JJ and the Griz

[hartofacat]

Not sure if this belongs here or not. i assume it does, as it directly affects us, but if not, feel free to move it. As per the Billings Gazette:

The University of Montana's Athletic Conduct Team has reinstated Jordan Johnson to the football team after hearing his appeal on Monday.

UM President Royce Engstrom also approved the quarterback's reinstatement, the university said in a news release Tuesday morning.

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/sports/colle ... z2Mgl9aTB1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looks like he will be slinging the rock around for them next year. This makes them a much better team. I am still confident we will beat them, but things got a lot more interesting on that side of the Divide today.

I kind of assumed whit the press and the fallout from this trial, he would transfer, but it looks like he wants to rebuild himself in Snizzoula. Good luck. A couple losses in a row and we will see where the Griz fans loyalties really lie.

[ibleedblue]

I agree, they instantly become a much, much better football team with the addition of Johnson. I am okay with that.....it makes both the Big Sky Conference and the competition even stronger for a BSC championship. I actually think it would be pretty neat to see both MSU and UM in the top 5 at playoff time. That is positive recongnition for the whole state.

As for your comment about them losing 2 in a row and let's see what happens.....I am not sure with Johnson at the helm they will experience that. That guy can flat-out play....I'll give him that. But if it does happen, you are right, all heck will break loose in Zootown!

[[cat_bracket]]

As for your comment about them losing 2 in a row and let's see what happens.....I am not sure with Johnson at the helm they will experience that. That guy can flat-out play....I'll give him that. But if it does happen, you are right, all heck will break loose in Zootown!

Well they play App. State and UND their first two games this year. Granted they have ASU at home, but they lost to both last year. It's so far away though. A lot can happen and usually does between now and then.

[bpcats]

The Griz will be tough next year with probably the most talented o-lines, d-lines/front seven returning among the Big Sky teams. They will probably work themselves back into a top 5 ranking.

Qualifying for the playoffs out of the Big Sky is going to take a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.

[GoCats23]

I agree, they instantly become a much, much better football team with the addition of Johnson. I am okay with that.....it makes both the Big Sky Conference and the competition even stronger for a BSC championship. I actually think it would be pretty neat to see both MSU and UM in the top 5 at playoff time. That is positive recongnition for the whole state.

As for your comment about them losing 2 in a row and let's see what happens.....I am not sure with Johnson at the helm they will experience that. That guy can flat-out play....I'll give him that. But if it does happen, you are right, all heck will break loose in Zootown!

Cal Poly and Eastern Washington towards the end of the season, although both at home I think it could happen there.

[codecat]

The Griz will be tough next year with probably the most talented o-lines, d-lines/front seven returning among the Big Sky teams. They will probably work themselves back into a top 5 ranking.

Qualifying for the playoffs out of the Big Sky is going to take a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.

Definitely agree, they always put together great lines and a lot of defensive pressure...the are going to be tough as we are still young and maybe undersized on o-line and a little uncertain in the middle of the d-line.

[catatac]

The Griz will be tough next year with probably the most talented o-lines, d-lines/front seven returning among the Big Sky teams. They will probably work themselves back into a top 5 ranking.

Qualifying for the playoffs out of the Big Sky is going to take a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck.

Cracking the top 5 would be extremely difficult for them. I doubt they start the season in the top 20...their coaching is very questionable, and their schedule is pretty tough. Away games at North Dakota, NAU, UC Davis, Sac, South Dakota, and MSU. Home games against App State, EWU, and Cal Poly. I'll give them W's on their other home games, but that still leaves 9 games that are up in the air. If they win 5 of those, that still leaves them with 4 losses, bubble team. If they somehow get through their first 6 games with only one loss, I'd see a possible top 5 ranking, but I doubt that's going to happen.

I'd guess they narrowly miss the playoffs in 2013, but are back to contenders in 2014.

[ilovethecats]

i'm glad that jj is back playing football. but make no mistake...the guy sounds like a complete dirtbag. but if all dirtbags were sent to prison there'd be very few on the outside! that said...this is going to be a rough year for jj. sure he'll have the support of griz faithful because he is their savior. fans are suggesting they might not have lost a game last year had he been qb. this is incredible pressure for this guy as fans basically are assuming they'll be undefeated 'cause jj is back!

not to mention that away from the comforts of wash-griz things are going to be brutal for the guy. drunk college students don't give a rats-ass about "not guilty" if it gets in the way of good smack talk! he's going to be killed on the road and especially in bozeman i feel. that game is usually pretty mature audience anyway but this has all the makings of unrelentless trash being spewed.

this season will basically show what jj is made of. if he can play through all the scrutiny and immense pressure from his fans he'll show he's a badass qb. i just think he's in for a rough go. no doubt he'll make the griz much better than they were last year...i'm just not convinced he's the savior some griz fans seem to think he is.

[LTown Cat]

i'm glad that jj is back playing football. but make no mistake...the guy sounds like a complete dirtbag. but if all dirtbags were sent to prison there'd be very few on the outside! that said...this is going to be a rough year for jj. sure he'll have the support of griz faithful because he is their savior. fans are suggesting they might not have lost a game last year had he been qb. this is incredible pressure for this guy as fans basically are assuming they'll be undefeated 'cause jj is back!

not to mention that away from the comforts of wash-griz things are going to be brutal for the guy. drunk college students don't give a rats-ass about "not guilty" if it gets in the way of good smack talk! he's going to be killed on the road and especially in bozeman i feel. that game is usually pretty mature audience anyway but this has all the makings of unrelentless trash being spewed.

this season will basically show what jj is made of. if he can play through all the scrutiny and immense pressure from his fans he'll show he's a badass qb. i just think he's in for a rough go. no doubt he'll make the griz much better than they were last year...i'm just not convinced he's the savior some griz fans seem to think he is.

I agree and, as others have mentioned, the weapons around him the last time he played really took a lot of pressure off of him. This time around it will all be on his shoulders. I actually wish him well with all he's been through outside of 11/23.

[GRIZFNZ]

i'm glad that jj is back playing football. but make no mistake...the guy sounds like a complete dirtbag. but if all dirtbags were sent to prison there'd be very few on the outside! that said...this is going to be a rough year for jj. sure he'll have the support of griz faithful because he is their savior. fans are suggesting they might not have lost a game last year had he been qb. this is incredible pressure for this guy as fans basically are assuming they'll be undefeated 'cause jj is back!

not to mention that away from the comforts of wash-griz things are going to be brutal for the guy. drunk college students don't give a rats-ass about "not guilty" if it gets in the way of good smack talk! he's going to be killed on the road and especially in bozeman i feel. that game is usually pretty mature audience anyway but this has all the makings of unrelentless trash being spewed.

this season will basically show what jj is made of. if he can play through all the scrutiny and immense pressure from his fans he'll show he's a badass qb. i just think he's in for a rough go. no doubt he'll make the griz much better than they were last year...i'm just not convinced he's the savior some griz fans seem to think he is.

After sitting in a court room giving play by play details of the encounter and having the decision of your freedom being left up to 12 random people, I'm pretty sure JJ will be able to handle anything an opponents crowd can dish out.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[ilovethecats]

After sitting in a court room giving play by play details of the encounter and having the decision of your freedom being left up to 12 random people, I'm pretty sure JJ will be able to handle anything an opponents crowd can dish out.

may very well be true. we'll have to wait and see. but if this was the case 100% of the time then anyone ever found not guilty of a major crime would go on to have much success in whatever they do. in fact...anyone who has ever had ****** happen in their life worse than losing a game (all of us) could make a case that life should be easy. i have a friend who just lost both her parents in a matter of days. one could make the argument that she's prepared to take on the world because nothing will touch the hurt and anger she experienced then.

like i said...if jj is back to his old form without any hiccups along the way and without letting the pressure get to him he's a badass qb!

[Rich K]

After sitting in a court room giving play by play details of the encounter and having the decision of your freedom being left up to 12 random people, I'm pretty sure JJ will be able to handle anything an opponents crowd can dish out.

I don't think the opponents' crowds will be an issue for JJ at all. What may be a minor team irritant is if the attention directed towards JJ's off-the-field adventures are magnified in such a manner that it takes away attention from the other 21. It won't be much though, as the Griz will do some winning this season and that takes care of a lot of things.

[ibleedblue]

Our Bobcat faithful himself, Colter Nuanez, even made this great point concerning JJ:

"As Rob Ash has said to me just before fall camp two years running, if you have 21 standout players and the 22nd, the quarterback, is mediocre, you have a mediocre team, something the Bobcats experienced post-Lulay.

But if you have 21 solid players and a star player and leader under center, you're a championship team. Football is the consummate sport, but quarterback is the most important and difficult position in sports.

Without JJ, the Griz proved to be a middle-of-the-pack Big Sky team. With him, they were semifinalists. They will again be among the nationally elite with Johnson back under center."

I think Colter is spot-on here. It's the reason we have been solid with DM under center the past few years. Without DM out there, I don't know if we would have had the success we've had lately.

It takes a team to win, but a solid QB makes a very dramatic difference on the football field. JJ brings that same level of play and confidence to the Grizzlies, too. They will be much, much better because of him. I don't agree that Zoo town thinks he is their savior....I think they just realize they are a lot better and that with JJ under center they pretty easily would have won a few more games last year and will probably win a few more this upcoming year. Should make for a fun season and an even better BSC.

As for the pressure someone alluded to earlier and how it will affect JJ, I'm in the camp that when you're staring down potentially 20 years in prison and overcome all of that, then football is fun....it's a gift....there's not going to be much pressure with it....playing football after what he went through will be a blast. I think that can make him even better...which is scary.

[Cannonball]

I disagree. With the head coach changing after this year, if the Griz have another losing, which is not going to happen, will not have any thing to do with Griz fan support. New blood is coming into the Griz system after this year no matter what happens this year.

[[cat_bracket]]

I'd say Johnson is a good QB right now, not a great one. I'd give him a "B". He was hot and cold in 2011 his first season as a starter. His first seven (six actually because he missed one with an injury to his throwing shoulder) games were very mediocre. He had a very good game against NAU and then lit up WSU and a lot of people were singing his praises, but he followed that with three lackluster games against Western Oregon, MSU and Cent. Arkansas. He then had probably the best game of his career against No. Iowa and followed that with another solid game against SHSU.

It's hard to say for sure if he got better as the season wore on or if he took advantage of teams not taking him seriously enough. Obviously no one ignores the QB, but it could be that after the first six games teams may have adjusted their focus and this allowed Johnson to have the big games vs. NAU and WSU. When that happened teams may have re-focused on him and then his performances tailed off and coaches again keyed on other areas. If so, it was a good 'pick-your-poison' strategy for UM, because pay too much attention to JJ and they run the ball over your, but don't pay attention to him and he goes off.

He's a smart player and uses his knowledge of the game to direct his team well. The biggest difference between UM's 2011 team and 2013 team will be the defense, primarily the secondary without Trumaine Johnson. They're about the same at LB, but not as good on the DL or secondary. Their STs, WRs and coaching also aren't as good and they don't have as good of a backup QB unless Gustafsen jumps over McKinney and SSH. JJ alone, however, makes them a better team than they had in 2012. I don't see them finishing any worse than 8-4.