Irish

The story of the Bubba era - Enough talent each year to be hopeful and take care of most of the cupcakes, but usually with a serious weakness that costs us against good teams. It's almost always the QB and now the undersized lines, but for a while it was the DBs - especially the corners. Special teams are always crappy. I think recruiting is a bigger problem than we realize. Add in some head-scratching coaching decisions - game decisions, schemes, and personnel and you have a thoroughly mediocre program. In spite of this there are many crucial games that we could have won had we made key plays, made adjustments, called a better offensive game, not gotten a punt blocked or turned the ball over. The fact that this happens so often is alarming.

Thanks for the response and ideas.

You are correct - and I didn't expect a full discussion of any coach's contract via email to an alumni he didn't know. I did, however, feel that my input was not valuable to them - this may be my own interpretation but that formulaic "your input is valuable to us" crap was a real turn-off. And your Bubba encounter in my mind sums up what I think of the program. All we get is Bubba speak from the football program and silence from the AD. This is frustrating. I'm not suggesting the AD come out and blast Bubba, but some honesty from Bubba would be refreshing - especially now when the frustration with his program is building. Other than more money (and for my budget I think I am giving plenty) I don't know how to be part of the solution when no one in power ever admits there is a problem.

Your approach sounds sensible and I'm sure it works very well for you. However, from my perspective as a Captains Club member and season ticket holder in two sports the Athletic Department has not been very interested in my input - I have never asked for an appointment but either get no reply or some formulaic response thanking me for my input from my emails (including those to Chaves). Chaves may be very different, but in general the Athletic Department has been glacially slow to change and almost impervious to input - see Coachs Jones, Idalski, Mussman, and now the 6th year of Bubba. The fact that Bubba held on to Rudy for 5 years is a monument to our commitment to stick with what doesn't work. If I felt that there was some kind of input I could give that was actually listened to I would be the first in line. This thread is certainly a place to vent, but that doesn't mean many posters aren't absolutely correct about the program. We as a group recognized Rudy long before anyone on the coaching staff or administration decided to do something.

I don't know - it seems like we are recruiting the very best DII athletes we can find.

I am a season ticket holder who would love to move more to the middle. I'm sure there are many others like me.

Entering the 6th year of Bubba Ball I think a pattern has developed that we all recognize. Pre-season optimism based on returners and our last couple of recruiting classes - speculation on who will step in and be a great player (however, on closer examination we find that for most of the recruits we were the only DI offer). A hopeful start followed by some frustrating games - there is always a problem at QB and we wonder why so and so is starting and more importantly why we don't get a quality QB recruit every year to keep the program going. The defense plays pretty well, but there is usually one area of weakness - either we have a great line and linebackers and a poor secondary (who then play 10 yards off the ball) or we have a salty secondary and a undermanned front. The offense has periods of adequacy, but usually manages to shoot themselves in the foot - We usually have at least one deficiency that negates our strength - fast but undersized receivers or conversely big receivers that can't get separation or a QB that locks on to one receiver - here we don't seem to use our strengths well - see Santiago; the O line doesn't get much of a push, or if we are moving the ball too many penalties or other miscues (fumbles, penalties etc.). At this point we are wondering about our strength and conditioning (again) and our special teams are horrible (another long discussion on recruiting failures here). We then start to take care of the cupcakes on our schedule and some optimism arises but we usually have one horrible upset. Then, we fade down the stretch and end up around 6-5. Win or lose we usually have a couple of extremely hard to watch games at the Al. Off season talk centers around almost making the playoffs (if we only hadn't had 6 turnovers against EWU we would have been a playoff team) and a discussion on why we can't get better attendance. We have a mediocre season but not a total disaster and Bubba says we will work harder day by day - rinse repeat.

It should be - but I think it would take a disaster for him to be released. I think this season is the most important one in quite some time. We need to regain our status as a place where NHL type talent can go to develop their skills and move up. Think Parise, Toews, Oshie, Boesser, and Schmaltz. Now look at our forwards last season. I'm not sure where things went off the rails, but we need to regain our status as the best program in the country. If we don't do it soon it could be a long dry spell. And there is no reason why Duluth and St. Clown are more successful than us other than the occasional outlier season. Time to get back on track. If we have a mediocre season, I predict a lot of complaining, but not a lot will change for at least another year.

You are correct Sir.

According to the Heraldo, Karl will have responsibility for the power play. That can only be a good thing. A frustrating year last year, but it looks like Berry is making some changes that should show positive results. If our returning forwards can take a positive step in development we should be back in the thick of things. Can't wait until the season starts.

How about joining the hockey program that currently has the most alumni in the NHL? Even mercenaries should see the value in that. And I don't buy that St. Cloud or Duluth has better livability or exposure. There is absolutely no way that Clown and Duluth should have better programs than us - no way. A year or two outlier season perhaps, but consistently better than us? Time we regain our dominance. That should and needs to start with this year.

I am all in favor of having sharp practices, and if the morning works then great. However, as to the reference to the great morning practices we had last year during the holidays - remember that immediately after Christmas break we had perhaps the most disastrous series in modern Sioux history when we were swept in a rink above a parking ramp. So there's that.

"Good" is a relative term - times were interesting in 1969 when I started and I think the definition of good then was different :-). Oxbow mentioned bail - when someone we knew was arrested we just passed the hat - many times they were glad we took the "criminal" off their hands.

When I was at UND they had maybe 3 campus cops - now they have around 18-20.

I, too, support our Athletic Department. However, there is a good group of people who know the Fighting Sioux is done but will never wear the pathetic Fighting Hawks logo - myself included. This issue is not as big as the pro-Hawk crowd makes it but it will be an issue until the logo is changes.

Could not agree more.

I have moved on from the Fighting Sioux, but will never wear anything that prominently displays the new crap logo. Never.

I agree that we need improved attendance - We need some enthusiasm from the students and a buzz among those who are not regular attendees. I think this will take time to build and needs to start on the field. Remember, we were suffering for 6 years of Muss - sideline dancing provided for free. The 4 years previous to the playoff year we were 5-6, 3-8, 5-7, and 7-4. Our record since moving up in 2008 is a combined 43-45 - not the foundation for a great fan base we had hoped. And sadly, the 9,000+ fans at the playoff game were treated to perhaps the worst half of Sioux football I have seen in many years - and a colossal coaching failure. This playoff season was followed by 3-8 and 6-5 seasons. It's hard to sell mediocrity. In addition, Muss's antics were followed by 5 years of watching Rudy call the plays, This team has at times been very frustrating to watch. We need to get that enthusiasm we had during our DII heyday. We had a stud defense and the crowd felt part of the play making noise on 3rd down and making it a very hard place to play. If we regain the swagger the fans will come. If we stay around .500, 8-9,000 will be the norm. Time to build a team that can compete with those mouth-breathers down south.

Do you ever wonder what goes on in Bubba's head when a horrible situation that hurts the team happens repeatedly right in front of him (and one that has gone on for years) and yet he just plain refuses to make changes or deal with it? Special teams is an area that has cost us in the past and is one that every fan over the age of 8 knows is a huge problem. Yet even in a year that may be crucial to his future employment here we are again.

A real mixed bag but the best thing is that they are learning how to win.

A solution in search of a problem.

Might be a holdover from Santiago - Looks like the staff thinks there are many more like him out there and we just need to use a shotgun approach to find them. What we need is real mean FCS quality linemen and lots of them.

Great thread - my 2 cents - you have a very good analysis, but in my opinion several years too late. This is Bubba's 6th year and I think we could clearly see last week what he has built (and 6 years of Muss before that). We are very very slow to make changes. On the positive, no one bleeds Sioux green like Bubba. However, in my opinion he is stuck in 1985. He desperately wants to play Bubba Ball, but has never had the horses to do it. Defense should be the cornerstone, but it seems like we have never had the complete package - great line and backers and very poor corners and secondary, or great secondary and an undersized line. Offense, well that's just a mechanism to pin the other team back for our D to get on the field. I have several main issues with Bubba - first the absolute lack of adjustments on either side of the ball. We were plain out-adjusted in almost every game last year. Second - the offense, specifically keeping Rudy for 5 years when everyone, and I mean everyone could see his shortcomings (I have heard everyone from 70 year old ladies to Junior High kids call Rudy out during games). Third - special teams - remember when that was our specialty? Fourth, and most important - I am not sure Bubba "gets it" at all. He is always "aw shucks, we'll have to regroup and work harder" but never makes meaningful changes. How could someone with his football knowledge and experience actually think Rudy was a good coordinator for example. I just don't see him as capable of self reflection or change. He is not the worst coach - but he is a .500 coach with occasional good seasons - just enough to keep his job. Who really thinks Bubba will lead us to prominence? I would feel a whole lot better if I had some indication that Bubba actually realizes the program's shortcomings and is willing to make significant changes or at least an honest evaluation of where we are and a plan to move forward.

My sentiments exactly - I am ready to move on from the Fighting Sioux, but will never get anything with the pathetic Hawk logo - never.

A huge game for several reasons - we need to right the ship and get some swagger back after getting our butts handed to us in front of the whole state; this game will definitely have play-off implications - we can't afford another loss at this point in the season; finally, I worry that a lackluster performance will sink attendance for the year. We need some buzz around this football team again.