The unofficial online home for fans of the Western Michigan University Broncos. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

So we only have six more weeks of bickering and rumination to endure.

Then fall camp will be starting, and the pushing and shoving can ensue. Those with connections can watch practice and we'll start to see what is up.

Might go a couple of ways. The all time best recruiting class will be out there for scrutiny. If they are the real deal at the college level they will be challenging for playing time. Some might even be dominant. If that is the case the fate of the team will come down to an executive decision. Coach might throw caution to the winds and go for broke, throwing the whole machine into high gear from game 1.

If these guys are all that they have been promoted to be, I might be tempted to get into DB's camp and begin to believe it is possible to get up to 6 wins.

On the other hand, coach might keep some good cards in his deck, and play this year as starting to frame the house. So first year do the site work and build the foundation. Second year frame up the studs and get a roof on the structure. Third year put in the plumbing and electric and drywall. Fourth year, do the finish work and move in the family.

That is the scenario with 3-4 wins this year, 6-7 next year, 9-10 and the bowl win in 2016-17.

I think it will be pretty clear where we are headed after fall practice and we see the starting quarter of the Purdue game. My bet? Positive talk and a loss at Purdue with the after game talk revolving around round two of the rebuilding scenario.

"You PLAY to WIN the GAME!!"

(07-13-2014 04:05 PM)bronco47 Wrote:  So we only have six more weeks of bickering and rumination to endure.

You really expect the bickering and rumination to stop?????? This is Stampede.

Good analysis 47, I agree with a lot of what you said there. Everything except that the bickering will stop.

Most fans will give PJ another year if we get 4 or more wins. Anything below that will be hard to sell to all the non devout followers. Anything above 6 should shut everyone up. (Should)

Regardless of the record I think we all agree there should be noticeable competitive improvements. For instance Murray State shouldn't be a win it should be by 28+ points.

Toledo or NIU don't need to be wins but they need to still be watchable in the 4th. Etc

And we have to beat every team that fired their coach the week of our game this year.

(07-13-2014 05:31 PM)Doo Wrote:  Most fans will give PJ another year if we get 4 or more wins. Anything below that will be hard to sell to all the non devout followers. Anything above 6 should shut everyone up. (Should)

Regardless of the record I think we all agree there should be noticeable competitive improvements. For instance Murray State shouldn't be a win it should be by 28+ points.

Toledo or NIU don't need to be wins but they need to still be watchable in the 4th. Etc

And we have to beat every team that fired their coach the week of our game this year.

See my problem. I am a pessimist about it all. Doo, when you say we should beat Murray by 28, sorry, I think that is part of the problem. We should be looking at it as hard fought and giving everything we have for a W. At one time I thought this would be our only win. Hanging with NIU and Toledo in the fourth? I would be very surprised. So I need to see what is up with this all time best MAC class. If they are all that, and coach decides to blow all the red shirts, and we look real good at Purdue, or win, I might change my mind. Otherwise, I expect to see the gradual rebuild lingo again this year.

I'd be pleasantly surprised if we beat Murray St. by 28+ points.

(07-13-2014 06:10 PM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  I'd be pleasantly surprised if we beat Murray St. by 28+ points.

I want to see how we play against Murray State (or any opponent for that matter). We opened the 2004 season beating Tenn Martin 42-0. Despite the 42 point margin we looked simply awful. Told my wife on the way home that if WMU played the way they did the rest of the season, we might not win another game.

Moral here is that the final score is not the total story. Lets see how we play. A 28 point win could be indicative of a positive showing, or merely stumbling past an outclassed opponent.

Completely agree belt.

I'd also like to hear the message stay consistent this year. Not start out the year talking about how elite it will be, then half way through start saying publicly we knew it would be a hard year.

Zero doubt in my mind warming up for Nichols PJ thought we were a bowl team. Then after the EMU game to hear him say " we are a d1 team with a D2 roster"

I don't remember it being that extreme but I'm not surprised. If you notice the silence has been refreshing this summer.

I doo

Doo. Is there a statute on using that for a while?

(07-13-2014 07:19 PM)Doo Wrote:  I'd also like to hear the message stay consistent this year. Not start out the year talking about how elite it will be, then half way through start saying publicly we knew it would be a hard year.

Zero doubt in my mind warming up for Nichols PJ thought we were a bowl team. Then after the EMU game to hear him say " we are a d1 team with a D2 roster"

Totally agree.

But I wonder if he kind of has to decide some stuff even before the Purdue game. Yes you play every game to win. And last year we played MSU to win. But he has to decide, is he building, or is he playing his hand. Because if he is building, more of those freshman will need to sit. If he is going for broke, we play that way and I don't want to hear the sad sack shift back to building the foundation again. So yeah, a consistent approach and message.

(07-13-2014 08:27 PM)Dirty Ernie Wrote:  

(07-13-2014 07:19 PM)Doo Wrote:  I'd also like to hear the message stay consistent this year. Not start out the year talking about how elite it will be, then half way through start saying publicly we knew it would be a hard year.

Zero doubt in my mind warming up for Nichols PJ thought we were a bowl team. Then after the EMU game to hear him say " we are a d1 team with a D2 roster"

Totally agree.

But I wonder if he kind of has to decide some stuff even before the Purdue game. Yes you play every game to win. And last year we played MSU to win. But he has to decide, is he building, or is he playing his hand. Because if he is building, more of those freshman will need to sit. If he is going for broke, we play that way and I don't want to hear the sad sack shift back to building the foundation again. So yeah, a consistent approach and message.

Depends on how much his bosses support him behind closed doors.

(07-13-2014 08:40 PM)Cant make this sh t up Wrote:  How good is this 2014 class? Put up or shut up. We are close to finding out. Greatness of a class and its history is measured by results not stars. What happens on the field with the contribution of this class, together with the 2015 class will be interesting. These 2 classes will either make history as the "Row the Boaters" Era, or the players who drank too much of the Flecksters Kool-aide and went down with the ship. Will be interesting that's for sure.

I don't think we will know how good this class is for years. That's what I don't get about some of the mentality of the people on this board. These are 18 and 19 year old kids, playing against 20 and 21 year olds that have been in a college system for a couple of years. Can freshmen have impact in college football? Yes, but for the most part true freshman just don't do that much. And that goes for anywhere.

(07-13-2014 07:25 PM)Doo Wrote:  I doo

Hey Doo,how did you find out about this site.

(07-14-2014 12:50 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(07-13-2014 07:25 PM)Doo Wrote:  I doo

Hey Doo,how did you find out about this site.

His other id told him

Sorry, I had to say it... someone was going to.

(07-14-2014 02:17 PM)Kimbosucks Wrote:  

(07-14-2014 12:50 PM)Chipdip2 Wrote:  

(07-13-2014 07:25 PM)Doo Wrote:  I doo

Hey Doo,how did you find out about this site.

His other id told him

Sorry, I had to say it... someone was going to.