2017 Season

[shep]

5 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

For one, failure to improvise when the best aren't out there. It's easy to coach when you have no injuries and the starters are experienced, but thats not reality in football - players get hurt and miss games.  The best coaches consitently win for such reasons, in addition to recruiting depth that allows a program to withstand such injuries. Unfortunately, some feel it takes 10 years to acquire 2 to 4 classes worth of depth ... doesn't make sense unless you're an apologist. 

I'm an apologist as I apologize that Nevermann, a RB had to play LB. I apologize that Blubaugh, Rastas, Shannon, had their RS pulled because of injuries. I apologize that the OLine had to play RSFrosh earlier than when they were ready.

What coach goes into a season on the first day of practice, sits 11 starters and gives a LOT of reps to RS frosh or real frosh and tells the team, we need to prepare you guys because all these guys, including NFL prospects will probably be hurt for the season?

[geaux_sioux]

46 minutes ago, shep said:

I'm an apologist as I apologize that Nevermann, a RB had to play LB. I apologize that Blubaugh, Rastas, Shannon, had their RS pulled because of injuries. I apologize that the OLine had to play RSFrosh earlier than when they were ready.

What coach goes into a season on the first day of practice, sits 11 starters and gives a LOT of reps to RS frosh or real frosh and tells the team, we need to prepare you guys because all these guys, including NFL prospects will probably be hurt for the season?

Rastas redshirted last year.

[homer]

49 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Rastas redshirted last year.

Rastas’ issue isn’t mental, he just physically is not ready to play 60 snaps.  He’s not physically ready to play 10 snaps. Really like the effort and attitude though. 

[Midwestern Hawk]

6 minutes ago, homer said:

Rastas’ issue isn’t mental, he just physically is not ready to play 60 snaps.  He’s not physically ready to play 10 snaps. Really like the effort and attitude though. 

Completely agree.  Great motor, just not ready physically.  Obviously not there weight and strength wise and also needs to work on his burst and footwork.  Based on his frame, not sure how much good weight he will be able to put on.  A+ for effort.

[geaux_sioux]

41 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

Completely agree.  Great motor, just not ready physically.  Obviously not there weight and strength wise and also needs to work on his burst and footwork.  Based on his frame, not sure how much good weight he will be able to put on.  A+ for effort.

He’s our leading tackler now. He gets better each game. If he can even gain 20 lbs this winter that would be huge.

[Midwestern Hawk]

Just now, geaux_sioux said:

He’s our leading tackler now. He gets better each game. If he can even gain 20 lbs this winter that would be huge.

He is the leading tackler on a really bad defense.  Again not taking anything away from Rastas, if everyone on D was giving his effort we would not be 2-6.  i am just not sure with him at ILB we wont struggle to get above .500 in the future.  He does not have the burst to get home on blitzes or to fill the whole.  Hunt has much, much better natural burst.  I would think Hunt has a standing broad jump in the 9'6" range and Rastas about 8'.  Again not taking a thing away from Jake's effort, has been outstanding.

[UNDColorado]

7 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

He’s our leading tackler now. He gets better each game. If he can even gain 20 lbs this winter that would be huge.

Agreed. Heck, I would take a 10 pound gain for next season. My expectations need to be higher lol.

[geaux_sioux]

Just now, Midwestern Hawk said:

He is the leading tackler on a really bad defense.  Again not taking anything away from Rastas, if everyone on D was giving his effort we would not be 2-6.  i am just not sure with him at ILB we wont struggle to get above .500 in the future.  He does not have the burst to get home on blitzes or to fill the whole.  Hunt has much, much better natural burst.  I would think Hunt has a standing broad jump in the 9'6" range and Rastas about 8'.  Again not taking a thing away from Jake's effort, has been outstanding.

Judging by how skinny he is, Rastas could put on 30 lbs and get around 220. He would be faster and have a little more burst with that added strength. I hope he can get it done because I like his heart.

[Midwestern Hawk]

Just now, geaux_sioux said:

Judging by how skinny he is, Rastas could put on 30 lbs and get around 220. He would be faster and have a little more burst with that added strength. I hope he can get it done because I like his heart.

I agree.

[geaux_sioux]

Just now, Midwestern Hawk said:

I agree.

He needs to empty the chocolate milk fridge after every workout. At least 6 if not 8 milks every workout. 5 large meals a day. Extra lifts in his spare time. When Rattelle came in he was 230 and didn’t look like he had room for another ounce of muscle. He left UND at about 255. And he got faster. Rastas and a bunch of his teammates need to commit to that lifestyle, it sucks but it’s worth it.

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

3 hours ago, shep said:

This is the whole chicken/egg issue of the season.

I think the injuries could never be anticipated to such a magnitude, so there was no way to prepare for them.

The other "issues" are NOT issues IF the injuries are not so severe and the team keeps winning. IF the injuries had not occurred AND the team was losing like they are, then the other "issues" need to be examined. 

I guess I'm not sure the other "issues" exist without the injury induced losses. 

At this point I would think that this is the best case scenario and I hope you are right. 

[fightingsioux4life]

3 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

For one, failure to improvise when the best aren't out there. It's easy to coach when you have no injuries and the starters are experienced, but thats not reality in football - players get hurt and miss games.  The best coaches consitently win for such reasons, in addition to recruiting depth that allows a program to withstand such injuries. Unfortunately, some feel it takes 10 years to acquire 2 to 4 classes worth of depth ... doesn't make sense unless you're an apologist. 

I have never said anything about 10 years. I don't think anyone else has either. All I have said is that building depth on a team that basically was starting over from scratch takes time, more time than our 24/7, instant gratification obsessed society is willing to give. You talk like they should be knocking on the door of Frisco, TX right now and that just isn't realistic. But keep indirectly calling for regime change if that makes you feel better.

[Cratter]

23 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

 You talk like they should be knocking on the door of Frisco, TX right now and that just isn't realistic. 

They should be able to beat a team at home that hasn't won on the road in two years. 

They also shouldn't set a record this year's for the most points given up in consecutive games in UND history.

[fightingsioux4life]

Just now, Cratter said:

They should be able to beat a team at home that hasn't won on the road in two years. 

They also shouldn't set a record this year's for the most points given up in consecutive games in UND history.

Yeah, true freshmen and redshirt freshmen should get the exact same results as veteran starters, some of whom are being looked at by NFL scouts.

[Midwestern Hawk]

9 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Yeah, true freshmen and redshirt freshmen should get the exact same results as veteran starters, some of whom are being looked at by NFL scouts.

What should the expectations be then?  Remember this was a consensus FCS top10 team to start the season which was also favored to repeat as Big Sky Champions.  A collapse of this magnitude rarely happens in sports.  It would be different if UND was losing a bunch of close games, but the offense sputters and the defense cant stop anyone.  We are seeing some "not ready for prime time" players not getting put into position to compensate for their short-comings and then not calling the plays on O and D that can be carried out to give us a chance to win.

[Cratter]

8 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Yeah, true freshmen and redshirt freshmen should get the exact same results as veteran starters, some of whom are being looked at by NFL scouts.

That's what Sac State and Northern Colorado tell themselves every year.

[jdub27]

8 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

What should the expectations be then?  Remember this was a consensus FCS top10 team to start the season which was also favored to repeat as Big Sky Champions.  A collapse of this magnitude rarely happens in sports.  It would be different if UND was losing a bunch of close games, but the offense sputters and the defense cant stop anyone.  We are seeing some "not ready for prime time" players not getting put into position to compensate for their short-comings and then not calling the plays on O and D that can be carried out to give us a chance to win.

The team that UND has been able to put on the field is a far cry from the team that was a consensus top 10 team, like over half of the two deep has changed. There is absolutely no debate about that and the comparison isn't a fair one. One of them had 2 All-American anchoring the secondary, the other has third stringers and true freshman playing almost every defensive snap. Not a real big surprise to see a dropoff when that is just a snapshot of the injury issues the team is dealing with.

[Midwestern Hawk]

1 minute ago, jdub27 said:

The team that UND has been able to put on the field is a far cry from the team that was a consensus top 10 team. There is absolutely no debate about that and the comparison isn't a fair one. One of them had 2 All-American anchoring the secondary, the other has third stringers and true freshman playing almost every defensive snap. Not a real big surprise to see a dropoff when that is just a snapshot of issues the team is dealing with.

I agree the expectations do need to be changed.  blown out in most games?

[geaux_sioux]

6 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

I agree the expectations do need to be changed.  blown out in most games?

There's no reason to not compete. The teams we're playing aren't that good. Sac St is not good, we need to win that game no matter who is playing.

[UND-FB-FAN]

1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I have never said anything about 10 years. I don't think anyone else has either. All I have said is that building depth on a team that basically was starting over from scratch takes time, more time than our 24/7, instant gratification obsessed society is willing to give. You talk like they should be knocking on the door of Frisco, TX right now and that just isn't realistic. But keep indirectly calling for regime change if that makes you feel better.

Preseason expectations and polls indicated Frisco was a possibility this season. It's easy to forget when you strive for lowly expectations on a regular basis. 

[fightingsioux4life]

2 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Preseason expectations and polls indicated Frisco was a possibility this season. It's easy to forget when you strive for lowly expectations on a regular basis. 

I do not "strive" for "lowly expectations on a regular basis". And neither do Bubba and his staff.

That said, if this happens next year without the injuries and there are more drug busts and whatever else, then I will start asking some tough questions. I do hope Bubba replaces Rudolph as OC (he has talent that he is just not using) and perhaps the special teams coach as well. If he doesn't, then I also will ask questions about that too.

[fightingsioux4life]

12 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Preseason expectations and polls indicated Frisco was a possibility this season. It's easy to forget when you strive for lowly expectations on a regular basis. 

And honestly, I think the Frisco talk was a little premature even before the injuries. I certainly wanted to make the playoffs again. And this time win at least one (maybe even two) games.

[Great white]

2 hours ago, geaux_sioux said:

He needs to empty the chocolate milk fridge after every workout. At least 6 if not 8 milks every workout. 5 large meals a day. Extra lifts in his spare time. When Rattelle came in he was 230 and didn’t look like he had room for another ounce of muscle. He left UND at about 255. And he got faster. Rastas and a bunch of his teammates need to commit to that lifestyle, it sucks but it’s worth it.

Looking at the Defensive stats it appears that other than Tank, Bennett and Wilson as sophomores are getting something done. Bennett with 5.5 tackles for loss, Wilson with 2, each with sacks.  Whats wrong with Juniors and Seniors.  Bennett and Wilson have limited reps each game with maybe 20 plays at times and are still making the plays.  Why not let the guys making the plays get the majority of reps?  Is this still the philosophy of a Senior has earned his time??? If so things may not get any better any time soon. Best man should be in the game.

[geaux_sioux]

5 minutes ago, Great white said:

Looking at the Defensive stats it appears that other than Tank, Bennett and Wilson as sophomores are getting something done. Bennett with 5.5 tackles for loss, Wilson with 2, each with sacks.  Whats wrong with Juniors and Seniors.  Bennett and Wilson have limited reps each game with maybe 20 plays at times and are still making the plays.  Why not let the guys making the plays get the majority of reps?  Is this still the philosophy of a Senior has earned his time??? If so things may not get any better any time soon. Best man should be in the game.

Half the time Bennett and Wilson are on skates because they aren't strong enough. They have good speed and agility but they don't help us much against the run. Stats on a bad defense are misleading. Those two need to be above 250lbs.

[Sioux94]

1 hour ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

I agree the expectations do need to be changed.  blown out in most games?

Sac didn't blow us out.  If they didn't get the fumble and returned it for a TD, and we didn't get a FG blocked maybe we win.  Montana was a blow out, but that was based upon an epic moronic coaching decision to not play a QB the entire first half of the game.  If Z was in that game from the get go.....not saying we win but may very well have been competitive going into the 4th quarter.   Also....we did beat UNC, man.....what must UNC fans be thinking if they got beat by us when they were healthy.