Irish

This should be correct but sadly I don't think it is. First there was the absolute debacle of the second half of the playoff game - one of the worst collapses in UND history and much of it self-inflicted. Second - whatever buzz there was quickly went away during our 3-8 season.

This could be the year that attendance and support for this program takes a leap. There is more buzz for this season than in any other in recent memory - mainly due to the new O coordinator. The feeling seems to be that we were close with the worst O coordinator in football and this year we may take the leap. We need some things to happen - first we need good performances in out first two games. We don't need to beat the Bison, but we need to look like we belong on the same field. Second - Bubba needs to get out of the way of his own Bubbaness. By that I mean not getting out adjusted in every game - be a little flexible - and as long as we are wishing a more liberal approach to game management. Bubba seems to spend a lot of time figuring how far we can pin the other team back if we punt from where we have the ball. We don't have a monster D line to make this strategy productive. Last - special teams, special teams, special teams. If we build some momentum we can be a serious playoff team this year.

Ira - you have quite a bit of football knowledge - without speculating on this year (which somehow is out of bounds) how do you rate our special team's past performances under Bubba and Kostich?

I am more nervous about losing games because of Bubba's stubbornness than I am that he will be sent packing. This is his 6th year and so far he has been a .500 coach. We need to get it done this year. If we are mediocre this year we need to start over.

Another example of how Bubba set this team back by having Rudy on board for 5 years. This is on Bubba now.

You have summed up Bubba to a T. We all like him and want him to succeed - He bleeds green. However, his ultra conservative nature often gets in his way. I will begrudgingly concede that his in-game decisions (although the first half punt vs Washington made me furious) have a theme to them - even though I disagree with most of them. It is his unwillingness to make other changes that drags us down. Non-existent half time changes, hanging on to Rudy for 5 years, continued special team disasters, etc etc. Everything seems set in stone - we will run a 3-4 (a workable defense that was put into place to stop the Bison option) regardless of the strength of our D line for example. In my opinion, the main way we can be dominant again is if his absolute devotion to our program translates into recruiting dominant monster lines on both sides of the ball. Then he can indulge in all of his conservative approaches and it will probably fit our team very well. Lacking that I worry. The best thing that could happen this year is that he turns all offensive decisions over to the O coordinator.

I, along with everyone, hope we are better than 6-5. I love our increased athleticism. However, given our schedule and question marks predicting a 6-5 record is certainly not doom and gloom click bait. Can our D line hold up? Will the new offense give us what we are expecting? Can Ketteringham recover from his second half regression? Can we go through a season without losing a game to a blocked punt? Can we escape this season relatively injury free? Can we handle the toughest schedule in our division week after week? If things break right we could make a playoff run. However, we are a .500 club under Bubba so far with one playoff game in 5 years (and that ended in a second half debacle of spectacular proportions). After this season we should absolutely know if this program is going in the right direction.

I think Tom does a great job. I would much rather have someone who provides an accurate assessment based on what he knows than listen to a lickspittle toady like say Dom Izzo.

True, although to be fair our Football Team has under performed compared to fan predictions and expectations for a good 10 years now including last year. Part of this is the usually optimistic nature of most fan bases before the season starts. Time for a break-out season.

If we are 6-5 Bubba should be looking for a job. Remember back when he refused to deal with Rudy and it cost us a couple of seasons (to say nothing about special teams). Consensus here was that this was squarely on Bubba. This is his 6th year and if we are only 6-5 and missing the playoffs again he clearly is not getting it done.

Agree about the fan part, but how many times have you seen fired up fans cheering a strong effort only to be cut off by blaring music during a break. Fans do, however, need to pick it up too.

This, in my opinion, is a real worry and the biggest problem with the Ralph. I wish they would take some of the money used for extras and use it to replace the revenue they are getting from the constant ad stream. That and revamp what comes over the PA during games.

I certainly do - and the fog that would hang up among the rafters. I would start by changing almost everything that comes over the PA system after the game starts. How many times have you seen the crowd cheering a strong Sioux effort only to be silenced by blaring music or some inane ad or contest. If they have enough money for a multi-million scoreboard then they could certainly forgo a bit of ad revenue during the game (looking at you, Steamatic). I would also make an effort to coordinate cheers - get everyone in the sieve cheer for example - maybe by flashing the cheer on the new scoreboard. And have the students develop some cheers from their section. Remember the Farce - half the fun at games was their creativity. Too much PA control by people who think corporate and do not know enough about the game.

When you have been coaching a program for 5-6 years, a lot of recruiting is selling your "brand". "Come here and this is what we are about and here is how we see you fitting in." This is why, in addition to his mind-numbing play calling it was so damaging to keep Rudolf for so long. What do you think a top recruit saw in our offense? I know we are in a new era now, but recruiting wise it feels like starting over. Bubba's coaching is in my opinion ultra conservative. This is only a fun style when you are the ones doing the face-smashing. I like what I have been seeing lately, but establishing what UND Football is about is vital for our future.

Boyddj282 is exactly why we need Bubba to pick up his game and right soon.

Sorry if I came across as too critical. I am just intensely curious as to what Berry is doing to snap us out of this slide. Perhaps my curiosity got the best of me.

I agree that 3 years is a small sample. However, if we don't get our act together this year it could easily extend to 4 then 5 years which is getting much more significant. And no, we can't just show up and get all the players we want. However, we can sell the fact that we have the best arena, lead the nation in attendance, have fans that travel like no other fan base, have top notch training facilities, have 8 National Titles, and have a history of consistently developing NHL ready talent as shown by the number of our alumni in the league. Given those factors the lack of scoring last year is troubling. Having said that, I like the talent we have coming in and love our returning D and goalies. I also love adding Karl as a coach. I look for a great year. I am very curious, however, as to what changes Berry is making to bring us back to the top.

Do other teams have good years? Absolutely. But it is totally unacceptable for St. Clown and Duluth to have consistently better programs than us. There is absolutely no reason or excuse for this. None. I hope the changes being made return us to the top.

Clearly you are going to drop the "big changes" message here without giving any more details. I hope they are much more than cosmetic. I don't care that much how we select Captains, what jerseys we wear (within reason), or how we warm up and to what music. I do care that we will stop giving up 2 goal leads, stop giving up goals within a minute of scoring, have a better than 15% power play, up our recruiting, and bring back scoring to our program. If these changes affect any of these areas then I am excited to see them.

Agreed, but at least they are drawing crowds - Led the nation in attendance. Both Bubba's need to pick it up this year. I love the football only fan's reply to any issue - "but hockey".

Of all of the issues and desires for this football season, having a logo on the turf is about 100th.

This sounds great - any specifics on what changes are being made? It isn't always easy to take a hard look at what you are doing and make changes - Good for Coach Berry.

This is a huge year for us after a 3 year downhill slide. So far I liked what I have seen of Berry's adjustments - especially with the addition of Karl as coach. In my eyes we are the premier program in the country. However, we need to re-establish some things right soon or face a bigger uphill battle getting this program where it needs to be. We can't be the place where scoring goes to die. After much internet discussion from last year I'm still not sure how things went off the rails so fast. I like some of the talent we have coming in, but offense needs to be a huge priority (as well as the power play) There is absolutely no way we should be second fiddle to the likes of St. Clown and Duluth - none. Sure maybe a year here and there as an anomaly but year after year really? Time we were top of the pack again. We should be getting some absolute studs in the mix - we shouldn't bleed recruits to the likes of Wisconsin. If we don't establish our program this year it may be a serious blow for the future. Having said that, if Rowe doesn't want to work with the best goalie coach in the country there is not much more that needs to be said.

Thank God for the wineskins.

If you compare the staff at Ely's Ivy to the Toasted Frog you can see where Ely's is falling down. In my opinion, the Frog has by far the best bartenders in town. Food is great, but a bit exotic. I wish they would add a couple of small plates or a great Burger for when I don't want a full meal. I know they are right next to Joe Blacks and don't want to be a burger and beer joint, but something to eat at the bar besides the great pizza would be nice. Wonderful service though.