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

(05-02-2014 09:38 AM)fbgab Wrote:  I think you could argue the "playable talent" is lower this year than last.
I'm far from a PJ apologist. But fair is fair. It's still not an impressive roster with 3,4,5 year guys.
In my eyes 4 wins is the target number, 5 is a nice surprise, 3 a slight disappointment. 6 or above will deserve credit and praise (even though many will struggle to give it). 2 or less and he will begin to lose some of the team, and any fans that say " give him a chance". 2015 is where Bowl talk or better is realistic.

I just want to see improvement. Better QB play at the top of the list. Less mistakes, though I know there will be plenty of those with the youth on the roster.

I want to see PJ make better game day decisions.

The main issue is going to be in the trenches once again. Getting Richard Ash at DT would be huge. When you are playing true freshmen and RS freshmen on the lines, it's difficult to win, no matter how talented Nick Matich or Chukes Okorafor are.

USA Today

Also, from the Orlando Sentinel: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bl...11929.post

This is harsh:

"Western Michigan wasn't merely bad but buffoonish"

Has PJ cut down on the gimmicks / slogans lately? What is his margin of error with the WMU supporters going into 2014?

(05-07-2014 10:46 PM)chipfan Wrote:  This is harsh:

"Western Michigan wasn't merely bad but buffoonish"

Has PJ cut down on the gimmicks / slogans lately? What is his margin of error with the WMU supporters going into 2014?

He's been pretty quiet this off-season. I think Coach Fleck and staff have been focusing their efforts on recruiting and the results speak for themselves. It is refreshing.

Not very optimistic, to say the least.

Apparently bloom is off PJ's rose with media.

Hopefully we prove prognosticators wrong this Fall.

You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

(05-08-2014 12:32 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

I love the quiet. I'll love seeing improvement on the field as far as preparation, on field coaching, discipline and execution as well, if it happens.

We need to at least expect improvement, right?

(05-08-2014 12:41 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:32 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

I love the quiet. I'll love seeing improvement on the field as far as preparation, on field coaching, discipline and execution as well, if it happens.

We need to at least expect improvement, right?

Definitely!! One take away from the article.... Things could be worse. We could be EMU.

(05-08-2014 12:45 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:41 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:32 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

I love the quiet. I'll love seeing improvement on the field as far as preparation, on field coaching, discipline and execution as well, if it happens.

We need to at least expect improvement, right?

Definitely!! One take away from the article.... Things could be worse. We could be EMU.

I don't know if that's necessarily true, they crushed us without a coach last year after one of the worst weeks possible that a team can have.

(05-08-2014 01:29 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  I don't know if that's necessarily true, they crushed us without a coach last year after one of the worst weeks possible that a team can have.

I wouldn't say we were crushed. Didn't the game go to OT?

And it's my recollection that we outplayed them for most of the game, but just couldn't stop the run and it was ultimately our undoing.

Dear Broncos,
Some of you are forgetting that you have lost to Eastern three straight years, and it could be four. Instead of it could be worse we could be Eastern, it should be, we have met the enemy and it is us. For not producing the last few years, especially against Eastern, I don't understand all of your bravado. You need to come back down to earth.

(05-08-2014 02:28 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear Broncos,
Some of you are forgetting that you have lost to Eastern three straight years, and it could be four. Instead of it could be worse we could be Eastern, it should be, we have met the enemy and it is us. For not producing the last few years, especially against Eastern, I don't understand all of your bravado. You need to come back down to earth.

Go back and look at my post again, ken. There is no Bravado there. My point was that the writers view EMU as more lowly than WMU. They seem to use the Eastern program as the low mark of futility. In that sense, our reputation could be worse. It could be like EMUs. And I am all to aware that the Eagles have beaten us three years in a row, and always play WMU tough. Still perceptions of the press are what they are. Sad affair for your program.

This is like an argument over who is the tallest midget in the room. :-(

(05-08-2014 01:52 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 01:29 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  I don't know if that's necessarily true, they crushed us without a coach last year after one of the worst weeks possible that a team can have.

I wouldn't say we were crushed. Didn't the game go to OT?

And it's my recollection that we outplayed them for most of the game, but just couldn't stop the run and it was ultimately our undoing.

I was wondering how long it woult take for someone to debate the use of the word "crushed" and who would do it, I didn't expect you to do it Colin.

A loss to a team with no HC, no matter what the score, is a crush in my book.

(05-08-2014 03:09 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 01:52 PM)ColinApocalypse Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 01:29 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  I don't know if that's necessarily true, they crushed us without a coach last year after one of the worst weeks possible that a team can have.

I wouldn't say we were crushed. Didn't the game go to OT?

And it's my recollection that we outplayed them for most of the game, but just couldn't stop the run and it was ultimately our undoing.

I was wondering how long it woult take for someone to debate the use of the word "crushed" and who would do it, I didn't expect you to do it Colin.

A loss to a team with no HC, no matter what the score, is a crush in my book.

Eh, that's a good point. There's no really no excuse for a loss when their coach just got canned.

(05-08-2014 12:41 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:32 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

I love the quiet. I'll love seeing improvement on the field as far as preparation, on field coaching, discipline and execution as well, if it happens.

We need to at least expect improvement, right?

Just a clarification about the chuckle about EMU-EMU has been competitive with WMU in football dating back to the Genyk days yes I know with all your smug superiority about yourselves you can so often overlook that your purported dominance in regular season play in football (and now in basketball) is in your heads and not backed up by fact. And while you're doing cartwheels about PJ's recruiting consider that WMU under Cubit outrecruited Genyk and English in every class but it didn't translate to on the on field dominance. I think you're going to find out that Creighton is a great recruiter and I think where he is so so much better than PJ is that he can coach.

(05-09-2014 07:14 AM)emu79 Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:41 PM)DesertBronco Wrote:  

(05-08-2014 12:32 PM)Broncobelt Wrote:  You know your season was a disaster when the play is referred to as Buffonish in the press. But then those of us who were at the games already knew that was the case.

Got a chuckle as to how EMU is continually referred to. Obviously, USA Today reporters must think they are about the worst program in all of the FBS. Stands in contrast to the EMU thread stating they are the best opportunity of any mid major program. Given the USA perspective though, that may be true. Best opportunity to improve a programs reputation.

Anyway, for all of PJ's statements a year ago about how he was going to bring the pride back to WMU football, he has reduced us to being called buffoonish. Don't recall sports writers using that word to describe any other teams in college football.

I love the quiet. I'll love seeing improvement on the field as far as preparation, on field coaching, discipline and execution as well, if it happens.

We need to at least expect improvement, right?

Just a clarification about the chuckle about EMU-EMU has been competitive with WMU in football dating back to the Genyk days yes I know with all your smug superiority about yourselves you can so often overlook that your purported dominance in regular season play in football (and now in basketball) is in your heads and not backed up by fact. And while you're doing cartwheels about PJ's recruiting consider that WMU under Cubit outrecruited Genyk and English in every class but it didn't translate to on the on field dominance. I think you're going to find out that Creighton is a great recruiter and I think where he is so so much better than PJ is that he can coach.

well it depends what sample size you are using. In football, EMU has a three game winning streak. In the past nine years, WMU is 5-4 against EMU, and overall I believe it is 29-16 in WMU's favor. In basketball, the last 18 meetings (since Michigan MAC trophy), WMU is 12-6 against EMU. So...maybe not dominant, but pretty convincing.

I think it's out of line bagging on EMU fans due to things they can't control, like community interest. Results? Sure.

Otberwise, we sound much like the "fans" of our local B1G programs who look down their noses at us.

(05-09-2014 08:45 AM)DesertBronco Wrote:  I think it's out of line bagging on EMU fans due to things they can't control, like community interest. Results? Sure.

Otberwise, we sound much like the "fans" of our local B1G programs who look down their noses at us.

Are you an EMU apologist now?

(05-09-2014 09:57 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  

(05-09-2014 08:45 AM)DesertBronco Wrote:  I think it's out of line bagging on EMU fans due to things they can't control, like community interest. Results? Sure.

Otberwise, we sound much like the "fans" of our local B1G programs who look down their noses at us.

Are you an EMU apologist now?

Yes that's what I am. Very good Persky.