into something dreadful.

Sherman’s hiring was not met with nearly so much optimism. I think that a lot of folks around the country, and a lot of Ags, felt like he was just another old white guy coach – bland, vanilla, etc. He wasn’t a hotshot college coordinator like Bo Pellini, or the coach of a smaller program like Urban Meyer. I liked that he was a former A&M assistant and his NFL experience – I don’t think that anyone should underestimate NFL experience in a new coach (Callahan was an obvious failure but he probably drew some recruits since he knew what it took to play in the NFL).

Anyway, I think that people have good reason to be skeptical of Sherman. His first season was a disaster. I don’t blame the guy myself, but A&M fans are hungry for some success. I recall last year that A&M was not picked to finish last in the South, yet finish last they managed to do. The reasons aren’t important on a national stage. National media has no stake in A&M’s success or failure, they simply look at the numbers.

I can’t fault anyone for picking A&M last. I can’t fault anyone for wondering if A&M will even get to six wins this year. I am actually happy that A&M is picked last by most media outlets – I’d prefer that they over-achieve than under-achieve. That doesn’t make picking A&M last the right thing to do or even a smart choice, but the national media is not paying too much attention to what Sherman has done in the off season. He’ll earn his respect on campus, among alumni, around Texas, and across the nation by turning the Aggie program around. Until then, I don’t blame people for being skeptical.

by ambivalent on Aug 6, 2009 12:58 PM CDT reply actions