Shepas' Team is 7-0

[obie7661]

Whatever your thoughts on Shepas ... he's doing pretty good.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/10_15_07_column

...Maybe the most surprising body of work has come at Waynesburg, where three years ago head coach Rick Shepas was plucked out of Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio.

The hire was met with some chortling by Massillon fans, many of whom were happy to see Shepas leave. More than a handful of e-mails landed in this writer's inbox deriding Waynesburg's decision to take a "bad high school coach" off their hands.

No one is chortling now. Shepas' dogged recruiting of tailback Robert Heller and his shaping of a defense that will knock an opponent back into the Wing-T era has propelled the Yellow Jackets into one of the elite teams in the PAC.

Heller, a Division I talent who developed a loyalty to Shepas while at a prep school last year, could finish with more than 2,000 yards rushing this season. Defensive end Mike Czerwien, a pure sack master, has sent more than one opposing quarterback into therapy....

[ChronicTiger]

Good for him.....

[proud to be]

This is me.... yawning........:zzz:

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

Rick Shepas is intimidating teams in the PAC as if it was Massillon all over again.

That's one of Shepas' biggest assets...intimidation and it is working.

Personally, I'd like to see Waynesburg challenge Mount Union. If that was the Stagg Bowl.........I'd like for it to happen.

[SuperBran]

Rick Shepas is intimidating teams in the PAC as if it was Massillon all over again.

That's one of Shepas' biggest assets...intimidation and it is working.



yep, he was so intimidating that his last two years he went 4-6.

[SuperBran]

Boy I am glad the current coach came in here and un-did all the things Shepas put into place during his tenure. Like the West Virginia speed program, having the entire program on the same page from the ground up, discipline in the wieght-room, Classroom, lockerroom, and on the field.

If the current coaches hadn't changed all that we might be as bad as Shepas's current team...:oops2:

i agree. i mean, i thoroughly enjoyed watching shepas produce losing records nearly half the time he was here. i really enjoyed watching him lose every game in which we were the underdog, and really really enjoyed getting blown out by a mckinley team that had been o-for-ohio for a long time.

shepas is currently 15-10 in his career at waynesburg. let's elect him to the college coaching hof.

[crackerman]

Keno,

Mount would beat them by at least 45 points this year.

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

Crackerman,

You won't get an argument from me on this. I have seen MUC play twice this year!

What year did you graduate from Mount Union?

[SuperBran]

Keno,

Mount would beat them by at least 45 points this year.

are you nuts????





















mount would beat them by 63.

[Red50Go]

i agree. i mean, i thoroughly enjoyed watching shepas produce losing records nearly half the time he was here. i really enjoyed watching him lose every game in which we were the underdog, and really really enjoyed getting blown out by a mckinley team that had been o-for-ohio for a long time.

shepas is currently 15-10 in his career at waynesburg. let's elect him to the college coaching hof.

Tell the whole story. We also won the region back to back, then had to rebuild w/ alot of sophs starting & injuries against a schedule 5 x harder than anything Stacy has seen. I think he would have gotten us as far in 05, if not the title.

Not a Shep lover or Stacy basher. Both have their good & bad points. Combine the 2 and you'd have a GREAT coach. Just my opinion.

[Mass6]

Give him a few years, with his recruiting in place, coaching kids he brought in and I think things will only get better. I have to agree with Keno and Cracker in the fact that his school wouldn't stand a chance against Mount. They are just too good in all aspects of the game.

[Banks]

He will step down after this year and take an asst. coaching job at W.V.

[SuperBran]

Tell the whole story. We also won the region back to back, then had to rebuild w/ alot of sophs starting & injuries against a schedule 5 x harder than anything Stacy has seen. I think he would have gotten us as far in 05, if not the title.

there's no way shepas would have won the title in 05'. we should have won it in '01, when we arguably had the most talented team in the state (and even chuck kyle said we were the best team in the state that year) but couldn't get it done against ignatius. shepas' success was directly correlated to the amount of talent he had. in seven years he never won a game in which we were the underdogs, so what would make anyone think that he would have beaten st. x when they were the number one rated team in ohio?

i agree that shep had his good points and bad points (as does stacey); however my initial post was addressing the fact that some people seem to think that stacey has put this program back a few steps from when shep was in charge. it's funny to hear people criticize stacey's discipline when shep was no saint himself.

[Spize]

i agree. i mean, i thoroughly enjoyed watching shepas produce losing records nearly half the time he was here. i really enjoyed watching him lose every game in which we were the underdog, and really really enjoyed getting blown out by a mckinley team that had been o-for-ohio for a long time.

shepas is currently 15-10 in his career at waynesburg. let's elect him to the college coaching hof.

Right, because anyone else would have won with what he had to work with those 2 years right? I suppose there is a coach that would have figured out how to pass to a 5'9" reciever being guarded by a 6'2" defender much easier right? The last 2 years he was here we had good talent at the positions where we had talent, but where we didn't we had to play YOUNG kids to try to build them up for the later years (2005).

Oh ya, losing to O-for-Ohio Mck... how's that very same Mck team do the following year... really? They played 15 games? Nobody mentions that we were no prize that year either. Upset of the year right? A 4-5 team lost to a 2-7 team, call ESPN.

My statement earlier is that Shepas is NOT a bad coach. He is actually a very good big picture coach. In comparison to our current coach he is Bill Belechick. (NE Bill, not Cleveland Bill)

He went 4-6 and missed the playoffs with teams that were not anticipated to do that much better. Currently we have a team that every scouting agency thought would at least be in the title game that probably won't make the playoffs.

Not trying to bash the current coaches, but I am saying that Shepas turning that program into something good, long term, is not a surprise to me.

[Spize]

there's no way shepas would have won the title in 05'. we should have won it in '01, when we arguably had the most talented team in the state (and even chuck kyle said we were the best team in the state that year) but couldn't get it done against ignatius. shepas' success was directly correlated to the amount of talent he had. in seven years he never won a game in which we were the underdogs, so what would make anyone think that he would have beaten st. x when they were the number one rated team in ohio?

i agree that shep had his good points and bad points (as does stacey); however my initial post was addressing the fact that some people seem to think that stacey has put this program back a few steps from when shep was in charge. it's funny to hear people criticize stacey's discipline when shep was no saint himself.


Actually he won a few that we were the underdog in. However, after we beat them, it is easy to look back and say we weren't.

BTW, I would rather lose when we are the underdog, then lose when we are the heavy favorite.

[slob55]

Keno,

Mount would beat them by at least 45 points this year.

Get over yourself.

[crackerman]

Get over yourself.

and for you slobby....Mount would beat Northern Michigan by 70.

[TigerCoach]

I think Mt. Union would beat Michigan this year.

[Spize]

If Waynesburg is in the same division and they both make the playoffs (what a concept, College playoffs) maybe we will see the matchup and find out what the final score really would be. Mind you I am not dilusional enough to think that Waynesburg would beat Mount, but I am not sure it would be the blowout some think it would be either.

[crackerman]

If Waynesburg is in the same division and they both make the playoffs (what a concept, College playoffs) maybe we will see the matchup and find out what the final score really would be. Mind you I am not dilusional enough to think that Waynesburg would beat Mount, but I am not sure it would be the blowout some think it would be either.

This years Mount team is the best division III team since the 97 Mount team which is considered the best ever in division III football, hence why I said 45 points at least.

[Mass6]

This years Mount team is the best division III team since the 97 Mount team which is considered the best ever in division III football, hence why I said 45 points at least.

I have to agree, and I don't see anyone really giving Mount a challenge with their Defense being as disciplined as they are, plus that offense is just explosive! Give that RB that Waynesburg has a couple of years and we'll see, but not this year. And yes Slobby, they probably would be Northern Michigan this year!!!!

[Red50Go]

I agree that shep had his good points and bad points (as does stacey); however my initial post was addressing the fact that some people seem to think that stacey has put this program back a few steps from when shep was in charge. it's funny to hear people criticize stacey's discipline when shep was no saint himself.

I agree w/ your 1st statement, like I mentioned. I wish we could combine them. Stacy's done good things to "undo" some of what Shep did, but by the same token I do feel the program has taken some dangerous steps back in others. One thing about Shep, he ate, slept & drank MASSILLON 24/7. Maybe its just me but I dont see that level of committment or desire. Stu called it "that fire in his belly." Hey if Stu liked him he couldn't have been all bad.

[SuperBran]

Actually he won a few that we were the underdog in.

name them.

every game we were supposed to lose (e.g., iggy, moeller, harding, etc.) we lost.

BTW, I would rather lose when we are the underdog, then lose when we are the heavy favorite.

well, it looks like shep lost every game he was the underdog in.

Right, because anyone else would have won with what he had to work with those 2 years right? I suppose there is a coach that would have figured out how to pass to a 5'9" reciever being guarded by a 6'2" defender much easier right?

wow, so having a 5'9" receive is impossible? well then, i guess stacey has an excuse since his top receiver this year is only one inch taller. better yet, i guess we can blame the title game loss on the fact that we had a 5'8" qb throwing over defensive lines that were 6'3".

wasn't vanryzin a pretty small guy? but he was able to pull down 800 yards under stacey.

Oh ya, losing to O-for-Ohio Mck... how's that very same Mck team do the following year... really?

it doesn't matter what mckinley did the next year. the fact remains that mckinley's only wins were against very poor teams....yet they totally blew us away.

Nobody mentions that we were no prize that year either. Upset of the year right? A 4-5 team lost to a 2-7 team, call ESPN.

see above.

that 2-7 mckinley team was worse than their record. their only wins were against a canadian team and a dc team. they hadn't beaten an ohio team in a very long time.

My statement earlier is that Shepas is NOT a bad coach. He is actually a very good big picture coach.

shepas wasn't a horrible coach, but he wasn't a good coach. he had the talent to win it all zwick's last year and couldn't do it even though he had (arguably) the most talented team in the state. his success was directly related to the amount of talent he had. talent = wins. no talent = losses. again, show me the "few" games where he was the underdog and actually won.

In comparison to our current coach he is Bill Belechick. (NE Bill, not Cleveland Bill)

LOL! you really don't have a clue. yep, what a great comparison. i think you forget, though, that belechick wouldn't have losing seasons nearly half of his time as coach. belechick wouldn't fail to produce a winning record against his biggest rival, as well as fail to win the big games.

He went 4-6 and missed the playoffs with teams that were not anticipated to do that much better. Currently we have a team that every scouting agency thought would at least be in the title game that probably won't make the playoffs.

every? not really.

those scouting agencies that picked the tigers seemed to know something that most massillon fans didn't know. most massillon that i know weren't so quick to pencil the tigers into the state title game. massillon may have some good athletes, but the tigers lost A LOT from last year. having a guy like torrence come in doesn't make up for the fact that you lose guys like huth, gamble, dailey, mcquire, etc. anyone who knew anything about the tigers knew that this year wasn't an automatic trip to the finals.

Not trying to bash the current coaches, but I am saying that Shepas turning that program into something good, long term, is not a surprise to me.

i think you've done quite well in bashing stacey.

btw - something good, long term? again, look at his time there.

4-6
6-4
5-0

he might be doing well this year, but only a fool would think that he's turned that program into something good, long time. give him a few more years and let's see how he does. one good year doesn't make you a great college football coach.

only delusional marvin lewis loving bengals fans would consider such a record a good long term record.

[longtimefirsttime]

I wasn't sad to see him go. But I'm not going to hold some kind of lifelong grudge against the guy. If he's doing well elsewhere, good for him.

[TigerSupport]

SuperBran....:oh: :eek2:

(applause)

Nice post.


I respect the guy for having coached here and being dedicated to the program but what coach isn't? Those closely involved with the program probably weren't sad to see him go. He did his good and bad - as does any coach, really. Good for him and his family that they are 6-0...wish him continued success

[werperry]

That's one of Shepas' biggest assets...intimidation and it is working.

:laughing: :laughing:

[SuperBran]

I agree w/ your 1st statement, like I mentioned. I wish we could combine them. Stacy's done good things to "undo" some of what Shep did, but by the same token I do feel the program has taken some dangerous steps back in others. One thing about Shep, he ate, slept & drank MASSILLON 24/7. Maybe its just me but I dont see that level of committment or desire. Stu called it "that fire in his belly." Hey if Stu liked him he couldn't have been all bad.

i absolutely agree.

I wasn't sad to see him go. But I'm not going to hold some kind of lifelong grudge against the guy. If he's doing well elsewhere, good for him.

exactly. although i wasn't a fan of shep, it is nice to see that he's taking the team in the right direction.

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

werperry,

Laugh now but between Perry and Massillon, who won the last meeting between Keith Wakefield and Shepas...oh that's right...remember Max Shafer? Hmmm.........

.........well Perry wasn't intimidated of Massillon at least. But I have seen teams that were intimidated by Massillon under the Shepas regime.

[ChronicTiger]

shepas wasn't a horrible coach, but he wasn't a good coach. he had the talent to win it all zwick's last year and couldn't do it even though he had (arguably) the most talented team in the state.

we were not close to being the most talented team in the state. Iggy was more talented.....maybe even at QB......

:eek2:

anyway......good for shep......

[SuperBran]

we were not close to being the most talented team in the state. Iggy was more talented.....maybe even at QB......


what??? seriously?

as i said, you can argue whether or not we were the most talented team; however, to say that we weren't even close to being the most talented is ridiculous.

i'd take zwick over szep any day of the week and twice on tuesday.

[ChronicTiger]

what??? seriously?

as i said, you can argue whether or not we were the most talented team; however, to say that we weren't even close to being the most talented is ridiculous.

i'd take zwick over szep any day of the week and twice on tuesday.


And the reason szep outperformed zwick....you guessed it, iggy was much more talented across the board.........

[werperry]

werperry,

Laugh now but between Perry and Massillon, who won the last meeting between Keith Wakefield and Shepas...oh that's right...remember Max Shafer? Hmmm.........

.........well Perry wasn't intimidated of Massillon at least. But I have seen teams that were intimidated by Massillon under the Shepas regime.

yes, i will continue to laugh. of perry's recent wins vs massillon...they were ALL versus shepas' coached massillon teams.

shepas was/IS a wanna-be bully...nothing more, nothing less.

[SuperBran]

And the reason szep outperformed zwick....you guessed it, iggy was much more talented across the board.........

i think you forget that in the playoffs massillon really shot themselves in the foot. there was a fumble in our endzone, which was recovered for a td. there was a third and long that was converted due to a pass interference penalty.

so what was the excuse for the game against iggy the next year. you remember it, don't you? the one where we were up 21-9 in the fourth quarter but still lost.

[massillon catholic]

what??? seriously?

as i said, you can argue whether or not we were the most talented team; however, to say that we weren't even close to being the most talented is ridiculous.

i'd take zwick over szep any day of the week and twice on tuesday.

This years team has more overall talent than any of Shepas's teams.

[SuperBran]

This years team has more overall talent than any of Shepas's teams.

i completely disagree. in 2001 we had some pretty good talent (e.g., zwick, jordan, crable, alleman, abdul). that 2001 team was more talented.

regardless of the talent this year, look at what we lost from last year. we lost, among others, a two-year starting qb and two all ohio players.

[OTC TIGER]

I thought the Headset was supposed to the cure all...:smartass:

[Seeker]

I thought the Headset was supposed to the cure all...:smartass:

Not the cure all, but as I recall, many people thought that it would help.

:tounge:

[OTC TIGER]

i completely disagree. in 2001 we had some pretty good talent (e.g., zwick, jordan, crable, alleman, abdul). that 2001 team was more talented.

regardless of the talent this year, look at what we lost from last year. we lost, among others, a two-year starting qb and two all ohio players.

Superbran...we did have talent in 2001...But you want to point out the 2
4-6 seasons..what talent did we have in those 2 years...the talent we had was in the form of Sophs..Now how bout we look at the talent we faced over that 2 year period..Antonio Pittman-OSU, Brian Hoyer (Mich St-Iggy),Javon Ringer (Mich St-Dayton Cham),Ray Williams (Benedictine-could have gone anywhere),Alex Boone (OSU-St.Eds),Chris Wells (OSU-Garfield),Mario Manningham (Mich-Warren),Ryan Brinson (All OH-West VA.?) and this doesn't
take into account all the possible lineman on those teams that are playing
college ball now..Did Shep ever go 7-5 with 2 Big Tenners on his teams???

Rick not only battled top talent in those 2 years...He battled his own administration at every turn...It's people like you that will never really know what the man did for kids and still does for Massillon Kids to this day...We may
not have had alot of talent in 03-04 but there are kids playing college ball
largely because of his efforts...Rick had his faults and shortcomings as he would tell you...But you knew where you stood with Rick like it or not.

[man2man]

Shepas was his own worst enemy. The fact is his bosses knew he was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Unless he's matured, he'll wear out his welcome at this place too. Some people can't handle success.

[CATS44]

Shep was dedicated to THIS program and to the kids who played for him.

The same cant be said of a few coaches we have had.

If I had a kid playing for the Tigers, Id love to have him playing for Shep.

[SuperBran]

Superbran...we did have talent in 2001...But you want to point out the 2
4-6 seasons..what talent did we have in those 2 years...the talent we had was in the form of Sophs..Now how bout we look at the talent we faced over that 2 year period..Antonio Pittman-OSU, Brian Hoyer (Mich St-Iggy),Javon Ringer (Mich St-Dayton Cham),Ray Williams (Benedictine-could have gone anywhere),Alex Boone (OSU-St.Eds),Chris Wells (OSU-Garfield),Mario Manningham (Mich-Warren),Ryan Brinson (All OH-West VA.?) and this doesn't
take into account all the possible lineman on those teams that are playing
college ball now..

do you even read what others write? i specifically pointed out that shep's success was directly related to the amount of talent he had. when he had good talent he won, and when he didn't have the talent he lost. that doesn't make a great coach. over and over and over i've asked someone to name games that he won when we were the underdog. no one can. that stat sticks out. he simply couldn't win a big game. every game we were expected to lose we lost. plain and simple. even when we were up against iggy in the fourth quarter shep couldn't lead us to a win.

an average coach can win when he has talent, and lose when he doesn't. GREAT coaches find ways to win the games they shouldn't. shep couldn't do that.

Did Shep ever go 7-5 with 2 Big Tenners on his teams???

so having two "big tenners" assures you success? LOL. i think you forget he had james and huffman on his 2004 team (and although they were only juniors, they were good). you also forget that this is a team game. it takes more than two "big tenners" to go far.

Rick not only battled top talent in those 2 years...He battled his own administration at every turn...

please don't be so naive to think that rick was a saint during his years here.

It's people like you that will never really know what the man did for kids and still does for Massillon Kids to this day...

we're not talking about his work with developing kids. if you don't think i realize what he's done for his kids you're a fool, so don't try to put words in my mouth. i never commented on that fact. we're talking about coaching here. i'm sure john cooper was a swell guy, but that couldn't save his job.

i find it comical that people rip on stacey but yet defend shep. stacey has a winning record against mckinley, has been to the playoffs the last two years (including one trip to the finals), has actually won games in which massillon was the underdog, and beat iggy (which no other coach has done). to rip on him, yet defend shep, is ridiculous....especially when stacey has accomplished more in his first three years.

[massman]

There is no arguing that Waynesburg University is 6 and 0 for the first time in 40 years. Congratulations to Coach Shepas and his staff.

"Keep sawing the wood"

[tig62]

I also would like to offer congratulations to Coach Shepas and his staff. And thanks Rick for rebuilding our neglected middle school/freshman feeder system and for procuring the West Virginia Strength/Speed/Agility program that helped to developed more mobile lineman. In retrospection, it was effective; too bad it hasn't been continued. The 2005 team was the one you had been grooming for two years, but never got the chance to see it to fruition; but take heart, coach Huffman did do a pretty job of play calling that year.

[Benchboss1]

an average coach can win when he has talent, and lose when he doesn't. GREAT coaches find ways to win the games they shouldn't. shep couldn't do that.



What kind of coach does it take to lose to teams that should not even be on the same field as us, ie. Whitmer, Solon or Normandy?

[ChronicTiger]

i think you forget that in the playoffs massillon really shot themselves in the foot. there was a fumble in our endzone, which was recovered for a td. there was a third and long that was converted due to a pass interference penalty.

so what was the excuse for the game against iggy the next year. you remember it, don't you? the one where we were up 21-9 in the fourth quarter but still lost.

they were more talented that year also. we have never been more talented than IGGY.

[TigerDL71]

they were more talented that year also. we have never been more talented than IGGY.

I believed what happened was Tony Gonzalez took over that game. A guy who plays in the league for one for one of the best teams who also like to pass the ball a lot. He picked off a pass to a ball that should have never been thrown ( even the QB will admit that), and two touchdown catches. Did you also forget about the fumble that tuffy woods had that game that set up a score? Please name one person on that years team that could have shut down Tony Gonzalez or Mario Manningham? Some guys in the Big Ten couldn't even do it.

[Obie Wan]

What kind of coach does it take to lose to teams that should not even be on the same field as us, ie. Whitmer, Solon or Normandy?
Your competitive analysis of other teams is extremely suspect.

[SuperBran]

What kind of coach does it take to lose to teams that should not even be on the same field as us, ie. Whitmer, Solon or Normandy?

well i guess pete carroll is a horrible coach since stanford didn't belong on the same field as usc. oh, and tell bob stoops that he should step down since there's no way colorado should have kept the game close, let alone win. even the best coaches lose games they have no business losing...not that i think that teams like whitmer and solon shouldn't be on the field as us....that's just plain ridiculous. as i've said before, i don't think shep was a bad coach, but he definitely wasn't as great of a coach that some would like to think he was.

thanks for the insight, though.

hey, weren't you lobbying really really hard for your man jay niswonger to replace shep? maybe we should fire stacey and bring him in since he was the better choice. we'll just forget the fact that he's 4-4 this year and went 3-7 last year. he did get to the third round in 2005, but you probably didn't notice since we were in the middle of our run.

[SuperBran]

they were more talented that year also. we have never been more talented than IGGY.

really? so you think our win in 2005 over an iggy team that finished 5-4 on the season was a fluke?

[Benchboss1]

Your competitive analysis of other teams is extremely suspect.


If you think any of those three teams has/had as much talent s we do/did, then maybe your analysis is suspect!

[Obie Wan]

If you think any of those three teams has/had as much talent s we do/did, then maybe your analysis is suspect!
Ah, but that's not the standard that you applied earlier. You said that those teams "should not even be on the same field". The fact that all three of those teams beat us shows that they belonged on the field. Perhaps we "should" have beaten them - but that's a completely different issue.

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

No other coach was in the eye of the storm than Rick Shepas. He faced the pressure and expectations of this proud city of Massillon but never one time did he cower. He's really come into his own as the leader of the Waynesburg Yellow Jackets and they are making a serious push towards a PAC title!

and werperry, how can you call Shepas a bully? Even though he is physically built and well fit, I can't envision him being a bully. But I loved his locker room speech in the GO TIGERS movie before the Tigers stopped Perry 35-14.

Anyway, I hope Waynesburg qualifies for the playoffs. They are deserving of it.

[SuperBran]

If you think any of those three teams has/had as much talent s we do/did, then maybe your analysis is suspect!

so you'd agree, then, that massillon didn't belong on the same field as most of the teams we faced in 2003 and 2004.

as obie wan pointed out, just b/c a team has less talent it doesn't mean they don't belong on the same field.

[werperry]

and werperry, how can you call Shepas a bully? Even though he is physically built and well fit, I can't envision him being a bully. But I loved his locker room speech in the GO TIGERS movie before the Tigers stopped Perry 35-14.


i didn't... i called him a "wanna-be" bully.

too bad he didn't give that speech again in the playoffs... :2thumbsup:

[ChronicTiger]

I believed what happened was Tony Gonzalez took over that game. A guy who plays in the league for one for one of the best teams who also like to pass the ball a lot. He picked off a pass to a ball that should have never been thrown ( even the QB will admit that), and two touchdown catches. Did you also forget about the fumble that tuffy woods had that game that set up a score? Please name one person on that years team that could have shut down Tony Gonzalez or Mario Manningham? Some guys in the Big Ten couldn't even do it.

Thats what I said captain obvious....they were more talanted that year and every other year we played them. What happened is they were more talented and by the end of the game it caught up with us....

:doh:

[ChronicTiger]

really? so you think our win in 2005 over an iggy team that finished 5-4 on the season was a fluke?

We were lucky to win that game. they had more talent and could have finished better had it not been for a number of key injuries.....

:puke:

[OTC TIGER]

There are more than a few guys that could use some bully tactics during the last 8 weeks..:ohno:

[OTC TIGER]

[QUOTE=ChronicTiger;80034]We were lucky to win that game. they had more talent and could have finished better had it not been for a number of key injuries.....


Key injuries...:doh: For god sake our starting QB was on the sideline when we drove for the winning score..we were not lucky to win..we were better than they were..AND we had more talent than them for a change

[SuperBran]

We were lucky to win that game. they had more talent and could have finished better had it not been for a number of key injuries.....

:puke:

you could argue that they might have won the eds game, but they still would have lost to st. x. at best they would have ended up 6-3 during the regular season.

more talent? look at the all-ohio players that year:

first team:
massillon = 4
iggy = 0

second team:
massillon = 3
iggy = 2

if you think iggy was more talented, then please explain.

[massman]

Unfortunately there are certain schools in this state that we would be fortunate to defeat once every 10 years based on enrollment figures alone. And if you don't think it matters why is it then there are 6 divisions? We are not the only program/coaches who struggle to or ever have success against these 'mega' schools and the advantages they enjoy.

My problem with the current regime is the total sell-out to political correctness. BC meetings have become seen one seen em all affairs with little insight to the real goings on of the program.

It is my opinion that this year we have underacheived. We brought in a so called top notch staff. We were fortunate to have one of the counties top athletes transfer in along with others. And yet at times this team has looked awful.

My question is why? I am confident Rick would have supplied that answer. I'm a big boy I can take it. There is no need to hide behind "in-house issues".



Win or Lose, Massillon Always

[ChronicTiger]

you could argue that they might have won the eds game, but they still would have lost to st. x. at best they would have ended up 6-3 during the regular season.

more talent? look at the all-ohio players that year:

first team:
massillon = 4
iggy = 0

second team:
massillon = 3
iggy = 2

if you think iggy was more talented, then please explain.

If football were a seven on seven game then you might have an advantage with those stats. But after those 4 all-ohio first team players what do you have? I'll tell you...advantage iggy in most every case. Even when they are "down" they seem to have great play at every position and worse yet the backups are good also. You understand using the term "more talent" means the team as a whole, right?

:suspect:

[SuperBran]

something tells me that even if massillon had every starter go on to play at BCS conference schools, and iggy had no one get a scholarship, you'd still say that they had more talent just b/c they're iggy.

If football were a seven on seven game then you might have an advantage with those stats. But after those 4 all-ohio first team players what do you have?

when 7 of 22 starters are all-ohio, you're a pretty talented team. you don't have that many all-ohio players unless you play well as a team.

what did we have besides those all-ohio players? let's see...

mcquire
paulik
huth - over 2,000 yards and 18 tds.
robinson - 900 yards rushing
vanryzin - 50 catches for 800+ yards, 6 tds.

pretty good players.


You understand using the term "more talent" means the team as a whole, right?

you understand that just b/c they have "ignatius" on the fronts of their jerseys, that doesn't mean that they actually have more talent, right?

i've stated my case. now it's your turn to show me how ignatius had more talent..........and please don't just say "well, they have great players at each position and good backups" b/c that's a really weak argument.

[TigerCoach]

Why don't you guys give it a rest! Sometimes, the best team doesn't always win the game.

[Red50Go]

Unfortunately there are certain schools in this state that we would be fortunate to defeat once every 10 years based on enrollment figures alone. And if you don't think it matters why is it then there are 6 divisions? We are not the only program/coaches who struggle to or ever have success against these 'mega' schools and the advantages they enjoy.

My problem with the current regime is the total sell-out to political correctness. BC meetings have become seen one seen em all affairs with little insight to the real goings on of the program.

It is my opinion that this year we have underacheived. We brought in a so called top notch staff. We were fortunate to have one of the counties top athletes transfer in along with others. And yet at times this team has looked awful.

My question is why? I am confident Rick would have supplied that answer. I'm a big boy I can take it. There is no need to hide behind "in-house issues".



Win or Lose, Massillon Always

Well said. On all counts. Top to bottom, feeder system, player development, in general I have never been more clueless about who we are where we are what we have or where we are going. Shep was supposedly "controlling" but at least for Joe 6-pack it seemed alot easier to get close to those teams - JMHO. It seemed Shep was ALOT closer to the players and often provided alot of interesting personal insights, sometimes hard to hear but many times inspirational also.

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

Shepas told it how it was, whether people liked it or not, the way it should be done.

I will always love his quote from seven years ago: "When your pride is on the line, who do you turn to?" That sticks out to me greatly.

[SuperBran]

Shep was supposedly "controlling" but at least for Joe 6-pack it seemed alot easier to get close to those teams - JMHO.

i think sometimes the problem is that "joe 6-pack" gets TOO close to the team. that problem seems to arise all too often.

It seemed Shep was ALOT closer to the players

you have to remember that this stacey hasn't even been here three seasons yet. he was new to the 2005 team (so of course he wasn't going to be too close) and this year we lost a lot of players that were on the 2005 and 2006 teams. give him some time to develop a rapport.

Top to bottom, feeder system, player development, in general I have never been more clueless about who we are where we are what we have or where we are going.

i'm not bashing shep when i say this, but i felt the same way about the team after shep's last year. under his leadership we had three losing seasons, which was shocking considering we've only had FOUR losing seasons after 1910. i really didn't feel that he could win the big game, and we were only successful when we had talented teams. i felt like shep was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.....he never seemed to tailor the system to match the level of talent we had. i would have had more faith if he would have won just a couple of games we were pegged to lose.

that's just my opinion.

[Red50Go]

Well, you probably had us "pegged" to go 15-0 for at least 2 of those seasons, lol. Hard to do no matter the talent. Yes he needed talent, but I dont see that as much different than any coach. I agree I had my doubts on winning it all after 02. (We were SO close!). But at least I knew when we did have talent we would make a run. Unlike Rose's teams, or these last 2. When we didn't we wouldn't, but would re-build for it by playing youth and hitting the weights. I could live w/ that. I also agree Shep had to leave when he did cuz too much turmoil by that point. Much of it his fault. (I'll just bite my tongue about the previous adm. though). As he stated it remains a regret (the political side of it). He was pretty young. We can agree to disagree on this part - it will NEVER happen but w/ a few more years and a bit wiser - I would take him back. IMO he had some qualities (not necessarily x's & o's) I haven't seen around here since the early 70's under another coach.

[Red50Go]

i think sometimes the problem is that "joe 6-pack" gets TOO close to the team. that problem seems to arise all too often.




Btw, Joe 6-pack is your average fan, went to BC meetings etc, supported best we could, but never asked for nothing and no power to influence anything. Its the guys on the "inside" who always want a piece of the program - and think they deserve it. And yes.

[OTC TIGER]

The "in house issues" will be out of the house soon :suspect:

[ChronicTiger]

...and please don't just say "well, they have great players at each position and good backups" b/c that's a really weak argument.

not if its true....

:cylon:

[tbone]

Shepas was his own worst enemy. The fact is his bosses knew he was a lawsuit waiting to happen.

oh, it was way more than one lawsuit...

i think the last of which was just settled within the last year.

[massman]

Waynesburg University remains unbeaten (7-0) with todays 25-20 win over Thiel College.

[TigerCoach]

Make it 7-0 at Waynesburg for the best Massillon coach we've had since Bob Commings. The Yellow Jackets face nationally ranked and also-undefeated conference rival Washington & Jefferson next Saturday at 1:30.

[OTC TIGER]

oh, it was way more than one lawsuit...

i think the last of which was just settled within the last year.

:wtf: :wall:

[SuperBran]

Make it 7-0 at Waynesburg for the best Massillon coach we've had since Bob Commings.

:lol:

[OTC TIGER]

IMO...Since Commings

Shep vs Shuff...Not even close...Shep

Shep vs Currence...I have to go w/ Mike

Shep vs Maronto...Shep Hands down

Shep vs Owens...Even

Shep vs Rose...No disrespect to a current Staffer But it's Shep

Shep vs Stacy...ask me next week

Beat Mck!!!

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

OTC TIGER,

Shepas relied on intimidation. Stacy relied on force.

Tell you what...

Who would win between the 1999 Massillon Tigers and the 2005 Massillon Tigers? Get back to me and I'll tell you who I think would have won......

[SuperBran]

Who would win between the 1999 Massillon Tigers and the 2005 Massillon Tigers?

i think i'll go with the team with 7 all-ohio players and made it past the first round.

[OTC TIGER]

OTC TIGER,



Who would win between the 1999 Massillon Tigers and the 2005 Massillon Tigers? Get back to me and I'll tell you who I think would have won......

I'll always remember the 99 team as one with great senior leadership much
like 05 and also the fact that destroyed McK at their place after 5 consecutive defeats and really set the tone for a strong 3 year run...However I would take the 05 team due to the depth of play makers on the the team..Irwin and Huth were both very good at running the offense as well as tough guys despite their size

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

OTC TIGER,

The 1999 team intimdated teams that stood in their way. But if they could not intimidate a team, then that is the only time they were in trouble.

The 2005 team led with force. They believed no matter who the other team was, regardless of who they were, they could beat them and do it forcefully.

Force alone beats intimidation. Take the 2005 Tigers.

[xtiger]

The "in house issues" will be out of the house soon :suspect:

Thank God! What a mistake that was.

[OTC TIGER]

[QUOTE]Force alone beats intimidation.

Oh Ya...Ask the 1981 Mck Bulldogs if it was force that beat Moeller in the Title Game that year...Moeller wanted nothing to do with McK that day at the Rubber bowl :ohno:

A little Intimidation is never a bad thing...Think BG ever intimidated anyone :eek2:

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

OTC TIGER,

This has nothing to do with Canton McKinley. I'm referring to Shepas and what he brought to Massillon.

Brian Gamble led with force...he played with force...he didn't trash talk or all that other stuff.

[OTC TIGER]

Brian Gamble led with force...he played with force...he didn't trash talk or all that other stuff.

One does not need to trash talk to be intimidating :ghostface:

[Benchboss1]

Brian Gamble led with force...he played with force...he didn't trash talk or all that other stuff.

Keno, do you even know Brian Gamble? If you think that he did not talk trash than you really are clueless. BG was one of the best/worst trash talkers that I have even known!

[MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp]

Benchboss1,

I'd like to hear your account on this one.

[Red50Go]

Keno, do you even know Brian Gamble? If you think that he did not talk trash than you really are clueless. BG was one of the best/worst trash talkers that I have even known!

Lol. Uhh, well, definitely not a shy kid.

[Spize]

[QUOTE=MUCSteelers5xSuperChamp;80971]OTC TIGER,

Stacy relied on force.

QUOTE]

:lol: :lol:

[proud to be]

Make it 7-0 at Waynesburg for the best Massillon coach we've had since Bob Commings. .

This is a pretty disappointing comment coming from you TC. I know you like Shep, but what dodes this say about Currence, who REALLY believed in you as a player, and as I remember, made a pretty amazing playoff run your junior year without a real star (Relford, Zwick, Crable, Jordan, etc..)player on his squad.

Shep was an offensive innovator here, no doubt, but he had a slew of DI talent and didn't get it done. Who did we have in 80-81 that played big time DI ball besides you?

What we had was a TEAM, that played together for a COACH they believed in. Currence was easily superior to Shep as a LEADER, and as a gameday X and O coach IMO.

By the way, what is Maronto's record where he is??? What is the fascination with this man years later that we have to keep reading about him on here. He ain't here no more. I for one could care less about how he is doing, but we have to keep reading about how he would be doing with this talent!! Let's not forget, he had 2 LOSING seasons while he was here. Friend or no friend, he had his share of failure. And more than a lot of past coaches.

[DAWGH8R]

Shep was an offensive innovator here, no doubt, but he had a slew of DI talent and didn't get it done. Who did we have in 80-81 that played big time DI ball besides you?


Since when are the YELLOW JACKETS "big time D1" ball ??? :poke:

[massman]

What is the fascination with this man years later that we have to keep reading about him on here.

I can't explain the fascination but with 89 replies and 1,487 views there is plenty of it.

[Purple Hayes]

I believed what happened was Tony Gonzalez took over that game. A guy who plays in the league for one for one of the best teams who also like to pass the ball a lot. He picked off a pass to a ball that should have never been thrown ( even the QB will admit that), and two touchdown catches. Did you also forget about the fumble that tuffy woods had that game that set up a score? Please name one person on that years team that could have shut down Tony Gonzalez or Mario Manningham? Some guys in the Big Ten couldn't even do it.

I believe this was one of Shepas' shortcomings...ego.

Even a Coach from a team that had already played Iggy said don't leave Gonzo 1-on-1. What happens? Gonzo runs wild and the rest is history.

I think the measure of a coach is what he does with his material. Stacy's best team came the closest to winning a State Championship as any other coach at Massillon, beat Iggy and followed up with a decent playoff run and most likely a winning season this year (this year's expectations were way too high). Stacy also hired and groomed his coaches well. Compare Scott Garcia to Dan Murphy (no contest).

Shemp lost in the first round to a #8 seed, couldn't sniff beating Iggy in the playoffs and had two losing seasons. Case Closed

[Benchboss1]

Benchboss1,

I'd like to hear your account on this one.



If you know Brian Gamble at all, then you know that he was one of the best trash talkers that we have had here in a LONG LONG time. All you gotta do if you do not believe me is ask him yourself.

[Benchboss1]

Shemp lost in the first round to a #8 seed, couldn't sniff beating Iggy in the playoffs and had two losing seasons. Case Closed



With the way Stacy is going, if he would be here as long as Shep was, thank goodness that is NOT going to happen, I would be willing to bet that he would at least match the two losing seasons that Shep had, if not surpass them. Of course, Stacy will never play the same type of schedule that Shep did either, so we will never know for sure.




BEAT McKINLEY!!!!!

[monte81]

If you know Brian Gamble at all, then you know that he was one of the best trash talkers that we have had here in a LONG LONG time. All you gotta do if you do not believe me is ask him yourself.

For sure---the whole team in 2005 and 06 was cocky andtrashed talked. Most great players have a flare or tone that is needed to play at that level everyday and it makes the game FUN!!!

I will take 11 BG's and beat your butt every game!!!

[DAWGH8R]

Even a Coach from a team that had already played Iggy said don't leave Gonzo 1-on-1. What happens? Gonzo runs wild and the rest is history.



Gonzo didn't 'run wild' .

His pick 6 was the killer.


Were you at the game ??

PS. Hoover (as a 1 seed) lost to an 8TH seeded Massillon Coached Shepas team!! :wink:

[Purple Hayes]

Gonzo didn't 'run wild' .

His pick 6 was the killer.


Were you at the game ??

PS. Hoover (as a 1 seed) lost to an 8TH seeded Massillon Coached Shepas team!! :wink:

As a matter of fact, I was at the game hoping for a Tigers win and feeling pretty good after Relford returned Hoyer's pass 80 yards for a TD to go up 21-3.

OK...semantics. Gonzo didn't "run wild" but I remember him being singled up in the second half, catching many 3rd and longs to keep drives going and catching a couple TD passes. Sound better? :thanx:

[TigerDL71]

As a matter of fact, I was at the game hoping for a Tigers win and feeling pretty good after Relford returned Hoyer's pass 80 yards for a TD to go up 21-3.

OK...semantics. Gonzo didn't "run wild" but I remember him being singled up in the second half, catching many 3rd and longs to keep drives going and catching a couple TD passes. Sound better? :thanx:

Also if you remember correctly Massillon had the ball and was trying to run down the clock at one point and we fumbled the ball. I don't think that shepas can go out there and run the ball or tell the QB what WR to throw the ball to.

[CATS44]

Gonzo did not get single coverage.

If you dont believe it, then watch the tape closely.

On both plays that Gonzo ended up wide open, you can see our OLB turn and point to our safety. We went to over and under coverage on Gonzo, but the safety...even after being told before the snap...blew his assignment.

As for Shep...

If he was still here, our players would not be throwing their helmets after a loss, would not be walking away without shaking hands, would not be skipping winter workouts, would not be dictating to the program.

Compare the program from top to bottom....now and when Shep left. Will our new coach come into as good a setup as Stacy did?

Not hardly...not even close.

[TigerDL71]

Waynesburg lost today 22 to 21 in the battle of the unbeatens.