changes

[tigersmilk]

He fired a first year full time coach in his first try, and keeps a experience coach who has not gotten the job done for three years. Go figure.

this is a good point...one which i'm been ruminating on for a few days now. Havens had little to work with all season, i dont think a single lineman had more than 5 starts all season due to injuries (correct me if i'm wrong on this). you had guys rotating in and out and at different spots for 11 games. this is a difficult to situation to expect much consistency out of an o-line unit.

my point isn't that havens being released was wrong or a bad move. i just question the justification for removing havens "for lack of performance" but then to not hold amrine or strandley to the same standard..?

for the amount of money spent on defensive coaching this past year i'm am shocked (albeit not surprised) that these coaches haven't been held more accountable.

here is an interesting point i'd like to make, when looking at the conference point averages (thus far this season) we see that on average a bigsky team scores about 24 points per game (+-1/2point). that being said on average our offense put up about 13 ppg making the disparity from the average 11 points, whereas defensively we allowed 38.5 ppg making the disparity 14.5 points. interestingly we see that defense seems to be the more of our teams achilles heel.

my suggestion is that in order to win half of our conference games (which i would consider a successful season at this point) we need to bring our offense and defensive numbers to about 24 on average.

that being said with the removal of havens and jensen we will get some new coaching blood in the program for offense, this gives me hope that things might migrate closer to this magic number 24 on that side of the ball. But the big question for me is, will replacing keys on defense be enough to bring that number 38 down to 24?

 

[tigersmilk]

I hear your point, but the two best recruiters on that staff are Strandley and Cullen as well... I know that first hand from experience with Coach Strands. Coach Z is a heck of a recruiter and "closer" as well.

...

They need "PLAYERS"......

these seems to be contradicting sentiments...if they're great recruiters then were are the players they need. there can be no excuse for this!

 

[tigersmilk]

Coach strands was at EWU for one season, and I know he's a better coach than Roberson (ex- EWU asst and currently at WSU now), no question!!!!

i should inform you that before strandley got the d-line job at EWU AFTER he applied for the job here after coach ray left. and guess what outtastate...he was evaluated by lewis (a former BCS d-line coach) as inadequate and was passed over for a guy named plemons (who is now the d-line coach at fresno). interestingly Z saw it fit to remove plemons in favor of strandley who was also going to be the DC.

on an aside i never understood how a coach could be qualified enough to be a coordinator but not able to coach an alternate position like LBs.

 

[outtastate]

Well, first off Amos was a Strandley guy, they signed him in 2007, Lorig had nothing to do with that, I know that for a fact......Secondly, Strandley and every coach has one maybe two recruiting areas. How do you know that the rest of the staff is pulling their weight, How do you know that everyone can evaluate and your not losing out on a player because or their inability to evaluate, especially at dline? These are all questions you have to think about in the matter of recruiting, you can't find everyone on your own.... Yeah Coach Strands did interview at ISU and it didn't work out, but Eastern was talking to him at the same time. I don't know Plemons, but I imagine he's a pretty good coach, considering Pat Hill hired him at Fresno. I guarantee that Paul Wulff got sick and tired of seeing the Central Dline's get after his offense every year and he didn't want him going to another school in the conference. The one thing that drives me nuts about the Strandley critiques, you cannot get stops on defense if your defense is on the field the WHOLE game every week. I would be curious to see how many actual offensive plays ISU has had the past three seasons versus how many plays the defense was on the field. I've made enough statements, Coach Strandley is a very good Defensive Line coach, everyone has their own opinion, so its whatever.

 

[tigersmilk]

I would be curious to see how many actual offensive plays ISU has had the past three seasons versus how many plays the defense was on the field.

TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS: 2378

TOTAL DEFENSIVE PLAYS: 2396

that's 18 more plays in 3 years for defense...

Well, first off Amos was a Strandley guy, they signed him in 2007, Lorig had nothing to do with that, I know that for a fact......

i'm assuming you understand how recruiting works, and just misplaced this aspect in your head somewhere. recruiting is a year round process, and in 2006 amos was being recruited by lorig. although he was signed in 2007 when the new coaching staff came in.

 

[outtastate]

yeah, thanks for the reminder about the recruiting calendar.... I'll make sure I remember that next time. Regardless, of who's "guy" Amos was. That defensive line was absolutely awful when Coach Z arrived, their better now, but still not good enough. Maybe we need to get you out there to get them coached up!

 

[tigersmilk]

yeah, thanks for the reminder about the recruiting calendar.... I'll make sure I remember that next time. Regardless, of who's "guy" Amos was. That defensive line was absolutely awful when Coach Z arrived, their better now, but still not good enough. Maybe we need to get you out there to get them coached up!

haha, i might still be able to catch a pass..but i was never mean enough to make a good d-lineman

if they were awful (which is debatable) i'd say that had more to do with transitioning from plemons philosophy to whatever strandleys approach was. but yeah there seemed to be some struggles (which have propagated for 3 years...)

 

[bengalbeliever]

Strandley can coach.'
He is an old school guy that is truly one of the hardest working guys in the biz.
I have seen his style up front and close.
I will tell you that I would have no problem playing for him anyday of the week.
He is intense and passionate about everything he does and is not someone who just chews ass, but will give compliments and praise at the same time.
Bottom line on the Dline, we had some injuries there in the last couple years, but......the players need to perform better and get it done. During that time, our pass rush has been virtually none existent and run stop spotty at best.
Perhaps Strandley needs to 'just coach' his dline position, maybe so.
However, I think the play speaks for itself.
We need to upgrade the talent across all four fronts.
Give Strandley something to work with, he is a very worthy dline coach for ISU.

 

[blackfootbengal]

No one will debate your observation the D-line was terrible when Zamberlin came in. As I said, we all knew the D-line had to be the priortity that first year for the team to be sucessful down the road. The question now; is the D-line better personnel wise than it was three years ago. The answer is, no, and we were not good then. If Stradley was the great recruiter you tell us he is, why were all but one of the starters people from the former staff. Hell, they pulled a kid from the first classes scholorship, then ended up starting him at the end of the season last year. Our best D-lineman last year was a former walkon who couldn't get in the rotation his first year. Face it, each year our D-lines personnel have gone down hill. We should have at least stayed even, no we went backwords. I hope the class last year is as good as I think they are, if not, we will be looking at three years of bad recruiting on the D-line. I respect your loyalty to a friend, but if you were evaluating your staffs efforts over the past three years. Would you accept what the defense has done under Strandley as DC?

 

[blackfootbengal]

Bengalbeliever, the personnel he has are what he brought in. If he wanted better, he should have recruited over them and brought in better players than what were here. As for injuries; excuses are like a$$holes, everyone has one. Same excuse every team in the league can make at the end of the year. Do a better job recruiting and you will have better depth.

 

[bengalbeliever]

Blackfoot, easy man. I don't like your tone. Lol jk.
Hey I hear you and agree with the recruiting thing. I questioned why we hadn't brought in some other talent.I was stepping up on Strandley's coaching ability. The injury thing wasn't an excuse, it was merely an observation and factual statement.
I think there are a few higher caliber recruits in this last class on the dline but we r gonna need a few JC kids there this class.
I know the players are out there and available, we just need to get to them and OFFER ASAP and don't wait for someone else to come along.
Show the love right away and get them committed.

 

[blackfootbengal]

I apologize for my tone, sometimes I get worked up a bit.

 

[bengalbeliever]

Oh and by the way, I'm not ashamed to say that I consider Strandley to be a friend.
That doesn't mean I can't be objectively fair about an evaluation of performance.

 

[ISUDude]

Standley's coaching ability- If he was as good of a coach as some on here assert, then why doesn't he coach. If you had been around practice this past season, you would have seen cullen doing everything. Standley was shut out, and it seemed like he wasn't even allowed to do any coaching. The drills were run by Cullen, the instruction was made by cullen. Cullen did everything. Just a question man, if he's such a great coach, why wouldn't he be in on any of those things? And when lewis hired plemons, plemons was coming here from being a GA... Strands had all of this amazing and incredible coaching experience at Central and got turned down for a GA. If he's such a great coach as outtastate is saying, then wouldn't he have been taken ahead of an inexperienced GA?

On recruiting, doesn't the DC have the final say on who is offered and who they are going to target and bring in? Those decisions are the players that are still here with the exception of Rutten and Tuua, who were recruited as linebacks by lewis. (could you imagine running a 3-4 with those two as your middle backers coming downhill!!)

Outtastate also claims that players love playing for Strandley (his infectious energy), then why have guys that he's recruited (milbourne, nailor, etc.) left. If they truly loved playing for him, then why would they want to leave? The truth is that the players think that he is a joke! From his ability to call a game to how he acts everywhere else. They think he is an a non thinking idiot. I know that may seem harse, but that is the way it is.

 

[outtastate]

Call it what you want, I know the guy can coach without a doubt. I watched him coach for 6 yrs and the dude is a great coach. I'm just so damn tired of hearing all the BS excuses from you so called fans of the program. I like checking in to hear everyone's opinions and get the scoop about whats going on with the program, but everyone is so "fair weather" and negative. Some of you people are always looking to point the finger at one thing or another to justify "why" this program is struggling. There is some good coaches on this staff, but damn, shut up and let them coach. It's really easy to sit at home on the couch and take shots at guys, but at the end of the day, could you do any better? I doubt it and if you could, you might be sitting in the coaches office right now or recruiting for ISU. By the way, ISU had to take anyone Coach Z's first year at oline and dline. They had to get bodies!!! You just had to be able to breath to an extent, they were awful. Milbourne and Nailor were both Texas kids and just "guys" in my estimation, I don't kow why they left, but it wasn't because strandley wasn't a good coach. I'm done with the topic..... Save it ISUDUDE!!!

 

[ISUDude]

Outtastate, I must have really hit a nerve, because you seem to be a little upset? Did that hurt your feelings? You say that you are tired of excuses? Then how on earth can you/ do you support Zam and his guys? Everytime that guys speaks he makes an excuse for why things aren't going right. The schedule was tough, if not for a couple of plays, the fans are negative, the offense kept us on the field too long, the offense is calling plays to make the d look bad... and on and on they just stream from his mouth. As to your point about it being easy for fans to critique sitting on a couch. For $120+k and a free car, I think that in three years I could win at least 5 games. I don't doubt that it is hard, but its not turning lead into gold! By the way, maybe if you weren't out a the state you would see how your best bud is really doing as a coach and not just what he whispers to you on the phone.

Believer- just a couple questions. Does being one of the hardest workers in the biz= being a great coach? Also, if the dline in 07 was terrible, what does that make the 09 version?

 

[outtastate]

ISUDUDE, when is the last time ISU really had a solid foundation and good football team? did you play football by the way?

 

[tigersmilk]

I'm just so damn tired of hearing all the BS excuses from you so called fans of the program. ...but everyone is so "fair weather" and negative.

hey pal dont be calling us "fair weather" when we dissent against the failures of Zamberlin and staff. allow me to explain something to you. if i were to disagree with the current president on an issue that dosen't make me a bad american or a fair weather american or a hater of america that makes me an interested and, to a degree, a participatory citizen. that being said, zamberlin isn't bengal football, he is a steward of bengal football. he has been put in charge of taking care of something that many of us love and deeply care about. any dissenting voice against zamberlin and his lack of "care" with the program should be considered both neccessary and constructive for the greater good of that which is bengal football.

Some of you people are always looking to point the finger at one thing or another to justify "why" this program is struggling.

i do believe you understand the purpose of a forum such as this, to discuss and help each other understand why the heck things are the way they are..

There is some good coaches on this staff, but damn, shut up and let them coach.

maybe there is some good ones, but that would also mean there is some bad ones too..? also i don’t think anything said on this board is keeping them from coaching.

It's really easy to sit at home on the couch and take shots at guys, but at the end of the day, could you do any better? I doubt it and if you could, you might be sitting in the coaches office right now or recruiting for ISU.

it seems irrational that you would think criticisms are inappropriate unless the person criticizing could do the job better himself…i only address this because this mindset may run deeper than just the pals of zamberlin. this sort of out lash seems to be consistent with the lack of internal criticisms by zamberlin as evidenced by his near-daily slew of excuses (it’s contagious).

 

[bengalbeliever]

I'm choosing not to take ur idea on Strandley and especially with how the players feel about him, at least, the majority.
That's what I'm choosing to believe based upon all the info I know about it.
We need horses tho and I think we need to go get them now and not later.

 

[john_clayton]

ISUDUDE, when is the last time ISU really had a solid foundation and good football team? did you play football by the way?

Does it really matter if ISUDUDE played football? Really?