walty12 said

mckeon said

d-owl said

walty12 said

GeorgiaOwl said

And had our normal "haul" of one or two 3 starts! Can't we see where the old ways got us (a VERY BAD 1-11).

And 2 bowl wins and a bunch of NCAA records for a start up program.  You guys sure have short memories. :

True - we did actually find a real legit diamond in the rough in a NFL caliber QB (good ol' Rusty). But those are few and far between. Unfortunately there was no capitalization off those years and we didn't keep up with other SB schools in terms of recruiting (i.e. FIU). Whatever I'm not going to get into the recruiting debate again - let's all just support coach P in his efforts to turn the ship around. So far I think we can all say we are pretty pleased!

Dont worry brother. Some people on here will attack you for saying anything other than 100% praise for the previous coaching staff.  As its been said, the previous guys built the foundation we have now but there is still a reason coach P. was brought in… He has already shown a more modern approach to recruiting.  I think he has good longterm goals and wants to grow FAU into something big.

That was an attack?  Im just reminding some of you that our previous "crappy" coach set records at FAU.  He must have done something right.

It bothers me that some of you act like Coach Pelini is so very good and Howard is so very bad…the guy hasnt won a single game yet….Howard built our program from the ground and won a lot of games and set a lot of records.  Sorry if I feel like bad mouthing him is innapopriate and my allegence is with him.

Of course I want Pelini to suceed, I just wish I didn't have to read such ignorant posts while rooting for him.

I understand your unconditional love for Coach S.  He built our program from the ground up, as an organizer I'd give him an A+. I think however that football tactics had started to pass him by and age/years of coaching had started to wear him out. The argument could be made that "The 2 bowl wins and a bunch of NCAA records" were a result of having a NFL QB in the Sun Belt.  God knows once smith left the entire program went to pieces… I don't think anyone could take anything away from Coach S. as far as building the program but when it comes to recruiting and other areas of the H.C. job description I find plenty of fault.  

What you dont realize is that when a program loses a great QB that ALWAYS happens…whether its Florida, Texas, Michigan, or FAU.  I can tell you what Miami, Florida and Florida State all have in common right now and its not bad coaching or recruiting…they dont have a QB.

Futhermore, we broke a lot of those records with Jared Allen.

I think his personal matters (not petty personal matters, the kind that shake any man to his core) and focus on the new stadium that brought the platform for our program to be succesful might have taken some out of him…but I dont think there is a need to make a negative comment about HS everytime we sign a JUCO player from Arizona.  Little ridiculous in my opinion.

walty12 said

What you dont realize is that when a program loses a great QB that ALWAYS happens…whether its Florida, Texas, Michigan, or FAU.  I can tell you what Miami, Florida and Florida State all have in common right now and its not bad coaching or recruiting…they dont have a QB.

Futhermore, we broke a lot of those records with Jared Allen.

I think his personal matters (not petty personal matters, the kind that shake any man to his core) and focus on the new stadium that brought the platform for our program to be succesful might have taken some out of him…but I dont think there is a need to make a negative comment about HS everytime we sign a JUCO player from Arizona.  Little ridiculous in my opinion.

Thanks Walty 12 for stepping up and away from the crowd to make your point.  Unfortunately, it will fall on deaf ears and blind eyes for the CP crowd but it is appreciated by the rest of the Owls fans who understand how this program got here so CP could step in and be a hero!  No disrespect intended to CP but let's stop with the disrespect to HS and the prior staff.

A successor regime can be successful by positive building and without being critical or making snide remarks (or allowing them to be made) about the predecessor regime. This helps define class. Generally, success with class breeds more success with class. And, generally, success without class breeds declining success without class. If one has to denigrate others in order to feed his own ego, that's a problem and one that is likely to spread. I think it is far too early (and unfair) to judge the new folks. I also think it is unfair to judge the prior regime as harshly as some have. While I agree that Rusty Smith's talent got the program a long way, let's not lose sight of his intangibles: He was and is a class act. And we should remember that quite a number of other good players were on the field with him. Jared Allen (another class act) got the QB tradition rolling and Rusty Smith built on it. Howard Schnellenberger got the program rolling, and now it's time for Carl Pelini to build on it. So far, I'd say that he is moving at impressive speed in the right direction. But time will tell how his coaches and players perform, and whether on-field successes are mirrored by off-field successes. I certainly wish for the very best.

Im sorry guys, Coach S didnt walk on water… I give him mad props for building the program but when the day is done he was still a sub .500 coach and his recruiting policies left FAU with a huge tallent vacuum.  Additionally in my opinion he pretty much rode the pine for the last year… I don't see anyone in here bashing Coach S, being realistic in what he did and did not do is in no way bashing someone. I think everyone agrees Coach S was the father of FAU football. However he fell short in several areas… For one he never built on the school early success… Other schools have made the move from I-AA to Div-I and kept moving up… For Example:

2006: FAU in 6 years as a DIV-I team FAU went to 2 early bowl games… After the last bowl game we have been 10-26…

1999: UConn went to DIV-I football…. Within 4 years they were a member of the Big East… Recruiting exploded and they went from having 0 NFL players to 10 current NFL players…..

1996: Central Florida went to DIV-I football… Within 2 years they were 9-2 and had a first round draft pick in Daunte Culpepper… Within 4 years they would beat teams like Alabama in Tuscaloosa…

2001: South Florida went to DIV-I football… In their first 2 years they went 17-5… In the first 6 years of the program they only had one losing season… From 2005-2010 they went to 6 straight bowl games…

2001: Troy University went to Div-I football… Within 3 years they went to a bowl game… Their recruiting exploded and they now have 15 NFL players… They have won 5 straight Sun Belt titles…

Those are the facts…

And The facts say there are plenty of recent programs that went to DIV-I ball and had the same initial success we had… The big difference is they went on to bigger and better things… We sank back into the basement… If you know anything about football you have to place the FAU failure to follow up on its success on Coach S shoulders…

As I have said, Coach S was a great builder and organiser… I just think football had passed him by…  Many of our 3 star recruits directly commented on Coach P. style as to why they came here… He is younger and uses a modern football approach. Even Coach P. said Coach S. built a great foundation for him and its true… But that doesnt mean I'm not going to be real when it comes to talking about our historical shortfalls…

I think some have an issue with the combination of ripping the man who built the program while at the same time swinging from the sack of an unproven JUCO who to this point has done ZERO for the university. Seems to be a slippery slope your on.

Coach said

I think some have an issue with the combination of ripping the man who built the program while at the same time swinging from the sack of an unproven JUCO who to this point has done ZERO for the university. Seems to be a slippery slope your on.

Swinging from the sack? Thanks for the intelligent reply…

UCF, Troy and UConn had programs for decades before going DI.  You're forgetting that after Culpepper UCF had an 0-12 season.  UL Monroe beat Alabama….USF is the exception and I am envious of thier sucess.

Just fill this in…

UF record with Tebow (x-x), UF record since he graduated (x-x)
Texas record with McCoy (x-x), Texas record since (x-x)
Miami record with Dorsey (x-x), Miami record since (x-x)
Georgia record with Stafford (x-x), Georgia record since (x-x)
FAU record with Rusty Smith (x-x), FAU record since (x-x)

Now we wont have as many wins as the rest (because we dont have 4-5 cake games a season) but I bet the decrease in winning percentage is close.  You telling me all the coaches for those programs forgot how to coach?

Final thought, if you would have told me in 2000 that Howard would accomplish all that he did at FAU but I would have to deal with a 1-11 season while sitting in a brand new $70 million 30,000 seat stadium on campus I would have signed on the dotted line and told them they were crazy for thinking it would come true.

mckeon said

d-owl said

walty12 said

GeorgiaOwl said

And had our normal "haul" of one or two 3 starts! Can't we see where the old ways got us (a VERY BAD 1-11).

And 2 bowl wins and a bunch of NCAA records for a start up program.  You guys sure have short memories. :

True - we did actually find a real legit diamond in the rough in a NFL caliber QB (good ol' Rusty). But those are few and far between. Unfortunately there was no capitalization off those years and we didn't keep up with other SB schools in terms of recruiting (i.e. FIU). Whatever I'm not going to get into the recruiting debate again - let's all just support coach P in his efforts to turn the ship around. So far I think we can all say we are pretty pleased!

Dont worry brother. Some people on here will attack you for saying anything other than 100% praise for the previous coaching staff.  As its been said, the previous guys built the foundation we have now but there is still a reason coach P. was brought in… He has already shown a more modern approach to recruiting.  I think he has good longterm goals and wants to grow FAU into something big.

Don't sweat it - I've been on this board long enough and have dealt with the bickering back and forth regarding HS, recruiting etc. I don't take it personally. As I'm sure you are seeing, there is always going to be a segment of this board that will not tolerate any perceived criticism of HS or his staff, not realizing that we all love and appreciate HS, but just are calling it like it is. I also knew as soon as it was obvious  CP improved recruiting there would be threads like this made. Whatever - the fact of the matter is we are now recruiting on par with other Sunbelt schools, and that should be all we are concerned with - whether we disagree with how we got to this point or not. If I want to - I can pull up old threads made on this board by certain posters to help "prove" my points, but I really don't want to engage in this back and forth among fellow Owl fans.    

walty12 said

UCF, Troy and UConn had programs for decades before going DI.  You're forgetting that after Culpepper UCF had an 0-12 season.  UL Monroe beat Alabama….USF is the exception and I am envious of thier sucess.

Just fill this in…

UF record with Tebow (x-x), UF record since he graduated (x-x)
Texas record with McCoy (x-x), Texas record since (x-x)
Miami record with Dorsey (x-x), Miami record since (x-x)
Georgia record with Stafford (x-x), Georgia record since (x-x)
FAU record with Rusty Smith (x-x), FAU record since (x-x)

Now we wont have as many wins as the rest (because we dont have 4-5 cake games a season) but I bet the decrease in winning percentage is close.  You telling me all the coaches for those programs forgot how to coach?

Final thought, if you would have told me in 2000 that Howard would accomplish all that he did at FAU but I would have to deal with a 1-11 season while sitting in a brand new $70 million 30,000 seat stadium on campus I would have signed on the dotted line and told them they were crazy for thinking it would come true.

Guys yall seem to think I'm trying to rip Coach S… I have said repeatedly Coach S was an awesome organizer and builder. However with that said, you will never convince me he was a great recruiter…  The man had flaws, to say otherwise is ignorant.