FB: American Rivers Conference

[notlongago]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

[Norsanity]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

So you aren't a fan of the winner qb being a coach but you endorse the losing coach being AD
Got to love the Dutch.

[Norsanity]

How about them Kohawks?! 

I was at the game on Saturday. Not much to say, other than I was very impressed with Coe.  Not taking anything away from Coe's performance, but it was apparent that Simpson is not quite there yet.  Although, they are certainly moving in the right direction from previous years.

What does Simpson need to happen now to get in playoffs?

[Klompen]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, ,let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

I am 100% behind Coach Mac and I do agree he gets the most out of his players.  I just want someone to get the team fired up to play from the opening kickoff because in most of the games, the Dutch sat out the first quarter. 

You can go blaming the lack of fire on the atmosphere all you want, but I have watched MANY Central teams that were undefeated in the regular season and the atmosphere was the same then as it is now.  I agree Central needs to implement the stadium changes drawn up years ago, but changing the stadium is not going to make the crowd cheer any more than they did then or do now.  Yes, fans can fire a team up, I'm not disagreeing with that, but I was asked what the change was and atmosphere has not changed a bit, it has been consistently bad.   

And Tim C remains the best QB I have seen at Central and he coaches.  Since I am not suggesting he come to Central to coach his peers, I really don't care what you believe they thought of him.  I don't know him personally, don't know that I even met him during his four years at Central while I worked at the college.  But, I imagine he does get respect from the players he coaches.  And I did personally watch some games where I felt he literally put the team on his back and carried them to victory.  So if his peers have a problem it might be jealousy.

[Klompen]

How about them Kohawks?! 

I was at the game on Saturday. Not much to say, other than I was very impressed with Coe.  Not taking anything away from Coe's performance, but it was apparent that Simpson is not quite there yet.  Although, they are certainly moving in the right direction from previous years.

What does Simpson need to happen now to get in playoffs?

Simpson needs to win out and hope that Wartburg and Central beat Coe and that Central, or someone else, beats Wartburg.  Only one team will make the playoffs from the IIAC this year, so to be that team, they need to be conference champ.

[D3Dutchman]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, ,let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

I am 100% behind Coach Mac and I do agree he gets the most out of his players.  I just want someone to get the team fired up to play from the opening kickoff because in most of the games, the Dutch sat out the first quarter. 

You can go blaming the lack of fire on the atmosphere all you want, but I have watched MANY Central teams that were undefeated in the regular season and the atmosphere was the same then as it is now.  I agree Central needs to implement the stadium changes drawn up years ago, but changing the stadium is not going to make the crowd cheer any more than they did then or do now.  Yes, fans can fire a team up, I'm not disagreeing with that, but I was asked what the change was and atmosphere has not changed a bit, it has been consistently bad.   

And Tim C remains the best QB I have seen at Central and he coaches.  Since I am not suggesting he come to Central to coach his peers, I really don't care what you believe they thought of him.  I don't know him personally, don't know that I even met him during his four years at Central while I worked at the college.  But, I imagine he does get respect from the players he coaches.  And I did personally watch some games where I felt he literally put the team on his back and carried them to victory.  So if his peers have a problem it might be jealousy.

I'm sure you've been to a ton of Central games, and you are right about the atmosphere in that it is generally a little quieter than you would think it would be for the size of the crowd.  That said, I've been a part of said undefeated teams and other playoff teams (gasp...and even some not so successful teams relatively speaking), and can tell you that the atmosphere I remember made Schipper Stadium seem like Kinnick Stadium compared to what I saw when I went to the Simpson game.  LOTS of empty seats.  The student section used to be full, and I saw maybe a quarter of it full last time I was there.  I would suspect consisting mostly of the current player's girlfriends from the looks of it.  A few posts back, it was asked what changes could be made to enhance the atmosphere.  While I'm not an expert event planner, I'll give it a shot...

1.  Open up, and even encourage / promote tailgating.  Allow alcohol in designated areas on Saturdays.  (I heard they allow booze at wedding receptions and other events at Central Hall now, so this is not unprecedented).  Football should be treated as an event that adults attend.  I'm a grown ass man, and should be able to drink a few beers with friends and family before a football game without playing the cloak and dagger game.  It's my right as an American!

2.  Renovate the stadium, and if they can't do it now, create a plan (or simply refresh the old one), and make it known that this is a priority.

3.  Play canned music before, during, and after the games.  If you want to keep the pep band as a novelty, to play the fight song, fine.  That said, I would not shed a tear if that tradition died.  I would be all for bringing back a good marching band though...heck, Billy Penn did it...we can too!  It would be something unique in the Iowa conference, and I think it would bring in kids to the school that might want to continue on with that after high school (can't half-ass it though).

4.  Put up tarps on the chain link fences that surround the stadium (I've seen this done at a lot of stadiums).  Stop letting people watch for free from outside.  I see too much of this.  It isn't like the games are expensive...if they wanna see, they can pay the price or wait until half time. 

5.  Make an effort to get the community of Pella involved again...I don't really know what that looks like, but I think there are things they could do with minimal investment.  It's Pella...give something away, and they will come

6.  Do one or two night games per year...play these up in the community and with the alumni.  Try to work these around what Iowa and ISU are doing on that day...they are both out of town or have likely morning kicks.  Make it a party! 

7.  Better concessions.  Play up the Dutch thing...go to the bakery, buy some Dutch Letters, and sell them.  They do it for the football stand at Tulip Time.  You could even invite in a local Pella restaurant or two to sell some food during the game...heck even pizza-by-the-slice would be a welcome change. 

8.  Sell apparel at the games.

I could probably think of more, but I have to be at work early.  Time to get in the rack...but the bottom line would be for the school / athletic department to act like they are even trying.  Right now they are sleepwalking through the process like times haven't changed.  Just wake up and smell the tulips...so much potential is being flat out wasted.  Even the most tradition-rich programs have to make some adjustments to keep up with what the kids are doing these days.

[NewKnightDad]

Just my $.02 but I think the less boisterous fan base is not just a Central issue.  Last Saturday Wartburg is trying to keep UD from getting into field goal position to tie the game late in the 4th quarter.  Myself (son graduated last year) and another parent of a player that graduated last year were the ones trying to get the crowd up and yelling for the defense.

It just seems that people think they are sitting at home in front of their tv watching the game.

I have heard the same complaints about fans at Kinnick at times as well.

[notlongago]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

So you aren't a fan of the winner qb being a coach but you endorse the losing coach being AD
Got to love the Dutch.

What are you talking about?

Players don't like him as a player, why would we want him as a coach?
Losing coach as the AD? Maybe you should look as his resume...

[notlongago]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, ,let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

I am 100% behind Coach Mac and I do agree he gets the most out of his players.  I just want someone to get the team fired up to play from the opening kickoff because in most of the games, the Dutch sat out the first quarter. 

You can go blaming the lack of fire on the atmosphere all you want, but I have watched MANY Central teams that were undefeated in the regular season and the atmosphere was the same then as it is now.  I agree Central needs to implement the stadium changes drawn up years ago, but changing the stadium is not going to make the crowd cheer any more than they did then or do now.  Yes, fans can fire a team up, I'm not disagreeing with that, but I was asked what the change was and atmosphere has not changed a bit, it has been consistently bad.   

And Tim C remains the best QB I have seen at Central and he coaches.  Since I am not suggesting he come to Central to coach his peers, I really don't care what you believe they thought of him.  I don't know him personally, don't know that I even met him during his four years at Central while I worked at the college.  But, I imagine he does get respect from the players he coaches.  And I did personally watch some games where I felt he literally put the team on his back and carried them to victory.  So if his peers have a problem it might be jealousy.

To be fair, those teams were much more talented than this years team.

And perhaps you forgot some of the other players on the team during Tim Cs time....a very average QB could look stellar with those skill position players.
And by peers, I was referring to those that worked with him during his playing years...that includes coaches, players, managers, etc.

[footballdaddy]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, ,let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

I am 100% behind Coach Mac and I do agree he gets the most out of his players.  I just want someone to get the team fired up to play from the opening kickoff because in most of the games, the Dutch sat out the first quarter. 

You can go blaming the lack of fire on the atmosphere all you want, but I have watched MANY Central teams that were undefeated in the regular season and the atmosphere was the same then as it is now.  I agree Central needs to implement the stadium changes drawn up years ago, but changing the stadium is not going to make the crowd cheer any more than they did then or do now.  Yes, fans can fire a team up, I'm not disagreeing with that, but I was asked what the change was and atmosphere has not changed a bit, it has been consistently bad.   

And Tim C remains the best QB I have seen at Central and he coaches.  Since I am not suggesting he come to Central to coach his peers, I really don't care what you believe they thought of him.  I don't know him personally, don't know that I even met him during his four years at Central while I worked at the college.  But, I imagine he does get respect from the players he coaches.  And I did personally watch some games where I felt he literally put the team on his back and carried them to victory.  So if his peers have a problem it might be jealousy.

To be fair, those teams were much more talented than this years team.

And perhaps you forgot some of the other players on the team during Tim Cs time....a very average QB could look stellar with those skill position players.
And by peers, I was referring to those that worked with him during his playing years...that includes coaches, players, managers, etc.

You might be a little testy too if you played your senior season at QB with a broken hand. It doesn't matter if he's liked as long as he's respected.

[notlongago]

You have some interesting points of view. The two things I would question you on. A) coach Mac is not a rah rah coach but he does get the most out of many Players. You don't need to be a HC to motivate players, zach pfantz was the best at getting players jacked up. Many times dewaard has his players play out of fear of getting berated and loosing a job, which is not what you want for some players.

A lot of the fire that is missing is just due to atmosphere...it is just not conducive to mustering up that raw emotion.

Another thing I would question you on is having Tim c coach....having talked to former players, ,let's just say he isn't thought of as highly of his peers as he is by you.

I am 100% behind Coach Mac and I do agree he gets the most out of his players.  I just want someone to get the team fired up to play from the opening kickoff because in most of the games, the Dutch sat out the first quarter. 

You can go blaming the lack of fire on the atmosphere all you want, but I have watched MANY Central teams that were undefeated in the regular season and the atmosphere was the same then as it is now.  I agree Central needs to implement the stadium changes drawn up years ago, but changing the stadium is not going to make the crowd cheer any more than they did then or do now.  Yes, fans can fire a team up, I'm not disagreeing with that, but I was asked what the change was and atmosphere has not changed a bit, it has been consistently bad.   

And Tim C remains the best QB I have seen at Central and he coaches.  Since I am not suggesting he come to Central to coach his peers, I really don't care what you believe they thought of him.  I don't know him personally, don't know that I even met him during his four years at Central while I worked at the college.  But, I imagine he does get respect from the players he coaches.  And I did personally watch some games where I felt he literally put the team on his back and carried them to victory.  So if his peers have a problem it might be jealousy.

To be fair, those teams were much more talented than this years team.

And perhaps you forgot some of the other players on the team during Tim Cs time....a very average QB could look stellar with those skill position players.
And by peers, I was referring to those that worked with him during his playing years...that includes coaches, players, managers, etc.

You might be a little testy too if you played your senior season at QB with a broken hand. It doesn't matter if he's liked as long as he's respected.

The people I have talked to that played, coached, worked with Tim, etc. didn't exude much respect for him...then again those that are most disgruntled will be the most vocal about it. So maybe it is only a small portion.

[wartknight]

How about them Kohawks?! 

I was at the game on Saturday. Not much to say, other than I was very impressed with Coe.  Not taking anything away from Coe's performance, but it was apparent that Simpson is not quite there yet.  Although, they are certainly moving in the right direction from previous years.

What does Simpson need to happen now to get in playoffs?

Simpson needs to win out and hope that Wartburg and Central beat Coe and that Central, or someone else, beats Wartburg.  Only one team will make the playoffs from the IIAC this year, so to be that team, they need to be conference champ.

That scenario would get the Storm in, but I believe they would get the AQ if they & the Knights run the table, regardless of what Coe would do the rest of the way. A three way tie between them would give the nod to Simpson as the Hacks & Warts would be eliminated as both were in the playoffs in 2010. The Storm have the HTH against the Knights in event those two tie. A one loss (2nd place) Coe team could get a 2nd IIAC team in the playoffs;depends how Pool C shakes out.

[warthog]

Perhaps multiple decades of football success does this to people, but for God's sake the Central Football program is not in shambles.  Here we are, more than half way through the season and the Dutch still could be IIAC champions.  Calling out coaches or critiquing the personalities of former players isn't helping anyone. 

Things are changing.  We can no longer assume Central, Coe, and Wartburg will automatically some how distribute the top three places in the conference race among themselves.  Dubuque and Simpson in the IIAC are getting better.  Former IIAC members Wm Penn (NAIA), Cornell (MWC), and Upper Iowa (NCAA D2) are having better luck in their new environments.  To be getting better, all five of these teams are improving their rosters.  The players are coming from somewhere and maybe these somewheres are the places Central would recruit. 

One rocky season does not make a ship wreck.  Now is not the time to have coaches and players walking the plank.  Let's see how the season shakes out.

Now the important thing I wanted to post.  Just how in the world can my Knights pull the upset and beat Coe in Cedar Rapids this Saturday?  By comparing the results that each had when playing Simpson it doesn't look too good for the Black and Orange.

[wartknight]

Just my $.02 but I think the less boisterous fan base is not just a Central issue.  Last Saturday Wartburg is trying to keep UD from getting into field goal position to tie the game late in the 4th quarter.  Myself (son graduated last year) and another parent of a player that graduated last year were the ones trying to get the crowd up and yelling for the defense.

It just seems that people think they are sitting at home in front of their tv watching the game.

I have heard the same complaints about fans at Kinnick at times as well.

Agreed!! It is frustrating. It is like they don't know when to get excited. I realize it was a HC crowd, but still! As much as I love the fact that you can watch almost as many college games as you want on tv, it does seem it has an impact on how some people view a game in person.

[wartknight]

Now the important thing I wanted to post.  Just how in the world can my Knights pull the upset and beat Coe in Cedar Rapids this Saturday?  By comparing the results that each had when playing Simpson it doesn't look too good for the Black and Orange.

It's like when the patient told the DR: "Doc it hurts when I do this" DR: "Then don't do it"..................Don't compare the results.
If you want to compare results, use UD.....I do agree, the Warts are going to have their hands full!