(01-09-2019 01:16 PM)ruowls Wrote:  

(01-09-2019 12:30 PM)Ourland Wrote:  

(01-09-2019 10:15 AM)nightowl24 Wrote:  

(01-09-2019 12:09 AM)Ourland Wrote:  I blame the NCAA, the power conferences, and especially Rice. I blame a pathetic fan base that doesn't do its part to build exciting game day environments for these athletes.

I can tell you right now, with certainty, that Zach will not enroll at any university that doesn't have a winning program in a P5 conference. Why? Because he wants to be seen on television by as many scouts as possible. It has nothing to do with a graduate degree.

I hope Zach reads this board. I want him to know how disgusted I am at his leaving. You're no team captain. You're selfish and your letting your teammates down. All these other dolts are okay with it, but not me.

and who are you? what have you done for this school? have you played a down of football for this school? have you been in his shoes? yeah he's upping his chances. yeah he is trying to get drafted as high as he possibly can, so what? he graduated he fulfilled his part of the deal. you make absolutely no sense what so ever. so he shouldn't do the best he can for himself within the rules?

again who are you to judge him so harshly?

I appreciate your hard work and thank you for playing football at Rice, but as a fan who has literally spent thousands of dollars over the past 35 years at Rice Stadium and Autry Court, your word carries no more weight than mine. You aren't special. I didn't attend Rice, and I'm nothing like Rice people. You can probably tell.
Maybe I shouldn't judge him so harshly. He's a 22 year old kid who lacks maturity and perspective. I should be more upset at his parents for not making him fulfill his obligation, and not teaching him anything about commitment.

Thank you for being a fan. I share some of your feelings about being loyal. However, there are circumstances that fans will never know that go on behind the scenes. Conversations with coaches are private but can be quite visceral. My experience with college coaches is jaded and I understand why players would seek a different environment.
With that said, Rice, as an institution, has gone above to ensure they honor their scholarship until the player graduates. By comparison, I can see the expectation by fans that a player complete their eligibility at Rice. It isn't an obligation nor is required by the rules. It is just an expectation that some may hold and I see a logical reason for holding this opinion.
None of us now what expectations the football coaches have for each player. We have already seen some head scratching moments with regards to personnel, game strategy and game planning, and the program mantra. I have seen some of these decisions that they are making lead to less than desirable results. I am skeptical that all will work out in the end based on my experience. But obviously some hold a different opinion than myself. People who think they understand things in a deeper level aren't always right. The general consensus amongst the football experts was that Alabama would win their 6th NC. Clemson gives them their worst loss in the Saban era and the talk swings to Clemson being an equal. Just last week the experts said they weren't. Rice needs to quite trying to emulate and just be who it is and accentuate the positives of that. They do need to find someone who is adaptable and can anticipate what will unfold. I honestly don't ever want to hear a Rice leader say "I did everything I know that can make things better but....".
So, in a nut shell, please continue to support Rice football. I have no problem giving you a wink and saying "nah, you might want to rethink your position".

I appreciate that. I know I can go off the deep end sometimes, but I have really strong opinions about certain things.