Rez

17 minutes ago, Alpha Wolf said:

Titans in white pants, white jerseys and black helmets...

Timberwolves in gold pants, gold jerseys and maroon helmets.

That will look good. I kind of wish United would find a way to incorporate the Ozen blue on an alternate jersey

Tomball is not very good -- We've got to fix the penalties and do something to get the receivers open, and get the QB some protection, or we are going to get torched by a lot of other teams. #3 is killing us at cornerback

PNG defense is getting tired. 

Tomball is going after PNG #3. 

WO-S will be ready to play. Even predicting a Crosby win, it will be a good game. I don't expect a blowout. 

5 hours ago, Cougar14.2 said:

I think you're missing the overall point. You don't have to wait until next year without RJ, you saw a glimpse of what PNG was without him Friday against a decent team. You lost by 17 with him playing most of the game, do you honestly think you don't get beat by 30+ without him? He makes PNG's whole team better because of the way you have to defend him. PNG's defense is still bad, a lot of that gets covered up because RJ can keep the sticks moving with his legs and maximize PNG's time of possession. Thus minimizing the amount of time the Indians defense is on the field with chance of exposure.

Do you really feel like PNG is good for any reason other than having RJ at qb? He's literally 90+% of the offense. PNG has a faithful fan base and I'm sure the community will do what it takes to win but much like Westeberg is finding out at BH, it's hard to continuously beat good teams if you don't consistently produce the athletes that give you a chance. I can't remember the last time PNG had one but I think you're underestimating the value of a transcendent player.  

(Note: I'm not responding exclusively to Cougar 14.2, but this quote sums up a lot of what I'm responding to on this thread. Appreciate ya'll, and I'm enjoying the back and forth from everyone.)

Judging PNG on a single game is silly -- I admit there are causes for concern, but looking at "How PNG was without RJ" in the minutes after he got hurt is not a good look at how PNG will be without him. Losing a player like RJ mid-game is demoralizing. Let's see how PNG plays with a week to prepare for it. 

What is strange to me out of all of this is how quick/eager everyone is to rush to use a single game as an indictment on the entire PNG program (a program with more history and better results than most teams represented on this forum). PNG has had really good moments in recent history, really good moments that didn't involve Roschon Johnson. 

Further, let's stop acting like Roschon Johnson doesn't benefit from being at PNG. It's true that: 1) he would be good anywhere, and 2) he has a seemingly never-ending list of God-given talents and innate ability that anyone would term "once-in-a-generation" (to quote Coach Riordan of Crosby). But it is also true that we cannot fully separate Roschon's rapid development from the good quarterback coaching he gets from Coach Faircloth. Coach Faircloth has a long history of making so-so QBs decent, good QBs great, and great QBs legendary. There is no measurable way to concretely say that being at PNG hasn't made Roschon better. It is strange to me the tendency people on this site have to separate RJ from PNG, as if he isn't on the team. He is certainly a huge part of what makes PNG good at this point in time, but if this team had developed without him (as all but two other PNG teams in history have had to do), the team would find ways to be good, as the vast majority of PNG teams have done. 

None of this is intended to minimize the impact RJ has, and his value to the team. In my opinion, he is by the far the best, most dynamic player in PNG history. 

Finally, this idea that PNG is "just not that good" deserves some consideration. Good, relative to what? The reality is that there are several hundred teams in Texas. Half of them are at or below average. On a normal statistical distribution, about 60% of the teams will cluster on either side of the median, being slightly better or slightly worse than average. Does anyone honestly think that PNG is below average in the state of Texas? And, if we are above average, doesn't that make us "good." I don't mean "great," I don't mean "legendary." I mean "good." And even if I were to take at face value the argument that PNG is "simply not good," then I have to ask why PNG has so consistently beaten so many teams represented on this forum? If PNG is so bad, what's wrong with the rest of you? If PNG is so bad, we certainly over-perform enough for us to be confident that things are going to be ok. 

It also strikes me as telling that some of the most eager voices to rush to put dirt on the PNG grave site support programs with less pedigree.

Crosby? They are good right now, but they have certainly had their ups and downs in recent history.

Port Arthur? Given the talent, depth, and potential with which that team is swarming, juxtaposed with its mostly so-so performance across its 15-ish years in existence, Port Arthur might be one of the most under-performing teams in the area.

Nederland? Certainly a solid program, but the Bulldogs are no strangers to starting out slow and finishing strong.

So before we all rush to write PNG's obituary, a little perspective can help see that we'll be fine. Even if we lose on Saturday, even if this whole season goes down the drain (I say it won't, but time will tell), we still have a proven history of coming back the next year and punching "better" teams right in the teeth. 

Go Indians! What do we know about Tomball? 

3 minutes ago, badndn said:

I thought 18 stepped in and played a good game. 

That's good -- We can chalk it all up to experience. It will only make the defense deeper. 

Not to do the warden's job, but talking about racism is only going end badly. Let's keep it on football. 

3 minutes ago, ndn mom said:

I heard 5 games but couldn’t tell you if that is true.

That's tough 

Is there a timetable as to when the suspended defenders for PNG will be back? 

I do need to thank pakronos for introducing the term "donkey stomped" to my vocabulary. I will definitely use that in the future. 

I think fans suggesting that RJ should sit out (even if for a while) are thinking like parents, not like fans. There is nothing wrong with that. I agree that RJ probably (definitely) doesn't want to hear it, and we should be sensitive to that. But I imagine most people on this site have children, and when you are thinking like a parent, you're not going be thinking like a "good" fan (whatever that even means). As a fan, I want to see RJ play every game, push through his injuries, and continue to win games and string up highlight reels. But if it were my kid, or my nephew, I would be extremely hesitant to see him get out there again without being 100%. He has a high ceiling, enormous potential, and is, from what I understand, an overall great, special kid. It isn't ridiculous to want him to be careful, and it certainly isn't ridiculous to expect that the coaches will put his health ahead of records or win/loss differentials. 

As to PNG being "not good," I'm laughing. How do you even define "good"? PNG has one of the best players in the country, and a legitimately respectable supporting cast. We don't have a perfect team, but most teams have some flaws. Working with what you have and overcoming is what separates the good teams from the bad ones. Good teams lose games sometimes. Just ask Manvel. 

3 hours ago, indianforever said:

First off many prayers to RJ...To the PNG fans it’s time to relax. First off if you had expectations of a state championship that was your first problem and that’s why you are so frustrated with a loss. This team is good but not that good in all reality a 2 or 3 rd playoff run for PNG is a successful season these days. This area does not have the caliber teams in the upper classifications to compete with Houston, Austin, and DFW teams and that is just a simple fact. PNG will be just fine and should make the postseason. The defense is improved from last year but just missing the outside threat we had last year. Faircloth has proved he can score points and I have full faith he will figure it out again this year with the options he has on the field it just may take a little longer to come together. It is just week 2 of the season with a lot of new faces on the field. Get behind these kids and coaches they are leaving it all on the field and again I say RELAX!!!!

Great post -- I'm out of likes

I don't understand the hysteria over one preseason loss. This is why we play preseason games! It's not like we have to impress a playoff selection committee. This is a chance to get focused and sort out the kinks. We may lose next week -- If it helps us get better, that is a good thing. How many times in recent history has Nederland started out 0-3 and gone on to win the district? Last night was a reality check. Reality checks are good, they're just a hard pill to swallow. 

9 minutes ago, fretbro6 said:

I can get behind this.  Where’s the offense to make any difference?

I think the offense will regroup. We very well could end up being a strong team. If the line improves and the receivers get more reliable, we can put away some ball games. 

6 minutes ago, fretbro6 said:

NDN wrs dropped passes.   And then they dropped passes.  Wide open and dropped passes.  RJ needs to sit out 

The dropped passes can be corrected. I'm more concerned by what seems to be a lack of speed in the receiver corps. I miss Riggs. 

4 minutes ago, fretbro6 said:

WTF?? How do you get to this.  Huntsville DESTROYED THE PNG DEFENSE REPEATEDLY 

Caveat: I listen to the games, so my observations are based solely on the impression I get from how the game is announced. If I remember right, through three quarters the defense gave up two touchdowns and a field goal. One of the touchdowns was scored by Huntsville's defense, and the last touchdown was scored on a demoralized PNG defense in the last minutes of the game. It is true that we gave up some big pass plays, but we also forced a fair number of three-and-outs and were able to penetrate to the QB on more than one play. PNG was in this game for most of the game, and it certainly wasn't due to our fantastic offensive play. So it's not unreasonable to credit the defense for what it was able to accomplish. It also had to practically live on the field with very few breaks. From what I understand, two of our starters were out as well. All things considered, it sounds like the defense did pretty well. 

Sounded like our defense was pretty good for the most part. 

And just like that, shivers down the spines of the rest of the district. 

I still like this better than playing three cupcakes in a row for pre-season. It seems like our receivers aren't very fast, or reliable. And it sounds like the offensive line, which I had heard on this forum was supposed to be really good, is not protecting Roschon at all. Hopefully it all turns into good playoff and district prep for us to learn from, get tougher, and be prepared for more important games. 

3 minutes ago, Hagar said:

To The Top.  Used to move threads up. WOS had medical appointment.  I’m sitting in my recliner trying to help.

Hopefully this game starting now.

Thank you!

Can someone translate "ttt" for me? I see it all the time on this site (mostly from WOS grad). 

Go Crosby! Props to Crosby for going after the beast.