Stop the Bleeding!

October 3, 2008

1-3. We can talk about the tough schedule all we want. Yes it was good teams we’ve played for 3 weeks. Those 3 teams are a combined 11-1, with 6 of those wins being over class C teams. All that doesn’t hide the fact that we are bleeding however. Whether you get the snot kicked out of you by Mike Tyson (or your ear bitten off) or by Pee Wee Herman (wow, good joke here that I can’t go to, family website after all), the wounds need to bound, and you need to heal.

There are seasons like 2007 and 2002 and 2003…..then there are seasons like 1999. During the former, we would play tough teams quite toughly, but come out on bottom, and then when it came to other games, we knew how to lose, and that is what we did. In the latter, we turned a corner…..we stopped the bleeding, and we took it to other teams. That’s the crossroads we find ourselves at in this moment.

Sure, we could conceivably lose on Saturday and still make the playoffs. A loss to Deposit with wins over Bainbridge and Hancock would likely get us into the playoffs. But a loss to Deposit means we are still bleeding, and turning that corner is infinitely harder. This is what we faced last year…..we went up against Oxford, NEARLY pulled out a win, but lost in the last minute, and the bleeding continued. We could have still made the playoffs with wins over BG and Deposit, but we had lost too much blood. Too many subtle, intangible, bad things happen when you learn how to lose like that.

I’m sure next week I’ll say differently, but right now this game is everything. It is literally everything to Deposit – if they lose they are pretty much guaranteed to miss the playoffs, even if we were to lose to both BG and Hancock. If we win, we are pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot. I think the only potential scenario that could mess it up would be if Hancock were to beat BG, which I suppose isn’t completely out of the question.

Anyway, the point is that it needs to happen now. We need to fix some of our basic football problems (again, need a rhythm to the passing game, need a bit more speed in our play, need to play better pass D), and we need to lose the losing mindset. I’m still a believer, as I believe DK and the rest of the team are…

For picks, the bleeding is continuing! I went a lowly 17-7 (0.708) bringing the season to 73-27 (0.730). Not looking good. I need to tell the wife I need to get out and see more games. Maybe it’s just the stress of GE stock’s ski slope lately…..Let’s see how this week goes…Horseheads (probably not, just trying to be loyal), Forks (back on track with big win over tough Tornado team), Waverly, Unatego, Walton, Elmira Notre Dame, Harpursville (2 years in a row for the Hornets over the Blackhawks), BG, Groton, Candor, Lansing, Greene, Maine-Endwell, EFA, Johnson City, Windsor, Owego, Moravia, Seton, Watkins Glen, SVE, Oneonta, and Union-Endicott.