FB: American Rivers Conference

[DutchFan2004]

Hey congrats to the board we hit 400 pages. 

[DutchHawk]

Only a rough 1630 to catch the MIAC:)

[dbljay21]

Only a rough 1630 to catch the MIAC:)

I guess we will just have to keep the posts coming

Thanks for the feedback on the injury question guys. Its always good to know what others think about a situation like that and I was curious what the opinions were because the HS team where I coach had that situation last week and Luther is running into this week.  Picks to come later this week...

[Willie University]

Seriously, the first week of IIAC play and hardly any posts this week? I liked it better when the league pick em's and posts were on the same board. Sorry Pat, but now it seems conversations resulting from picks are being split? What was the reason for not allowing picks and conversation on the same board? Heck, I can't even find the pick em board in the first place 

Willie U

[Pat Coleman]

Willie:

This topic has been beaten to death. Perhaps someone will send you a PM with the details and a link to make your picks.

[the_mayne_event]

Coe fans got a question. hows Tate Harrison doing ? watched him play in HS. Try to get him to go to Wartburg, but i knew that wasn't going to happen as his brother and cousin both played for Coe but had alot of fun with him every time i saw him Trying to get him to try on my wartburg clothing. Tate is just a good kid and wish him the best. I believe he will to a very good football play for Coe.

Tate is doing very good his first full year as a starter for the Kohawks.  He will anchor an impressive defense for the next 2 years.  Very intense player, he has a great nose for the ball.  His natural position is probably on the strong side, but with how good a football player he is you have to have him in on every play, which is probably why hes playing middle this year.  He is also an extremly hard worker, which is no suprise if you knew either Travis (cousin) or Trenton (brother).  He along with Calvin Thomas will have a very good linebacker corps for the next couple of years

[DutchFan2004]

Willie,

go to the generall football page on post paterns and it is right under there.  It says pick em board I believe.  There are mostly picks on there and not much is talked about there we have been keeping the chats here. 

[TheOne89.1]

Just got done reading the release for the Wartburg/BV game and I never even realized Hoerner made team of the week honors for week 1 so a quick congrats out to him (a little belated, sorry).  With a big week in IIAC this week maybe others can join Hoerner and Breitbach on the TOW list.  Pretty impressive to see the whole Offensive line for UW-L on there for week one, you must really be working as a unit to get that recognition.  Good to see Wartburg could have another QB (Yordi) with big numbers.  Last time the Knights had numbers as big as his in week 1 was with Reed Hoskins.  Looks like the Knights might have their hands full with Sly on Saturday.

Good luck to the Beavers this weekend.  Good luck to the rest of the IIAC as well  Go Knights!

[Wartburg Fan]

the__mayne__event

       thanks for the infor. on Tate. Yes I know Trent and Travis they played Hs ball with my son, they were a year of head of him. My son ended up in Wartburg and start for three years. It was always fun to play Coe with the Harrison boys on Coes team. Trent and Travis would always call my son before the Wartburg and Coe game and give him some friendly crap.  If you know Tate and see him tell him Hi for me and just tell him from the guy that gave him a hard time about going to  Wartburg he should who you are talking about.

[Purple Heys]

Good luck to all IIAC teams, though a little less to Loras  

Let's see if the resilient, resourceful, rearing-to-go Rams can ratchet up the D, unleashing the Serbian Sackmeister.  Looking for another big game from Capt. Gus and good luck to young Master Heitland getting his 1st collegiate start in place of J-Day(BTW a speedy recovering to you).

I'll take all the 1 point games I can get if the Rams always end up on top.

I am really looking forward to the Rams competing, not just playing, in the Iowa Conference this year.

In relative terms, it seems that the quality of our IIAC teams has increased.  Let's just hope that we don't beat each other up so bad so that when playoff time comes, our team(s) go deep in the playoffs and confirm that improvement.

[Purple Heys]

To One's question...

The better teams never seem to skip a beat because of their superior depth and that quality that all good teams have, where they step up their games in other areas to compensate.  I seem to remember Coe last year losing a player of TeKippe's quality, only to have Demoulin step as if the position belonged to him all along.

That being said, overall team depth is a factor here.  Some teams have it and others, like the Rams are still developing it.  So there is only so far some teams can withstand depletion and maintain the quality of play.

When I coached I can say I was personally pleased when a leading opposing player was not suited up, but I never, never let on to my players that emotion.  In fact I stressed how the opponent would be extra focused to overcome their loss and could be expected to raise their level of play.  That's on the motivation level.

On the strategy side, if the player lost was on defense, we certainly would test that area to see how they would perform or compensate away from tendency, then try to talke advantage if there was advantage to be taken.  Overall we would game plan to the team not the individual.

If the player lost was on offense it would depend on the player and the team's tendencies.  If they were a passing team and they were playing the backup QB, we might blitz a bit more to try to force a mistake.  Still we'd prepare more for the team, because we didn't feel they would make a radical change to their overall scheme due to one individual loss.

[MNbeev]

For the Question above...

Question for the board: As players/coaches/fans, do you feel relief if an opponent has a "major" player on the sideline due to injury when your team is playing them?  Or do you want to play them at full strength?

This was a great question to sit and ponder about.  I coach a small 9 man football team in MN, and being smaller teams there is little to no depth so if anybody is out, there is no one behind to fill the enormous hole.  But anyways, it gave me some insight to this weeks game.  Two major starters on the opposing team are out this week because of getting caught drinking.  I brought the subject up to my players at practice yesterday, and had them think about it.  I was surprised to hear our starting QB say that he would like to play them at full strength so when we win it was a "real" victory.  But he also did bring up that it was a relief knowing that there two studs are out and it should be a easier game with the thought of them being out.  I believe the same as our QB playing a team with 1 or 2 key players out of the game is not a "real" victory, don't get me wrong it is a mark in the win column but, I just think to myself I would want to know how the game would have gone with those players in the game. 
     If I recall correctly, in the 2005 season when McCarrons went down at BV with an injury in the 1st quarter, I do remember that his back up was no where near the caliber he was.  Would the beavers still of blanked Loras 16-0?  I don't know, their "stud" was out back up in, game changes, in my mind yes a shut-out, and a victory, but was it "real?"

[the_mayne_event]

Having a key player out gives the opposing team the competitave edge.  It doesn't matter that their studs are out.  Not having you horses playing is just like playing in the mud if your strictly a passing team i.e. Coe vs Wartburg last year and Concordia the year before that.  A win is a win. 
If you are a quality team in college, and your coaches do their job preparing and recruiting, you should have more then just 22 good players on your team.  You should have a quality back-up to come in and get the job done.  I agree that it may not be as well as the starter, but they should be prepared and work all week/year that they are going to be the starter so in the event of an injury they will be able to do their job. 
I also agree that you might feel "better" about the win if you are playing the team at full strenght, but it's the same as if you play terrible, but the opposing team plays even worse and you still pull out the victory.  What would a coach say?  "Man that was an ugly win, but I will take an ugly win over a loss anyday."  Real or not, there are a hundred what if's and coulda/whoulda/shoulda sayings after a loss or even a win.
Personally, if I was a coach, I would want anything and everything to give me the competative edge, because that is what sports are all about.

[dbljay21]

If you are a quality team in college, and your coaches do their job preparing and recruiting, you should have more then just 22 good players on your team.  You should have a quality back-up to come in and get the job done.  I agree that it may not be as well as the starter, but they should be prepared and work all week/year that they are going to be the starter so in the event of an injury they will be able to do their job. 

That is a good point...the depth of a college team or a professional team is different than the depth of a HS team and that definitely changes the impact of key players being on the sideline.  I am sure that Central will have good backups for Schuring and that the game on Saturday will be a very tough contest between two good IIAC schools. 

And on to page 401 for the IIAC board 

[MNbeev]

I do agree with you Mayne Event on wanting the competative edge to win.  But having the other team have key players out is not having a necessarily competative edge.  It is having a greater advantage towards a win.  It is like saying playing 11 against 10, or 9...I consider a competative edge being a coaching staff that reads and prepares a defensive package that will dominate the O, or vice-versa.  Or a team that had a Strength Coach in the offseason/Went over seas to play football in the spring, or spring practices...those are competative edges, and I do agree about playing in the whole playing in the mud thing.   
But I would say and this does contradict me a tid-bit but the only competative edge is mentally in the teams that play, a detrimental momentum change for the team who's players are out, and a boost for the team that plays against them.  I also agree on the backups that need to fill a position, they should in college be able to be "just as" good but we all know sometimes that isn't the case and it does make a huge difference in who plays.  Central is a good enough team where they do have options and will win, other teams do not have that kind of team/players.  I know it does make a difference college/high school...But the questions was "As players/coaches/fans, do you feel relief if an opponent has a "major" player on the sideline due to injury when your team is playing them?  Or do you want to play them at full strength?"  And as me being a coach for a H.S. Team, I answered it in terms of my team.

Hopefully this sparks something!