What is Blackshear waiting for ?

RUInsanityToo

All-American
May 5, 2006
9,549
9,866
113
This year, the AD gave up on the season after the third game. Players and coaches who have similarly dedicated themselves for the love of the sport and their school were told in an instant it was ok to give up. I found it outrageous to show such disregard for their efforts or my dedication, not to mention money. I did not attend another game, which is saying something. Hobbs showed his true colors and so did the state of Rutgers in saying no more, we deserve better.

Can you explain this part of your post a bit more clearly? Ash was fired in season for being com pl letely ineffective, but I'm unsure how that equates to telling the team to give up or disregard forbtheir dedication. Are you saying that any coach or manager of any sport who is fired in season gives players on the team a pass to quit on the team?
 
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buffalochicken21

All-Conference
Jul 19, 2013
1,534
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This makes no sense.

If this were true, then why did he quit *after* Ash was fired? Why didn't he transfer out after last season, like 30% of our season ticket holders?

Dropping season tickets is not the same as making a call on your future when you don’t know if you can trust your head coach, the school admin who seem to be cluelessly replacing him, and your weighing a move to another school in another state where you might get your chance. That’s a massive decision for a 20 year old who’s prob being fed different info from everyone, including a few who’re saying “screw it go to the NFL draft.”

Apple to oranges comparison my friend.
 

NewJerseyGuy

Heisman
Jun 26, 2005
23,090
27,838
88
Dropping season tickets is not the same as making a call on your future when you don’t know if you can trust your head coach, the school admin who seem to be cluelessly replacing him, and your weighing a move to another school in another state where you might get your chance. That’s a massive decision for a 20 year old who’s prob being fed different info from everyone, including a few who’re saying “screw it go to the NFL draft.”

Apple to oranges comparison my friend.

However, the decision by the best player on the team and captain to redshirt an hour before the game has a much more profound and negative effect on the team than if Joe Schmo gives up his season tickets.
 

NickRU714

Heisman
Aug 18, 2009
14,251
13,051
113
Can you explain this part of your post a bit more clearly? Ash was fired in season for being com pl letely ineffective, but I'm unsure how that equates to telling the team to give up or disregard forbtheir dedication. Are you saying that any coach or manager of any sport who is fired in season gives players on the team a pass to quit on the team?

Another of my favorite narratives on this board:

"Ash shouldn't have been fired mid-season.
Hobbs messed it up."


Literally, there were multiple threads calling for Ash to be fired at halftime of every game.
But then once he was actually fired, somehow the season lost all hope?

I had no idea so many people wanted to listen to Ash after every game.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
0
Dropping season tickets is not the same as making a call on your future when you don’t know if you can trust your head coach, the school admin who seem to be cluelessly replacing him, and your weighing a move to another school in another state where you might get your chance. That’s a massive decision for a 20 year old who’s prob being fed different info from everyone, including a few who’re saying “screw it go to the NFL draft.”

Apple to oranges comparison my friend.

103 other guys decided to "trust the head coach".

Blackshear put self before team. This is 100% inarguable. Some people are okay with that. I, like many others, am not.
 
Sep 29, 2005
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Another of my favorite narratives on this board:

"Ash shouldn't have been fired mid-season.
Hobbs messed it up."


Literally, there were multiple threads calling for Ash to be fired at halftime of every game.
But then once he was actually fired, somehow the season lost all hope?

I had no idea so many people wanted to listen to Ash after every game.
Ash should have been fired at the end of last year (probably after the end of the Kansas/Buffalo debacle). I was on board with firing him mid-season. What most of us didn't see coming was starting players taking redshirts on their own. In retrospect, Hobbs should have waited 1 more game before firing him.
 
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Knights 1212

All-American
Sep 9, 2003
27,561
8,501
113
I think more is expected from a team captain. Bailing on your team about 20 minutes before a game I think is not being the way a Captain should be acting. We should have several good running backs next season. I feel we should just let him go elsewhere and wish him luck. He might just be looking at the NFL. Who knows what his plans are. If he should return he should never be made Captain again.
 

REDRICH65

All-Conference
Aug 9, 2010
2,772
2,183
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I worked 40 years at a company whose policy was once you announced you were leaving it was that day, not when you left planned on leaving. (except retirement ). You play for the he team at OUR option not yours. Kick win off Greg.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
0
I worked 40 years at a company whose policy was once you announced you were leaving it was that day, not when you left planned on leaving. (except retirement ). You play for the he team at OUR option not yours. Kick win off Greg.

Most companies with closely-held client lists have the same policy. It's meant to prevent departing employees from poaching clients before they leave.

It's a silly policy, because anyone with any sense would just take whatever they wanted before they announced their resignation.
 

Pils86

All-Conference
Sep 21, 2008
1,797
1,357
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I don't think it is acceptable for starters to redshirt. I also don't think a player should be able to redshirt unilaterally. When Nunz was told of Blacshear's intentions he should have said you play or security will escort you to the locker room, get is street clothee and you have left the team.
 
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tico brown

Heisman
Oct 16, 2005
44,251
14,254
93
103 other guys decided to "trust the head coach".

Blackshear put self before team. This is 100% inarguable. Some people are okay with that. I, like many others, am not.
So did Sit but he's welcomed back with open arms.
 

Scarlet_Monster

All-Conference
Jan 8, 2011
6,164
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So did Sit but he's welcomed back with open arms.

I don't know how many times it has to be brought up, but the Artur situation is nowhere near the same as Blackshear.

The plan was for Artur to redshirt all year, but get playing time in the 4 games so he learns something. Carter got hurt, Artur didn't want to lose his redshirt which was already agreed upon, so Langen gets the nod.

Raheem at no point was inkling to redshirt, he was to be our focal point on offense, and then at the end of warm ups on game day he goes to the staff and tells them he is no longer playing this year, not because of injury, just because he didn't want to lose a year playing for a dud of a coach at a position that has a short lifespan playing wise.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
0
So did Sit but he's welcomed back with open arms.

There's some nuance with Sitkowski. He dressed for the games, he practiced with the team, he said that he would be available in an emergency. Maybe it was a half-assed attempt, but he was there.

And there are a number of posters here who are on the record as not wanting Sitkowski back. So... not the same thing.
 
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RUAEPI

Sophomore
Dec 6, 2005
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I can see where people hate the fact that he quit on his team....I get it.

I can also see where a kid with NFL aspirations was put in a situation that last minute he was given the opportunity to chose to save a year when things around him were falling apart. selfish....yes, but we all make selfish decisions that we feel may make a difference to our future.

That all being said, I would take him back in a heartbeat, and guess what....he would have another year of eligibility under Greg Schiano now! If by some chance he does come back, the moment he scores his first touchdown or makes some great play, most of you will forget!
 
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Knightmoves

Heisman
Jul 31, 2001
30,614
16,591
113
I can see where people hate the fact that he quit on his team....I get it.

I can also see where a kid with NFL aspirations was put in a situation that last minute he was given the opportunity to chose to save a year when things around him were falling apart. selfish....yes, but we all make selfish decisions that we feel may make a difference to our future.

That all being said, I would take him back in a heartbeat, and guess what....he would have another year of eligibility under Greg Schiano now! If by some chance he does come back, the moment he scores his first touchdown or makes some great play, most of you will forget!

Maybe so, but if he wants to enter the NFL draft then why redshirt this past season? Wouldn’t playing have been a better option if we wants to get selected in the draft in 2020?

Art’s situation is similar but different in that he has agreed to stay at RU. Blackshear either is shopping himself thru the portal to other schools or will be preparing for the draft. If he wanted to stay at RU we may have heard about it already. That’s why I believe he’s gone from RU FB.

Interesting that we have 3 schools of thought with Art. Some posters want him as our starting QB, some want him as a backup and others want him nailed to the bench or out of the program. It’s been a rocky road with Art and RU FB.
 

buffalochicken21

All-Conference
Jul 19, 2013
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I think a ton of people either forgot what it was like to be 18-21 years old, and have never been mismanaged by their mentors.

have you ever worked for a boss that was senior to you but you doubted his knowledge? Have you ever watched him fail time after time and begin to question if you should be listening to him at all? I’ve been in this situation.

Sometimes a boss you’ve been loyal to in the past is exposed as incompetent and you have a decision to make, ditch your mentor or keep the faith ‘without results.’ Sometimes keeping the faith is the dumbest thing you can do.

Do I like that Blackshear quit personally? No. Do I get it? Hell yes I do.

You guys are throwing stones from 20 yards away without seeing what the real situation was. A 20-21 year old with elite talent was not exactly put in an easy spot here.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
0
I think a ton of people either forgot what it was like to be 18-21 years old, and have never been mismanaged by their mentors.

have you ever worked for a boss that was senior to you but you doubted his knowledge? Have you ever watched him fail time after time and begin to question if you should be listening to him at all? I’ve been in this situation.

Sometimes a boss you’ve been loyal to in the past is exposed as incompetent and you have a decision to make, ditch your mentor or keep the faith ‘without results.’ Sometimes keeping the faith is the dumbest thing you can do.

Do I like that Blackshear quit personally? No. Do I get it? Hell yes I do.

You guys are throwing stones from 20 yards away without seeing what the real situation was. A 20-21 year old with elite talent was not exactly put in an easy spot here.

Another bad analogy.
 

buffalochicken21

All-Conference
Jul 19, 2013
1,534
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Another bad analogy.

You don’t know until you’ve been there, and I don’t think many people have. When you’re sitting there scratching your head at the calls of someone twice your age who’s paid big bucks to ‘know’ more than you but all evidence points otherwise, it’s a really, really hard, really personal decision to make. At some point you get sick of losing when you have the talent to win.

Like I said, I don’t like what Raheem did but I feel for the guy.
 

RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
0
You don’t know until you’ve been there, and I don’t think many people have. When you’re sitting there scratching your head at the calls of someone twice your age who’s paid big bucks to ‘know’ more than you but all evidence points otherwise, it’s a really, really hard, really personal decision to make. At some point you get sick of losing when you have the talent to win.

Like I said, I don’t like what Raheem did but I feel for the guy.

Everybody else stuck it out. Everybody else was committed to the team.

This is a stupid argument. The kid quit. I wish him great success - somewhere else.
 
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knight82

All-American
Nov 4, 2002
8,534
9,155
113
We need linmen more than we need Blackshear. I'd rather use his scholarship for that
 

Yeah Baby

All-American
Aug 14, 2001
19,261
6,466
0
Everybody else stuck it out. Everybody else was committed to the team.

This is a stupid argument. The kid quit. I wish him great success - somewhere else.
You have your opinion but are unwilling to see the other side or it.

How about this analogy: stud 17 year old pitcher leaves his Babe Ruth summer team because they were not going to win with or without him and his pitching coach said he shouldn’t risk an arm injury. He leaves the team and waits for the draft.
 

rucoe89

All-American
Jul 31, 2001
13,030
6,909
113
I'm not a fan of voluntary red shirts or guys sitting out bowl games. Both are examples of letting your teammates down which I always thought was one of the most important things in team sports. Do your job and don't let the guy next to you down.
Blackshear , with the way he did this, has burned too many bridges.
Wish him the best of luck where ever he may land.
Yes, but we live in a “it’s all about me and what’s mine” world.
 

RU76

Senior
Jul 31, 2001
2,267
578
0
Obviously Hobbs gave up on Ash early enough to give our student athletes a chance to evaluate their circumstances and decide for themselves what to do. The timing very well may have been intentional. Having a couple of our best players redshirt gave them the ability to play an extra year at RU under a decent coach, assuming that Hobbs would actually hire one. If he hired a dud, Sitkowski and Blackshear would both be out of here. Apparently, Schiano and Sitkowski agree that RU is the best option for Sit. It remains to be seen whether this happens with Raheem, although I am sure they will determine what is best for Blackshear and RU. All it takes is one of the 2 to say no RU for Blackshear. We all should be able to live with their decision.

Captain Obvious signing off.
 

dvb91

Senior
Feb 5, 2003
5,184
929
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You have your opinion but are unwilling to see the other side or it.

How about this analogy: stud 17 year old pitcher leaves his Babe Ruth summer team because they were not going to win with or without him and his pitching coach said he shouldn’t risk an arm injury. He leaves the team and waits for the draft.
I doubt that in your analogy that the coach (or team) would want him back. He's welcome to pursue his dream somewhere else and some here even wish him well. Most here definitely aren't on pins & needles hoping he comes back to the fold, as the options available are more than able, plus it's possible to get an improvement via Berger. Most of us have moved on, as it seems he has too.

I will say that he may be more welcomed if Berger doesn't commit to us. Some fans probably will give him the business when he gets back on the field, but that would be expected.
 

RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
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It would appear Blackshear has already made his choice not to return. He would benefit by staying and working under Schiano and the new staff . Blackshear may be talented but he’s not NFL ready so let’s not entertain this nonsense any longer. Would also bet Nunzio made his feelings known to Greg Schiano weeks ago. Blame Hobbs sure but the onus falls upon this player. Can not believe the majority of team sympathizes with Raheem.
 

Big boy stan

All-Conference
Oct 9, 2017
950
1,286
93
It would appear Blackshear has already made his choice not to return.

Not sure this is true. None of us know exactly what he or GS is thinking but I still believe there is a possibility that GS is waiting to hear from Berger and has told Blaskshear as much. If Berger goes elsewhere and Blackshear doesn't see greener pastures, something tells me that GS and he do the practical thing and he is back.
 

RU05

All-American
Jun 25, 2015
15,103
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I don't know how many times it has to be brought up, but the Artur situation is nowhere near the same as Blackshear.

The plan was for Artur to redshirt all year, but get playing time in the 4 games so he learns something. Carter got hurt, Artur didn't want to lose his redshirt which was already agreed upon, so Langen gets the nod.

Raheem at no point was inkling to redshirt, he was to be our focal point on offense, and then at the end of warm ups on game day he goes to the staff and tells them he is no longer playing this year, not because of injury, just because he didn't want to lose a year playing for a dud of a coach at a position that has a short lifespan playing wise.
The plan to RS Art was very tentative. I mean when did they officially announce the starter for game 1? And I have to believe that if Carter's play continued on like we saw vs Iowa, that whatever plan was in place it would have been quickly discarded.

And obviously once Carter was ruled out with a concussion then that plan was no longer in play.

So yeah, there were some differences, (no 2 situations are ever exactly the same), but end of the day, Sit like Blackshear was the starter, and like Blackshear, Sit decided to RS.

Your last paragraph does indicate you understand Blackshear's situation as well as his decision.
 

RU19931

All-Conference
May 3, 2004
2,887
2,679
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Another of my favorite narratives on this board:

"Ash shouldn't have been fired mid-season.
Hobbs messed it up."


Literally, there were multiple threads calling for Ash to be fired at halftime of every game.
But then once he was actually fired, somehow the season lost all hope?

I had no idea so many people wanted to listen to Ash after every game.

A huge number of people on this board where calling for Ash's head, then Hobb's made a decisive choice and fired him, and people started complaining about firing Ash mid season.
 
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RUBOB72

All-American
Aug 5, 2004
23,385
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Not sure this is true. None of us know exactly what he or GS is thinking but I still believe there is a possibility that GS is waiting to hear from Berger and has told Blaskshear as much. If Berger goes elsewhere and Blackshear doesn't see greener pastures, something tells me that GS and he do the practical thing and he is back.
Sure could Schiano have made a contingency plan regarding Berger ? I would suspect that we will be seeing a more definitive answer after the holidays whether he leaves or not . The fact is we all understand why Blackshear became hesitant about playing further in 2019 but he literally told his team it’s all about me NOT you. No matter what , he would better advised to stay if Schiano and the team believes he should be forgiven. Nunzio being on staff makes it more tough for the latter to occur.
 
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RU4Real

Heisman
Jul 25, 2001
50,955
30,734
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Sure could Schiano have made a contingency plan regarding Berger ? I would suspect that we will be seeing a more definitive answer after the holidays whether he leaves or not . The fact is we all understand why Blackshear became hesitant about playing further in 2019 but he literally told his team it’s all about me NOT you. No matter what , he would better advised to stay if Schiano and the team believes he should be forgiven. Nunzio being on staff makes it more tough for the latter to occur.

Solid post.
 

rufeelinit

All-Conference
May 16, 2010
12,647
4,351
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Obviously Hobbs gave up on Ash early enough to give our student athletes a chance to evaluate their circumstances and decide for themselves what to do. The timing very well may have been intentional. Having a couple of our best players redshirt gave them the ability to play an extra year at RU under a decent coach, assuming that Hobbs would actually hire one. If he hired a dud, Sitkowski and Blackshear would both be out of here. Apparently, Schiano and Sitkowski agree that RU is the best option for Sit. It remains to be seen whether this happens with Raheem, although I am sure they will determine what is best for Blackshear and RU. All it takes is one of the 2 to say no RU for Blackshear. We all should be able to live with their decision.

Captain Obvious signing off.

I think you are giving Hobbs way too much credit. What if 20 kids wanted to do what Blackshear did? Do you think all would have been allowed? At some point you need to field a team. If he had a do-over, I think Hobbs would have waited a week or two before canning Ash just to avoid this situation.
 
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