S p e n c e

Playcalling was predictable, and once again for about the 6th year in a row the team is still undiciplined. That comes back to coaching.

Also now that I am looking at the post I just left, only about 1/2 of the post shows up, the other half is missing...dont know if this is just me?

Since the changes came to the site everytime I try to read a topic the text in the message section gets all jumbled up with the text in the subject line. I havent posted here much lately so I dont know if this subject has already been addressed just checking in. Later Spence

Good break down Greg. Hall just needs to make the team as a special teams guy. If he does that, then there is a chance he will see a couple of snaps per game, when resting Pittman and Williams. Or if the Bucs are way ahead or far behind late. And when that happens he needs to make the best of that opportunity. And there is always the chance of him stepping up due to injuries. Look at Gado in Greenbay, or even Tom Brady in New England. Also Pittman will not be around forever. If Hall makes the team this season on special teams, he will play that role for 1 year, then next season maybe Pittman signs somewhere else, or beats his wife again and gets locked up...whatever, but now Hall is going into camp battling for the # 2 spot behind Williams. I actully thing this is a great opportunity for Hall, because he can return kicks and punts. And the Bucs have been searching for someone who can do that for quite awhile. Last year they had a guy, was it JR Russell? I cant recall, but it was a WR and they didnt have a roster spot available to sign another WR. But the Bucs could certainly sign Hall as a 4th RB, most teams who go heavy on the run have 4 RB's on the roster. Also the coaching staff is familiar with him. They have all followed USF over the years, and even attended games so they know what he is and isnt capable of more than probably any other team in the league because of the first hand exposure. So the fact that they signed him tells me they believe he is capable of making the team, its now up to Andre.

Just a quick footnote about the 16,000 season tickets. I heard that the estimate is there are only about 3 or 4 thousand actual season ticket buyers. And that those buyers purchase multiple season tickets bringing the number up to the 16,000 that we are currently at. In a city the size of Tampa Bay, and with the alumni that USF has put out over the year, I am still surprised that season ticket sales havent increased that much over the past few seasons, especially with the move to the Big East. Overall attendence has been good lately, but in large part due to traveling UCF, FAMU, UofL, Pitt fans and so on. There are several million people in the Tampa Bay area, we need to start marketing this team.

I've been gone too long, I forgot that Bien knows everything. You are exactly right you dont need non alumni, or casual fans to make a NCAA Football program successful, you just need the 50 or so die hard posters on that programs fan site.

I was just trying to give you alumni a little point of view from the perspective of a non alumni fan. We all talk about building up the fan base and selling out Ray Jay, boosting marketing, and so on. And obviously the way to do that is to attract non alumni, bringing the locals out to the game who dont have a vested interest in the Univerisity itself, and with the way things are going it doesnt seem like we will be making great strides anytime soon if the coaching staff does indeed start PJ. For instance, I have a lot of other intersts outside of USF obviously. Just this past season, I turned down the opportunity to go to a Journey concert in lieu of a USF game. I also had a chande to go to a Lightning game for free, because my friend won tickets but turned that down as well. Also Paul McCartney came to town but I couldnt attend the concert even though I would have loved to. I cannot remember it the concert coincided with a USF game, but regardless I couldnt afford it after spending money traveling to Miami, Season tickets, and so on. That is just to name a few other things I could have been doing with my time. I dont want to make it sound like I am threatening to stop supporting USF, but I am just trying to give you perspective on what USF Football is competing with in the Tampa Bay area. There are a lot of sporting events, concerts, festivals going on at any given time, there are so many things to do. So look at it this way, say McCartney is coming back again this year, and I can get a ticket for $65, or I can attend a USF game for $30. Well if I am not a season ticket holder and a non alumni who doesnt feel obligated to support the program, and I hear on the news or read in the paper that it was announced that PJ will be the starter. Well you have better believe I am going to see McCartney. And could you blame me?

Statements like this are easy to throw out there, but then there is reality. I myself am not a USF alum. I am just a Sarasota local, and a sports fan who went to school with a few of the inaugarul Footbulls. And knowing a few people on the team peaked my interest so I started following the team, going to games when I could and eventually in 2000 became a season ticket holder. As so many fans say on the board, I am the "target fan" you could say. Most would assume that alumni will support the team and the University, some may even go so far to say the are obligated. I myself however am not. I am the type of fan this University needs to build itself into a powerhouse the likes of FSU, Miami, and Florida. There are millions of fans of these Universitys across the U.S. what percentage of them do you think actually are alumni? It is probably pretty slim. And the point I am making is that if this coaching staff continues to make poor decisions, and its not just the fact that they make poor decisions, its more about how they keep making the same poor decisions over and over again they are never going to build up a fanbase with non alumni USF fans like myself. And if they make a stupid decision like making PJ the starter this season they may begin to lose the few non alumni fans that they do have. I will always be a Bulls fan, but if it comes down to it, I can just as easily be a fan from my couch or on my laptop listening or watching the game, and not shelling out the money for my tickets, my contribution, my parking fee, beer money, food, and USF gear. Tell me why should I shell out a couple of hundred dollars and a 1 hour trip to Tampa to watch PJ go 5-15 60 yards passing a rushing TD (from the 1 yd line) and 3 INT's when I can see that for free at my house. Its not that I am one of those fans that is not satisfied unless we are winning championships, I mean I am a life long Jets Fan. Its just that with the decisions that have been made at times with the program over the past couple of seasons it doesnt seem like we have been taking many steps foward. And if it werent for Andre Hall a lot more people would see what I am talking about. Andre was such an incredible player he made this team look much better than it really was at times, and allowed to win and compete in games that we otherwise wouldnt have. So if you want to call me a fair weather fan for using the only means at my disposal to protest, than go right ahead. But just know that if have been a fan for all 10 years and a season ticket holder for 6 years and am getting sick and tired what do you think the newer non alumni fans are thinking? USF will never build up a fan base if they dont start making more inteligent decisions. Leavitts loyalty will be the death of him. It is one thing to show loyalty to a kid like AJ Brant, who injured himself playing football, and despite the fact that he wouldnt play football for USF again, CJL was going to keep him on scholarship regardless. That is very admirable. However thinking you are showing loyalty to a senior QB by starting him just because he is a senior and you feel he has "earned it" despite the fact that you have 2 better athletes that fan run the offense better, well thats just plain stupid. And this is the type of loyalty that will ending up hurting Leavitt if he continues with it.

I think Jenkins is in for a big year. You could see flashes of his ability during his freshman and sophmore years, and I think his junior season will be a breakout year. How is Verpaele? Did he play. I couldnt attend this years spring game.

This is the 3rd season in a row we have heard the same argument of why PJ should be the starter because of his experience. Well I am making a prediction. I predict that if PJ starts this season while we have two nationally ranked QB's in thier respective recruiting years both with 1 year of experience learning our offensive offense riding the bench this will be the last year I shell out my hard earned money to support this group of Bungles some are calling coaches.

Welcome back Minotaur...now we gotta work on getting Howie back, or is he back? I have been so busy lately havent been able to frequent the board much.

The Jets baby, a season or two behind Curtis to learn a thing or two and then its the Andre Hall show in the big city.

www.naplesnews.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/12/16/Sports/McNeese_State_to_visi.shtml

Great news, he is very deserving.