The Mertens Poll....what do the fans think? Chapter 2!

[WYOBISONMAN]

OK......what a game we have watched tonight (geez....I think I taste a little puke in my mouth). I am still hearing a variety of opinions on Mertens. Bisonville......Who starts next week. YOU make the call. (Poll with close in about 24 hours).

[TheBisonator]

Mertens starts. No doubt about it. Let him rip apart Wagner's D while Wagner does the same to ours...:banghead:

Mertens is not the issue at this point in time. (point in time being this week) Our D is the issue.

[ndsubison1]

this is so dumb... this shouldnt even be a question. Mertens should obviously be our starter, he hasn't done anything for me to think otherwise

[WYOBISONMAN]

Get your votes in....

[NDSUstudent]

Start him, if our defense does what is should do against Wagner we will also get to see our other two QBs get some work in as well.

[MontBison]

Maybe we should stop talking about this and just try to win a football game.

[BisoninNWMN]

Mertens!!!

[WYOBISONMAN]

So far it is looking like Mertens impressed folks!

[bisonfan11]

Considering that Mertens is hot and cold we have to see from game to game. We can't just say that Mertens should be anointed the starter for the rest of the season because he did reasonably well against SHST. There are at least 2 (if not 3) quarterbacks waiting in the wings if Mertens should play bad again.

[Trampled]

Every position should be game to game!

[Bisonfan1]

Every position should be game to game!

THIS !!! that is the most common sense one sentance posted all year. Post of the year !!! The Mertens Man Crush Army just cant seem to grasp this concept.

[tjbison]

I think the second and third ar ethe same option are they not?? I voted number 2 but meant number 3 after re reading them oh well, and yes EVERY POSITON is open for the taking every week, I just wonder if our players realize this or are they just happy were they are??

[56BISON73]

I think the second and third ar ethe same option are they not?? I voted number 2 but meant number 3 after re reading them oh well, and yes EVERY POSITON is open for the taking every week, I just wonder if our players realize this or are they just happy were they are??

You are wrong. Sorry. When they get the O and D set its really hard for them to move people out unless a player has a total breakdown. As a matter of fact the depth chart is pretty well set after spring ball. Yes players can improve and get bigger etc but it takes a superior performance to beat the incumbant out. What the coaches are looking for after the teams are set is continuity and how well they play together. As in how do they play as a unit.

[Jdubs21]

Every position should be game to game!

couldnt agree with you more, except for pashall, he's the heart and soul of this team

[tjbison]

You are wrong. Sorry. When they get the O and D set its really hard for them to move people out unless a player has a total breakdown. As a matter of fact the depth chart is pretty well set after spring ball. Yes players can improve and get bigger etc but it takes a superior performance to beat the incumbant out. What the coaches are looking for after the teams are set is continuity and how well they play together. As in how do they play as a unit.


well, i guess that depends, if we were 1-1 or 2-0 then I would agree, but as of right now at 0-2 there is nobody on the team, Defense especially that should be "secure" in their position! thats just my opinion PL. My old coaches always left the positions up for grabs during the year, if I didn't bust my butt every practice and game the guy behind me that wanted to play and beat me out got the chance. I also say thats what made me a better player I made sure every week I earned my spot. And we always had the best players on the field, and we won alot:nod:

[56BISON73]

well, i guess that depends, if we were 1-1 or 2-0 then I would agree, but as of right now at 0-2 there is nobody on the team, Defense especially that should be "secure" in their position! thats just my opinion PL. My old coaches always left the positions up for grabs during the year, if I didn't bust my butt every practice and game the guy behind me that wanted to play and beat me out got the chance. I also say thats what made me a better player I made sure every week I earned my spot. And we always had the best players on the field, and we won alot:nod:


I agree that they shouldnt be secure in their position status but if you look at any team you just dont see that many changes during the year except for injuries or something of the nature of off firld issues-classroom, drinking etc.

[tjbison]

I agree that they shouldnt be secure in their position status but if you look at any team you just dont see that many changes during the year except for injuries or something of the nature of off firld issues-classroom, drinking etc.


I agree, but right now we need help on D, thats all i'm saying .what we have isn't working.;)

[WYOBISONMAN]

Well.....clearly Mertens' stock is on the rise! A positive shift in the opinions of voting fans.

[DjKyRo]

I think he'll only get more comfortable in the pocket as the O-line starts to use that size advantage more as the season progresses. We'll see some crisper passes and more of the option. The Mertens-Paschall one-two punch will soon be a feared weapon throughout the MVFC! (insert triumphant laughter)

Seriously though, I really do think we'll continue to see improvement. The season's not over, and our stud QB is finally rearing his head.

[VanClubPres]

Every position should be game to game!

this. more comp makes better play

[NorthernBison]

Everybody seems to forget that this is a TEAM game. Offensive and defensive units need to be cohesive. The players depend on each other for timing and it helps when they can count on each other. That is why it isn't truly open for big changes from week to week. A number 2 or 3 will not move into a starting position if they are simply a bit better during a particular week. The coaches could move guys around and the unit could get much worse (maybe that isn't true after the SHSU game for the D).

Throughout Fall camp there was a QB competition. Mertens proved to the coaches that he was the best candidate. That means that he gets most of the reps in practice with the starting O. He has not performed poorly in games 1 and 2 so that is unlikely to change. A big reason why there isn't likely to be a quick change to Dante or Jose is because giving them more reps in practice would likely detract from the preparation of the offense for the upcoming game (they are a unit that needs to work together). Coach won't do that unless he was very disastisfied with the performance of the current QB.

[SDbison]

Everybody seems to forget that this is a TEAM game. Offensive and defensive units need to be cohesive. The players depend on each other for timing and it helps when they can count on each other. That is why it isn't truly open for big changes from week to week. A number 2 or 3 will not move into a starting position if they are simply a bit better during a particular week. The coaches could move guys around and the unit could get much worse (maybe that isn't true after the SHSU game for the D).

Throughout Fall camp there was a QB competition. Mertens proved to the coaches that he was the best candidate. That means that he gets most of the reps in practice with the starting O. He has not performed poorly in games 1 and 2 so that is unlikely to change. A big reason why there isn't likely to be a quick change to Dante or Jose is because giving them more reps in practice would likely detract from the preparation of the offense for the upcoming game (they are a unit that needs to work together). Coach won't do that unless he was very disastisfied with the performance of the current QB.
What? There was a QB competition during the fall and up through the first two games but no one else was going to start as Perez was new to the system and missed 1.5 weeks due to an ankle sprain and Mohler was suspended for the first two games......
Mertens might be the starter now through the first half of the SIU game, but if he really screws up bad he will be pulled. One half a game of performance does not make Mertens a stud QB. Give me a break. Lets just see how Mertens performs during the meat of the schedule....SIU, ISU, UNI, & SDSU. If Perez or Mohler are looking good during practice any lackluster performance by Mertens during this part of the schedule is deserving of a yank from the game.

[tony]

My opinion of Mertens hasn't changed and it's not that he's so dreamy that I've got man-crush on him :)

I just get realy sick of players getting singled out. They are Bison so I try to treat them how I'd treat my own flesh and blood which means that I'll criticize their play but am rooting for them to improve but also that if a guy has earned a spot on the field, that he should get it. I have no respect for the guys on here who obsessively rip on a Bison player or coach Mertens or Bibeau or Babich or whoever it is) - I don't particularily ever want to meet you and, by gosh, if I didn't have to moderate (the guys who do this also seem to have the endearing quality of not being able to form a coherent thought so they try to make up for it with constant swearing) I'd have put a couple guys on Ignore by now. I can understand the occasional outburst of frustration and such but some of it has gotten to the point of ridiculous. Oh well, the board would be pretty dull without the full range of emotion but, man, if you have ripped a player more than 20 times, you've got bigger problems than he does.

Perfect example: Mertens plays out of his mind in the second half, makes a great throw with time running out but the ref said he's an inch over the line (nothing beats home cooking). There must have been five posts on here saying how Mertens sucks.

Rant over.

My opinion of Mertens is that he has improved but he has a long ways to go - from little things like occasionally not stepping up to avoid outside pressure to big things like developing timing with receivers (admittedly, some of that is on the receivers.) I don't think the game has slowed down for him yet.

Now I think I'll duck under my chair to avoid the backlash :hide: :)

[EndZoneQB]

this. more comp makes better play

Which is one of the reasons why I think college football>NFL...it's all about how big your paycheck is in the NFL.

[ndsubison1]

My opinion of Mertens hasn't changed and it's not that he's so dreamy that I've got man-crush on him :)

I just get realy sick of players getting singled out. They are Bison so I try to treat them how I'd treat my own flesh and blood which means that I'll criticize their play but am rooting for them to improve but also that if a guy has earned a spot on the field, that he should get it. I have no respect for the guys on here who obsessively rip on a Bison player or coach Mertens or Bibeau or Babich or whoever it is) - I don't particularily ever want to meet you and, by gosh, if I didn't have to moderate (the guys who do this also seem to have the endearing quality of not being able to form a coherent thought so they try to make up for it with constant swearing) I'd have put a couple guys on Ignore by now. I can understand the occasional outburst of frustration and such but some of it has gotten to the point of ridiculous. Oh well, the board would be pretty dull without the full range of emotion but, man, if you have ripped a player more than 20 times, you've got bigger problems than he does.

Perfect example: Mertens plays out of his mind in the second half, makes a great throw with time running out but the ref said he's an inch over the line (nothing beats home cooking). There must have been five posts on here saying how Mertens sucks.

Rant over.

My opinion of Mertens is that he has improved but he has a long ways to go - from little things like occasionally not stepping up to avoid outside pressure to big things like developing timing with receivers (admittedly, some of that is on the receivers.) I don't think the game has slowed down for him yet.

Now I think I'll duck under my chair to avoid the backlash :hide: :)

Amen! Took the words right out of my mouth

[SDbison]

My opinion of Mertens hasn't changed and it's not that he's so dreamy that I've got man-crush on him :)

I just get realy sick of players getting singled out. They are Bison so I try to treat them how I'd treat my own flesh and blood which means that I'll criticize their play but am rooting for them to improve but also that if a guy has earned a spot on the field, that he should get it. I have no respect for the guys on here who obsessively rip on a Bison player or coach Mertens or Bibeau or Babich or whoever it is) - I don't particularily ever want to meet you and, by gosh, if I didn't have to moderate (the guys who do this also seem to have the endearing quality of not being able to form a coherent thought so they try to make up for it with constant swearing) I'd have put a couple guys on Ignore by now. I can understand the occasional outburst of frustration and such but some of it has gotten to the point of ridiculous. Oh well, the board would be pretty dull without the full range of emotion but, man, if you have ripped a player more than 20 times, you've got bigger problems than he does.

Perfect example: Mertens plays out of his mind in the second half, makes a great throw with time running out but the ref said he's an inch over the line (nothing beats home cooking). There must have been five posts on here saying how Mertens sucks.

Rant over.

My opinion of Mertens is that he has improved but he has a long ways to go - from little things like occasionally not stepping up to avoid outside pressure to big things like developing timing with receivers (admittedly, some of that is on the receivers.) I don't think the game has slowed down for him yet.

Now I think I'll duck under my chair to avoid the backlash :hide: :)
Really........find 3 posts that say he sucks because he threw when he was over the line. I believe there may be a few posts where it was mentioned that he did makes some mistakes in the game and that was one of them, but I think you will find it hard to find one post that said he sucked or similar because he threw it when he was over the line.
While we are at it Tony......mr always right.......the vast majority of anything said bad about mertens is due to the 5 or 6 posters here that think Mertens is all world because he had one great half.......you know it was the entire team that SUCKED in the first half.
So as a fan I hope the ENTIRE team improves, even Paschall so that the Bison can starting kicking a$$ instead of taking another loss.

[Twentysix]

Maybe we should stop talking about this and just try to win a football game.

How does you not talking about this aid to ndsu winning a football game. I mean seriously, do you bring them cupcakes while there at practice? Didn't think so. Carry on.

[NorthernBison]

What? There was a QB competition during the fall and up through the first two games but no one else was going to start as Perez was new to the system and missed 1.5 weeks due to an ankle sprain and Mohler was suspended for the first two games......
Mertens might be the starter now through the first half of the SIU game, but if he really screws up bad he will be pulled. One half a game of performance does not make Mertens a stud QB. Give me a break. Lets just see how Mertens performs during the meat of the schedule....SIU, ISU, UNI, & SDSU. If Perez or Mohler are looking good during practice any lackluster performance by Mertens during this part of the schedule is deserving of a yank from the game.

I'm not always defending Nick. I really don't care who plays QB. There was a competition during Fall camp. Apparently, Dante didn't show enough to get the nod over Nick. Maybe that will change. Maybe Jose will earn PT.

Any decision to yank Nick will not be made by the "experts" that post on this board. It will be made by Coach Bohl. I said on another thread that nobody on this board depends on Bison wins and losses for their paycheck. The Coach does. I expect that he is more concerned about his own job than hurting a players feelings for benching them.

As to the ability to evaluate talent, I have to say that I find it hilarious that fellow posters criticize the coaching staff. Most of those same posters gushed over the tremendous talent on our superb defense all through camp. It sure seemed like the only two question marks were an inconsistent kicker and a QB that couldn't hack it.