Says the poster with over 5,500 posts.

The straw man is to take data you've posted from the last two seasons and draw a bigger, scarier conclusion than the actual data supports.

Is it fair to report OHIO finished in x and y in 2012 and 2013? Absolutely.

Is is fair to conclude, OHIO finished x and y in 2012 and 2013, therefore OHIO must replace A and B? A diligent evaluation would look at the body of work of individuals A and B over the much larger available data set. A diligent evaluation would also declare and assess extenuating circumstances related to OHIO finishing x and y in 2012 and 2013.

Your straw man doesn't scare me.

I've verbally communicated the words "I am wrong" so often in life that I have developed an advanced understanding of why the phrase "I am wrong" has very little value. At first, years ago, it was tough to admit when I was wrong. But now I'll toss the phrase "I am wrong" around like a spare penny at the convenient store.

The result oriented world we live in doesn't care about who was "wrong". The world cares about the meeting the desired outcome. The world cares about results.

So when a QB, or a coach, or (yes I've see this before) an offensive lineman, says something like, "You can blame the loss on me.", I laugh, literally. Yeah the guy may have done something "wrong". But admitting that isn't going to change the letter in the W/L column.

Communicating precisely what happened has more value to all parties involved than arbitrarily slapping some label "I am wrong" on the sequence of events. Fortunately, the entire record of our discourse over the years is kept on this website. If you feel I've been wrong about something, copy-paste works on your computer the same it does mine.

I've experienced similar criticisms to the ones you are (and have been) alleging. Most of the "know-it-all" allegations came around 2nd grade when I was dominating the Around the World flash card games.

We can objectively measure "smarts". Your reference to "experience" is ambiguous. Can you operate a drill rig? Do you have experience selling crystal meth? I really don't know what I can use you for until you tell me a little bit more about your "experience". If I had to take a stab in the dark, I would guess your "experience" all started off with a spoiled childhood, which can really set you behind the 8-ball in life sometimes.

Also, help me out here. If it's possible, help me find the truth. Does your lack of experience coaching college football at the FBS level give you an advantage or disadvantage compared to Frank Solich? I'm not concerned with your hypocrisy. Ultimately, hypocrisy is irrelevant when assessing the validity of an argument. I'm just interested in which of your hypocritical arguments is valid. Experience vs. Lack of Experience.

This was my favorite part of anything you've ever posted.

I'm out here, running my mouth in the real world, shooting proverbial free throws. I'm in the proverbial gym, shooting proverbial free throws almost every day. I shoot more "free throws" than any one I've ever known personally. The people who I suspect put in more practice than me, as you can imagine, are very successful in their respective fields.

How can you claim to know the intimate details of making a "mistake" without making the mistake yourself? How do you know where the actual boundaries in business and life are, unless you yourself push those boundaries?

Or in the words of Hunter S. Thompson:

"The Edge… there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."

...

So yeah Monroe. I'm aggressively pushing the limits on a regular basis, while responsibly executing a self-sustainable life style (my measure of success). And when I push I learn. This is practice.

Do you think you can stay at home with your mouth shut and learn as much from this world as I have? No one's in charge Monroe. You're missing out.

I've come across far too many guys like you in life disguised as the wise man who in reality knows nothing but the cloak they put on (the keep your mouth shut and smile facade). I've learned from experience why I need to keep my mouth shut. Why is the operative word. It's like burning your hand on the stove. Once it happens you'll never forget. There are times now where my younger self would have said something that the man I am today would not. And yes, there are still lessons for me to learn.

What I'm trying to figure out though:

Are you a has been Monroe, or a never was?

I say this because apparently you think you can get what you want out of life without an intense amount of practice. Only outliers can reach those lofty goals in that fashion. Do you have a special gift that we don't know about? Do your talents transcend the message board? I don't recall seeing any plans for the to-be-constructed Monroe Slavin Running Backs Facility at Ohio University. You do realize, all message board chatter aside, the only tangible impact any alumni unaffiliated with coaching staff can have on this Football team is $$$$$$. Since the aforementioned facility doesn't exist, I'll assume it's because you didn't put in as much practice as you should have many many years ago.

After reading this response, I'm fairly certain you have no idea what a Straw Man fallacy actually is.

In order for my previous post to have committed such a fallacy, I would have been required to have mischaracterized your (or someone's) position and then went on to refute that distorted position.

I made the logical statement that ***"Ohio is no longer a top-tier MAC football program over the last three seasons and that we have struggled to compete with top-tier MAC teams."*** I (incorrectly?) assumed you did not agree with that statement.

If I did commit a Straw Man fallacy, then you must ***agree*** with the statement above. If you don't agree with it, then I don't see how such a fallacy could have been committed.

Why don't you go on record...do you agree with that statement or not?

Regardless, I realize you're a young kid and all but this faux intellectual stuff is so obnoxious and doesn't belong on a football message board. As someone getting a PhD in a science/engineering field (yes I'm going to play that card), I'm embarrassed for you.

Statistically...or however you do your unassailable analysis...the above is a very interesting opinion in light of our results over the last 30 games.

I wonder how many coaches in any sports have 2.5 years of really pretty abysmal ball, then come back the next year to bring it to the top. From that group, tell me how many have been at the same school for 10 years with no conference championship. Gotta be mighty few.

Doesn't mean it can't be done. Especially because in the MAC, to get to the title game all you have to do is win 2-3 mildly competitive games (because we'll play 3-4 other MAC teams which are among the nation's worst). I 'spose we could compete a bit for the East, which is saying very little given kents/kron/redhawk/miami.

GET SOMEONE IN HERE WHO CAN LEAD US TO A MAC TITLE.