mertens is 7-2, ndsu 5-4

[lakesbison]

ok. i went in-studio to watch the ndsu games this morn. i have seen every game in person cept Ysu, ill st...

At wyoming, dropped passes off shoulder pads, missed fg and not playin for ot lost it. youngstown st ran all over us PERIOD!!

UNI SCOUTED the hell outta us and flat out beat us, and west.ill got some lucky bounces combined with bad play, including mertens..

mertens won the siu game.

soooooo WHY aren't you mertens haters out there taking this into account?!!

ndsu could easily be a 7-2 team with key catches at wyomin, and stopping youngstown ONE FREAKIN TIME!!!

[BigBison]

Lakes I gotta agree with you. IMO its not Mertens fault we lost at Wyo and Youngstown and even WIU(blocked punt). But he didn't help us much either. The thing is about Mertens is that he hasn't gotten any better this season and is still making the same miskets all year long. This team could be 8-1(really they could). UNI was just better than us.

[HandoEX]

NDSU could also easily be 7-2 with less interceptions in the losses and that's what drives me nuts about him. He is innacurate and makes piss poor decisions when it matters.

WINS
10 touchdowns
1 interception

LOSSES
4 touchdowns
12 interception

[Bison bison]

this thread is stupid.

football is a team sport.

[HerdBot]

ok. i went in-studio to watch the ndsu games this morn. i have seen every game in person cept Ysu, ill st...

At wyoming, dropped passes off shoulder pads, missed fg and not playin for ot lost it. youngstown st ran all over us PERIOD!!

UNI SCOUTED the hell outta us and flat out beat us, and west.ill got some lucky bounces combined with bad play, including mertens..

mertens won the siu game.

soooooo WHY aren't you mertens haters out there taking this into account?!!

ndsu could easily be a 7-2 team with key catches at wyomin, and stopping youngstown ONE FREAKIN TIME!!!

Are you being serious? Take away the cup cake games and look at his stats against Wyoming, Youngstown, SIU, WIU, UNI, and ISU. They are terrible.

Is it all his fault? No. The receivers have not been very good. But he is the leader of the offense. The same offense that is returning every wideout, every runningback, every tight end, every fullback, 3 of the 5 offensive lineman, and the offensive coordinator from last years 10-1 team.

This guy is so bad that he can't even complete a little 3 yard swing pass. He's actually worse than his stats because they don't count things like holding on to the ball too long, staring down recievers, throwing behind receivers, missing wide open recievers, throwing into triple coverage, fumbling at key moments, and most importantly, leadership skills. Have you seen the body language of the offense? It's like they are waiting for him to screw up. It all starts with the leader.

The SIU game? It took a lucky deflected TD pass into triple coverage and some Tyler Roehl heroics to pull that one out.

[lakesbison]

my point of this thread is that, its NOT ALL HIS FAULT..

catch the dam ball in Wyoming, we win, make a dam fg there, we win.

stop the run in youngstown we win.

P E R I O D ! !


swing pass was low to jangula last game, IT STILL HIT HIM IN THE HANDS!!

JUST LIKE WURZY and BELQUIST DROPS this year.

IM NOT SAYING MERTENS IS PLAYING GREAT.... IM SAYING HE's been thrown soooo far under the bus, he's on a greyhound to Omaha Neb.

[bisonmike2]

At wyoming, dropped passes off shoulder pads, missed fg and not playin for ot lost it. youngstown st ran all over us PERIOD!!

We were on the road against an FBS team. We were getting hammered in the second half. Why wouldn't we play for the win. Extending the game into OT when were were run down and getting rolled doesn't make much sense. Mertens forced a pass, INT game over. He lost that game.

UNI SCOUTED the hell outta us and flat out beat us, and west.ill got some lucky bounces combined with bad play, including mertens..

Pretty much that.

mertens won the siu game.

No, SIU handed us that game. Stupid penalties by them extended drives for us. Key turnovers, i.e. fumble on the kick off, gave us the ball deep. Mertens didn't win it, he just didn't happen to lose that one.

soooooo WHY aren't you mertens haters out there taking this into account?!!



Yes Mertens isn't the only problem but he's a huge piece. His throws are off and he makes bad decisions with the ball. Yes, sometimes when he does get the ball there the recievers are dropping them, but it's probably because they are so shocked that the ball was actually thrown in their hands and they didn't have to pick it off the ground or reach back behind them to catch it.

[bisonbrody9]

I think we need to get lakes an umbrella so that he can see the game clearly when it is raining bitches all around him

[56BISON73]

Lets get real. The fact is the QB has an over abundance amount of opportunities to influence the outcome of a game. If he is OFF then the whole team suffers unless the D is a scoring machine. The fact is the current QB is abysmal at best. I watched a game between Sacred Heart and Wagner this past week and both of there QBs were better than ours. Geez.
Nobody has thrown Mertens under the bus. Hes crawled there all by himself. PL

[stevdock]

Is it all his fault? No. The receivers have not been very good. But he is the leader of the offense. The same offense that is returning every wideout, every runningback, every tight end, every fullback, 3 of the 5 offensive lineman, and the offensive coordinator from last years 10-1 team.


Just remember that last year we were about 3 or 4 plays away from being in the exact same situation we are this year. I think the biggest problem is that Walker could make up for alot of the teams short-comings the last two years, and Mertens or any other NDSU QB could come anywhere close to that. Another thing that I'm noticing is I am pretty sure that Mertens is not being allowed to audible, at least I haven't noticed any audibles. Could we be running plays this year where Walker saw they weren't going to work and he audibled to something that would work??

[94 Bison]

Yes Mertens isn't the only problem but he's a huge piece. His throws are off and he makes bad decisions with the ball. Yes, sometimes when he does get the ball there the recievers are dropping them, but it's probably because they are so shocked that the ball was actually thrown in their hands and they didn't have to pick it off the ground or reach back behind them to catch it.[/QUOTE]

Just like it is his job to get it there, it is their job to catch the ball. When it is bouncing off of their hands and numbers, how in the world can you blame Mertens alone!! It is a team sport!!!

[lakesbison]

OH BULLS>>>T..

so surprised.. give me a break.

THESE WR'S STARTED LETTING BALLS BOUNCE OFF SHOULDER PADS IN LARAMIE!!

THIS IS WHERE ALL THIS BS STARTED!!

COACHES GOT GUN SHY, PLAYERS GOT PISSY, ITS THA PROBLEM.

Now its all snow-balled.

NDSU 7-2 if those guys catch a freakin ball in the FIRST PLACE

[rutlandbison]

ok. i went in-studio to watch the ndsu games this morn. i have seen every game in person cept Ysu, ill st...

At wyoming, dropped passes off shoulder pads, missed fg and not playin for ot lost it. youngstown st ran all over us PERIOD!!

UNI SCOUTED the hell outta us and flat out beat us, and west.ill got some lucky bounces combined with bad play, including mertens..

mertens won the siu game.

soooooo WHY aren't you mertens haters out there taking this into account?!!

ndsu could easily be a 7-2 team with key catches at wyomin, and stopping youngstown ONE FREAKIN TIME!!!
tell us something we dont know

[TAILG8R]

NDSU could also be 42-0 if they had played 42 games and won them al.

What's that saying about ifs and buts ...

[WYOBISONMAN]

While I am not a Mertens fan, Lakes makes some very good points. Those losses are indeed a group effort and not just Mertens. But......Mertens is the leader (or should be) and Mertens just doesn't have it.

[Bison"FANatic"]

Mertens just doesn't have the leadership ability in my opinion.

Here is another example at the end of the 2nd half last week we throw a pass for over 10 yards so the clock stops. The rest of the team is up at the line when the refs start the clock. Mertens was standing 10 feet in front of our sideline. I was flipping out. Bohl had to go running to the official to use our last time out. No game management. The clock was stopped with just over 10 seconds left after the first down. If they would have been ready they could have spiked and ran one more quick play to get a few more yards for our kicker. We got lucky that he made the kick. The thing is that Mertens made the throw and then went wandering toward the sidelines like he was lost. The look on Bohls face when he saw Mertens standing 20 yards from center was priceless. Like Wyoming said he doesn't have the IT.

[stevdock]

Mertens just doesn't have the leadership ability in my opinion.

Here is another example at the end of the 2nd half last week we throw a pass for over 10 yards so the clock stops. The rest of the team is up at the line when the refs start the clock. Mertens was standing 10 feet in front of our sideline. I was flipping out. Bohl had to go running to the official to use our last time out. No game management. The clock was stopped with just over 10 seconds left after the first down. If they would have been ready they could have spiked and ran one more quick play to get a few more yards for our kicker. We got lucky that he made the kick. The thing is that Mertens made the throw and then went wandering toward the sidelines like he was lost. The look on Bohls face when he saw Mertens standing 20 yards from center was priceless. Like Wyoming said he doesn't have the IT.

There was an assistant coach that went up to Hollaway after this play and told him to call timeout. Hollaway signaled for it but for whatever reason it was not given to us. I don't know if it was a timeout from the head coach or not, but I would have been pretty irrate if I were on the sideline. My guess is Mertens saw the same guesture and was coming to the sideline for the timeout.

[HerdBot]

Yes Mertens isn't the only problem but he's a huge piece. His throws are off and he makes bad decisions with the ball. Yes, sometimes when he does get the ball there the recievers are dropping them, but it's probably because they are so shocked that the ball was actually thrown in their hands and they didn't have to pick it off the ground or reach back behind them to catch it.

Just like it is his job to get it there, it is their job to catch the ball. When it is bouncing off of their hands and numbers, how in the world can you blame Mertens alone!! It is a team sport!!![/QUOTE]



True, Football is a team sport. But the QB touches the ball every single play. He puts the ball in action. He is the field general. That is not true of the other positions.

[94 Bison]

[/B]

True, Football is a team sport. But the QB touches the ball every single play. He puts the ball in action. He is the field general. That is not true of the other positions.

So explain to me how it is Merten's fault when the ball is bouncing off of their numbers and hands. I agree he is having a tough year, but he alone is not totally responsible for an average season.

[lakesbison]

thank you people...... for understanding.

[94 Bison]

thank you people...... for understanding.

Not a problem...

[VanClubPres]

And we all know that Belquist had endzoneitis, or TDphobia until the cure was found last week. Congrats to him are in order I suppose.

[Jdubs21]

I dont think anyone is placing ALL the blame on mertens for our record...but i can gaurantee you that if u cut "HIS" INT's in half...we would have atleast 2 more wins on our record and be pumped up for the playoffs.....i have seen dropped passes...MAYBE 10-15 that were catchable...but i have seen 13 interceptions and roughly 20 passes that were no where near receivers that were open and it had nothing to do with miscommunication

[56BISON73]

I dont think anyone is placing ALL the blame on mertens for our record...but i can gaurantee you that if u cut "HIS" INT's in half...we would have atleast 2 more wins on our record and be pumped up for the playoffs.....i have seen dropped passes...MAYBE 10-15 that were catchable...but i have seen 13 interceptions and roughly 20 passes that were no where near receivers that were open and it had nothing to do with miscommunication

Bingo!!!!!
PL

[OldBison]

So explain to me how it is Merten's fault when the ball is bouncing off of their numbers and hands. I agree he is having a tough year, but he alone is not totally responsible for an average season.

Let's be real here. Mertens has thrown probably four times more passes behind receivers, over receivers or into their feet more than receivers have dropped balls. He was 1-9 to begin the ISU game. Belquist and Wurzbacher each dropped one, but that still leaves 7 lousy balls. You do remember the one he threw to a back that sailed nearly into the stands, right? And you do remember that back being wide open, right?

Yes, Mertens has gotten very little help, and yes it is a team sport and the OL has not played to their potential and at times the D has totally sucked, but Mertens is one helaciously bad QB. You can't sugar coat it, you can't turn a blind eye like Bohl. The whole rest of the team could be playing up to their potential, be the second coming of the '86 Bison and this version would go absolutely nowhere because the QB completely stinks up the field. He couldn't lead a dog with a leash. I have been watching the Bison for over 30 yrs and this is the worst QB to step onto the field. He doesn't even have competition for that honor.

[chuckles]

xcellent points to why this season's effort is due to the team and not one Nick Mertens..... HOWEVER, there is no justification for why he throws into triple or double coverage, thus sometime leading to ints. He need to expand his view of the field and be smart when he throws, if one receiver is in triple coverage there must be another who is 1 on 1 with a defender. We need a smart QB who makes smart plays and can be a leader. Nick is not that!

[LITTLEGUYSINGREEN]

ok. i went in-studio to watch the ndsu games this morn. i have seen every game in person cept Ysu, ill st...

At wyoming, dropped passes off shoulder pads, missed fg and not playin for ot lost it. youngstown st ran all over us PERIOD!!

UNI SCOUTED the hell outta us and flat out beat us, and west.ill got some lucky bounces combined with bad play, including mertens..

mertens won the siu game.

soooooo WHY aren't you mertens haters out there taking this into account?!!

ndsu could easily be a 7-2 team with key catches at wyomin, and stopping youngstown ONE FREAKIN TIME!!!

Enough already.

I don't need to see game film or stats to know a good QB when I see one. I just know it when I see one. Just like I can't explain pornography to you, "but I know it when I see it."

Merten's isn't good. Period. Lets end it already.

(Until next game, that is........:D )

[heckler]

Enough already.

I don't need to see game film or stats to know a good QB when I see one. I just know it when I see one. Just like I can't explain pornography to you, "but I know it when I see it."

Merten's isn't good. Period. Lets end it already.

(Until next game, that is........:D )

Prime example of the "it" factor. Mertens seems to have the INT factor working though.

[56BISON73]

I cant believe I am actually going to repost a post by mpls----

But this coaching staff really seems to have their head up their rear end regarding Mertens. It is complete insanity to think they can keep putting him on the field and expecting a different result each week. If he couldn't pass like crazy against ISU, he is never going to be able to do it against MS or SDSU.

He actually makes sense. PL

[chuckles]

I cant believe I am actually going to repost a post by mpls----

But this coaching staff really seems to have their head up their rear end regarding Mertens. It is complete insanity to think they can keep putting him on the field and expecting a different result each week. If he couldn't pass like crazy against ISU, he is never going to be able to do it against MS or SDSU.

He actually makes sense. PL

And at the press conference today, Bohl said how upset he was with how the fans treated the players, boooing them on piss poor plays (mostly passing ones). From the student section there were plenty of booos that I heard. Not on the first couple of bad plays, but after about 3 or 4 they were out, and the coaching staff herd it!!!! Hint Hint!!!

[Fighting Sevo's]

Personally, I don't boo college athletes. However, I cannot blame those who choose to do so. I think this may just get worse if things don't change. Bohl's frustration of the "boo-birds" is understandable to me if those people are booing at the student-atheletes. However, I'm sensing that more and more are booing just as much at the coaching staff for not making the adjustments during the game, or between games, to have this team ready. Coach mentioned that if you'd like to boo, go to a Vikings game and boo at those guy's making millions. I think many are booing someone who is making about $300,000 for putting a team on the field (this year) that isn't prepared or is unable to execute, week by week.

[56BISON73]

And at the press conference today, Bohl said how upset he was with how the fans treated the players, boooing them on piss poor plays (mostly passing ones). From the student section there were plenty of booos that I heard. Not on the first couple of bad plays, but after about 3 or 4 they were out, and the coaching staff herd it!!!! Hint Hint!!!

May be he didnt understand that they may have been boooing him for the QBs poor play and the fact that he hasnt changed QBs???? But booong the home team is poor formPL

[BlueBisonRock]

And at the press conference today, Bohl said how upset he was with how the fans treated the players, boooing them on piss poor plays (mostly passing ones). From the student section there were plenty of booos that I heard. Not on the first couple of bad plays, but after about 3 or 4 they were out, and the coaching staff herd it!!!! Hint Hint!!!

I'm with Bohl on this one. People can post until their fingers hurt and can state their eloquent opinions all day / night long. However, booing the home team at the game gives the opponent a ton of motivation and negates any home team advantage.

Boo bad calls. Boo the opponents. Boo their coaches behavior, but show some class and save your home team boos for the bulletin boards. Hint! Hint!

[CaBisonFan]

You've made some good points lakes.

I get the sense that the team isn't responding to Nick's leadership. In Nick's defense...he was literally put on the shelf for three years, after his brilliant senior season in EGF. Nick is in a really tough spot. Without a confident leader though, the rest of the team won't respond. The timing is off. Passes thrown behind, ahead, above, & too low...even when completed. The receivers are getting left out to dry.

But I have another theory. The 'shock' theory...applied to when the ball is thrown accurately.

On a personal level...booing Nick isn't appropriate. Cheering for Jackson? No problem

A coach's job can sometimes be to sit a player down...for his own good. Like a pitcher that is getting shelled.

[TransAmBison]

I don't believe anybody was booing the players, but they sure were booing Bohl. He has it coming. He's done well by us overall and I'm sure glad we have him, but he has this one coming. He had three years to see Mertens capabilities. Bad decision.

[BisonNeil]

......someone who is making about $300,000 for putting a team on the field (this year) that isn't prepared or is unable to execute, week by week.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[HandoEX]

I got bored and decided to compare Mertens numbers to the opposing QBs we've faced this year. Only 2 teams that NDSU has played have QBs with higher passer ratings...YSU's Brandon Summers and UNI's Pat Grace.

Nick Mertens...NDSU...129.32...14 TD, 13 INT, 57.8% completion


TC Jennings...Austin Peay...121.06...5 TD, 2 INT, 58%
Hunter Wanket...CCSU...119.93...5 TD, 3 INT, 55.7%
Dax Crum...Wyoming...82.81...2 TD, 6 INT, 52.5%
Brandon Summers...YSU...146.97...13 TD, 7 INT, 62.7%
Chris Dieker...SIU...129.27...12 TD, 6 INT, 56.5%
Matt Barr...WIU...120.20...5 TD, 2 INT, 52.1%
Pat Grace...UNI...147.26...9 TD, 5 INT, 60.8%
Kevin Brockway...Ill St...109.4...6 TD, 8 INT, 54.7%
Ryan Roberts...Ind St...no season stats available


All the stats, save for one, make Mertens look pretty good compared to the QBs we've played. The fact that he's thrown nearly twice as many interception as anyone else above is just too much of a concern to me though.

[lakesbison]

THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm telling you people..

the WR's and TE"S havent helped mertens at all, coaches havent changed their strategies to put Mertens in shotgun, let him roll out more and run, etc.

This has crippled us. futhermore, the O LINE??

there's a reason BOHL is moving DJ to wide receiver.... thats an indication of what I've been saying.

stats still look better for mertens than most FCS qb.s

[tcbison]

THANK YOU!!!!!

I'm telling you people..

the WR's and TE"S havent helped mertens at all, coaches havent changed their strategies to put Mertens in shotgun, let him roll out more and run, etc.

This has crippled us. futhermore, the O LINE??

there's a reason BOHL is moving DJ to wide receiver.... thats an indication of what I've been saying.

stats still look better for mertens than most FCS qb.s

I know I posted that they should run a QB draw. The middle of the field has been open in a lot of games. They ran the QB draw in the Illinois State game, and then Mertens fumbled.

[90BISON]

I know I posted that they should run a QB draw. The middle of the field has been open in a lot of games. They ran the QB draw in the Illinois State game, and then Mertens fumbled.

That's the last time they take your advice, any other brilliant ideas?;)

[fargocyclone]

I got bored and decided to compare Mertens numbers to the opposing QBs we've faced this year. Only 2 teams that NDSU has played have QBs with higher passer ratings...YSU's Brandon Summers and NIU's Pat Grace.

I've noticed this a couple times on this board... Why do people refer to UNI as NIU sometimes? Is it supposed to be a demeaning joke or something? Honest question. If it's a joke, I completely missed out on it.

[HandoEX]

I've noticed this a couple times on this board... Why do people refer to UNI as NIU sometimes? Is it supposed to be a demeaning joke or something? Honest question. If it's a joke, I completely missed out on it.

Simple mistake. Nothing more, nothing less. I guess it's just a common mistake....especially since I've done it 3 times and had someone point it out all 3 :hide: I got it right later in the post though:)

[fargocyclone]

Simple mistake. Nothing more, nothing less. I guess it's just a common mistake....especially since I've done it 3 times and had someone point it out all 3 :hide: I got it right later in the post though:)

Haha, sorry, didn't mean to point out a mistake. I've just seen it a couple times now from different people. :)

[met1990]

Hey Lakes, quick question for you. The title of this thread implies that Mertens is 7-2 while NDSU is 5-4. That would lead me to believe that if Nick wins at least one of his last two games, he could receive an at-large bid to the playoffs. Of course, if he wins both games, he's a shoe-in.

What seed do you see him getting?

[Jdubs21]

I say fire bohl and just make lakes the coach since he know everything

[lakesbison]

ill take half the salary....

you're welcome...

[unbison]

i thinks lakes should rephrase that..... and say mertens 4-2

[OtterTailLakeBison]

While Merten is not to blame for 100% of this teams' ills, he is the field general for this football team and dictates the offensive performance. If you watch good teams with good QB's, the QB is the leader who does the following:

1. Recognizes team members when they do well.
2. Keeps the team loose in difficult situations.
3. Chews out a WR when multiple lapses create drops and missed blocks, indicating "you had better catch this pass or make the next block, or you will not see another pass from me today"
4. Instills confidence in a young WR having a tough day by indicating "I still have confidence in you and know you will catch this next slant and go to the house"
5. Tells the offensive line to "give me four seconds and I will complete this pass"
6. Tells an offensive line member who isn't mentally in the game to "block or the next pass is in your ear hole".
7. Comes in during the last drive and indicates "We are going to win this game...and here's how we are going to it" .

Unfortunately, in order to be a QB and deliver these messages, you have to do the 8th item...PERFORM. While I agree the OL, WR and play calling contribute, the reality is that good QB's and leaders, will more often than not, do their job when the rest of the team does theirs. However, Nick is not approaching this and thus cannot command respect in the huddle or rest of the team.

Finally, this team is missing leadership in general. As a fan, other than folks like Roehl and Humber, I don't see consistent leadership on the field or sidelines. We lost a lot of leadership in folks like Walker, Mays and Safe. Unfortunately folks like Harrington, Wurzbacher and Heckendorf haven't been up to the task of leading. While recruiting is important, I believe Bohl and team need to put as much emphasis on finding leaders and building leadership within the team. It starts with building leadership in the QB position but the coaching staff needs to work on building positive leadership that will in turn create team chemistry.

[unbison]

hey ot bison..... wow that was thought out well..... i know this is not the real lakes bison....... since he is rattled tonight

[SDbison]

While Merten is not to blame for 100% of this teams' ills, he is the field general for this football team and dictates the offensive performance. If you watch good teams with good QB's, the QB is the leader who does the following:

1. Recognizes team members when they do well.
2. Keeps the team loose in difficult situations.
3. Chews out a WR when multiple lapses create drops and missed blocks, indicating "you had better catch this pass or make the next block, or you will not see another pass from me today"
4. Instills confidence in a young WR having a tough day by indicating "I still have confidence in you and know you will catch this next slant and go to the house"
5. Tells the offensive line to "give me four seconds and I will complete this pass"
6. Tells an offensive line member who isn't mentally in the game to "block or the next pass is in your ear hole".
7. Comes in during the last drive and indicates "We are going to win this game...and here's how we are going to it" .

Unfortunately, in order to be a QB and deliver these messages, you have to do the 8th item...PERFORM. While I agree the OL, WR and play calling contribute, the reality is that good QB's and leaders, will more often than not, do their job when the rest of the team does theirs. However, Nick is not approaching this and thus cannot command respect in the huddle or rest of the team.

Finally, this team is missing leadership in general. As a fan, other than folks like Roehl and Humber, I don't see consistent leadership on the field or sidelines. We lost a lot of leadership in folks like Walker, Mays and Safe. Unfortunately folks like Harrington, Wurzbacher and Heckendorf haven't been up to the task of leading. While recruiting is important, I believe Bohl and team need to put as much emphasis on finding leaders and building leadership within the team. It starts with building leadership in the QB position but the coaching staff needs to work on building positive leadership that will in turn create team chemistry.
Very well said OtterTail. Rep to you!

[MAKBison]

OH BULLS>>>T..

so surprised.. give me a break.

THESE WR'S STARTED LETTING BALLS BOUNCE OFF SHOULDER PADS IN LARAMIE!!

THIS IS WHERE ALL THIS BS STARTED!!

COACHES GOT GUN SHY, PLAYERS GOT PISSY, ITS THA PROBLEM.

Now its all snow-balled.

NDSU 7-2 if those guys catch a freakin ball in the FIRST PLACE

if it all stated there and it all serounds NM you need to pull him.