Search me. I'm not a football coach and I don't recruit players but there have been a few games this season that have left me scratching my head - BSU, Army and Miami of Ohio. BSU and Miami of Ohio because in both instances the starting quarterbacks were freshman who were better at game management and cooler under pressure than either of our two more experienced quarterbacks. Army because EMU actually has the opportunity to recruit from a larger pool of potential football players - we don't need to rely on appointments to fill our squad.

So, to my mind, it looks like there is a lack of player development or, maybe, the players EMU is recruiting just aren't capable of developing into collegiate players. It is obvious that the freshman quarterbacks playing for BSU and Miami of Ohio were/are better prepared to step into their respective roles than either Bell or Roback. Maybe they had better high school coaches and were better prepared when entering their respective schools. I don't know but it is clear that both were better prepared as freshman to lead their teams than either of our quarterbacks. The fact that Army was better prepared doesn't surprise me. Army views football games as battles and they spend their entire academic career understanding preparedness and battle plans. Still, Army being Army, essentially a private school who's admissions criteria are more difficult than any MAC school, should not have the athletes to compete with EMU - they just don't have the overall pool of young men who qualify for admission. EMU should have won that game just by overpowering Army with better athletes. We didn't. We got smoked. So, that, again, leads me to believe that either the players are not being developed properly or just don't have the requisite skills to begin with.

I like CC and I hope and pray that he turns this thing around. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made because something is being lost or not addressed in the grand scheme of things - either their not recruiting the right athletes of their not coaching them properly. If I hadn't seen two freshman quarterback beat us and, quite frankly, a whole team of athletes who are known more for their brains than their brawn, I would lay the blame solely at the feet of Ron English and say it's mostly his fault. I can't. When other teams can rely on freshman quarterbacks to manage and win games that takes Ron English out of the equation. When a school relies on an entire team of players who should be second string players at EMU to beat EMU that pretty much takes Ron English out of the equation. At some point, you have to make the hard decision to either fire the teacher (coordinators or position coaches) or put the student in the remedial class (just getting the best player, regardless of seniority) and moving the smarter (football smart) or more athletic student into that spot. I hope CC is prepared to take a good, hard look at the program and make whatever changes are necessary so his team can compete better in 2016.

(11-08-2015 10:31 AM)FrankAnderson Wrote:  I'm gonna echo 79. Of all people, I think Chris deserves the time we gave other coaches. Yesterday was probably the ugliest loss of the season, but there are some areas we have undoubtedly improved in from last season.

That said, what's going on the defense is totally unacceptable. If there aren't some serious changes in scheme and coaching personnel between now and next season, I'll have some tough questions for CC. This guy has won everywhere he's been. He should know what we have going on on the defensive side will render useless any improvement anywhere else on the squad. He HAS to do something in 3 weeks when this season is over.

Agree Frank. The 3 man front does not work without a stud nose guard. Also need 2 bigger DE's in a 3 man vs a 4 man front. Our personnel will not work in this scheme. Big red flag if Creighton does nothing, blames the poor D on injuries, and we come back with McCaslin and the same scheme. At an absolute minimum, dump the scheme. If McCaslin insists on it, or can't coach anything different, dump him.

And why the heck do we only have 4 coaches for the entire defense? At least need to add a LB coach.

(11-08-2015 11:59 AM)HuronRob Wrote:  Search me. I'm not a football coach and I don't recruit players but there have been a few games this season that have left me scratching my head - BSU, Army and Miami of Ohio. BSU and Miami of Ohio because in both instances the starting quarterbacks were freshman who were better at game management and cooler under pressure than either of our two more experienced quarterbacks. Army because EMU actually has the opportunity to recruit from a larger pool of potential football players - we don't need to rely on appointments to fill our squad.

So, to my mind, it looks like there is a lack of player development or, maybe, the players EMU is recruiting just aren't capable of developing into collegiate players. It is obvious that the freshman quarterbacks playing for BSU and Miami of Ohio were/are better prepared to step into their respective roles than either Bell or Roback. Maybe they had better high school coaches and were better prepared when entering their respective schools. I don't know but it is clear that both were better prepared as freshman to lead their teams than either of our quarterbacks. The fact that Army was better prepared doesn't surprise me. Army views football games as battles and they spend their entire academic career understanding preparedness and battle plans. Still, Army being Army, essentially a private school who's admissions criteria are more difficult than any MAC school, should not have the athletes to compete with EMU - they just don't have the overall pool of young men who qualify for admission. EMU should have won that game just by overpowering Army with better athletes. We didn't. We got smoked. So, that, again, leads me to believe that either the players are not being developed properly or just don't have the requisite skills to begin with.

I like CC and I hope and pray that he turns this thing around. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made because something is being lost or not addressed in the grand scheme of things - either their not recruiting the right athletes of their not coaching them properly. If I hadn't seen two freshman quarterback beat us and, quite frankly, a whole team of athletes who are known more for their brains than their brawn, I would lay the blame solely at the feet of Ron English and say it's mostly his fault. I can't. When other teams can rely on freshman quarterbacks to manage and win games that takes Ron English out of the equation. When a school relies on an entire team of players who should be second string players at EMU to beat EMU that pretty much takes Ron English out of the equation. At some point, you have to make the hard decision to either fire the teacher (coordinators or position coaches) or put the student in the remedial class (just getting the best player, regardless of seniority) and moving the smarter (football smart) or more athletic student into that spot. I hope CC is prepared to take a good, hard look at the program and make whatever changes are necessary so his team can compete better in 2016.

My quick 2 cents:

Bell and Roback seem to be the problem, not the answer.

The development you seek is usually seen in years 3-5, not 1 & 2. The roster overhaul will be more pronounced next year, and hopefully the results as well.

(11-07-2015 08:11 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  The football program is not worthy of any serious discussion anymore. They just suck and that is really all that needs to be said.

Just RTB. RUN THE BALL. You have a solid running game. Why does your OC insist on throwing the ball???

(11-08-2015 12:33 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  

(11-08-2015 11:59 AM)HuronRob Wrote:  Search me. I'm not a football coach and I don't recruit players but there have been a few games this season that have left me scratching my head - BSU, Army and Miami of Ohio. BSU and Miami of Ohio because in both instances the starting quarterbacks were freshman who were better at game management and cooler under pressure than either of our two more experienced quarterbacks. Army because EMU actually has the opportunity to recruit from a larger pool of potential football players - we don't need to rely on appointments to fill our squad.

So, to my mind, it looks like there is a lack of player development or, maybe, the players EMU is recruiting just aren't capable of developing into collegiate players. It is obvious that the freshman quarterbacks playing for BSU and Miami of Ohio were/are better prepared to step into their respective roles than either Bell or Roback. Maybe they had better high school coaches and were better prepared when entering their respective schools. I don't know but it is clear that both were better prepared as freshman to lead their teams than either of our quarterbacks. The fact that Army was better prepared doesn't surprise me. Army views football games as battles and they spend their entire academic career understanding preparedness and battle plans. Still, Army being Army, essentially a private school who's admissions criteria are more difficult than any MAC school, should not have the athletes to compete with EMU - they just don't have the overall pool of young men who qualify for admission. EMU should have won that game just by overpowering Army with better athletes. We didn't. We got smoked. So, that, again, leads me to believe that either the players are not being developed properly or just don't have the requisite skills to begin with.

I like CC and I hope and pray that he turns this thing around. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made because something is being lost or not addressed in the grand scheme of things - either their not recruiting the right athletes of their not coaching them properly. If I hadn't seen two freshman quarterback beat us and, quite frankly, a whole team of athletes who are known more for their brains than their brawn, I would lay the blame solely at the feet of Ron English and say it's mostly his fault. I can't. When other teams can rely on freshman quarterbacks to manage and win games that takes Ron English out of the equation. When a school relies on an entire team of players who should be second string players at EMU to beat EMU that pretty much takes Ron English out of the equation. At some point, you have to make the hard decision to either fire the teacher (coordinators or position coaches) or put the student in the remedial class (just getting the best player, regardless of seniority) and moving the smarter (football smart) or more athletic student into that spot. I hope CC is prepared to take a good, hard look at the program and make whatever changes are necessary so his team can compete better in 2016.

My quick 2 cents:

Bell and Roback seem to be the problem, not the answer.

The development you seek is usually seen in years 3-5, not 1 & 2. The roster overhaul will be more pronounced next year, and hopefully the results as well.

I agree. The larger question is whether the current staff can actually develop the players properly. Are Bell's and Roback's problems their position coach or themselves in that they forget everything they've been coached throughout the week to do? The defense has been discussed to death.

Here's the thing, not everybody has an equal level of talent. Some players will be wildly talented and others will be adequate enough to get the job done. So, talent is not always an indicator of success. While a player may not possess the requisite talent he may possess great football intelligence that can mitigate his deficiency in talent. Intelligence can be an equalizer. Add to that heart or passion which can make a mediocre player better because it will give him that extra something that allows him to play beyond himself. EMU needs not only more talented players but also smarter players all of whom have to play with greater passion. It is the coach's job (head coach, coordinators and position coaches) to bring out the best in the players.

Based upon the performance this season I would say that EMU's coaching staff is doing a poor job of coaching these young men. Okay, we have a poor talent level but many coaches in NCAA football history have done great things with little talent. That is a sign of a great coach. I'm beginning to think, and I hope I'm wrong, that our coaches can be great coaches only if they're working with very good talent. Unfortunately, that really doesn't make them great coaches - it makes them conditionally great coaches. It would be nice if we had the luxury of having stellar athletes. That makes any coach's job easier. The fact that this staff is having to work at their jobs and the results have been abysmal is more a statement about their ability to coach a player to be the best they can be than it is about the talent level of the player.

(11-07-2015 10:02 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  

(11-07-2015 08:52 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  

(11-07-2015 08:47 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  

(11-07-2015 08:11 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  The football program is not worthy of any serious discussion anymore. They just suck and that is really all that needs to be said.

Bob sucks worse than EMU football, THAT'S all that really needs to be said.

Still wondering why you haven't placed Bob on your ignore list. He adds nothing to the discussion.

2 games left, then I'll do it, I promise.

Don't listen to Huron Rob. The guy doesn't know anything about football. He is a complete wimp. Just my opinion.

(11-08-2015 11:59 AM)HuronRob Wrote:  Search me. I'm not a football coach and I don't recruit players but there have been a few games this season that have left me scratching my head - BSU, Army and Miami of Ohio. BSU and Miami of Ohio because in both instances the starting quarterbacks were freshman who were better at game management and cooler under pressure than either of our two more experienced quarterbacks. Army because EMU actually has the opportunity to recruit from a larger pool of potential football players - we don't need to rely on appointments to fill our squad.

So, to my mind, it looks like there is a lack of player development or, maybe, the players EMU is recruiting just aren't capable of developing into collegiate players. It is obvious that the freshman quarterbacks playing for BSU and Miami of Ohio were/are better prepared to step into their respective roles than either Bell or Roback. Maybe they had better high school coaches and were better prepared when entering their respective schools. I don't know but it is clear that both were better prepared as freshman to lead their teams than either of our quarterbacks. The fact that Army was better prepared doesn't surprise me. Army views football games as battles and they spend their entire academic career understanding preparedness and battle plans. Still, Army being Army, essentially a private school who's admissions criteria are more difficult than any MAC school, should not have the athletes to compete with EMU - they just don't have the overall pool of young men who qualify for admission. EMU should have won that game just by overpowering Army with better athletes. We didn't. We got smoked. So, that, again, leads me to believe that either the players are not being developed properly or just don't have the requisite skills to begin with.

I like CC and I hope and pray that he turns this thing around. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made because something is being lost or not addressed in the grand scheme of things - either their not recruiting the right athletes of their not coaching them properly. If I hadn't seen two freshman quarterback beat us and, quite frankly, a whole team of athletes who are known more for their brains than their brawn, I would lay the blame solely at the feet of Ron English and say it's mostly his fault. I can't. When other teams can rely on freshman quarterbacks to manage and win games that takes Ron English out of the equation. When a school relies on an entire team of players who should be second string players at EMU to beat EMU that pretty much takes Ron English out of the equation. At some point, you have to make the hard decision to either fire the teacher (coordinators or position coaches) or put the student in the remedial class (just getting the best player, regardless of seniority) and moving the smarter (football smart) or more athletic student into that spot. I hope CC is prepared to take a good, hard look at the program and make whatever changes are necessary so his team can compete better in 2016.

Great points!

(11-08-2015 12:35 PM)Hiller4Hyz09 Wrote:  

(11-07-2015 08:11 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  The football program is not worthy of any serious discussion anymore. They just suck and that is really all that needs to be said.

Just RTB. RUN THE BALL. You have a solid running game. Why does your OC insist on throwing the ball???

Because he is in over his head. He has never coached players worthy of a football scholarship before. He is like a caveman trying to understand electricity. It will never work. I predicted zero wins this season and if Wyoming wasn't down to their 3rd string QB, I would have been right. Mind you, the Over/Under before the start of the season was 1.5 wins, so absolutely no one with a brain was surprised by this season.

Dear HuronRob,
I agree with you on the possible coaching up of possible talent. The one point I would disagree with, is your quarterback analysis. The Ball State, and Miami quarterbacks may have played better then ours, when we played them, but those teams are only a half step ahead of us, only because they beat us. Their overall records are almost as bad as Eastern, so they really haven't distinguished themselves as better quarterbacks. That's my take on it.

(11-08-2015 01:03 PM)HuronRob Wrote:  

(11-08-2015 12:33 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  

(11-08-2015 11:59 AM)HuronRob Wrote:  Search me. I'm not a football coach and I don't recruit players but there have been a few games this season that have left me scratching my head - BSU, Army and Miami of Ohio. BSU and Miami of Ohio because in both instances the starting quarterbacks were freshman who were better at game management and cooler under pressure than either of our two more experienced quarterbacks. Army because EMU actually has the opportunity to recruit from a larger pool of potential football players - we don't need to rely on appointments to fill our squad.

So, to my mind, it looks like there is a lack of player development or, maybe, the players EMU is recruiting just aren't capable of developing into collegiate players. It is obvious that the freshman quarterbacks playing for BSU and Miami of Ohio were/are better prepared to step into their respective roles than either Bell or Roback. Maybe they had better high school coaches and were better prepared when entering their respective schools. I don't know but it is clear that both were better prepared as freshman to lead their teams than either of our quarterbacks. The fact that Army was better prepared doesn't surprise me. Army views football games as battles and they spend their entire academic career understanding preparedness and battle plans. Still, Army being Army, essentially a private school who's admissions criteria are more difficult than any MAC school, should not have the athletes to compete with EMU - they just don't have the overall pool of young men who qualify for admission. EMU should have won that game just by overpowering Army with better athletes. We didn't. We got smoked. So, that, again, leads me to believe that either the players are not being developed properly or just don't have the requisite skills to begin with.

I like CC and I hope and pray that he turns this thing around. Some very tough decisions are going to have to be made because something is being lost or not addressed in the grand scheme of things - either their not recruiting the right athletes of their not coaching them properly. If I hadn't seen two freshman quarterback beat us and, quite frankly, a whole team of athletes who are known more for their brains than their brawn, I would lay the blame solely at the feet of Ron English and say it's mostly his fault. I can't. When other teams can rely on freshman quarterbacks to manage and win games that takes Ron English out of the equation. When a school relies on an entire team of players who should be second string players at EMU to beat EMU that pretty much takes Ron English out of the equation. At some point, you have to make the hard decision to either fire the teacher (coordinators or position coaches) or put the student in the remedial class (just getting the best player, regardless of seniority) and moving the smarter (football smart) or more athletic student into that spot. I hope CC is prepared to take a good, hard look at the program and make whatever changes are necessary so his team can compete better in 2016.

My quick 2 cents:

Bell and Roback seem to be the problem, not the answer.

The development you seek is usually seen in years 3-5, not 1 & 2. The roster overhaul will be more pronounced next year, and hopefully the results as well.

I agree. The larger question is whether the current staff can actually develop the players properly. Are Bell's and Roback's problems their position coach or themselves in that they forget everything they've been coached throughout the week to do? The defense has been discussed to death.

Here's the thing, not everybody has an equal level of talent. Some players will be wildly talented and others will be adequate enough to get the job done. So, talent is not always an indicator of success. While a player may not possess the requisite talent he may possess great football intelligence that can mitigate his deficiency in talent. Intelligence can be an equalizer. Add to that heart or passion which can make a mediocre player better because it will give him that extra something that allows him to play beyond himself. EMU needs not only more talented players but also smarter players all of whom have to play with greater passion. It is the coach's job (head coach, coordinators and position coaches) to bring out the best in the players.

Based upon the performance this season I would say that EMU's coaching staff is doing a poor job of coaching these young men. Okay, we have a poor talent level but many coaches in NCAA football history have done great things with little talent. That is a sign of a great coach. I'm beginning to think, and I hope I'm wrong, that our coaches can be great coaches only if they're working with very good talent. Unfortunately, that really doesn't make them great coaches - it makes them conditionally great coaches. It would be nice if we had the luxury of having stellar athletes. That makes any coach's job easier. The fact that this staff is having to work at their jobs and the results have been abysmal is more a statement about their ability to coach a player to be the best they can be than it is about the talent level of the player.

Can you 'coach' Roback to stop throwing terrible picks? I don't think so. He hasn't improved one bit from the first game to the last game. Believe me, I wish he would, we need a reliable and consistent QB. You simply don't see it with him.

Bell is simply an athlete masquerading as a QB. Find him a limited rotation role, or a different position. Add in the constant injury factor and there is no way to build the program around him.

It is what it is. Bring on a proven Juco, or pray Pensyl or Stiebeling pan out.

(11-08-2015 02:07 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear HuronRob,
I agree with you on the possible coaching up of possible talent. The one point I would disagree with, is your quarterback analysis. The Ball State, and Miami quarterbacks may have played better then ours, when we played them, but those teams are only a half step ahead of us, only because they beat us. Their overall records are almost as bad as Eastern, so they really haven't distinguished themselves as better quarterbacks. That's my take on it.

Ken,

Head to head the Ball State and Miami quarterbacks a great deal more maturity and decisiveness than either Bell or Roback. That Ball State and Miami have records that are only a little better than ours is not relevant. I'm only talking about true freshman quarterbacks being head and shoulders better than our two seasoned quarterbacks. It doesn't matter to me if my analysis is only for when each team played EMU. There was a clear difference in the quarterback play. These two true freshman quarterback looked like the seasoned players while Bell and Roback looked like the true freshman.

(11-08-2015 02:07 PM)Ken Barna Wrote:  Dear HuronRob,
I agree with you on the possible coaching up of possible talent. The one point I would disagree with, is your quarterback analysis. The Ball State, and Miami quarterbacks may have played better then ours, when we played them, but those teams are only a half step ahead of us, only because they beat us. Their overall records are almost as bad as Eastern, so they really haven't distinguished themselves as better quarterbacks. That's my take on it.

What would Roback or Bell do against our defense? Probably have a career day!

(11-08-2015 02:16 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  Can you 'coach' Roback to stop throwing terrible picks? I don't think so. He hasn't improved one bit from the first game to the last game. Believe me, I wish he would, we need a reliable and consistent QB. You simply don't see it with him.

Bell is simply an athlete masquerading as a QB. Find him a limited rotation role, or a different position. Add in the constant injury factor and there is no way to build the program around him.

It is what it is. Bring on a proven Juco, or pray Pensyl or Stiebeling pan out.

I don't disagree which is why Coach Creighton should be grooming an underclassman. He (Duckett or Skupin - both true freshmen) may suck but if they are more coachable than either Bell or Roback what do the Eagles have to lose? What, are we going to lose more games with either Duckett or Skupin under center? In a throw away season, which is what this season has become, let the youngsters have playing time.

I see some first quarters and I think we're on the right track - 17-0 to Ball State, for example. But this team is too thin, too young, and too inexperienced to maintain a lead.

Because of these limited but very good moments during the season I'm not willing to change direction now. We need to get more talent, more experience, and overcome this poor play we're so used to seeing every week.

This team is more than half true freshmen or redshirt freshman (I think) - and more than 2/3 sophomores or younger. Let's see what next year holds before making determinations of the program's long-term direction.

I do agree though - the Reggie Bell experience should be shut down - move him to receiver asap. Let's develop Roback and ride the better horse. Focus on the run - our WRs except the freshman can't catch a cold when it counts. Find some beef for the D-line - please!!!

(11-08-2015 06:26 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  I see some first quarters and I think we're on the right track - 17-0 to Ball State, for example. But this team is too thin, too young, and too inexperienced to maintain a lead.

Because of these limited but very good moments during the season I'm not willing to change direction now. We need to get more talent, more experience, and overcome this poor play we're so used to seeing every week.

This team is more than half true freshmen or redshirt freshman (I think) - and more than 2/3 sophomores or younger. Let's see what next year holds before making determinations of the program's long-term direction.

I do agree though - the Reggie Bell experience should be shut down - move him to receiver asap. Let's develop Roback and ride the better horse. Focus on the run - our WRs except the freshman can't catch a cold when it counts. Find some beef for the D-line - please!!!

While the team may be young overall, the starters on offense and defense are comprised of 70% +-upperclassmen

(11-08-2015 07:39 PM)candela Wrote:  

(11-08-2015 06:26 PM)Huron Boy Wrote:  I see some first quarters and I think we're on the right track - 17-0 to Ball State, for example. But this team is too thin, too young, and too inexperienced to maintain a lead.

Because of these limited but very good moments during the season I'm not willing to change direction now. We need to get more talent, more experience, and overcome this poor play we're so used to seeing every week.

This team is more than half true freshmen or redshirt freshman (I think) - and more than 2/3 sophomores or younger. Let's see what next year holds before making determinations of the program's long-term direction.

I do agree though - the Reggie Bell experience should be shut down - move him to receiver asap. Let's develop Roback and ride the better horse. Focus on the run - our WRs except the freshman can't catch a cold when it counts. Find some beef for the D-line - please!!!

While the team may be young overall, the starters on offense and defense are comprised of 70% +-upperclassmen

Roster turnover, roster turnover, roster turnover. Get the first 2 recruiting classes to start replacing the dead weight seniors, and underperforming upperclassmen, and see what they can do. Excited for changes next year.

LET'S JUST BE A BASKETBALL SCHOOL

(11-09-2015 01:34 PM)realistEagle Wrote:  LET'S JUST BE A BASKETBALL SCHOOL

Agree. EMU basketball has great potential, tradition. There is no hope for football. I say shut it down.

(11-09-2015 05:06 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(11-09-2015 01:34 PM)realistEagle Wrote:  LET'S JUST BE A BASKETBALL SCHOOL

Agree. EMU basketball has great potential, tradition. There is no hope for football. I say shut it down.

Yup, that's why I don't get too emotional about the program. Personally I just don't see how this can improve. I also don't see how being negative will improve anything so I try not to say too much on here about it. Some of our posters here got some top notch dealers though, would love to get some of that optimism.

(11-09-2015 06:07 PM)realistEagle Wrote:  

(11-09-2015 05:06 PM)Bob Wickersham Wrote:  

(11-09-2015 01:34 PM)realistEagle Wrote:  LET'S JUST BE A BASKETBALL SCHOOL

Agree. EMU basketball has great potential, tradition. There is no hope for football. I say shut it down.

Yup, that's why I don't get too emotional about the program. Personally I just don't see how this can improve. I also don't see how being negative will improve anything so I try not to say too much on here about it. Some of our posters here got some top notch dealers though, would love to get some of that optimism.

I hear you. If you can be optimistic after 20 straight non-winning seasons, with the amount of butt kickings this program has taken, you have to be on some serious mood enhancers.