Michael Bradley (TSN) on Kotlar this morning

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by herbicide

No one is saying that they will. But isn't a BCS shot here and there better than staring down the barrel of a 3-5 win season?

And I'm not saying I don't want that either. I do think we had a shot the one year with Seneca but it happened to fall on the year we had to play Texas and Oklahoma.

We should expect better than 3 - 5 wins but we do have to accept at our programs current level it will happen every so often. I hate to say that but that's reality.

**JCloned** · 10-24-2006, 10:51 AM

Play good football. Play good football....

I am not seeing it (and I have spent 12 years on the Mac Bandwagon)

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by JCloned

Play good football. Play good football....

I am not seeing it (and I have spent 12 years on the Mac Bandwagon)

Okay..but to play Devil's Advocate we wouldn't have had the success we have had the last 12 years playing bad football.

**rkheil** · 10-24-2006, 10:56 AM

I agree that Mac has done well in the past... but the reality is that it's what have you done lately. DMac does not have this team living up to it's potential. They receive a big fat "F" for every game this year.

I wouldn't have a problem with our record if I thought our team was competing and playing the way it should.

I don't know what the problem is, but it seems like this team is lost. That comes back to the leader of the team.

**dmclone** · 10-24-2006, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by BigBake

Okay..but to play Devil's Advocate we wouldn't have had the success we have had the last 12 years playing bad football.

I don't know that I would call it a success. Only beating 2 teams with over .500 records in the Big 12 in 12 years isn't going to win you any awards.

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by rkheil

I agree that Mac has done well in the past... but the reality is that it's what have you done lately. DMac does not have this team living up to it's potential. They receive a big fat "F" for every game this year.

I wouldn't have a problem with our record if I thought our team was competing and playing the way it should.

I don't know what the problem is, but it seems like this team is lost. That comes back to the leader of the team.

I can agree on something being amiss with the team but I can't give an F on expectations this year. We knew going in if our D was any worse than advertised (which wasn't good) we were in trouble. Well they aren't that good and now they are hurt by injuries.

**herbicide** · 10-24-2006, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by BigBake

And I'm not saying I don't want that either. I do think we had a shot the one year with Seneca but it happened to fall on the year we had to play Texas and Oklahoma.

We should expect better than 3 - 5 wins but we do have to accept at our programs current level it will happen every so often. I hate to say that but that's reality.

Please tell me what you see in the program for future (next years namely) success?

I can see a somewhat improved defense, but we don't have the studs on the field like the last two years. We don't. Bowen and Mckenzie are good, but they are not in the same league as Dobbins was. We don't have a Jackson/Hobbs type player coming back. Parker may or may not pan out, but he is no Berryman.

The reason I ask is if there isn't anything in the pipeline, and we have another bad season, it will become nearly impossible to recruit with the current staff, and it will continue to decline.

This was supposed to be the "year" (just like last year) and it has not happened.

As I said before, Nebraska, Colorado, Mizzou, and perhaps KSU either are currently improving, or will be in the future. We are regressing. If we couldn't get it done last year or this year, when will it happen?

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by dmclone

I don't know that I would call it a success. Only beating 2 teams with over .500 records in the Big 12 in 12 years isn't going to win you any awards.

True...but it's a hell of a lot better than we were before.

We're at least beating teams (minus this year) with less than a .500 record.

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by herbicide

Please tell me what you see in the program for future (next years namely) success?

The reason I ask is if there isn't anything in the pipeline, and we have another bad season, it will become nearly impossible to recruit with the current staff, and it will continue to decline.

This was supposed to be the "year" (just like last year) and it has not happened.

As I said before, Nebraska, Colorado, Mizzou, and perhaps KSU either are currently improving, or will be in the future. We are regressing. If we couldn't get it done last year or this year, when will it happen?

Recruiting - I can't speak to this cause I don't follow it as closely as bball and I also can't speak to what's sitting on the bench right now. Other than to say all players are capable of improving and becoming "something" if they work hard.

"The Year" I don't think with the D we had coming in too many people were saying this was "our year". Our D was too big of a question mark to hope for that.

We got drubbed by the three top programs in our conf so far. We can compare ourselves to Co, Mizzou, and KSU when we play em. Mizzou won't compete for a Big 12 title every year from now on.

**herbicide** · 10-24-2006, 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by BigBake

Recruiting - I can't speak to this cause I don't follow it as closely as bball and I also can't speak to what's sitting on the bench right now. Other than to say all players are capable of improving and becoming "something" if they work hard.

"The Year" I don't think with the D we had coming in too many people were saying this was "our year". Our D was too big of a question mark to hope for that.

We got drubbed by the three top programs in our conf so far. We can compare ourselves to Co, Mizzou, and KSU when we play em. Mizzou won't compete for a Big 12 title every year from now on.

I agree as well on this year, I thought all the hype was a little much for what we had on D. That said, we should be much better than we are right now. I did not think we would win the North, but I thought we could contend for it and end up 2nd or 3rd. But why is the offense worse than it was last year? There is no logical excuse for that.

However, last year was the year because all the stars were in alignment.

**BigBake** · 10-24-2006, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by herbicide

I agree as well on this year, I thought all the hype was a little much for what we had on D. That said, we should be much better than we are right now. I did not think we would win the North, but I thought we could contend for it and end up 2nd or 3rd. But why is the offense worse than it was last year? There is no logical excuse for that.

However, last year was the year because all the stars were in alignment.

Very true on the stars being aligned last year!

Our offense is worse because they are forced to be one dimensional by a very weak defense. But I still would agree they should be better than they are playing.

**cycloneworld** · 10-24-2006, 11:26 AM

Originally Posted by herbicide

However, last year was the year because all the stars were in alignment.

Yep, that's exactly right. I don't want to hear about how tough our schedule is this year. With our defense, last year was the year.

It makes me sick thinking about it.

**JCloned** · 10-24-2006, 11:29 AM

If the schedule is too hard we are either playing in the wrong conference or have the wrong leadership.

**sredman1985** · 10-24-2006, 11:31 AM

What Michael Bradley doesn't see on a week-in-week-out basis are the games that McCarney has given away based on his coaching decisions. Sure, he's brought some respect to the program, but we as ISU fans have seen how far the program could have gone if it weren't for his stubborness in not changing his game day coaching philosophies. I think we just want a coach who will play to win and not one afraid to push the envelope once in a while.

**herbicide** · 10-24-2006, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by BigBake

Very true on the stars being aligned last year!

Our offense is worse because they are forced to be one dimensional by a very weak defense. But I still would agree they should be better than they are playing.

I personally don't buy into this "one dimensional" excuse because we couldn't run the ball on UNI, Toledo, UNLV, etc.

Also, when we are down by 2+ scores, and the offense is "uncorked" it still sputters and dies.

The only times it looked good IMO was the overtimes against Toledo, and the first 1.5 quarters at Iowa. Yes, it looked good at Texas for a few drives, but we were already out of the game at that time, at least in the minds of the Texas players.