By Robert Cessna
robert.cessna@theeagle.com
View all Robert's Blogs
Things haven’t gotten much better for the A&M football team since the season ended.
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford is coming back instead of declaring for the NFL. Also returning for the Sooners are defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, tight end Jermaine Gresham and offensive tackle Trent Williams.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy also is coming back along with his favorite receiver, Jordan Shipley, who was granted another year by the NCAA.
Oklahoma State will average 40 points a game because of quarterback Zac Robinson, wide receiver Dez Bryant and a strong running game. Tech loses quarterback Graham Harrell and wide receiver Michael Crabtree, but the Red Raiders were winning eight or nine games annually before Harrell and Crabtree reached the South Plains. Baylor will be vastly improved behind quarterback Robert Griffin.
So where does that leave the Aggies?
The biggest news has been that running back Mike Goodson apparently won’t be back. There may be more defections, which is typical heading into Year 2 after a new coach settles in.
You need unity more than ever when you hit bottom, and the Aggies are there. You figure those slick summer magazines — which are being compiled now — will have A&M last in the Big 12 South. UT and OU are interchangeable at the top followed by Oklahoma State, Texas and Baylor.
It doesn’t have to be gloom and doom. A&M will have plenty of opportunities to prove the pollsters wrong. The Big 12 South is the country’s best conference. Forget what happened in the bowls. The long layoff hampered the league’s explosive offenses. Just remember that for three months the Big 12 was the talk of the country for a reason. It could happen again next year.
The greatest thing about A&M’s rebuilding effort is that this is Year 2. The worst is behind. The Aggies still might win only six or seven games, but they should be much more competitive. That doesn’t offset a Heisman Trophy winner or Walter Camp Award winner returning to campus, but it’s a start.
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Posted by: miller58 On: 1/20/2009
Comment Title: AFTER THE BIG AGGIE JUNIOR DAY LAST SATURDAY?
My personal opinions:_____After the big Aggie junior day last Saturday, Sherman still left 250 of the National Top 250 players for tu, ou and lsu to pick and choose from in February?_____ After the big Aggie junior day last Saturday, Sherman has still left 100 of the Texas Top 100 players for tu, ou and lsu to pick and choose from next month?_____Why?_____miller58.
Posted by: Objective_Homer On: 1/20/2009
Comment Title: Misery Loves Company
Though miller is extreme in the his comments and uses no tact, the information and FACTS he posts are the most consistent and I havent seen a single person on here sucessfully dispute the facts he provides. He hit the nail on the head that you would have to lie in order to be positive because there is nothing positive about the true reality of this. Its one thing to have a good ol boy network geared to improve the program but its another thing all together when its geared toward subordination and trying to please really, really, really old boosters who have no idea where college football is headed right now.
Posted by: Seeing Stars On: 1/20/2009
Comment Title: RE: Misery loves company
Miller and I (along with others) simply post FACTS and ask YOU to show them to be incorrect. From coaching credentials, recruiting quality, and competitiveness to national rankings on offense, defense, and wins/losses. All facts, documented. Then we ask, if it is this way why aren't you doing something about it even if it is just voicing your concern. Instead of admitting you see the facts, you choose the childish way of attacking the poster, not the issue. You choose to attack the previous regime instead of proving correct direction with the current one. This group DOES NOT need more time to take us farther in the wrong direction !! If you truly believe this team made improvement over the year and truly has individual quality in the inbound recruiting class you are grossly mistaken. Face it, no other D-1 school had sherman anywhere on their radar screen last year and our administration/boosters should be ashamed of taking advantage of an otherwise good man by convincing him he was right for this program. An act that served selfish egos rather than program requirements.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/19/2009
Comment Title: Respecting Our Honor Code!
My personal opinions:_____The Aggie Spin Machine are liars, out of context, about 95% of the time both about the facts and the individual who present the truhful facts!_____Thus as liars, they are by definition, no longer Aggies!_____I present only true facts 100% of the time, truly love A&M, and ex-Aggie liars truly disgust me!_____A last place A&M team ranked too high at #83 in the nation, that looks like coaching crap on the field, with a coaching staff that is ranked nationally dead last by some in both coaching and recruiting, is just not going to be a very positive discussion unless you completely ignore the truth, and just flat out lie out of context most of the time? It's always easy to identify the liars._____ miller58.
Posted by: On: 1/19/2009
Comment Title: Misery loves company
Miller 58 and Seeing stars and a few others need to start their own web site. Miserylovescompany.com would be a good one. Or MiserybyMiller58whocan'tfindanytingpositivetosay.com would be another good one. Final comment. I am proud of all you misery spreaders of not tagging on to the article about McGee getting the Fellowship of Christian Athletes award. You could have used it for all your negativity, but I guess you found a little Aggie Class.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/19/2009
Comment Title: SECOND BIG DIFFERENCE MAKER COMMITS ON AGGIE JUNIOR DAY WEEKEND?
My personal opinions:_____ The second big four star diffrence maker committed on Ag junior day weekend!_____ This time it was Dextor Pratt committing to okie state; this means osu has now surpassed A&M with 6 difference makers in their current class! A&M just keeps falling farther behind everybody?_____miller58
Posted by: Sooner in Girlssportsland On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title:
Why would any recruit want to come to A&M? Think about it for a minute. Tradition, shmadition. Young folks that aren't legacies aren't interested. A&M plays real football schools (Texas, OU and now Tech)that show 'em up with regularity. There is nothing to do and the school has the reputation as a prep school for future republican county chairs and egg toss champions. Bore me to tears.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title: Shernan loses another head to head?
My personal opinions:_____ This is what you get when you hire an inexperienced college head coach and 6 assistants that didn't sign a single five star and only 2 four star players prior to comming to A&M. They also haven't committed a single four or five star player this class! DE Cris Mimms is a sip!_____miller58.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title: BIG DIFFERENCE MAKER COMMITS OVER AGGIE JUNIOR DAY WEEKEND!
My personal opinions:_____A very big four star difference maker committed to ou's current class over the Aggie junior day weekend!_____miller58
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title: Re: Seeing Stars
My personal opinions: Stars, just to supplement what you are saying: Nebraska has also out recruited A&M for difference makers the last five years. '05 through '09; A&M as of today has dropped to only 30 difference makers over this period, while Nebraska is up to 37 of them.____- Then under Sherman, even Colorado is catching us and has out recruited us for difference makers last year and this year by 13 to 12; and the last four years okie state has caught up to A&M by commiting the same 20 difference makers._____As Sherman's continues to recruit and coach badly, all the other Big 12 teams are kicking our rears on the field, and passing us by in talent as well; this should insure A&M being at the very bottom in football for at least the next 10 years?_____miller58.
Posted by: Seeing Stars On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title: RE: Shiner --talent
Last 5 years ('04 thru '08) the 4/5* talent recruited as follows: ok=66, tu=61, A&M=32, ok st=20, k-st=17, tt=14, baylor=3. ALL of those teams BEAT us (ALONG WITH ARK ST & MIAMI) AND tt, baylor, ok st, & k-st ALL played ok and tu closer games than we did with one exception. We do need to match up with tu and ok in recruiting but what's going on at present with the talent we DO have? We have some very real problems in coaching and recruiting that are not going to "fix" themselves with current staff or you would have seen more "direction" last year. The team could have been left in the hands of Stephen McGee and, more than likely, done at least as well.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/18/2009
Comment Title: A&M JUNIOR DAY "NOT MUCH GOOD NEWS FOR THE AGGIES?"
My personal opnions:_____With some of the better players not even accepting A&M's invitation to Saturdays Junior Day, looks like mac, stoops and miles owned the day and the 2010 class!_____ Just" not much good news for the Aggies" out of our Junior Day!_____BY March 15, expect tu, ou and lsu will announce most of the top recruits committed. _____miller58.
Posted by: miller58 On: 1/17/2009
Comment Title: Big Recruiting Junior Day for Sherman Today for 2010 Class?
My personal opinions:_____Will Sherman get even one National Top 250 commit or Top 30 Texas commit today, or has tu, ou, and lsu already shut out Sherman again for 2010?_____Miller58
Posted by: On: 1/17/2009
Comment Title: RE; Shiner
Coach Sherman quote from the first day on the job......"My number one priority as head coach is recruiting". Just be thankful it wasn't his number two priority.
Posted by: On: 1/17/2009
Comment Title: Recruiting Elevator
Today dropped to nummer 16 with five teams within 113 points of us. That's one good three star or one low four star from passing us. Going down?
Posted by: Shiner On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: whoops
Ok I screwed up. Stoops beat us in 1999 and 2000. That really messes up my thesis. He went 7-5 in 1999 and won the national championship in 2000. Pretty big miss there.
Posted by: Shiner On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: Coaching does make a difference
I never said coaching does not make a difference. It makes a bunch of difference. I said that the talent level is not high enough to be the program we want to be. We have not been as talented as OU or Texas the last several years and the only proof I can give you of that is the ranking of our classes during those years. It needs to be higher. It IS up to the coach to win with the talent we have and the coach we have has only been here one year, not five. Even Stoops couldn't coach it up in one year. We beat him twice before he beat beat us. So don't tell me a good coach should turn it around in one year or even two. Now, you guys give me facts why Sherman should not have more time to coach up the talent and get more talent to make us great. I say two more years. If you project future results from one year then that is not fact but speculation. If you use this years record as your "fact" then you need to show me where "most" good coaches made a difference sooner. Don't just say that coaches and everyone else "doesn't know what they are talking about." that is no more reasonable than those opinons you refute.
Posted by: Seeing Stars On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: RECRUITER/COACH
So then, if we understand the poster correctly, Ok had a good recruiter and once they recruited the difference makers they then found a good coach. Sounds like one good way to go about it. Tell us how that relates to what we are doing and the path we are on.
Posted by: On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: re; unhappy aggies
PLEASE let us RISE to that level of incompetance and we will see if your theory is correct.
Posted by: On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: Unhappy Aggies
Some said that Bob Stoops won the National Championship in his second year with with John Blake' recruits. Whilr true, John Blake was a great recruiter and a poor coach. There, Stoops inherited a lot of talent. Also, Stoops has lost 5 straight BCS games which makes him mortal. If he were at A&M Aggie blowhards would be screaming for his dismissal. Reminds me of that old saying, "the only happy Aggie is an unhappy Aggie".
Posted by: On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title:
So how did sherman do it in the pros. Coach what he had or buy more.
Posted by: Seeing Stars On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title:
So if you can't coach up these guys what makes you think we can coach up more of the same. Either the talent is there and you need to coach it or the talent is not there and you need to recruit it. We are not doing either one and WAITING will not solve either issue. Does anyone think we are a better team on this date (with current roster and inbound class) than we were last year on this date (with that roster and inbound class)??
Posted by: RJ S.Calif Aggie On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: Talent Level
Anyone, including Coaches, saying our talent level has not been good enough the past 5 years do not know what they are talking about ( provide me proof ). As far as keeping players and developing their "so called top 25 recruiting status", simply put that is the Coaches job and has not been done at A&M..........Facts nothing but Facts. Stoops got more out of Blake's talent, won a National championship 2nd year, and now he has year in and year out top 10 Recruits....need more proof Coaching does not make a difference..
Posted by: Bobby On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: O-LINE
The Aggies will be fine IF-The O-line comes together! If this does not happen, well stand-by for another year of mediocrity in the Big Twelve South.
Posted by: Shiner On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: Jackie said it
I recall Jackie saying our talent was not high enough but I can't tell you which day he said it. It's obvious our talent is not high enough, so you don't need a former coach to tell you that. We had some good recruiting classes but the poster below was right in that several of the higher ranked recruits never finished their eligibility. Not trying to make excuses but just saying that the talent, while good, is not high enough. We will have to win with what we have and then we can get more talent. Sherman has not proved he can do it but he hasn't been given enough time to prove he cannot. If Fran hadn't wasted five years, I don't think we would be quite as impatient with Sherman. Just my opinion.
Posted by: On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title:
What former coach said our talent level was not high enough and when did he say it. RJ is correct on this one sir.
Posted by: On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: A&M
Before you say that look back and check how many of those players actually played for A&M…. We have built classes on kids that did not get into A&M take those players and our recruiting has not been as good. … But hey all the former coaches that remark about our talent level not being high enough are wrong and you are probably right…
Posted by: RJ S.Calif Aggie On: 1/16/2009
Comment Title: Dreaming
If you think the worse is behind you are "Dreamimg". As I continue to say in all my "Posts" Sherman is a good guy, will never do anything dishonest, but will not get the job done. When you have the best talent from the past 5 years in the Big 12 with the exception of OU and UT ( all facts check out the recruiting services ), set records your first year with most losses at Kyle Field, worse loss at Kyle Field, and no wins in "Big 12 South", there is something wrong. He is not the right fit for todays high school players, evidence in his first year of Coaching. It appears he will land a top 25 class, and again we will out recruit everyone in the Big 12 except OU and UT, but look for another 4-8, 5-7 at best. This all could of been avoided if we would of hired an experience Head Coach or proven Assistance at the College level, or at least the odds would of been better. I hope I am wrong, but based on the facts I know I will be proven right...S.Calif. Aggie


