Disappointed with Nealy

[IcSyU]

It sure would be nice to see a player (not a coach) get the offense together on the sidelines and make a statement... a "let's get our heads out of our collective ***** and go out there and play some football" type statement. A little fiery leadership is desperately needed on the field. Right now it appears that we have an offense with no leadership, no fire, and it shows.

Lenz did after the touchdown Kansas State scored early in the fourth quarter.

Really? You think Rhoads is all roses and daisies in the locker room after that disaster? I doubt he is. He is giving it to his guys, and he should. He should expect better out of his players, from the O-line blocking to making the throws, to giving up your body for a catch, to finishing runs with your pads down and driving forward. We do none of those things now, and he should be calling out his team.

So now what happens privately and what happens publicly are the same thing? Whatever you say, chief. Football is just as much psychological as it is physical.

If you want your team to perform on Saturday you don't spend Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ripping them apart. You rip them privately after the game Saturday as a unit and work them hard in practice during the week and try to build their confidence. Publicly you use coach speak because nothing good can come from berating a player publicly who is struggling. Do you think Jared Barnett and Steele Jantz think they're playing well? No, and I'd venture a guess they're harder on themselves than any of us here are on them. Ripping into them in the media isn't magically going to make Jantz make better decisions or fix Barnett's arm strength. Ripping Tuftee isn't magically going to make him an All-American. A bunch of ****** off players isn't going to fix anything on an offense struggling to find an identity, a leader, or anything remotely close to success.

Two years ago Wally Burnham couldn't rip into his defense because their psyche was fragile and he was trying to build around two young linebackers. Now he rips into them because the maturity and psyche allow him to. That luxury doesn't extend to the offensive side of the ball.

 

[wartknight]

Just once this season I would like to see an ISU offensive lineman do what the lineman for the Steelers did last night... the guy got into the defensive secondary found a linebacker and drove the guy into the ground and once on top of him he kept driving his legs while they were both on the ground. A little aggression never hurt. Get out there and **** somebody up.. bury them. If you don't have someone to block go and find somebody and smash them... it doesn't matter who it is. Play with an edge, an attitude, and go punish somebody physically.

KO said he wouldn't talk to anybody prior to the games and would put his headphones on and listen to heavy metal to get himself whipped up into a rage before games when he was at ISU. He then took that rage with him onto the field and tried to bury people. Right now I don't think there is a single guy on the line for ISU that has any intention to bury anyone.

Wrong. Sorry. But you are. Watch tape. OL plays very hard and their problem is with technique and not trying to bury DL so much. There have been some great blocks by the OL, but they get buried in with a DL as they feel him on skates and then no one gets off on LB's. Most of the time, an unblocked LB is making the play vs our run game.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Nealy didn't seem quite as frustrated with himself when he dropped the pass when they ran the same play again right away.

The one thrown a yard behind him?

 

[Cyclonestate78]

Wrong. Sorry. But you are. Watch tape. OL plays very hard and their problem is with technique and not trying to bury DL so much. There have been some great blocks by the OL, but they get buried in with a DL as they feel him on skates and then no one gets off on LB's. Most of the time, an unblocked LB is making the play vs our run game.

Yeah... you know what I saw on Saturday? More plays then I could count where ISU had lineman standing up with nobody to block so they just stood there. On one play in particular Ethan Tuftee stood up, his man dropped into coverage, he circled back into the backfield, and then tripped and fell down as Barnett scrambled for no gain. The guy didn't lay a finger on an Okie State player the entire play but did manage to put a tremendous hit on the field turf as he faceplanted.

 

[pdxclone]

Yeah... you know what I saw on Saturday? More plays then I could count where ISU had lineman standing up with nobody to block so they just stood there. On one play in particular Ethan Tuftee stood up, his man dropped into coverage, he circled back into the backfield, and then tripped and fell down as Barnett scrambled for no gain. The guy didn't lay a finger on an Okie State player the entire play but did manage to put a tremendous hit on the field turf as he faceplanted.

Saw this too. My son has been coached to look for the linebacker or fan out to help out on another block.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

Saw this too. My son has been coached to look for the linebacker or fan out to help out on another block.

One would think most offensive lineman would be licking their chops at an opportunity to get into the second level of the defense and pancake somebody but not these guys.

 

[pdxclone]

One would think most offensive lineman would be licking their chops at an opportunity to get into the second level of the defense and pancake somebody but not these guys.

Absolutely ... at least the OL guys I know love to hit the smaller guys. They love to see the fear in their eyes ... This is gonna hurt! It usually pays off in the 4th quarter. The holes are not filled with the same enthusiasm as in the 1st.

 

[Tre4ISU]

It was one play, spontaneous, and over with in about one second.

Yes, let's kill the kid over it.

No ****. He made a reaction, may or may not have said something to Jantz, then turned and got the play from the sideline. It's not like he berated him for 30 seconds. Of course, why am I surprised? This board will take any molehill and turn it into Everest. For all we know, he was ****** at himself for messing something up.

 

[Cydkar]

My favorite part was the screen Steele threw him and it hit the turf like 3 yards before Nealy and he just wound up and punched the ball away. It's like, get those crap throws out of here and let's play some damn football.

I assume he misses his HS quarterback.

 

[CloneNick]

This is just me but I think people are confusing emotion here. Dang right to get the team fired up and call each other out about it not going well, they should be mad. This team knows they can be good, just have to put it together.

The problem is, like many mentioned, is throwing someone under the bus. Barnett had plenty of throws in the dirt and Nealy did not do that to him. I love the passion, it needs to be there, but to go after Steele on that bad pass is just immature. If that is the case, the receivers and running back should be throwing a fit on half of our passing plays be cause the ball is just not there. That will bot build team unity and if Steele is the one selected to play QB that game or Barnett or SR, you get behind them.

Teams won't succeed when you have an attitude like that. Be passionate, yes, but don't embarrass your team like that. Tap him on the helmet and tell him we will get it next time.

 

[ketelmeister]

Nealy was a rear end after that play. He's not Adrian Peterson. You don't show up your teammates in a game, especially when you haven't done anything yourself.

 

[Cyclonestate78]

This is just me but I think people are confusing emotion here. Dang right to get the team fired up and call each other out about it not going well, they should be mad. This team knows they can be good, just have to put it together.

The problem is, like many mentioned, is throwing someone under the bus. Barnett had plenty of throws in the dirt and Nealy did not do that to him. I love the passion, it needs to be there, but to go after Steele on that bad pass is just immature. If that is the case, the receivers and running back should be throwing a fit on half of our passing plays be cause the ball is just not there. That will bot build team unity and if Steele is the one selected to play QB that game or Barnett or SR, you get behind them.

Teams won't succeed when you have an attitude like that. Be passionate, yes, but don't embarrass your team like that. Tap him on the helmet and tell him we will get it next time.

Probably been a bit too much of this going on with the team this season. This "Don't worry about it we'll get it right next time" attitude. The sense of urgency is severely lacking.

ISU is 7 games into the season and they are stilling having issues executing simple plays like that. Somebody needs to get ****** off.

 

[CloneNick]

I agree completely but you don't do that on the field in front of everyone. Do it in the huddle or on the sidelines. My point is, we have more than 1 guy screwing up and calling him out in front of everyone does not solve anything.

 

[scyclonekid]

Who ******* cares. Its football, people get ****** off it happens even at each other competition will do that to you eventually even if you are level headed. Also this Oline needs to get a lot meaner and nasty.

 

[Boxerdaddy]

I'd like to see Knott or Klein stick their heads into those offensive huddles and tell them there will be no red jerseys next week in practice if they don't pull their heads from their arse.

 

[Cycsk]

Ernst Brun has been demonstrative in reaction to bad throws. For instance, when he didn't catch the one that hit him in the hands at the goal line against Iowa, he ran off the field motioning to Jantz to get the ball up. I suspect that Jantz told him to catch the ones that hit you in the hands. However, in the 4th quarter of the Iowa game, Brun was working the sideline, high-fiving everyone and getting us pumped up at an important time in the game.

 

[brett108]

Lenz did after the touchdown Kansas State scored early in the fourth quarter.

So now what happens privately and what happens publicly are the same thing? Whatever you say, chief. Football is just as much psychological as it is physical.

If you want your team to perform on Saturday you don't spend Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday ripping them apart. You rip them privately after the game Saturday as a unit and work them hard in practice during the week and try to build their confidence. Publicly you use coach speak because nothing good can come from berating a player publicly who is struggling. Do you think Jared Barnett and Steele Jantz think they're playing well? No, and I'd venture a guess they're harder on themselves than any of us here are on them. Ripping into them in the media isn't magically going to make Jantz make better decisions or fix Barnett's arm strength. Ripping Tuftee isn't magically going to make him an All-American. A bunch of ****** off players isn't going to fix anything on an offense struggling to find an identity, a leader, or anything remotely close to success.

Two years ago Wally Burnham couldn't rip into his defense because their psyche was fragile and he was trying to build around two young linebackers. Now he rips into them because the maturity and psyche allow him to. That luxury doesn't extend to the offensive side of the ball.[/COLOR]

Where did I say that he needed to parade his players around campus in dunce caps? I said locker room. This kind of stuff needs to happen behind closed doors. And you are right, football is psychological, but If your players can't take hard criticism (in private, just so we are clear) they are not the type of players that will win you many games. I bet Knott and Klein take criticism pretty well. The good players do, adn they motivate themselves.

This just reminds me of the argument that is had every Sunday about Tebow and Sanchez. Half the guys on there say Tebow shouldn't have been brought in because it hurts poor Sanchez's psyche. And you know what, that half is almost exclusively composed of commentaters that didn't play pro ball. Antonio Pierce made a great comment today basically saying if Sanchez was any good, he would be mentally tough enough to rise above this and become a better QB. If he is not, he was never good enough to handle the job in the first place. We need players that can handle the hard criticism and make themselves better. In the end, the player is only going to be as good as they want to be.

 

[BringBackJohnny]

Probably been a bit too much of this going on with the team this season. This "Don't worry about it we'll get it right next time" attitude. The sense of urgency is severely lacking.

ISU is 7 games into the season and they are stilling having issues executing simple plays like that. Somebody needs to get ****** off.

Offense is somthing you play under control. Spazzing out like Nealy did is not under control. Jumping around and throwing your hands up in the air like JB was doing is not in control. Bad things are going to happen sometimes on offense but you have to have short memory and play the next play with a level head. Get too emotional and try to play outside yourself you aren't going to play as a unit timing is off and things get sloppy.

99% of the time telling your teammate we will get the next one is the appropriate thing to do on the offensive side of the ball. Have to have everyone believing that the next play will be a success.

 

[khardbored]

As far as we know, he walked over to SJ and apologized after the series ended. I wouldn't read too much into it.

 

[Cyclone06]

One would think most offensive lineman would be licking their chops at an opportunity to get into the second level of the defense and pancake somebody but not these guys.

Probably more a problem of thinking about it too much than actually wanting to do.