tnt

When Kunz and Montgomery left Red River, it sure put Central squarely at the forefront.

I guess I kind of look at it like we aren't going to be world beaters this year anyway, so why not have Jal around when he has already added weight and muscle and will be more of an impact player. I wish they would have redshirted Weston Dressler for the same reason, because as little as they used him his freshman year, could you imagine what that last year would have been like for him.

Who is that? Caulfield?

I think you could say that of Saturday, but Friday was a pretty good effort, just need to put the puck in the net.

My prediction is that whoever it is, won't be near good enough. If they improve greatly, it will be a play here or a play there that he screwed up calling that cost them a game, a playoff spot, a playoff win or so on.

Agree 100 percent. Sometimes the young impact players can be ones you would never expect.

Gino Gasparini was an assistant under Rube Bjorkman who was fired, and he turned out alright, and Dean Blais spent time under Gino, but not when he was fired. It can work, as the outcry when Ned Harkness wasn't hired was deafening, and you didn't hear much about him after.

And the first 3 you mentioned everybody thought were great gets for the coaches, and less so for Jones. Kind of goes to show you that you can't always count on Junior numbers to translate to college success.

And who are those top lines.

I don't think the expectation is flawed, but certainly there are things that are tough to manage when you aren't sure who is going to leave. I do think the formula that worked in the past, doesn't work as well with multiple players leaving early every year. Perhaps you need to error more on the side of bringing in scorers or older players. We certainly hit the jackpot with older guys like Paul LaDue and Tucker Poolman, guys who were physically ready to play from day one, although there was still a learning curve. I think Mankato has a pretty good formula bringing in guys at 20 that scored well in their later years of Junior hockey. Many of the guys we have coming in next year project as scorers, but it isn't a given, especially when most of them will be only 18, playing against teams that have 23-24 year olds. Yes, they have a higher ceiling, but only if they stay a few years to combine the talent with more maturity and muscle. I do think the coaches have to leave a little room in scholarship money for late bloomers and guys that decide late they want to go the college route yet are elite players. Would they even have room right now to add a Marcus Kallionkieli or another big scorer that wants to rethink their college commitment? I'd like to think they would find a way to fit someone like that in, especially with the problems they have in putting the puck in the net right now. By the way, since it is a year by year commitment for scholarship money, it isn't unheard of to tell someone that they are welcome to be on the team but they won't have scholarship money available. Obviously, not something you want to have to do, but wasn't there a coach out east that dumped a lot of scholarships last year?

Yes, Paul Cotter.

So your premise is that this offense, which couldn't move the ball, could move it even further with less time on the clock?

...and if I were head coach, I would take over a play call here or there when the buck stopped with me, including having a play I would be confident in when the chips are down.

Bottom line is you had to trust that same offense you had no faith in to convert in a harder circumstance on the goal line anyway, so bite the bullet and go for it, then hope for that turnover if you don't make it. If you're counting on a turnover, it would be just as likely after the failed 4th down.

Would be interested to see how many people think Bubba was given an ultimatum or her made the decision on his own. Also curious to know if the pressure from fans being fed up played into the decision, or if there was finally an epiphany as to the dysfunctional state of our offense within the staff.

As I recall, the offensive line had issues with Mussman here, despite that being his area of expertise.

So if the defense scores and the score is 24-22, does Bubba kick the extra point and hope to get an onside kick for a touchdown too, or does he trust his offense to go for two in a situation that would be harder to convert?

Problem is that he didn't think it was a problem last year. Doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his judgement, nor do some of the decisions he made in games that had nothing to do with Rudy.

He might be saving them when we under perform next year.

So because Bubba was stubborn to realize the same issues everybody else saw last year, we are a year behind in instituting a better offensive philosophy. Maybe he was setting up the firing by not going for it on 4th and 2, because of his lack of confidence in the offense.

Wow you really must be in the know!

... and that might be part of the problem, who they do, and who they don't get up for! I thought that would be a thing of the past not making the tournament last year. It's one thing to work halfway hard, it's another to be totally into a game like they were against Minnesota.

Contract extension?

Unless they totally unravel, I don't see starting off 1-7. They could get beat by Duluth each night, but I am hoping that the team that plays well defensively and limits chances makes a rebound. After all, Minnesota did tie and beat Duluth, so they are not unbeatable, but they can't play like Saturday or they won't beat anybody.

It looks like if he came down on someone's ankle, his legs would just snap like a twig!