The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

This Fall is going to be yet another (re)building year. Though there's a clear, undeniable reason, it couldn't come at a worse time. As we well know, neither wins nor attendance numbers come with asterisks.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

I think a new coach will lead to a bigger turnout for the Troy opener than otherwise would've happened. Although it's a rebuilding year, I can't help but see some improvement in the win column.

(01-12-2014 03:40 PM)blazr Wrote:  This Fall is going to be yet another (re)building year. Though there's a clear, undeniable reason, it couldn't come at a worse time. As we well know, neither wins nor attendance numbers come with asterisks.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

Could have come 2 years from now when McGee had completely wrecked the program and forced us to buy out his contract to fire him.

I want to be the first this year and go ahead and follow Blazertalk tradition by saying we will go 12-0 this year.

I think our attendance this coming year will at the least be a decent bit higher than last years. Troy and Alabama A&M at home in the first month. Not to mention one of our normal away road games (where we're usually guaranteed a loss and starting the season 1-3 ) will be in the middle of the season instead of right off the bat.

edit: our home conference slate isn't going to look too great though
Assuming we're still in the East, and I have no idea if we are or aren't for 2014 football, we would have Marshall, FIU, a west team, and I guess ODU at home?

Don't worry. Be happy.

Everything revolves around the decision Mackin makes. If he screws this up again, it will be a rebuilding year. If he gets it right, I could see a solid improvement in wins and hope for the future.

The new coach will have an excellent nucleus to start with. The offense is there. Quarterback needs to be settled but we have some capable young men that will be battling it out. Defense will again be the question. The new coach has a chance to win right away IMHO.

Let's suppose we hire a coach who happened to be in a BCS bowl game.

That would be an instance where you may receive some extra excitement from the hire.

I think the 2014 win total will be low
I think I'll be criticized for not being a real fan bc I predict few wins
I will support the new coach in his first year...win, lose or draw

I will support the coach win or lose. McGee may have had player relationship problems, but I wasn't aware of them. I supported McGee on the losses and I will support the new coach when he loses.

Because despite what most want to believe here, UAB losses are not the coaches fault. And no it is not the players fault either.

(01-12-2014 04:06 PM)cb4029 Wrote:  Everything revolves around the decision Mackin makes. If he screws this up again, it will be a rebuilding year. If he gets it right, I could see a solid improvement in wins and hope for the future.

I would argue he didn't "screw up" the first time. He made a hire that was pretty universally lauded at the time. As it turned out McGee didn't have the stomach to see the deal through to a successful conclusion. I think it's more of a ding on McGee than Mackin.

(01-12-2014 04:44 PM)biglizard Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 04:06 PM)cb4029 Wrote:  Everything revolves around the decision Mackin makes. If he screws this up again, it will be a rebuilding year. If he gets it right, I could see a solid improvement in wins and hope for the future.

I would argue he didn't "screw up" the first time. He made a hire that was pretty universally lauded at the time. As it turned out McGee didn't have the stomach to see the deal through to a successful conclusion. I think it's more of a ding on McGee than Mackin.

This. From the resume when he was hired to the way he left, I don't see where McGee can be hung on Mackin's neck at all. But people still manage to demonize Banowsky without one clear suggestion of what he could have done to change a thing, so it's the nature of the beast.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

(01-12-2014 04:09 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  The new coach will have an excellent nucleus to start with. The offense is there. Quarterback needs to be settled but we have some capable young men that will be battling it out. Defense will again be the question. The new coach has a chance to win right away IMHO.

Very few examples of FBS coaches that have come in and won right from the start unless the program already had a history of success. And even then it's rare. We're likely to be better off than we were going to have been, but I think it's doubtful that makes a huge difference on the bottom lines.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

D

(01-12-2014 04:44 PM)biglizard Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 04:06 PM)cb4029 Wrote:  Everything revolves around the decision Mackin makes. If he screws this up again, it will be a rebuilding year. If he gets it right, I could see a solid improvement in wins and hope for the future.

I would argue he didn't "screw up" the first time. He made a hire that was pretty universally lauded at the time. As it turned out McGee didn't have the stomach to see the deal through to a successful conclusion. I think it's more of a ding on McGee than Mackin.

Depends on the universe you live in. He did not have the qualifications in mine.

If we find somebody who will embrace our offense. Get your popcorn ready.

(01-12-2014 04:09 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  The new coach will have an excellent nucleus to start with. The offense is there. Quarterback needs to be settled but we have some capable young men that will be battling it out. Defense will again be the question. The new coach has a chance to win right away IMHO.

I love ya, AB, but sorry, there's nothing about this football team that could be called excellent IMHO. We went 1-10 this year (I don't include wins over FCS teams; we might as well have played Locust Fork High School), and that one win came on a last-second FG against a team that was 1-11. We got destroyed by a team that had lost 23 straight and didn't score more than 23 points in a game all year until they played us. IIRC, our QB, whoever it is, has never taken a snap in an FBS game. And on and on and on. This is why I will immediately question the sanity of whoever the new coach is. Lol.

(01-12-2014 05:31 PM)BlazerGrad88 Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 04:09 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  The new coach will have an excellent nucleus to start with. The offense is there. Quarterback needs to be settled but we have some capable young men that will be battling it out. Defense will again be the question. The new coach has a chance to win right away IMHO.

I love ya, AB, but sorry, there's nothing about this football team that could be called excellent IMHO. We went 1-10 this year (I don't include wins over FCS teams; we might as well have played Locust Fork High School), and that one win came on a last-second FG against a team that was 1-11. We got destroyed by a team that had lost 23 straight and didn't score more than 23 points in a game all year until they played us. IIRC, our QB, whoever it is, has never taken a snap in an FBS game. And on and on and on. This is why I will immediately question the sanity of whoever the new coach is. Lol.

We also have a team that almost won a game running the ball 100 times and having a terrible defense. If the defense improves just a little, running 100 times could win us some games.

Let's wait and see who we hire, who we sign and spring practice before we soon 2014.

We do have a good nucleus returning on offense. Very good RB corps, even with Darrin leaving; good receivers. I think we have good OL personnel; QB is, indeed, a concern. Without knowing the type of offense we will run, I have no idea how good the offense can be, but I think it can/will be productive. The problem with the offense last year a defense that forced the offense to be one-dimensional(I think we still avgd 25 pts/game, but gave up avg of 40+) and sometimes stupid playcalling. There are players to work with for whatever type of offense we run. The defense is a scratch start, though. As someone pointed out, as bad as UAB was, we still lost 3 games on the last play of the game...