University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: Spring Primer With Coach Mac
3/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, March 22, 2011, 11:47 a.m.
Christmas in springtime is almost here everyone. Spring football starts tomorrow night for North Texas so we thought we would sit down with head coach Dan McCarney for a little Q & A session and get his thoughts on an array of items. We asked Coach McCarney 10 questions covering a variety of topics. We have the first five today and the next five we will have tomorrow.
1. It has been 113 days since you were hired on November 30 as the HC, almost four months ago. Knowing that you like to work at a break-neck speed, does that seem like a long time ago?
A: It's hard to believe but it doesn't. I have a smile on my face every day that I come into this job and I absolutely love every minute of it. It's so easy to enjoy the people I work with, it's phenomenal. The transition for me and my staff was great, the administration, the staff, the coaches; the players have all been great to work with during this time. We still have a very long way to go to get this program to where we want it to be, but it certainly doesn't feel like it's been very long.
2. Do you feel like you anything to prove in getting a second chance as a Head coach?
A: I don't think so. I have a great respect for Dr. Rawlins and Rick Villarreal for giving me this second chance. I love being in this position and whenever we went to the coach's convention in Dallas we saw over 7,000 different coaches and when I'm able to think about how lucky I am to have one of 120 jobs at the Division I level that really puts it into a great perspective.
3. What are 3 things on offense and defense you want to get done this spring with this football team heading into the fall?
A: On offense we want to establish a physical presence, find our playmakers, and work on creating mismatches. We have to find out who our best players are going to be because right now I don't know who that is. This spring is going to be about what you do, all 22 starting positions are up for grabs. I don't care if you were a three-year starter, we have to find out who can make plays for us, block a punt, return a kick, you name it, every single position is going to be wide open.
A: On defense we have to get much, much more physical, work on our fundamentals, and get better tackling. I think we have made great strides in our attitude and expectations, but what I need from those guys is for them to give me all they have for 4-6 seconds every play. I don't need 60 seconds worth of effort, it's not like that, I need them to give me there best for just that length of time. If we can get better in our tackling, I told Coach Bowen that if we are able to do just that, you will see the results.
4. Does this team have a leader yet?
A: No. I think there are a lot of guys who are potential leaders, but right now I told our coaches that we are going to have to be the ones that lead this team until we are able to identify who might be a leader. We have a lot of really good kids on this team, but not a single guy on this team has had one winning season in college football. We have to lead by example, follow our plan, and then I think you will see some leaders emerge.
5. The new stadium going up has been one of the biggest projects this athletic department has endeavored. While it's very exciting, let me ask you about the other side of it. Does seeing the new stadium add any pressure to the "win now" mentality that people will have?
A: Yeah, it probably does, but I think more than that is the fact that we just haven't won many home games over the last few years. I know that has been well documented but when I get to work every morning, I walk out of my office, every single day I look out and think about the things I know we can do in this stadium. The new stadium is a new chapter in this football team's era, a new staff, a new year and I think we have the potential to do some absolutely amazing things in this place.
6. Everyone wants to know about depth charts and who is going to be where. So I'll start at the most obvious position. Where do the QB's stand heading into the spring, and where do you want them coming out of the spring?
A: Depth charts are pretty much meaningless right now, but I think in three days, six days, and the deeper we get into spring practice you will see more meaning to things. I want two guys who we can trust and have the confidence of their teammates. That goes for every position. We aren't going to play one guy for 75 plays a game. We have to develop and I want my coaches to develop three guys at every position that could step out on the field at any time and play. We have to have more depth and I'm going to demand that this spring.
7. You have certainly coach some great running backs in your time. Even though you haven't had a chance to see him live yet, where is and can Lance Dunbar rank in terms of his ability compared to others?
A: You know the one thing that Lance is that really surprised me is how strong, I mean just flat out strong the guy is. He's a monster in the weight room. Without having seen him in person or coached him, it's difficult for me to say how productive I think he can be, but I'm really glad he's with us and not playing against us. It would be hard to compare him to the other backs I've been around right now, but he's got all the talent in the world.
8. You are known as a defense guy, how big of a role do you plan on taking on that side of the ball?
A: I hired Clint Bowen as the defensive coordinator because I think he's one of the top coordinators and coaches in the nation and I've got a great deal of respect for him. When we step onto the field, there will be only one defensive coordinator. I like to be involved with all aspects of our team, but that's why you hire good coaches. One of the great things I learned from Hayden Fry was to hire good people with low egos that can work together and that's what I've got here with my staff.
9. Is there anything you did at Iowa State as the HC that you will do differently at North Texas?
A: I've learned many lessons and have been fortunate that I've been around some great coaches and minds in college football. After Iowa State, going to South Florida and then being with the Gators for three years, you better be able to learn and pick up some great ideas after being around those programs. I feel like I'm a lot more relaxed and more comfortable now. I took a lot of mental notes along the way and there's no doubt I'm better now than when I was at Iowa State.
10. Life in a high profile position is sometime hard when it comes to privacy and what people may or may not know about a person. What's one thing that people don't know about you?
A: I love going romantic movies; yeah you can call them "chick flicks", with my wife. We love going to romantic movies, the best one I saw was Beaches with Bette Midler, and it was great.
