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Email of the Day

By
angry
-
50

This guy is so kind, I just had to share it. Beaver fandom at it's greatest! Can't you just feel the family atmosphere radiating from this fella?

Angry Beaver,

    Why so angry? I know Mike Riley, I have since 1979 when my brother played football at Linfield College. You are talking about a man who has dedicated his whole life to the game of football, but mostly because he loves coaching young men and helping them to succeed. I grew up in a family where my dad was a head coach of a local 5 A high school baseball team. In 22 years he had only two teams that won the Valley League. My brother was a two time All-American at Linfield College, Riley was the Defensive Coordinator during that time at Linfield, under legendary coach Ad Rutchman. The coaching philosophy Ad Rutchman instilled into Mike Riley is this; "If we work hard and continue to get better and each man does his job and executes it on any given play, beating his man, then that play will bring you positive results , even if the defense knows it is coming" I ve seen it work time and again at Linfield, where they have numerous National Championships and the longest season winning streak in the history of College Football, some 60 years and counting. When my brother played, I saw Linfield run the same play 10 times in a row, only moving from the left and right sides, the defense knowing it was coming and couldn't stop it. Linfield blowing the D-line back as the running back gained 8 to 20 yards a clip.
     I belive in Riley's system, and I know you have seen it work before in the past. Looking back these last two seasons, Riley has had a lot to deal with losing guys to injuries and other things that were in or out of his control. I m not making excuses for him, but he is one of the most respected coaches in the NCAA by other coaches and anybody who is somebody in college football. Just in that says volumes, I believe that the problem with Oregon State is not Riley, but Oregon State itself. Corvallis, and Oregon State is a hard sell for most recruits wanting to play Division I football. Seriously would you go to Corvallis if you had a chance to play at USC? Every coach will have to deal with this whether it is Riley or Nick Saben, it doesn't matter. So getting the 5 star recruits will always be a problem for Oregon State until they get that break out season and win a Rose Bowl, believe me Riley knows this and knows where the team is and where it needs to be.
      Right now is an interesting time in Oregon State Football, with the young kids and this recruiting class, I do think Riley and Company will have a chance with the players he has now and the ones coming in. I like the mix with so many freshmen who are getting the chance to play. Think about how good Sean Mannion could be in his senior year with the offensive line that is coming in with Agnew or Chris Brown running up and down the field opening routs for Brandin Cooks beating up the opponents secondary. Or Scott Crighton as a 4 time All Pac-12 Defensive End as he eyes the NFL. How about Jordon Poyer as he continues to hone his D-Back skills and everyone calls him "Pick Six." Yes I see positive things on the horizon at Oregon State and I can't wait to see it unfold these next few years. It is very exciting to me watching this team get better.
     As far as the X's and O's, well think about how you would set up a game plan , and how you would make decisions on the fly during any given game and situation. Now remember that our coaching staff has hundreds of years in experience in coaching football as well as making those types of decisions.  Now when it comes to coaching and you are winning and you have the right guys in the right spots with good experience, it is easy to coach, you can basically throw a football out onto the field and say "Go get-em boys!". That is the best case scenario, now imagine this year and the situation with the injuries, losing Quizz, Katz with the inability to be consistent, starting all those freshmen and  all the other things in between. So as a coach you have to make decisions with all these intangibles, not knowing if your players are even going to be able to execute. You can't pull Remmers if you don't have a suitable back up, or if you do its like letting the D-tackle in on every play.
     I really don't think the problem with Oregon State is calling the X's and O's, if Riley has the right guys in there, the team has success, you and I have seen it in the past. Look how Quizz came in  and had so much success with the running game these past years. Now all of a sudden Quizz is gone and Riley has a problem calling a game because our running game stinks, come on you're an intelligent guy, do you really think we now have a problem with game calling when your O-line can't block anybody and you can't find a guy who can run the ball? As far as Riley with his Game Plans, well Riley is one of the best coaches when it comes to studying an opponent and coming up with a game plan. He believes strongly in his homework like a coach should and he seldom deviates from the game plan, look at his bowl record. Yes he doesn't make many adjustments during the game, when it comes right down to it, the difference between a good game plan and a bad game plan is execution.If you don't carry out those things that make a difference in the ball game you are going to lose, no matter what adjustments you make on the game plan.  When people start talking about Oregon State in those regards, well to me it only shows  how the guy who wrote the comment is uneducated when it comes to football. Unfortunately I see a lot of that on your website. I believe fans like players need to believe in their coaches and the program, not tear it apart with nonsense rhetoric about how Riley and company can't coach when the players did not execute.Even the players know its not the coaches. So what a waste of time when a website gets critical of a program when it needs its support for the program so it can  be successful, it is very elementary. As much as I hate to admit it, University of Oregon fans get it and we don't because we want to be critical of something that is out of our control any way.
       I really dislike the Riley haters and all the talk about how he should lose his job, and to be honest if he doesn't get it done soon , well then Oregon State will need to look for changes at that point, not now. This has no bearing on the fact that I like Riley, I would feel the same if it was Erickson or anybody else. We want the next coach to know Oregon State is a good place to coach, not a place that gets rid of you after a couple of bad years. To be honest, I think we are lucky to have Riley, not many of the top notch coaches in Div-I football would come and coach at Oregon State, and those guys who want Riley's head, well be careful you don't know who we may get in return. Im old enough to remember the Avazono, Kraigthorpe and Pettibone years. Is Riley Oregon State's version of Joe Paterno? well I don't know, but I do know this, to have a program like that of Penn State , before this year, our team would need way more support then what it is getting right now. If we are going to be that kind of fan, well I think you would agree we need to support our team, even to the point of blind faith if we are true Beaver Fans. That is what fans are about, not second guessing the coach and posting critical comments on a website labeled Angry Beaver? I always liked how Oregon State fans had it figured out, not like our cousins from Eugene who win the Rudest fans in the Pac-12 year in and year out, with their bush league and arrogant behavior.
     Well thats about all I wanted to say to the creators of this web site and I hope this enlightens you a bit on how us Beaver Fans need to be, and I hope you were able to take some of these things and do a little soul searching and figure out how this web site could attract more then the bottom feeders and really get some good positive blogging going on supporting our team and our coaches as we watch this team improve and get us to respectable bowl game.

Recruiting Defensive Tackle

By
angry
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90

Looking at the roster, the DTs are as follows:

  • Brandon Bennett
  • Andrew Seumalo
  • Castro Masaniai
  • Naali Robbins
  • Mana Tuivailala
  • John Braun

Braun and Masaniai are converted offensive lineman. Robbins and Seumalo converted defensive ends. Bennett is an unknown–there is absolutely zero film on the guy. Robbins has a low ceiling.

The Beavs have struck out with Visesio Salt. That leaves Josh Banks, an unknown, as the only JC option right now. With the passing of Thompson, it's imperative to move prized recruit, Issac Seumalo, to defensive tackle.

How I long for the days of average Pac-12 level DTs like Gerard Lee. Beavs can't even land a guy like that anymore, though.

However, Mike Riley insists he's content with the DT talent. My question: are you?

Basketball: UIC @ Oregon State

By
angry
-
97

JackBeav:

I remember the death of Hank Gathers like it was yesterday. He threw down a tomahawk dunk during a WCC Tourney game against Portland, and as he was trotting back down the court he stumbled then fell to the ground in a heap. He was conscious for a couple seconds and saying something to the trainers at his side before succumbing to a major cardiac arrhythmia caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

It was truly a sad day in college hoops. Gathers had been diagnosed with the condition previously, and he was on medication to correct it. There were later stories that he was allowed to regulate his own medication to the point where he wasn’t taking it on game days. But that’s another story. I can remember the faces of players like Bo Kimble and Eric Spoelstra as they flashed first confusion, then shock, then sadness. The reality of the event might have taken more time to really sink in, but it was still a reality. And everyone involved knew what it was.

The immediate result was a cancellation of the remainder of the WCC Tourney. And Loyola Marymount was granted the league’s automatic NCAA berth due to their regular season championship. And their subsequent run to the Elite Eight before being knocked out by eventual champs UNLV would become another legend in NCAA Tourney lore.

We OSU fans had the luxury of being able to watch that run since Ball State decided to make that the one year in their history to make a Sweet Sixteen appearance. I remember being happy when they pumped defending champs Michigan to make the Sweet Sixteen then eked by Wimp Sanderson’s Alabama club to make the regional finals. I don’t think anyone held out much hope that they win against an absolutely stacked UNLV team. But I’m pretty sure just about everyone who watched that game were cheering for LMU.

The point of all this is that Loyola Marymount was allowed almost a week and a half to mourn the loss of their friend and teammate. They took part in a highly publicized and well attended service in Philadelphia to lay their friend to rest. And they took that time to come together as a team with a purpose.

It was unrealistic to expect the Beavs to do the same two days after the sudden loss of their friend Fred Thompson. Watching their game against Idaho was a painful exercise in just going through the motions. And I don’t know if it’s fair to expect anything of our boys in tonight’s match-up versus UIC.

But in the interest of sport, the show must go on. We can only hope that those who knew Fred well and felt his loss most deeply can incorporate the goodness of a heart that was truly too large for this world and move forward with their lives.

It just takes time.

So I hesitate to lay any real expectations on the Beavs for this game. What would be a speed bump under normal circumstances can turn into another Idaho. Though Idaho’s strengths played directly into the Beavs’ malaise, UIC doesn’t have quite the same skill. They can shoot from the outside when not challenged, but they are small and play with an even smaller rotation.

Junior guards Gary Talton (6’1″) and Daniel Barnes (6’2″) and frosh Marc Brown (6’4″) will play the most minutes of anyone on the team barring foul trouble or injury. While all three like to throw it up from deep, Barnes and Brown are the two to check for that phase of the game. Talton is more of a slasher and facilitator, though Brown will do enough to get to the line as well. As those three play, so does UIC. They will be spelled briefly by frosh Greg Travis (6’0″) and senior Matt Bush (6’4″), but they will be relied upon heavily for any team success. Their weakness will be ball security. Talton will drop the ball under pressure, and Brown does not make good decisions if his shot is taken away. Barnes is the most patient of the three, and he poses a decent defensive threat as well. Stopping all three will be difficult, but shutting two of them down should make them wilt.

UIC’s front line is very small. Soph Hayden Humes (6’8″) will play the big wing, and senior Darrin Williams (6’9″) will play the post. Humes is the better all around big, rebounding on both ends, shooting fairly well and even stepping beyond the arc from time to time. He has played well enough early on to replace Paris Carter (6’7″) in the starting line-up. Williams is a space eater who tilts the floor to the offensive end. Williams shoots the higher percentage shots, and he will collect boards if he’s not moved off the blocks. But he slows down as the game wears on, and Carter seems to be the only relief off the bench. If these three run into foul trouble, there’s not much help coming off the bench.

UIC will attempt to slow this game to a snail’s pace. When the score rises into the 60+ point range, they just do not do well.  I don’t know if the Beavs will show up for this game. My thought is they will. But even if they don’t, a more than non-existent effort will likely put more than 60 on this UIC team. Likely the Beavs come out a little rough then shut UIC down for a long spell before coming up for some air. Some rough patches will keep the score closer than the actual game will appear. But I don’t think the Beavs allow a second game to pass without effort.

Beavs 74 – UIC 56

Note: UIC is led by second year coach Howard Moore. You should recognize Moore’s name as one of the Wisconsin players in the mid-90′s who took that program to their first NCAA appearance since the NCAA became the premiere college hoops tourney in 1950.

Angry

Good points by Jack. Versus Idaho, the Beavers were not themselves. Jared Cunningham appeared the most affected. I was wrong to believe they'd "win one for Fred". In retrospect, that was naive reasoning (easy to do when you're far removed from the situation).

The question now: is four days enough time to cope? I have never lost a close friend, so I can't pretend to know. All I know is that two days clearly wasn't enough time. When, how, where, or why the team eventually heals, copes, and wins a game is impossible to speculate. I'll understand if they lose tonight. And I'll be glad (as a fan, and for them) if they win. It's weird how at this point it's not about X's or O's. There will be a time to criticize this team if they can't cope, but tonight isn't the time. It doesn't feel right; I think they deserve another few weeks. That being said, overcoming adversity is a hallmark of every great squad, so if they can somehow gut out a win tonight, then not only should fans reignite belief in these guys, but maybe even raise the bar.

Angry Beav Merchandise?

By
angry
-
63

Slow week ahead, so this would be a good time to bring up a marketing idea. No off-topic posts here–they'll be removed. If you want to talk athletics, use the "General Discussion" thread below.

I was wondering if (a) anyone here would buy/wear angrybeav merchandise (around campus, to games, etc), (b) any graphic artists here interested in collaborating to design products?

The main reason I'd like to do this is that it would be funny to see angrybeav shirts/gear/cups when they pan the crowd at games. But, it would also spread the word/get more angrybeavs on board (there are probably thousands of pissed off fans who never heard of this site). The more fans on board, the more pressure on the AD.

I don't care much about the $ angle. I figure a consignment/commission based model or something like that would work. We can iron that out later on. Basically, I am soliciting interest. Fans: do you want the gear. Designers: could you make cool logos, designs, etc?

What would be neat is if we had talented designers who could make something so catchy it became an unofficial logo/slogan/etc. Really show the University how it's done. Unfortunately, I don't have much talent for visual arts…I like minimal/clean/punchy/humorous designs, though, so if you're going to submit an idea think along those lines. I know there are websites that allow you to put your own logos on shirts and other gear, so if we come up with something good I can work on that aspect.

This site has just under 1 million hits and 4,000 unique visitors spanning 47 States. 12% new visitors in the last month alone, so the trend is up. What I'm getting at is this could be a good opportunity for budding designers to get their work noticed.

Post general comments below. If you're a designer and want to seriously collaborate then shoot  me an email.

General Discussion

By
angry
-
43

Discuss the Banker situation, recruiting, Fred Thompson, the upcoming hoops game, etc etc. Anything goes. I'll have a thread up on Tuesday for hoops.

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