bengalcub said:
From your response Dogood, I gather that you played football for the Bengals in the past. I thank you for your contribution. What are your feelings about the state of the ISU football program moving forward?
I was fortunate enough to play at ISU and am proud to call myself a Bengal for life. Even with the current struggles that ISU is having, I have faith things are going to turn for the better. Now I don't claim to know all the secrets to winning, I do know what it takes to have a winning program. Things ISU needs to address:
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Student-Athlete Support: In my time at ISU I have never seen President Vailas. How is that possible? My only interaction with Tingey was when he told me to call him Jeff, instead of Sir. Now knowing the president and being buddies with the athletic director are not a priority to do well, it's nice to know they are behind you. The athletic administration needs a serious revamp. There have been many players who become ineligible not because of grades, but by misguided information given to athletes. These councilors need to be made accountable for their screw ups. Changes need to be made in that office. Now I can't say that I have personally had a problem besides getting my major changed without notice, many others are less fortunate. When I started we were told there were going to be people assigned to checking our progress throughout the semester and this never happened. Instead, this duty was pawned off to the coaches and that shouldn't be the job of a coach. They already have enough on their plates. Keeping players eligible not only keeps them on the field, but it lets them accomplish the overall goal of graduating.
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Facilities: The plans for Bengal Village were nothing more than failed hopes and dreams. The new additions of a new weight room and locker room are nice. But, the practice field and scotch brite turf are in need of serious upgrades. Too many players have been hurt stepping in pot holes on the practice field and the turf inside Holt would make better use washing dishes than being a playing surface for a football game. Players cringe at the thought of playing on that stuff in fear of injury. With plans of new field turf and promises of a new practice field will help prevent these avoidable injuries and will be a great help with recruiting. A dedicated film room would certainly help with meetings and game preparation. The daily shuffle of finding classrooms and going into coaches' offices is plain ridiculous. I believe it was Archimedes who said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.” Winning games cannot be done on the cheap. A lot goes into winning and investing in the program will turn the tide. Give the program the tools needed and they will give you results.
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Travel: I am not here to make excuses, but travel makes a big difference in how a team performs. I have done both flying charter out of Pocatello Regional Airport as well as busing down to SLC International. It's night and day. I think anyone would agree that being in the air within 15 minutes of leaving the house at noon is certainly better than leaving on a bus at 6am. With the ways of travel now it only adds to the wear of the season. For example: Traveling charter involves leaving at noon the day before a game and getting back late Saturday night. Traveling commercial involves leaving on a bus at 6am on Friday and staying an extra night after the game, not getting back till Sunday evening. Now I was no psychology major, but having players up from 5am till 10pm the day before a game probably isn't a good thing. It is what it is and I know it's no excuse for losing games on the road, but there needs to be a better way of doing it. It does no good to practice and plan for a game if we are going to shit down our leg trying to get there. Flying commercially out of Pocatello or Idaho Falls might be that happy medium of traveling conveniently while still being cheaper than charter.
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Coaching: As far as coach Zamberlin and his staff goes, all I will say is that they worked their tails off and their coaching abilities far exceeded their record. I wish them best of luck wherever they go. Coaching is a business of winning and unfortunately it didn't work out that way. The players are at just as much fault and I take blame for that. A new staff is being assembled now and I welcome them to the Bengal family. I hope they can bring success to the program. One coach that needs to go is Mark Campbell, head of strength and conditioning. I have no personal grudges against him. My only problem is the fact that his program hinders the success of the program. As a strength coach, he spends more time with players than any other. Football coaches can only spend 20 hours a week with players and even less during winter conditioning and spring ball. Mark has an hour with players each day, along with the entire summer. He has the most crucial job of getting players bigger, faster, and stronger. Does ISU have anyone near the size of players at Montana or Eastern Washington? The weights program is a joke. It's hard to respect a person and buy into his regimen while he sits in his office and watches movies during workouts. He has no supervision over his players and his workouts come from the back of cereal boxes. This is an area were the Bengals can improve greatly and it simply is not happening. No matter who the coaches recruit, they aren't going to develop to their full potential unless they are trained properly. The players and coaches have voiced their opinions and Tingey needs to make a change.
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Fans and Community: We aren't in the NFL. These players don't play for a pay check. We play for the love of the game. We chose to come to Pocatello to be part of something bigger than ourselves. When we play, we represent Idaho State University and the state of Idaho. The support of the fans speaks volumes on assuring us that we came to the right place. Getting a win each and every week is something that can't be promised, but giving our best effort can be. One upside to playing in these blood money games was seeing the support of 80,000 fans cheering you on, even if they came in the form of boos. Having a busy student-athlete schedule and living on a college budget, going out to eat is a rare occasion. When we do, it feels great seeing a Bengal poster in the window, or someone wearing an orange shirt of support. Some of my fondest memories didn't come from the wins or loses, they came from signing autographs and taking pictures with the people we try our very best to represent. Times are changing for ISU football and I urge you to be a part of it. They represent you, the fans, so cheer them on and come show your support. I promise you they will give you their best!
- S. Dogood
GO BENGALS!
