With Smith hired: I have 2 season tickets 4 sale

[TripleB]

- The Declaration of Independance

It may be a bit of a stretch, but I think these same principles apply in this case.  If the football program is going become self-destructive is it not our duty as fans to take action?  And the best way to take action it to hit them where it hurts...MONEY.  

Writing letters or sending emails may sound good, but how many of those emails are deleted, and how many of those letters go unopened?  But I gurantee you that if we have a very bad season, and the season ticket sales go from 16,000 to say 10,000 that will send a clear message to the athletic department that we are tired of these bush league coaching moves.  We are in a BCS conference we need to act like it.  And staging this sort of protest if it were to come to it doesnt mean you are any less of a fan.  You are just trying to make a point.  A point that they cannot overlook.

You guys go right ahead and protest. Maybe I'll be able to improve my seats, although I am pretty happy with mine now.................

You say "we are in a BCS conference we need to act like it". Dumping season tickets after just the third losing seson (IF that does happen) in the team's history is BCS-like? I'd like to see some corroboration on that ...........

[bullzpen4636]

err... okay, stop and think for a minute we have 3 months before football season starts, dimel wasn't going to learn the offense in that time, franks wasn't interested because its not an offense he's comfortable in plus he's more valuable as a recruiting coordinator, who else would you geniuses have picked? like it or not, hobbie's sudden resignation put us in this bind, leavitt is just doing the best with the cards he's been dealt. smith is the pass game coordinator, he already knows the offense like the back of his hand. face it inexperienced or not he was our best option. i'm not happy about having private pyle as our oc either, but hobbie wasn't exactly doing a bang up job last year, maybe this change will be for the better. give smith a chance to prove himself before you start condemning this hire.

personally, i would've liked to have seen leavitt can hobbie after the recruiting season and maybe we could've had a chance at dimel or someone with experience, but that wasn't the case and now he's forced to scramble.

[USFMikeB]

Bunch of people on this board that CLAIM to be fans that simply make me sick.  Sack up and deal with it, Leavitt is the coach, NOT YOU.  You think that you know so much, APPLY FOR THE NEXT VACANCY.  Until then, you are nothing but a bunch of crybaby wannabe fans that this school doesn't need.

There is nothing wrong with expressing your displeasure about the hire, but cancelling season tickets or donations is pure BULLCRAP...

[Jim Johnson]

Bunch of people on this board that CLAIM to be fans that simply make me sick.  Sack up and deal with it, Leavitt is the coach, NOT YOU.  You think that you know so much, APPLY FOR THE NEXT VACANCY.  Until then, you are nothing but a bunch of crybaby wannabe fans that this school doesn't need.

There is nothing wrong with expressing your displeasure about the hire, but cancelling season tickets or donations is pure BULLCRAP...

Mike, I understand your frustrations and agree that some people may be over-reacting to this decision.

However, you need to realize that the only power fans have is their money.  If they don't like something, typing messages on an Internet board may not be enough for some people.

Take a look at the bigger schools.  The ones with booster organizations that raise significant sums of money.  When they are not happy, things change at the university (see Stallings, Gene).

To be sure, USF is not going to be moved to act or not act because a few people on this board have decided not to renew their season tickets or are looking to sell the ones they have.  Heck, we'd need to mobilize 5,000 or 10,000 to have any effect... and that just isn't going to happen.

In 50 years, we might have several alumni/fan groups that can have that kind of influence.  But a few here in cyerspace...

I say let these guys tilt at all the windmills they want.

Shakespeare had a saying for this. Much Ado About Nothing.

[Omniscientbull]

At the end of the day it's just people ********.  I'm fairly certain no one will actually cancel their tickets or hold back donations.

[BULLheaded]

Mike, being a fan does not mean believing everything the team does is right nor does it mean accepting everything. Being a fan is to care about the team and if some people believe that things are going in a bad direction and feel that the only way to make it better is to hit them in the pocket book then that is their perogative. I personally don't think we will benefit by taking the money away, in fact I think it will cause us to move quicker into the wrong direction. However, I do agree that this hire plain old sucks and Smith hasn't done anything to warrant a promotion instead of being thrown out on his ass. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, I sure hope so but **** we had an opportunity to bring in someone that not only could bring talent and experience but could generate some excitement and added interest. Instead we got the exact opposite and just look at the animosity of the fans resulting from this. If the timing was the issue then as several people mentioned, why not name him interim OC. Oh well, maybe as some think, our QBs will be so talented that it just won't make a difference and we should just be satisfied with that.

[mattegunz]

Man I guess I shouldn't have posted the joke topic.  If you are really going to drop your tickets becuase of this than you aren't a true fan of the Bulls.  If your a real fan u stick with your team through thick and thin.  Take in point the USC Gamecocks.  Their team hasn't won basically anything significant, yet their stadium is always full.  These are the type of fans that USF needs to have.  Even if we don't win a game next year I will still renew my tickets.  

Some of you guys remind me of some of the kids I played with on sports teams growing up.  If the team was down they flat out simply gave up.  I guess its a lack of heart, but for those of us who did care we reemed those others in the locker room.  

[beastiebull]

The coaching staff has resigned itself to 2005 being a wasted year.  We're going to get beat up this year and then retool and 2006 will be our breakout year.  It sucks, especially after the embarrasment last year, but it looks to be the direction that they're going.

[USFMikeB]

I have no problem with people expressing their displeasure at the hire, it is the threats to withdraw funding that pisses me off.  Anyone that holds back cash from USF based upon this hire isn't really a fan.  PERIOD.

[Bullpride08]

Just joking.   Give the guy a chance before we rip him a new one.  As far as not developing QBs lets just say banks and julmiste weren't going to be good no matter who their coach was.  So lets wait and see how the O plays this year with hopefully either Denson, Hill, or Grothe running the show.

Matt, you really hit the nail on the head.  With PJ and banks as our QB's the last two years it was really difficult to make a determination on the scheme and play calling for the OC and QB coach.  These two are just not QB's, and in PJ's case at least not up to this point.  It's like going into a gun fight with a knife.  We run a pass orientated offense with two QB's that are poor decision makers, that lack confidence and a full grasp of the offense not to mention their passing is below average.  It's miraculous that we won 11 games the past two years.