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Phenicie’s New Contract

....the last few comments make me think this conversation should be under a different thread....but hopping in any way....what are you folks thinking has been done....recruiting wise....or current players switching positions....etc....that indicates to any of you that our defense will be markedly improve from where we ended up at the end of last season ?....I am not feeling very confident that we will see improvement on the defensive side of the ball....I'm sure someone will say "we will make our players... bigger, faster and stronger".....but how long have we been hearing that line ?....different DC ?....maybe...but I've heard nothing on that either....and simply trying to "outscore" the other team hasn't been working real well for us......anyone's thoughts ?...
 
I agree with Clawsout . The only possible change for next year is a D.C. with a proven track record. the current H.C. and last years D.C. didn't have the knowledge to change the defense. Spend some money and hire proven D.C. Think about filling those 7000 empty seats and 5000 under used seats. GO BENGALS
 
I think we all agree Phen is a good enough OC to win that 1/3 of the game
No one seems to feel like special teams needs much adjustments
We all also agree, current defensive coaches are not quite to the level we want to make us competitive year in and out

Problem; we don’t get to choose. The powers that be are making decisions (from what it looks like in the past) not based on satisfying fans or even winning games as priorities. From what I have seen lots of decisions seem to be made based on being nice to current staff, and finding adequate people for the budget we have.

Honestly I would be satisfied with them putting us in the loop of candidates and seeing what reactions we would give, even though the same out would be reached without letting us know it.

It would just be nice to know what is going through the decision makers mind beforehand
 
For what it's worth, the state board did approve the contract last week...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/LukeORoark/status/946223590537490433[/tweet]
 
Bengal_believer said:
Problem; we don’t get to choose. The powers that be are making decisions (from what it looks like in the past) not based on satisfying fans or even winning games as priorities. From what I have seen lots of decisions seem to be made based on being nice to current staff, and finding adequate people for the budget we have.

It would just be nice to know what is going through the decision makers mind beforehand

I think you have nailed it down. 'What can we get by with' seems the operant philosophy of ISU.The Peter Principle is alive and well at ISU. Phenicie is in over his head. He is a position coach, period. He failed as OC at Montana and UNLV. WHY would you fire the HC of a failing program(that said, I was, and am, a fan of Kramer)and then replace him with one of his position coaches? Unbelievable! Tingey needs to go.
 
First time poster, long time reader. What are you talking about otis? How many Big Sky championships did Phenicie win at Montana? It's obvious you have some sort of grudge against him. Did you not notice the improvement in energy with last years team? My bother is on the team and the players love Phenicie. You're a fan of Kramer? What was his record here? It's time to let your personal bias aside. Get on board or get off
 
'My bother is on the team' - 'It's time to let your personal bias aside'

just thought i'd take a moment and point out a glaring contradiction in what you seem to think is logic...

maybe you should gaf about critical thinking skills

jmho
 
Contradiction? He was recruited by Coach Kramer and actually still has the upmost respect for him. He just happens to like the way things are under Phenicie better. More disciplined, better energy, etc. I don’t have a horse in this race. I want what is best for the team and in his opinion Phenicie is awesome.
 
With Idaho back in the Big Sky, things at the state board of education should be even between I.S.U. and U.I. They spend more on coaches than we do. Its time to invest some money in coaches starting with a proven D.C. Put the onus on the state board to be fair. GO BENGALS
 
I thought I recently read where the actual breakdown of the state board has no members from the Pocatello area and if I remember right, just one from S.E. Idaho. It remains heavily tilted towards Boise and Moscow and frankly I don't expect that to change. Brad can perhaps provide the correct numbers in this regard.

Boise State and Idaho have much bigger athletic budgets than ISU I believe (and I've always been amazed how a small school like Idaho, lost in the shadow of Washington State is able to do that) and are able to pay a lot more money to coaches.

PBP
 
Idaho has a nice alumni base, but they are going to lose out on FBS playoff money now. They also won't make as much for body bag games now that they're FCS. TV money from the Sun Belt will be gone, but I don't think that's all that much.

Idaho has always done some creative accounting. I think it was back when Hoover was president, and Idaho wanted to move to a new conference (Sun Belt or WAC). They submitted a budget to the state board, and there was a good size amount of "gifts/donations" included in the budget. The board asked them how they could rely on that same amount year after year, and Idaho said they were confident it would happen. The board wanted to see the sources, and Idaho didn't want to offer it. Finally, after some pushing, it came out that a big chunk was coming from the president's office (academic/institutional support).

As far as Kramer, his heart hasn't been into being a head coach for at least 2 years. I may not agree with how it all transpired, but he was done. True, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is just plain stupid. What happens when the conference goes to 9 conference games? That only leaves 2 out of conference games. If Tingey insists on playing 2 FBS games each year, then that means there are going to be seasons where ISU has 4 home games and 7 away games. You can't build a successful program doing that. You just can't.
 
Idgaf, repost again, this time in English. The misuse of "he" and "his" in your post is confusing. For example:
"He was recruited by coach Kramer and actually still has the upmost respect for him." He referring to Phenicie, with Phenicie still having respect for Kramer, or Kramer for Phenicie? Or, your "bother" was recruited by Kramer?
"He just happens to like the way things are under Phenicie better." Who? Kramer? Tingey? Your "bother"?
"I want what is best for the team and in his opinion Phenicie is awesome." His? Your "bother" I assume, or Kramer, or Tingey.
 
Otis thanks for the English lesson. I feel ed ed ed eded u Kated. This is a message board. I’m not to worried about grammar to tell you the truth The fact is the players love the change in the program. They(the players) love consistency. They(the players) like knowing that the coordinators actually get to do their job. I don’t have a hidden agaenda. I simply was stating something I have heard my brother and his teammates say. It’s no wonder why nobody posts on this board. They are immediately attacked if their opinion differs.
 
idgaf- you weren't attacked

you didn't post your opinion - you purported (look it up) to post an opinion other than your own

good thing you're not worried about grammar too - what with you not giving a f' and all

scurry on now - sponge bob is on in a few minutes
 
Idgaf, YOU attacked MY opinions to set this in motion. Let's get that straight. This IS a opinion board. You brought out the seventh and eighth grade English teacher in me. Enough of you. PBP and sasquatch have made interesting observations. I had no knowledge of Kramer's state of mind the last two years of his tenure. Maybe it has something to do with body bag money games and a four game home schedule, among other considerations. Two steps, forward one step back. With Boise funnelling most everything to Boise, it's no wonder
ISU stays where it is, at the bottom. That's why I think ISU should just drop football and find a D2 fit. Bitter as it is, I think it is reality. As sasquatch noted, "You can't build a successful program doing that(what has been done, and done, and done). You just can't." Tingey is trying his best to keep the stain of dropping football, and dropping to division 2 off of his resume.
 
I agree with you on something has to change. Tingey needs to fight for the athletic program. ISU is the definition of insanity. They do the same thing over and over wondering why things never get better. I too believe Kramer was fed up with how things are done here. As a family we will always be grateful for Kramer giving my brother a scholarship. At the same time we are excited about the change Phenicie has brought to the program. The players have an actual lifting workout program for the holidays. This is the first time this has been done since my brother arrived at ISU. That is a huge step in the right direction. GO BENGALS
 
sasquatch said:
What happens when the conference goes to 9 conference games? That only leaves 2 out of conference games. If Tingey insists on playing 2 FBS games each year, then that means there are going to be seasons where ISU has 4 home games and 7 away games. You can't build a successful program doing that. You just can't.

That's a very good point. I thought the exact same thing myself. In fact I was told by good sources that the conference WAS going to move to nine conference games starting next year when Idaho returned. Obviously that has been postponed at least for the near future but it is a possibility down the road.

That would put ISU in a very difficult bind given the financial implications of only going to one money game. If they stayed with two money games (always on the road of course), your scenario could come to pass.

By the way the money games in 2019 I think are at BYU and Utah and a date has already been set for a money game at New Mexico in 2020. I don't know if they are planning a second money game that season or not...it could hinge on the conferences decision about eight or nine games in-conference.

PBP
 
It's already been reported the 9 conference game season will begin in 2020, and Tingey confirmed it himself last year. Things might have changed since then.

https://idahostatejournal.com/members/isu-athletics-big-sky-to-add-th-conference-game-starting/article_870ccb95-b2d7-521a-a9cb-1de68c762df1.html
http://missoulian.com/sports/college/big-sky/big-sky-headed-to--game-conference-football-schedule-in/article_349028b3-5c47-5585-9324-a80f8571c1af.html

Coaching ISU with one hand tied behind his back might have drained Kramer, but some personal issues came into play as well, from what I understand. Regardless, he wasn't giving it his all for at least 2 years.

If ISU can't run a successful program at the D-I level, what makes you think it can do it at the D-II level? Dropping football, which I don't see happening anytime soon, doesn't knock you down a division. There are schools in the west without football (WAC, even if it's shakey).

Here's my take on Tingey. Once Vailas is gone, Tingey's safety net is gone. Those in charge like to have his/her own stamp on things. He had a good round of hiring right off the bat, but some of his most recent hires are not producing. Jury is out on Phenicie, and to be honest, I like him, so I hope that works. But softball hired a re-tread who is tanking the program. The recent volleyball coach hire has trended that program down (and lost at least one valuable player who transferred). Evans has been a failure at MBB, but he was largely unsuccessful at SUU, so that one will always leave me wondering. Soccer has slowly moved into Big Sky's basement. The funny thing, Otis, is Tingey expressed a desire to be successful like Montana in the hiring of Phenicie and Evans.

Marketing still sucks. If you click on the ticketing link online, it brings you to one expensive ticket. For example, a ticket to MBB costs $16. Weber, just down the road, starts prices at $10 for a much more successful program. ISU had a mini-package deal for 3 games, but it was nowhere to be found on the ticketing link. If you call the ticket office, sometimes they will tell you of cheaper tickets, but how many will do that or know that?

The production of games still lags behind other Big Sky schools. Last night's WBB game against Westminster had absolutely no audio for the entire 1st quarter - well it actually came on with 15 seconds left in the quarter. Men's games often start the same way and audio disappears throughout, like somebody keeps forgetting to flip a switch. Sometimes the score takes minutes to update.
 
sasquatch said:
Marketing still sucks. If you click on the ticketing link online, it brings you to one expensive ticket. For example, a ticket to MBB costs $16. Weber, just down the road, starts prices at $10 for a much more successful program. ISU had a mini-package deal for 3 games, but it was nowhere to be found on the ticketing link. If you call the ticket office, sometimes they will tell you of cheaper tickets, but how many will do that or know that?

What are you talking about? You can click on TICKETS on isubengals.com and click on 2015-16 game promotions! LOL

Somebody should start a thread about what changes could/should be made. For example, the athletic department website is embarrassing. Links are outdated. You can click on the cheer squad and see the roster from like 4 years ago. So many old links. But for all the bad links, there are links which should be visible but aren't. Does anybody know how to get to the Everything Matters donation site from the main athletics page? What about the program which you can donate to which helps women's basketball? There's the main booster link, but that's it.
 

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