FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[SagatagSam]

You know things are bad behind the Pine Curtain when current players are anonymously posting remarks like this in the SC Times live chat:

As a player at SJU I am beyond disappointed in our team, coaches, fans, administration, and everything else. The program is a joke right now and needs new coaches, players, administrators, and new takes on football to achieve more support and a winning program. SJU football is as bad as a program can be. Ran poorly all the way around, topped with Untalented players due to awful recruiting/coaching. And it starts from the top down.
...
As a player I can say this- there is no leader on our "team." no one to step up and make others better or support people in need. No fire or emotion behind us. The season is over for us because of this, and the coaches don't have that emotion or fire either. It starts with the QB and Martin is not our answer. Not a leader. We need someone to step up and light a fire under the team's ass to get things going if we are going to have any success

Perhaps this is precisely what the staff needs to light a fire in the program to salvage the rest of the season.

[AO]

You know things are bad behind the Pine Curtain when current players are anonymously posting remarks like this in the SC Times live chat:

As a player at SJU I am beyond disappointed in our team, coaches, fans, administration, and everything else. The program is a joke right now and needs new coaches, players, administrators, and new takes on football to achieve more support and a winning program. SJU football is as bad as a program can be. Ran poorly all the way around, topped with Untalented players due to awful recruiting/coaching. And it starts from the top down.
...
As a player I can say this- there is no leader on our "team." no one to step up and make others better or support people in need. No fire or emotion behind us. The season is over for us because of this, and the coaches don't have that emotion or fire either. It starts with the QB and Martin is not our answer. Not a leader. We need someone to step up and light a fire under the team's ass to get things going if we are going to have any success

Perhaps this is precisely what the staff needs to light a fire in the program to salvage the rest of the season.

5% chance that was a current player, but even if he is, I tend to agree with 105 that the effort and emotion are there, the talent, not so much.

[Retired Old Rat]

You know things are bad behind the Pine Curtain when current players are anonymously posting remarks like this in the SC Times live chat:

As a player at SJU I am beyond disappointed in our team, coaches, fans, administration, and everything else. The program is a joke right now and needs new coaches, players, administrators, and new takes on football to achieve more support and a winning program. SJU football is as bad as a program can be. Ran poorly all the way around, topped with Untalented players due to awful recruiting/coaching. And it starts from the top down.
...
As a player I can say this- there is no leader on our "team." no one to step up and make others better or support people in need. No fire or emotion behind us. The season is over for us because of this, and the coaches don't have that emotion or fire either. It starts with the QB and Martin is not our answer. Not a leader. We need someone to step up and light a fire under the team's ass to get things going if we are going to have any success

Perhaps this is precisely what the staff needs to light a fire in the program to salvage the rest of the season.

Bad idea by this kid to throw everyone under the bus.

[finsleft]

ROR-
Why do you think it's a bad idea? Just curious...

Isn't everyone already under the bus?

[finsleft]

Allleged "player" also said this:

"Comment From SJU player 
As a player I can say this- there is no leader on our "team." no one to step up and make others better or support people in need. No fire or emotion behind us. The season is over for us because of this, and the coaches don't have that emotion or fire either. It starts with the QB and Martin is not our answer. Not a leader. We need someone to step up and light a fire under the team's ass to get things going if we are going to have any success "

[Chubbs]

You know things are bad behind the Pine Curtain when current players are anonymously posting remarks like this in the SC Times live chat:

As a player at SJU I am beyond disappointed in our team, coaches, fans, administration, and everything else. The program is a joke right now and needs new coaches, players, administrators, and new takes on football to achieve more support and a winning program. SJU football is as bad as a program can be. Ran poorly all the way around, topped with Untalented players due to awful recruiting/coaching. And it starts from the top down.
...
As a player I can say this- there is no leader on our "team." no one to step up and make others better or support people in need. No fire or emotion behind us. The season is over for us because of this, and the coaches don't have that emotion or fire either. It starts with the QB and Martin is not our answer. Not a leader. We need someone to step up and light a fire under the team's ass to get things going if we are going to have any success

Perhaps this is precisely what the staff needs to light a fire in the program to salvage the rest of the season.

Bad idea by this kid to throw everyone under the bus.

Agreed.  This does nothing to cure what's ailing SJU football.  He'd best hope his coaches and teammates don't find out who he is, even if there is truth to what he said.

[sfury]

Who knows if it's actually a real player or Purple Reign acting as a Trojan Horse, and if it is if it's one that actually matters. But regarding the Martin point, Linnemann -- who, whatever friends and foes think of him, the dude knows what it takes to be a leader as a QB and at St. John's -- said this last year in his interview with me.

They have a good one in Nick Martin but he's a newcomer—never started—in fact, just started playing football a couple years ago after playing soccer his whole life. He has all the physical tools and he might be the best kid I've ever met. Super leader. It's like in Superbad when Jonah Hill says, "Looking into his eyes is like the first time I heard the Beatles play." He's a coaches' dream.

[DuffMan]

5% chance that was a current player...

Don't get used to it, but I agree with AO.

[sjusection105]

I tend to agree with 105 that the effort and emotion are there, the talent, not so much.

Yea, what Duffman said.

[OzJohnnie]

ROR-
Why do you think it's a bad idea? Just curious...

Isn't everyone already under the bus?

My problem is that he demonstrates so clearly that he is not the leader needed or the type of follower needed either. As he laughs while Rome burns he can feel good about himself for his anonymous knife in the back.

If this is a player then be a man an approach John to his face with these comments and be prepare for the consequences of him either asking you to leave or lead.

If this isn't a player then feel ashamed as you lie awake at night considering your virtual hooliganism.  Such great courage to tear at others so personally from the anonymity of a lie.

The problem of throwing people or institutions under the bus is that a person take no responsibility for that person's own contribution to the issue.  Isn't this person supposed to be a member of the team he so cruely attacks?  The additional problem of bus throwing is that it is an attempt to maintain personal advantage on the disadvantage of others. It is base moral weakness and I don't think we need that at SJU.

I hope this player has the courage to quit the team. To apologize and leave. The team deserves this result. But then he's already demonstrated his cowardice. Odds are low that he'll suddenly develop a little principle.

[wartknight]

I hope this player has the courage to quit the team. To apologize and leave. The team deserves this result. But then he's already demonstrated his cowardice. Odds are low that he'll suddenly develop a little principle.

I think he probably already took his bat & ball & ran home to tell his mom.

[Retired Old Rat]

ROR-
Why do you think it's a bad idea? Just curious...

Isn't everyone already under the bus?

Two things:

He lives with the people he is throwing under the bus.  It is highly unlikely he will be successful in maintaining his anonymity.

Saying it to your friends is one thing, posting it on line is another.  Perhaps I am betraying my old man sensibilities.

[SagatagSam]

I hope this player has the courage to quit the team. To apologize and leave. The team deserves this result. But then he's already demonstrated his cowardice. Odds are low that he'll suddenly develop a little principle.

I have a number of friends that came to SJU to play for John and now share similar sentiments to the ones this player posted.
The difference is that they kept their views private until after they stopped playing.

[sfury]

The game has passed the coach by argument is so boring, and usually useless. Whatever's wrong with SJU, the game passing by has nothing to do with it.

Coach A's record since 2004:
2004: 6-4
2005: 5-5
2006: 9-2
2007: 12-2
2008: 5-5
2009: 7-3
2010: 12-2
2011: 8-2

Coach B's record since 2004:
2004: 11-1
2005: 10-2
2006: 4-6
2007: 7-3
2008: 6-4
2009: 5-5
2010: 5-5
2011: 6-4

Imagine SJU having those .500 records since '04. Or going 4-6 (hey, we might learn what that's like). Even 7-3 in 2010 -- with a kick-ass offense that put up numbers matched by only a few teams in school history -- was treated as a miniapocalypse, setting the stage nicely for the real one to follow.

Coach A: Steve Johnson
Coach B: Terry Horan

Also? There have been disgruntled players at St. John's since Jim Lehman was there. Doesn't mean their complaints don't have merit. Doesn't mean they maybe haven't increased over the years/decades. But they're also not completely breaking news.

[SagatagSam]

Also? There have been disgruntled players at St. John's since Jim Lehman was there. Doesn't mean their complaints don't have merit. Doesn't mean they maybe haven't increased over the years/decades. But they're also not completely breaking news.

The media age has certainly increased the visibility of the disgruntled player with Facebook, Twitter, et al, which may lead us to believe there are more than in previous years and decades.

Regardless of the perceived change in the number of disgruntled players, what I hope is that the staff can make lemonade out of this lemon. I'm sure by now word of this player's comments has made it around the locker room. Maybe it creates an opportunity to have a bit of a "come to Jesus" discussion within the team.