Are we unlucky?

[billorange44]

Like most here, after last seasons meltdown and most recently after last weekend's game, it gives most of us little to hope for and maybe even a reason to just give up on the program.

Saturday morning before the game, my wife and I decided to hit a few flea markets. I always look for antiques and collectables. I came across and bought a Saturday Evening Post from March 30,1963. What caught my eye was the bottom front cover that said "Im not unlucky" by Ernie Davis. Jut a wonderful article written by a 23 year old man 2 months away from death.

I thought of HCDM's statement in the paper the other day about being unlucky and the way most of us, me included have felt lately about the way the chips have fallen. Games could have gone either way the last few years. Does that mean as HCDM said, are we unlucky?

Ernie Davis said he wasn't unlucky and neither are we!

 

[SoBristol]

Let's not mix things up -- Ernie Davis was courageous in facing a tragic illness.

Putting that completely aside. It isn't a good analogy for the state of SU football.

Was our football team unlucky in this losing streak? Sure. We have had injuries. One of best players was out -- hurting the performance of the OL. We had mistakes at key points in games we might have won.

But luck is only part of it. Is our head coach an inspirational guy? We have some talent, but we don't get enough pressure on the opposing QB. We don't protect our QB well enough. Teams that get pressure tend to be lucky.

Our special teams are striving to be ordinary. Teams with good specials tend to be lucky.

We don't have a lot of speed. Teams with speed tend to be lucky.

We don't get a lot of turnovers. Teams that do (as a result of playmakers) tend to be lucky.

Our coaches haven't won too many chess matches in goal line situations. You make your own luck.

 

[Fjoinkay]

I guess I'm alone in thinking that Marrone never said we are unlucky. He was asked what his first thought was in response to a pick on the first play of the game, and he answered that question specifically. I wonder what his second thought was after that play?

We usually have no control over our first thoughts. They come from out of no where especially when something unexpected happens that triggers anger or frustration. In those type of situations we learn growing up to avoid acting on those first thoughts. If I acted on my first thoughts in many situations in my life I probably would be in jail.

I can think of factors that may have led Marrone unconsciously to that first thought... for starters how about the NCAA's decision last week to deny Raymon his waiver? Marrone made a statement about that on Thursday and he was very disappointed. How about the fact that Marrone runs a very clean program as a matter of principle, and he's competing against programs that maybe don't care so much about the rules when they are recruiting the same kids? Maybe that bothers his unconscious mind. Maybe that influences the first thought after a pick on the first play of the game when it's the third time this season that an early pass has bounced the other way?

No one asked Marrone what his first thought was after any other play in that game. Does anyone really believe after the game that Marrone told his players those 4 TOs aren't your fault? It's just bad luck. Of course not because he's been preaching responsibility to his players from day one. He should have been more careful in his presser, but he's never been great with pressers. It's something he will improve.

SU isn't unlucky. In fact, this team is better than last year, and if they can overcome this hurdle they have a chance to win games this year. They just need to block out all of the craziness in the public and band together. This is where the character of the team is forged.

 

[SmilinBob]

Gary Player used to say "The more I practice, the luckier I get.".

 

[joct]

If luck really is involved, this is payback for last year...the missed extra point against Toledo that counted and sent the game to OT, the roughing the passer penalty that kept the last drive against Tulane that set up the winning FG, Wake Forest losing its QB after getting out to a big lead. Those kept last season from being an even bigger disaster.

 

[xc84]

If luck really is involved, this is payback for last year...the missed extra point against Toledo that counted and sent the game to OT, the roughing the passer penalty that kept the last drive against Tulane that set up the winning FG, Wake Forest losing its QB after getting out to a big lead. Those kept last season from being an even bigger disaster.

Don't stop there. Go back and analyze every single play for missed penalties, botched calls, etc.

 

[billorange44]

Don't stop there. Go back and analyze every single play for missed penalties, botched calls, etc.

Sorry, I guess my point was missed. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.

 

[joct]

Sorry, I guess my point was missed. Maybe I didn't make myself clear enough.

You do add perspective. Kind of like Lou Gehrig's famous "I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech. If they can go through something like that and keep such a positive attitude without blaming luck, it makes it seem a little cheesy to throw the word around after a few turnovers in a football game. It is just something fans like to do knowing that just a few plays can decide a game and overcome flaws that made the "bad luck" possible in the first place.

 

[OrangePA]

The INT on the first play of the game was a punch to the solar plexus for me.

And it really bothered me that West didn't catch the ball and that Nassib probably did not throw an easy pass to catch.

But, I have to admit, I did feel a little unlucky at that moment.

After awhile my feelings were of frustration as we made mistake after mistake and as the Gophers seemed to run the ball with ease.

Lose, run bad plays, get a penalty hear and there, but for gosh sakes tackle hard and hit hard.

 

[orangecuse]

Gary Player used to say "The more I practice, the luckier I get.".

Bingo! Preparation produces opportunity...simple as that...and all that needs to be said...

 

[xc84]

The INT on the first play of the game was a punch to the solar plexus for me.

My solar plexus was already sore from the first kickoff "return." I nearly fell off the couch on that one.

 

[OrangePA]

Yeah

 

[Chip]

My solar plexus was already sore from the first kickoff "return." I nearly fell off the couch on that one.

After the KO "return", I felt we were lucky to get the ball at the 25. After the INT, I just thought "this just isn't going to be our night". In the grand scheme, neither ended up hurting us, but it was the kickoff of a night filled with mistakes.

 

[Scooch]

I don't think Marrone really thinks we're unlucky.

But I do think too many posters here do.

We're not.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Not any more or any less than every other team in the country. In the end, the universe tends to fall back to the mean.

Completely agree with some posters here. Suppose a quarterback drops back, gets blindsided mid-throw, and fumbles the ball. The defense recovers. No, that wasn't unlucky for the offense, it was the speed of the defense that made a play. Happens hundreds of times in games. Problem is, under-talented teams seem to get unlucky because they don't make these sort of plays as much as top teams do.

 

[OrangePA]

After the KO "return", I felt we were lucky to get the ball at the 25. After the INT, I just thought "this just isn't going to be our night". In the grand scheme, neither ended up hurting us, but it was the kickoff of a night filled with mistakes.

There is an intangible quality of being not only comfortable with the speed of play and the competition, but having the wherewithal to dominate the play.

I wonder if we have enough of that right now.

 

[xc84]

[quote="DSyR440, post: 365995, member: 871"Suppose a quarterback drops back, gets blindsided mid-throw, and fumbles the ball. The defense recovers. No, that wasn't unlucky for the offense, it was the speed of the defense that made a play. [/quote]

Or a botched blocking assignment... or a slip at the line...or a missed penalty call or the QB going the wrong way ...or ...

 

[Chip]

There is an intangible quality of being not only comfortable with the speed of play and the competition, but having the wherewithal to dominate the play.

I wonder if we have enough of that right now.

There's something to that, but I also think on Saturday night, the environment had something to do with it. I'm just not sure we were prepared for that atmosphere, and from the sounds of it, that's probably one of the crazier scenes that new stadium has seen in its relatively short life.

It's no excuse, but I do think it got the better of us. Especially after the way we started.

Maybe Minnesota is the 2nd coming, who knows. But I doubt it. Find out a little more when they travel to Iowa this weekend. Of course, I think half the Big 10 is on some kind of probation, so maybe they win the league by default.