Mike’s Open Letter To BSU Football Fans: R-E-L-A-X

Face it, BSU fans are spoiled. Since 2002 BSU football has seen a meteoric rise to the top of the college football consciousness. Expectations are high every year, that comes with sustained success, but the vitriol that I've seen on social media this year about how horrible this BSU team was finally makes me want to say something in response.

Dear Disappointed BSU Football Fan,

In the great words of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers, RELAX.  Our team finished 10-3. That's a record that about 300 plus other college football teams would love to trade their records for, including every other team in the state of Idaho and almost every team in Oregon.

It seemed to me like fans weren't even excited to be in a bowl game this year.

Wow, how soon we forget what it's like to suffer through a ten loss season. It's not that long ago that we as fans suffered through seasons like that. Remember the excitement of that first Fiesta Bowl ten years ago? Now we (most fans) don't even get excited for that any more, because BSU has been 3 times in the past 10 years, winning each one.

I get it, we had a few once in a generation special years.  Heck, BSU had 13 players from one team make it onto an NFL roster.  That's the type of talent only teams like Ala-freaking-bama have...and we were lucky enough to get to watch those players play on the Blue.  We will after this years draft, have 3 successive running backs drafted into the NFL. Not a lot of college teams can claim that. And yet here we are bitching and moaning about a 10 win 3 loss season.

Some on social media are calling for Coach Harsin to be fired...they want to see All Mountain West quarterback Brett Rypien benched.  I suspect these are some of the same social media trolls who were so glad to see Coach Pete leave. I can still remember reading all the social posts, saying Coach Pete had over stayed his time here at BSU...Are you freaking kidding me?

The Idaho Vandals made a bowl game this year, for the first time since 2009 and only the 3rd time in their history. Their record: 9-4...the same exact record BSU had last year when people were calling for everyone on the team to be benched or fired.

The Vandal  fans were not only excited, they were ecstatic....don't believe me, check out this blog about how it was one of this fans best days of his life...

" Almost nothing about Thursday was even close to how I imagined it. This realization came as I sprinted onto the disgusting blue turf, frantically looking for anybody and everybody to hug.  I planted my first foot into the turf and expected the tears to flow from the my eyes.  They never came. Before the game, as Idaho players ran out onto the field from the tunnel, I reflected on the fact this was actually happening. Idaho in a bowl game? I enrolled as a student in 2011 and had seen nine combined wins throughout those seasons. I felt the tears start to come. I fought them back."

read the rest of the blog here

Will it take 4 or 5 years of losing records and a few different coaches being fired before the BSU fan can once again appreciate a hard fought, though imperfect season?

Maybe I'm more of a realist...this year actually went better than I predicted with an entirely  new defensive line...many changes on the offensive line....arguably the best DB suspended for at least the first four games and a Sophomore QB. Yes BSU had a chance to have another really special year...the offensive line was better than expected, the defensive line reloaded and some of the stars where who we expected them to be.  But BSU was hit hard by injuries again this year. By the time the Cactus Bowl was played BSU was missing 4 starters from their defense...and some of those starters were actually replacing starters who were previously injured.

My point is to relax. BSU is still a very good program and a very good team. BSU is still the most successful team in all of NCAA division 1 football since 2002...get excited and get behind your team...and for Gawd's sake, stop yelling for everyone to be fired or benched on social media, just because they didn't play up to YOUR expectations. If you think it's so easy, why don't you apply for the coaching job...get hired...and see how you do.  Oh yeah, I forgot, you don't know squat about coaching....which I think is my point.

One final thought for all you negative Nellies out there.  Every year for the past 11 years..when BSU looses a bowl game....the very next year they win the Fiesta Bowl.....so pack your bags, it looks like we're headed back to Arizona for New Years....and I for one am super excited

Yours truly,

Mike Kasper...(an excited and thankful BSU Fan)