FB: Ohio Athletic Conference

[purple]

Any one else think this is the fastest Mount Union team ever?I sure do.Did I call Cecil Shorts or did I call Cecil Shorts?Pat made me a starter for it.Cecil is Mount Union's answer to Ted Ginn Jr.

[Pat Coleman]

Your 200th post made you a starter.

[Ric]

raiderpa...

MTU 47 Wooster 9
MTU 28 Ashland 6

purple no question they are extremely fast.

[ECW]

RC...Have you seen Mount play this year?  All I was saying was that Kmic seems to be lined up at receiver as much as at RB.  Just an observation for those who haven't seen them this year.

[raiderguy]

ECW,

IMHO, I have not seen the Raiders play this year but everything I have read or heard and seen, Nate and Justin Wray are two extermely talented players available to LK and he is going to use them any way he can. Nate in the open field is scary and Justin only compliments the situation. Oh gee, and if Pierre can stay on the field   what the H. E. double hockey sticks is the DC for the opponent supposed to do? The Raiders scariest opponent is over confidence. I know that is usually not a problem but can anyone say Stagg Bowl 2003?

[Touchdown Tommy]

I remember that game Raiderguy...

[Blutarsky]

I heard that Mt. had two players ejected in the JV game vs. Ashland?  Is this a trend, or just a few "bad apples"?  Garcon in the Otterbein game, unsportsmanlike penalties in the Wooster JV game, and ejections in the Ashland JV game.  Maybe they shouldn't have a "bye" week?

[skunks_sidekick]

Mount has a reputation (somewhat earned....somewhat overblown) over the years that they will "respond" when they get a cheap-shot, trash talked to, etc....

Achilles heel??  Nah..........just part of the Raider mystique. 

No one wants stupid, needless penalties.....but I do like the toughness.  By the way......one of the reasons Garcon is constantly involved in this type of activity (other than his outgoing personality  ) is he is ALWAYS trying to make that extra block downfield.  I bet d-backs hate him for that as much as his ability to run by them and catch the ball.  Not an excuse for him.....but I will take his occasional hiccup if he continues to plant guys downfield.

JMO

[Blutarsky]

Skunks:  I agree about Garcon--and think he has "earned" his status.  However, that message must be getting spread to the freshmen who haven't earned it.  The JV games are designed to prepare you for the varsity competition.  If the freshmen are allowed to behave this way, it will come back and bite them in the rear end.

[theaprof]

We are kind of rehashing this topic, but I think it is one that needs to be dealt with.  One of the things that I always liked in the "old" days (93-2000) was that the Raiders seemed to show real class on the field--always handing the ball to the ref after the play, walking away from the taunts, etc.

Part of that might be selective memory, because I know that BJ was a showboat and I can think of a few TEs and LBs that had a bit of a temper--but even through the rose colored glasses of nostalgia, I don't think we racked up the penalty yardages that we seem to on a regular basis today, especially the personal fouls.

If I wasn't so lazy I'd go to Ric's site and get the stats--but they might show me to be wrong, and I just couldn't admit to that!

[NCC_alum62]

Mount has a reputation (somewhat earned....somewhat overblown) over the years that they will "respond" when they get a cheap-shot, trash talked to, etc....

Achilles heel??  Nah..........just part of the Raider mystique. 

No one wants stupid, needless penalties.....but I do like the toughness.  By the way......one of the reasons Garcon is constantly involved in this type of activity (other than his outgoing personality  ) is he is ALWAYS trying to make that extra block downfield.  I bet d-backs hate him for that as much as his ability to run by them and catch the ball.  Not an excuse for him.....but I will take his occasional hiccup if he continues to plant guys downfield.

JMO

I think his ability to block down field is what is really going to draw the eye of NFL scouts almost as much as his skills as a reciever.

[HScoach]

Mount has a reputation (somewhat earned....somewhat overblown) over the years that they will "respond" when they get a cheap-shot, trash talked to, etc....

Achilles heel??  Nah..........just part of the Raider mystique. 

No one wants stupid, needless penalties.....but I do like the toughness.  By the way......one of the reasons Garcon is constantly involved in this type of activity (other than his outgoing personality  ) is he is ALWAYS trying to make that extra block downfield.  I bet d-backs hate him for that as much as his ability to run by them and catch the ball.  Not an excuse for him.....but I will take his occasional hiccup if he continues to plant guys downfield.

JMO

Speaking of player antics, I find the timing very interesting that our halftime guest in the booth on Saturday was BJ Payne.  Ric asked him about his outlandish behavior, face painting, etc when he was at MUC.  BJ's response was that "LK is a great coach to play for because he allows the individual player to remain himself within the context of a team game".  And that "LK allowed BJ to express himself in the manner that made him tick".   

Not sure how that applies to LK's handling of Garcon's, but there is definitely a line between controlling your players on the field without impacting how they approach the game.  I have a feeling that LK is much more pissed about Pierre running his mouth to the officials than he is about hitting back.  The fire that makes him quick to fight back is the same fire that makes him an absolute bitch in downfield blocking.  However there is no excuse for running your mouth to an official.  None!

I would prefer he acted like Mother Teresa on the field, but I love the desire and attitude he brings to the field, especially in blocking.  What also plays into him standing out is the fact he's WR.  If he was an LB or lineman, we'd be praising his meaner than snot attitude, ala London Fletcher.

What I can't stand is the posing and the "look at me" stuff.  That's the main problem I have with the NFL.

[reality check]

If I wasn't so lazy I'd go to Ric's site and get the stats--but they might show me to be wrong, and I just couldn't admit to that!

From 2000-2006...

'00    89 penalties -  818 yards - 58.4 YPG
'01    87 penalties -  715 yards - 51.1 YPG
'02    92 penalties -  775 yards - 55.4 YPG
'03    65 penalties -  573 yards - 40.9 YPG
'04    77 penalties -  682 yards - 52.5 YPG
'05   115 penalties -  982 yards - 65.5 YPG
'06   132 penalties - 1303 yards - 86.9 YPG

Big jump in the last two years in both yardage and total penalties.  But then again, the most disciplined team on paper since 2000 didn't win the Stagg.  Grab some jersey, block in the back and encroach your way back to the Stagg Bowl boys.   

[reality check]

Of course Ric's info doesn't go back to 93 regarding penalties and whatnot but you can see that the penalties have gotten worse in recent years but they were always pretty high compared to the competition.  In 2000, 2001 and 2002 the Raiders more than doubled their opponents in penalties for example. 

I know the Raiders always get their money's worth in penalties but I will admit the numbers in the last two years are uglier than I anticipated.  It's good to see there's something the Raiders could use a little work on; makes them a little more human.

[fredsdriveinn]

Unfortunately the NFL is about entertainment first. Living down here in Cincinnati...Chad Johnson gets AS MUCH media attention for his off-the-field antics as his on field performance.

Personally, I don't like the pre-meditation aspect of celebrations.  Chad's HOF Jacket routine totally bombed in my estimation.

I believe that Pierre can play at the next level and several Mount Union coaches have told me that they share that viewpoint.  Another guy on the Raiders squad which never gets mentioned regarding possible pro potential is Matt Kostelnik.  According to some scouts and scouting lists that I've seen he's actually on the national radar after Mount Union...and could get a free agency look like Chris Kern.