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TOPIC: Victory at Crawford |
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| Ram fan
August 29, 2011
11:12:12 AM
Entry #: 3790261
| It was another easy win for the Rams, and we racked up a ton of offensive yardage again. I wasn't really nervous when Crawford jumped up on us early, because I knew we would be ok. Crawford gained 91 yards that first drive and ended up with 77 at the end of the game, so we more than made up for it.
Just a disclaimer: I am partial to the offensive line for personal reasons and wanted to give a shout out to those guys. All the yards and first downs attract a lot of press to the skilled positions and that is much deserved with no doubt. We are loaded at the positions that carry the ball and we are fast, but of all the positions on the field, the offensive line only draws attention when they fail. It's a thankless job, but our boys plug away, not expecting the glory, except on a team level. It is good to see all the boys function as a team and as one machine. The results are undeniable.
At one point in the game, Wilson was sacked twice in a row, and I heard a voice yell out "Common line... you gotta block!" I wasn't sure who it was, but it looked like over the course of 2 games and over 140 points, that is what they were doing.
Mitchell will probably try to slow the game down with the Monrovia "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offense, so I don't expect quite as high a score, but our rushing defense is going to be very hard for Mitchell to match up against. Our D line and the linebackers are playing great so far... can't wait until Friday.
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| RealisticFan
August 29, 2011
11:46:34 AM
Entry #: 3790285
| Agree with your assessment of the O line. They are playing great. D line has been equally impressive in my opinion. But i would like to ask on here the question I have been ask and not sure how to answer. Are we really this good or is Salem and Crawford that bad? I really think it a combination of both but not sure which of the 2 has the upper hand. I do know this, we are very fast! I'm not just talking about the skilled positions either.
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| Dutchman
August 29, 2011
2:48:15 PM
Entry #: 3790476
| Here's your answer according to the latest Sagarin Ratings for High School football teams in Indiana:
317 High School Football Programs
Salem ranks 288
Crawford ranks 297
Paoli ranks 167
Does this answer your question. I think it does mine.
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| RealisticFan
August 30, 2011
6:44:46 AM
Entry #: 3790901
| Actually it does not answer the question in whole. It does indicate that Salem and Crawford are weak but I think watching them play told us that. It does not give us any indication whatsoever of how good we are. We will not know that until we play a good team. I was just looking for thoughts based on watching the team play.
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| Ram fan
August 30, 2011
8:19:44 AM
Entry #: 3790921
| I don't think we can tell yet what the answer is. The ranking tells us nothing after week #2. Why? The reason Salem and Crawford are ranked that low is because they took a severe beating from us. At this point, it's almost a self fulfilling situation. The rankings are not based on a bunch of observers voting on teams. It is based purly on statistics and strength of schedule and how you fared against those you played and how they are ranked.
For me, do I believe we are a top 20 team in the state? There is absolutely no way of knowing without playing another top 20 team. Are we the 164th best team in the state? I don't believe we are that low.
We cannot control who we play for the most part. Each team must play other teams in their conference. For us, we have to play Crawford, Mitchell, SV, Perry, WW. For non-conference play, we are limited to open spots for other teams. They only have so many spots to fill after their conference games take up over half the schedule. We are confined a bit by location. In the past, we dreaded playing Salem and North Harrison. In the long term it evens out with those guys. Now we have picked up an Evansville team. The big test on paper will be Corydon... I don't think anyone can dispute that.
Personally, I look forward to seeing if our boys can win on a week to week basis. I've watched most of these kids from the youth football league and up. All they can do is play their best every time they step on the field, whether that be practice or a game. They can't control who they play, but they can control how hard they work and how they execute.
For myself, the question remains open on how good we are compared to the best in the state. For now, so far so good...
The rankings don't mean a whole lot to me. Rankings don't excite me. Touchdowns and tackles against our opponents do.
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| Dutchman
August 30, 2011
2:39:54 PM
Entry #: 3791189
| Rankings are not exact, however, I think they do they you an idea of what your upcoming opponent is and what you can expect. As far as a top twenty ranking, the Rams are in the top twenty in 2A schools.
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| Shizz
September 1, 2011
5:53:47 PM
Entry #: 3792722
| The thing that worries me about The Rams if they are goin to make a deep run into the playoffs is playing these teams you beat 67-0 or 75-7 the starters are only getting 2 full quarters of playing time not only that but the other teams have been so bad that it's been 3 plays max and a score they really haven't put any good long drives together...factor that in with and that's what irritated me last season was that in those 2 quarters of play they aren't developing more of a downfield passing game...I just think it's those things that might comeback to bite them down the road....
I'm goin to have to see a full game from the starters on offense and defense against a good team to see how far they can go in the tournament....Regional could be interesting
Shiz
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| Dutchman
September 1, 2011
8:22:25 PM
Entry #: 3792786
| That game last Friday night against Crawford doesn't even deserve any further comments. Personally, I felt sorry for those guys who were humiliated the way they were. Sometimes a coaching staff has to use some good judgement.
Walker Texas Ranger
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| Shizz
September 1, 2011
8:41:27 PM
Entry #: 3792789
| Walker Texas Ranger? what's the deal with that name?
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| Dutchman
September 1, 2011
10:16:38 PM
Entry #: 3792831
| Shizz-
That's the name you called me in one of your earlier posts. I'm assuming you forgot that. I can't wait to patrol the next game and make sure everyone behaves themself.
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| RealisticFan
September 2, 2011
8:38:49 AM
Entry #: 3792926
| Predictions for tonight??? 53-13 good guys.
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| RealisticFan
September 3, 2011
9:58:28 AM
Entry #: 3793511
| well, last night sure was interesting. That was a case where speed and only speed won the game for us because we certainly could not handle their D line. as a matter of fact, they pushed our O line all over the field. I was really shocked to see that.
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| Dutchman
September 3, 2011
11:14:52 AM
Entry #: 3793528
| To be honest with you, we weren't playing Crawford County last night and we got a better test of our abilities.
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| RealisticFan
September 3, 2011
10:07:12 PM
Entry #: 3793725
| agree Dutch. it was for sure an upgrade in competition. that should be good for the boys.
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| Shizz
September 4, 2011
4:23:32 PM
Entry #: 3793943
| DutchMan: I think you got confusded who I was talking about when I was calling someone "Walker Texas Ranger" I was referring to the guy named "Chuck N" as Walker Texas Ranger....the only person i've evr called youwas Dutch Mantell...I apologize if you thought I was calling you Walker Texas Ranger
Shiz
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| Dutchman
September 4, 2011
7:48:14 PM
Entry #: 3794024
| Shizz-
Apology accepted. I respect you a great deal and always look forward to your comments. I know some people think I can be negative at times, but I only speak the truth and never mean to be negative. The Rams have a long way to go before the season is over with. It's always better to win than lose. We'll have a better idea of how good this team is in the upcoming weeks.
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