My family came aboard the Bobcat band wagon five years ago.  For us, it's been a great ride.  Our hearts will forever bleed green.  It's easy to sit on the bleacher or this message board and criticize.  Tell an injured player recovering from surgery to his face the derogatory remarks some of you take pride in posting.  Tell him he needs to work harder or give more.
     Blame the coaches?   You can, if that makes you feel better. Most of you have no clue what these players and coaches give and sacrifice.  It's easy being a supporter of a winning team, and that we are.  When the chips are down, the real fans remain.  They appreciate their players and coaches. True fans remain positive and support their team.  Tearing them apart does nothing.  Every player and coach hates losing.  You think you feel down after a game like today?  I guarantee your feeling of loss is nothing compared to what the players and coaches feel.  This team and coaching staff is filled with men of great character. I support this team and coaching staff.  I will be there to cheer them on to another bowl victory!

                    Go Bobcats!

+1 Thanks

Ohio69, your example perfectly shows how much that crowd knows.

This board was even more pissed when Boeh fired Larry, Tim wasn't warm and fuzzy enough and Knorr ruined all the momentum Grobe had built.

Great Post!!!!

Thank You to all the Seniors.......You have definately left the program better then you found it.  This has been an extremely frustrating season for all of us........the promise in September after the Penn State win has given way to an injury laden November and there in lies the frustration.

Depth is the issue. Not heart, not effort, and certainly not Character.

I loved the Cats back in the 80's and I love the Cats today!!!!!

Go Cats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree that it is very bad form to state player names when criticizing the team.

But I disagree with the thought that we should refrain from criticism of the coaches and our approach to the game.  They are professionals; this is their business.  In business, one doesn't just accept results.  One analyzes and adjusts.  That should be done in a positive manner.  I can certainly tell you some stories of how 'tone-deafness' in the workplace can be discouraging--as can anyone who's been in the workforce for a while.

That tone-deafness can bring forth in rightful criticism.  Most here will forgive a subpar performance or two.  But, when it continues and when the current approach isn't working then criticism can be fair.  I just cannot subscribe to the 'your not there and doing it' so you can't have any insightful commentary school of thought.

In fact, true professionals crave reasonable, fair, well-stated insights.

Of course not. You dismiss any criticism no matter how valid. Half the time I wonder if you're on Frank's payroll to be his defender.

It's not a knee-jerk reaction when this team really hasn't played good football since norfolk state.  Whatever the reasoning, and who is or is not to blame, those are the facts.  Even if two elements of the game seem in sync, that third element is SO bad that it costs us football games or creates problems with bad opponents (offense vs Kent, special teams versus BG, defense vs Ball, defense versus UMass, offense versus Miami and Buffalo).  And I don't want to hear any more crap about how good Umass or buffalo or Miami are.  They all suck.  Hell, Umass, in 11 other games, barely scored what they did in one afternoon against Ohio. We all know we have a lot of great people associated with this program and that's something we are all proud of.  But on the football field, 8-4 is a minimum achievement against the easiest schedule in the country. This is a place where we celebrate plenty when we win, but also come to vent when we lose.  And whether a player parent thinks that's okay or not, it's generally best to avoid message boards.  If not, go spend some time on a "big time" message board and do some comparison shopping.  Right or wrong, you'd get a lot worse many other places.

1. The coaches are not on the field playing.
2.  We had massive injuries this year.
3. We adjust as we can given the injuries but a dropoff is expected.
4. The Solich era is the best in our lifetimes.

Given the above I don't see how people can whine and call out coaches (or players). After all, it's a GAME played by 18 - 22 year olds.

So if it makes you feel better in calling out the coaches that's your right.  And if 8-4 is failing miserably then I can only wonder what your feelings were in the Bryant or Lichtenberg eras.

I like this one. Slavin, DFC, and ou79 had solid posts as well. There is no doubt that the players and coaches feel worse than the fans, but this is a place to discuss our feelings and the players would be best served by not looking at this board.

Historically speaking, 8-4 is a super fantastic season!!! However, there was #UnfinishedBusiness heading into this season and everything that everyone was hoping for was on track after the non-conference slate part of the schedule was complete. There is no doubt that the injuries contributed significantly to the late season collapse. But Ohio pays Solich north of $400k and he's been here long enough for expectations to be higher than they have historically been.

Hopefully, Ohio gets some extra practices by making a bowl game and can come back next year and get some #UnfinishedBusiness done! They are slated to have 7 home games next year with the only non-conference games on the road being at Louisville. I'm looking forward to a bowl game and next year because this one was a disappointment.

I think this discussion is more about whether or not concern/complaining is acceptable or if we should keep our mouths shut.  For me, this is a place to discuss Ohio athletics with the most informed and most passionate segment of our fan base.  Nearly all of us love Ohio Athletics and want success from our teams.  I also think we unilaterally wish for quality young men and women to represent our school on the playing fields. 

I take a lot of what is written here with a grain of salt.  There are folks with different opinions, agendas and ideas on this board.  Also, most of the posters hide behind a cloak of anonymity.  It is easy to spout off anything you want when you don't have to identify yourself.  I discount most of the emotional rants by the anonymous posters.  

It is rare that we have an athlete that does not do their job in the classroom or as a representative of the university.  I do not demand a certain number of wins as a fan.  I also do not question a student athlete's committment or effort.  I assume they are giving all they have.  It is up to the coach to determine if they are not, not me.  I do, however, express concerns about whether certain players are put in the best position to succeed.  This could be position, play calling, coaching or general execution of the game.  Frank Solich is the CEO of the program.  If he thinks a change needs to be made in player or coaching personnel, I trust him to do it.  I am not in the camp that thinks he has embraced mediocrity.  

I think this football season is the first time in my life as a fan (22 seasons) where the team has underperformed based on their talent level.  I think we had better players and better coaches than just about everyone we played.  It was frustrating to watch the team not meet their team goals (which quickly became our goals as fans).  Something changed at Miami.  I felt it in the stands.  I don't think the team ever quit.  I just think they ran out of gas physically and emotionally.  They lost their swagger, which goes a long way in football.  Confidence is a great weapon.  Injuries took their toll.  I know nothing about football strength training, so I have no idea how many were truly avoidable. 

I'd say every one of these things to Coach Solich if we were chatting face to face.  I don't think I'm out of line to believe the team underacheived this year.  I'd be really disappointed in the team if they felt OK about the way things ended this year.  I hope the injured players heal and contribute positively next year.  I hope they learn from the wins, as well as the losses and use that experience to make next year better than this one. 

You make good points. But ..... if we lost Coop, Baltic and at least one other of the top 8 guys and ended the year at 16-11 would you feel we underachieved? Many of us are expecting maybe 24 -7 or 26 - 5 (if all goes well). That's the analogy I see here. If we had NOT had all the injuries we'd likely have gone 10 - 2 or better. iMO it's true in any sport .. if you lose key players it becomes a lot harder to play to the expectations that have been set by fans when you have to go further down the depth chart.

I agree with "Parent Perspective". When we win, we win together. When we lose, we lose together. Athens is a small town, and OHIO is a mid size (however excellent and beautiful) university. There are not enough of us to rip each other apart and turn against one another. I believe in speaking your mind and venting - if you must, but respect for each other is very important. I believe OHIO athletics are at the highest point in my lifetime. I turn 49 next month. I love my alma mater and always will. The kids are trying and so are the coaches. If they are not, changes will be made. However; I did not see any quit in any of these student athletes all year. I'm proud of them and Ohio University.