If we have a bad year, will we be removed from some of the weekday MACtion games? If so, this would be one of the benefits of losing.

(09-23-2016 01:33 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  If we have a bad year, will we be removed from some of the weekday MACtion games? If so, this would be one of the benefits of losing.

Probably not. We'll still have the weekday games, but they'll be on ESPN3. And, if we keep losing, those games will be in black and white.

(09-23-2016 01:43 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 01:33 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  If we have a bad year, will we be removed from some of the weekday MACtion games? If so, this would be one of the benefits of losing.

Probably not. We'll still have the weekday games, but they'll be on ESPN3. And, if we keep losing, those games will be in black and white.

Does ESPN have an out for any of those games. I'm not sure they do. In years past a few games were listed as espn3 or espnu. This year they are listed as espnu or espn2

LOL People still believe in this program?!?!?

(09-23-2016 03:16 PM)HuskiesCHI27 Wrote:  LOL People still believe in this program?!?!?

Of course everyone still believes in the program. Remember.....most here are Chicago baseball (and football) fans. The experience of losing is hardwired into our DNA.

(09-23-2016 01:05 PM)chihuskie Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 11:01 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 10:56 AM)Field Turf Wrote:  Hare doesn't play defense. We've allowed an average of 41 points per game in our last 6 games dating back to the Ohio game late last season. Sure, having Hare might have extended drives keeping our opponents off the field and keeping their scoring down some. But, our defense has been well below average also.

it sure helps when you set the tone on offense.

We routinely win the opening coin flip and then decide to kick the ball to the other team and let them get a crack at our defense first, so we can then play from behind.
So . . .

that apparently is Rod's idea of "setting the tone"

yeah that would be what i select 100% of the time. I let my defense have a crack first. I then know if my team needs to either kick a field goal to tie or a touch down to win. if i'm going in first, my offense has to score a touchdown to survive.

so yeah i agree with him on that

in fact so do 324 other football coaches. someone wrote a research piece on how of the 328 overtimes since 1996, only four have opted to play offense first.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...time_Games

(09-23-2016 04:04 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 01:05 PM)chihuskie Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 11:01 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 10:56 AM)Field Turf Wrote:  Hare doesn't play defense. We've allowed an average of 41 points per game in our last 6 games dating back to the Ohio game late last season. Sure, having Hare might have extended drives keeping our opponents off the field and keeping their scoring down some. But, our defense has been well below average also.

it sure helps when you set the tone on offense.

We routinely win the opening coin flip and then decide to kick the ball to the other team and let them get a crack at our defense first, so we can then play from behind.
So . . .

that apparently is Rod's idea of "setting the tone"

yeah that would be what i select 100% of the time. I let my defense have a crack first. I then know if my team needs to either kick a field goal to tie or a touch down to win. if i'm going in first, my offense has to score a touchdown to survive.

so yeah i agree with him on that

in fact so do 324 other football coaches. someone wrote a research piece on how of the 328 overtimes since 1996, only four have opted to play offense first.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...time_Games

He's talking about at the beginning of the game, not the beginning of OT.

(09-23-2016 04:09 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 04:04 PM)thehappyhuskie Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 01:05 PM)chihuskie Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 11:01 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 10:56 AM)Field Turf Wrote:  Hare doesn't play defense. We've allowed an average of 41 points per game in our last 6 games dating back to the Ohio game late last season. Sure, having Hare might have extended drives keeping our opponents off the field and keeping their scoring down some. But, our defense has been well below average also.

it sure helps when you set the tone on offense.

We routinely win the opening coin flip and then decide to kick the ball to the other team and let them get a crack at our defense first, so we can then play from behind.
So . . .

that apparently is Rod's idea of "setting the tone"

yeah that would be what i select 100% of the time. I let my defense have a crack first. I then know if my team needs to either kick a field goal to tie or a touch down to win. if i'm going in first, my offense has to score a touchdown to survive.

so yeah i agree with him on that

in fact so do 324 other football coaches. someone wrote a research piece on how of the 328 overtimes since 1996, only four have opted to play offense first.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication...time_Games

He's talking about at the beginning of the game, not the beginning of OT.

stand corrected.

(09-23-2016 01:43 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 01:33 PM)NIU17 Wrote:  If we have a bad year, will we be removed from some of the weekday MACtion games? If so, this would be one of the benefits of losing.

Probably not. We'll still have the weekday games, but they'll be on ESPN3. And, if we keep losing, those games will be in black and white.

Oh man, they'll all be against the EMUs? That would be awful.

Unfortunately 0-12 seems more likely at this point, and I was one of the guys in the pre-season who thought we'd be 5-1 after 6 games

Sent from my SM-G900T using CSNbbs mobile app

(09-23-2016 10:20 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:40 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:36 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  lol

+1. 3-9 is much closer to reality.

this is a good football team whose recent dip can be directly related to Drew Hares injuries and 3 very difficult non com games 2 of which were tough road trips. Think how much of our offense was related to yardage the QB made. I think I would play Maddie. I think he can throw as good as Graham and probably can run better. Have to get running game going. As Coach Novak told me a few years ago as we were riding high, that there will be a time when things don't go as well and that is when the fan base will be tested.

I do not agree that this is a good team and I do not think we can win the MAC West this year. We already know what Maddie can do but more importantly what he cannot do. Time to give the young guys some experience and build for the future.

NIU @ Wyoming (L) - 40-34
NIU @ USF (L) 48-17
SDSU @ NIU (L) 42-28

WIU - 85%
@BSU - 70%
@WMU - 35%
CMU - 35%
Buffalo - 75%
BGSU - 65%
Toledo - 35%
@EMU - 75%
@Kent - 75%
= 5.95W

I say NIU goes 6-6.

(09-23-2016 10:33 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 10:20 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:40 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:36 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  lol

+1. 3-9 is much closer to reality.

this is a good football team whose recent dip can be directly related to Drew Hares injuries and 3 very difficult non com games 2 of which were tough road trips. Think how much of our offense was related to yardage the QB made. I think I would play Maddie. I think he can throw as good as Graham and probably can run better. Have to get running game going. As Coach Novak told me a few years ago as we were riding high, that there will be a time when things don't go as well and that is when the fan base will be tested.

I agree about using Maddie. We have very little to use. However, before we give up on Graham, I would love to see two QBs on the field, with Maddie at WR - and actually use the two as alternating QBs at the same time. Pass to Maddie, who passes to another WR or the TE. Pass to Maddie to move the D and then a pass back to Graham. Hand off to Maddie on a jet sweep, who stops dead and passes. Of course, this will take some split-second timing and receivers who are where they need to be, but the goal here would be to confuse the D. We are not good enough to get through the game without some trickery. At least Rod is (was) good for some trickery.

Using Maddie like that would be great and keep the defense off balance. Of course, he can always run off those plays and we know he can do that. Maddie at QB? I am not sure I would call that giving up on Graham as much as going back t that style of offense that worked so well for us; no Maddie is not a Harnish of Lynch, but he is athletic. The only time I remember seeing Maddie in more than a one or two play games situation was against Northwestern; I thought he looked good and recall thinking he looked more comfortable passing out of v. in the pocket. Where Maddie is now after being out much of last season and all I don't know. With Maddie being moved to WR I don't expect to see him at QB except like the one running play against SDSU, However,I do like the idea of using Maddie as you said and in wildcat formations; I think that would be unpredictable, exciting and keep the defense off balance and on their heels! Why not; it couldn't hurt us too much and what do we have to lose?

(09-23-2016 10:33 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 10:20 AM)GCD70 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:40 AM)Dog Fan Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:36 AM)RedandBlackAttack Wrote:  lol

+1. 3-9 is much closer to reality.

this is a good football team whose recent dip can be directly related to Drew Hares injuries and 3 very difficult non com games 2 of which were tough road trips. Think how much of our offense was related to yardage the QB made. I think I would play Maddie. I think he can throw as good as Graham and probably can run better. Have to get running game going. As Coach Novak told me a few years ago as we were riding high, that there will be a time when things don't go as well and that is when the fan base will be tested.

I agree about using Maddie. We have very little to use. However, before we give up on Graham, I would love to see two QBs on the field, with Maddie at WR - and actually use the two as alternating QBs at the same time. Pass to Maddie, who passes to another WR or the TE. Pass to Maddie to move the D and then a pass back to Graham. Hand off to Maddie on a jet sweep, who stops dead and passes. Of course, this will take some split-second timing and receivers who are where they need to be, but the goal here would be to confuse the D. We are not good enough to get through the game without some trickery. At least Rod is (was) good for some trickery.

So you want the offense to run the kind of plays I used to run in the old 10 Yard Fight arcade game. It worked like a charm in the arcade. My halfback threw more passes than my quarterback.

The problem with trick plays is they take time to set up, and you need an O-line to give you the time. Huskie O-line has not done so well this year.

(09-23-2016 11:08 AM)HuskieTap22 Wrote:  NIU total defensive rank: #121
NIU rushing defense rank: #122
NIU penalty yardage rank: #116
NIU punting: #89 (out of 97)

WMU is #10 in rushing offense (ahead of USF and SDSU) and Toledo is #25

Toledo and Central Michigan currently have top 15 defenses and WMU is #30.

With a lot of the big MAC games early the defense needs to figure it out fast or NIU will be out of the race by mid-October.

Let's not kid ourselves, we are already out of the MAC race.

(09-23-2016 09:27 AM)NIUAlum90 Wrote:  We could still go 9-3.

Do you now believe we'll go 8-4?

(09-24-2016 05:00 PM)uiniu57 Wrote:  

(09-23-2016 09:27 AM)NIUAlum90 Wrote:  We could still go 9-3.

Do you now believe we'll go 8-4?

0-12, peace out!