8 reasons to be optimistic for the 2017 Griz

[sdk.catfish]

Postby HookedonGriz » Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:21 pm

sdk.catfish wrote:
You're a cat fan. Of course you don't like Straham. That is to be expected.


How you could determine I am a cat fan from the content of my post is an indication of your immediate reaction to accuse in a moronic way rather than consider content- but that is pretty consistent with your other posts. You can check where my degree is from if you wish - I'll supply personal contact info in another venue.

However I'm sure, based on the bonehead play Straham had in the 4th quarter of this year's brawl, the cats are a big fan of Straham.


Please point out my posts that you mentioned above that rub you the wrong way. I'm curious where I've offended you. But judging by your Straham fit, you may need a safe space and are easily offended by most topics.

I neither have the time or the patience to sort through all your other banal posts to prove the point. Why do I need to go further than this post? I simply pointed out that Straham has had a history of dirty play, has hurt the team, and is not all-conference in my opinion. I'm not offended by this or most topics and I stand by my opinion. Is there something you have to offer that would disprove my assertion? There are several on this forum that would stand by the fact that he has not made the best decisions over his time at linebacker for UM. I would like to see this corrected so he could possibly be all-conference and be one of the reasons for optimism - not a reason for skepticism that he will cost the team yards or possibly games. But that is not what I observed in the last two seasons. I guess you see something I different or just poo-poo the whole character thing and overlook his misdeeds. But if you think I need a safe space I think you are underestimating me. Bring what you have.

 

[uofmman1122]

I think Strahm possesses the talent to be All-Conference, regardless of how dirty or not he plays.

And I don't have a problem with people complaining about the penalties that Connor committed. At least one of them directly led to an opposing TD.

But this is the classic eGriz lens: It's only bad if we lose.

No one had a problem with his play while we were winning (or if they did, they sure as hell didn't speak up about it early in the year). Just like most of those same people always seem to point to JD Quinn as the baddass, shining example that our O-Line should emulate.

"A personal foul here and there is okay, as long as it sets the tone" was the usual refrain.

Strahm and Quinn are of the same mold.

If you're going to rip on Connor, fine, but stop propping up players like JD just because we won a lot when he and others like him were playing.

I think we're lucky to have Strahm, and he'll show next year that he belongs in the same category as the last few MLBs we put out.

 

[PlayerRep]

I think Strahm possesses the talent to be All-Conference, regardless of how dirty or not he plays.

And I don't have a problem with people complaining about the penalties that Connor committed. At least one of them directly led to an opposing TD.

But this is the classic eGriz lens: It's only bad if we lose.

No one had a problem with his play while we were winning (or if they did, they sure as hell didn't speak up about it early in the year). Just like most of those same people always seem to point to JD Quinn as the baddass, shining example that our O-Line should emulate.

"A personal foul here and there is okay, as long as it sets the tone" was the usual refrain.

Strahm and Quinn are of the same mold.

If you're going to rip on Connor, fine, but stop propping up players like JD just because we won a lot when he and others like him were playing.

I think we're lucky to have Strahm, and he'll show next year that he belongs in the same category as the last few MLBs we put out.

Apples and oranges. Quinn was a starter, great player and all-american. He was usually protecting Bergquist or another offensive player. He was almost never being undisciplined or dirty. He usually new exactly what he was doing. Strahm is not any of those things.

I have enjoyed talking to JD specifically about some of those plays, some of which I remember. He still recalls exactly why he did it, what he did, and what came of it. JD is very smart guy. So is his dad. Can't think of many people I would rather have on my side in a tough situation. There's another poster on egriz who knows JD better than I, and I am sure he would say the same things.

 

[kemajic]

In that time we've blown out EWU, MSU, UND, SUU and beaten NDSU, UNI, SDSU, NAU.

And lost only 10 games.

 

[kemajic]

But it's a young staff, expect improvement this coming year.

Did it improve as the 2016 season progressed?

 

[kemajic]

I think Strahm possesses the talent to be All-Conference, regardless of how dirty or not he plays.

And I don't have a problem with people complaining about the penalties that Connor committed. At least one of them directly led to an opposing TD.

But this is the classic eGriz lens: It's only bad if we lose.

No one had a problem with his play while we were winning (or if they did, they sure as hell didn't speak up about it early in the year). Just like most of those same people always seem to point to JD Quinn as the baddass, shining example that our O-Line should emulate.

"A personal foul here and there is okay, as long as it sets the tone" was the usual refrain.

Strahm and Quinn are of the same mold.

If you're going to rip on Connor, fine, but stop propping up players like JD just because we won a lot when he and others like him were playing.

I think we're lucky to have Strahm, and he'll show next year that he belongs in the same category as the last few MLBs we put out.

If Strahm is so good, where was he as the 18 year old QB, who was not a threat to throw, ran QB draws right up the middle successfully time after time? Embarrassed him to the point of his selfish reactions. Would not have happened with Coyle or Surdy, so don't even try to compare them. The comparison to Quinn is even worse; Quinn was feared for his ability to pancake blocking targets, not his personal fouls.

 

[kemajic]

All great points, and all are spot on. I especially agree with the schedule point. IF the Griz get the QB position resolved, with the way the schedule works out, Montana will hold the conference championship in its hands. Yeah, yeah, Stitt is the worst coach on the planet and the Griz just went 3-5 in the absolute worst conference on the planet, and yeah, yeah, Tech would have beat them. Blah, blah, blah. But the fact is, the schedule completely favors the Griz to win or have a chance to win the Big Sky based on who all comes to Missoula. Montana goes 4-0 in those games and Cat-Griz could legitimately be for at least a share of the crown. For the last several years, a struggling Montana has had a brutal Big Sky road schedule. Now, the tables are turned, and if the Griz have a QB who can play at a high level, things are going to be a lot different, and last season has NO BARING on that. But again, for me, it all comes down to the QB and OL. If those are still sub-par issues, than all of the above is probably moot.

So much BS in this post and so little time. You have lost track that Montana is no longer a lock to win home games and in fact has been losing several over the last few years. Some to really bad teams. And Montana has not had a "brutal Big Sky road schedule" for "the last several years." What was so brutal about the BSC road schedule in 2015? Only PSU was any good at all.

 

[HookedonGriz]

Postby HookedonGriz » Wed Dec 28, 2016 8:21 pm

sdk.catfish wrote:
You're a cat fan. Of course you don't like Straham. That is to be expected.


How you could determine I am a cat fan from the content of my post is an indication of your immediate reaction to accuse in a moronic way rather than consider content- but that is pretty consistent with your other posts. You can check where my degree is from if you wish - I'll supply personal contact info in another venue.

However I'm sure, based on the bonehead play Straham had in the 4th quarter of this year's brawl, the cats are a big fan of Straham.


Please point out my posts that you mentioned above that rub you the wrong way. I'm curious where I've offended you. But judging by your Straham fit, you may need a safe space and are easily offended by most topics.

I neither have the time or the patience to sort through all your other banal posts to prove the point. Why do I need to go further than this post? I simply pointed out that Straham has had a history of dirty play, has hurt the team, and is not all-conference in my opinion. I'm not offended by this or most topics and I stand by my opinion. Is there something you have to offer that would disprove my assertion? There are several on this forum that would stand by the fact that he has not made the best decisions over his time at linebacker for UM. I would like to see this corrected so he could possibly be all-conference and be one of the reasons for optimism - not a reason for skepticism that he will cost the team yards or possibly games. But that is not what I observed in the last two seasons. I guess you see something I different or just poo-poo the whole character thing and overlook his misdeeds. But if you think I need a safe space I think you are underestimating me. Bring what you have.

First of all, Strahm is a two time all conference player already. And he will be all conference again next year. Two years ago, he was not smart or strategic about his shenanigans on the field. He drew a lot of personal fouls, and it frustrated me a little, but not much. This year, it's been the exact opposite. He has been very smart and/or strategic with his play. In fact, he had drawn at least 3-4 personal fouls/unsportsmanlike penalties from the other team this year. His only personal foul or unsportsmanlike penalty, that I can recall, this year unfortunately came in Griz-Cat and was costly. I thought it was a very weak call as I watched the replay a number of times. He pointed and supposedly taunted the O Lineman who jumped off sides. Throwing a flag for pointing is a little weak in my opinion. Actually a lot weak.

 

[NativeGriz]

I disagree on this point:

Point #5 Buss and Strahm are all conference guys.

Unless there is a designated "dirtiest player of the year" award Strahm doesn't belong in the conversation for all conference. This was a problem that surfaced in 2015 and was not dealt with well by the coaching staff. Dude should be required to be in some anger management courses - hopefully is. But the prescient me sees a game down the road of importance, either for a top conference spot or possibly a playoff game, where he reverts to his dufus self and costs the team the game. I find it amusing that so many posters refer to character and grade point as positives, which I agree with, but don't want to recognize this wart on the program.

I pulled my comments, I just dont like calling out players for any reason.

 

[sdk.catfish]

Postby NativeGriz » Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:17 am.
I pulled my comments, I just dont like calling out players for any reason

Fair enough. My post could have been more effective had I just dealt with penalties in general rather than calling out one player. And attempting to keep this post on topic I would offer that this is an area for potential optimism if it is addressed by the coaching staff. I took a look at the 2016 penalty statistics and this is what we have:
Team Penalty Number Penalty Yards
N. Colorado 87 810
EWU 86 751
MT 79 719
NAU 79 694
UC Davis 72 589
N. Dakota 70 624
S. Utah 70 715
PSU 68 665
Weber 66 588
Cal Poly 63 575
Idaho State 63 564
MSU 61 510
Sac State 61 582

EWU had the team to overcome penalty yardage and make the playoffs - N. Colorado, NAU and the Griz did not. I can't predict whether eliminating a holding call here and there on offense or a pass interference penalty on defense would have won one more game or not but there is the potential that it would have. So instilling discipline on both sides of the ball could optimistically lead to a few more wins. Instilling certain iron clad rules regarding taunting and other silly personal fouls, for example sitting the rest of the game or possibly the next one if they are reoccurring could also help. I hope this is more positive and doesn't get anybodies knickers in a twist.

 

[griz5700]

Point #11 Worried about the D-line but both times in the last two years we had some heavy turnover. Schye needs to step up to be our next great pass rusher. We've got two JuCo guys coming in at DE. Sims is a rising star, not sure if DT or DE, Bedell might be finally ready to contribute. Davidson does
the dirty work and never got the credit, some apparently blind fans like 5700 didn't think he did much (he did). Bradley returns, MMO, and Davis also inside. Interesting crew that certainly has to make MAJOR strides.

Dirty work? Is that code for not making plays? He's an average bsc DT.

 

[grizfan95]

In that time we've blown out EWU, MSU, UND, SUU and beaten NDSU, UNI, SDSU, NAU.

And lost only 10 games.

Yes, but to beat quality teams of that nature will only occur if you have quality. To address the 10 games lost you need to clean up the play, but the quality is there.

 

[NativeGriz]

Postby NativeGriz » Thu Dec 29, 2016 9:17 am.
I pulled my comments, I just dont like calling out players for any reason

Fair enough. My post could have been more effective had I just dealt with penalties in general rather than calling out one player. And attempting to keep this post on topic I would offer that this is an area for potential optimism if it is addressed by the coaching staff. I took a look at the 2016 penalty statistics and this is what we have:
Team Penalty Number Penalty Yards
N. Colorado 87 810
EWU 86 751
MT 79 719
NAU 79 694
UC Davis 72 589
N. Dakota 70 624
S. Utah 70 715
PSU 68 665
Weber 66 588
Cal Poly 63 575
Idaho State 63 564
MSU 61 510
Sac State 61 582

EWU had the team to overcome penalty yardage and make the playoffs - N. Colorado, NAU and the Griz did not. I can't predict whether eliminating a holding call here and there on offense or a pass interference penalty on defense would have won one more game or not but there is the potential that it would have. So instilling discipline on both sides of the ball could optimistically lead to a few more wins. Instilling certain iron clad rules regarding taunting and other silly personal fouls, for example sitting the rest of the game or possibly the next one if they are reoccurring could also help. I hope this is more positive and doesn't get anybodies knickers in a twist.

Dont get me wrong, its not like I didnt agree with you. Its just me, I personally try not to mention player names unless I have something positive to say. I originally stated something negative, thus I edited my comments. I dont have the same rule for coaches or some egriz posters.

 

[kemajic]

In that time we've blown out EWU, MSU, UND, SUU and beaten NDSU, UNI, SDSU, NAU.

And lost only 10 games.

Yes, but to beat quality teams of that nature will only occur if you have quality. To address the 10 games lost you need to clean up the play, but the quality is there.

Sure, a little clean up of play is always good for 10 games. Get real.

 

[Ambush55]

I hope Stitt chooses Jensen as the starting QB. We need a QB that can start for 4 yrs. He was highly recruited by a lot of schools, even a couple FBS, so let him play Not a fan of bringing in the FBS or JC transfers to be QB. Plus he's a smart kid. Other BS teams have started Freshmen at QB, which we all know to well beat us this past season. I also hope we stretch the field more this coming year and limit the lateral passes. Looking forward to new year and lots of victories! Go GRIZ!!

 

[grizfan95]

In that time we've blown out EWU, MSU, UND, SUU and beaten NDSU, UNI, SDSU, NAU.

And lost only 10 games.

Yes, but to beat quality teams of that nature will only occur if you have quality. To address the 10 games lost you need to clean up the play, but the quality is there.

Sure, a little clean up of play is always good for 10 games. Get real.

Get real? Ok, kem, let's hear what you think the Griz do next year and I'll be happy to check back on it in a year's time.

 

[kemajic]

And lost only 10 games.

Yes, but to beat quality teams of that nature will only occur if you have quality. To address the 10 games lost you need to clean up the play, but the quality is there.

Sure, a little clean up of play is always good for 10 games. Get real.

Get real? Ok, kem, let's hear what you think the Griz do next year and I'll be happy to check back on it in a year's time.

Could be they lose 5 games ---- once again.

 

[Diesel]

I'm optimistic because there is no clear starting QB. We have a mix of experience with QBs on roster. There is an opportunity for one to separate from the pack.

Second Calhoun has two years of experience.

Third JLM, Bingham and WR core.

Fourth O-line looks to be getting better and Sprunk has a solid grasp on the Center position and Angel has a year of experience and growth.

Fifth DL Sims should grow into a leader here. A couple of large body DTs. The DEs are going to be a nice mix, one of the JC transfers may be dinamic.

Sixth LB core looks solid and Buss should build on what he did this year. Also the unknown underclass man who is going to be impactful.

Seventh strength of returning safeties. Sandrey should be solid.

Eight special teams can't be worse.

Ninth coaching staff have another off season with little to no change in personnel. The recruiting looks good.

And the final reason for optimism...after 2016 squad underperformed how will the 2017 squad respond?

 

[Spanky]

10. Unless the players are properly prepared by coaching, will they be able to respond in an improved fashion?

 

[Buttegrizzle]

I am glad to read your post BW and appreciate your eternal optimism. As fans we all have to be renewed each season and get excited about the next generation of Griz. I am hopeful you are right. But, I have to say that since the day Don Read showed, up this past season was the most discouraging, except maybe the year JJ was suspended, when we necessarily had limited expectations. My only memory of this season was, besides beating up on some bad teams, the grizzly offense looked lost, anemic, confused, erratic and impotent. The head coach is supposed to be an offensive innovator. At the same time we had an offense that could not or would not adjust to what the better defenses did. We used a total of one (1) goal line play. Northern Colorado was the last straw. Sorry BW, I just don't feel the enthusiasm yet . Hope I am wrong.