Good Game Bengals

[Common Cat]

Bengal Fans and Players,

This is my first post over here. I just wanted to say, you guys have a better football team than your record shows. I'm very impressed with your team and how you're players kept playing. I can' t imagine how the players feel, and I feel bad for that. I hope they keep their heads up, and continue to play for each other. Anyways, you gave us all we could handle and are definitely better than years previous. I sure hate blown calls, and obviously we were out on the three...who knows what happens after that. I'm glad we won, but it is a bitter sweet victory- in a game like that, you don't want to see any team lose. My hat is off to you. You guys are about to start winning some games. I think the worst is behind you.

 

[spudbowl]

Classy, thanks. MSU is going to be a power for many years with your QB, he's the real deal.

 

[catbob]

I was impressed with your effort today! The team was fired up, not always easy to do when you are having a bad season. The ISU defense played with a lot of heart and layed the wood several times.

 

[bill_idaflls]

I've felt for a long time that Bobcat fans are the *class* of the conference. My wife and I have always been warmly welcomed when we've attended an ISU game in Bozeman. They know how to tailgate and welcome visitors. However much I appreciate the postings, I hope ISU doesn't become the Chicago Cubs of the Big Sky--those loveable losers that everyone likes to have on their schedule.

 

[Old Skool Cat]

Wow, what can I say Bengal fans, other than great game. ISU seems like they are just about there. The past couple seasons you have really battled and unfortunately, don't have much too show for those efforts. I was worried about this game from the get-go, and I thought your boys played their guts out. Our QB was clearly out of bounds on the three yard line. I think we could have kicked a FG from there to at least tie, but who knows - you may have been able to stuff us on three downs to keep us out of the end zone. Tough way to lose, but believe me, the Cats have been there.

On a side note, I know there has been a lot of complaining about Coach Z here, and I didn't really think about it too much until late in this game. There were several drives late in the game where your best playmaker, Tavoy Moore, wasn't even on the field! WTH?! And when he was in there, I didn't think the ISU playcalling was utilizing him at his best. This kid is a playmaker -- get him out in space one-on-one!! Quit running him right up the gut. The Cats are not as good on defense this year as we have been in the past, but run defense is still our strength. Get Moore to the outside on screens, passes in the flat, how about a shovel pass? Maybe it is time for ISU to mix it up and dump this current staff; there seems to be a lot of good talent on this Bengal team, but it just isn't being utilized right. Keep your chins up, Bengal fans!

 

[sasquatch]

there seems to be a lot of good talent on this Bengal team, but it just isn't being utilized right. Keep your chins up, Bengal fans!

Bingo!

Hats off to those defensive players who have moved to the offensive side and done as good a job as possible. It still makes me scratch my head though as to why a defensive player who doesn't start on that side of the ball can suddenly move over to offense and start there (over 2 or 3 deep players there).

 

[ddlalum]

Great game this weekend Bengals. You guys have a better team than what your record would indicate. The past couple of years you have played good teams very close, and should have won some of those games. I truly hope things are turning around there at ISU. I would love to see ISU playing for championships again, having that dome of yours packed for critical games. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the old Big Sky members, and wish the best for ISU.

There is no doubt you have some talented players who play hard and give it all. You should be proud of the effort the team is playing with. I know as a football fan, it was great to see your boys playing with such pride and intensity. I guess when both teams can’t win, OT is as closes as it can get.

Good luck in Georgia. Make the Big Sky proud.




P.S, My daughter was asking about Benny the Bengal’s costume. What’s up with that? Does that getup have some relevance towards the university?

 

[SLCBengal]

ddlalum, that was Benny's clown costume for Halloween. Relevance? I guess it depends on who you ask!

 

[blackfootbengal]

Why do Defensive players start over players who were already on the offensive side of the ball, ask Zamberlin. Seems like a couple are part of the group who hang out in his office all the time. As for ability, it does not matter in Tylers case, we don't have anyone else to play right now. I just hope our QB's can survive his ducking his head when he pass blocks. If you wonder about the sacks, look where the pressure is coming from, right up the middle. There is no place for the QB to go but down, half the time our QB is getting hit during his play action fake which is what happened on Hill's fumble. When he had time he found the open guy for good gains. Unfortunately, time was not something the QB had. I cannot figure out why Alber's who by the way is less than average as a pass receiver and blocker is getting time ahead of Ward who is both a good blocker and receiver, go figure, maybe Ward should hang out with Zamberlin more. We lost seven skill position players coming into this year and replaced them with three. Four wideouts and three RB's, we replace them with Moore, White, and Cowherd who was recruited to play Safety. And you wonder why our offense is getting worse. The reason we could move Defense to Offense, Zamberlin over recruited the Defensive side of the ball. Now our defense is average, yes giving up five hundred yards a game is average, you cannot count on the other team fumbling to keep them from scoring every game. And our offense is less than average. No depth on the Oline, RB, and WR. Our fourth best reciever walked on and is a true freshman. As I have said before, Zamberlin's biggest problem is recruiting, just does not get it. You have to have both defense and offense, you cannot recruit one side more than the other.

 

[ISUDude]

Zamberlin puts together his roster similar to his staff. His boys and favorites sit pretty, and if you're on the outside then you are SOL. Guys like Hutton, Arias, and others are thrown out to the wolves, either benched or put in a no win situation while the guys who sit at Z's table don't have to worry at all. Z is a terrible manager. Tech you said it. You have to give equal attention to the entire team, not just a side of the ball or a position. Your staff has to all be qualified, not just one or two guys (if we even have that on the staff). I cannot wait for this circus to get out of pocatello.

 

[GOBIGORANGE]

Forthall...Really are you going to slam players that are working hard for the benefit of the TEAM. Do you really believe all those defensive players that have played their defensive spots for 2 to 3 years are HAPPY about being switched over to the offensive side of the ball...blame the coaching staff not the players. And as far as your QB goes, I am a Russell fan but I am not blind. Russel gets set on his target and never, never, never goes thru his progressions. The offensive play calling is terrible. That last loss was play calling. The players gave it their all but they can't call the plays.

 

[blackfootbengal]

I'll call them out when they were asked to make the move two years ago and didn't because they put themselves before the team. It was obvious two years ago that Tyler was going to be a backup D-linemen. He was asked then to make the move to offense, he said no. He is still a backup D-lineman and now because of poor recruiting and injuries he is forced to play Oline. If he had made the move when asked he may have became a starter who earned his position rather than someone who is forced to play a position and is bad at it because now he is learning on the run. Hill may or may not be locking on to receivers, that usually leads to interceptions rather than sacks. Right now the QB, no matter who it is, gets just enough time to look at one to two receivers. They don't have time to look through the whole progression. When given time both Hill and Morris were able to find someone open. Unfortunately, getting time does not happen often. In Morris's case he began throwing the ball up for grabs and getting intercepted. In watching, I feel Hill is having trouble trusting his receivers right now. To many dropped balls and bad routes have made it difficult for him to just wing it. Combined with the fact that he seems to really be trying not to get intercepted by forcing the ball.

 

[Kelly2060]

Normally I would never respond to these kinds of blogs where people get to hide behind anonymity and half truths. If you are so close to the program then you would have the facts and be able to stand behind them. If you are going to use player’s names then use stats or watch the film and back up your statements. I would also like to know if you have every coached or played college football. You are entitled to share your opinion, but calling players out specifically and using incorrect information is unfathomable to me. Blogs like yours do not help a program, but just tear the program down, when so many of the comments were positive. The team is making improvements and you are going after specific individuals. This is a team sport, not an individual performance. It takes a team to win and these young men are learning the hard way that they have to play as a team! You know nothing about the players you are referring to and need to do some fact checking before making your next post and share where you are getting your information from. These boys want a win more than someone like you could ever imagine and the moves that the coaches made are the coaching choices not the players. Do you really think a player is telling a coach that they will not move to a new position? Really this is college football and the players do not dictate where they play. Each player knows what they did and did not contribute to the team every game and most are their own worst critics. BTW the depth chart was incorrect most of last year and part of this year, so again do some fact checking. If you are as close to the programs as you allude to in your blogs then again fill us in on where you are getting your information? Clearly you are not getting the full picture, but feel qualified to comment on individuals. I can’t stop you from commenting or participating in this negative unproductive manner, but I encourage you to be more ethical and refrain from going after specific players. Don’t bother replying to this post. This is the first and the last time I will respond to your comments. I do applaud the many positive comments and encouragement that others have posted. This is what the boys need when they are trying so hard to get a win! I wish them the best of luck this next weekend and pray that there are no injuries. I wish I could be there to watch them get to experience a program like Georgia. Years from now the score will not matter, but the experience will. GO BENGALS! Kelly Weber

 

[spartan]

kelly,

in your sanctimonious sermon from on high, your vain attempt to help us mere mortal members of the proletariat - you forgot to identify yourself - thereby joining those whom you deem to scold for hiding behind anonymity and half truths... welcome to the club... try not to lower yourself to our level so much in the future...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[blackfootbengal]

If you don't know who I am, you’re not close to the team. No matter which handle I use; BLACKFOOTBENGAL, JAKE, FORTHALLTECH, I'm easy to identify and the regulars on the board can spot me anywhere I post. I have been following Bengal football since 1982 when I moved seven blocks from the Dome. I watch practice every chance I get, every day during two a days, and over the years have learned to recognize talent. I traveled with the team through two coaching staffs and one full year with Zamberlin and part of another before I blew up on the board. Trust me, I know what goes on in the program and I have seen how a team should be managed. Even Walsh was more organized than Zamberlin. Zamberlin, unlike our previous coaches reads message board, not smart when everything you do is open to debate. He also can't take critisisim, another reason he should not read message boards. I had a moment of doubt when I found out he was having trouble getting a staff put together and his OC and DC were not coming with him, but like everyone else I ignored the warning signs. I also like everyone else who posts on the message board had great hopes for our teams’ future. It only took two recruiting classes for me to lose that hope. Lewis had his faults like everyone else, but the man could recruit. He also understood that having the best players does not help if you cannot get them on the field. He and his staff made sure the players were eligible. Recruiting and retention are the life blood of any college football program and something that Zamberlin does not do well. Bringing in players on scholarship who will never develop is a losing proposition. Of his first class the only player who developed of the three left is Krosch. The other two were third team players on defense until moved to offense. Of the second class, Clayson and Storm are the only two who have developed. There were others but none are with the team now. The next two classes have been better, but retention is still a problem. In addition I’m seeing a trend where we keep losing offensive players. I have to wonder why this has happened since Zamberlin came here. At first Orthman was the one to blame, but he has been gone for two years. Who do we blame now? Makes me wonder if moving defensive players to offense, which have not played a position since they came to ISU or may have never played the position, then inserting them in the line-up ahead of players who have been playing the position for years, may have something to do with the players leaving. Believe me, being on defense does not equate to being a better offensive player than you already have. For some reason Zamblerlin believes that it does. He also seems to believe that a friendship with his family makes you a better player. Granted the offense has some injuries, but do they have any more than anyone else in the league has, if so why? Why is it that losing two O-lineman means we need to move a D-tackle over to offense? I would think that you would have at least a couple of extra linemen. We went into last spring with two running backs that are no longer with the team, three if you count Scott who they moved to Slot because we had so many RB’s. Coleman could not get a scholarship and Morgan saw the writing on the wall, both left the team. Scott left because he wanted to be a RB not a Slot receiver. We are now using a kid who has not played RB since his little league football days as our main back. How do we perceive this as good? I recognize the Pro Scouts wanted to see Hutton at RB as his position in the pros would most likely be FB, but damn we are using him because we have no choice. Zamberlin may be a really good position coach, but he is not a good head coach. He has trouble separating himself from the defense and coaches everything to benefit the defense. He over recruited the defensive side of the ball leaving him with depth problems on the offense. In four years we watched him and his staff change QB’s as often as he changes his underwear. If you don’t think that is not having an impact on our recruiting a QB you’re living in a dream world. Other coaches will use that against us without any hesitation. As for using players names Kelly, where were you when Tuff threw Hill under the bus. You will have more credibility if you represent every player not just a few.

 

[ISUDude]

One of the biggest things I see is the inability of Zamberlin and his staff at communication. Whether it is coaching, talking academics, being organized... the inability for these coaches to rationally and intelligently communicate is a major reason we are where we are. Developing guys is all about being able to connect and translate whatever knowledge you have about the task into the players. These guys are terrible at it. They don't know how to effectively communicate which has led to the players not respecting, trusting, or wanting to have any contact with their coaches. That is why the retention is so bad. Talking to a kid for a recruiting trip is easy, having to parlay that into a working respectful relationship is more important.