I forgot that Cyclonefanatic = Hawkeye Nation

[Clonefan94]

Um, no. More post-loss fan bashing at it's finest.

Some of our fans are going off the deep end - but our team continues to find a way to lose football games and last night - looked completely disinterested in playing football. Fans have a right to be upset about it. I know I am.

To date, this season has been a vast disappointment. We should have started 5-0.

- Scoring just 3 points via 6 trips inside the Iowa 30? Puh-lease.
- One of the worst halves of football I've seen against UNLV in that first half. Nice comeback, just not enough.
- Up big early on a ranked team at home, then give the game away. I've seen that movie before (See ISU vs KSU 1999). No excuse for that BS.

And then we go down in what is our first beating of the season to Baylor. Now, I've been saying Baylor is better than most people think - but they're not that good. We certainly made them look the part though.

Our play at times has been impressive. At others, downright pathetic (and I'm sugarcoating it here). Our team lacks discipline...both to not commit dumb penalties (that FG drive was just moronic and another PF penalty on punt? Gah!) but to maintain a responsibility on each and ever play. IMO, we lack real leadership. I don't really see a sense of urgency from this team, a will to win. Our dumb mistakes can no longer rationally/intelligently be explained away with the "aggressive" excuse. We can be aggressive and not be dumb at the same time. Many teams do it. Maybe ours should give it a shot.

It's very concerning. We have a lot of talent, albeit young, we have talent. Clearly we can compete when we want to - sad thing is - we have yet to want it for a full football game.

I put equal "blame" on both the players and coaches. This needs to get figured out. At this point, I feel we have slightly regressed in many areas from where we were near the end of the '07 season.

Well put.

When are people going to realize, we are doing our part. What else can we do? Look at Baylor. They kicked our *** and it didn't look like half the stadium was full. At some point you have to stop blaming the fans. This team probably has the best fans in the country. To continue to blame us for their failures is ridiculous. You show me a fan base that puts 40,000 - 50,000 in the stands week after week after getting kicked in the nuts week in and week out. Seriously, that Baylor loss, UNLV, Kansas an even Iowa had nothing to do with the fans. It has to do with a team and coaching staff not being able to play a complete game.

[Cyclones78227]

Every fan base has elements that are exactly the same.

You sure are right, Jon. It is amazing how many times I have read on here about what babies Hawk fans are. And while I agree that UI sucks, and never root for them, I think we have a bunch of people on here acting the same way.

We lost to Baylor, it happened, it sucked. I spent a ton of cash to go watch a ridiculous effort, I was not pleased.

It's over, now we go home, and play NU. This is a huge opportunity for us to put the last few weeks behind us. We have a young team, and a young coach in the second year of a young program. It seems that people deluded themselves that we somehow would not experience any growing pains, and win 6-7 games. It hasn't happened, so instead of saying "wow, I really overestimated this group, but I see that we have a lot of hope for the future as the coaching and talent improves," we have people that can't look inward, so they lash out at the coaches, the players, and anyone who sees that this was a 4 year rebuild.

Of course, there are the fans of the previous coach that have agendas, and when we do bad things on the field they are loud on here. But I guess that is to be expected.

I am disappointed in my fellow Cyclone Fanatics.

[ISUFan22]

I am disappointed in my fellow Cyclone Fanatics.

I'm far and away more disappointed in our football team.

[Cyclones78227]

I'm far and away more disappointed in our football team.

Nothing I have said has given them any credit. They played, and coached, like **** Saturday night. I sat there in horror watching that "effort."

But if you can't see that there are good things happening in recruiting, player development, etc. Then you aren't looking at the big picture. And if you can't believe that is the case then there is no reason to be an Iowa State fan anymore (although I don't think Monty ever was).

[ISUKyro]

But if you can't see that there are good things happening in recruiting, player development, etc. Then you aren't looking at the big picture.

I agree with this and this is why this year is so frustrating for me. You know that when several of the pieces come together some great things happen. But when the pieces don't fit it is one ugly looking puzzle.

[Cyclones78227]

I agree with this and this is why this year is so frustrating for me. You know that when several of the pieces come together some great things happen. But when the pieces don't fit it is one ugly looking puzzle.

Very true, we have a lot of mismatched puzzle pieces that need something to bring it all together.

A win this weekend, would go a long way towards bringing the team, and the fans together.

[mplscyclone]

I'm far and away more disappointed in our football team.

I just want to be clear that I'm frustrated about the loss real bad as well. I agree that there's something wrong if the fans aren't angry or upset a little.

The problem is that people's "solutions" are either counter-productive like firing the coach, benching AA, etc, or they are just flat out dumb like "we should try to recruit good OL and DL players. That's what Iowa does" as if we're the only coaching staff in America that doesn't realize you gotta win at the line of scrimmage to have a good football team.

There isn't a quick fix to buildling a program; we aren't where we want to be yet. I am optomistic about the future as we are a young team and I have faith that Chizik will bring in more talent. I think the future is bright, even though this year is another frustrating one.

[Clonefan94]

Nothing I have said has given them any credit. They played, and coached, like **** Saturday night. I sat there in horror watching that "effort."

But if you can't see that there are good things happening in recruiting, player development, etc. Then you aren't looking at the big picture. And if you can't believe that is the case then there is no reason to be an Iowa State fan anymore (although I don't think Monty ever was).

It's getting harder to see the "Big Picture" through these **** covered glasses I wear. Sorry, but, it's the truth. I've been a Cyclone fan for over 30 years and will continue to be one. I will always have hope, but every season this same thing happens and I begin to question if it's all worth it. After 30 years you just have to vent when things like this happen. You are right though we have to hope. Without hope, ISU fans have nothing.

[Palmer]

"it is always darkest before the dawn'

harvey dent on ISU football.

[DaddyMac]

The one thing I'm a little concerned about is this development.

For years, I've listened to ISU fans talk about the next player (a little hawkeye-ish as well).

After Seneca - it's ok, we got this great prospect out of Texas. When Flynn and the '03 team struggled mightily - all will be well, Meyer is tearing it up on the practice squad. Last year - most are calling for Arnaud to take the reigns from Bret. Now this year - most are looking to Tiller as salvation.

Alot of the same can be said for RB as well. For years - really since the Davis's or Heywood, ISU has been going into the season with our fans considering he team "stacked" at RB. When has it ever proven to be so? Now, this year most are pinning their hopes on Bo.

That's not to say that these redshirts won't pan out. And I've certainly not given up on the players we got playing today. For crying out loud, AA is only a soph in his 6th start. I fear some are dismissing him a little too readily.

But when does the player of tomorrow become today's guy? Or at least, when to the fans stop expecting so much out of next year?

[cycloneryan]

One thing I have noticed this season is that the majority of the people on this site expected another very modest year in terms of wins and losses. Did any serious ISU fan expect 10 wins? Now that we are getting what we all knew was going to happen, everyone goes into shock mode and can't believe how bad we are. We are not good, we won't be for the rest of the season. We may get a couple more wins and I hope we win them all but lets face it. Chizik has his work cut out for him but I think he will get us there.

[tamjam]

Our play at times has been impressive. At others, downright pathetic (and I'm sugarcoating it here). Our team lacks discipline...both to not commit dumb penalties (that FG drive was just moronic and another PF penalty on punt? Gah!) but to maintain a responsibility on each and ever play. IMO, we lack real leadership. I don't really see a sense of urgency from this team, a will to win. Our dumb mistakes can no longer rationally/intelligently be explained away with the "aggressive" excuse. We can be aggressive and not be dumb at the same time. Many teams do it. Maybe ours should give it a shot.

I could not agree with your statements more. What I find so upsetting is the lack of discipline, and I think that HAS to come from the coaching staff. Those false start penalties and the punt coverage PF were just moronic, and they've happened multiple times this year. Let's be honest, ISU is not going to get the top talent in the country. In order to have any success, the team is going to have to be incredibly disciplined and not beat themselves. Sure sometimes, against the big boys that still won't be enough, but that I what I want to see and it's certainly not what we are seeing.

I've been onboard with this coaching staff. I really loved how you could see marked improvement as the season went on last year. This year, however, it's almost the complete opposite.

[Wesley]

The fans are doing a better job of watching the Clones than the Clones are doing playing a 60 minute game. The fans deserve 60 minutes of football.

Our talent is not that bad to lose 38-10 at Baylor, the complaining is for the dumb types of penalties, the tackling mistakes are unacceptble, the playcalling remains limited, and the special teams came to play this year.

[Wesley]

The problem is that people's "solutions" are either counter-productive like firing the coach, benching AA, etc, or they are just flat out dumb like "we should try to recruit good OL and DL players. That's what Iowa does" as if we're the only coaching staff in America that doesn't realize you gotta win at the line of scrimmage to have a good football team.
.

I do not remember anyone saying to bench AA. Heck, we have not even taken a RS off a freshman yet. So I am not sure why you said that. What we need to do is make sure JT is a real backup if he needs to step in to play in any of the final six games. Is that a difficult concept to grasp? Maybe Haughton will help us own the line of scrimmage.

[CycloneWanderer]

I do not remember anyone saying to bench AA. Heck, we have not even taken a RS off a freshman yet. So I am not sure why you said that. What we need to do is make sure JT is a real backup if he needs to step in to play in any of the final six games. Is that a difficult concept to grasp? Maybe Haughton will help us own the line of scrimmage.

I know you are skeptical, but check the ISU - big XII doormat thread and get back to me about negative fans.