Remain calm...all is well..pretty much

[naandre]

From what I've seen Knapke's decisions are generally good, but his throws are generally bad. He seems to know where the ball should go but lacks the arm talent / mechanics to actually get it there. He seems to be pretty much the same guy he was two years ago but with a weaker supporting cast.

[bg1984]

His lack of development is a mystery. Jinks has proven he's quite comfortable making a mid game switch. I expect Kanapke is on a short leash. One would think the possibility of standing on the sidelines would be motivation enough to elevate his level of play but it's possible he has reached the ceiling of his talent level. I always thought MJ had the "it" factor. We have had a number of players like that over the years: Josh Harris, Onar Jacobs, Cole Magner, Mark Szchlachek (sp) Freddie Barnes. You just knew something good was going to happen with the ball in their hands. It's hard to quantify the "it" factor but confidence and the desire to be in a position to make a critical play are part of it. I just don't get that vibe from Kanapke. It's nothing that can be coached but a QB must have it to truly be special

[threestooges]

Yeah..a couple guys are hurt...couple of guys are always hurt. Yeah the coaches are new and maybe not as smart as we like...when has there ever been a time where people here said "man...our coach is the sharpest tool in the shed". We all thought we'd be 1-1...we're 1-1. The MAC east is awful and we should improve (coaches included) over the coming weeks.

So..take a depth breath...it's OK. Unless it isn't. Even then...so what? Boss isn't going to fire you if we lose. Sig other isn't going to withhold "fun time". World won't stop spinning and the center will hold.

Remain calm...all is well...

Shows what you know. Sig other started withholding "fun time" a long time ago.

[slashba33]

His lack of development is a mystery. Jinks has proven he's quite comfortable making a mid game switch. I expect Kanapke is on a short leash. One would think the possibility of standing on the sidelines would be motivation enough to elevate his level of play but it's possible he has reached the ceiling of his talent level. I always thought MJ had the "it" factor. We have had a number of players like that over the years: Josh Harris, Onar Jacobs, Cole Magner, Mark Szchlachek (sp) Freddie Barnes. You just knew something good was going to happen with the ball in their hands. It's hard to quantify the "it" factor but confidence and the desire to be in a position to make a critical play are part of it. I just don't get that vibe from Kanapke. It's nothing that can be coached but a QB must have it to truly be special

The Schilz/Knapke comparison is dead on and history tells us that is not good. Unfortunately, Jinks doesn't know this and can only go on what he sees. If we had either Lewis or Dieter back, it would change the offense greatly to Knapke's talent in throwing the fade.

[jpfalcon09]

His lack of development is a mystery. Jinks has proven he's quite comfortable making a mid game switch. I expect Kanapke is on a short leash. One would think the possibility of standing on the sidelines would be motivation enough to elevate his level of play but it's possible he has reached the ceiling of his talent level. I always thought MJ had the "it" factor. We have had a number of players like that over the years: Josh Harris, Onar Jacobs, Cole Magner, Mark Szchlachek (sp) Freddie Barnes. You just knew something good was going to happen with the ball in their hands. It's hard to quantify the "it" factor but confidence and the desire to be in a position to make a critical play are part of it. I just don't get that vibe from Kanapke. It's nothing that can be coached but a QB must have it to truly be special

The Schilz/Knapke comparison is dead on and history tells us that is not good. Unfortunately, Jinks doesn't know this and can only go on what he sees. If we had either Lewis or Dieter back, it would change the offense greatly to Knapke's talent in throwing the fade.

Matt Schilz (2012) - 55.2%, 2585 yds, 14 TD, 12 INT
James Knapke (2014/2016) - 56.6%, 3598 yds, 18 TDs, 16 INT

Besides the increased yardage due to the Babers/Jinks system and the benefactor of a MAC Championship game and two additional games so far in 2016, Knapke is essentially even on Schilz on every other comparable statistic. The numbers don't lie, and as many have stated there's not likely to be much improvement.

[Flipper]

[It's the Journey...]

I'll say it again, this team came into the season with the mindset that they would score like they did last year. I don't believe any amount of coaching or in game adjustments could change that. Getting drubbed at OSU and winning a close game against North Dakota were what this team needed. Some things looked much sharper than the last two weeks and that is needed progress. Until this team decides on their identity and how they will win as the 2016 Falcons we will struggle. As for me, right now we are the team to beat in the MAC East. 8-0 in conference play is still attainable, winning another East crown and MAC title is still attainable, and playing 14 games is still attainable. The Defense is coming together. If we can figure out the QB situation (I want to see Morgan the whole Memphis game and then make a decision) and not spot our opponent 7 points to start the game because we don't remember how to field a wet football we will be fine.

My biggest disappointment is in the QB play and I lay that at the feet of Dino Babers. I don't think James was given any instruction to help him develop in 2015. I think Dino had a pretty good idea he would be on the sidelines somewhere else and did't care. It's a shame, James is a good kid and really stepped up when we needed him. He does not deserve this, but tough decisions must be made.

[BGSU33]

I think it's time to change that pic to one featuring the food fight.

[Flipper]

Or......

[Schadenfreude]

Some things looked much sharper than the last two weeks and that is needed progress.

I agree. I saw a lot of positives out there. Among them:

1. Solid defense. Our defense played good enough to win. They blew a couple of plays badly, but only a couple. Of the 21 Falcon points, the defense deserves credit for a third of those, and one (or was two?) of the Middle Tennessee touchdowns are really on the offense turning it over in a terrible spot.

2. Strong running attack. Our offensive line won battles all day. Cleveland and Fred Coppet both had 100-plus yards rushing, which is pretty amazing. Cleveland, in particular, is a revelation.

3. Disciplined play. I don't recall many penalties, and one of them, the unsportmanlike for targeting, seemed pretty borderline.

We've talked the lack of a passing game to death. But that's where we lost this game. In just about every other phase of the game, Bowling Green seemed the better team today.

Our lack of an air attack aside, the single most annoying part of the game was the offside call against our kickoff team. I'm pretty sure that's the third time this year our kickoff team has been called for offside. That's inexcusable.

I do not care for losing to Middle Tennessee. This was a real test of how good we are going to be this year, and the Falcons did not pass. But the Falcons did look better than they did against North Dakota. So that's a positive.

[MarkL]

I have certainly noticed the more disciplined play in terms of penalties. It is a welcome change. And that targeting penalty was questionable at best.

[BGSU33]

Or......

A much better choice, and currently much more fitting.

[Firelands-Falcon]

Some things looked much sharper than the last two weeks and that is needed progress.

I agree. I saw a lot of positives out there. Among them:

1. Solid defense. Our defense played good enough to win. They blew a couple of plays badly, but only a couple. Of the 21 Falcon points, the defense deserves credit for a third of those, and one (or was two?) of the Middle Tennessee touchdowns are really on the offense turning it over in a terrible spot.

2. Strong running attack. Our offensive line won battles all day. Cleveland and Fred Coppet both had 100-plus yards rushing, which is pretty amazing. Cleveland, in particular, is a revelation.

3. Disciplined play. I don't recall many penalties, and one of them, the unsportmanlike for targeting, seemed pretty borderline.

We've talked the lack of a passing game to death. But that's where we lost this game. In just about every other phase of the game, Bowling Green seemed the better team today.

Our lack of an air attack aside, the single most annoying part of the game was the offside call against our kickoff team. I'm pretty sure that's the third time this year our kickoff team has been called for offside. That's inexcusable.

I do not care for losing to Middle Tennessee. This was a real test of how good we are going to be this year, and the Falcons did not pass. But the Falcons did look better than they did against North Dakota. So that's a positive.

The defense, although giving up 41 points, looks leagues better. In an ironic sort of way, I am now concerned about our offense more than our defense. Once the QB situation is resolved, I believe that we will see a much better squad.

[apollo]

We'll get throttled next week, but once MAC play starts it'll be interesting to see this team progress or regress. Personally, I don't think they'll turn it around, but there's still some wins on the schedule unless the team just collapses.

[Falconfreak90]

18 penalties so far this year...and a good number yesterday were bogus IMO. 6 a game...about half from Dino's teams.