FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[sfury]

Great point on social media. Certainly adds a new element. (sort of like how crime is actually lower than ever but because of media saturation people think it's more dangerous than ever and pine for the supposed good old days of the past). I do follow a few Johnnies on Twitter and they're all respectful dudes and Essler, in particular, I enjoy -- partly because he's a Kobe guy.

If this was a real player on the chat -- and why wasn't he in class, chapel or the film room? -- maybe there's a Shirley Jackson Lottery type ending at the end of one of the practices. I don't remember No Stoning being on the list of No's.

[hazzben]

5% chance that was a current player...

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

I agree.

Most likely scenario. Some old fat dude, sitting at his computer trying to do something important and influential by impersonating an SJU player.

Second most likely. Some poser SJU student who isn't on the team, but wants to pretend he is.

Third most likely. Actually a player. But a slow, fat one that's never gonna sniff the field, even if SJU goes 1-9.

This just seems nothing like what a legit player/contributor would say. Granted, that's no guarantee. But I highly doubt it.

If it is a player and/or contributor. Shame on him. Man up and take your issues to the men in charge.

Whoever it was, it was cowardly and possibly just a flat out lie.

[hazzben]

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.

...

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

I've thought this exact thing a couple times the last few years. Johnson would without question be regarded as one of the best coaches in the league. And he's had season's where the team was down or injuries hammered him. It happens. That 2005 team carried the core of the 2006 and 2007 squads. You never know what young talent might emerge next year from the carnage of the last two seasons.

Now that doesn't mean it might actually be time for John to go, but history in the league and at SJU seems to indicate a guy can turn things around.

[sfury]

Hazz, didn't you Bethel guys have some back and forth a few years back on whether Johnson had slipped a bit and there might be a need for a change? Seem to recall that but might be mistaken. Obviously it worked out for the Royals. And situations aren't the same, but just the general the game has passed Coach X by argument seems pointless.

[hazzben]

Hazz, didn't you Bethel guys have some back and forth a few years back on whether Johnson had slipped a bit and there might be a need for a change? Seem to recall that but might be mistaken. Obviously it worked out for the Royals. And situations aren't the same, but just the general the game has passed Coach X by argument seems pointless.

Not that I'm aware of or remember (although my wife would tell you my memory is a pretty low standard  ). But that doesn't mean someone might have been doing that. There's always a guy who's ready to fire the coach because they haven't 'won enough.'

But not on my end. I'm a huge Coach J supporter. Love the tone he's set in the program, both on the field and off. And I love the guys he's brought on and kept as assistants. Great guys, all of 'em.

[BDB]

5% chance that was a current player...

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

Even in bad times, a little humor finds it's way into the conversation. 

ROR and others have always maintained that current players should not post until their playing days are done. I'm guessing this is some players DAD, and his son knows nothing about it.

Who knows. Time will tell probably.

[edstone]

Haegge's a good offensive mind. Their may have been some looking ahead. If you blow a team out the previous year it can be a temptation to take them lightly. But this just seems to be Bethel's MO with Augsburg. The last 13-14 years we either seem to blow them out or play a surprisingly close game and pull it out in the end. Part of that has to do with the location. We've gotten them several times in the Dome, which is a weird environment. But you shouldn't be looking past an undefeated team with a dangerous QB. Live and learn.
. . .
But this years running game just isn't as potent as it's been in the past. Our passing game is better, but that didn't show on Saturday.

Bottom line, there's plenty to work on going into a tough game against Concordia. But the team found a way to win on a day when they didn't have their best stuff. That can't be discounted.
. . .

This is a young team, I think 7 seniors in the two deep (top 44). . . . But still young.

All good points. . .

I had lost track of the "history" on BU - Aug games. You're right about that.

I agree that any kind of a win is as good as the next. Wasn't there a pro team that kind of had as a motto "we win ugly"? That might have been a baseball team; I can't remember.

What you add about the age of the team is worth noting.

So, here's my question - Concordia has a big gun at RB. Will BU D stop him more effectively than the Aug QB?
My take is that BU rushing D is up to the task, yet the last game showed they are more vulnerable than it seemed against earlier teams. Comment?  Regards.

[OzJohnnie]

5% chance that was a current player...

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

Even in bad times, a little humor finds it's way into the conversation. 

ROR and others have always maintained that current players should not post until their playing days are done. I'm guessing this is some players DAD, and his son knows nothing about it.

Who knows. Time will tell probably.

The sleuthing continues... If it was a dad, then it's likely a dad with an ax to grind about a specific decision or two...

Of course, one decision was specifically mentioned.

(#2 was reading me some Sherlock Holmes last night so I'm all Mr. Mystery Solver today.)

[edstone]

I'm not a part of the SJU fan club, so I don't really have much voice in this discussion about their coach.

I do want to say that I feel very strongly that one of the key reasons why the MIAC is a quality football conference is because of the work that Gags and co have done at SJU. He pushed the rest of the conference to a higher level of competition.  For that, all I can say is Thank You, John!

As far as being over the hill, maybe, maybe not. He's endured some runs of bad seasons in the past. THis year might stand out because of the number of conference losses in a row. Yet, this is hardly the worst record he's ever had.

[Chubbs]

Hazz, didn't you Bethel guys have some back and forth a few years back on whether Johnson had slipped a bit and there might be a need for a change? Seem to recall that but might be mistaken. Obviously it worked out for the Royals. And situations aren't the same, but just the general the game has passed Coach X by argument seems pointless.

That was suggested by one self-important troll who was supposedly a Bethel student but never a player and doesn't know a thing about football other than what he'd heard on TV.  He was quickly told where he could take that suggestion and what he should do with it.  

Nobody who ever played for Coach J or has any real ties to the program looks forward to the day that he steps aside.  Bethel was Macalester (and even worse) when he took the helm, turned it into what we now know, and did it in a fashion that he will long be remembered and loved for by the Bethel family.

[sjusection105]

Even in bad times, a little humor finds it's way into the conversation. 

Gallows humor I believe it is referred to as. I would not be surprised if the team wins 5 in a row to end the season OR lose 3 of 5
The situation is that perplexing......

[OldAuggie]

.

I do want to say that I feel very strongly that one of the key reasons why the MIAC is a quality football conference is because of the work that Gags and co have done at SJU. He pushed the rest of the conference to a higher level of competition.  For that, all I can say is Thank You, John!

I agree with this as well and hats off to all the faithful SJU fans, you really raise the bar for the rest of the MIAC. We all need a strong Johnnie team to maintain respectability and balance out the conference. Can't believe I said that. See you this weekend.

[sfury]

5% chance that was a current player...

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

Even in bad times, a little humor finds it's way into the conversation. 

ROR and others have always maintained that current players should not post until their playing days are done. I'm guessing this is some players DAD, and his son knows nothing about it.

Who knows. Time will tell probably.

The sleuthing continues... If it was a dad, then it's likely a dad with an ax to grind about a specific decision or two...

Of course, one decision was specifically mentioned.

(#2 was reading me some Sherlock Holmes last night so I'm all Mr. Mystery Solver today.)

Oz, have you watched the BBC's Sherlock? I'm obsessed. Two "series" have been out, each three episodes, but each episode is 90 minutes so they're like mini-movies. Such a cool show.

[hazzben]

Nobody who ever played for Coach J or has any real ties to the program looks forward to the day that he steps aside.  Bethel was Macalester (and even worse) when he took the helm, turned it into what we now know, and did it in a fashion that he will long be remembered and loved for by the Bethel family.

I'll second that!

[MadRedFan]

I haven't much gotten into discussing the "state of Johnnie football", and all that's been discussed on this board about things going bad.  But a couple observations (in no particular order):

Leaving the game Saturday, it was really the first time I felt sort of "let down" by the program, especially coaches, as I was feeling it.  I somehow didn't feel good about the "game plan" let's call it.  I don't know how to describe it.  The game slipped away and it shouldn't have.

As we walked out of the stadium, John was coming out of the "press box" (on the almighty Rhino Deck!)and I all of a sudden was struck by the "disconnect" of having your head coach up in the box and not down on the sidelines.  I made a remark like that to my wife, the Bennie and life long Johnnie fan, and she told me to hush up, it was heresy!!

Over the last couple of years, it's seemed kind of "quaint" to have the coach sit in the box when it was too hot or too cold.  Saturday, it kind of bugged me.  And I love John too.  But all of a sudden it didn't seem right.  We needed a head coach on the field.

At one point in the second half, Johnnie's holding the lead and trying to hold off the Ole's, and out there on the D-line were three or four guys who I'd never seen play before.  I'm looking in my program, as the Ole's moved down the field, and here were some 3rd stringers playing just when you needed to bear down.  What was up?  Haugen trying to send a message?  First couple sets of guys "quit" on the team?  I don't know, but I didn't like it.  And the Oles moved right down the field.

Last year's QB rotating was kind of nutso, but I don't mind playing more than one during the game.  But there's something "frantic" about playing two different ones in one series.  That happened a couple times.  I don't like it.  Too crazy, disorganized.

What happened to Freetly - before the injury?  The guy has been the most consistent receiver all year (taking nothing away from Bungum), and he was not used at all. 

The running game finally got going, but only after repeated attempts to run the ball up the gut with no success.  They finally went to some draws and some off-tackle plays and things opened up.  What took so long?

There was one sequence late where Martin spiked the ball to stop the clock, and then, the Johnnies called a timeout.  What was that?  Seemed totally disorganized.

That's enough, but just wanted to get it off my chest.  For really the first time, I left the natural bowl kind of pissed.  I know some of you are there already and have been for a while.  I don't know exactly what it is, can't put my finger on it.  But I don't like it.