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In last week’s newsletter, I asked whether Texas A&M fans would be content with coach Dennis Franchione if the Aggies won nine or 10 games this season.

Your answers were wide-ranging, thought-provoking, humorous and angry. There isn’t enough room in this space to run them all. So I had to pick and choose. I think this is a good representation of the e-mails that poured in.

You’ll notice a common thread — few supported Franchione no matter what. The secret e-mail newsletter, titled “VIP Connection,” was an unforgivable sin for some A&M fans.

There may be tons of Franchione supporters out there, but the overwhelming majority of e-mails that rolled in this week had a decidedly different tone:

Even if we were to win out, win the Big 12 South, win the Big 12 Conference, win the bowl, and win the national championship, I do not believe it would be in the short- or long-term interest of TAMU to keep Franchione. Five years of misery — no success against average or above-average teams, questionable use of best player available, play calling, assistant coach hires, lack of improvement on defense, offense or special teams, declining respect from all directions, no real hope of continued success even after a national title. These are just a few of the reasons I feel the dance is over.

John Lenamon

NO!! Reasons why not: 1.) Terrible game management. 2.) 1960s/1970s style offense that relies on overpowering other teams. 3.) That offense will not make skill position players (i.e. good wide receivers, for example) want to come to A&M. 4.) Playing with all of Fran’s recruits this year and you can see the results for the “master recruiter.” 5.) Defense — not fast and strong enough — especially at linebacker, defensive back and defensive end. 6.) Hiring Gary Darnell because he fit the budget? 7.) Not winning the recruiting battles. 8.) Not wining against the elite or top teams. There are more reasons but that’s probably enough for now.

Ray, Class of ’79

In the past five years, he has shown poor in-game management, poor judgment off the field, and an inability to make good players grow and become better (see McNeal and McGee as prime examples).In my opinion, all a 10-win season would do is secure a strong recruiting class heading into ’08, and increase the attractiveness of the position for a higher-quality coach.

K Barnes

Fran should be gone. Any coach who has embarrassed a program and university in this fashion should be terminated. I can understand waiting until the end of the season for the players; however, given all other issues surrounding the program there is no excuse for something like this to go public.

Justin, Coburg, Ore.

The fact he gets fired shouldn’t have anything to do with his record. This “insider” e-mail letter is not about football. It’s about the timeless characteristics that I thought we stood for when, as a member of the Corps of Cadets, we would say, “An Aggie doesn’t lie, cheat, or steal, and will not tolerate those who do.” Maybe it’s time some of the “higher-ups” get reminded of what we used to be about (and I only graduated 13 years ago). Gig ’em.

Brad, Class of ’93

I DO NOT want Fran around for another season. He has not shown anything impressive since he has been here. This was supposed to be his year with all of his own recruits, and he still has managed to mess it up. I do not like his “business-like” approach to coaching his team because I believe the head coach needs to have emotion and conviction to convey to the players. He is a robot.

Kyle

My answer: I would be content with a 10-3 record, nothing less. Either win out and lose the bowl, or win 3 of 4 and win the bowl. Anything less and he should be replaced. Coach Franchione has had five years, now has only “his players,” and has essentially delivered a .500 record. Not one standout season and only one somewhat standout win (in Austin last year) IN FIVE YEARS!

Phil Surratt, Class of ’87

No. Not only has he given the university a black eye, he is not the recruiter I thought he’d be when he took the job. If you look at his classes, they seem to be ranked lower every year. Also, anyone who thinks it’s a good idea to have an option-based offense in a major conference these days has lost his marbles. Next!

Brandon Scott

As a fan, I would not be content if Franchione led the team to a nine- or 10-plus win season. A&M brought in Jackie Sherrill who turned the program around and had some violations and was out. Would R.C. Slocum or Jackie Sherrill consider returning to coach A&M?

Mark

What if A&M wins the Big 12 South, which should require beating both Oklahoma and Texas and then is blown out in the Big 12 Championship game? I have a hard time not seeing the VIP Newsletter as grounds for termination regardless of won/lost record.

Joe Horn, Amarillo

Bottom line: I’d be happy for the team and Old Army if we get nine or 10 wins, but Fran is never going to get us to the promised land. It’s time to make a change.

John, Dallas

On to some questions…

Q: Kansas has some great defensive numbers, but c’mon, they haven’t played anybody. Do you really think they’re going to beat us this weekend?

Charles, Tomball, Texas

DAVIS: First off, everyone should salute Kansas coach Mark Mangino and his troops for a 7-0 start. Winning is difficult, and to win seven consecutive games is impressive at any level of college football. But let’s examine some of Kansas’ defensive numbers, shall we? The Jayhawks rank second nationally in points allowed (10.1) and fifth in yards allowed (256.1). Sounds pretty good, right?

Well, I spent some time examining KU’s opponents. Kansas State is the only one out of seven that rank in the top 20 in scoring. The Wildcats average 37 points per game, which ranks 16th nationally. But Central Michigan (No. 43), Southeastern Louisiana (No. 37) and Toledo (No. 45) are just average. Colorado ranks 77th nationally in scoring (24.6), Baylor is 103rd (20.4) and Florida International is 119th (8.3). Frankly, it shouldn’t take much to keep those offenses out of the end zone.

Toledo is the only good rushing team Kansas has faced thus far and its rushing offense ranks only 27th nationally (190.5). Bottom line: Kansas hasn’t faced a running team this season that’s remotely as good as A&M. Take the Aggies’ powerful rushing attack, mix in a few passes to keep them honest and play sound defense against KU’s Todd Reesing, and I think you’ve got the formula for a A&M victory. Let’s put it this way, I’ll be surprised if the Aggies don’t win this week. The Fighting Manginos fall from the undefeated ranks.

Q: I am an old Aggie (’60) and have lots of UT friends, living in Austin for 12 years. I’m now taking friendly jabs from these guys — e-mails inquiring if I am one of the $1,200 guys! So the e-mail thing is spreading out to the old Aggie joke book — all good-natured fun. However, I think that the coach should be judged solely on his performance as laid out by his boss — fair and square — forget the e-mail thing. My question: do you think, based on your sources, that Coach Fran will be judged on performance or has the deal already been made (as I am hearing through the grapevine)?

Jerry, Niceville, Fla.

DAVIS: I’m not convinced any deal has been made by anyone. It’s not in Franchione’s best financial interest to agree to anything now; it’s not in athletic director Bill Byrne’s best interest, either. I do believe we should take Byrne at his word when he says he’ll evaluate Fran at the end of the season. That being said, Byrne probably has a short list of candidates (all good athletic directors do) and can pull the trigger at a moments notice. That’s why the final four games are so important. Beating No. 12 Kansas leads to a big game against Oklahoma. A win in Norman leads to a bigger game against Missouri. A big win in Columbia leads to a big finale against Texas. If Fran can guide A&M to a 10-2 record, he will have beaten four straight top-20 teams, something that’s never been done in school history.

Q: Have you noticed the transcript on the Aggie Athletics website from the Tuesday media conference? There is no mention of the 2-point conversion chart. Think the editors are a little embarrassed by that as well? Also, with that amount of time left, I guess it shows he has no faith in his defense to keep a team from scoring three touchdowns that had scored only two in the entire game, or in his offense on being able to run the clock out. I thought that was pretty classless.

Brad, Addison, Texas

DAVIS: A&M fans didn’t get to read or hear the entire Franchione news conference this week on the school’s Web site. Franchione walked into the room and threw a laminated business card at reporters. He wanted us to see his 2-point conversion chart as if we were demanding to see it. Here’s the thing: nobody in the A&M media contingent even cared that Fran went for two in the fourth quarter against Nebraska. The Aggies led by 22 with 4:32 remaining. Nebraska fans were the ones booing. I was standing on the sideline thinking, “Fran, you’re kicking their tail. Why go for two?” As we learned, the chart made him do it. Oh well.

Franchione’s two-point conversion card:

Go for two when leading by: 1, 4, 5 (Early 1, Late 2), 12, 19 and 22

Go for two when trailing by: 2, 5, 12, 16, 22-34

Q: I still don’t understand why everyone assumes McGee is a bad passer. First, he doesn’t call the plays. So the lack of passing can’t be his fault. No one seems to comment or notice the lines. The offensive line gives him little time in the pocket.

Stacy, Class of ’79

DAVIS: There’s no doubt that A&M’s offensive line struggled early in the season. Franchione himself said the pass protection wasn’t great in the early games. But I think the offensive line has really picked it up lately. Stephen McGee has been sacked only two times in the last four games, and both of those were against Nebraska. That speaks to pass protection. But defenders aren’t getting through to drop McGee for losses when he runs the ball, either. It’s unclear if Chris Yoder will be back this week after missing the Nebraska game with an injury. Backup Michael Shumard got the starting nod at guard last week and seemed to do pretty well.

Q: McGee is a great competitor and I like him, but the guy’s got too much on his plate. If feel sorry for him, but he’s just doing what the coach tells him to do.

Steve, Class of ’94

DAVIS: Anyone who carries the ball 35 times is going to be dragging afterward. But the zone-read option puts the quarterback in the position to carry the football that much. If defensive ends are taking away the dive, and the linebackers are scraping over the top to take away the pitch man, the quarterback has to keep the football. McGee was simply doing what he was supposed to do. And make no mistake, Franchione was the one calling for McGee to run the zone-read.

“I don’t anticipate that’ll be an every week deal,” Franchione said. “It happened in that game because of the circumstances. I’ve always tried to live by the feeling that if you’re bloodying somebody’s nose with something, keep bloodying it until they stop it. They weren’t having much success in trying to get it stopped, so it ended up that we kept doing it a lot.”

Q: I am just another Aggie loyal, did not even go to school there, but I know A&M deserves a lot more than Fran has produced. Of course, I was one of those who liked R.C. Slocum. I hate to see Martellus Bennett go, because he could be so good, but the coaching is terrible right now.

DAVIS: Tight end Martellus Bennett did not speak with reporters for about a month. But he came to Tuesday’s news conference and let it all hang out. Bennett said he’ll probably go into the NFL Draft this April if he’s considered a first- or second-round pick. Bennett never said he was unhappy at A&M, but it’s what he did and didn’t say that really stood out.

When asked whether he could show his skills at the NFL scouting combine, Bennett said, “I’m going to have to do it somewhere. As far as blocking and run after catch, I’ve been doing the best I can.” Ouch.

In 31 career games, Bennett has 80 catches for 935 yards and seven touchdowns. “I’m not as good as people think I am,” Bennett said. “They say I run a lot of bad routes on the team. But my whole aspect is getting open. If I’m supposed to run a 10-yard corner route, I’ll run an 8-yard corner if it gets me open. The coaches don’t like that, but …”

Q: Thank you for your story on Mike Goodson, Texas A&M’s sophomore running back. I, too, have been disappointed in Mike’s production this year. However, he shares that distinction with a host of other players on the Aggie team. Why is it that a flashy, speedy running back like Mike Goodson touches the ball about 10 times per game, and half of those touches go between the tackles?

Allen, Class of ’86

DAVIS: Franchione said this week that the coaching staff has been talking about why Mike Goodson’s “explosives” are down this season. An explosive play is a play that goes for more than 20 yards. Goodson has nine this season, six runs and three receptions. But the sophomore has basically disappeared over the last month. Goodson said he wanted to score 20 touchdowns this season back in August. Through eight games, he’s scored only four (two rushing, two receiving).

Goodson had just eight carries for 32 yards against Nebraska. Now, a lot of that was due to how Nebraska played the zone read. The linebackers did an excellent job of scraping over the top and taking away Goodson as the pitch man on the option. That meant McGee had to keep the ball, because he had the running ***. Still, A&M needs to get the ball in Goodson’s hands, be it on the perimeter or out in open space. He’s on pace for about 700 rushing yards in 12 regular-season games. Last year, he had 847 yards. We all know how Goodson can fly once he kicks it into high gear. The Aggies need him to blast off this weekend against the Jayhawks.

Q: I know this is academic, but had Gary Gibbs taken the job as defensive coordinator, would he have been installing the same 4-2-5 defense that Darnell did, or would the Ags have gone in a completely different direction?

John, Class of ’95

DAVIS: My guess would be that Gary Gibbs would want to implement the 3-4 base defense. He knows that formation inside and out after a lifetime of playing and coaching the scheme. That’s what he used as the head coach at Oklahoma from 1989-94. He was instrumental in helping the Cowboys switch to a 3-4 in 2005 under head coach Bill Parcells. Gibbs is now as defensive coach for the New Orleans Saints, and that’s what they’re doing there, too. I doubt Franchione was looking for a specific scheme, like the 4-2-5, and then found a coach who taught that scheme. Darnell is a 4-2-5 guy, and that’s who A&M hired after Carl Torbush was fired after the 2005 season.