Who Should Be Pissed at Who?

I was pissed. You were pissed. Apparently, judging by the amount of blog posts and print articles and comments, everybody was pissed. Fans were pissed off at the football team, and it’s understandable. Less than 100 total yards in the first half qualifies as a very bad first half, and the fact that they were trailing against Central Michigan University at home at any point gives fans a reason to complain. But who should really be pissed at who?

Coaches– Fans are allowed to be pissed at coaches; it’s their job. After a Thursday night game that saw some very poor rushing on first down, Joker and company kept flogging that dead horse and rushed 16 times for 41 yards on first down. I understand the subtle nuances of establishing a rhythm of play but when you look at the first down passing stats (4-6 for 94 yds and 1 TD) it seems that a different gameplan is needed. Fans can complain about the lack of innovation in the playbook, but when your team comes out as flat as they did Saturday your confidence in expanding the playbook gets pretty low.

Players– Another easy one, as they are the only ones who are on the field as representatives of our University. Fans can be mad at Morgan Newton (50% completion rating with a less-than-stellar 6.3 yards per pass) for blowing some very, very easy throws that absolutely need to be made, but don’t forget to get mad about the wide open drops and the fact that he was running for his life in his own backfield a few times. Go ahead and complain about that too, but right tackle Darrien Miller is an 18 year old kid; if you can tell me you never made a mistake as an 18 year old then I will tell you that you didn’t do much of anything at all at that age.

Fans– The real crux of this argument. Fans can (and will) get mad and complain about anything and everything, but if I was a player or coach on the field on Saturday I would be pretty pissed off at you, the fan. Some writers around the Commonwealth have dismissed the boo’ing, saying it was greatly exaggerated: it was not. It is a big deal, and it’s very concerning. If you never read another article from me again (completely understandable) take this away: NEVER BOO THE HOME TEAM. It is a big deal, and it has to stop. This isn’t some crappy, over-spending pro team. These are 18-22 year olds whose job it is to go out and represent the university you support and are doing the best they can. If it ever gets to a point where I feel they have given up and their attitude reflects such, then I will join the chorus and belittle someone almost 10 years my junior, but until then if I hear a boo coming from a fan, I will turn around and berate them publicly. Joker, Morgan Newton, Craig McIntosh, and many other have every reason to be pissed at a fan base that is ACTUALLY BOO’ING their own team halfway through a second quarter in the second game of a season. This isn’t a team on a 40-game losing streak, nor a team that has given up. We may be down during a game but it is absolutely shameful how many fans choose to express frutration. We are there to cheer on a football team, and I don’t need any #stupidhashtags (who gives a s**t about #teamjennifer? Be your own cheering team) or #cleverquips to get my point across. If you consider yourself a real fan, get riled up at a bad fan around you. Make sure they know they messed up, and start changing the fanbase by changing one fan around you. If you want to see a better, more inspired product on the field, try being more inspiring instead of boo’ing and sitting silently for important moments of the game. Who cares if anyone else around you is doing it? If someone tells you to sit down, tell them I said they’re doing it wrong and send ’em my way.

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