UND-FB-FAN

“Those who know UND football …” Now that is a good one …

Is it actually hindsight if we predict the failure with foresight time and time again?

Disagree. As @Irish stated, UND football is what their record is, and then some. If you follow college athletics, specifically college football, and perhaps even have a background within it, you can adequately recognize and acknowledge some of deficiencies within the program. This is why my ignorant comment was made; there are many on this board that are frustrated but yet have no clue how to interpret what is going on. With that said, it’s not “across the board” completely. Some can see the issues and are capable of coming up with viable solutions, they just aren’t the ones with the titles/positions to actuate said solutions.

How about you take the lead and don’t follow up stupid comments - in this case by @Mama Sue - with your own stupid judgement comment. You’ve mastered pulling wool over eyes (with respect to comments on this site), which is not good, by the way. “Maybe we could just hire UND FB FAN full time to be head coach since he has all the answers.”

Interesting.

You provide an historical context, but you also have revealed the critical bias that haunts University of North Dakota athletics. It’s not just about instant gratification; that is an oversimplification and a distraction from the real issues. It is perhaps however about ageism and historical decision-making models that have failed to undergo contemporary adjustment. There’s no reason we should have to wait decades for UND football to consistently complete with NDSU football, regardless of age. It is okay to acknowledge Bubba Schweigert has done appreciable work up to this point, but also that change is the best approach now for UND football moving forward. Fargo U pushes for higher expectations with football, sure, and they want to be bigger than they are, but I think that is okay if done with fiscal responsibility. There have been concerns with this, though, of course. It’s therefore important to be cautious, as you mention. UND football could be in a position where they could both bolster the football program while also being responsible fiscally and properly emphasize academics as the flagship. These positions are not all mutually exclusive. But, several folks who apparently have the “experience or history of what it takes schools like UND to build program and stay in the upper tier of that sport” tend to pump the brakes rather than shoot for the stars and take the next step. In summary, as a group of supporters, it is okay to care about W’s and L’s and also simultaneously feature academics. In fact, it’s mutually beneficial. I will say, I am very pleased and proud of the facility upgrades going on for UND athletics, namely football. This is exciting and shows commitment. But the people in charge within these future buildings is a very important topic.

Life is not simple, hindsight is 20/20, and people need to make the right decisions … okay. I mean, I agree with all of those statements in general, but it doesn’t offset any of the previous comments and concerns. I would say that you just skipped over the highlighted concern of whether or not the right people are in fact in the right position. Lastly, I don’t appreciate your first statement, but I understand there’s a combination of frustration and ignorance at play.

Could argue the current staff is getting exactly what they deserve/have earned.

Learning from the past is different than to relish in the past. So, it would be ok to acknowledge that, and not distract.

They’re in over their head.

When you pitch “in the middle on nowhereville with populations of next to nothing” then you definitely shouldn’t expect to be able to recruit worth a damn … you get what you make out of it. Whatever staff UND football has, they need to be able to emphasize the strengths and bolster recruiting and not fester on the issues/challenges.

If you can’t buy out a mediocre coach’s contract then you probably shouldn’t issue out those contracts after losing seasons … but oh well, this point has been beaten to death. Hopefully Chaves has learned from this. UND athletics as a whole needs to learn and evolve from this, or else be left behind… again.

No response or commentary is acceptable at this point other than acknowledging change is the only way forward. Silence sometimes can speak the loudest, however. Of course, we’re limited by the rate of change based on unjustified extensions and mediocre expectations.

What a laughable thought, and it is particularly unfortunate we have UND “supporters” who post that malarkey and actually believe it. Prolonged mediocrity is a mindset illness run rampant here with this fan base / group of supporters.

This is an individual-by-individual consideration; not simply a generalized issue, and I’ll admit I certainly can’t account for each member of the staff. So I need to be careful with general statements, but the group needs to work together well for major accomplishment, and there certainly hasn’t been major accomplishment.

It’s ridiculous, if true, but I think it is based on my interactions. This staff is burnt out. They aren’t even recognizing the instate players anymore.

Danny Freund still has some potential, but no guarantees. The jury is out on Bubba; he needs to step aside. He’s not a championship caliber coach.

This is an overly simplistic take, but if the solution to the problem was this simple, whose fault would it be? A: Coaches.

You pay for what you’re gonna get. Are the current UND coaches actually underpaid? Quite the opposite in my opinion. The staff is basically made up of former players that have minimal to no outside experience. Inbred minimalists… the UND football country club. The salary pool should definitely rise, though, when/if the new staff is hired.

It’s good to dream, otherwise the alternative is extending an out-of-touch coach after he goes 5-6.

I agree. UND’s facility upgrades and ongoing construction only further exemplifies how incompetent the current coaching staff is at UND. The spotlight shines brighter on Bubba Schweigert's shortcomings, and the desperate need for a new era of coaching for UND football.

Living in the past is worth a minimum amount, in my opinion. Successful programs keep their eyes forward, and don’t get caught up in the rear-view mirror.

No one is arguing this point.

Unconditional support can be a wierd little concept, but it may become conditional here very soon for many.

After a decade of the current plan, it’s time to scrap that plan. Ok to declare it a failure. On to something different … in 2025 at the soonest. 2024 will be lame duck year.