Next Year

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Next Year

The reaction to this loss makes me chuckle considering the thread in smack ragging on NDSU fans having too high of expectations. Maybe our expectations are/were too high. I didn't like the preseason #6 ranking. I don't think we have earned that kind of respect. We have won one playoff game in how many years? That ranking set this team up for failure. Fans with too high of expectations and players/coaches that may have been over confident. The team went into last weeks game thinking a win was almost guaranteed. They played like they were gonna just walk over'em. We got punched in the mouth and never recovered.

SF_Rabbit_Fan does a good job putting things into perspective. Although we may not be where we want to be yet, we are still doing pretty damn good when compared to ALL of our peers.

[goon]

Re: Next Year

The reaction to this loss makes me chuckle considering the thread in smack ragging on NDSU fans having too high of expectations. Maybe our expectations are/were too high. I didn't like the preseason #6 ranking. I don't think we have earned that kind of respect. We have won one playoff game in how many years? That ranking set this team up for failure. Fans with too high of expectations and players/coaches that may have been over confident. The team went into last weeks game thinking a win was almost guaranteed. They played like they were gonna just walk over'em. We got punched in the mouth and never recovered.

SF_Rabbit_Fan does a good job putting things into perspective. Although we may not be where we want to be yet, we are still doing pretty damn good when compared to ALL of our peers.

There was no reason to think we couldnt duplicate last year with a 8 or 9 win season and possibe home play off game again, considering most of the tough league games we had at home, NDSU, SIU, UNI, and the easy wins on the road WIU and MSU, so it was set up with most the offensive side of the ball returning to think things could get back to where we where. Not sure fans were thinking we would replace NDSU at national champs, but repeating the playoffs was aand rightfully so a goal we should expect most years.

Frankly Competing for confrence championship should be goal number 1, then hosting a home play off goal, and the mantra of 1-0 everyweek. with the talent we have if used correctly and playing the way we are capable since most were major parts of last year minus a few key guys, some LB a few linemen etc.

Whats concerning is we got the respect of the rest of the FCS with the lofty rankings and such and this in the 2nd time in not to many years we failed to even be close to those expectations that the rest of the league and FCS gave us.

I am serious I would do what ever we could to have Wilkinson back at O cord. just remember we were fresh into FSC and he took a few skilled guys and they were great, he even had more then just 1 running formation that we used. sometimes we even had 2 running backs split in the back field.

If he could make Berry and Harris and Koneig stars, he can make Sumner, ZZ and Scheinder, jones even bigger stars.

[TK22867]

Re: Next Year

I agree with SFR - Stig should be allowed to gracefully retire into the sunset when the time comes.

I do disagree with SFR on the comparison vs. NDSU over the past few years. I want playoff appearances and national championships. If that isn't our goal every single year, what the he** are we doing this for? I could care less if our record is about the same over the same timespan. NDSU has 2 national titles. We have zero. Maybe that puts me in the Jim Irsay crowd.

In addition to his fantastic reference to King of the Hill ( I DID NOT see that coming!), JD said it best......we might not make the playoffs, but we have the opportunity to play spoiler for UNI, Youngstown State and yes, USD. Let's make the most of it. We will find out early on Saturday whether or not this team embraces the challenge or has completely packed it in for 2013.

Regarding the culture of our fan base, I have asked on numerous threads with no response. How do we change our fair weather, non-engaged culture? I know winning cures all, but we're not going to win every year. Some of us on this board need to find a way to lead the charge and be "All In".

[goon]

Re: Next Year

I agree with SFR - Stig should be allowed to gracefully retire into the sunset when the time comes.

I do disagree with SFR on the comparison vs. NDSU over the past few years. I want playoff appearances and national championships. If that isn't our goal every single year, what the he** are we doing this for? I could care less if our record is about the same over the same timespan. NDSU has 2 national titles. We have zero. Maybe that puts me in the Jim Irsay crowd.

In addition to his fantastic reference to King of the Hill ( I DID NOT see that coming!), JD said it best......we might not make the playoffs, but we have the opportunity to play spoiler for UNI, Youngstown State and yes, USD. Let's make the most of it. We will find out early on Saturday whether or not this team embraces the challenge or has completely packed it in for 2013.

Regarding the culture of our fan base, I have asked on numerous threads with no response. How do we change our fair weather, non-engaged culture? I know winning cures all, but we're not going to win every year. Some of us on this board need to find a way to lead the charge and be "All In".

surprising to think but my main thing isnt to just win national championships, which would be great and we should aim for it, but winning a confrence title should be the first goal. and some might not like that i have been critical of the team and coaches and said i should sit the last 2 games out etc, but I cant except players and coaches not giving it their all or playing the best they can. If we flat out play the best we can but lose to the better team IE the first NDSU game last year, thats fine, frustrating still but i will accept that loss every day of the week. this last loss is the complete opposite of that.

Frankly trying to play spoiler for other team to me sounds like a defeated loser program kind of view. Like something USD would have tried to rally the troops with last year, we might stink but maybe we can ruin someone elses season. I would rather them just try to focus on playing the best that they can and actually show improvement for once this season. Do the best that you can do, and if you win great, if not well you did the best you can and to me there is no shame in that.

[discoDancinJackrabbit]

Re: Next Year

Regarding the culture of our fan base, I have asked on numerous threads with no response. How do we change our fair weather, non-engaged culture? I know winning cures all, but we're not going to win every year. Some of us on this board need to find a way to lead the charge and be "All In".

You gotta develop a team/organization that is all in and hardcore. It may seem obvious, but just look at the football facilities. Nobody in the land has a hardcore base with those kind of facilities.

[SF_Rabbit_Fan]

Re: Next Year

surprising to think but my main thing isnt to just win national championships, which would be great and we should aim for it, but winning a confrence title should be the first goal. and some might not like that i have been critical of the team and coaches and said i should sit the last 2 games out etc, but I cant except players and coaches not giving it their all or playing the best they can. If we flat out play the best we can but lose to the better team IE the first NDSU game last year, thats fine, frustrating still but i will accept that loss every day of the week. this last loss is the complete opposite of that.

Frankly trying to play spoiler for other team to me sounds like a defeated loser program kind of view. Like something USD would have tried to rally the troops with last year, we might stink but maybe we can ruin someone elses season. I would rather them just try to focus on playing the best that they can and actually show improvement for once this season. Do the best that you can do, and if you win great, if not well you did the best you can and to me there is no shame in that.

By your reasoning, is the season a failure if we don't win the conference title? IMO, that is what we are looking at here, a season where we aren't competing for a conference title. I'm not going to freak out about it 1 season after winning a playoff game (something only about 10% of FCS did last year.

I can understand others' concerns though.

[jackmd]

Re: Next Year

You gotta develop a team/organization that is all in and hardcore. It may seem obvious, but just look at the football facilities. Nobody in the land has a hardcore base with those kind of facilities.

The elephant or should I say dilapidated rundown stadium that is CAS in the room. Its clear that admin understands the need for a serious upgrade in facilities before the program can move to the upper echelon of FCS. That doesn't mean fans should be happy with the effort on Saturday. That was a cluster **** and shouldn't happen at any time. That is on the coaches and the players and if they own it you will see a much more competitive team on Saturday. It is Coach Stig's job to make sure there is no repeat.

[TK22867]

Re: Next Year

The elephant or should I say dilapidated rundown stadium that is CAS in the room. Its clear that admin understands the need for a serious upgrade in facilities before the program can move to the upper echelon of FCS. That doesn't mean fans should be happy with the effort on Saturday. That was a cluster **** and shouldn't happen at any time. That is on the coaches and the players and if they own it you will see a much more competitive team on Saturday. It is Coach Stig's job to make sure there is no repeat.

I understand the potential impact new facilities will have on recruiting (although it made no difference to Marlette), but won't it be the same exact fan base sitting in the seats in the new stadium? I don't see how a new stadium changes our culture, per-se.

[KUlawJack]

Re: Next Year

By your reasoning, is the season a failure if we don't win the conference title? IMO, that is what we are looking at here, a season where we aren't competing for a conference title. I'm not going to freak out about it 1 season after winning a playoff game (something only about 10% of FCS did last year.

I can understand others' concerns though.

Not making the playoffs is a failure in my mind with what we had returning and our schedule set up.

I didn't see us winning the conference title due to the road block that is NDSU. Losing to MSU? Never saw us doing that either.

EDIT: Have a look at this list of teams I cheer for - SDSU, KU, Iowa. Pretty awesome Saturday when you throw the USD win into the mix. Ugh.

[jack power]

Re: Next Year

The reaction to this loss makes me chuckle considering the thread in smack ragging on NDSU fans having too high of expectations. Maybe our expectations are/were too high. I didn't like the preseason #6 ranking. I don't think we have earned that kind of respect. We have won one playoff game in how many years? That ranking set this team up for failure. Fans with too high of expectations and players/coaches that may have been over confident. The team went into last weeks game thinking a win was almost guaranteed. They played like they were gonna just walk over'em. We got punched in the mouth and never recovered.

SF_Rabbit_Fan does a good job putting things into perspective. Although we may not be where we want to be yet, we are still doing pretty damn good when compared to ALL of our peers.

I don't that think Not getting blown out by a 1-6 team that was using a back-up QB is an unreasonable expectation.

[MontanaRabbit]

Re: Next Year

I don't that think Not getting blown out by a 1-6 team that was using a back-up QB is an unreasonable expectation.

I didn't say it was an unreasonable expectation.

But, before this team even stepped on the field everyone was telling them how good they were (see preseason #6 ranking) before the proved a dang thing. That breeds over confidence and thus complacency. A lot of fans expected this team to win all but maybe two of our games and make a deep run into the playoffs. That is having too high of expectations, IMHO.

We completely overlooked Missouri State and that showed last weekend. This includes both the coaches and players. If they don't right the ship in the next few games and finish the season like they are playing now, changes need to made with the coaching staff.

[Nidaros]

Re: Next Year

I don't that think Not getting blown out by a 1-6 team that was using a back-up QB is an unreasonable expectation.

The back up QB was a transfer from Mizzu and was the starting QB for part of last season. He did demonstrate his running ability in the 4th when we had a chance to pull in front. So the guy was no slouch in my opinion. The record included several close losses.

[MilwaukeeJacksAlum]

Re: Next Year

One of the biggest differences from this team from last year's team? Health. You can scheme all you want, but when you're starting a red-shirt freshman at D-line when he played LB in high school, lose one of the best passing game threats in Jones, lose several starting O-lineman and are moving players to new positions on a weekly basis, it's hard to get consistency. I have a very high expectation of this team on a yearly, monthly, weekly and daily basis. But, sometimes there are reasons for losing games other than "the coaches suck". Unfortunately, when you sign up to play in the MVFC, you can't afford to have any weaknesses. Our team's main weakness this year is the inability to have healthy players on the field. The team can't get out of first gear. Look at TV's last couple of "Tuesday Tidbits" and Weekly Wrapup blogs. They're littered with players who are/were injured and other players who are seeing their first action on the field. ***Ex-player Alert!*** My apologies, but speaking from experience, there is a significant difference in a players ability to play up to their potential (especially on the defense and O-line when everything is a "read" of what is happening in front of you) based on how many snaps they've taken. The first games of a player's career are usually a blur. We have a lot of players in the "blur" phase out there trying to make consistent plays against really good football teams.

Having said all that, it's hard to sit back and watch us storm out to a big lead against WIU one weak and come out of the gate looking like dog s**t against a 1-6 team the next. Not one explanation from the rational side of my brain ever makes my Die-Hard Jacks' fan side of the brain feel any better about the losses or inconsistent play. I completely agree with the frustration expressed. Frustration is fine. Blaming coaches and players and questioning their desire is not. Just my 2 cents.

[shot_5533]

Re: Next Year

[QUOTE=MilwaukeeJacksAlum;237425]One of the biggest differences from this team from last year's team? Health. You can scheme all you want, but when you're starting a red-shirt freshman at D-line when he played LB in high school, lose one of the best passing game threats in Jones, lose several starting O-lineman and are moving players to new positions on a weekly basis, it's hard to get consistency. I have a very high expectation of this team on a yearly, monthly, weekly and daily basis. But, sometimes there are reasons for losing games other than "the coaches suck". Unfortunately, when you sign up to play in the MVFC, you can't afford to have any weaknesses. Our team's main weakness this year is the inability to have healthy players on the field. The team can't get out of first gear. Look at TV's last couple of "Tuesday Tidbits" and Weekly Wrapup blogs. They're littered with players who are/were injured and other players who are seeing their first action on the field. ***Ex-player Alert!*** My apologies, but speaking from experience, there is a significant difference in a players ability to play up to their potential (especially on the defense and O-line when everything is a "read" of what is happening in front of you) based on how many snaps they've taken. The first games of a player's career are usually a blur. We have a lot of players in the "blur" phase out there trying to make consistent plays against really good football teams.

I couldn't disagree with you more in reference to the O - line injuries. The Jacks, up until this year, were rotating O - lineman in and out like a fire drill. The back up O lineman have experience.

I also disagree with you using injuries as an excuse. Look at the NFL team in the state of Wisconsin. Remember the Super Bowl they won with their injuries? Look at the Pack this year - decimated and no excuses. Keep calm and next man up. Stig should borrow this motto.

Third where you lose your case - The Jacks were beaten by a team that had worse injuries than they did. Missing a starting QB is the hardest to replace. They still managed to suck it up and win convincingly against the Jacks.

Stig needs to take a page out of McCarthy and Thompson's book. Recruit and develop your depth and next man up. This is football and there will be injuries.

[RabbitObsessed]

Re: Next Year

I read a piece on Grantland today talking about Art Briles, the head coach at Baylor. It's a great piece (here's the link for those interested) and it talks about the offense that Baylor runs and how innovative Briles has been as a coach. One particular passage kind of hit home for me as a Jacks fan:

Many of the now-ubiquitous "spread" offenses are better defined by their uniformity than their uniqueness, as every team tries to sprinkle some Oregon or Nevada pistol into their game plans; nowadays it seems everyone is trying to be "different" in the exact same ways.

Sums us up almost perfectly. It seems like we do these things (pistol, the flash) that are trendy at the time just to do them and we don't actually do anything new or special out of them.