State Of The Program

[Irish]

50 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

I would get two books for each member of the football staff and make them read both between now and January 1.

 

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. Specifically read Chapter 8 "Systems Trump Goals": I'm pretty sure NDSU has a system that gets them to their goals and they focus on their system. 

Loserthink by Scott Adams. The book is a tutorial on how to avoid mental prisons and escape the cycle of loserthink. 

 

 

I hope there is a chapter in one of the books about being open to change and one concerning game management.

 

[The Sicatoka]

6 minutes ago, Irish said:

I hope there is a chapter in one of the books about being open to change and one concerning game management.

 

" ... how to avoid mental prisons ... "   

And Chapter 7 in "How to Fail ..." (link above) is a pretty good resource on topic also.  

[Nodak78]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

I would get two books for each member of the football staff and make them read both between now and January 1.

 

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. Specifically read Chapter 8 "Systems Trump Goals": I'm pretty sure NDSU has a system that gets them to their goals and they focus on their system. 

Loserthink by Scott Adams. The book is a tutorial on how to avoid mental prisons and escape the cycle of loserthink. 

 

 

damn just in time for cyber Monday.  

[UNDhoops]

2 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

I would get two books for each member of the football staff and make them read both between now and January 1.

 

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams. Specifically read Chapter 8 "Systems Trump Goals": I'm pretty sure NDSU has a system that gets them to their goals and they focus on their system. 

Loserthink by Scott Adams. The book is a tutorial on how to avoid mental prisons and escape the cycle of loserthink. 

 

 

We’ll probably win 0 games per year relying on Scott Adams 

[The Sicatoka]

41 minutes ago, UNDhoops said:

We’ll probably win 0 games per year relying on Scott Adams 

As a football coach, agree. 

As a resource who has studied how successful people and organizations operate, Adams is worth a listen. 

[fightingsioux4life]

IIRC, after next season Bubba will have one season left on his contract. Which means it will be much cheaper to buy him out than it is now. I would say Bubba is on a short leash next year. If the team doesn't show extensive improvement in all areas in 2020, Bubba needs to be gone.

[Mama Sue]

26 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

As a football coach, agree. 

As a resource who has studied how successful people and organizations operate, Adams is worth a listen. 

That mental attitude is so important... Better Together has chapters of small groups of people with the right attitude making huge changes...

[Midwestern Hawk]

22 minutes ago, Bison06 said:

I'm not trying to say he was their top recruit, I have no clue where he lands on their prospect list. Maybe it is last, maybe it is a non-committable offer as was stated.

I was responding to another poster who asserted that when an FCS recruit is offered by a P5 it's gotta be a non-committable offer. That isn't always true is all I'm saying.

It's always true unless you consider on the night before signing: "everyone on our board signed somewhere else, we need to fill a spot, how about it" an offer. 

Also remember the schools where this happens the staff has one foot out the door too.

[iramurphy]

6 hours ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

Sam Houston State was loaded with guys who started careers at FBS schools and decided for one reason or another to drop down to FCS.   Does not guarantee they were highly recruited, but much more likely.  FCS guys are NOT highly recruited unless you consider multiple FCS offers or a couple of G5 offers highly recruited.  
 

When a guy has a p5 offer and ends up at FCS(yes even mighty NDSU), the P5 “offer” was not committable.  

Not correct. Depends on the kid. They may have an offer from P5 or other FBS program that doesn’t offer their major field of study. Some kids choose based on location, family ties or personal reasons. It may be a P5 school that is struggling and they see an opportunity at an FCS school that will meet their needs. Some kids from small towns aren’t always ready for P5. Usually, kid chooses P5 but not always and our friends at our sister school to the south have gotten their share for whatever reason. 

[Shawn-O]

13 minutes ago, Northcountry said:

It never ceases to amaze me how important discussions of a serious topic get hijacked and deflected - maybe I am too old and this is just a sign of the times we live in, but this discussion has gone from the state of UND football to I don't know what point anyone is trying to make.  I care about the state of UND football, I could care less about whether or not an offer is "commitable" or "Noncommitable".  What adjustments need to made in the philosophy, systems, and culture of UND football and how do we get there?  Or are we on the right track and need to allow time for all the pieces to be in place?  Please try to keep the discussion linear, I really like some of the early insights, but this digression is a real buzz kill.

I'll take the fall on that one.  Original point was meant to be it all needs to start with better recruiting.  Most of the MN commits are where UND was the only FCS offer.  Getting kids in that are on a P5 radar is a good problem to have.   

[siouxfan512]

On 12/1/2019 at 10:00 AM, CMSioux said:

And we all know what 2 years of not making the playoffs gets you in Grand Forks - a new scoreboard. I know you are stirring the pot but you know that no one is popping champagne in the UND football program. 

 

On 12/1/2019 at 10:08 AM, geaux_sioux said:

Hmm, your “logic” seems.... off?

I would say the logic of this whole conversation is off.

Isn't the addition of the scoreboard an upgrade put in place by The Ralph, to maintain their own building? Not a reward for performance or lack there of. They do this type of thing every year ... you put in a first rate building, you want to keep it that way.

That being said, if someone really wants to compare program success, the sample size should be larger than the last 2 seasons (The only bad seasons hockey has had in the past 15 or 16 years)

Regardless, I do agree that nobody is popping champagne about UND Football. Making the playoffs is nice and all, but it didn't even seems like something to get overly excited about, give how we played the last few weeks. We were exactly smoking teams, and we played some pretty bad ones. I think the reality is that UND had some talent, but no depth. We lacked consistency and coaching; especially situational coaching. Bubba and Co. were all to often just fine settling for a FG or a punt, and even when they would take a chance the call seemed fairly boneheaded.

To me, Bubba seems like a really nice guy, I just don't think he is the guy to get this program where the fans would like to see it. I think by making the playoffs, he secures is position next season, because they won't want to buy out his contract; but short of doing something amazing next year, I don't see him getting an extension. I could be way off on this, just my personal opinion. Hopefully, Chaves (despite what he tweets) has an ongoing list of potential coaches.

 

[UND1983]

https://undfootball360.com/news/hawks-fall-to-the-colonels/

They vented a bit over losing the bid to Nicholls........

"Which leads me to my next rant:  how did UND not lock up a home game?  Here are the facts:  UND was 6-0 at home and looked pretty damn good in most all of those games (minus parts of Montana State & UNC).  They were 1-4 on the road and looked horrible at times but did rebound with a solid effort out at Weber State.  Still, they were 1-4.

The UND offense is much, much better inside the cozy confines of the Alerus Center.  In 2019, they scored 47, 27, 38, 16, 45 & 36 points at home.  On the road they scored 7, 20, 20, 30, and 27.  That’s an average of 35 points at home vs. 21 on the road.

One big thing that UND needs to do to take the next step as a program is to win a playoff game.  They have made the playoffs twice and been a seed one of those times.  But they have never won a playoff game.  This was a very realistic chance at getting that monkey off their back and they got outbid by Nicholls State, who never should outbid UND for anything.  Their athletic budget is around 10 million dollars.  UND’s is right around 22 million.

UND should have hosted this game and I can guarantee they would’ve looked better than they did on Saturday down in Thibodaux. Call it sour grapes, whatever, but if there was ever a time to go big it was with this 2019 edition of UND Football.  6-0 vs. 1-4 is the only reason needed."

[FlinFlan80]

I've been reading all of the posts in the "post-loss" threads and I know it is hard to be positive right now, but some of the negatives being thrown out there are not well thought out. First and foremost, we played the toughest schedule in the country and could have easily lost only 1-2 games. The talent is there and we are a competitive football program. To start getting so nit picky that we say our WRs are below average is insane. They were the strength of the team and with how we use them, yes some speed to take the top off is nice, but in our current scheme we used the pass as a "run" meaning most of the time we aren't looking for the homerun. Now, I do agree our OL and DL both need size, there is no way around that. However, there is a complaint about every position group on the team in this thread. Goodness our coaches must be pretty damn good to finish with 7 wins with below average talent in every position group. Sorry this is pretty scattered, but my main thought is trust the process. Are we in a much better place now than when Bubba took over for Muss? Yes. Is Bubba the next Nick Saban? No. All in all though, he has surrounded himself with solid assistant coaches who have our program heading in the right direction. Remember, they are trying to convince 18 year olds to come to "beautiful" Grand Forks ND. It's not like they have the easiest job in the world. I want more than anything to turn our "Hockey School" into a "Football School" but these things take time. Trust the process and if we constantly improve I truly believe we will be a strong contender yearly in the "mighty" valley.

[The Sicatoka]

20 minutes ago, WYOBISONMAN said:

It really depends on a lot of factors.

If the student-athlete wants to be a pharmacist they'll choose a school with a pharmacy program. 

If the student-athlete wants to be a pilot they'll choose a school with an aviation program. 

[Shawn-O]

10 minutes ago, FlinFlan80 said:

I've been reading all of the posts in the "post-loss" threads and I know it is hard to be positive right now, but some of the negatives being thrown out there are not well thought out. First and foremost, we played the toughest schedule in the country and could have easily lost only 1-2 games. The talent is there and we are a competitive football program. To start getting so nit picky that we say our WRs are below average is insane. They were the strength of the team and with how we use them, yes some speed to take the top off is nice, but in our current scheme we used the pass as a "run" meaning most of the time we aren't looking for the homerun. Now, I do agree our OL and DL both need size, there is no way around that. However, there is a complaint about every position group on the team in this thread. Goodness our coaches must be pretty damn good to finish with 7 wins with below average talent in every position group. Sorry this is pretty scattered, but my main thought is trust the process. Are we in a much better place now than when Bubba took over for Muss? Yes. Is Bubba the next Nick Saban? No. All in all though, he has surrounded himself with solid assistant coaches who have our program heading in the right direction. Remember, they are trying to convince 18 year olds to come to "beautiful" Grand Forks ND. It's not like they have the easiest job in the world. I want more than anything to turn our "Hockey School" into a "Football School" but these things take time. Trust the process and if we constantly improve I truly believe we will be a strong contender yearly in the "mighty" valley.

"Trust the process" rings hollow after about Year 5 in my opinion.   

[Siouxperfan7]

11 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

If the student-athlete wants to be a pharmacist they'll choose a school with a pharmacy program. 

If the student-athlete wants to be a pilot they'll choose a school with an aviation program. 

Very true.  The UND aviation program helped us win 3 WBB Natty's!!

[Nodak78]

All I want for Christmas is a stout 300# NT that will chew up blocks and push them in the backfield.   That alone with cure must of the rushing defense.

[UNDColorado]

1 minute ago, Nodak78 said:

All I want for Christmas is a stout 300# NT that will chew up blocks and push them in the backfield.   That alone with cure must of the rushing defense.

Agreed. I want to see the staff makes some moves this off season.

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, Shawn-O said:

"Trust the process" rings hollow after about Year 5 in my opinion.   

Process? What process?

Bubba had a goal of 7 wins; he said as much. 

 

A goal is not a process or a system. 

 

[UND-FB-FAN]

34 minutes ago, UND1983 said:

https://undfootball360.com/news/hawks-fall-to-the-colonels/

They vented a bit over losing the bid to Nicholls........

"Which leads me to my next rant:  how did UND not lock up a home game?  Here are the facts:  UND was 6-0 at home and looked pretty damn good in most all of those games (minus parts of Montana State & UNC).  They were 1-4 on the road and looked horrible at times but did rebound with a solid effort out at Weber State.  Still, they were 1-4.

The UND offense is much, much better inside the cozy confines of the Alerus Center.  In 2019, they scored 47, 27, 38, 16, 45 & 36 points at home.  On the road they scored 7, 20, 20, 30, and 27.  That’s an average of 35 points at home vs. 21 on the road.

One big thing that UND needs to do to take the next step as a program is to win a playoff game.  They have made the playoffs twice and been a seed one of those times.  But they have never won a playoff game.  This was a very realistic chance at getting that monkey off their back and they got outbid by Nicholls State, who never should outbid UND for anything.  Their athletic budget is around 10 million dollars.  UND’s is right around 22 million.

UND should have hosted this game and I can guarantee they would’ve looked better than they did on Saturday down in Thibodaux. Call it sour grapes, whatever, but if there was ever a time to go big it was with this 2019 edition of UND Football.  6-0 vs. 1-4 is the only reason needed."

Sort of a silly rant. I mean, I too believe UND should be hosting schools like Nicholls State. It is imperative for UND to do so if they want to be a title contender someday. But more importantly, if UND wants to be a title contender, they need to be better on the road. You can’t go 1-4 on the road and be worth a damn. UND’s coaches and players need to step it up. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

37 minutes ago, FlinFlan80 said:

I've been reading all of the posts in the "post-loss" threads and I know it is hard to be positive right now, but some of the negatives being thrown out there are not well thought out. First and foremost, we played the toughest schedule in the country and could have easily lost only 1-2 games. The talent is there and we are a competitive football program. To start getting so nit picky that we say our WRs are below average is insane. They were the strength of the team and with how we use them, yes some speed to take the top off is nice, but in our current scheme we used the pass as a "run" meaning most of the time we aren't looking for the homerun. Now, I do agree our OL and DL both need size, there is no way around that. However, there is a complaint about every position group on the team in this thread. Goodness our coaches must be pretty damn good to finish with 7 wins with below average talent in every position group. Sorry this is pretty scattered, but my main thought is trust the process. Are we in a much better place now than when Bubba took over for Muss? Yes. Is Bubba the next Nick Saban? No. All in all though, he has surrounded himself with solid assistant coaches who have our program heading in the right direction. Remember, they are trying to convince 18 year olds to come to "beautiful" Grand Forks ND. It's not like they have the easiest job in the world. I want more than anything to turn our "Hockey School" into a "Football School" but these things take time. Trust the process and if we constantly improve I truly believe we will be a strong contender yearly in the "mighty" valley.

Too many limitations based purely on perception. Perception is reality. Expect UND to do better. UND needs to expect to do better. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

5 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Process? What process?

Bubba had a goal of 7 wins; he said as much. 

 

A goal is not a process or a system. 

 

Bubba doesn’t have a well defined system, it appears. Too much chaos and reaction rather than proaction. 

[Shawn-O]

42 minutes ago, UND1983 said:

https://undfootball360.com/news/hawks-fall-to-the-colonels/

They vented a bit over losing the bid to Nicholls........

"Which leads me to my next rant:  how did UND not lock up a home game?  Here are the facts:  UND was 6-0 at home and looked pretty damn good in most all of those games (minus parts of Montana State & UNC).  They were 1-4 on the road and looked horrible at times but did rebound with a solid effort out at Weber State.  Still, they were 1-4.

The UND offense is much, much better inside the cozy confines of the Alerus Center.  In 2019, they scored 47, 27, 38, 16, 45 & 36 points at home.  On the road they scored 7, 20, 20, 30, and 27.  That’s an average of 35 points at home vs. 21 on the road.

One big thing that UND needs to do to take the next step as a program is to win a playoff game.  They have made the playoffs twice and been a seed one of those times.  But they have never won a playoff game.  This was a very realistic chance at getting that monkey off their back and they got outbid by Nicholls State, who never should outbid UND for anything.  Their athletic budget is around 10 million dollars.  UND’s is right around 22 million.

UND should have hosted this game and I can guarantee they would’ve looked better than they did on Saturday down in Thibodaux. Call it sour grapes, whatever, but if there was ever a time to go big it was with this 2019 edition of UND Football.  6-0 vs. 1-4 is the only reason needed."

Quit laying eggs in Pocatello, and poof, the issue disappears.   

[Midwestern Hawk]

53 minutes ago, FlinFlan80 said:

I've been reading all of the posts in the "post-loss" threads and I know it is hard to be positive right now, but some of the negatives being thrown out there are not well thought out. First and foremost, we played the toughest schedule in the country and could have easily lost only 1-2 games. The talent is there and we are a competitive football program. To start getting so nit picky that we say our WRs are below average is insane. They were the strength of the team and with how we use them, yes some speed to take the top off is nice, but in our current scheme we used the pass as a "run" meaning most of the time we aren't looking for the homerun. Now, I do agree our OL and DL both need size, there is no way around that. However, there is a complaint about every position group on the team in this thread. Goodness our coaches must be pretty damn good to finish with 7 wins with below average talent in every position group. Sorry this is pretty scattered, but my main thought is trust the process. Are we in a much better place now than when Bubba took over for Muss? Yes. Is Bubba the next Nick Saban? No. All in all though, he has surrounded himself with solid assistant coaches who have our program heading in the right direction. Remember, they are trying to convince 18 year olds to come to "beautiful" Grand Forks ND. It's not like they have the easiest job in the world. I want more than anything to turn our "Hockey School" into a "Football School" but these things take time. Trust the process and if we constantly improve I truly believe we will be a strong contender yearly in the "mighty" valley.

The offense we all witnessed in LA will win some games in the Alerus center in perfect conditions, but will not be worth a damn on the road outside of CA and or any other perfect condition outdoor venue.  Sorry, but throwing what amounts to screen passes with the occasional 12 yard crosser is not going to ever win consistently on the road against even mediocre competition(Nicholls).   IMO the offense on Saturday was as frustrating as anything Rudy ever put on the field.  For 2 qtrs Nichols had NOTHING to worry about on D, we were completely one-dimensional.  

1. We need more beef/strength on BOTH lines of scrimmage(much better S&C).

2. We have to have a QB who is a real threat to run.

3. We have to be able to run the ball.  The wind was a very real factor on Saturday and we had a poor plan for it at best.

4. We need a 220 lb RB who can run over people as well as make people miss.

5. Have to have WR or two who can stretch the field and are a threat for a deep ball on EVERY play.

I was at the game in person on Saturday and I was as frustrated watching Bubba's crew as any time during his tenure with possible exception of 2nd half vs Richmond.  If the Nicholls game is at the Alerus, we win by 20+(Chaves and Athletic Department failed miserably).  

 

 

 

 

 

[UND-1]

7 minutes ago, Shawn-O said:

Quit laying eggs in Pocatello, and poof, the issue disappears.   

How so?