2021 Badger Football

[Voyageur]

Really ugly coaching job by Chryst today. He has no imagination on offense and made some very questionable decisions in the 4th quarter. Mertz and the OL went back to looking like they did in their other losses.

Give the Golphers credit, they played like they really wanted to win.

Is it time for Jim Leonhard to take over the HC job?

I have no faith in Chryst nor Mertz. I knew Mertz was not going to be the answer the day he dropped the trophy last year, and it shattered. As for Chryst, someone needs to stand next to him and tell him what down it is. He seems to forget. The worst part of it? He looked dazed and confused the entire game.

I have a hunch we lose Leonhard after this year. He can go somewhere else and help win a championship, for a lot more money than he'll get in Madison. Chryst won't be leaving for quite some time. They're happy at 8-4 and a bowl game.

 

[Mondio]

I don’t think Leonhard would leave that easily. I think he would have taken the GB job if it was about money or moving on.

I know things can change but I think he has a future planned in WI.

 

[Voyageur]

I don’t think Leonhard would leave that easily. I think he would have taken the GB job if it was about money or moving on.

I know things can change but I think he has a future planned in WI.

I figured one more year, but with the way things are going this year, I'm not certain. He's going to want to improve his resume so he can move up to a top DI job. Just a guess here, nothing more.

 

[swhitset]

Really ugly coaching job by Chryst today. He has no imagination on offense and made some very questionable decisions in the 4th quarter. Mertz and the OL went back to looking like they did in their other losses.

Give the Golphers credit, they played like they really wanted to win.

Is it time for Jim Leonhard to take over the HC job?

4th and 1… 6 minutes left… down by 2 scores… “let’s punt” oops false start… 4th and 6… “let’s go for it”…. huh?… Then the announcers suggest he lost track of downs … which made even less sense… like he’s going to punt if he thought it was 3rd down.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

4th and 1… 6 minutes left… down by 2 scores… “let’s punt” oops false start… 4th and 6… “let’s go for it”…. huh?… Then the announcers suggest he lost track of downs … which made even less sense… like he’s going to punt if he thought it was 3rd down.

Really a bad look there for a HC. The whole second half was a CF of poor coaching and poor execution.

I know some people dont like P.J. Fleck...but that guy coached a smart game and it's hard not to like his enthusiasm for his players and team.

 

[swhitset]

Really a bad look there for a HC. The whole second half was a CF of poor coaching and poor execution.

I know some people dont like P.J. Fleck...but that guy coached a smart game and it's hard not to like his enthusiasm for his players and team.

I don’t think they even called a run play in the 4th quarter…. even before they fell behind . Allen was not very effective… but counting only on Mertz seems foolhardy at best.

 

[swhitset]

Oh… and I’m not one to care about the announcers … but good god… I don’t think they could have been more pro Gophers if they had come out and said it.

 

[Voyageur]

If we get real lucky, some idiotic program will offer Chryst so much money he can't refuse to take the job, and we can move on with someone else calling the shots on the sideline.

I've never been over impressed with him, nor Joe Rudolph, to be honest. Between the two of them, I think they're capable of ******** up a two car funeral parade. That said, I ask myself if giving Jim Leonhard the job is a good idea?

For it? He's Wisconsin through and through. A darned good defensive coach. A real candidate for a head coaching job.

Against it? It's time to change the culture in Madison. That would mean bringing in an outsider who can even restructure the recruiting program, so the Badgers can reach out more effectively outside their comfort zone of home grown talent.

 

[weeds]

The state of Minnesota f'd us twice in one week. That's gotta be one happy state of football fans. Goodbye Ax - we hardly knew ye ... until next year.

 

[weeds]

Oh… and I’m not one to care about the announcers … but good god… I don’t think they could have been more pro Gophers if they had come out and said it.

No kidding ... they were positively giddy.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Against it? It's time to change the culture in Madison. That would mean bringing in an outsider who can even restructure the recruiting program, so the Badgers can reach out more effectively outside their comfort zone of home grown talent.

That is where things get difficult when it comes to the Badgers, recruiting outside their boundaries. They have the same problem when it comes to Basketball. Even under Alverez, who was highly successful, the Badgers couldn't compete with the "Big Programs" when it came to landing the big fish. So they had to land as many of them in State and in smaller pockets that they found around the country. I think bringing in the wrong Coach, could threaten to weaken State ties and not really improve the overall recruiting effort.

Chryst is a decent recruiter, parents love the guy. I think his issues lie more with his rather boring approach to the offense, as well as not being flexible enough to adapt mid game. I will be interested to read what the media finally concludes about his development of Mertz, the highest rated QB ever landed by the Badgers and so far, pretty much a bust. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Mertz transfer out of Wisconsin.

 

[Voyageur]

That is where things get difficult when it comes to the Badgers, recruiting outside their boundaries. They have the same problem when it comes to Basketball. Even under Alverez, who was highly successful, the Badgers couldn't compete with the "Big Programs" when it came to landing the big fish. So they had to land as many of them in State and in smaller pockets that they found around the country. I think bringing in the wrong Coach, could threaten to weaken State ties and not really improve the overall recruiting effort.

Chryst is a decent recruiter, parents love the guy. I think his issues lie more with his rather boring approach to the offense, as well as not being flexible enough to adapt mid game. I will be interested to read what the media finally concludes about his development of Mertz, the highest rated QB ever landed by the Badgers and so far, pretty much a bust. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Mertz transfer out of Wisconsin.

It doesn't really matter too much what we think of Chryst. He's there until the wheels come off the bus. He fits the home-town culture that they live with, and the mediocrity that comes from it. Most schools would love to have results this good with so little spent in the way of extended recruiting.

Even if they did decide to move on from Chryst, the amount of money they have available to pay a HC isn't near at the level of most top schools. We don't seem to have the alumni with deep pockets, willing to sweeten the pot for coaches to the tunes of millions of dollars. Ask yourself, where did the money that Penn State is using to hang on to James Franklin with a guarantee of $7 mill a year for 10 years! Then look at the auxiliary money on the table for him, with performance bonuses. Wisconsin wouldn't even think of this. For your convenience; Franklin salary info

Here's some good info on how well the Badgers have done with in-state recruiting. Badger In-State Recruiting

Where we need to improve is in the South. It's difficult competing against SEC schools. They are about the best used car salesmen on planet earth!

 

[milani]

That is where things get difficult when it comes to the Badgers, recruiting outside their boundaries. They have the same problem when it comes to Basketball. Even under Alverez, who was highly successful, the Badgers couldn't compete with the "Big Programs" when it came to landing the big fish. So they had to land as many of them in State and in smaller pockets that they found around the country. I think bringing in the wrong Coach, could threaten to weaken State ties and not really improve the overall recruiting effort.

Chryst is a decent recruiter, parents love the guy. I think his issues lie more with his rather boring approach to the offense, as well as not being flexible enough to adapt mid game. I will be interested to read what the media finally concludes about his development of Mertz, the highest rated QB ever landed by the Badgers and so far, pretty much a bust. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Mertz transfer out of Wisconsin.

Could Mertz be on a Packer uniform someday?

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Could Mertz be on a Packer uniform someday?

If he is, I hope he gets A LOT better.

He's been a huge disappointment. I can't even count how many bad passes he had yesterday. One of the announcers coined it as "throwing the ball like there is a string on it". Which was really an accurate description on those short balls he threw that fell way short of his target.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Where we need to improve is in the South. It's difficult competing against SEC schools. They are about the best used car salesmen on planet earth!

It is also hard to recruit against schools that have lessor academic requirements to not just get into the program, but probably even more important, to stay in the program. I think the SEC and some other divisions view Football and basketball as the players major and the academics are more of inconvenience to the process. This isn't to say that Alabama isn't a great place to go to get a good education, its just not the focal point for many of the athletes.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

I actually like this move for now. Fire Paul Chryst as OC. He did try that in 2020, but Joe Rudolph was just as bad at calling plays. PC never should have gone back to calling them himself. So it is time to bring in an OC that isn't currently associated with the program.

Paul Chryst needs to be fired...as offensive coordinator

The head coach needs to take a long look in the mirror and relieve himself of offensive coordinator duties

www.buckys5thquarter.com

 

[Voyageur]

I actually like this move for now. Fire Paul Chryst as OC. He did try that in 2020, but Joe Rudolph was just as bad at calling plays. PC never should have gone back to calling them himself. So it is time to bring in an OC that isn't currently associated with the program.

Paul Chryst needs to be fired...as offensive coordinator

The head coach needs to take a long look in the mirror and relieve himself of offensive coordinator duties

www.buckys5thquarter.com

I'd have no quarrel with firing Joe Rudolph, hiring an OC, and have Chryst remain as HC. Neither Rudolph or Chryst are good at doing the OC work.

 

[milani]

It is also hard to recruit against schools that have lessor academic requirements to not just get into the program, but probably even more important, to stay in the program. I think the SEC and some other divisions view Football and basketball as the players major and the academics are more of inconvenience to the process. This isn't to say that Alabama isn't a great place to go to get a good education, its just not the focal point for many of the athletes.

You sound like the late Paul Hornung.

 

[Voyageur]

You sound like the late Paul Hornung.

One of the problems the Badgers has is the school admission policies. They don't bend them to accommodate a kid who can only sign his name with an "x." To me, that's sticking to the purpose of a university - education. For schools that are sports mills, that doesn't matter.

I hope Wisconsin never changes their philosophy on education first. It's what houses of higher learning are there for, not to be a minor league for sports.

This article, about Gary Anderson's short "visit" to the Badgers as head coach tells a lot about how some schools operate. Fortunately, not the Badgers.

Gary Anderson's sports philosophy

 

[milani]

One of the problems the Badgers has is the school admission policies. They don't bend them to accommodate a kid who can only sign his name with an "x." To me, that's sticking to the purpose of a university - education. For schools that are sports mills, that doesn't matter.

I hope Wisconsin never changes their philosophy on education first. It's what houses of higher learning are there for, not to be a minor league for sports.

This article, about Gary Anderson's short "visit" to the Badgers as head coach tells a lot about how some schools operate. Fortunately, not the Badgers.

Gary Anderson's sports philosophy

Education is important. And if an institution lowers its standards that says a lot about the individuals it will send out into the world. Lombardi once said " Show me someone who accepts losing and I'll show you a loser. "

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

Education is important. And if an institution lowers its standards that says a lot about the individuals it will send out into the world. Lombardi once said " Show me someone who accepts losing and I'll show you a loser. "

I gave you an agree, but to be honest, I am torn when it comes to athletes and college. While a great education is valuable to some, many of these guys probably wouldn't have access to it, if it wasn't for their skills in playing a sport. Access coming in the way of money, as well as qualifying to be accepted at a college.

I know quite a few people who got a degree and 10 years later, are doing something totally unrelated to their degree. For many college athletes, we might as well just call their sport their degree. They didn't come to a major university to study art history, they came to play football, basketball, etc. With the hope of landing a job in that field. Their athletic skills unlocked a shot at not just an education, but a springboard to possibly landing a very lucrative job.

Many of those athletes end up without a degree, but they can always go back and finish their education to try and obtain one. A few go on to be anywhere from mildly to wildly successful in their given sport. Hopefully, the ones that end up with or without a degree and no professional sports career, got enough out of the experience, that they are prepared for the next phase of their lives.

 

[swhitset]

Could Mertz be on a Packer uniform someday?

i certainly hope not.

 

[milani]

I gave you an agree, but to be honest, I am torn when it comes to athletes and college. While a great education is valuable to some, many of these guys probably wouldn't have access to it, if it wasn't for their skills in playing a sport. Access coming in the way of money, as well as qualifying to be accepted at a college.

I know quite a few people who got a degree and 10 years later, are doing something totally unrelated to their degree. For many college athletes, we might as well just call their sport their degree. They didn't come to a major university to study art history, they came to play football, basketball, etc. With the hope of landing a job in that field. Their athletic skills unlocked a shot at not just an education, but a springboard to possibly landing a very lucrative job.

Many of those athletes end up without a degree, but they can always go back and finish their education to try and obtain one. A few go on to be anywhere from mildly to wildly successful in their given sport. Hopefully, the ones that end up with or without a degree and no professional sports career, got enough out of the experience, that they are prepared for the next phase of their lives.

Just getting the scholarship is difficult even for very good athletes. There are only so many available. I hope that whatever education they get will help them to whatever direction they go in life.

 

[milani]

i certainly hope not.

Have we had many coaches on Packer staffs over the years?

 

[Voyageur]

Quinn Ewers is leaving Ohio State. He's a pro-style QB who can also run if needed, and is a solid passer while on the move. He just might fit in to what the Badgers really want to do. Have a dual threat QB, not unlike Russ Wilson was. Ewers losing out to Stroud at OSU is obviously the reason he's leaving. But, that doesn't mean he isn't at least nearly as good.

I watched him play a lot down here in Texas. He went to South Lake Carroll which is a real football school. High school games on TV down here are common, not a rarety. They create pro style QBs, and complete against the likes of Westlake, Lake Travis, and a couple of others. Just plain top level HS football.

I have a hunch he will end up coming back to Texas, but if there's a shot, the Badgers should take it. The kid is already an NIL millionaire because he has the charisma, and ability to be something special. Time for Chryst to turn on the Badger ball push!

Just my opinion. I'm an "ex" Mertz supporter. He chokes.