Purdue, win/lose future is bright
If we win or lose tomorrow our future is bright. Stay behind this team and coach.
Tomorrow, be as loud as you can at the game. As loud or louder than you were at the Notre Dame game. Let this team know that we love and support it. I almost blacked out at the Notre Dame game from screaming and stomping my feet and clapping. The blue hair next to me had ear plugs in and was still covering his ears and giving me dirty looks. Give our team the advantage.
Reasons to love this program and look forward to the future:
1) We went from a quiet stadium to one of the loudest in the conference. People at the MSU and Iowa games, commented that it was no where near as loud as the Notre Dame game at Michigan Stadium.
2) This team is supposedly 16 scholarships short of the limit, which is a huge disadvantage. This shortage will eventually be filled and when this gap is filled, some will be quality players and starters.
3) We have the most players in the BigTen with 3 or more years of eligibility left. This means that in 2011 and 2012 we will most likely have the most experienced team in the league, which will set us up for a run at the Rose Bowl at that time.
4) For all of the whining about 3 star players in this years recruiting class, I see some solid players getting added to an already strong foundation. Some of our recruits are lights out amazing. Would you trade any HS QB in the nation for Devin Gardner? I see about 4 guys in this class with the potential to be future all conference players (Gardner, Marvin, Miller, Hagerup).
5) The media has attacked coach Rod and he is still standing with the control of his team. The media has invented BS stories (shredding papers), used unethically written stories written by someone who publicly admitted that he wanted Rod fired (hours), printed mountain out of a mole hill stories without doing any research to disprove the crap (Tiller) and etc.... All while giving our in-state rival's coach all of the benefit of the doubt on everthing blowing the positives out of proportion.
6) This team is better than lat year and will be even better next year. How many players do we actually lose of note? Brandon Graham, Warren, Minor, and Brown. Well, we have a lot of young talented RBs and Brown and Minor are injured enough that I don't think we will miss much of a step at that position. Sure we will miss Graham, but the Dline could actualy get stronger. Lolata and Campbell were 2 highly sought after recruits and will be playing. Martin is a beast and will be back. I think Roh will improve and VanBergen is a solid contributor. Warren leaving would be rough, but we have Woolfork, Floyd and Turner still here.
7) The QB play should only get better and we will have 3 options next year -- someone will rise to be a solid performer.
If any of you think that I am over optimistic....I got negbanged for saying that I thought we would finish 5-7 before the season and picking MSU to win after the 4-0 start.
If you are the type of fan who booed Navarre and are now ripping on these kids, feel free to consider changing allegiences to another team. This team will develop into a great team if we give it time and support. No one can develop a winner with the media and the fans against it...no one. Stand behind the team and coaches win or lose tomorrow.
Tomorrow, be as loud as you can at the game. As loud or louder than you were at the Notre Dame game. Let this team know that we love and support it. I almost blacked out at the Notre Dame game from screaming and stomping my feet and clapping. The blue hair next to me had ear plugs in and was still covering his ears and giving me dirty looks. Give our team the advantage.
Reasons to love this program and look forward to the future:
1) We went from a quiet stadium to one of the loudest in the conference. People at the MSU and Iowa games, commented that it was no where near as loud as the Notre Dame game at Michigan Stadium.
2) This team is supposedly 16 scholarships short of the limit, which is a huge disadvantage. This shortage will eventually be filled and when this gap is filled, some will be quality players and starters.
3) We have the most players in the BigTen with 3 or more years of eligibility left. This means that in 2011 and 2012 we will most likely have the most experienced team in the league, which will set us up for a run at the Rose Bowl at that time.
4) For all of the whining about 3 star players in this years recruiting class, I see some solid players getting added to an already strong foundation. Some of our recruits are lights out amazing. Would you trade any HS QB in the nation for Devin Gardner? I see about 4 guys in this class with the potential to be future all conference players (Gardner, Marvin, Miller, Hagerup).
5) The media has attacked coach Rod and he is still standing with the control of his team. The media has invented BS stories (shredding papers), used unethically written stories written by someone who publicly admitted that he wanted Rod fired (hours), printed mountain out of a mole hill stories without doing any research to disprove the crap (Tiller) and etc.... All while giving our in-state rival's coach all of the benefit of the doubt on everthing blowing the positives out of proportion.
6) This team is better than lat year and will be even better next year. How many players do we actually lose of note? Brandon Graham, Warren, Minor, and Brown. Well, we have a lot of young talented RBs and Brown and Minor are injured enough that I don't think we will miss much of a step at that position. Sure we will miss Graham, but the Dline could actualy get stronger. Lolata and Campbell were 2 highly sought after recruits and will be playing. Martin is a beast and will be back. I think Roh will improve and VanBergen is a solid contributor. Warren leaving would be rough, but we have Woolfork, Floyd and Turner still here.
7) The QB play should only get better and we will have 3 options next year -- someone will rise to be a solid performer.
If any of you think that I am over optimistic....I got negbanged for saying that I thought we would finish 5-7 before the season and picking MSU to win after the 4-0 start.
If you are the type of fan who booed Navarre and are now ripping on these kids, feel free to consider changing allegiences to another team. This team will develop into a great team if we give it time and support. No one can develop a winner with the media and the fans against it...no one. Stand behind the team and coaches win or lose tomorrow.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:32 PM ^
We should support our team on every Sat. Go Blue!
November 6th, 2009 at 8:40 PM ^
Nice post.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:47 PM ^
We are young and we are not good. That being said, we'll get better with experience.... and while I hate to speculate on how good recruits will turn out, I am excited about D. Gardner coming in early and the development of Big Will.
The future is certainly bright, but the road there is killng me.
November 6th, 2009 at 8:58 PM ^
In terms of the future, a win tomorrow is HUGE in regards to more experience. That extra month of practice preparing for a bowl is very important esp for a young team like M. I'm just saying future will be brighter if we do win that's all.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:07 PM ^
At point #6: I don't think you can talk with such certainty that Warren will leave. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great player and has a future playing on Sundays, but I think he's far from a lock to be leaving. In fact, if I was a betting man, my money would be on him staying.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:38 PM ^
Right - Folks are commenting as if Warren were a Senior, and the guy is a Junior. I have not heard anything about him bouncing after this year. He's got a lot of room to be a major piece of the defense next year, and to be a star in the league and nationally.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:09 PM ^
I agree with everything you say. Our offense's key positions are filled with very young, explosive athletes that will only get better as they mature and grow.
QB-Tate Denard and Devin will all be great quarterbacks, and one will grow into all conference. Maybe more?
RB-The combination of Shaw Smith Toussaint Drake Hopkins will be a stable of stallions.
WR-Stonum Odoms Gallon Stokes Miller, should produce at least one all conference. Also, hopefully T.Robinson gets his stuff together, and plays the way he should play.
TE-Koger and Moore should hold this down till they graduate, and i think the sky is the limit for koger.
-Personally, i believe we will have one of the top 10 offenses in the country.
-Defensively, the same situation, i just dont feel like typing anymore lol. Rich definitely knows what hes doing. Help is coming, and the future looks bright.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:21 PM ^
While I am confident in our offense， I believe our defense will need two more year to be solid.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:23 PM ^
Excellent post. Fans who can't or won't take the time to think positively about what the next few years will bring should just go find another team that meets their needs. 2011 and 2012 will be most delicious.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:18 PM ^
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.....INDEED
November 6th, 2009 at 9:44 PM ^
I especially agree with the point about the RB's. There is a lot of talent on the depth chart and there appears to be a nice diversity of running styles, which is a major plus in this offense.
I expect Forcier to improve as well. He will have had more time with the WRs to establish a better rapport, he'll be hopefully a little stronger, and I think he will learn from some of his more careless mistakes this year.
Defensively, the play in the middle of the field, i.e. MLBs and safeties has been our downfall this year. Could it possibly get worse? Hopefully one of the new players in the mix can be a difference maker.
And, for the first time in a long time it seems, we can all look forward to an entertaining and hopefully successful UM basketball campaign.
November 6th, 2009 at 9:57 PM ^
I agree that the future is bright and I am 100% behind Rodriguez.
I just really, really want to win this freaking game.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:01 PM ^
A win tomorrow frees this team up do some damage the last two weeks. If we win the final three and most games go to their logical conclusion, we can finish fourth or fifth in the conference and get a Dec. 29-31 bowl game or maybe slide into the Outback bowl. We still have a great chance to make some noise and prove that this team has the talent and coaching to compete with any team in this conference.
GO BLUE from sec. 44 row 33 seat 17, screaming my f'ing head off tomorrow. High fives all around!
November 6th, 2009 at 10:11 PM ^
Heck yeah it is not over. We have the talent to beat any body on our schedule.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:25 PM ^
Although I think that we can beat anyone left on our schedule, I don't think that we will win out. I would be happy with a win over Purdue and competitive games against W and osu. The bowl practice time could be huge for this team.
Am I the only one who wonders why we haven't seen Denard in red zone situations? Seems like that would be a nightmare for the other team.
November 7th, 2009 at 1:54 AM ^
One of the things I'd like to see over the next couple years is a defensive line featuring Van Bergen, Roh, Campbell and Martin in a true 4-3 lineup.
I (will be slammed) believe Van Bergen is going to be very good and feel he has been our second best DL this year. I like his pass rushing ability, his speed and his strength.
Craig Roh hasn't yet scratched the surface of his potential. I'm looking for him to be the best defensive player on this squad for the next three years. A few more pounds, a lil more strength--and we have an All American.
Campbell--well, you got to believe in his potential--and he is a massive human being. I've been impressed with his work ethic in getting into shape, and at times he has shown he can get through an offensive line. Of course, he's young and the technique and funadmentals talk keeps coming up--and he gets blasted back just as much. But again--I feel he'll get much, much better.
Now--Martin: He's a sophomore and I just don't see the "beast" in him yet. I don't think he is a LOS breaker--he is a guy who will benefit the most from having better players around him. If Campbell and Roh reach their potential, and Van Bergen keeps developing, Martin will get exponentially better as they take some attention away from him. If not--well, he's just going to continue to get creamed. I'm not calling him a disappointment--just that he is easily blocked still, and I'm not so sure how much better he'll get without some help from team mates.
There is, IMO, no way UM will succeed in a 3-4 or hybrid or whatever it's called unless they find some guys like the Alabama nose guard.
November 7th, 2009 at 11:25 AM ^
I totally agree about VanBergen, he has stepped up and is showing drive and great potential...
And Roh... oh be still my heart... this kid is a gamer. True Freshmen... keep repeating that when you watch him. You're right, a little bit of strength and size plus all his starts this year are going to make this man GOOOOD
I want a Roh jersey
November 7th, 2009 at 6:36 AM ^
I just hope we end this streak with OSU. I can't take it much longer.
November 7th, 2009 at 11:27 AM ^
I dare not speak the reasons for my hope... but me too.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
The future looks bright for the offense. But the defense looks to be horrible for at least another year. They've regressed as the season has gone on. I don't see anyone filling in the existing holes, and losing Graham and Warren is huge.
November 7th, 2009 at 7:00 PM ^
good point. On a side note, these losses are harder than last years b/c RR has been here a year, yet the team is younger and therefore should be more realistic. The offense has done great as far as showing improvement and speed, we still have more players coming in to add to the depth. It sucks but we need two more years to be great. Wish we could just take a year off and quit shooting ourselves in the foot and ending all the streaks we have.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:19 PM ^
and just replace 'Purdue' with 'Wisconsin' then 'Wisconsin' to 'Ohio State'.
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