re: I feel alone... but

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A lot of cliff jumping and selective memory on this thread. Not saying some points aren't valid, they are, but some of the logic is just lost on me. I don't think it is fair to change expectations as the year goes, especially drastically. This was a 7-5 team, maybe 8-4 to the optimists starting the year. If they achieve that I don't see how we should be unhappy. I think we have a great shot at 9-3 right now and if somehow we win Saturday there is no telling what could happen. That doesn't mean we should be unhappy though with the clear improvements we have seen.

Why we are even mentioning an ability to beat Bama is just crazy to me. Bear Bryant could be our coach right now and we would likely still lose to Bama. Bama has several years worth of "Jimmy's and Joe's" that they have hand picked from anywhere they wanted them, especially on D. It's going to take time to build up anything close to that level of talent. We have some nice offensive talent for sure but we have a ways to go before we have the kind of defensive talent and depth as Bama and LSU. I would also like to know of any sane human being that thought we had better than a 1% chance of walking in to Tuscaloosa and beating Bama in Year 1 or much better in Year 2. That place is a machine right now and personally I am amazed that at this point we may have at least a puncher's chance.

I don't care what defensive scheme we are running, we just don't have that level of defensive talent. We have a few quality guys but we have a ways to go. I do like some of the talent coming in though and I think we are on the right track. At least we have a serious S&C program now and that was half our problem.

We looked really bad defensively at times against La Tech, no doubt. That game was also not exactly conventional. You had 4 defensive contributors out in a game that lasted 5 hours and finished after midnight. You had an extremely well run Spread offense that is unlike what we will see in the SEC. We also had some very questionable officiating that extended a lot of drives and got La Tech back in that game. Honestly I think without the PI call on Jacobs in the 2nd Quarter that led to their first TD it's a very different ballgame.

I don't agree that the Spread/Air Raid won't work in the SEC. Essentially our goal is to likely look like Oregon or last year's OSU offensively and with the athletes in Texas and our coaches I see that as very possible. There is some weakness on getting "the tough yard" with that offense but I think that is being overstated as well. The change in blocking schemes is significant and it's going to take time to master. I still think the jury is still out there though.

I don't agree at all that A&M won't be able to attract top RB's. We got TW last year as well as Brandon Williams and Tra Carson to transfer. James White is an absolute beast as well. We will have multiple power runners to go with speed. In this system you may not get to be the feature back who the offense centers around but you will get carries and honestly build a better pro resume. You have to block and catch in this system.

That brings us to Johnny Football. What do you do with a kid like that? He's a freak talent but he is so unconventional. You can only control him so much without losing his playmaking ability. A&M's history is littered with great QB's that were forced into systems that didn't work to their talents. You have to build it around a guy like him, especially since he is a Freshman. That means you have to take the good with the bad. Honestly this is a learning year for him. It's nice people are going so crazy for him and I have to admit I get caught up as well but still the kid is a Freshman and has played 6 games. He's going to screw up like he did on the Pick 6 last game. Fortunately he still makes a lot more plays than screw ups. I also seem to recall our 1st Round Draft Pick QB last year throwing Pick 6's all too often in the West Coast offense as well. It is unfair to expect perfection out of Manziel. He's growing and getting better but honestly I think we are playing more for next year in regards to him.

One last point on recruiting. The key to recruiting is winning and hype. There is more buzz around A&M right now than I have seen in a very long time. We are breaking a lot of molds and changing a lot of opinions about us. We still have a ways to go but a lot of folks that either forgot about A&M or never knew it to be what it was in the Jackie/early RC era are starting to see just how special a place we are. Add in our most dynamic coach since Jackie and the SEC move with a dash of Johnny Football and A&M is looking awfully sexy. I really don't think it can be overstated how huge a win would be this weekend btw. It is a true program defining moment if we can pull it off.

Call me a kool aid drinker if you wish, I will admit to being an optimist. Still I see our flaws. I also see our STRENGTHS though. Don't ever let anyone convince you that A&M can't become a truly elite football program once again.

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