Thoughts on the season/Team?

[AppSt94]

I think the defense will be fine. We lost a few key pieces but replaced them with some good pieces. Farmer at Safety and Cole at the STAR were good pickups.

[appstatemike]

Defensive Line is something I’m excited about. Nate Johnson year 2, Santana Hopper really got me excited last year. And then if we can win up front to open lanes for Kanye and co..the growth of the entire receiver room with Aguilar setting himself up for a big year.

So much to be excited about!! I am hoping Clark is up to the task. It’s time to win a ring. Other top Sun Belt teams from last season all lost their head coaches/QB’s. There’s no excuses this roster can win!! Special year ahead I believe!

[scatman77]

"I am hoping Clark is up to the task." I hope everyone gets the "doubting Clark" madness out of their system before the season starts. This man bleeds Black and Gold and wants nothing more than to kick a bunch of keisters 12 times this season then add two more with a SB championship ring and a bowl championship ring. The man has done plenty to earn respect and it needs to be given, back him and his staff, stop questioning, and as the locker room sign says, give your all to Appalachian State.

[appvette]

I don't think desire is the thing people are speaking of when they say "up to the task"

[appstatemike]

"I am hoping Clark is up to the task." I hope everyone gets the "doubting Clark" madness out of their system before the season starts. This man bleeds Black and Gold and wants nothing more than to kick a bunch of keisters 12 times this season then add two more with a SB championship ring and a bowl championship ring. The man has done plenty to earn respect and it needs to be given, back him and his staff, stop questioning, and as the locker room sign says, give your all to Appalachian State.

I don’t question if he bleeds black and gold. He obviously does, which is awesome to have and can’t be understated. But he hasn’t won a ring here yet, and has a losing record against teams over .500. I think it’s more than fair to say it’s year 5 and it’s time to step up to the winning standard that we’ve had for so long. I would love nothing more than for it to happen under his watch. I think all fans should want to hold whoever is in charge of the program to the high standard that has been created.

[Stonewall]

No excuses.

[EastHallApp]

Any discussion on the coach in the middle of summer is bound to turn cyclical, as nothing new is going to happen for a month and a half.

If you are a Clark skeptic, it's only fair to give him credit for the strong finish to last season, as well as his other successes throughout his tenure. And you might as well be optimistic about this year; it's more fun than being grouchy all the time.

If you are a pro-Clark die-hard, you should accept that he's going to be primarily judged on wins and losses, like every other coach in America. Not on how much he loves his alma mater, or how well he remembers boosters' names (though those things can certainly help on the margins). Especially heading into year 5.

[Saint3333]

Can I be pro-Clark and measure him on wins and losses ;-)

[scatman77]

To all and for me the bottom line: Shawn Clark is the head coach of my team and I will support him in his efforts to win games, championships, and bowl games. Until he commits some illegal, unethical, immoral act he gets my support. When we win I've sent congratulatory emails. When we lose I've sent emails of support and encouragement. I do not (and will NEVER EVER) question his coaching in emails and/or publicly. I may do so with my close friends but never publicly. He's probably forgotten more football than anyone on this board so that's not my job.

[appstatemike]

I don’t know how what I said got misconstrued as I Clark hate. I think it’s very fair to judge him, and we should hold him to a standard. And I am pulling for him to succeed as hard as I could. And I think they WILL succeed this year!! But if you graduate an entire class and they never won a ring, I think it’s fair to start talking. That’s not criticism, thats what we should be doing..holding the head coach to our standard.

[AppSt94]

Shawn and his staff are like the rest of us. We all have a job where our performance is evaluated and reviewed by our supervisors. Job performance is based on several factors and not solely focused on one factor. A good boss isn’t going to make decisions or recommendations based off just the bad. In the case of coaching, there are so many behind the scenes aspects that we as fans don’t see that Doug does. Every season starts with a conversation of expectations between Doug and the coaches. Those conversations are about goals and momentum. Are wins and losses a part of those conversations? Probably so. But I seriously doubt that ultimatums around W/Ll are part of the discussions.

I understand why some of you, and they know who they are, are going to say “but W/L are what they are judged on and that is all that matters.” My response to that is that’s what YOU judge them on because that is all you can see. And I understand that but there is always more to it. Fans get upset when plays don’t work because their disappointment is tied to the results of the execution, with little knowledge as to what led to the results.

[appst89]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

[AppSt94]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

App football isn’t a company and we aren’t red because we haven’t won a championship. Only 10, now 9 teams out of 133 each year can win a conference championship. Some of ya’ll think that it’s as easy as showing up and rolling the ball out on the field. Winning championships is a measure of success, but it isn’t the only measure.

[scatman77]

Shawn and his staff are like the rest of us. We all have a job where our performance is evaluated and reviewed by our supervisors. Job performance is based on several factors and not solely focused on one factor. A good boss isn’t going to make decisions or recommendations based off just the bad. In the case of coaching, there are so many behind the scenes aspects that we as fans don’t see that Doug does. Every season starts with a conversation of expectations between Doug and the coaches. Those conversations are about goals and momentum. Are wins and losses a part of those conversations? Probably so. But I seriously doubt that ultimatums around W/Ll are part of the discussions.

I understand why some of you, and they know who they are, are going to say “but W/L are what they are judged on and that is all that matters.” My response to that is that’s what YOU judge them on because that is all you can see. And I understand that but there is always more to it. Fans get upset when plays don’t work because their disappointment is tied to the results of the execution, with little knowledge as to what led to the results.

This right here. Thank you!

[appst89]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

App football isn’t a company and we aren’t red because we haven’t won a championship. Only 10, now 9 teams out of 133 each year can win a conference championship. Some of ya’ll think that it’s as easy as showing up and rolling the ball out on the field. Winning championships is a measure of success, but it isn’t the only measure.

Please don't tell me what I think. I am well aware of what goes into winning (and losing).

Then let's just stop keeping score.

[AppSt94]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

App football isn’t a company and we aren’t red because we haven’t won a championship. Only 10, now 9 teams out of 133 each year can win a conference championship. Some of ya’ll think that it’s as easy as showing up and rolling the ball out on the field. Winning championships is a measure of success, but it isn’t the only measure.

Please don't tell me what I think. I am well aware of what goes into winning (and losing).

Then let's just stop keeping score.

Thank you for proving my point.

[appst89]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

App football isn’t a company and we aren’t red because we haven’t won a championship. Only 10, now 9 teams out of 133 each year can win a conference championship. Some of ya’ll think that it’s as easy as showing up and rolling the ball out on the field. Winning championships is a measure of success, but it isn’t the only measure.

Please don't tell me what I think. I am well aware of what goes into winning (and losing).

Then let's just stop keeping score.

Thank you for proving my point.

Well, good for you. Glad you feel better. But my point still stands. I want all of our coaches to be successful and produce well rounded young adults who are a positive influence on society, but they should also all be held accountable for the one thing they are hired to do, and that is win. I would love to have had supervisors throughout my career who didn't hold me accountable for my results.

[Bigdaddyg1]

There are and have been teams in all sports who had bad records, low expectations and also had a coach who bled that school’s colors and was loved by a majority of that team’s fans. If success is measured by graduation rates and a love for a coach with less emphasis on wins and losses that’s fine. At App State success is measured by rings. That being said if a minority of “fans” refuse to accept the occasional 8-5 or 7-6 record with the other attributes in place then no good coach has a chance in Boone. It’s perfectly fine to critique the coaches as it comes with the territory. It’s also ok to be unhappy with player performance and now that some are getting paid that level of accepted unhappiness/vocal criticism has ramped up.

[AppSt94]

A good company that doesn't make money isn't going to survive for long. It can have all sorts of great metrics, but if the bottom line is red the doors will close.

App football isn’t a company and we aren’t red because we haven’t won a championship. Only 10, now 9 teams out of 133 each year can win a conference championship. Some of ya’ll think that it’s as easy as showing up and rolling the ball out on the field. Winning championships is a measure of success, but it isn’t the only measure.

Please don't tell me what I think. I am well aware of what goes into winning (and losing).

Then let's just stop keeping score.

Thank you for proving my point.

Well, good for you. Glad you feel better. But my point still stands. I want all of our coaches to be successful and produce well rounded young adults who are a positive influence on society, but they should also all be held accountable for the one thing they are hired to do, and that is win. I would love to have had supervisors throughout my career who didn't hold me accountable for my results.

This is such a myopic statement. They are hired to do more than this. Again. Thank you for proving my point.

[BallantyneApp]

This is a lame thread it’s July. NC or bust

16-0 is the expectation. 15-1 and Clark gets fired and the ghost of popcorn Sutton offers unlimited shine for the App NIL to get us the players we need


LFG!!!!!!!!!