Too Much Stock

[CaBisonFan]

There was too much stock put on one player, meaning one quarterback.

He was not played last year, which felt strange last year.

We have no depth at quarterback, which is strange.

I feel badly for the team...especially our great senior class.

I feel badly for Nick Mertens.

The debate shouldn't be about one player...but it can't be helped.

Nick was put into a position like a young pitcher that is getting pounded. Not just one night. Several

So what do you do with a pitcher that has lost his confidence...or doesn't have it...or never will?

You pull him. You give others a chance. You look to the minors. But you 'do' protect the pitcher.

The handwriting was on the wall after the WIU game. It was very clear.

Responsible coaching decisions have not been made. That, is where the hammer drops. This is not about Nick Mertens anymore. :cool:

[WestDakotaBison]

I'll agree with that. Coaching staff did not do Mertins any favors by leaving him in. Blows my mind that he wasn't pulled.

[94 Bison]

There was too much stock put on one player, meaning one quarterback.

He was not played last year, which felt strange last year.

We have no depth at quarterback, which is strange.

I feel badly for the team...especially our great senior class.

I feel badly for Nick Mertens.

The debate shouldn't be about one player...but it can't be helped.

Nick was put into a position like a young pitcher that is getting pounded. Not just one night. Several

So what do you do with a pitcher that has lost his confidence...or doesn't have it...or never will?

You pull him. You give others a chance. You look to the minors. But you 'do' protect the pitcher.

The handwriting was on the wall after the WIU game. It was very clear.

Responsible coaching decisions have not been made. That, is where the hammer drops. This is not about Nick Mertens anymore. :cool:

Finally...a Voice of Reason!!!

[A1pigskin]

CA. You nailed it. The coaches need to do some soul searching and figure out what to do next. After throwing repeated interceptions game after game after game the QB needs to sit it out. Sometimes that is the best motivation one can have knowing that you are on the verge of losing the starting position.

[thundastruck]

I agree something needs to be done! But Nick is the best QB that we got. I went to the fall scrimmages and the back up QB was not even close to being ready. Maybe a lot changed since then but I doubt it.

I think we had a better guy to do the job the coaches would have put him in already!

[LITTLEGUYSINGREEN]

There was too much stock put on one player, meaning one quarterback.

He was not played last year, which felt strange last year.

We have no depth at quarterback, which is strange.

I feel badly for the team...especially our great senior class.

I feel badly for Nick Mertens.

The debate shouldn't be about one player...but it can't be helped.

Nick was put into a position like a young pitcher that is getting pounded. Not just one night. Several

So what do you do with a pitcher that has lost his confidence...or doesn't have it...or never will?

You pull him. You give others a chance. You look to the minors. But you 'do' protect the pitcher.

The handwriting was on the wall after the Youngstown game. It was very clear.

Responsible coaching decisions have not been made. That, is where the hammer drops. This is not about Nick Mertens anymore. :cool:

Fixed it for you. :)

[BisoninNWMN]

I agree something needs to be done! But Nick is the best QB that we got. I went to the fall scrimmages and the back up QB was not even close to being ready. Maybe a lot changed since then but I doubt it.

I think we had a better guy to do the job the coaches would have put him in already!


Well than the coaches need to be held accountable. Not recruiting a qb for 2 yrs is a joke. Hanging your whole season on a qb with no experience and no reliable backups.

So....we leave Mertens in and watch 25 ints this year????

This year started out very promising and now we will be lucky to win 1...yes 1 more game.

Mohler is not ready to play...looks like he is about 150 lbs.....pretty small and his arm looks suspect when they are throwing in warm-ups.

[Bison bison]

I personally guarantee that the Bison will beat the Sycamores.

[BisoninNWMN]

I personally guarantee that the Bison will beat the Sycamores.

Sh** , Fertile-Beltrami's 1A team here could beat them:D

Bison will be lucky to get to .500

[CaBisonFan]

Well than the coaches need to be held accountable. Not recruiting a qb for 2 yrs is a joke. Hanging your whole season on a qb with no experience and no reliable backups.

So....we leave Mertens in and watch 25 ints this year????

This year started out very promising and now we will be lucky to win 1...yes 1 more game.

Mohler is not ready to play...looks like he is about 150 lbs.....pretty small and his arm looks suspect when they are throwing in warm-ups.

From gobison.com

Jose Mohler Bio...........5' 11".........172 LBS


Two-year varsity starter for La Costa Canyon High School and head coach Darrin Brown ... Passed for 1,351 yards and 14 TDs, and rushed for 580 yards and 8 TDs in leading team to Palomar League championship and the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) semi-finals in 2007 ... Earned first team all-league and second team all-North County honors as a senior ... Passed for 1,553 yards and 14 TDs, and rushed for 630 yards and 4 TDs in 2006 ... Earned all-conference honors ... Numerous Player of the Week honors during career ... Plans to major in communications/broadcasting ... Son of Lu Mohler.


I promise you...that in the league Jose played in, you don't do what he did without an arm. The CIF is about 10 times the size of the entire state of Minnesota, and the programs are like colleges. Jose has played in games with as much raw talent on the field as we see in college.


His height is the only concern that I'd have. Steve Walker wasn't considered to be a strong-arm QB...but he did OK.

[BisoninNWMN]

From gobison.com

Jose Mohler Bio...........5' 11".........172 LBS


Two-year varsity starter for La Costa Canyon High School and head coach Darrin Brown ... Passed for 1,351 yards and 14 TDs, and rushed for 580 yards and 8 TDs in leading team to Palomar League championship and the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) semi-finals in 2007 ... Earned first team all-league and second team all-North County honors as a senior ... Passed for 1,553 yards and 14 TDs, and rushed for 630 yards and 4 TDs in 2006 ... Earned all-conference honors ... Numerous Player of the Week honors during career ... Plans to major in communications/broadcasting ... Son of Lu Mohler.


I promise you...that in the league Jose played in, you don't do what he did without an arm. The CIF is about 10 times the size of the entire state of Minnesota, and the programs are like colleges. Jose has played in games with as much raw talent on the field as we see in college.


His height is the only concern that I'd have. Steve Walker wasn't considered to be a strong-arm QB...but he did OK.

5'11"......my ass.......I'm 5'11" and he looks shorter than me. 172 lbs.....with weights in his pockets.

From what I have seen at warm-ups before home games....his arm looks weak.....just an observation.

In any case he better hit the weight room cus he is small.

[CaBisonFan]

5'11"......my ass.......I'm 5'11" and he looks shorter than me. 172 lbs.....with weights in his pockets.

From what I have seen at warm-ups before home games....his arm looks weak.....just an observation.

In any case he better hit the weight room cus he is small.

OK...whatever.

I just took this information from gobison.com

They could be stretching Jose a bit.

I've just seen a lot of HS football down here...and Jose has seen major talent...and been very successful. The CIF is about 10 times the size of Minnesota. That might be conservative. It's the Southern California championships that the bio talks about. If he led his team to 2nd place in that division....whoa. Da kid has something that you can't measure with a tape...or on a scale...because it's located inside his chest...and probably somewhere between his ears. :nod:

Warmups....hmmmm

I thought that warmups were for warming up. My bad.

As the urban legend goes...Steve Walker didn't look very good in practice a few years ago.

[BisoninNWMN]

OK...whatever.

I just took this information from gobison.com

They could be stretching Jose a bit.

I've just seen a lot of HS football down here...and Jose has seen major talent...and been very successful. The CIF is about 10 times the size of Minnesota. That might be conservative. It's the Southern California championships that the bio talks about. If he led his team to 2nd place in that division....whoa. Da kid has something that you can't measure with a tape. :nod:


That might be fine and dandy in the CIF but he is still small with an average arm at best.

Weight room will definitely help him.

With the way lakes talks about him......I thought Peyton Manning was coming to SU.....then seeing him in person.....let down......too small IMO.

Hopefully I am wrong.....in any case the coaching staff needs to recruit a good qb this year.....somebody bigger than 6 foot!!!!!

[Fightin' Bison]

With the way lakes talks about him......I thought Peyton Manning was coming to SU.....then seeing him in person.....let down......too small IMO.

Didn't Lakes guarantee that Mertens was going to be a star? And McNorton, too? Let's not have him talk up any other players. It seems to be a bad sign.

[56BISON73]

That might be fine and dandy in the CIF but he is still small with an average arm at best.

Weight room will definitely help him.

With the way lakes talks about him......I thought Peyton Manning was coming to SU.....then seeing him in person.....let down......too small IMO.

Hopefully I am wrong.....in any case the coaching staff needs to recruit a good qb this year.....somebody bigger than 6 foot!!!!!

You have to remember what he was saying about Mertens so his opinions are very suspect.:D PL

[LITTLEGUYSINGREEN]

You have to remember what he was saying about Mertens so his opinions are very suspect.:D PL

I was just about to say the same thing. KISS OF DEATH IMO.......

[4mcruenomore]

Yeah well Kevin Feeney came from the WDA and he kicked ass. I'm sick of the Cali. attitude, that other states have better football. I'm convinced that we need to recruit a QB from ND that has some heart, what happened to that QB from Mott/Regent last year?

[4mcruenomore]

lakes is the worst for this attitude, this is NORTH DAKOTA STATE football.

[BisonNolesFan77]

It doesnt matter where the kind is from, ND, TX, CA, MN, FL, if he can play, knows how to lead a team and is a winner, I will take it. He could be from China for all I care.

[BisonNeil]

There was too much stock put on one player, meaning one quarterback.

He was not played last year, which felt strange last year.

We have no depth at quarterback, which is strange.

I feel badly for the team...especially our great senior class.

I feel badly for Nick Mertens.

The debate shouldn't be about one player...but it can't be helped.

Nick was put into a position like a young pitcher that is getting pounded. Not just one night. Several

So what do you do with a pitcher that has lost his confidence...or doesn't have it...or never will?

You pull him. You give others a chance. You look to the minors. But you 'do' protect the pitcher.

The handwriting was on the wall after the WIU game. It was very clear.

Responsible coaching decisions have not been made. That, is where the hammer drops. This is not about Nick Mertens anymore. :cool:

Wow CA, didn't you lambaste several people for saying similar things just a couple of weeks ago? You said you were what, pitching or selling optimism?

However, I agree with what you say, it's just you are a day late and several dollars short. This was very evident to some of us some time ago.

To the rest of you kool aid drinkers, I am too tired to argue this anymore, but suffice it to say that in my opinion this team is seriously undercoached. You cannot look at this team, see the same mistakes made over and over, see a predictable offense do the same crap over and over, see the same guys miss tackles and not come to the conclusion that mistakes have been made in coaching.

To me, it started in fall camp. When Bohl came out and told the press that fall camp would not be as intense and as physical as in past years so that the team could prepare themselves for a long season and the playoffs, that was a tactical error. He obviously did it because last year the Bison gassed at the end of the season and it was surmised they would have done poorly in the playoffs had they been eligible. I told many of my friends that at the time this approach was a serious mistake, in my opinion. I think it sent a message to the players, "save yourself for the playoffs". It also made this team less proficient at blocking and tackling. I believe you play as you practice and since practices have been less physical and intense, so have the games. That is why they always appear flat. So, I firmly believe this teams demise is all due to the coaching, and that is all I have to say about that.

[BisonNeil]

Well than the coaches need to be held accountable. Not recruiting a qb for 2 yrs is a joke. Hanging your whole season on a qb with no experience and no reliable backups.

So....we leave Mertens in and watch 25 ints this year????

This year started out very promising and now we will be lucky to win 1...yes 1 more game.

Mohler is not ready to play...looks like he is about 150 lbs.....pretty small and his arm looks suspect when they are throwing in warm-ups.

You guys keep baiting me!!!!!!!!!!!

So, line up and admit it, all you guys toasted my ass and called me an idiot for saying this the past two years on this forum. It was good to bash BN because we didn't need QBs, we can run the ball, remember!!

Jerks!

[56BISON73]

Wow CA, didn't you lambaste several people for saying similar things just a couple of weeks ago? You said you were what, pitching or selling optimism?

However, I agree with what you say, it's just you are a day late and several dollars short. This was very evident to some of us some time ago.

To the rest of you kool aid drinkers, I am too tired to argue this anymore, but suffice it to say that in my opinion this team is seriously undercoached. You cannot look at this team, see the same mistakes made over and over, see a predictable offense do the same crap over and over, see the same guys miss tackles and not come to the conclusion that mistakes have been made in coaching.

To me, it started in fall camp. When Bohl came out and told the press that fall camp would not be as intense and as physical as in past years so that the team could prepare themselves for a long season and the playoffs, that was a tactical error. He obviously did it because last year the Bison gassed at the end of the season and it was surmised they would have done poorly in the playoffs had they been eligible. I told many of my friends that at the time this approach was a serious mistake, in my opinion. I think it sent a message to the players, "save yourself for the playoffs". It also made this team less proficient at blocking and tackling. I believe you play as you practice and since practices have been less physical and intense, so have the games. That is why they always appear flat. So, I firmly believe this teams demise is all due to the coaching, and that is all I have to say about that.

Very interesting. PL

[CaBisonFan]

Yeah well Kevin Feeney came from the WDA and he kicked ass. I'm sick of the Cali. attitude, that other states have better football. I'm convinced that we need to recruit a QB from ND that has some heart, what happened to that QB from Mott/Regent last year?

I don't give a damn where a player comes from either. I would agree that the Bison would be better off if the larger core of players comes from North Dakota and Minnesota. No argument there.

I'm just talking about Mohler. That's all.

[56BISON73]

Yeah well Kevin Feeney came from the WDA and he kicked ass. I'm sick of the Cali. attitude, that other states have better football. I'm convinced that we need to recruit a QB from ND that has some heart, what happened to that QB from Mott/Regent last year?

Does talent come in to play at all???:D
PL

[CaBisonFan]

You know Neil...you have your point.

I am more upset with the handling of this young man, by far, than I am with how he is playing.

When I came to the WIU game in Fargo I felt this kid's pain when I saw him standing alone on the sideline for much of the game. And he 'is' alone in the role of 'the quarterback' for this team. When Parsons and others left, he was really hung out there to succeed or fail, without anyone to take over. It's not 'all' about taking him out because he's no good. Any athlete can go through growing pains. And an awful lot of outstanding athletes haven't cut it at the next level for a variety of reasons.

I think that this offense doesn't fit Nick very well. It seems like it was designed for Steve Walker, and that it evolved into his own version of the West Coast. Nick was expected to step right in and make it work. Steve was allowed to evolve 'with' the offensive playbook.

I 'am' being hard on the coaching staff right now. After being in Fargo over a week ago and feeling the atmosphere, seeing how out of water the entire team looked, and sensing the frustration of the crowd, I couldn't help but start thinking that there was something fundamentally wrong.

Of course, some of what is happening has to do with the caliber of teams that we are playing week to week. It's like having to play Cal Poly 4 weeks in a row. Not easy.

How can I say this?

Nick isn't working out...but he is a young man...and in some ways, still a kid. I feel miserable 'for' him...not against him.

I will be more harsh with the coaches however. I realize that they are really upset, concerned, etc. But they haven't transitioned into the Nick Mertens era very well. And they dropped the ball on recruiting. I also feel that Steve Walker should have been on the sidelines from time to time last year, with reps given to Parsons & Mertens. Some real playing time, to see how these guys would work out in game conditions.

It was strange, to say the least, not to give these QB candidates a chance to experience real games.

Yes...I am upset. It's not just about losing. There's something really wrong with the attitude.

Your point about how Bohl started the fall practices is interesting. Maybe it sent the wrong message about work-ethic.

Again...I am much more 'down' on the coaches right now. This isn't about Nick Mertens. He shouldn't have to carry the weight of what I view as a disaster, as do many other fans. This isn't the 'Nick has failed' era. It's something else.

If I have contradicted myself, so be it. After being in Fargo, I have a better sense of what is going on.

I think that 'lambast' is a little strong Neil. I've seen you come off on some people pretty harshly, and I've never viewed it as a lambasting.

I felt that attacking Nick directly was wrong. He's a college student.

The coaches are fair game at this point, in my opinion.

[BlueBisonRock]

Does talent come in to play at all???:D
PL

Da#* PL. We need more kids from La Crosse! :D

[BisoninNWMN]

You guys keep baiting me!!!!!!!!!!!

So, line up and admit it, all you guys toasted my ass and called me an idiot for saying this the past two years on this forum. It was good to bash BN because we didn't need QBs, we can run the ball, remember!!

Jerks!


Well, when Mertens was "hyped" the way he was.......

....and I just joined this forum this July:confused: :confused:

.....plus the O-line was suppose to be a strength:confused: :confused: ....underperformance everywhere!!

This team has the talent but not playing up to that level......coaching????

We can all say "I said this or that".......this team was suppose to be a good one.