The Flush

[RU4Real]

I've had a number of conversations with various people about the current state of the program. I've watched the press conferences. I've read the reactions. It seems that the only element of realization that's missing among the fanbase is that we are in Year 1 of The Flush.

There's a new sheriff in town. Thing is, he's not Kyle Flood. He's not the Nice Guy who wants to pat everybody on the head and give them a participation trophy. He's a successful Xs and Os guy from the premier coaching tree in NCAA football, with a tremendous amount of passion and emotion.

Chris Ash is putting in a new system. Not just schemes and plays, but a new system, a whole new program, top to bottom. The players he inherited have to adapt to that new system and they have to be good enough to play in it.

The thing is - and this is the tough news to hear - most of them aren't. Most of the players on the team wouldn't sniff the field at OSU. Or Michigan. But they're the guys we have right now, so they're the guys who have to play in the new system.

It's that new system, along with the passion and persuasion of the coaching staff, that's going to pull in new players who can play for a top Big 10 team, the kind of team that Chris Ash is trying to build. And until they get here, we'll continue to struggle with the guys we have.

There's no overnight fix for a program in this current state. This is Greg Schiano Year 1, all over again. Ash has to rebuild the program and he has to do it in such a way that new, better talent comes on board and flushes the existing talent from the roster.

That's what happened with Greg. It takes a nearly complete roster turnover to be able to evaluate the potential of a new staff. Schiano took over in 2001 and the team broke out - finally - in 2005. It broke out, quite memorably, when Mike Teel walked onto the turf at the Carrier Dome to start his first game.

Trust me, I get that everybody is frustrated. But this is going to take some time. We're gonna get the poopie kicked out of us for another season, then things will start to pick up.

We've seen this before. We know how it ends. We just have to wait for it.

 

[RU09FOOTBALL]

Excellent post. Ash's goal in the first few seasons is to change the culture. Culture is different than perception. Changing the perception comes later. Patience is a virtue.

 

[RedSpartan]

Thank you for this. You said it all.

 

[Scarlet16E]

My personal opinion is that partially improving the talent level will have a multiplier effect and help to improve the rest. Practicing against poor talent does nothing to push the players to achieve their best. Each new infusion of better talent will improve some of the "old" players as well.

 

[Jim_from_RU]

Perfect post.

 

[Scarlet_Scourge]

Yes, 100% to all of that.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I've had a number of conversations with various people about the current state of the program. I've watched the press conferences. I've read the reactions. It seems that the only element of realization that's missing among the fanbase is that we are in Year 1 of The Flush.

There's a new sheriff in town. Thing is, he's not Kyle Flood. He's not the Nice Guy who wants to pat everybody on the head and give them a participation trophy. He's a successful Xs and Os guy from the premier coaching tree in NCAA football, with a tremendous amount of passion and emotion.

Chris Ash is putting in a new system. Not just schemes and plays, but a new system, a whole new program, top to bottom. The players he inherited have to adapt to that new system and they have to be good enough to play in it.

The thing is - and this is the tough news to hear - most of them aren't. Most of the players on the team wouldn't sniff the field at OSU. Or Michigan. But they're the guys we have right now, so they're the guys who have to play in the new system.

It's that new system, along with the passion and persuasion of the coaching staff, that's going to pull in new players who can play for a top Big 10 team, the kind of team that Chris Ash is trying to build. And until they get here, we'll continue to struggle with the guys we have.

There's no overnight fix for a program in this current state. This is Greg Schiano Year 1, all over again. Ash has to rebuild the program and he has to do it in such a way that new, better talent comes on board and flushes the existing talent from the roster.

That's what happened with Greg. It takes a nearly complete roster turnover to be able to evaluate the potential of a new staff. Schiano took over in 2001 and the team broke out - finally - in 2005. It broke out, quite memorably, when Mike Teel walked onto the turf at the Carrier Dome to start his first game.

Trust me, I get that everybody is frustrated. But this is going to take some time. We're gonna get the poopie kicked out of us for another season, then things will start to pick up.

We've seen this before. We know how it ends. We just have to wait for it.

WINNA WINNA!!! LOCK AND PIN!

 

[FanuSanu52]

So what you're saying is ... we fire Ash and hire Al Golden stat?

 

[zappaa]

I've had a number of conversations with various people about the current state of the program. I've watched the press conferences. I've read the reactions. It seems that the only element of realization that's missing among the fanbase is that we are in Year 1 of The Flush.

There's a new sheriff in town. Thing is, he's not Kyle Flood. He's not the Nice Guy who wants to pat everybody on the head and give them a participation trophy. He's a successful Xs and Os guy from the premier coaching tree in NCAA football, with a tremendous amount of passion and emotion.

Chris Ash is putting in a new system. Not just schemes and plays, but a new system, a whole new program, top to bottom. The players he inherited have to adapt to that new system and they have to be good enough to play in it.

The thing is - and this is the tough news to hear - most of them aren't. Most of the players on the team wouldn't sniff the field at OSU. Or Michigan. But they're the guys we have right now, so they're the guys who have to play in the new system.

It's that new system, along with the passion and persuasion of the coaching staff, that's going to pull in new players who can play for a top Big 10 team, the kind of team that Chris Ash is trying to build. And until they get here, we'll continue to struggle with the guys we have.

There's no overnight fix for a program in this current state. This is Greg Schiano Year 1, all over again. Ash has to rebuild the program and he has to do it in such a way that new, better talent comes on board and flushes the existing talent from the roster.

That's what happened with Greg. It takes a nearly complete roster turnover to be able to evaluate the potential of a new staff. Schiano took over in 2001 and the team broke out - finally - in 2005. It broke out, quite memorably, when Mike Teel walked onto the turf at the Carrier Dome to start his first game.

Trust me, I get that everybody is frustrated. But this is going to take some time. We're gonna get the poopie kicked out of us for another season, then things will start to pick up.

We've seen this before. We know how it ends. We just have to wait for it.

Disagree with one thing, we should not look forward to ass kickings by the other shite teams in our league, and we shouldn't excuse them.

 

[RU4Real]

Disagree with one thing, we should not look forward to ass kickings by the other shite teams in our league, and we shouldn't excuse them.

Nor was that what I said. I simply said that we're going to get our asses kicked for another season. And, in the aggregate, we will. We were competitive with Iowa this season, I expect that we'll be competitive with Illinois this week. We've got half a chance against Indiana and Maryland. But the upper half of the conference is going to abuse us.

For me, PSU is the real benchmark. I expect it is for many others, as well. OSU and UM are going to be serious challenges for years to come. But with a favorable cross-over schedule, beating everyone else - including Penn State - puts us at 10-2 or 9-3 with a solid bowl berth.

 

[drewbagel423]

So what you're saying is ... we fire Ash and hire Al Golden stat?

[sick]

 

[ashokan]

Disagree with one thing, we should not look forward to ass kickings by the other shite teams in our league, and we shouldn't excuse them.

Maybe not but they're coming anyway. It takes a few years to develop most lineman. The awful OL recruiting and development was what bothered me the most and caused me to anticipate the B1G whippings. Can't build a B1G line with chubby kids nobody else really wanted too much. Ray Rice struggled to run well behind the 2007 line before Davis and Jean Beljou worked their way in to lineup. Rice couldn't run at all vs B1G Goliaths with this team

 

[devoted2ru]

Agree with OP.

The guys out on the field for RU are absolutely busting their butts and giving everything they have, but the truth of the matter is our talent level isn't in the same universe right now with the upper echelon teams of our conference/division.

The unavoidable truth is that no matter what scheme you run, whether it's the power spread or the pro set, linemen still have to have the physical ability/skill to block effectively, QB's still have to be able to throw the ball efficiently and on target, and receivers still have to get open and catch the ball when it comes their way, and presently we're not doing any of those things with any consistent degree of success.

Recruiting is the life's blood of a program, and currently RU has a real need for an infusion of talent that only a few consecutive excellent classes will provide, and that will unavoidably take some time. -But I believe the end result will be well worth our patience.

 

[Zak57]

Guess arrests don't matter either.

 

[rufan4ever]

Agree with OP.

The guys out on the field for RU are absolutely busting their butts and giving everything they have, but the truth of the matter is our talent level isn't in the same universe right now with the upper echelon teams of our conference/division.

The unavoidable truth is that no matter what scheme you run, whether it's the power spread or the pro set, linemen still have to have the physical ability/skill to block effectively, QB's still have to be able to throw the ball efficiently and on target, and receivers still have to get open and catch the ball when it comes their way, and presently we're not doing any of those things with any consistent degree of success.

Recruiting is the life's blood of a program, and currently RU has a real need for an infusion of talent that only a few consecutive excellent classes will provide, and that will unavoidably take some time. -But I believe the end result will be well worth our patience.

Recruiting becomes more difficult after 58-0 and 78-0 blowouts. Season ticket subscriptions will also most likely
decrease next season and less Rutgers fans will be buying single game tix. Hard to recruit with lots of empty seats compared to packed houses of 100K plus at Michigan and OSU. It takes only a few good recruits to turn around a basketball program and we all know how that has gone
over the past 25 years! Somehow, the coaching staff has to sell potential recruits a bright future despite the overlying gray clouds. Seems like a daunting task.
We will never be Michigan or OSU. Can we elevate to a middle of the pack B1G program?
We can only hope.

 

[RU4Real]

Your screen name is ironic.

 

[RUBound]

Good post - except the part about Teel starting at Syracuse in 05. Hart came back to pull out the Uconn game which was crucial to that season. Hart finished off the season including a strong game in the Insight Bowl.

 

[RU4Real]

Good post - except the part about Teel starting at Syracuse in 05. Hart came back to pull out the Uconn game which was crucial to that season. Hart finished off the season including a strong game in the Insight Bowl.

It was the 'Cuse game that broke the season open, though. I was there, it was epic. You just knew, from that point forward, that things were going to go well.

The sit-down was just the thing that Ryan needed to get his head back in the game. A lot of people don't give Hart enough credit, I think. He could have rolled over - he could have been flushed. But he fought back, he got his head right and he went on to be a great asset to the team that season.

But Teel lit up the Orange that day. You could see in the faces of the Syracuse faithful as they were walking out in the 3rd quarter - they knew that they were done. Not just that day, but for a very long time.

 

[devoted2ru]

Recruiting becomes more difficult after 58-0 and 78-0 blowouts. Season ticket subscriptions will also most likely
decrease next season and less Rutgers fans will be buying single game tix. Hard to recruit with lots of empty seats compared to packed houses of 100K plus at Michigan and OSU. It takes only a few good recruits to turn around a basketball program and we all know how that has gone
over the past 25 years! Somehow, the coaching staff has to sell potential recruits a bright future despite the overlying gray clouds. Seems like a daunting task.
We will never be Michigan or OSU. Can we elevate to a middle of the pack B1G program?
We can only hope.

The only thing any of us can go by right now are the statements of support for the program the RU commits are putting out there, and they're saying the right things. Will that change? Since nobody can predict the future, there's no way to definitively know. But I do know that I like what I'm hearing so far.

One of the main Mods on this site has stated in the past that after a bad loss, fans often bounce off the walls and engage in hand wringing about it a lot more than many recruits do. So we'll see, but I believe this staff has been completely up front about what this season could be like, and as such, the prospects are fully aware this program is presently in a total and complete rebuilding mode, (with all the warts and bumps in the road that involves).

 

[FanuSanu52]

Good post - except the part about Teel starting at Syracuse in 05. Hart came back to pull out the Uconn game which was crucial to that season. Hart finished off the season including a strong game in the Insight Bowl.

I remember it as the Pittsburgh game. Really didn't care much about RU football back then, flipped on the game and remember thinking at the end, "We're actually going to win this."

 

[czxqa]

It was the 'Cuse game that broke the season open, though. I was there, it was epic. You just knew, from that point forward, that things were going to go well.

The sit-down was just the thing that Ryan needed to get his head back in the game. A lot of people don't give Hart enough credit, I think. He could have rolled over - he could have been flushed. But he fought back, he got his head right and he went on to be a great asset to the team that season.

But Teel lit up the Orange that day. You could see in the faces of the Syracuse faithful as they were walking out in the 3rd quarter - they knew that they were done. Not just that day, but for a very long time.

That was a great year. I still remember taking the elevator down from work that Friday before the Navy game, talking with my buddy how all we had to do to actually go to a bowl was beat Navy the next day. Some dude I didn't even know laughed at us and said, "You're not going to beat Navy." I didn't even get annoyed, I just smiled at him and said, "Of course we are."

 

[RUskoolie]

Post needs to be pinned for the next 16 months. Get back to me February 2018.

 

[redking]

That was a great year. I still remember taking the elevator down from work that Friday before the Navy game, talking with my buddy how all we had to do to actually go to a bowl was beat Navy the next day. Some dude I didn't even know laughed at us and said, "You're not going to beat Navy." I didn't even get annoyed, I just smiled at him and said, "Of course we are."

 

[AreYouNUTS]

Guess arrests don't matter either.

Who says that? Of course they do and it's a small part of our roster issues and lack of guys who should be upperclassman, experienced, and out there on the field.

 

[vkj91]

Recruiting becomes more difficult after 58-0 and 78-0 blowouts. Season ticket subscriptions will also most likely
decrease next season and less Rutgers fans will be buying single game tix. Hard to recruit with lots of empty seats compared to packed houses of 100K plus at Michigan and OSU. It takes only a few good recruits to turn around a basketball program and we all know how that has gone
over the past 25 years! Somehow, the coaching staff has to sell potential recruits a bright future despite the overlying gray clouds. Seems like a daunting task.
We will never be Michigan or OSU. Can we elevate to a middle of the pack B1G program?
We can only hope.

Iowa has been in the B1G forever and went to the Rose Bowl last year. Was our performance middle if the pact? DId I hate the negative press and texts from friends these last two weeks..... Of course. Did you see what happened to Oklahoma and Oregon?

 

[RU62]

Excellent 4Real. Just find me some ways to get a few first downs from any formation and to get set and slow down the game when needed. All quick 3 and out does is put greater pressure on the defense. Clearly we should be 3-3 and realize that no one else in the country has played 3 of the top 5 teams in the country in its first 6 games this year.

 

[AshSaturday]

Excellent 4Real. Just find me some ways to get a few first downs from any formation and to get set and slow down the game when needed. All quick 3 and out does is put greater pressure on the defense. Clearly we should be 3-3 and realize that no one else in the country has played 3 of the top 5 teams in the country in its first 6 games this year.

Agreed. The team speed alone of the rest of the schedule is likely not that of Washington, Michigan and Ohio State.

 

[Plum Street]

The motto is the hunt , not the flush .

 

[RU31trap]

I have an answer to the OP. When we stop with the excuses we just might demand some results. A good start will be by beating a terrible Illinois team at HOME!!

 

[MorrisAsh]

One big thing that needs to be added is that with the purported better staff, there has to be some wins that you "steal" in the first couple of years. You have to win some conference games to keep recruits interested and continue to get buy-in from the kids while you flush out the program and build it in your likeness.

You're not going to outcoach Meyer or Harbaugh or Dantonio and overcome the talent gap too. That being said, you need incremental success in the first couple of years to show that you're on track.
You need to see a couple of games that your staff "steals". Illinois game has to be a win or the team will hang their heads for a while. Maybe steal the Minnesota game on the road. Maybe steal the Indiana game.

 

[GeorgeStreet]

Are we going to spend the rest of the season throwing the players under the bus? If so, why should they go back out on the gridiron and fight for you? Are the coaches earning those big bucks?

Didn't Ash recruit QB transfer Allen?

 

[mikershoein]

Based on title I thought you were going to say "the Flush" didn't work In Section 125 and it was you who dropped the deuce that temporarily blinded me and left the Taste of vinegar and winger sauce in my nostrils

 

[RUchip]

I've had a number of conversations with various people about the current state of the program. I've watched the press conferences. I've read the reactions. It seems that the only element of realization that's missing among the fanbase is that we are in Year 1 of The Flush.

There's a new sheriff in town. Thing is, he's not Kyle Flood. He's not the Nice Guy who wants to pat everybody on the head and give them a participation trophy. He's a successful Xs and Os guy from the premier coaching tree in NCAA football, with a tremendous amount of passion and emotion.

Chris Ash is putting in a new system. Not just schemes and plays, but a new system, a whole new program, top to bottom. The players he inherited have to adapt to that new system and they have to be good enough to play in it.

The thing is - and this is the tough news to hear - most of them aren't. Most of the players on the team wouldn't sniff the field at OSU. Or Michigan. But they're the guys we have right now, so they're the guys who have to play in the new system.

It's that new system, along with the passion and persuasion of the coaching staff, that's going to pull in new players who can play for a top Big 10 team, the kind of team that Chris Ash is trying to build. And until they get here, we'll continue to struggle with the guys we have.

There's no overnight fix for a program in this current state. This is Greg Schiano Year 1, all over again. Ash has to rebuild the program and he has to do it in such a way that new, better talent comes on board and flushes the existing talent from the roster.

That's what happened with Greg. It takes a nearly complete roster turnover to be able to evaluate the potential of a new staff. Schiano took over in 2001 and the team broke out - finally - in 2005. It broke out, quite memorably, when Mike Teel walked onto the turf at the Carrier Dome to start his first game.

Trust me, I get that everybody is frustrated. But this is going to take some time. We're gonna get the poopie kicked out of us for another season, then things will start to pick up.

We've seen this before. We know how it ends. We just have to wait for it.

Probably the best thing you have written. Well done and I agree 100%

 

[ScarletStateofNJ]

One big thing that needs to be added is that with the purported better staff, there has to be some wins that you "steal" in the first couple of years. You have to win some conference games to keep recruits interested and continue to get buy-in from the kids while you flush out the program and build it in your likeness.

You're not going to outcoach Meyer or Harbaugh or Dantonio and overcome the talent gap too. That being said, you need incremental success in the first couple of years to show that you're on track.
You need to see a couple of games that your staff "steals". Illinois game has to be a win or the team will hang their heads for a while. Maybe steal the Minnesota game on the road. Maybe steal the Indiana game.

Yes, the Indiana game is a MUST win. Beat Indiana and steal a win against the Nittany Lions in their house and show some progress in QB play and this rebuilding year is a success.

 

[RUScrew85]

I've had a number of conversations with various people about the current state of the program. I've watched the press conferences. I've read the reactions. It seems that the only element of realization that's missing among the fanbase is that we are in Year 1 of The Flush.

There's a new sheriff in town. Thing is, he's not Kyle Flood. He's not the Nice Guy who wants to pat everybody on the head and give them a participation trophy. He's a successful Xs and Os guy from the premier coaching tree in NCAA football, with a tremendous amount of passion and emotion.

Chris Ash is putting in a new system. Not just schemes and plays, but a new system, a whole new program, top to bottom. The players he inherited have to adapt to that new system and they have to be good enough to play in it.

The thing is - and this is the tough news to hear - most of them aren't. Most of the players on the team wouldn't sniff the field at OSU. Or Michigan. But they're the guys we have right now, so they're the guys who have to play in the new system.

It's that new system, along with the passion and persuasion of the coaching staff, that's going to pull in new players who can play for a top Big 10 team, the kind of team that Chris Ash is trying to build. And until they get here, we'll continue to struggle with the guys we have.

There's no overnight fix for a program in this current state. This is Greg Schiano Year 1, all over again. Ash has to rebuild the program and he has to do it in such a way that new, better talent comes on board and flushes the existing talent from the roster.

That's what happened with Greg. It takes a nearly complete roster turnover to be able to evaluate the potential of a new staff. Schiano took over in 2001 and the team broke out - finally - in 2005. It broke out, quite memorably, when Mike Teel walked onto the turf at the Carrier Dome to start his first game.

Trust me, I get that everybody is frustrated. But this is going to take some time. We're gonna get the poopie kicked out of us for another season, then things will start to pick up.

We've seen this before. We know how it ends. We just have to wait for it.

A positive post? That's so unlike you LOL.

 

[NotInRHouse]

If people here need a reminder that our players would not start and Michigan or tOSU...they should have their brains checked for damage. Hell, some might have trouble starting at Purdue.

 

[CornerTavern]

My only problem with this post is that it is disrespectful and inaccurate with respect to the current players on the team.
The only that have been and should be "flushed" where the former coaching staff, the bad egg student athletes that brought shame to our program, and others who left for their own reasons…
The current players are deserving of our respect and admiration, and full support. They don't need to be "flushed", however they will undergo a transformation and a rebirth as part of this new regime. For some, it will not bear fruit until after they graduate or leave. For others, the younger ones, they will be fortunate enough to see things through and live out Coach Ash's vision.
Nevertheless I support everyone of them, and I think we should make that clear in addition to everything the OP said .

 

[RU4Real]

Probably the best thing you have written. Well done and I agree 100%

With all due respect, you haven't been around as long. I've written better. :)

But thanks.

 

[RU4Real]

A positive post? That's so unlike you LOL.

You're awfully mouthy for somebody who's usually sound asleep when I'm really drunk. Just sayin.

 

[RUScrew85]

You're awfully mouthy for somebody who's usually sound asleep when I'm really drunk. Just sayin.

Yeah but I wake up a get drunk too.