No one's saying anything to Joe. We're just a bunch of overly-obsessed dudes flapping our gums about what we see on TV. That's part of the fun of sports as entertainment ("armchair quarterbacking ") and there's nothing wrong with it. Now, if someone were berating the student athlete to his face, that'd be different and crossing a line. We're not doing that. We're just bitching about a player in the abstract on a football board because from our limited perspective, he's playing poorly. While it's true that the coaches get paid to make those decisions, our opinion matters precisely dick all to those decisions, so our criticism exists entirely in its own masturbatory echo chamber, as harmless as any other meaningless sports banter. Nor does this mean we don't support Joe or the team. I think everyone would be jazzed to see Joe channel Manti. We all want the team to play their best and criticizing poor play in a harmless forum is both a valid and trivial means of expressing that.
You certainly make a good case, and have presented your point well!
Are you certain that the players don't check their threads here? Because I think at least two do on a semi-regular basis. Even if they don't -
And while we are at it for a little clarification, it is okay to put a player down, as long as you do it behind his back? And not to his face?
And I agree with you about the gum-flapping part in principle, and in most instances as well; but, could some cases really be an issue of a more serious behavioral pathology?
I mean this sport has no shortage among its fandom of frustrated washed up failures, that throw everything into creating a persona who is actually not a failure at that which they love so much. We see it all the time, everyone is appalled every time a story surfaces about a parent that takes it too far with their own child. We all love to hate the obsessed, win at all cost coaches, that bend or break rules to their own liking. Everybody still loves to hate Bobby De Niro, and that was what (?), over twenty years ago?
I like Joe Schmidt. We all saw what happened to the defense last year when he got hurt. But I've also seen Nyles Morgan and Tevon Coney play a little football and they do not appear to suck. We could at least mix them in there more.
The bashing, at least to me, seems to be all over the board and it gets old. I understand as fans we are allowed to gripe and moan. In this instance, I feel this horse has been beaten to a bloody pulp. Much like everyone gets to say something, I get the opportunity too. I am serious.
Thank you, both! (What do you think the over/under is on for days after the season ends before it is announced that Joe will become a member of the Irish staff?)
I always wanted to quote myself!
