Received a few posts and e-mails on today's column about Saturday's K-State loss, Mike Canales not getting the HC job and Dan McCarney being hired. Everyone is entitled to agree or fire away, but here's a little explanation on my part.
If it wasn't clear from the column, then understand now I don't consider anything in there critical of Canales. It's in there that I don't question his sincerity or his approach with UNT's players the last month. All I wonder -- and it's a THEORY -- is if that approach did him any favors in the hiring process. Maybe it had no effect. Who really knows?
As for the players, nothing personal against them, but I stand by what I wrote, because it's a fair reaction to their own words. I never went looking for a frank admission their teammates quit on Todd Dodge. They volunteered it up. If you find it offensive to have it pointed out, then I guess you need a refresher definition of what news is.
I doubt Robertson or Akpunku were guilty parties in this purported "quitting" by their teammates, but it was hard to detect much remorse or shame in their explanation of what had happened. Obviously, losing takes its toll on everyone, but since when do college football players require an approach only they want or agree with to justify a sudden uptick in effort?
Don't mistake this for painting Canales with a broad brush. He's a coach, and I know he was tough and stern when he had to be. But he did what he felt he had to in coach-player relations, for the psyche of those who needed success and what might have given him the best chance to stay at UNT. I applaud him, but the point I'm making has nothing to do with him.
If Akpunku and Robertson are correct, and they often speak for their teammates on team matters, we're left to think many players viewed losing as anyone's fault but theirs, so they quit. I get that it happens in places with unstable coaching situations, as was this. So, we just laugh it off when the players are this honest about it?
If we're going to hold coaches accountable for losing, then let's not be hypocritical when players admit to truly pitiful, immature stuff like this.
I didn't find it easy to write this, and there's honestly no personal offense meant to UNT players, who have always been pros with the media. I'm just not sure they really heard or thought through what they were admitting.
Of course, if you think the column completely sucks and I should be banned from the AC, then you just wasted your time reading this explanation.
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