coaches

[Let'sGoHawks!]

Dominos just like conference affiliations: One goes and the chain starts to tumble.

Perhaps Mussman will be one of those dominos...

[homer]

Not UND-related, but could possibly have some impact on recruiting in the state of Wisconsin--Brett Bielema is reportedly leaving the Badgers for Arkansas.

EDIT: Already talk of Paul Chryst possibly leaving Pitt to return to Wisconsin, which may result in Brooks Bollinger also returning to Madison.

I wonder what the FU Bison Badger fan that regularly posts about the Bison the Badgers on this board thinks of this. Seems like he only shows up when FU does well or there is UND vs. FU talk.

[UND92,96]

It's interesting that Bob Nielson of UMD is a finalist for the Western Illinois job.

[zonadub]

It's interesting that Bob Nielson of UMD is a finalist for the Western Illinois job.

No-o-o!!!

Mr. Faison, don't let him get away!

[choyt3]

It's interesting that Bob Nielson of UMD is a finalist for the Western Illinois job.

Offerred and accepted.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/article/id/253226/

[homer]

Coach Kotelnicki selected to the 2nd annual NFL/NCAA Coaches Academy.

Last year they had 60 coaches all together. 30 of them were up and coming coaches in the college ranks and the other 30 were former NFL players looking to get involved with coachng. Every detail of coaching is covered. Sounds lik a great honor.

Congrats Coach Kotelnicki. It is well deserved.

[green_sioux]

Perhaps Mussman will be one of those dominos...

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

[UND Fan]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

Very well-written - thank you for doing so. I will look in the mirrror and hope others will as well!

[Csonked Out]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

This happens at every D1 College in the country and I highly doubt an FCS program like us is the biggest culprit. I would be much more concerned about the quality of play on the field which was clearly evident on the defensive side of the ball. With average defense at best we would have had 3 more wins. There is nothing wrong with stating the truth on a forum, and I hope that never changes.

[UND92,96]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

I agree with the vast majority of what you've posted, but a couple of thoughts:

1. Every message board has negativity. And yes, that includes UNI. It's unavoidable. And in terms of a recruit being worried about whether a coach will still be there throughout his or her career, there's going to be uncertainty everywhere. Either a coach is on the fast track to possible bigger and better things and could move on in the near future, or else he/she is in danger of being fired. There's not a lot of in-between. It's just the nature of division I coaching.

2. UND is in a little different situation compared to most other regional dI schools in that now with Roebuck retired, we have no head coaches (aside from Hak) who have a proven record of success as head coaches which pre-date the start of the dI transition. So it becomes very difficult to know exactly how much slack needs to be cut due to all the challenges which have been faced in the past four or five years. Face it--had Lennon compiled the same record at UND as Muss has the past five years, the reaction would have likely been very different from a majority of the fanbase due to the equity he had built up.

And then there's Hardee with the volleyball program. He took over a program that was floundering compared to football and probably even moreso than men's basketball, and immediately turned it into a winner. Were his challenges somehow less daunting than the other UND coaches of sports other than hockey? I don't think so, but who knows? Should Hardee's success play a role in trying to judge the jobs done by the other coaches?

Another example is SDSU men's basketball. Right now, they're on a roll. But during their transition, they struggled more than did UND. The difference is, it was probably far easier to cut Nagy slack due to how much he won there as a dII coach. With Jones, we just don't know. All we can judge him on is the numbers.

I personally try to avoid coming right out and saying "Coach (fill in the blank) needs to go". But I don't think there's anything wrong with stating opinions regarding reasonable expectations, and citing statistics and records which don't paint a very flattering light.

[BigGame]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

Great post and I agree that the fans here in general are far to negative in regards to the coaching staff. Many on the forum write without looking at or really having any true knowledge or idea about the situation. All coaches make mistakes just like everyone else on the planet, but some on here will pull up a few minor things they didn't like and scream and yell saying the coach is clueless and needs to be fired. In general the coaches have done a good job and I think it is clear things are getting better for UND football but it's a work in progress. The offense took a major leap forward this season and the defense took a major leap backward, but I will bet the defense plays much better next season because I think the coaches know what they are doing and will do everything possible to correct the situation. The current staff certainly doesn't warrent criticism they get from the uninformed and clueless. If you don't agree with a something the coach does and can be constructive I don't take issue with that but I can't stand the blind overreaction and jumping to we need to fire the coach or staff or we will never be good. Even great coaches can't win championships every year or even have winning records every year. This staff was put in a tough spot by things they had no control over and in the next couple years we should finally see how good or great they can be with a more normal situation.

[Csonked Out]

Great post and I agree that the fans here in general are far to negative in regards to the coaching staff. Many on the forum write without looking at or really having any true knowledge or idea about the situation. All coaches make mistakes just like everyone else on the planet, but some on here will pull up a few minor things they didn't like and scream and yell saying the coach is clueless and needs to be fired. In general the coaches have done a good job and I think it is clear things are getting better for UND football but it's a work in progress. The offense took a major leap forward this season and the defense took a major leap backward, but I will bet the defense plays much better next season because I think the coaches know what they are doing and will do everything possible to correct the situation. The current staff certainly doesn't warrent criticism they get from the uninformed and clueless. If you don't agree with a something the coach does and can be constructive I don't take issue with that but I can't stand the blind overreaction and jumping to we need to fire the coach or staff or we will never be good. Even great coaches can't win championships every year or even have winning records every year. This staff was put in a tough spot by things they had no control over and in the next couple years we should finally see how good or great they can be with a more normal situation.

All of these recruits are Mussmans' recruits and they are no longer in a transition period, I absolutely hate blind excuses like this. This defense under-performing was made worse because of the reasons why they were struggling. Gap coverage and lack of tackling has nothing to do with anything other than poor technique and coaching. If the defense struggled, but could tackle I would cut more slack, but when a Division 1 team is as poor at the fundamentals as we were this year I will state my honest opinion on it...

[geaux_sioux]

All of these recruits are Mussmans' recruits and they are no longer in a transition period, I absolutely hate blind excuses like this. This defense under-performing was made worse because of the reasons why they were struggling. Gap coverage and lack of tackling has nothing to do with anything other than poor technique and coaching. If the defense struggled, but could tackle I would cut more slack, but when a Division 1 team is as poor at the fundamentals as we were this year I will state my honest opinion on it...

Defenses that can tackle don't struggle. Also what don't you get about how handcuffed mussman and the staff was in recruiting during the transition? They had no future home conference and thanks to the nickname Crap had a dark cloud following them everywhere that couldn't be ignored and was keeping them out of a future conference. These are facts and its a miracle that they were able to recruit as well as they were and find guys like Hardin during the transition. Blind is not realizing how well the coaches have done in building a talented team under their set of circumstances.

[geaux_sioux]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

Preach!

[Csonked Out]

Defenses that can tackle don't struggle. Also what don't you get about how handcuffed mussman and the staff was in recruiting during the transition? They had no future home conference and thanks to the nickname Crap had a dark cloud following them everywhere that couldn't be ignored and was keeping them out of a future conference. These are facts and its a miracle that they were able to recruit as well as they were and find guys like Hardin during the transition. Blind is not realizing how well the coaches have done in building a talented team under their set of circumstances.

So are we going to play the transition card for why the defensive line played so poorly, when it was one of the most talented groups we have had in years. Give me a break....

[geaux_sioux]

So are we going to play the transition card for why the defensive line played so poorly, when it was one of the most talented groups we have had in years. Give me a break....

Don't mistake talent for experience.

[SiouxVolley]

Green_Sioux:

May I suggest that you and your group post here more often. Your perspective and your friends is needed to counter the negativity. Fight fire with cooling water. As you said, discussion boards are a reality, and older more patient fans bring a perpective that is needed.

[geaux_sioux]

Green_Sioux:

May I suggest that you and your group post here more often. Your perspective and your friends is needed to counter the negativity. Fight fire with cooling water. As you said, discussion boards are a reality, and older more patient fans bring a perpective that is needed.

They also bring actual insight instead of armchair speculation.

[gfhockey]

I was trying to refrain from posting but the green blood in me coudlnt resist

Listen up... if u like getting smoked on the road vs the top of the big sky then muss needs to continue to coach. I for one dont like getting the crapped kicked outta us so i demand change

How good was our d last year bud? Do u want me to bring actual stats and rankins in to this??

Take off the green shades and put down the koolaid

[Sioux_FF]

All of these recruits are Mussmans' recruits and they are no longer in a transition period, I absolutely hate blind excuses like this. This defense under-performing was made worse because of the reasons why they were struggling. Gap coverage and lack of tackling has nothing to do with anything other than poor technique and coaching. If the defense struggled, but could tackle I would cut more slack, but when a Division 1 team is as poor at the fundamentals as we were this year I will state my honest opinion on it...

I don't know about that. I think the fundamentals were there, at times the skill and talent wasn't. Back when I played football I remember coaches explaining what they wanted me to do, and how to do it. We would practice it repeatedly and everyone knew what was expected. In the game it game down to execution, effort and talent. I could prepare and get myself in the correct position and try my hardest. If I failed to make a play I never thought to myself "if only I had been better coached". It came down to my talent, speed, strength and execution being better than the guy across from me. Last fall, it came down to all the individual battles going on during each play. We clearly had some decent talent on defense, but often we saw offenses with more talent across the board. I would be willing to bet no players on last years team felt their problems were due to lack of fundamentals taught by the staff. The athletes on the field have to make the plays.

I think back to players like Dressler and Chappel. They were awesome to watch and their success wasn't due to being better at the fundamentals. They were faster and more talented. In short, they played better than the opposition.

I think Greensioux is correct. The talent is coming and it will be worth the wait.

[geaux_sioux]

I don't know about that. I think the fundamentals were there, at times the skill and talent wasn't. Back when I played football I remember coaches explaining what they wanted me to do, and how to do it. We would practice it repeatedly and everyone knew what was expected. In the game it game down to execution, effort and talent. I could prepare and get myself in the correct position and try my hardest. If I failed to make a play I never thought to myself "if only I had been better coached". It came down to my talent, speed, strength and execution being better than the guy across from me. Last fall, it came down to all the individual battles going on during each play. We clearly had some decent talent on defense, but often we saw offenses with more talent across the board. I would be willing to bet no players on last years team felt their problems were due to lack of fundamentals taught by the staff. The athletes on the field have to make the plays.

I think back to players like Dressler and Chappel. They were awesome to watch and their success wasn't due to being better at the fundamentals. They were faster and more talented. In short, they played better than the opposition.

I think Greensioux is correct. The talent is coming and it will be worth the wait.

Wait whats this? Another former football player saying it comes down to the players executing what the coach put them in position to do? Blasphemy! Mussman and Mannausau were the ones missing tackles in the backfield not the players. The coaches told them to get into good position and then not make it, otherwise the plays would have been made but that wasn't what the coaches wanted so the players did what they were coached to do and missed tackles left and right. The reason Hardin dropped so many passes this year is because Schleusner lost focus from time to time not Hardin.

[fightingsioux4life]

Wait whats this? Another former football player saying it comes down to the players executing what the coach put them in position to do? Blasphemy! Mussman and Mannausau were the ones missing tackles in the backfield not the players. The coaches told them to get into good position and then not make it, otherwise the plays would have been made but that wasn't what the coaches wanted so the players did what they were coached to do and missed tackles left and right. The reason Hardin dropped so many passes this year is because Schleusner lost focus from time to time not Hardin.

Okay, then let's just give the coaches lifetime contract extensions because nothing they do matters, one way or the other. Then we can put the on-field captains in charge of calling plays and deciding who plays and who sits, because they are the ones out on the field. And if you believe any of that crap, I have a Minnesota Gopher BCS Championship Trophy to sell you.

Do I think Mussman should be canned right now? No. Should he get a couple of more recruiting classes in the Big Sky to improve our depth and talent levels? Yes. But the next couple of years will be critical for Mussman and his staff to prove they can get it done at this level, which is much different than the old Division II North Central Conference was. These are paid professionals and the idea that you simply cannot criticize them (unless you are a crusty old sports fan that played football with leather helmets) is just plain Ducky and Bunny, Polyannish BS.

The difference between UND and FU right now is that Bohl made the changes that had to be made after that 3-8 season a couple of years ago, while Mussman has basically stayed the course despite some pretty pathetic results. We've all heard the mulligans used to explain it all away (transition, "Clueless Al's" nickname folly, conference uncertainty, blah, blah, blah) and they definitely have some truth to them. But in 3-5 years, if we still are struggling, and I keep hearing the same tired old excuses being used to explain it all away and how we should just keep waiting for something to change, we will find ourselves back in the same situation as the mid 1980's, with a program in ruins and facing a rebuilding job with a national power just 80 miles away.

I don't want that to happen. Do you?

[Irish]

I am always amused at the anonymous experts on here who feel they know so much. Maybe dismayed rather than amused. Fire this coach..... Fire that coach...... This coach doesn't understand this or that......... This coach better deliver right now or he's gone..... etc. etc. etc. All from unknown, anonymous "fans" who feel the need to display their expertise and knowledge like they have some special knowledge or insight.

My peer group consists of about 6 of us, mostly in our early to mid 60's in age. It includes former Sioux athletes, long time coaches and Sioux alumni and loyal fans.....most since their teens. Going into the football season, one of these good friends (who played FB for UND) predicted the Sioux football team would go 6-5 or 5-6. There was a good deal of discussion, but general agreement from the group. For all the reasons everyone on here knows about....nickname woes, conference woes, Lennon's exit, etc and how those factors hurt recruiting. He also had a history with BSC football. My friend said that record is unfortunately to be expected in the short term, as part of the growth process for the university, the coaches, the players, and even us fans.

This group of old timers feel the long term strength of UND, it's commitment to athletics and loyalty of people like us who give to UND athletics will allow UND sports to not only prevail but flourish. Building D1 athletics is a process. UND has always tried to do it the right way. A school or two in our region may take more chances on certain types of kids and that can help in the short term. We are building, it's a process. Just watch the recruiting over the coming years. It will improve each year. We saw that in last year’s group. We will start to see that in all sports, not just football. In our first year, we haven’t had the depth of true D1 caliber athletes we need..........but it will get better every year.

Another old friend in the group has a D1 caliber grandson playing in the Twin Cities. The kid has been to at least one UND football game every year of his life. He's been telliing his grandpa and his dad (both UND Alum) for years his dream is to play for the Sioux. He has been looked at and contacted by nearly every regional FCS team. The young man told my friend before Thanksgiving he is leaning towards UNI right now instead of his lifelong dream of UND. Grandpa was floored. The boy said there is just so much negativity on the Sioux Forum and so much talk of needing to fire coaches at UND that he doesn't think it will be a good fit for him anymore. He likes the staff, the facilities, the school......plus it has been his dream. But, he didn’t want to come if the staff was in jeopardy. My old friend was almost in tears telling me that. He has dreamed of watching his grandson play in Grand Forks.

18 year old recruits are very internet and social media savvy. They use those tools every day....continually. I wonder over the recent years how many athletes have checked out this forum and thought it must be the consensus of most UND fans. What we post here is "out there" forever. I never dreamed it could have that effect, but it makes sense after hearing about this case. It also makes me worry about other kids we may have lost.....or will lose.

Everyone on here has the right to express their opinions. My "old guy" group just asks you consider that probably every blue chip recruit we're after in this day and age is likely scouring social media and forums to see what the word on the street is for the programs that are recruiting them. I just want to point out what is said here by self appointed experts can actually hurt the programs at UND, I’m sure unintentionally.

Merry Christmas to all UND fans! I'm confident and hopeful most of my peer group is going to be around to see big things from UND Athletics across the board in the relatively near future.

Even though we have disagreed in the past, I too hope you and your group become more active on this board - we'd love to hear your insight. Died in the wool fans like your group are essential to any college program. Because of your group make-up, your group seems very supportive to the coaches. I'd love to hear some of your discussions. I would like to hear some of your group opinions on some of the issues on this board (not just a blanket condemnation of anyone who questions a coach accusing him/her of thinking they know more)

Here are some things I would like to know (please know I'm not trying to be a smart a**, just want to hear your point of view)

- What does it mean to "do transition the right way" - I hear this all the time, but with no specifics - NDSU has had four 10-1 seasons since making the jump - are we doing it a better way than them?

- What are some reasonable expectations for the next couple of years for the football team? At what point are we not on the right track?

- Have there ever been times when a coach is not working out and needs to go? - I too am a long time Sioux fan - UND has historically given their coaches the benefit of the doubt and a long time to work things out. However, some of the changes have turned programs around (Bjorkman, Burns, Rivard). Other coaches like Glass have been given a long time because of their previous success.

- Does your group ever become frustrated with the quality of play? I too know a group of older fans - having our defensive line getting blown out game after game or seeing a talented but undisciplined group of juniors on the Men's BB leads to comparison of the Sioux play in their glory days.

- What does your group think needs to happen to get back to where we need to be in DI?

Finally, I need to comment on your recruiting story - If I understand you, a talented kid who has a father and grandfather who are alumni and who has had a lifelong dream to become a Sioux, after meeting and being recruited by Muss and staff (and rather intensely I would assume) is going elsewhere because of this fan board? Although this may be the excuse he is giving his grandpa, there is something missing here. Please post more on this board - we would love to hear your ideas.

[Irish]

I don't know about that. I think the fundamentals were there, at times the skill and talent wasn't. Back when I played football I remember coaches explaining what they wanted me to do, and how to do it. We would practice it repeatedly and everyone knew what was expected. In the game it game down to execution, effort and talent. I could prepare and get myself in the correct position and try my hardest. If I failed to make a play I never thought to myself "if only I had been better coached". It came down to my talent, speed, strength and execution being better than the guy across from me. Last fall, it came down to all the individual battles going on during each play. We clearly had some decent talent on defense, but often we saw offenses with more talent across the board. I would be willing to bet no players on last years team felt their problems were due to lack of fundamentals taught by the staff. The athletes on the field have to make the plays.

I think back to players like Dressler and Chappel. They were awesome to watch and their success wasn't due to being better at the fundamentals. They were faster and more talented. In short, they played better than the opposition.

I think Greensioux is correct. The talent is coming and it will be worth the wait.

So .... your point is that it is better than fightingbooya thinks because our poor play is due to lack of talent rather than lack of execution?

[Sioux_FF]

So .... your point is that it is better than fightingbooya thinks because our poor play is due to lack of talent rather than lack of execution?

No my point is about the reality of the situation. It really doesn't matter to me what folks like yourself or others think. The players play. For the most part, the team that is the deepest, and has the overall bigger, stronger faster and more talented athletes will have the edge. Watching our football team last fall, much of the time we weren't that team. Except for the Mines game, I think both our O line and D line were physically outmanned most of the time, which was a surprise. I saw BSC teams with running backs that had the combination of size, speed and elusiveness that UND fans dream about having. Our passing game is at the top level of the BSC and possibly FCS, but we saw that wasn't enough.

My point is we are part way to where we need to be and it's going to get better. I saw this past year as a step. We will get better. In reading your previous posts during the football season, you always seem to fall back on the teams struggles as being a simple case of Mussman not being able to coach 'em up or realize things that you do. If only football were that simple.