Red Rider;1490900 wrote:Yes I do realize Domer and Owens are the second and third string and they are playing as a result of an injury...an injury to a player who is injured A LOT over his career. Which is my main point...we lack depth. We have some talent, we have some young players who will be very good in a couple years, but would not have been playing varsity most years. Let me be clear, that is not meant to say that they aren't deserving or won't be great players if they keep playing.

I am not necessarily saying that Louisville played bad, maybe they played as well as they can play. But did they play as well as our competition on our schedule? Probably not. I didn't feel Luke had a lot of time to throw on the passing plays. We had a couple short receptions that went for 5 yards or less with virtually no yards after catch, the big gainer from Trevor, and the interception in which he rolled to the left and tried to throw across his body. Not sure that was totally his fault because I couldn't tell if the WR slipped.

What I saw and am basing my prediction on is this: we did not have a Mason Monheim, Max Pirman, Stu Turner, Sam Miller or Drew Brenner to last season and we went 1-9. Just three seasons ago we had ALL of those guys and we did not win the OCC. We lost some talent last year through graduation, transfers and not coming out this year which has been replaced by kids who have never set foot on a varsity field and are at least 1-2 years away from having experience and size to compete with the big boys. We probably are not even as talented, and definitely not as experienced, as last year.

2-8. We win the first 2 games. That was my takeaway. However, my original prediction was 1-9 so I am seeing improvement. Do YOU see more wins than that?

As a hated former Browns coach once said "I can only go by what I see on the field."

The Wizard of Crown Hill;1491025 wrote:I'm looking forward to this season. It's a new year and a fresh start. If the kids believe in themselves and play as a team, we will surprise some people.


Whatever went wrong at the scrimmage is a good thing in my eyes. The best time to make mistakes and work on form is when it doesn't count. I wasn't there but from what I know of Louisville, they are a pretty good sized school who have had some real strong teams in the past 10 years. I think they would be a serious contender in the OCC. Nice opponent to measure yourself against.


Triway seems to have a good number of wrinkles to iron out. The Wayne County League scrimmaged them evenly from what I hear. I have a feeling the Titans were playing possum. The Triway QB is a real good, instinctive player that can change a game in a hurry. Nothing would be sweeter for the fans than to watch a Rider celebration victory on their new turf.


I know or hear nothing about John Marshall? I do hope we as fans watch the first celebration by the kids on our home turf.


rrfan, I'm glad you can't figure out who I'm fighting with because the answer is nobody. I was merely expressing a contrary opinion.


Good luck this week Riders! Start the season out with a W!

rrfan;1490794 wrote:wizard, most of what you say is correct. However, that does not make Jaco's post incorrect. I think Jacob is right that many kids today would rather play maden on Xbox than play backyard football with the neighborhood boys. That is lazy and parents are a huge part of that. It is easier for a parent to let a kid play games than actually going out and playing outside with them. When was the last time you saw a group of kids outside playing football?

Also, much of what you said wizard in you post was discussed and agreed on earlier this summer by many on here. Except one...series. So I am not even sure who you are fighting with.

The Wizard of Crown Hill;1490751 wrote:I have to respectfully disagee. Jacos post was short sighted and innacurate. The usage of broad generalizations to pigeon hole everyone who doesn't play football into a group that is weak and lazy is just plain ignorant. I believe that it's not that simple, not even close.


Kids have always liked easy and there have always been coddling parents. This was true in 1970 and it's true today. Another universal truth is that every generation feels that the one that follows them is lazy. My dad heard it from my Grandfather, I hear it from my father, my kids hear it from me.


Anybody who puts even the smallest amount of brain power into contemplating the reasons for the decline in football participation can see that it's more complicated than some blanket statement calling kids lazy and parents weak. The factors are numerous and constantly changing, I'll touch on ones I feel are the most prevalent.

1. Generational factors. Believe it or not, Baseball was once upon a time more popular than Football. Ask the 70+ crowd out there. Enthusiasm for sports changes with time. It's no surprise even a great sport like football is feeling the pressure of other sports gaining popularity. It's a natural occurence.


2. Population factors. Orrville has changed. Some families that lived and breathed football no longer live here. Their kids and grandkids now play elsewhere. This is nododys fault, we've lost the industries that supported some of these families. Some families that have moved in don't feel the same way about football. The population dynamic is a big factor in my opinion.


3. The specializing factor. It appears that more and more kids (and parents) opt to spend all his/her time practicing to excel at one sport. They probably see this as giving themselves the best possible odds of landing a scholarship and getting that college education without being horrifically in debt for 10 or 15 years. More power to them.


4. The Kids. Some kids aspire to be the next Tony Hawk or David Beckham, not the next Emmitt Smith. Some choose to work to pay their monthly cell phone bills, car insurance and all the other things you need to be cool these days. It doesn't make them lazy, they just have different goals.
Some are lazy slackers, I do agree with that.


5. Other sports in the same season. How could this not effect team size? Any time you start adding additional options for athletics in a particular sports season. Some athletes are going to choose an option other than football. Unless the pool of athletes grows, some team is going to experience a decline in numbers, usually the biggest team and that is football.


There are many more. I think those are most of the larger causes.
I would also like to point out that I called Jaco's post ignorant. Not the poster.
If you just plan to personally attack me, I can't stop you. I can challenge you to attack my thoughts instead.
I'm told that is the purpose of this forum, more people would participate if everyone left the personal stuff behind.

RedRider1;1490851 wrote:......Why does it seem you're giving Louisville all the blame for their bad play, but our kids none of the credit?......

The Wizard of Crown Hill;1490751 wrote:I have to respectfully disagee. Jacos post was short sighted and innacurate. The usage of broad generalizations to pigeon hole everyone who doesn't play football into a group that is weak and lazy is just plain ignorant. I believe that it's not that simple, not even close.


Kids have always liked easy and there have always been coddling parents. This was true in 1970 and it's true today. Another universal truth is that every generation feels that the one that follows them is lazy. My dad heard it from my Grandfather, I hear it from my father, my kids hear it from me.


Anybody who puts even the smallest amount of brain power into contemplating the reasons for the decline in football participation can see that it's more complicated than some blanket statement calling kids lazy and parents weak. The factors are numerous and constantly changing, I'll touch on ones I feel are the most prevalent.

1. Generational factors. Believe it or not, Baseball was once upon a time more popular than Football. Ask the 70+ crowd out there. Enthusiasm for sports changes with time. It's no surprise even a great sport like football is feeling the pressure of other sports gaining popularity. It's a natural occurence.


2. Population factors. Orrville has changed. Some families that lived and breathed football no longer live here. Their kids and grandkids now play elsewhere. This is nododys fault, we've lost the industries that supported some of these families. Some families that have moved in don't feel the same way about football. The population dynamic is a big factor in my opinion.


3. The specializing factor. It appears that more and more kids (and parents) opt to spend all his/her time practicing to excel at one sport. They probably see this as giving themselves the best possible odds of landing a scholarship and getting that college education without being horrifically in debt for 10 or 15 years. More power to them.


4. The Kids. Some kids aspire to be the next Tony Hawk or David Beckham, not the next Emmitt Smith. Some choose to work to pay their monthly cell phone bills, car insurance and all the other things you need to be cool these days. It doesn't make them lazy, they just have different goals.
Some are lazy slackers, I do agree with that.


5. Other sports in the same season. How could this not effect team size? Any time you start adding additional options for athletics in a particular sports season. Some athletes are going to choose an option other than football. Unless the pool of athletes grows, some team is going to experience a decline in numbers, usually the biggest team and that is football.


There are many more. I think those are most of the larger causes.
I would also like to point out that I called Jaco's post ignorant. Not the poster.
If you just plan to personally attack me, I can't stop you. I can challenge you to attack my thoughts instead.
I'm told that is the purpose of this forum, more people would participate if everyone left the personal stuff behind.

Series62;1491151 wrote:Could it be that he is simply saying what he observed? When Orrville plays bad, you never say it was because of the opposing teams offense or defense.

RedRider1;1491052 wrote:Well said. I can't speak with any knowledge on John Marshall but if their past performances in non league games is an indicator, they'll play us tough.

I bet they'll have athletes on the edge that can make plays and their best athlete will be their QB. Guessing we'll see a lot of that read option keeper.

If we stick to our assignments and play smart, we'll be ok.

Really need to get an early score & a stop on D....the more we can play from ahead, the better.

Getting excited.

Nation, any chance you'll be in Massillon on Thursday?

Red Rider Nation;1491217 wrote:I might be

RedRider1;1491231 wrote:I will be, keep an eye out. Don't be a stranger.

Series62;1491142 wrote:If there is anyone that didn't agree with Wizard rrfan, you are the primary. It is why you so wholeheartedly agreed with Jaco and it can be found in many of your posts.

I agree with pretty much all of what Wizard has said. Although I do agree that "some" teenagers are lazy and "some" parenting is weak. I doubt that that is the majority. Simply because some have chosen not to participate in the sport some of you "love" and "crave" does not make them lazy, weak, whatever else "negative" you would like to attribute to them or their parents. So, before you listen and agree to the few people that Jaco has "spoken" with and his generalizations, perhaps you should take a poll to attempt to get some truth.

"You don't see kids playing football outside...", you don't see "football" players outside playing football! Perhaps that is in conjunction with the fact that you don't see basketball players at the park playing basketball much anymore either. It would appear that that goes along with the "park ball" mentality that so many of you "preach" against.

I don't believe that Wizard is fighting with anyone, he's simply posting his opinion, (a very good opinion), that doesn't agree with many of the "pro" Red Riders herein. And as rr1 said, his disagreement with "you-all" will only cause "you-all" to attempt to join forces against him. I doubt it will work!

RedRider1;1490985 wrote:Great article about Mason. They even bothered to do their homework on Orrville & Orrville football too. Spelled our name right even.

http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/football/2013-08-24/mason-monheim-future-face-illini.html

rrfan;1491297 wrote:Series you even bash me when I agree with you? You are unreal...I also for one believe that "park ball" as you call it is one of the most important things for the basketball program. However, a true coach has to know the difference between park ball and a basketball game. He did not and that is one of many reasons why he is gone. Next question...

sanitizer;1491389 wrote:AND I am gong to the Wadsworth game Friday night (my nephew plays for them) so keep me posted fellas!!!!

Swarm like the cane fellas!!!!

Red Rider Nation;1491523 wrote:The cleats hitting the concrete outside the locker room-the playing of Lunatic Fringe on the speakers-the sound of Plumley yelling "Lets go Riders"-the sound of Kent Smith on the PA-the smell of the fresh fall air-the people lined up to buy a 50/50 ticket-the buzz that is Orrville football! The band playing "The Horse". A lot has changed in Orrville but the foundation and the tradition NEVER will! Go Riders!!! RTR!!!!!

Old Rider;1491686 wrote:
RRnation...I clearly recall the sounds of the cleats and Lunitic Fringe. Love it!