How has this not been posted here yet? Story link.

gif tastic

Hey, all I can say is that this guy is an NIU alum.

The NIU board is obsessed by PJ, even more than WMU fans. Most of us more seasoned fans just wanted to get this nonsense behind us and get to playing football to see if he could coach half as well as he talks.

Go visit our board and see for yourself. Lots of debate for months now. Talk is cheap and anybody can do it.

Please tell me that this is a joke.

P.J. was a great player for us. I'll always appreciate him for that.

P.J.'s made a fool of himself more than once during his brief tenure at WMU. It'll be interesting to see how long he lasts in Kalamazoo.

Has anyone sent this to Comedy Central yet? Wait until Stewart and Colbert get ahold on this.

Certain parts make sense. Like an attempt to get people into the games before the game starts with a fog horn. A song on 3rd down is nothing new, our band typically plays the same song on 3rd downs when we're on defense. Some of that other stuff...IDK.

Some things I've liked out of Fleck. Some things I wished he'd edited out of his plan. That clip falls in the latter bucket.

I appreciate his full-hearted attempt to bring buzz/excitement around a team a bit stuck in the doldrums lately, even if some of it may be more self-serving. I like his passion that is connecting with the kids (our recruiting class is rocking, if one believes the guys who analyze those things) and enjoy a few of his photo ops. But some of the silly stuff has and will backfire. And I'm worried about the ramifications if we tank the next couple of seasons.

This is kinda embarrassing to watch, it brought back feelings of when I was watching the 'Emo Peter' scene from Spiderman 3...

I will credit him however for bringing a lot of energy to Kalamazoo, he seems like a very passionate guy. If he starts building WMU into a winner, that can pay huge dividends in return. If he doesn't, he'll look like the guy who wore a tuxedo t-shirt to prom.

There's no I in team. But there is a P and a J apparently.

If I didn't think that this guy will jump at the first offer that comes along I might find his efforts misguided but sincere. But to know that he'll be gone in 3-5 years makes this all feel so self serving.

It's also off putting to see that none of these "new traditions" are specific to WMU at all. He's made no effort to incorporate anything specific about the school, the campus, the team, or the mascot into his "new traditions".

You've been called the Western Broncos since 1929? Don't care, a nautical theme is meaningful to ME and MY family so its all row boats, and oars, and fog horns and Long John Silvers from here on out.

Good luck Broncos fans.

The 1st gif is the one that makes me cringe a bit.

The 2nd gif isn't that big a deal to me, to be honest. It's a coach having some fun on the sidelines during a practice weeks ago (and the deliberate slo-mo doesn't help).

He may be gone, but this video will last forever.

(09-04-2013 08:15 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  If I didn't think that this guy will jump at the first offer that comes along I might find his efforts misguided but sincere. But to know that he'll be gone in 3-5 years makes this all feel so self serving.

If BC$ dollars drag him away for "good reasons" in 3 to 5 years - i.e., he does a bang up job and pulls a MACC or two out his hat - I couldn't care less if he jumps at an offer. And let's all be honest... most MAC fans would agree. MAC schools can't pay coaches what the Big Boys pay, so if a coach comes in and puts us in Ford Field a couple times or so before he interviews elsewhere, I'm fine with that.

(09-04-2013 08:15 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  It's also off putting to see that none of these "new traditions" are specific to WMU at all. He's made no effort to incorporate anything specific about the school, the campus, the team, or the mascot into his "new traditions".

Agreed.

Its not that he would leave in 3-5 years, I understand that part, its that he would leave behind all of these new traditions that don't really mean anything to Western Michigan University.

Can you see the head coach in 2063 gathering his players around in fall camp to explain the origins of the boat oars- Well, you see, there was this coach here 50 years ago who decided he didn't like the western bronco imagery and decided to change everything to boats and oars and stuff. Now the coach was only here for 1 season and he left for his new job in the ACC before the team even played its bowl game but the program decided to carry on this boat motif without him because of what it meant to WMU and the people here in the coastal town of Kalamazoo, MI. Any questions?

that's the part I feel bad about.

^ Ah, gotcha. Yeah, that thought has crossed my (and others) minds as well.

I see two possible outcomes:

a) We have losing seasons in which Fleck gets let go = Everything surrounding RTB is removed by the next coach.

b) He's a hot shot that put us in the MACC a couple times and leaves for a BCS gig = A few key gameday elements remain that seemed to 'click' for fans, but most other things fade out over time.

Either way, I can't see the oars/boat thing lasting until 2063, unless the boat imagery is replaced by hoverboards (heh).

(09-04-2013 06:33 PM)perimeterpost Wrote:  gif tastic

WOW... WMU gettin crazy

Was Metallica ever consulted by any of these college teams using their music?

What ever happened to Megadeth? What team ever opens a college game playing Peace Sells.....But Who's Buying?

Also someone needs to tell whoever edited this that just because a fan holds up a big "D" and then a small section of "fence" does NOT mean that the word is spelled Defence.

I've posted my thoughts on Fleck elsewhere but I'll repeat it here. He's the anti-Cubit. He's bringing a lot of energy and understands the marketing side of college football. While some of his antics are over the top, he's at least getting some buzz around the program. It seems to be working in recruiting, and while some of the older alumni (like many of those WMU posters here) may not be sold on him, it's working for the young kids he's trying to recruit. Some of the stuff makes no sense, like incorporating oar stud stickers for the helmets (and how did they all get 50 of them before the first game?). At the end of the day he's doing whatever he can to get some energy into a program that has had little to be excited about in the last 25-30 years. If he can coach WMU will win some games and he'll move on.

(09-05-2013 12:32 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Was Metallica ever consulted by any of these college teams using their music?

What ever happened to Megadeth? What team ever opens a college game playing Peace Sells.....But Who's Buying?

I doubt it. I believe users typically get licenses from BMI ( in Metallica's case, I think) and pay royalties. Bands know this when ASCAP or BMI buy song rights.

(09-05-2013 08:34 AM)eich41 Wrote:  Also someone needs to tell whoever edited this that just because a fan holds up a big "D" and then a small section of "fence" does NOT mean that the word is spelled Defence.

I've posted my thoughts on Fleck elsewhere but I'll repeat it here. He's the anti-Cubit. He's bringing a lot of energy and understands the marketing side of college football. While some of his antics are over the top, he's at least getting some buzz around the program. It seems to be working in recruiting, and while some of the older alumni (like many of those WMU posters here) may not be sold on him, it's working for the young kids he's trying to recruit. Some of the stuff makes no sense, like incorporating oar stud stickers for the helmets (and how did they all get 50 of them before the first game?). At the end of the day he's doing whatever he can to get some energy into a program that has had little to be excited about in the last 25-30 years. If he can coach WMU will win some games and he'll move on.

Well if they're British or Australian they might spell it that way.