Best of Luck to Omar

[hamjunior]

Amen Bleeding!!!!! I don't know about alot of you, and to be perfectly honest I can't believe alot of what I am reading, but I wake up every day and hope to god that Omar returns next year especially with the schedule that we have. I mean just look at his final numbers from 05', not bad for missing three games.

[orangeandbrown]

First--to Zak. I will be in the stands for each and every game.

Second to BGGrad 01--I haven't heard anyone say we'll be dreadful--six wins, is that dreadful?

[BGGrad01]

Second to BGGrad 01--I haven't heard anyone say we'll be dreadful--six wins, is that dreadful?

To be fair, I have not seen the word "dreadful" used. And no, I don't believe that 6 wins will ever be dreadul.

[1987alum]

Second to BGGrad 01--I haven't heard anyone say we'll be dreadful--six wins, is that dreadful?

To be fair, I have not seen the word "dreadful" used. And no, I don't believe that 6 wins will ever be dreadul.

It has been called a disaster, a characterization by hammb that's difficult to argue with. Many of us said at the beginning of the season that anything less than a MAC title would be a failure. 'Nuff said.

And with the advent of a permanent 12-game schedule, a 6-win season may not be dreadful, but it will be, at best, mediocre.

[Flipper]

My "worst case scenario" over on the ncaabbs was that we'd lose five games. Since that scenario became reality, I'll call this year a massive disappointment and focus on next year.

[hammb]

Totally agree with that, UK. I can understand how the feeling is we're gonna fall. I don't see that happening. The MAC East is not going to be as good as 2005...We will be able to compete for the East title either way. I am not as doom and gloom as some but that's ok. We all have opinions that matter.

That's a pretty bold statement Freak, considering that the East was pretty darn awful this year.

With Omar my expectations for next season are still much lower than they were this year simply because we lose so many of the guys we've leaned on for the past few seasons.

Without Omar those expectations are even lower.

That said it definitely gives the staff a chance to redeem themselves somewhat in my eyes. When I evaluate things at the end of the year I compare it to my preseason expectations. This team was the most talented in the MAC and should've won the conference. They tripped over their own feet 3 tims when they held their own destiny. To me this season was a disaster. Next year my expectations are going to be pretty low going into the season. Anything better than 7-5 and I'll be thinking the staff did a pretty good job. We've got a brutal schedule that includes 3 OOC games against teams that are probably light years more talented & experienced than we will be. Then comes the MAC. I hope these kids are ready for some quick learning.

[JWEIII]

Looking back, I see that most of my few posts are negative (gasp!). However, I am upbeat about next year. Even without Omar!

Most of us were ready to run up the white flag the season after Josh Harris left, too. But the 2004 team was probably better than the 2003 team - who saw that comming? Some have been hard on Brandon recently, but his teams score points.

Turner will be fine. Turner is more like Harris and I bet they go back to more of a run-the-ball-misdirection-spread-option style of offense (Harris-style if you will). With Jacobs it was percistion passing supported by a run game. Harris was a major threat to pull it down and run for 30 yards. He was a big part of the running game in general. From what we saw this year I think Turner fits that system well, and we know Brandon can run it.

Even without Omar, I say they average over 30 points per game. I think it will just have to be a totally different style offense.

Change is good.





If you read some of Brandon's old quotes, he wasn't sure about this Jacobs fellow either.

[Falconfreak90]

Totally agree with that, UK. I can understand how the feeling is we're gonna fall. I don't see that happening. The MAC East is not going to be as good as 2005...We will be able to compete for the East title either way. I am not as doom and gloom as some but that's ok. We all have opinions that matter.

That's a pretty bold statement Freak, considering that the East was pretty darn awful this year.

Yes, it was. And it won't be any better next year. Hence I think we'll be competing for the East title again.

We have a long way to go til the 2006 season. I'm not ready to mail in the season already. Let's see what happens in the off season and spring ball first.

[UK Peregrine]

Totally agree with that, UK. I can understand how the feeling is we're gonna fall. I don't see that happening. The MAC East is not going to be as good as 2005...We will be able to compete for the East title either way. I am not as doom and gloom as some but that's ok. We all have opinions that matter.

That's a pretty bold statement Freak...

What so bold about Freak's statement? Is it that someone actually agrees with me? Is that really so hard to believe?

[hammb]

Most of us were ready to run up the white flag the season after Josh Harris left, too. But the 2004 team was probably better than the 2003 team - who saw that comming?

It's pointless to argue the subject but no way do I think the 2004 team was superior to the 2003 team. The 2003 team beat Purdue and only lost 2 MAC games all year, and those were to one of the best MAC teams of all time. The 2004 team played OU tough, but other than that they beat the teams they should've and they lost all their key road games.

Why am I so pessimistic about this coaching staff and next seasons prospects? Because I see it as:

2003 team > 2004 team > 2005 team

I don't like that trend.

[Falconfreak90]

Most of us were ready to run up the white flag the season after Josh Harris left, too. But the 2004 team was probably better than the 2003 team - who saw that comming?

It's pointless to argue the subject but no way do I think the 2004 team was superior to the 2003 team. The 2003 team beat Purdue and only lost 2 MAC games all year, and those were to one of the best MAC teams of all time. The 2004 team played OU tough, but other than that they beat the teams they should've and they lost all their key road games.

Why am I so pessimistic about this coaching staff and next seasons prospects? Because I see it as:

2003 team > 2004 team > 2005 team

I don't like that trend.

I agree with ya hammb....the 2003 team was better all around than the 2004 team. Too bad Miami was so damn good in 2003!

[Jacobs4Heisman]

Most of us were ready to run up the white flag the season after Josh Harris left, too. But the 2004 team was probably better than the 2003 team - who saw that comming?

It's pointless to argue the subject but no way do I think the 2004 team was superior to the 2003 team. The 2003 team beat Purdue and only lost 2 MAC games all year, and those were to one of the best MAC teams of all time. The 2004 team played OU tough, but other than that they beat the teams they should've and they lost all their key road games.

Why am I so pessimistic about this coaching staff and next seasons prospects? Because I see it as:

2003 team > 2004 team > 2005 team

I don't like that trend.

Agreed -- I think the trend can be boiled down into one word.

Leadership.

The 2003 team had enough with Harris and co. to make up for the "fish rotting at the head" to use an old coaching cliche. Nobody was able to step up the last two years to fill that void. As talented as Omar is, and as much faith as most of us have in him, a lot of that falls squarely on his shoulders.

[1987alum]

hammb: No doubt about it, we've seen backsliding from 2003 to today. I don't see this program rolling along at .500. Instead, I either see a free-fall (a la Ankney and the end of the Blackney era) or a rebound (MAC East title and bowl bid in 2006).

[JWEIII]

hammb: No doubt about it, we've seen backsliding from 2003 to today. I don't see this program rolling along at .500. Instead, I either see a free-fall (a la Ankney and the end of the Blackney era) or a rebound (MAC East title and bowl bid in 2006).

What kind of a prediction is that? They are going to be MAC champs or be horrible. Hmmm...

My point is that after Harris graduated 2003 the sky was falling. But Omar stepped in and didn't miss a beat. I didn't say the 2004 team WAS better than the 2003 team... I said it was possible, and I think the argument is there. I believe it was 9-3, a bowl win and top 25 votes in both polls. Very close to the 2003 results, AND the 2004 team had a better quarterback.

Which brings me back to my point. Just because we are losing some great players (specifically the best quarterback in BG history) is no reason to think we will collapse next year. Remember after the 2003 season we lost the "best quaterback in BG history" and we were just fine.

[1987alum]

hammb: No doubt about it, we've seen backsliding from 2003 to today. I don't see this program rolling along at .500. Instead, I either see a free-fall (a la Ankney and the end of the Blackney era) or a rebound (MAC East title and bowl bid in 2006).

What kind of a prediction is that? They are going to be MAC champs or be horrible. Hmmm...

It's an honest prediction. As stated in an earlier thread, BG has a history of a handful of good years followed by a handful of bad years.

My point is that after Harris graduated 2003 the sky was falling.

I don't recall predictions that dire. After the Spring Game, most folks seemed pretty confident that Omar was going to be very good.

AND the 2004 team had a better quarterback.

Some would argue that point.

Which brings me back to my point. Just because we are losing some great players (specifically the best quarterback in BG history) is no reason to think we will collapse next year. Remember after the 2003 season we lost the "best quaterback in BG history" and we were just fine.

I think there's a lot more concern than just the loss of a great QB and a handful of key players. There's concern that the coaching staff is not up to the task. I don't particularly subscribe to that view, but the argument certainly has merit.