Speaking of Cameron Bell

darts180 · 07-18-2007, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by rd4isu

I totally agree 33. And I'm really excited about what this coaching staff can do.

I've purchased season tickets since my first year as an undergrad. I've been to every game (minus a few weddings) and sat through some horrible beat downs. The problem seems to be a large percentage of the fan base jumps ship after one thing goes wrong. It's embarrassing and frustrating as a fan to see empty seats and hear fans moaning and groaning constantly. Not sure how to change that, just an observation I guess.

Sorry, I am answering these as I read through it.

I think that Iowa State fans are realistic, noone on here is thinking that we will ever be confused for Texas, or LSU, or USC, etc.

But how many times over the years, even before, but especially with McCarney, have we watched a team that was just pathetically coached. And to cap it off, they lose games that they should have won.

ISUFan22 · 07-18-2007, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

Can we as a fanbase get a grip just for once?

Find me a fanbase as a whole that has a grip and I'll show you someone that thinks Paris Hilton is a noble person.

I think both of us will come up empty.

jimmycy · 07-18-2007, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

I think most of us are in agreement that the result of the team from last year boiled down to coaching decisions. Take that team and put it in the hands of capable coaches and it's not a 4-8 team. That's the reason for optimism. The talent's there - the question that will determine the season is how is all of this offseason work going to impact the O and D line. It sounds like it's having a huge impact. It sounds like we're not going to be pushed around this year. And if the coaches play calls this year that cater specifically to the O and D needs instead of hampering them (and if the stars and planets align in just the right way), then this COULD be a very special year.

I appreciate your optimism but if you think the isu team last year was as talented as their big twelve brehteren you wern't watching the same team I was. Did we implode the second half of the season? Yes but our talent is very average at best right now. The key to a successful season will be upsetting a couple of teams who are superior to us in talent which is about 3/4 of the schedule. JMO

jimmycy · 07-18-2007, 02:34 PM

Originally Posted by pulse

I agree. Coaching (predictability) has been a big reason for our struggles. Chizik and Co. will bring us back. JP wouldn't have hired him otherwise. If we wanted to go 4-8 again, and again he might as well have stuck with Mac, no doubt about it.

Is this fact or opinion? I agree it was time for a change in coaching but Gene Chizik hasn't proven a thing yet. I have high hopes that he will be successful but he hasn't proven athing.

darts180 · 07-18-2007, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by jdoggivjc

No kidding here. Sure, I think we can pull out 7 wins this year, but I won't be overly disappointed if it ends up being 4 wins or less. It just means I grossly overestimated the amount of talent that Chizik is working with this year.

As far as the MBB, what's the deal with the attitude change in the last 48 hours? Earlier in the week most of us couldn't wait for the BBall season to start because they were looking forward to what the recruiting class could add to the team this year. Suddenly McD isn't able to pull in two recruits for the '08-'09 season (which is debatable if we even needed those guys anyway) and Chicken Little's going around saying that the sky is falling - McD's not getting the job done. The guy's in his first full offseason and he pulled in ONE HELL of a recruiting class, one that may very well have set us up for the next four years. And Chizik's got the football team going in the right direction. Cyclone sports hasn't looked this good in a long time and we are letting minor setbacks derail our enthusiasm. Can we as a fanbase get a grip just for once?

Because Iowa State fans are conditioned to accept, even expect, disappointment. Over the years, how many football games have you watched, and even though we are winning the game, you sit there and wait for something to go wrong (and Dan was good at making that happen for us

).

jdoggivjc · 07-18-2007, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by jimmycy

I appreciate your optimism but if you think the isu team last year was as talented as their big twelve brehteren you wern't watching the same team I was. Did we implode the second half of the season? Yes but our talent is very average at best right now. The key to a successful season will be upsetting a couple of teams who are superior to us in talent which is about 3/4 of the schedule. JMO

I remember watching a team last year that battled with Texas through the first half until stuff hit the fan, the team lost confidence, let Texas steamroll them, and then the game got out of control in the second half. I also remember hearing a lot about the Nebraska game last year, about how the score didn't actually indicate what happened in that game (I was a little busy that day - I got married and my mind was elsewhere). I would argue that we had as much if not more talent than Kansas, K-State, or Colorado last year and attitude and play calling were the major reason why we were buried at the end of the year. We didn't have heart or desire much of last year between when the losing started and DMac's last game. Look how much heart and desire carried us against a Missouri team pretty much everyone here will agree was better than us. If Chizik installs that kind of attitude on a permanent basis (and I believe he already has), there is no reason why we shouldn't see different results from last year.

ISUclones33 · 07-18-2007, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by darts180

Because Iowa State fans are conditioned to accept, even expect, disappointment. Over the years, how many football games have you watched, and even though we are winning the game, you sit there and wait for something to go wrong (and Dan was good at making that happen for us).

But on the flip side, we did have games where we did the unthinkable and either came back from a huge deficit or just flat out kicked their *****... My favorite game is still 2005 at TAMU.... if the 2005 season were in the hands of Gene Chizik, there is a pretty good chance that we'd be holding a Big 12 championship right now. 2005 was squandered away in coaching decisions. THAT being said... lets get excited, there is a new shot caller in town. I wont be let down either if we win just 4, but at this point im optimistic and i dont see that happening, Optimism reduces stress.

if you havent bought your season tickets, id do it soon.

ISUFan22 · 07-18-2007, 02:42 PM

Teams like Texas and Nebraska toyed with us in the second half. They had nothing to fear so why put on the heat? You are right, the score of the ISU-NU game wasn't indicative of how it went - it was worse (bad officiating aside).

If you want to let the new staff and all the good things we're hearing from Ames help you forget all about just how bad '06 was - that's fine. I remember, vividly. I know what we have coming back. I know we have a first year head coach. We have a quickly put together recruiting class. I see a schedule just as tough, if not tougher than last year.

That's not the recipe for wins.

pulse · 07-18-2007, 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by jimmycy

Is this fact or opinion? I agree it was time for a change in coaching but Gene Chizik hasn't proven a thing yet. I have high hopes that he will be successful but he hasn't proven athing.

Of course its opinion. However, like I said if Chizik isn't any better then it'll just be the same 'ol tired same ol'. You're right, he hasn't proven anything, but if he doesn't prove anything, then where are we?.. same **** different day..

darts180 · 07-18-2007, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by ISUclones33

But on the flip side, we did have games where we did the unthinkable and either came back from a huge deficit or just flat out kicked their *****... My favorite game is still 2005 at TAMU.... if the 2005 season were in the hands of Gene Chizik, there is a pretty good chance that we'd be holding a Big 12 championship right now. 2005 was squandered away in coaching decisions. THAT being said... lets get excited, there is a new shot caller in town. I wont be let down either if we win just 4, but at this point im optimistic and i dont see that happening, Optimism reduces stress. if you havent bought your season tickets, id do it soon.

I have been the one preaching expectations since last Fall.

I am optimistic about what Iowa State football can be. That being said, as a lifelong fan, I have seen some amazing meltdowns.

A & M in 05 was 5-7, always remember, beating a good program when they are having a bad year, and boasting of it, is part of the philosophy of the mediocre. And there were two big comebacks I can remember over the past 2-3 years, one was K State, and the other was UNI. One going through a 4-8 season, the other a 1AA program.

mwitt · 07-18-2007, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by AirWalke

No one expects them to go 7-5 or 8-4

Blythe does. If you read the interview with him, when he discussed how the season would go, he started with 6 wins and went up. He ended by saying that they won't be sitting home in December. It appears this is a teamwide attitude, and that's the most important thing of all.

ISUFan22 · 07-18-2007, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by mwitt

Blythe does. If you read the interview with him, when he discussed how the season would go, he started with 6 wins and went up. He ended by saying that they won't be sitting home in December. It appears this is a teamwide attitude, and that's the most important thing of all.

This I agree with 100%.

mwitt · 07-18-2007, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by ISUclones33

agreed, Mac would have us back at 7-5 sooner or later, JP knew that. JP wants more. Gene will get more than 4 in 2007. we should AT LEAST be bowling. Why not be optimistic?

You talk with some football players. Have any of them made predictions to you concerning our record? Or maybe some specific upsets? I love McCarney, but if he was still here, we would start conference play 0-5 almost for sure. I still think it's a possibility, but I hope not.

wgleason · 07-18-2007, 03:54 PM

I don't think we'll see a coach content to run out the clock with a couple time outs and a minute plus to go. I think that no confidence vote by your head coach derailed player excitement & confidence more than empty corner did.

jdoggivjc · 07-18-2007, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by wgleason

I don't think we'll see a coach content to run out the clock with a couple time outs and a minute plus to go. I think that no confidence vote by your head coach derailed player excitement & confidence more than empty corner did.

Unless it's the 4th quarter and we're up by 3 TDs or more