It's Been Quite a While

I see that San Diego Steve has created quite a stir as he has pushed the page views of the blog today to well over 500. Give him credit, the guy can get a reaction out of everyone if he wants to. I actually would like to branch off of what San Diego Steve has said and go in a little different direction today. After reading all of the responses to Steve's blog I began to think about the idea of being able to say what you want to on a board such as The Barkboard or the Blue Turf Board. Sometimes people seem to take offense to what is said regardless if it is personal or not. I have strong personal feelings about the way a board should be run. I have felt since the day I began posting that a board is public and as long as you don't go on a cussing tirade or put anyone down specifically you should be able to say exactly how you feel. Today Steve made some comments that may or may not have been true. Of course the Boise fans took offense to it while many Fresno State fans did as well. Here is what bothers me: Steve is only one person. He does not represent all of Fresno and never will.

If you were to go to the Barkboard and read the responses to what Steve has posted you would think that Boise fans feel Steve's voice is the one voice in Fresno that counts. I on the other hand do not feel like Steve's voice counts for any of us aside himself, hence the point of the blog. Steve did exactly what the blog is intended to do and he garnered interest when the blog had slown down a bit. MDG and I have not had time to post on here regularly and we needed someone to step in and help out for the time being. So although his post created quite a stir I want to thank Steve for stepping in and giving the readers some material to stew over.

At the same time another aspect I wanted to cover is that of the Fresno-Boise rivalry. What Steve did is great in this sense because really we have gotten along far too well for two teams that want to rival one another. It is fine to support one another out of conference but during conference play there seemed to be a love fest going on between the Dogs and Donks, something that truly makes me feel ill. We should not be sitting here praising you for everything your program has done, but instead we should be envious and want what Boise has done. I mean that is exactly how a rivalry is formed, either that or an intense hatred for one another like the Dogs and Hawaii have. My point is that Fresno State and Boise State will not be friends in the years to come. There is going to be far too many fans that are like I am who will not enjoy watching Boise beat the Dogs anymore. In the past years Fresno State has taken a back seat to the success of the small school from Idaho and the fans should not enjoy that regardless if it happens once or ten times in a row (that one is for you San Jose State fans).

Fresno State and Boise State have a chance to give the WAC something it is starving for: A rivalry that the entire conference would look forward to seeing. As fans it is our job to help build that rivalry between the two schools. No, I don't think we should fight or anything of that sort but what is the harm in throwing jabs at one another during the off-season? I feel like the Dogs and Donks should be getting on each other's nerves right now. Do you think Florida and Florida State are enjoying one another's boards at this moment. I would venture to guess that the two schools don't get along very well with respect to fan base.

As I mentioned in a post on the Barkboard the Dogs need to make a run in this series. The Dogs need to find out how to break through against the Broncos. If the DOgs can run off three in a row sometime in the future this series is right back to square one and a rivalry will have the chance to be born. You can't tell me as WAC fans you do not want to see two perennial top 25 teams take on one another on the field of play. Not only will it be good for the WAC but in terms of the national picture it will only give the winning team that much more of a chance to play in a BCS game come January and that is something we all want to see as WAC fans.

Guest Blog: Something is Rotten in Boise Part 1

by SanDiegoSteve



Or should I say something is rotten with the Boise State football program? Many Fresno State and Boise State fans have characterized me as Boise State Enemy #1. I think of myself as a strong detractor and unrelenting cynic.

To those who know me I truly believe in self reflection pertaining to my professional and personal growth. I embrace the Japanese concept of “Kaizen” or change. I have reflected on my opinion of Boise State football in light of the Donks 13-0 2006 season. I have sought out the opinions of those I trust and across the board the feedback I have received only hardens my opinion of the Boise State football phenomenon.

The information that was shared with me comes from first hand trusted sources. What can be labeled as hearsay and what can be labeled as fact could be debated. Regardless, the overwhelming opinion is something is rotten with Boise State football and the stench may soon be far-reaching. So much that a certain racist, inbred organization in Kansas calling itself the NCAA may soon take notice.

Some have explained Boise State’s success of the last eight seasons as a calculated combination of notoriously weak scheduling, blind luck and flawless execution. Remember the execution portion; I will be coming back to that topic.

Boise State’s combined Strength-of-Schedule, commencing with Dirk Koetter’s 1999 team through the 2006 season, is lower than whale feces. In fact I have not found another D-1A team that has enjoyed such a pristine won/lost percentage and played such a consistently weak schedule.

Would Boise’s record shine if it played a schedule commensurate with the inflated self-opinion BSU fans have for their program? Doubtful. I estimate Boise State would have tasted defeat 12-16 times more if the team had played Pat Hill’s schedule, 1999-2006. My opinion, I am proud to say is shared by several prominent and seasoned Bark Board posters and others including members of the media and football coaches I will not name.

Please take note of Dan “the god,” Hawkins inaugural 2-10 season at Colorado. Also take note of fired ASU Coach Dirk “the Warden” Koetter’s 40-34 record. Up the level of competition to true D-1A standards and the “flawless” coaching records racked up by both at Boise State take an unrecoverable nose dive into the terra firma.

The question we then must ask ourselves is how does a backwater football program ten years removed from D1-AA competition with a third world athletic budget and JUCO stadium become the arguably most celebrated non-BCS football team in America?

Is it the weak schedule? Is it the unbelievable lack of major injuries? Is it blind luck, skill or a combination of all? The answer is yes! And they also CHEAT as well as anyone in the business. I have gleaned the knowledge of several indivuals close to WAC football and media insiders who have expressed without hesitation their opinions.

Boise’s rock solid on the field execution is the result of endless practice repetition, much of which is conducted outside of NCAA rules. The Donks practice countless hours in violation of NCAA rules without remorse or fear. I asked a person close to a WAC football program how Boise State’s execution could be so superior to other WAC teams. I was greeted with a roll of the eyes and the curt statement ‘they cheat like hell and everyone in the conference knows it.” Another question -- why would a program in need of so much from a facility stand point spend millions on an indoor practice facility? To further hide from prying eyes was the answer!

Boise’s practice violations extend beyond the season. I was told their off season work out programs are heavily supervised by coaches in violation of NCAA rules, once again without fear or remorse and without athletic department compliance oversight. As described to me, if Boise has a Compliance Officer the person is deaf and blind.

Boise’s backwater reputation has also allowed them to play dangerously close to the edge regarding academic performance. If you remember a University of Idaho coach once blew the whistle on a member of Dan Hawkins staff attempting to load up Boise players with meaningless units to maintain eligibility. Smoke? Fire? You bet.

To be continued……

until part two is published, for your reading pleasure, I hate you Boise State.

Spring Game Set

The Spring Game is tentatively set for April 28, 2007. The time is yet to be determined but more than likely it will be around the same time as last year, 11 a.m. However, there is no date for the annual South Valley Scrimmage. The word is the South Valley game may not happen this year.

I don't know how many of you had ever attended the South Valley Scrimmage but it was a very good event. The reason behind not having the scrimmage has nothing to do with organization or attendance, as the attendance was almost on par with the Spring Game held at Bulldog Stadium. Regardless, it makes the Spring Game that much more important, if fans want to catch an early glimpse of the 2007 team.

The 2007 Fresno State Pro Day is today. Last season more than 100 NFL officials/scouts were in attendance. The 'Dogs are could have as many as six, seven or even eight players drafted. Marcus McCauley, Paul Williams, Chris Denman, Dwayne Wright, and Kyle Young are expected to be drafted in the seven round draft. Louis Leonard, Roshon Vercher, Joe Fernandez and Dwayne Andrews are hopefuls to possibly be drafted late in the second day or at least sign free agent contracts.

The Pro Day is not open to the public but the results will be posted on NFL.com. Wright has the most to gain today. If he can improve his forty-time, he could likely move up a round or two in the draft and had a few hundred thousand to his bank account. McCauley and Williams probably have the most to lose, as both did well at last month's NFL Combine. The Pro Day will be Young's chance to shine since he was not invited to the Combine. Once considered the best college center in the country, Young is trying to position himself to be drafted in the first day. He must show scouts he has the footwork to play tackle or the athleticism to play guard. As a center he is not likely to drafted higher than rounds five to seven.

Vercher has a chance to improve his stock. He never carried the ball as fullback but he is a capable back. If an NFL team is looking for a natural fullback, it doesn't have to look far beyond Vercher. As long as he can show the scouts he has decent hands and speed, it could be enough for one team to likely take a chance on him in a late round.

Leonard could be drafted on potential alone. At 6-5 330 lbs he is already a prototypical NFL DT. Andrews lacks speed to be an effective NFL linebacker. He must have an outstanding workout if he expects to even be considered a draft choice. Fernandez has great bloodlines and even better hands. His size and speed are the issues. A great forty-time and workout will greatly aid Fernandez's chances of being drafted. Like most players in Fernandez's position, his ability to play special teams is what can lead to a spot on an NFL roster.

Guest Blogging

I am pleased to tell the readers some guest bloggers have come forward, so there will be more material for you guys to read. I built this site for Bulldog fans and I will not let it go by the wayside like my other site. And hopefully NSC will be able to continue to contribute. It's the off-season and there is little to write about per se, but spring practice is just a month away.

Filling a Void....

For blog readers that do not know, NSC has not been able to blog as much to to some technicalties. I apologize for not blogging as much in his place. Blogging is a feeling! For me it is something that just can not be done but something that just flows. And I have not really been in the blogging mode since becoming the publisher of BarkBoard.com back in late August.

Again, if anyone wants to contribute or guest blog, drop us a line!

Anyway time for some Bulldog football blogging!

I know its a bit late but Jeff Grady and Jim McElwain will fill the open tight end and offensive coordinator positions, respetively. Grady is a no-brainer and a freakin good hire! Mark it down, he will be one of the hottest young coaches in the next few years. McElwain is not a your typical run of the mill NFL assistant Pat Hill pulls out of his ass to fill the OC spot every few years.

McElwain is a college coach, his one year coaching QB's in Oakland hardly makes him an NFL "guy".

McElwain, however, has not been an offensive coordinator since his days at Montana State. But he was the assistant head coach at Michigan State under John L. Smith for three years and coached the receivers and special teams. He held the same position under Smith at Lousiville, as well. He should fit in well and hopefully will be the guy to get Tom Brandstater over the hump.

Spring ball is just over a month away and I can't wait!

If the returning lettermen have a good spring, then the potential for a good 2007 is there. None of the 2007 recruits will be in for spring, meaning they will only make the depth chart better come fall. Check out BarkBoard.com for spring position breakdowns in the coming weeks.