NW Bearcats 2022

[ZubCat81]

Yes, and only NW has injuries. Lol. You guys are silly.

You mean 'silly' like when Pitt State guys play the Race card as the reason you lost in '05?

[Predatory Primates]

You mean 'silly' like when Pitt State guys play the Race card as the reason you lost in '05?

No. That one is based in reality. Won handily with him. Lost by a little without him.

[Alfred33]

I mean, if we're going to talk about injuries and say we were a Lamberson away from winning another title, with a healthy Mike Hohensee last year, we beat Ferris State in the playoffs to go to the semis and National Championship games where they rolled both Sheperd and Valdosta. We'd been the National Champions last year. I can say it... doesn't mean I believe it, but I can say it. The reality is that we really weren't as far away as people are making it seem though... Yeah, we're not the machine we were from '13-'16, but damn. It could sure be a lot worse.

[northwest missouri state]

I mean, if we're going to talk about injuries and say we were a Lamberson away from winning another title, with a healthy Mike Hohensee last year, we beat Ferris State in the playoffs to go to the semis and National Championship games where they rolled both Sheperd and Valdosta. We'd been the National Champions last year. I can say it... doesn't mean I believe it, but I can say it. The reality is that we really weren't as far away as people are making it seem though... Yeah, we're not the machine we were from '13-'16, but damn. It could sure be a lot worse.

one is possible, the other is asinine.

otherwise exactly the same.

[Alfred33]

one is possible, the other is asinine.

otherwise exactly the same.

I didn't say I believed it, but it's easy to say it like it's fact. Which is the same. Still not the point.... some act like we've fallen off of the face of the earth under Rich, when you could easily make the argument that we were a top 3-4 team in the country a year ago. Yes, we have issues and we need to address them, recruit better, all of that, but we have far from fallen on hard times.

[Bearsota]

Wright consistently has a top rated defense which keeps NW in most games. If NW could figure out an identity on the offensive end, NW would be right back at the front of the pack. It should be hard to complain given NW is still one of the best teams in D2 even with a questionable offense. If Wright's defenses start dropping off without a subsequent substantial increase in offense then it might be time for a change. I'm still not sold on TS as OC but given glimpses of what his system might be capable of doing I would rather give him at least another year before potentially looking elsewhere. If they come out next year and look like this year's version of the offense that should be enough to start thinking about a change. Especially with the experience that this group will have next season. I would expect a large leap forward next year to justify his first two years of mediocrity. The one thing that helped during AD's tenure is the ability to lean on the defense or offense to help the other make adjustments if something was not working. I am not sure we can continue to ask NW's defense to shoulder the burden of winning every game.

[RollChos]

Wright consistently has a top rated defense which keeps NW in most games. If NW could figure out an identity on the offensive end, NW would be right back at the front of the pack. It should be hard to complain given NW is still one of the best teams in D2 even with a questionable offense. If Wright's defenses start dropping off without a subsequent substantial increase in offense then it might be time for a change. I'm still not sold on TS as OC but given glimpses of what his system might be capable of doing I would rather give him at least another year before potentially looking elsewhere. If they come out next year and look like this year's version of the offense that should be enough to start thinking about a change. Especially with the experience that this group will have next season. I would expect a large leap forward next year to justify his first two years of mediocrity. The one thing that helped during AD's tenure is the ability to lean on the defense or offense to help the other make adjustments if something was not working. I am not sure we can continue to ask NW's defense to shoulder the burden of winning every game.

Fire RW!! Lmao

[Alfred33]

Wright consistently has a top rated defense which keeps NW in most games. If NW could figure out an identity on the offensive end, NW would be right back at the front of the pack. It should be hard to complain given NW is still one of the best teams in D2 even with a questionable offense. If Wright's defenses start dropping off without a subsequent substantial increase in offense then it might be time for a change. I'm still not sold on TS as OC but given glimpses of what his system might be capable of doing I would rather give him at least another year before potentially looking elsewhere. If they come out next year and look like this year's version of the offense that should be enough to start thinking about a change. Especially with the experience that this group will have next season. I would expect a large leap forward next year to justify his first two years of mediocrity. The one thing that helped during AD's tenure is the ability to lean on the defense or offense to help the other make adjustments if something was not working. I am not sure we can continue to ask NW's defense to shoulder the burden of winning every game.

For sure... We need to get better on the line and we need better play from the QB position than we've had the last few years. I mean, that's the same for everyone, but there have been glaring issues there for a team that has national expectations every year. Hohensee will have another year assuming he takes it and I think he's proven that he's capable when healthy. Hopefully one of the young kids (we have 4 young quarterbacks on the roster) separates themselves from the rest and becomes the next great quarterback at NW. That would help Sturdy as a coordinator more than anything. I do find it a little concerning that none of them felt like a better option than an obviously unhealthy and limited Braden Wright though. Like you said, it should be hard to complain... I'm not down on the program or RW, despite the deficiencies we've had offensively. Yet.

[northwest missouri state]

I didn't say I believed it, but it's easy to say it like it's fact. Which is the same. Still not the point.... some act like we've fallen off of the face of the earth under Rich, when you could easily make the argument that we were a top 3-4 team in the country a year ago. Yes, we have issues and we need to address them, recruit better, all of that, but we have far from fallen on hard times.

well it's all relative to what you said at the end - there are many schools who would like to be 5-2 but that's not the standard - & your original comparison of the early 00's to recent years is absurd. i would echo taxman's drivel on that.

the first part is true too - you can make any claim you want about things like this but idk what the point is if you're not really trying to offer up an opinion you've discerned (whether right or wrong) - how does that move the conv forward (?).

any sensible person can critique the program & see that there are issues (like you said) w/o wanting to throw the baby out w/ the bathwater - that's all that's going on here save for the random drunk in the direct aftermath of a loss.

[ForeverGreen]

To he clear, 04 wouldn't have been a NW natty, no matter who was healthy.

Lambo had the NW O rolling in 04. No question NW takes the Arrowhead game that year with him. That moves the PO game to Maryville. Absolutely believe NW wins the natty that year with a healthy Lambo.

[Alfred33]

well it's all relative to what you said at the end - there are many schools who would like to be 5-2 but that's not the standard - & your original comparison of the early 00's to recent years is absurd. i would echo taxman's drivel on that.

the first part is true too - you can make any claim you want about things like this but idk what the point is if you're not really trying to offer up an opinion you've discerned (whether right or wrong) - how does that move the conv forward (?).

any sensible person can critique the program & see that there are issues (like you said) w/o wanting to throw the baby out w/ the bathwater - that's all that's going on here save for the random drunk in the direct aftermath of a loss.

I respect that... again, I'm just speaking about results with my comparison. If it's a weak comparison, so be it, but from 2001-2005, we lost 9 conference games, from 2017 to 2022, we've lost 9 conference games. We can blame some of those losses in our minds on injuries and are probably right in doing so, but is what it is. Do I think the 2000 teams are better than the current group?... sure, but when we break it down to where we were a year ago as probably a top 3 or 4 team in the country, we weren't that far away from the top, which is relative to where we were in the early 2000s. Obviously, there was a large gap between us and Ferris, and now Grand Valley is back... we need to close to that gap to get back where we want (or expect) to be, but there's no reason to feel like we can't do that at this point.

[northwest missouri state]

Lambo had the NW O rolling in 04. No question NW takes the Arrowhead game that year with him. That moves the PO game to Maryville. Absolutely believe NW wins the natty that year with a healthy Lambo.

ya i def don't agree with that.
i do think it's possibly true but pitt was great that yr as well.

i also disagree that we def wouldn't have beaten them in '05 in the po's if race played b/c lambo's inj was so bad it was really po time the next yr before he was hitting his stride again.

the truth is they were both impactful & unknowable as far as outcomes had the players not been hurt in spite of fans of both schools being so cocksure.

[northwest missouri state]

I respect that... again, I'm just speaking about results with my comparison. If it's a weak comparison, so be it, but from 2001-2005, we lost 9 conference games, from 2017 to 2022, we've lost 9 conference games. We can blame some of those losses in our minds on injuries and are probably right in doing so, but is what it is. Do I think the 2000 teams are better than the current group?... sure, but when we break it down to where we were a year ago as probably a top 3 or 4 team in the country, we weren't that far away from the top, which is relative to where we were in the early 2000s. Obviously, there was a large gap between us and Ferris, and now Grand Valley is back... we need to close to that gap to get back where we want (or expect) to be, but there's no reason to feel like we can't do that at this point.

the league was better in the early 00's than it is now.
the last sentence is absolutely true.

[Alfred33]

the league was better in the early 00's than it is now.
the last sentence is absolutely true.

I knew that was coming... lol. Fair enough.

[BearcatDude]

For sure... We need to get better on the line and we need better play from the QB position than we've had the last few years. I mean, that's the same for everyone, but there have been glaring issues there for a team that has national expectations every year. Hohensee will have another year assuming he takes it and I think he's proven that he's capable when healthy. Hopefully one of the young kids (we have 4 young quarterbacks on the roster) separates themselves from the rest and becomes the next great quarterback at NW. That would help Sturdy as a coordinator more than anything. I do find it a little concerning that none of them felt like a better option than an obviously unhealthy and limited Braden Wright though. Like you said, it should be hard to complain... I'm not down on the program or RW, despite the deficiencies we've had offensively. Yet.

I do find this curious as well. But out of the 4 - one is a true freshmen - they aren't going to pull a redshirt. And two of the other three were recruited prior to Sturdy. I honestly don't know what the true order is of those 3. The true freshman Henry Martin may be the future signal caller - he reminds me a lot of Zimmerman.