My heart and my head do not agree.

[cyborg]

My head is saying this year may resemble last year. ISU was the worst team in the Big-12 last year which included Kansas beating us by 20. Last years recruiting class was rated second from the bottom in the conference. The starting QB is 0-15 against league opponents. ISU's rushing offense was the second worst in the league and we kicked the top returning rusher off the team. Sam Richardson is a good quarterback but opposing teams learned that his completion percentage falls when he gets pressure and has to move out of the pocket. With the spread formation, opposing teams had no problem putting pressure by sending more rushers than blockers. The defense was the worst in the Big-12 last year. At the end of close games, I wondered how will we manage to lose this game. The last 20 seconds of the Texas game says everything. A lot of new faces should make the defense better this year, but depth will remain a problem since there is probably a big drop off between the first and second string.

My heart is listening to all the positives that have been said throughout this last spring and summer. The offensive line has a lot of experience and should play better as a group this year. We have a veteran quarterback and one of the best groups of receivers the school has ever had. The running game is a complete question mark. The defense has to be better than last year. We brought in two defensive tackles who have good size. There are also two juco defensive linemen who did not play due to injury last year who will add depth. All the linebackers will start their first game but I have read that they are good athletes and good hitters. The defensive backfield is suspose to be the strength of the defense. I am hoping that this year the defense will make more plays on third down and that it will be able to shut down the opponent at the end of the game, when the game is on the line.

The UNI game will be a very good indicator of whether my head or my heart is correct.

 

[SwirlyBird]

Barf the last month of football threads onto the OP and you get this.

 

[Turn2]

If you can't be optimistic the week before the first game, heaven help you. Or all of us.

 

[Judoka]

So close to an open letter. So close.

 

[bringmagicback]

Are you concerned about your upcoming fight w Rhonda Rousey?

 

[RustShack]

Id be more worried about all of your friends that are probably Hawkeye fans who will be on suicide watch after we are 2-0 and they are 0-2.

 

[Luth4Cy]

I'm pretty sure for the majority of the last two football seasons no Iowa State fans head and heart have agreed.

 

[00clone]

Of course your head and your heart don't agree. You're a cyborg, dummy.

:wink:

 

[Erik4Cy]

I'm going in with the mindset we will suck for a third straight year. If we don't; hurray city

 

[clone52]

My head is saying this year may resemble last year. ISU was the worst team in the Big-12 last year which included Kansas beating us by 20. Last years recruiting class was rated second from the bottom in the conference. The starting QB is 0-15 against league opponents. ISU's rushing offense was the second worst in the league and we kicked the top returning rusher off the team. Sam Richardson is a good quarterback but opposing teams learned that his completion percentage falls when he gets pressure and has to move out of the pocket. With the spread formation, opposing teams had no problem putting pressure by sending more rushers than blockers. The defense was the worst in the Big-12 last year. At the end of close games, I wondered how will we manage to lose this game. The last 20 seconds of the Texas game says everything. A lot of new faces should make the defense better this year, but depth will remain a problem since there is probably a big drop off between the first and second string.

My heart is listening to all the positives that have been said throughout this last spring and summer. The offensive line has a lot of experience and should play better as a group this year. We have a veteran quarterback and one of the best groups of receivers the school has ever had. The running game is a complete question mark. The defense has to be better than last year. We brought in two defensive tackles who have good size. There are also two juco defensive linemen who did not play due to injury last year who will add depth. All the linebackers will start their first game but I have read that they are good athletes and good hitters. The defensive backfield is suspose to be the strength of the defense. I am hoping that this year the defense will make more plays on third down and that it will be able to shut down the opponent at the end of the game, when the game is on the line.

The UNI game will be a very good indicator of whether my head or my heart is correct.

You're head is wrong. First off, last year's recruiting rankings are meaningless. Any high school recruits won't be much help to this years team and that is always the case. Look at the recruiting rankings from 2 or 3 years ago. Still not great, but better than other years. Those guys are becoming Sophmores and Juniors.

Last year's top returning rusher wasn't a stud anyway. This years RBs are complete unknowns, so the key to the running game will be offensive line. They need to stay healthy and don't have great depth, but from the reports we've heard, it sounds like they are further ahead than last year at this time, which make sense given its their 2nd year with new coaches. Losing Farniok hurts, but I cling to Ben Bruns's comments. He's not a huge homer and calls a spade a spade. He theorized that the fact that Farniok was so much better than the guys beside him may have hurt the offensive line as a whole. He was faster and so far out ahead of people that it may have created gaps for the defense that wouldn't have existed if the line were playing at the level.

There is no reason to think the defense won't be improved this year. There are talent and experience upgrades at every position. Linebacker is the biggest question mark. However, there is reason to think that Jordan Harris just took a year to acclimate himself to this level of football. I think most people think he's more talented. Two linebackers who started last year are now 2nd string (Knott and Seeley). The entire starting secondary is back if you consider the fact that Floyd got a couple of starts. Last years starting secondary had what, maybe 15 career starts between them going into the season. This years starting secondary has 46 starts between them.

The main reason I think this season will be better is the team chemistry. There has been all the talk about that the attitude of the entire team has changed. Now if this talk was only from coaches, I'd say it was coachspeak. However, multiple players have talked about how the bad apples have been removed from the team. Nigel Tribune said how certain players on the team went into games last year talking about how they knew they would lose. QBSR has talked about it. The team hangs out together now and isn't so clicky.

The best team chemistry in the world isn't going to let Waukee High School go onto a field and beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, but attrocious team chemistry could cause the Alabama Crimson Tide to go onto a field and lose to Waukee High School. That is an extreme example, but no one can convince me that team chemistry can't have a huge impact on a season.

 

[clone52]

I'm going in with the mindset we will suck for a third straight year. If we don't; hurray city

If we do suck, will you feel better about it since you went in with a bad mindset?

 

[CloneFan4]

Of course your head and your heart don't agree. You're a cyborg, dummy.

:wink:

Is that what Wesley is too?

 

[00clone]

Is that what Wesley is too?

No, wesley is full bot. This guy is a cyborg. Says so right in his id.

 

[Erik4Cy]

If we do suck, will you feel better about it since you went in with a bad mindset?

You say bad mindset but I'd call it a realistic mindset. I'm not a player, if I was and had the same stance then I'd agree that's a bad mindset. I just watch what happens and cheer on ISU.

If you start looking at what we have currently and what the league has. I cannot see 5 wins or more/bowl game this year. 4 or less wins is a sucky year.

Does it make me feel good/better to have the mindset? No, of course I wish rooting for ISU could be like OSU and expect a national title in '15-'16. I just see no sense in lying to myself and thinking we will have a great year with nothing to base it on. Improvement is nice, but we were putrid last year. If we suck yet again at least I'll know I won't feel let down by the results. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised if my feelings were wrong and we go bowling.

 

[clone52]

You say bad mindset but I'd call it a realistic mindset. I'm not a player, if I was and had the same stance then I'd agree that's a bad mindset. I just watch what happens and cheer on ISU.

If you start looking at what we have currently and what the league has. I cannot see 5 wins or more/bowl game this year. 4 or less wins is a sucky year.

Does it make me feel good/better to have the mindset? No, of course I wish rooting for ISU could be like OSU and expect a national title in '15-'16. I just see no sense in lying to myself and thinking we will have a great year with nothing to base it on. Improvement is nice, but we were putrid last year. If we suck yet again at least I'll know I won't feel let down by the results. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised if my feelings were wrong and we go bowling.

Sorry, poor wording. I didn't mean your mindset was bad. I mean that your mindset was that the team would be bad.

The point was that for me, having a positive mindset has made August fun. If we go 2-10, I'm going to have a crappy September, October and November, but I'll at least have a fun August.

If I go debbie downer mode, I'll have a crappy August, September, October and November. Personally, I'll feel just as bad in November getting if I lowered my expectations now as I will with higher expectations. Some people would feel worse feeling let down and I understand that.

My expectations are are a 4-5 win season with 6 to 8 wins more likely than only 2 or 3.

 

[Omaha Cy]

I'm pumped. I see a workman-like Rhoads and Burnham defense emerging this year. When ISU has that type of defense, they can go to a bowl. Not saying the D will be 2011 or 2012 good, but able to get off the damn field.

 

[tazclone]

I'm pretty sure for the majority of the last two football seasons no Iowa State fans head and heart have agreed.

Mine did. Anyone thatthought last year was going to be a good year was simply blind to the obvious.

 

[klamath632]

If we do suck, will you feel better about it since you went in with a bad mindset?

I'll feel better. Meeting expectations is always better than falling below them.

"I found that if you have a goal, you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed. And I gotta tell ya... it feels great." -Peter LaFleur

 

[Wesley]

Is that what Wesley is too?

No cyborg, pure bot.

 

[Wesley]

I'm pumped. I see a workman-like Rhoads and Burnham defense emerging this year. When ISU has that type of defense, they can go to a bowl. Not saying the D will be 2011 or 2012 good, but able to get off the damn field.

My major complaintfrom the bot last year had been that defense makes a few stops and the offense does a litany of three and outs and then the defense collapsed like a sieve. This year has to be better says the bot heart.