Challenge to Board Regulars

[SciCat]

I'm issuing a challenge. There's been a ton of talk (speculation) recently about the O-Line. They're going to be terrible. The coaches suck. Recruiting sucks. If we play Freshmen it's great. If we play Freshmen it's terrible.

Here's my challenge. Let's give the players and coaches the benefit of the doubt and wait until 5:45 p.m. on Saturday Sept 2nd to decide. If the O-Line is bad, I'll lead the charge in whining, complaining and throwing a tantrum. If the O-line plays well, I'll be thrilled.

Yeah, I know it's the God given right of uneducated arm-chair fans (fools) like me to decide the teams' fate, but come on. Have at least a tiny bit of faith.

Personally, I plan to enjoy the waning days of summer and am eagerly anticipating the opening kickoff.

 

[chicagocatfan24]

They've gotten the benefit of the doubt for like 5+ seasons

 

[Deeringfish]

I'm issuing a challenge. There's been a ton of talk (speculation) recently about the O-Line. They're going to be terrible. The coaches suck. Recruiting sucks. If we play Freshmen it's great. If we play Freshmen it's terrible.

Here's my challenge. Let's give the players and coaches the benefit of the doubt and wait until 5:45 p.m. on Saturday Sept 2nd to decide. If the O-Line is bad, I'll lead the charge in whining, complaining and throwing a tantrum. If the O-line plays well, I'll be thrilled.

Yeah, I know it's the God given right of uneducated arm-chair fans (fools) like me to decide the teams' fate, but come on. Have at least a tiny bit of faith.

Personally, I plan to enjoy the waning days of summer and am eagerly anticipating the opening kickoff.

OK. I've been one of the lead nail biters. Nothing I say will matter anyway.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I like your idea, however I don't think we will really know anything about our OL until Sept 30th.

 

[NJCat]

I like your idea, however I don't think we will really know anything about our OL until Sept 30th.

We found out quite a bit about the OL last year on 9/10/2016. I am optimistic that you are right and the first 3 games will go well this season.

 

[freewillie07]

Assuming that we don't see a repeat of the Illinois State debacle, what exactly is a "good" O-line game against Nevada? One sack or less? Two or less? 300+ rushing yards?

 

[DaCat]

Assuming that we don't see a repeat of the Illinois State debacle, what exactly is a "good" O-line game against Nevada? One sack or less? Two or less? 300+ rushing yards?

Trust your eyes.

 

[NJCat]

Trust your eyes.

This.

 

[epicbret]

If they give up a sack to Nevada's ends we are in for a long season. They're smaller, less talented versions of XW and Gooden.

 

[Hungry Jack]

How did the line do against Pitt, y'all?

 

[stpaulcat]

I like your idea, however I don't think we will really know anything about our OL until Sept 30th.

Sept. 30th, 2020?

 

[NJCat]

How did the line do against Pitt, y'all?

Fabulous!!

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

If they give up a sack to Nevada's ends we are in for a long season. They're smaller, less talented versions of XW and Gooden.

Ridiculous...there are a myriad of reasons a sack can occur. To say one sack foreshadows a long season is a bit of an overreaction.

 

[epicbret]

Ridiculous...there are a myriad of reasons a sack can occur. To say one sack foreshadows a long season is a bit of an overreaction.

I didn't say "one sack" and I specified to what position they give it up to. If they get beat one on one by a Nevada end, that's a problem versus B1G ends.

 

[SciCat]

I didn't say "one sack" and I specified to what position they give it up to. If they get beat one on one by a Nevada end, that's a problem versus B1G ends.

And if the Pope wasn't Catholic he wouldn't be Pope. Let's give the O-Line time to prove itself before we play forecasting games with them.

 

[freewillie07]

Trust your eyes.

Fair enough. I'll be the first to admit it's a lot easier to tell when the OL is playing poorly than when they're playing well.

 

[Deeringfish]

Assuming that we don't see a repeat of the Illinois State debacle, what exactly is a "good" O-line game against Nevada? One sack or less? Two or less? 300+ rushing yards?

All they need to do is be good enough to win and learn to be good enough to win the next week. I'm going to take on the idea that the shake up that started the first week of Summer camp is what they tried to do after the second or third week of the season last year so by that approach we are 5 or six week ahead of last year's OL which finished much better than it began.

I feel better already.

 

[Williesfan]

I'm issuing a challenge. There's been a ton of talk (speculation) recently about the O-Line. They're going to be terrible. The coaches suck. Recruiting sucks. If we play Freshmen it's great. If we play Freshmen it's terrible.

Here's my challenge. Let's give the players and coaches the benefit of the doubt and wait until 5:45 p.m. on Saturday Sept 2nd to decide. If the O-Line is bad, I'll lead the charge in whining, complaining and throwing a tantrum. If the O-line plays well, I'll be thrilled.

Yeah, I know it's the God given right of uneducated arm-chair fans (fools) like me to decide the teams' fate, but come on. Have at least a tiny bit of faith.

Personally, I plan to enjoy the waning days of summer and am eagerly anticipating the opening kickoff.

I will settle for a ho-hum W next Saturday with progression throughout the season. I'll reserve the right to whine at a later date. Looking forward to the season right around the corner. Go Cats! I miss my dog.

 

[epicbret]

And if the Pope wasn't Catholic he wouldn't be Pope. Let's give the O-Line time to prove itself before we play forecasting games with them.

Did I predict what they'd do?

 

[pawildcat]

We found out quite a bit about the OL last year on 9/10/2016. I am optimistic that you are right and the first 3 games will go well this season.

Did we also find out a lot about them in the bowl game when JJ had 220 yards?

 

[epicbret]

Did we also find out a lot about them in the bowl game when JJ had 220 yards?

I found out how bad they were when the coaches and captains openly challenged the unit.

They were not good last season, and advanced stats showed this. JJ went off because JJ is amazing. He did more with less than any power five back (outside the Georgia backs, maybe...).

 

[stpaulcat]

I will settle for a ho-hum W next Saturday with progression throughout the season. I'll reserve the right to whine at a later date. Looking forward to the season right around the corner. Go Cats! I miss my dog.

And on the other hand, you have ECat who would want for us to beat the living crap out of them. I'm on the side of ECat. Not putting the foot on the gas has cost us too often, either in the game in question or subsequently.

 

[NJCat]

Did we also find out a lot about them in the bowl game when JJ had 220 yards?

No. See my prior post about how awful Pitt was defensively last season:

"Pitt could score. Pitt had zero defense. And JJTBC did most of the work all by himself.

Pitt was 106th of 128 Division I teams in scoring defense, giving up 35 a game. They were 96th in the country (behind Rutgers!) in yards allowed. They were 127th in passing defense. Rushing wasn't bad because nobody bothered to run when it was so easy to pass (they had the 5th fewest rushing attempts against)!"

 

[GlideCat]

All they need to do is be good enough to win and learn to be good enough to win the next week. I'm going to take on the idea that the shake up that started the first week of Summer camp is what they tried to do after the second or third week of the season last year so by that approach we are 5 or six week ahead of last year's OL which finished much better than it began.

I feel better already.

I basically agree with this but reserve the right to discuss my personal heebie-jeebies. With the shake-up of positions on the O-Line still occurring two weeks before opening kick-off, then the first three games of the season are basically a part of the gelling process for them as a unit. Therefore, I will not be worried if we look unexceptional against Nevada but manage to win. My eyes will want to see noticeable improvement the following week and then will be very focused on how they look against Duke. By that time, I would expect to be seeing the line come together.

Just my amazingly ignorant opinion.

 

[stpaulcat]

I basically agree with this but reserve the right to discuss my personal heebie-jeebies. With the shake-up of positions on the O-Line still occurring two weeks before opening kick-off, then the first three games of the season are basically a part of the gelling process for them as a unit. Therefore, I will not be worried if we look unexceptional against Nevada but manage to win. My eyes will want to see noticeable improvement the following week and then will be very focused on how they look against Duke. By that time, I would expect to be seeing the line come together.

Just my amazingly ignorant opinion.

I'll go with coming together by Nevada.

 

[Fitz51]

Trust your eyes.

I lost mine in the eclipse.

 

[Frabjous]

The team that scores more points will win. Can I haz juicebox?

 

[GlideCat]

The team that scores more points will win. Can I haz juicebox?

And that is basically the first two games for me. Score more points than they do. If it looks ugly then it does.

I expect to see the offense really come together for Duke. If I am not seeing that, then I will begin to whine and sob quietly to myself.

 

[freewillie07]

And that is basically the first two games for me. Score more points than they do. If it looks ugly then it does.

I expect to see the offense really come together for Duke. If I am not seeing that, then I will begin to whine and sob quietly to myself.

@Duke is the second game, Bowling Green the third.

NU needs to be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate, starting with Nevada. Winning by anything less than 14 points would be a cause for concern heading to Durham.

 

[GlideCat]

@Duke is the second game, Bowling Green the third.

NU needs to be firing on all cylinders right out of the gate, starting with Nevada. Winning by anything less than 14 points would be a cause for concern heading to Durham.

Well, maybe I should quit working from memory as I get older. That does change my equation. I still do not see the Nevada game being a thing of beauty. But agree that they need to get enough out of it to get the win and get some offensive rhythm going. Duke is not the strongest team in the ACC but they do have some ACC talent at certain positions. We can't still be on the steep part of the learning curve in Durham.

 

[Deeringfish]

I basically agree with this but reserve the right to discuss my personal heebie-jeebies. With the shake-up of positions on the O-Line still occurring two weeks before opening kick-off, then the first three games of the season are basically a part of the gelling process for them as a unit. Therefore, I will not be worried if we look unexceptional against Nevada but manage to win. My eyes will want to see noticeable improvement the following week and then will be very focused on how they look against Duke. By that time, I would expect to be seeing the line come together.

Just my amazingly ignorant opinion.

How would you feel if they lost the first three games and won the rest?
I'd be pretty happy with that but it wouldn't be enough for a national championship and we would all be wishing they were better prepared for the OOC games. Of course that is a ridiculous scenario but illustrates what could be lost if all this shifting around is a little late. I think they will have it figured out and continue to improve as the year goes on.

 

[GlideCat]

How would you feel if they lost the first three games and won the rest?
I'd be pretty happy with that but it wouldn't be enough for a national championship and we would all be wishing they were better prepared for the OOC games. Of course that is a ridiculous scenario but illustrates what could be lost if all this shifting around is a little late. I think they will have it figured out and continue to improve as the year goes on.

That would be weird. Weirder than Miami Ohio in 95. That would actually be bad for the conference to have a 10-3 champion. The B1G would have trouble putting someone in the play-off. By your assumption, though, we would win the Rose Bowl and that would be sweet.

I think that I could not help but wonder what would have been if the team had been better ready for the first three games.

I vote that we just win the first three games. Pretty or ugly, I don't care. We can start racking up style points against Wiscy and PSU.

 

[stpaulcat]

Well, maybe I should quit working from memory as I get older. That does change my equation. I still do not see the Nevada game being a thing of beauty. But agree that they need to get enough out of it to get the win and get some offensive rhythm going. Duke is not the strongest team in the ACC but they do have some ACC talent at certain positions. We can't still be on the steep part of the learning curve in Durham.

What, are you Carnac? You see the games before they are played? This is borderline Pollyanna . You coulda told us this a couple months ago before I renewed the season tickets.

 

[SciCat]

What, are you Carnac? You see the games before they are played? This is borderline Pollyanna . You coulda told us this a couple months ago before I renewed the season tickets.

Didn't he grow up on Funk & Wagalls' porch? (I wonder if many posters remember, or even knew who Carnac was.)

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Didn't he grow up on Funk & Wagalls' porch? (I wonder if many posters remember, or even knew who Carnac was.)

If they watch Johnny Carson reruns on MeTv they know.

 

[No Chores]

No. See my prior post about how awful Pitt was defensively last season:

"Pitt could score. Pitt had zero defense. And JJTBC did most of the work all by himself.

Pitt was 106th of 128 Division I teams in scoring defense, giving up 35 a game. They were 96th in the country (behind Rutgers!) in yards allowed. They were 127th in passing defense. Rushing wasn't bad because nobody bothered to run when it was so easy to pass (they had the 5th fewest rushing attempts against)!"

With that lousy defense, it was truly incredible that Pitt managed to beat The Big Ten Champions and the National Champions - but not NU! Maybe the 'Cats should have been declared the National Champs?

 

[Deeringfish]

That would be weird. Weirder than Miami Ohio in 95. That would actually be bad for the conference to have a 10-3 champion. The B1G would have trouble putting someone in the play-off. By your assumption, though, we would win the Rose Bowl and that would be sweet.

I think that I could not help but wonder what would have been if the team had been better ready for the first three games.

I vote that we just win the first three games. Pretty or ugly, I don't care. We can start racking up style points against Wiscy and PSU.

I vote that way too.

 

[GlideCat]

What, are you Carnac? You see the games before they are played? This is borderline Pollyanna . You coulda told us this a couple months ago before I renewed the season tickets.

Borderline Pollyanna?!!! I must be losing it. I was shooting for full-fledged Pollyanna.

 

[GlideCat]

Didn't he grow up on Funk & Wagalls' porch? (I wonder if many posters remember, or even knew who Carnac was.)

I was going to make an age joke about the Carnac reference but you beat me to it.

May the bird of paradise fly up your nerd.