UND-FB-FAN

Road games are a vacation, not a business trip? Who does that fall on?

Pretty obvious anyone against the status quo is being referred to (and also now criticized and named-called) …

I’ll put my résumé/CV up against Kelly’s any day. This is getting ridiculous … This divide they’re creating is the beginning of the end. The divide on this forum of anonymous people isn’t because we want drama or are “idiots”; the divide is because folks are seeing inevitable change is necessary. The change does not necessarily need to be staff/jobs, but it should be part of the discussion.

You’re not wrong. Will Bill Chaves be in support of the general crowd or the experts? Likely the general crowd, because it’s cheaper. In essence, the final four games of the season could be canceled. This season will already be considered a success, even if team went 4-7.

It isn’t mind-boggling. It’s being honest with the fact that necessary actions at UND are routinely deferred for months, sometimes years. And it’s not sad that I’m highlighting the truth, what is sad is the lack of consistency that this program demonstrates, and good performances always guaranteed to be followed by abysmal ones.

I think the NDSU win followed by the absolute embarrassment at Northern Iowa will be a 2-game stretch brought up as a point of debate for months, if not years. UND beat NDSU (still only 1 time out of 6 attempts in DI era) but then followed it up with absolute sh*t. Is that overall situation (2-game stretch) interpreted as net positive or net negative? The debate will live on. Given the overall body of underwhelming work, I interpret it as net bad (net negative). As such, given the past few years are being considered, making a necessary strategic staffing move wouldn’t be “knee jerk”, as suggested by your “made up argument”. Extending staff after a 5-6 season isn’t implicitly being okay with those records? Give me a break.

Your assumptions aren’t necessarily correct, but we can all have our own opinions. Some on here are current or former coaches (albeit high school) or choose to not coach for several reasons but definitely have the ability to coach. Some on here really really care. It’s important to hear all sides and not just assume. That may in fact be the issue with this current staff - too closed-minded. Nevertheless, we’ve been at the “show me” stage for a while now with this program. I can’t understand how perennially bring 7-4 is okay with some, especially when you look at the FB budget, the continual opportunities blundered to be better than that, etc. The culture is currently damaged into accepting mediocrity (7-4 or 5-6 every season). Beating NDSU once in the past six attempts was nice, but this team is so fragile-minded on the road, that it is clear the staff is not doing their job. A signifiant part of football is the mental aspect, and the players are not motivated or confident on the road. That falls on the staff (namely Bubba). He admitted it. Their jobs should be on the line, but I doubt Chaves has the vision to follow through.

Unfortunately not likely with how this program has been built (and led).

I certainly do not think leaders need to be loud and boisterous, as effective communication and confidence have several different styles, but I do think leadership is lacking for UND FB right now as evidenced by the stark contrast in this team between home and away games. Call it player leadership or coaching, but it is probably both. Tommy Schuster should be a leader since he’s the quarterback (most important position in all of sports), and since leadership is being called into question, one can put two and two together.

A few biases at play, maybe? They’re certainly not going to say their starting quarterback can’t be a leader… but keep drinking the kool-aid.

Objectively speaking, you’re right, comebacks are not the metric lacking for Tommy Schuster as UND’s quarterback. It’s big plays on the road that are lacking, hence the horrid road record. This goes along with the leadership, motivation, non-athletic, mediocre arm, etc. etc. complaints that we hear again and again … probably because they’re accurate and easily observable.

Saban has a set and knows how to get after people. He demands respect and is a hell of a motivator. Common denominator for great head coaches - especially in college - is the ability to motivate and speak. UND’s current head coach - as evidenced by the road record and implicitly admitted during his own most recent presser - is unable to motivate worth a sh*t when things go bad. Last one that could do this well for UND was Dale Lennon (and he brought home a ‘ship)

here are some words, words, words … Time to prove it … avoid this ongoing mediocrity supported by a damaged culture

Fighting Tarzans at home, Fighting Janes on the road?? (ps no offense to Jane)

Tommy isn’t a DI championship caliber qb. He’s a game manager who has played a long time (lots of game experience). Protects the ball. But he doesn’t have top end arm talent and he isn’t athletic enough to make big game changing plays against good teams. He has led UND to 7-4 and 5-6 seasons and played a long time. He’ll be in the “record books”, but he will long be remembered as epitomizing average average “Bubba ball” in my opinion. UND goes 3-1 or 2-2 these next 4 games and is right back at 7-4 again it seems like with good ol’ Tommy gun and Bubba ball. Change is glacial around these parts, and that is not a good thing.

Win. At home. Average to below average team. Not gonna get excited about this one, but I’ll be there supporting as usual. Call me when this team learns how to show up on the road. @ Murray State and @ South Dakota loom large. Win both of those and you’ll have people’s attention.

Ok, but this shoe/cleat conspiracy is about 5% of the issue tops. Cleats caused the early fumble? Cleats caused the missed field goal before half? Cleats caused the UND defense to make a former UNI defensive player look like an all-American running back? Cleats didn’t allow UND to block and run the football? Yeah, not buying it, but sure sounds good for those with gullible ears.

A lot of passion for UND football on this forum. Sometimes that comes out as bitterness and angst. There could be more passion outside of this forum if the team / program consistently performed and built on wins rather than always starting over, pressing the reset button. The back-and-forth dialogue on this forum about who knows more is at times entertaining, but having a program running on all cylinders and putting wins together would be more fun. I’d like to see us all come together when that happens. The few days after the NDSU win was fun on here, but more so in the community amongst alumni and former players (reality matters? - of course!). Those are the feelings we want, and that is the environment we want - GOALS!. At some point, though, we have to understand it won’t happen spontaneously. It won’t happen with minor adjustments here or there. Want to change course? Well, then, change. What is currently happening is happening because no one will stick their neck out and make the big decision (and could be termed a hard decision) that is needed. This is for certain individuals with decision making power at UND. Supporters (like those commenting on here) can influence change to a certain degree, but we certainly aren’t making the final decision. This is again about the entire program, which includes the alumni base and supporters, not individuals. Make the difficult decisions based on that, the team, not individuals, which ironically was stated by Bubba in his introductory presser in 2013.

This is a perfect drama / Hollywood script. Team plays at home, wins, everyone loves the team; team plays on the road, loses, everyone pissed; team plays at home, wins, everyone excited again; team plays on road, loses, we can maybe right the ship; team plays at home, wins, look I told you so; team plays on road, loses, players and coaches will work hard and do better; team plays at home, wins, makes playoffs, we’re coming, UND football has turned the corner; UND plays on road in playoffs, loses, there’s always next year. rinse and repeat for a decade plus, here’s some extensions such a broken record, but entertaining in a strange sort of way for those content with mediocrity, which at this point is any fan of the past 15+ years.

We’ve been hoping the ship would get righted for a while. There has been opportunity for the team to get excited and win out for a while. This is a broken record. We’re beating a dead horse. Until a change worth noting happens (quarterback, coordinator, head coach, etc.) there is no reason to expect anything different. This current program is very well established: 7-4 annually, good at home, poor on the road, so bad on the road that a championship is not possible with the current leadership structure. It is entirely excluded without change. That in itself should precipitate change.

Sounds nice …. and what has happened on the road the last 25 times that was tried ?? It’s hard to be good, just so hard.

This kind of stuff is ridiculous. Again, conditioned to be okay with mediocrity. It’s awful. We can’t get out of our own way.

I think you’re correct. If Danny had identified several changes he would like to implement if he were head coach, then you need to hire him, but you can’t promote him if the status quo will be carried forward. The problem is it is very easy to say you will make changes in order to just get promoted. It is hurtful to say but I think a new head coach from outside the current staff is the best answer here.

Change is needed. Current setup is not good enough. The program is absolute ineptitude on the road. The win against North Dakota State cannot cover that up.

That is the problem right there in a nutshell