fightingsioux4life

You obviously didn't read his original post! He said, and I quote: These are the "valid points" I am supposed to congratulate him on? This poster basically is accepting the fact that UND will continue being penny-wise and pound-foolish with the FB program. This is the very definition of apathy and acceptance of mediocrity. If our fans let it be known that they don't mind having the FB program being run on a shoestring budget (the women's hockey coach makes more than our FB coach!), then why should the athletic department care if we improve or not? I honestly hope that yesterday was a sign of a revival of sorts for this team, as I do not enjoy going to the Alerus Center to watch us lose over and over again. And it would be much easier to have Mussman work out long-term instead of having to blow it all up and start over. But if all Mussman can do is put together teams that can finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Sky and barely have winning seasons, then I think a change is in order. And it had better not be promoting from within to save a few bucks. I stand by the comments I made. And if you feel "dumber" for reading them, then that is your problem.

So we are just supposed to accept mediocrity and 5-6 seasons and (if we are all good little boys and girls) a few winning seasons thrown in there (6-5 or at best 7-4) because it isn't "feasible" to pay what it takes to bring in leadership that will lead us to greatness and that's just the way it is and la de da de da!!! Well my friend, you and I have very different visions of what being a Division I FCS institution can and should be. And fans like you are part of the problem here. Mediocrity breeds apathy with breeds more mediocrity and so on. The more you and others like you make excuses and rationalize every bad decision, the worse things get. In another discussion, someone said that nobody is using "transition" as an excuse for our problems. Well, you just proved that person wrong. This is Mussman's team, Mussman's staff, Mussman's show. And as head coach of the program, everything that happens is a reflection of him and his body of work. Yesterday's better-than-expected performance notwithstanding, that body of work doesn't look too impressive from what I am sitting. And if you think that "not being in the room" means we don't know anything about anything, then I will have to disagree with you about that as well. I would rather not have to start over from scratch, but after this season is over, Faison will have his first really tough decision to make as Athletic Director. That decision will have both short-term and long-term consequences for the FB program. And it will impact recruiting one way or the other. Every fan of this program should be concerned about recruiting right now. And if you aren't, you are living in fantasy land.

Before Blasi, Miami was a wanna-be, never-was program. So I think he still has some wiggle-room with the fan base.

And UND is in desperate need of donations to pay for banners for its championship teams?

The more I learn about Notre Dame, the more I HATE them.

If that's all it's going to be based on, then why not just hang banners for hockey and nothing else? The way UND whines and complains about the cost of things all the time, they probably would welcome the cost savings.

That will be a nice change from last season, where if Kristo and Knight didn't do it, it just didn't happen.

That might be a solution too. You simply cannot have a 12,000 seat hockey area like REA, not have adequate parking and expect people to just accept it and not have problems with it. Imagine the Xcel Energy Center without it's own parking ramp?!?! There would be more problems than if Randy Moss was driving around St. Paul!

That is what it looked like this weekend. I like the potential this group has, but there will be some bumps in the road along the way. Everyone needs to remain calm and focus on the long-term and not the short-term.

It's a good program and a perennial NCAA title contender. What's not to like?

I think they used to run shuttles from the Memorial Stadium lot before the ramp was there. The long-range solution to this problem is to build a parking ramp attached to REA. I wouldn't mind raising ticket prices, concession prices and whatever else to make it happen. The issue would we where to put it? A lot of the land around REA has been developed.

I hope you are right about the defense. But I am still in wait-and-see mode. Will they go back to getting torched next week? Will Zach Bouman shred them for 300 yards in a couple of weeks? We'll just have to wait and see.

I am starting to think the Cover 2 (or Tampa 2 or whatever the heck they call it now) defense just doesn't work anymore. Offensive coordinators have figured out how to move the ball against it. It was the greatest thing since sliced bread in 2002 when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl with it, but times have changed. With some of the talent we have drafted on defense the past couple of years, along with some of the guys we have brought in (Jared Allen) we shouldn't give up touchdowns on every single freaking drive. Even with the injuries they have had back there this year. Looks like Spielman will be drafting a QB in the high-end of the first round in 2014 and then drafting lots of defensive players after that. This team went to the playoffs last year and returned a lot of the same guys; this should not be happening. Some people in Winter Park need to be polishing up their resumes right about now.

Well, we won with speed and skill during the 1990's (yeah, I know I am not supposed to take about that here, but it's true) and I think all of us liked winning. If we want to start hanging green NCAA banners again, we need to change something. And I think this team might fit that description.

I am starting to think the Cover 2 (or Tampa 2 or whatever the heck they call it now) defense just doesn't work anymore. Offensive coordinators have figured out how to move the ball against it. It was the greatest thing since sliced bread in 2002 when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl with it, but times have changed. With some of the talent we have drafted on defense the past couple of years, along with some of the guys we have brought in (Jared Allen) we shouldn't give up touchdowns on every single freaking drive. Even with the injuries they have had back there this year. Looks like Spielman will be drafting a QB in the high-end of the first round in 2014 and then drafting lots of defensive players after that. This team went to the playoffs last year and returned a lot of the same guys; this should not be happening. Some people in Winter Park need to be polishing up their resumes right about now.

This might help us in March and April. Last time I checked, being rugged and physical hasn't done us any favors in the NCAA tournament.

Freeman is a low-risk move. If it works, it might put them in the playoffs. If it doesn't, they just cut him and go draft someone else in 2014.

These are the "fans" at REA that really ruin the atmosphere sometimes. These are the people that need to stay home.

Based on what I saw this weekend (and yes, I know it's early), I like the potential this group has. The freshmen will have their ups and downs, but I think they'll be clicking on all cylinders by Christmas (if not sooner). I also don't believe we will have to rely on one line to put the puck in the net like last year. Next weekend at Miami will tell us a lot about this group.

You are right, you didn't say that. I posted that in response to people that still point to "transition" and "nickname" as excuses for why we are still struggling. And I will give Muss some credit when we win these games and not just keep it close.

Not according to 82SiouxGuy; if you believe his logic, all that matters is what is printed in Econ 101 textbooks. Ralph Engelstad always understood that the human side of business was just as important (if not more important) as the brick and mortar side. That means treating the customers and employees right, not with the attitude of "If you don't like it, there's the door, get out". Ralph built a casino empire in Vegas, so I think I will trust his logic over some of the wanna-be economists on this forum.

You should apply for a job with UND relations. You are really good at defending the establishment no matter what the issue is. And since you are so good at accepting boilerplate BS explanations for things, you should at least get paid to dish them out. This whole "UND has no obligation to do anything for anyone" mentality is 100% unacceptable. This is a publicly-funded institution, but sometimes they don't treat the public like stakeholders, they treat them as replaceable parts (If you don't like it, there's the door, get out). Well, that is what people will do if you spit in their faces enough times. To paraphrase something you said above, people have no obligation to purchase tickets in the first place. And that is something UND (and REA for that matter) had better get thru their thick skulls before they alienate long-time (and loyal) supporters.

So losing by less than usual is grounds to jump back on the Mussman bandwagon? This is what we have come to with this program? This is beyond pathetic. Mussman owns this program lock, stock and barrel. All of these players are his guys (all of Lennon's kids are long gone). You can say "transition" and "nickname" over and over again while sticking your fingers in your ears, but that doesn't change the fact that this program is a shell of its former self. Eastern Washington didn't look as explosive as I expected them to be and their defense was much softer than Montana or Montana State. And we still lost by 21 points! Moral victories don't cut it anymore. I think we have to run the table the rest of the season to save Mussman's job and I don't see that happening. This is how mediocrity seeps into the culture of a program. People become apathetic and they begin to accept losing as "just the way it is". And a close loss is looked at as a "moral victory". This is what Gopher football has been like for 50+ years. I never thought it would happen to our program. Something has to change soon or it will take years to clean up the mess.

Because it's "structured". If it isn't "structured", Hak does not like it. When he took over in 2004, the company line was that nothing much would change with regard to style of play. That didn't last long. "Structured" hasn't brought home a single NCAA title during Hak's tenure. Maybe opening it up with some of these guys will help us once March and April roll around?

So people who are elderly, disabled or have youngsters can just stay home if they don't like it? That is what will happen without some type of shuttle system when most of the parking is several blocks away. If UND can't afford to provide shuttles for their most popular sport, then what the heck are we doing in Division I? Like I have said before, we aren't bussing people in from out of town. Maybe REA can start their own shuttle service. Just raise the price of beer $1 and that should pay for it, considering how much they sell at every home game and/or event.