Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

Not for nothing, but it is extremely deflating to a Defense when the offense turns the ball over. Even more so, when that leads to a pick six. Remember, 14 of the points from Saturday's game were completely on TOB. I promise you the play when he slid at the 1 was noticed by EVERYONE on the football team, especially the Defense. I also promise the feeling amongst everyone on the team was the same. That play really cannot be excused. The 2 picks and slide accounted for negative 21 points for the Jacks. That's not me casting judgment, but a factual statement.

For what it's worth. Being judged by the media or fans is so miniscule in relation to the judging you get from the coaches and your fellow teamates. Going over every play of every game you ever play with a coach giving you a grade for each nuance of the play, while sitting next to your teamates as you have ice or heat strapped to various parts of your body just so you can make it through a no-pads practice on a Sunday is tougher judgment than a message board or "the media" (WTF that means) can place on someone. As some of the other former players have stated on this board, the team is really your family while you are in college and beyond. You spend 80% of your college life with your teamates. Ultimately, their judgment on your play and committment to the team is all the really matters to a player. I know nothing of the real reason for TOB's quitting, and I'm probably not going to make any calls to find out. But, at some point I have to believe the team lost its belief in him or he wouldn't have quit. The slide was just the exclamation point.

I want to make one last point. Anyone remember when Jimmy Rogers dropped that interception eventually leading to a shootout loss 3-4 years ago to McNeese (I believe)? Anyone remember how he reacted to that failure? That is what teamates expect from someone when something bad happens. They want their teamates to be crushed when failure happens. They want an equal investment by everyone. They want a teamate to say "NEVER AGAIN WILL THIS HAPPEN." Did TOB ever do that? Only the lockerroom knows. Judging by his sideline demeanor, I would guess the answer is No.

All I know, is I really want the Jacks to turn this ship around. 1-0 this week.

I agree with everything you said, I'm just saying this team's problems go deeper than TOB. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[bub94]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

I'm pretty sure it wasn't the goal of the posters on this forum to have TOB quit (at least I know it wasn't my intention). I believe we were all looking for more consistency out of the QB position. We can't constantly be throwing interceptions to the other team for touchdowns. And I totally agree the QB position is not the only weak spot right now. The entire team needs better productivity. I don't like the way TOB just quit the team, but I have no problem with it if his heart wasn't in football anymore. I wish him the best in his future.

[shot_5533]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

Milwaukee Jacks post is tremendous and comes from someone who has been there. Excellant view on the subject. Then again, he is up there with Mitchell and some of the other great posters on this site. He is one of the reasons I read this stuff. Rep points.

My job isn't fun today...maybe I need to move on. I didn't have time for lunch today, but took a time out to look at the board. Great entertainment, education, and so on.

I guess that is why God made Democrats, Republicans, Jacks Fans, Bison Fans, Packer Fans, Bear Fans, soccer, and so on. Everyone has a differant view, and is entitled to free speech. It makes life fun.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

I agree with everything you said, I'm just saying this team's problems go deeper than TOB. Hopefully I'm wrong.

Agreed. Lot of issues beyond QB. D-line and Linebackers (supposed to be a strong suit coming in) have really struggled. Running game is a non-entity right now. Stig loves to build his teams on Defense and a running game. We've failed on both of those aspects to date.

[RABBITALUM08]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

As crazy as this story is so far...I'm hearing that there is much more to it. I think the truth will come out soon enough

[JackJD]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

...I guess that is why God made ... soccer,...

Nah. Some European guy made soccer: can end in a tie.

[SturgisJeff]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

hopefully the football team is not having the issues of the basketball team of two seasons ago. players in it for their own glory and screw the team.

[da_coach]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

No matter how you slice it, this is not a good day to be a jackrabbit.

By all accounts, and in particular the reaction of his teammates on twitter, Thomas seems like a good kid.

I wish him well, and I don't care if he reads that or not, I still do.

[SoDakJack]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

Thanks to TOB for his service to SDSU. I was hoping that this season would be a chance for him to rebound, but unfortunately the same offensive play calling was used that cost us last season and the second half of the Montana game. Good luck on all his future endeavors.Now we move on to the next stage of Jackrabbit football.

[Prairiehaas]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

For whatever reasons TOB left the team, I wish him best in his future endeavors. I hope he continues and completes his education at State. That is, when all is said and done, the reason student athletes attend college. Thank you TOB for the wins.

[Jackbacker123]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

Funny but I don't recall Crawford being more popular then Berry.

I wish Thomas luck, I think he's a very good young man who has had a tough 3 or 4 years on the FB field and in his personal life. I think there is far more to this decision then any of us know and then any of us deserve to know.

It is time to move on, though I along with others have and will continue to question the logic of our coaching staff (including Stig) in hanging TOB out to dry so often when it was painfully obvious that what he needed was a chance to collect himself and take a deep breath. The excuse last year was no backup. Well how hard would it have been to hand the ball off to Kyle or drop a quick flip to Kool? This year with Sumner as #2 we should have been able to spell TOB for a series or two. I truly believe that the day will come, if it hasn't already; when Stig looks back on how this went down and ask himself if he and his staff couldn't have handled this young man differently.

I agree with what you say about Stig questioning himself on how he handled this situation. I felt all along that that Stig made mistakes in managing this. First, why leave a struglling quarterback in two straight weeks to get beaten up on and off the field. The Illini game was over at halftime and the Cal Poly shortly after the half. Why not pull TOB if no other reason just give him a break and see the game from sidelines for a while. Also, I still think it would have been a perfect opportunity to see what he has in Austin. I think pulling TOB and playing Austin in both games could have been good for TOB, Austin and the program.

[HoboJack]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

hopefully the football team is not having the issues of the basketball team of two seasons ago. players in it for their own glory and screw the team.

Funny you brought that up, but I was thinking about the similarity earlier today. I disagree about the 'in it for their own glory' aspect, but rather think:

1. Too many people are trying to do too much on the field - more than they are really capable of, and forgetting to just do their job. If everyone just does their own job to the best of their ability, we will be OK. Stop trying to do everyone else's, and trust your teamates.
2. Lack of a true leader. I think there are several different people trying to provide leadership, but the team hasn't bought in to WHO it should be. Leadership appears from outside to be splintered & not on the same page.

The team looks like a car that's stuck in the mud, they are working hard & spinning their wheels, but just keep digging themselves a bigger hole. Sometimes you just need to stop, evaluate where you are, and take the small steps to make things easier. Play each game/play for what it is, then forget about it and go get the next one. Don't let past mistakes/failures define your future.

[thumper_76]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

#1-Are you comparing TOB to Tim Tebow, Christian Ponder, and Aaron Rodgers?

#2-You suggest TOB supporters have their heads in the sand regarding his play. Perhaps you are over-estimating the impact a quarterback has on the defense? After all, Poly didn't seem to have much trouble scoring on their very first possession of the game when the defense should have been well rested and not yet deflated.

#3-I am very thankful I didn't have a message board full of "experts" judging me and all my actions when I was 21.

You display a degree of disrespect by continuing to refer to him as Tommy. Why do you do that?

Will you be a "to the death" supporter of Sumner now? Is it now ok to question the defense's role in our bad football team?

Ah, yes how did I know you would be the one to try to take on my post.

1-Yes I am comparing him to them in the aspect of the fact that they are all college QB's who were successful. I like to use people who are successful in the field I am talking about to use as examples, how dare I. Here, how is this for one for you. Do you think Tyrell Rennie for UNI checks message boards to hear what the fans think of him? Or how about this one, since you seem to be inferring that you want an example on par to TOB. Do you think Nick Mertens for NDSU let the fans get to him? Shoot, the NDSU fans were 2X's as bad as we were the last two weeks for over a season, and yet even when he got benched he stuck it out for his teammates.

2- I don't believe that I am over-estimating the impact of a quarterback on the team, but that is more of a football philosophy question that to debate would wander FAR away from the subject at hand (not that that would be a bad thing). And yes, Poly scored real quick on their first possession, but everybody knows that a defense can never step it up during the game as adjustments are made to the offense ect. But for this if you want an example of a game right out of the gates that the deflation happened look no farther then the Illinois game. I don't necessarily believe that TOB supporters have their heads in the sand regarding his play, I just feel that they weren't giving anybody else on the team a fair shake in having a chance (of course they have no influence on that at all, but with where they stood and what they say it was pretty evident).

3- No, I will not be a to the death supporter of Sumner as you have been of TOB. I was and am for him having his chance to play, but I have never said that he is our golden boy to ride into the future (no homo). Do I think that the rest of the team needs to step up? Yes, I believe I said that in my post. Is the defense playing anywhere near the parameters of acceptable? Hell no. I just have been an advocate of the fact that what we have been doing in the past two weeks has not been working, and we needed a big change. I doubt that anyone can argue that the biggest change on the field you can do is to change starting QB's. It would not have sent the message to the team that if you aren't performing we WILL try someone else by replacing a corner, lineman, RB, LB, or WR like you would have by sitting the QB for a bit for severely under performing.

Also, how is it disrespectful to call him Tommy? If you read it as disrespectful, then you were reading my post as a personal attack on him, which would make sense due to your excessive loyalty to him and the current situation. That is not my fault that you mistook my post as an attack because you have a large bias. I think most people will read it as what it was, my take on the situation at hand.

[witness]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

In light of everything said about TOB quitting. We must remember what the wise Mike Gundy once said. http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_u...?v=aoMmbUmKN0E

[67jack]

Re: Thomas O'Brien Quit the Team

No matter how you slice it, this is not a good day to be a jackrabbit.

By all accounts, and in particular the reaction of his teammates on twitter, Thomas seems like a good kid.

I wish him well, and I don't care if he reads that or not, I still do.

There is never a bad day to be a Jackrabbit....only good and better!