gundy1124

I've been concerned about the offense since 2014!!

When you scrimmage your own guys.....from a defensive standpoint, you pretty much know what's coming and you know the exact skill level of the guy across from you, big advantage. Also, the offense doesn't really game plan to attack a defense (and it's weakness) in a scrimmage. So I concur, the D line should look better as should the defense as a whole.

You saved me some typing, but flip the Montana game. The year we didn't play Montana, they were crappy, and the last 2 games we did play them, both on the road, we didn't have a prepared QB and could not have played worse. Montana isn't that good and we get them at the Alerus, just about guaranteeing this is a W. 1st game - too easy 2nd game - too hard Sam H. - Nothing leads me to believe we have the maturity, preparation, experience, or the schematics to go down and make this close. I have a feeling Sam H. is going to take out the NDSU poundings on us. at 1-2 we play better to finish the year at 7-4. If our losses can be quality ones, especially against Sam H. and Washington, then we get in. If they aren't, then we are out of the playoffs.

I thought Griebel would see RB reps before Mckinny. UNLESS we are truly using Santiago differently this year, then it would make sense to have your next best player in that mold taking reps. Can it be??

Half of the 4,000 student left when the game started. Then of the 2,000 students with tickets only 1,600 go into the game. Then half leave cause it doesn't feel like the cool place to be and we are left with 800 or so that stick it out. Why not scan tickets until 2,000 are in the building or hand out 2,500 tickets for the 2,000 seats, knowing we have the catwalks for overflow if needed!! I have brought this up to the committee but they don't seem very concerned about it........frustrating!!

Ya, total athlete that you don't get from the other guys. Look for Morrison on passing situations and he'll be tagged to pressure the QB or lay back for an RB on a screen. I am not sure how UND plays it but normally if you see a guy that isn't pass rushing with full effort it's because he's assigned to smoother any offensive player lingering for a screen pass. Tank and Greer - plug the middle - stop the run - put the O in 3rd and long - bring in Morrison. Also, with depth charts, if a player isn't happy with where he is at, it's up to the player to change that. (Greer/Ev Williams/many other guys) So, although a good initial look, I wouldn't put too much into the 1st depth chart.

If you demand average Greer is still available.

We traded Andrew Jones for Steckler. You must have missed the memo!!

Did Steckler put his name on a committmemt letter and post it? If so, it would be my opinion he should stick with that.

For sure!! Nearly all USHL guys have these non paid advisors. All on a hand shake these advisors will become paid agents, assuming a player makes it. From the football world to hockey world recruiting, commitments, advisors, way different. I learned a lot and to be frank, prefer the hockey way of doing things.

I billited the last 2 years for the Force. In all reality, hockey commitments are very solid. When our player this past season verballed I asked him how many times the other schools that he narrowed it down to called or will call. He said no calls and they won't, that's how hockey is. Most changes in commitment are unusual or changing circumstances. Like a change in coaches, style of play, a loaded roster at a position, etc. These USHL guys all have advisors, which become their paid agents if they make it to that level. As someone said, some of these guys commit at ages 13-15.....too early.

Wrong. I am anti-flip 1st, above all else. I don't get FCS to FCS flips, FBS flips to FBS. If I were the NCAA I would take 10% scholarship $$ off the table for flippers, each flip. There was a guy I think 2 years ago that committed each visit, flipped 3-4 times with UND and a few MVC teams. However, I do understand a kid committing to DII and then taking an FCS offer, or an FCS to FBS flip. That's a different ball game.

......millennials I would like to think 'your word' still means something, and I think it does for most......but it doesn't for a few, and that stains the entire process.

Yes, not for everyone, but probably more in line with recruits today than I. (much softer and with pom poms) I guess the guy has dozens and dozens of photos of himself in his office, not for me!!

I like to rah rah plus keep it real. It's a real challenge!!

A walk in the park compared to the 10 days in a row of TWO-A-DAYS we had one year in the 90's. The only thing missing was a shared wet cloth for water.

I wonder how many times numb nuts called and texted the kid in the last 24 hours?? Fleck is a total stroke in my book. (Texting kids every 30 minutes for an answer)

Agree. The real travesty was the transition from DII, moving up to FCS. That 5 year death sentence makes zero sense when moving up!! I don't know if we have ever fully recovered from that. Is Idaho on a 5 year death sentence going the other way?? That would at least make a little sense when moving down.

Unstoppable- with no pass rush, no blitzes, no pads, no hitting.......(have to stick up for my DBs)

I hope we're bigger at backer, overall, than what is listed. Agree, we do a horseshit job of weights from roster to roster as we've all seen thru the years.

I think Mason Bennet is 255, not 235. Our heaviest OLB is Palmberg at 215. Seems too light at OLB. ILB we have 3-4 key guys with size. Rodgers-235, Williams-245, Larson-230, and Verde is borderline at 220. If 2 of these guys are lost we won't be stopping the run, not with our teeny tiny OLB's we have. Blair on the OL at 270 looks like he's finally going in the right direction. There was a post that said 'they' figured something out with his lack of weight gain. He has great feet!! Ventrelli is listed at 260 coming in as a true freshman, will likely redshirt on the o-line. This kid is athletic as hell, give us a 20 lb gain and we'll see this kid playing next year.

Could of been a slight exaggeration by my source but I think the point was we didn't use Keaton like we should have. Plus, he never stayed healthy enough in any given year.

Go 3-8, then recruit better players until your system works?? I don't think so. We have a lot of talent on this staff and these guys need paychecks, too. Since last year, Bubba has all but held a press conference on the offense changing some things up. If he can do that with Rudy, great, if he can't, he put himself out there. I don't have much time to argue, but NDSU is allowed the luxury to run heavy because they have a lot of depth and talent on the O-line. They always have good running backs, a gamer or NFL guy at QB, cheap shot artists at TE, a pretty good slot guy, and receivers that make the catch but not overly talented. They look the same every year and are hard to defend in the 3rd and 4th quarter. Power run, play action, screens, QB runs, etc, it wears defenses out. Another school, SDSU, usually has offensive talent, too, more varying year to year than NDSU. They play to their strengths regardless if it's a run game like 2-3 years ago, to a stud WR and TE like last year, and this year the QB will be the feature of the offense and it doesn't take a genius to figure that out. College football on offense is about your play-makers getting the ball in space. We need to do that. If your offensive line is average, all the more reason to have a screen game because O-line man tap the rushing defender and move to the second level. It doesn't take much. So plug and play regardless of personnel is out (for 95% of teams), best talent on the field in space is in.

The 1990's called, they want their offensive scheme back-

Keaton was at his best out of the pocket, whether we called a roll out or he scrambled from a drop back pass. I think Kett. is a more suited drop back guy, but also throws well on the run. If we can't pass protect adequately with drop back........hmmm.....maybe slide the protection and roll outs?? Really, children figure things out by trial and error.