Partridge Right or Wrong?

[IowaBearcat]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Admittedly, I'm down in KC and not in Maryville, but I don't recall many people thinking a return to the championship game was in the cards this year. I think they took a step in the right direction.

Certainly thought we'd be able to run the ball well enough to help a frosh QB. But the line play wasn't there and hasn't been for a couple years.

[Hornetfan]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Side note:

It has been my experience that most decent teams feel like they can win the championship, even when it's not realistic. Has that been your experience?

Perception is everything.

I agree that most good teams state that they want to win a national championship, however at places like NWMSU, Grand Valley, Pitt State in the 90's I think there are a large number of fans that think the only thing that matters is a national championship. As an example - how many "fans" - people that may not have gone to a regular season game - would show up in the fourth quarter of a semifinal game at Bearcat Stadium for the "tradition" of tearing down the goal posts? When fans say things like replacing the goal posts is part of the annual budget, I think that comes across as anything less than a national championship game appearance is a disappointment.

Remember there is a big difference between fans and players/coaches. As fans we can look at things in the long term and remember what it was like when our teams were really good or really bad and think of today's teams in relation to those older teams. Most players, even at the FBS level and especially at D2, D3, NAIA levels, don't care what happened in 1968, 1978, 1988, 1998 or even 2008. They are looking at what has happened while they were being recruited and they are at their current school. There are exceptions to that of course. Places like Alabama, North Dakota State, Northwest Missouri, Mt. Union, Carroll (MT) are able to use their history and mystique but most programs are only focused on the last five years or so. At least that's what fans of a certain school said 20 years ago. :wink:

[Taxman]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Certainly thought we'd be able to run the ball well enough to help a frosh QB. But the line play wasn't there and hasn't been for a couple years.

You think line play is the reason the QBs have had the 2 of the 3 ('14) worst ypa seasons out of the past 15 seasons? '18 was the 4th best rushing season over that same time span (3rd in ypc). Great run blockers but poor pass blockers? It's a whole lot deeper than line play.

[GrifFan]

I'll take his numbers every single season. They were good enough to win a Natty. He ran the ball better than any RB in the past 3 NC seasons for NW. And if you, and others, want to continue to call him a disappointment, to think his floor was better than Phil Jackson and Cameron Wilcox's ceiling says a lot about his talent and expectations (or the others' lack thereof :bulgy-eyes:). In addition, I think most would say Strayhorn had a great season. Their numbers were almost identical! Strayhorn = disappointment?

[GrifFan]

Side note:

It has been my experience that most decent teams feel like they can win the championship, even when it's not realistic. Has that been your experience?

Yes, though as HF said those expectations are at a different level in some places.

[Alfred33]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Was Strayhorn disappointing as well?

RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/G
Strayhorn,I. 13 136 884 10 874 6.4 7 84 67.2
Caldwell,Josh 13 139 854 24 830 6.0 11 46 63.8

RECEIVING GP No. Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G
Caldwell,Josh 13 13 55 4.2 2 20 4.2
Strayhorn,I. 13 5 33 6.6 0 18 2.5


Caldwell's career ypc over 3 seasons at MW was 6.0. Exactly what he did at NW.

He scored 13 TDs. More than any season at MW. A conference championship. A playoff win. 10 total wins. As many or more than any 2 seasons combined at MW. Short of transferring to Ferris or Valdosta I'm not sure how you could have asked for a more successful season.

Maybe disappointment was too strong of a word for you, but I think you're getting your panties in a wad over nothing. I certainly didn't mean for my post to reflect as negatively as you made it out to be. When it was announced that he was coming here, based on his performance at MW, I think a lot of NW fans thought we would once again have that dominant runner in the backfield. Someone to count on as the bell cow week to week... shades of an Omon or a Council. Consistency game to game was the issue if there was one, and it was because he got banged up, which is what I was trying to get at with my previous post. What kind of numbers could he have had? He showed what he could do late in the year when he was healthy, and we missed out on some of that. Maybe saying that was disappointing was the wrong way to say that, but when a kid can't go like he wants to, how else do you say it? The expectations weren't there for Strayhorn, so no, I wouldn't necessarily look at it the same.

If his goal was to come to NW to compete for and/or win a National Championship, then it's a disappointment. Doesn't mean it was a bad decision on the part of either party. It just didn't come to complete fruition, but I wouldn't go back and not bring him in. There was nothing about his time in the program that was a negative. Forgive me if you took it that way.

[Taxman]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Maybe disappointment was too strong of a word for you, but I think you're getting your panties in a wad over nothing. I certainly didn't mean for my post to reflect as negatively as you made it out to be. When it was announced that he was coming here, based on his performance at MW, I think a lot of NW fans thought we would once again have that dominant runner in the backfield. Someone to count on as the bell cow week to week... shades of an Omon or a Council. Consistency game to game was the issue if there was one, and it was because he got banged up, which is what I was trying to get at with my previous post. What kind of numbers could he have had? He showed what he could do late in the year when he was healthy, and we missed out on some of that. Maybe saying that was disappointing was the wrong way to say that, but when a kid can't go like he wants to, how else do you say it? The expectations weren't there for Strayhorn, so no, I wouldn't necessarily look at it the same.

If his goal was to come to NW to compete for and/or win a National Championship, then it's a disappointment. Doesn't mean it was a bad decision on the part of either party. It just didn't come to complete fruition, but I wouldn't go back and not bring him in. There was nothing about his time in the program that was a negative. Forgive me if you took it that way.

Alf, the post wasn't meant as a call out to you personally. More of the direction of the thread in general re: disappointment. Knowing how NW uses their RB's and what else was on the roster I would have signed up for Caldwell's ending numbers in August. At no point was Caldwell ever going to get the XO or LC usage.

Re: Strayhorn - Some did know the caliber of player he was projected to be. He wasn't going to see the field this season though until early departures and injuries forced the situation.

[IowaBearcat]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

You think line play is the reason the QBs have had the 2 of the 3 ('14) worst ypa seasons out of the past 15 seasons? '18 was the 4th best rushing season over that same time span (3rd in ypc). Great run blockers but poor pass blockers? It's a whole lot deeper than line play.

I didn't say it was the only factor. But it's not where it was during the runs.

[BearcatDude]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

I didn't say it was the only factor. But it's not where it was during the runs.

[IowaBearcat]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

15, you can argue. Smith was a beast, but argue as a whole. 16, no. Thieman, Sherman, Huff? I think they were better. Scheming is different, sure, but they weren't getting blown up nearly as often.

[HookemHerd]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

You think line play is the reason the QBs have had the 2 of the 3 ('14) worst ypa seasons out of the past 15 seasons? '18 was the 4th best rushing season over that same time span (3rd in ypc). Great run blockers but poor pass blockers? It's a whole lot deeper than line play.

Did u just call that sawft, weak offensive line great run blockers? No sir, when they run block the pads hitting are about as loud as two ants pissing on cotton.

[HookemHerd]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

15, you can argue. Smith was a beast, but argue as a whole. 16, no. Thieman, Sherman, Huff? I think they were better. Scheming is different, sure, but they weren't getting blown up nearly as often.

Sherman was not good, living off his brothers reputation

[NW Normal]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Chase wasn't a big center; but, his snaps were consistent, he lived up to his nickname (Scrappy) and he was a smart leader (center calls line blocking). Two NC's as starting center speak to his talent.

[Taxman]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Did u just call that sawft, weak offensive line great run blockers? No sir, when they run block the pads hitting are about as loud as two ants pissing on cotton.

Statistically better than the 2017 FH OL you love to rave about. No doubt having a personal connection clouds your perception. Btw, I'll take my material back now...

[Brandon]

Re: Partridge Right or Wrong?

Did u just call that sawft, weak offensive line great run blockers? No sir, when they run block the pads hitting are about as loud as two ants pissing on cotton.

I know you were just trying to be a pain, but in all seriousness a reduction in noise is because of the helmets.