I'm trying to stay positive...

[ladyblaise]

"Beat the spread" "kept it from getting out of hand" "respectable" are all code words for losing. I'm not playing that game. Losing is losing, whether it's respectable or not.

i hear there is a pitchfork and tar sale at mcguckins.

 

[sackman]

Sacky, NOBODY likes losing. But the fact of the matter is that OSU is 13 points better than we are right now, especially given the injuries we have. Does that mean we're back to the Fairbanks era? I don't think so, even remotely. But the fact is that we lost by 13 to a team you thought would beat us by 40. That, to me, is why I have a problem with saying that the players didn't show up. I didn't see this, at all, as a game where the players quit or dogged it. We were in the game in the fourth quarter. No, I didn't expect we would pull it out, but I didn't expect we'd pull out the OU game last year, either. This game was a billion times better than Mizzou. It was better than the UT effort. Hell, it was a better effort than KU. Yes, it was still a loss, but I don't agree with the statement that it represents this team getting worse every week.

Right now we're a young team with an unbelievable ****load of injuries. We win some games, we compete some games and we get smoked some games. Before Hawk came in we were an experienced team with a normal number of injuries. And we won some games, we competed some games and we got blown out a ****load of times (70-3, anyone?). In between, the program hit bottom. Some of us hate the losing but believe we see progress. I guess if you don't see progress, all there is to dwell on is losing. That would be a sucky place to be... :huh:

I guess I'm having a hard time seeing progress here. I'm looking for it, believe me. But every time I look, I come back to the fact that we absolutely KILLED CSU. We didn't just beat them, we dominated them. We've struggled in every game since. Maybe CSU was just too young, with too much inexperience and a brand new coach. Maybe we've been this bad all year long. In any event, we're bad, and that does suck. It is a sucky place to be. I don't like being there, but I can't for the life of me figure out where to find any improvement whatsoever in this team. Offense? No, we've gotten worse. Defense? No, we've gotten worse there, too. Special teams? Oh don't even start. Nobody can deny that we are staring our THIRD STRAIGHT LOSING SEASON IN A ROW right in the face. I have a hard time finding any positives there. I don't care what injuries we've had. I'm beyond looking for excuses.

The last coach to have three straight losing seasons in a row was Mac, and that was after the Fairbanks years. Mac won in his fourth season due to the fact that he completely changed his entire offensive scheme to fit the players he had. It took an act of desperation to turn this program around. Will we see another act of desperation from Hawk next year?

 

[ladyblaise]

Nobody can deny that we are staring our THIRD STRAIGHT LOSING SEASON IN A ROW right in the face. I have a hard time finding any positives there. I don't care what injuries we've had. I'm beyond looking for excuses.

hells yeah! suit em up and let em play in wheelchairs, dawg! :lol:

 

[77buff]

Talking with some folks around our seats, I brought up the point that CU is only down ONE starter on offense from the beginning of the season. Nobody could believe me until I pointed out that that one player is Ryan Miller. Who else is gone? Nobody. Not from the starters, anyway. This team has gotten progressively worse as the season has gone on. That, more than anything else, is what frustrates me. All this talk about "they'll get it together this week" just blows my mind. What on Earth would lead any sane person to think that this team is just a couple plays away from putting it together?

It's looking more and more like the Fairbanks years all the time.

The contract extension is the thing that really puzzles me.

 

[Junction]

I guess I'm having a hard time seeing progress here. I'm looking for it, believe me. But every time I look, I come back to the fact that we absolutely KILLED CSU. We didn't just beat them, we dominated them. We've struggled in every game since. Maybe CSU was just too young, with too much inexperience and a brand new coach. Maybe we've been this bad all year long. In any event, we're bad, and that does suck. It is a sucky place to be. I don't like being there, but I can't for the life of me figure out where to find any improvement whatsoever in this team. Offense? No, we've gotten worse. Defense? No, we've gotten worse there, too. Special teams? Oh don't even start. Nobody can deny that we are staring our THIRD STRAIGHT LOSING SEASON IN A ROW right in the face. I have a hard time finding any positives there. I don't care what injuries we've had. I'm beyond looking for excuses.

The last coach to have three straight losing seasons in a row was Mac, and that was after the Fairbanks years. Mac won in his fourth season due to the fact that he completely changed his entire offensive scheme to fit the players he had. It took an act of desperation to turn this program around. Will we see another act of desperation from Hawk next year?

Sorry, but I don't think 100 plus lost games from contributors qualifies as an "excuse". How many guys do we have to lose before it becomes legitimate to point out that many of Hawk's top recruits in his tenure have not been on the field much of the season?

You have a point about the CSU game. But look at EWU. We very nearly lost that one, remember... I think a performance like the OSU game would have had a lead in that game before the late 4th quarter. Take that performance and add Stewart, Scott, Miller, MTM, Walters, Dykes, you know the list and don't you think it might have looked a bit different? Take into account playing the #13 team in the country instead of a mediocre MWC team with a brand new QB and I'm pretty damn sure it would have...

But yeah, the main reason I can still see positives is because I look at what this team should look like this year, and what it figures to be next year with players getting healthy. If Hawk isn't able to produce next year, it is absolutely time to start thinking of big changes.

 

[CarolinaBuff]

But yeah, the main reason I can still see positives is because I look at what this team should look like this year, and what it figures to be next year with players getting healthy. If Hawk isn't able to produce next year, it is absolutely time to start thinking of big changes.

:iagree:

I'd say next year the honeymoon is officially over with Hawk. I'm not saying he needs to win 10 games or anything like that, but we need to see some improvement both record-wise and by the basic eye-ball test. And what I mean by that is between the CSU and the OSU games, we just haven't looked very good for the most part, and missed opportunities is becoming a common theme way too often. I'm disappointed in this season up to this point, but only mildly disappointed given the injuries and youth.

Next year's schedule is very manageable and I don't see any reason this team shouldn't be expected to win at least 8 games next year.

 

[sackman]

From Dictionary.com:

ex⋅cuse: 
noun:
11. a pretext or subterfuge: He uses his poor health as an excuse for evading all responsibility.


The example could have just as easily read: "They use injuries as an excuse for their poor performance".

To paraphrase Joe Williams: "Sacky is a results-oriented internet poster".

 

[Junction]

From Dictionary.com:

ex⋅cuse: 
noun:
11. a pretext or subterfuge: He uses his poor health as an excuse for evading all responsibility.


The example could have just as easily read: "They use injuries as an excuse for their poor performance".

To paraphrase Joe Williams: "Sacky is a results-oriented internet poster".

You know, what I'm really tired of is Ryan Miller and Speedy Stewart using their broken legs as an excuse for not being on the field.

I'm a results oriented fan...

 

[Buffarino]

You know, what I'm really tired of is Ryan Miller and Speedy Stewart using their broken legs as an excuse for not being on the field.

I'm a results oriented fan...

Don't forget Major's knee, MTM's knee, Scott's ankle, et al. The list is longer than my.........well, it's long.

 

[GoBuffs08]

What sums up this awful season is the ISU game. I was out of town and missed the entire first half. Get home turn on the TV for the second half and watch the comeback. I'm yelling at the TV, giving the kids high fives.

About an hour after the game I'm thinking how bad is CU right now that I got all pumped because they just beat frickn Iowa State!

 

[DBT]

I'm not trying to stay positive. I am positive. Hell, this year has been a perfect storm of negative stuff happening. Injuries, schedule, strength of conference, youth. This has just been a horrible year as far as stuff happening. I have no doubt next year will be much better.

Hell, my kid is having a tough time as a feshman just adjusting to school. Imagine what it's like if you have to adjust to college WHILE playing a major sport. A program can get by with a small amount of youth to go with experience, but we have a small amount of experience to go with youth.

 

[NW Buff]

You know, what I'm really tired of is Ryan Miller and Speedy Stewart using their broken legs as an excuse for not being on the field.

I'm a results oriented fan...

I think you are missing sackman's point (which is actually a good one). Sure, the people who are hurt aren't on the field but that's no excuse for the people on the field performing so poorly. Maybe they don't have the physical skills of the starters but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the guys on the field to execute better, even if they are backups. Sloppy undisciplined play is what's been frustrating me all year.

 

[Buffarino]

I think you are missing sackman's point (which is actually a good one). Sure, the people who are hurt aren't on the field but that's no excuse for the people on the field performing so poorly. Maybe they don't have the physical skills of the starters but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the guys on the field to execute better, even if they are backups. Sloppy undisciplined play is what's been frustrating me all year.

Agreed, although sloppy, undisciplined play usually goes hand in hand with youth.

 

[sackman]

I think you are missing sackman's point (which is actually a good one). Sure, the people who are hurt aren't on the field but that's no excuse for the people on the field performing so poorly. Maybe they don't have the physical skills of the starters but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the guys on the field to execute better, even if they are backups. Sloppy undisciplined play is what's been frustrating me all year.

Thank you. That's exactly what I'm saying.

Agreed, although sloppy, undisciplined play usually goes hand in hand with youth.

I'll buy that for a couple games, not an entire season. Sorry, but we've had all of Summer camp and 11/12 of a season to work out the sloppy, undisciplined play.