Five Likes, and Dislikes, with the 2009 Badger Football Team

After seven games, the Badger football squad sits at 5-2. It could be better, but then again they easily could have lost to Fresno State and be sitting at 4-3 right now. I like the following:
1 – I like the more diversified offensive approach. Yes, they struggled in the second half against Iowa, but by and large this team has a number of weapons(Clay, Toon, Graham) allowing the team to pass and run effectively.
2 – I like O’Brien Schofield. He plays very hard, he is a leader, he lives in the opponents backfield, and he will be a solid pro football player when his eligibility runs out.
3 – I like Mike Taylor and Chris Borland. Unfortunately, Taylor will miss the rest of the regular season with a torn ACL and will be replaced by Borland. They are playmakers.
4 – I like the Big 10 Network. It allows me to see at least a portion of every Big 10 game played each week. I actually feel like I have a handle on the abilities of the other teams in the league.
5 – I like that Montee Ball is getting playing time. He doesn’t look or act like a true freshmen and provides another physical back when John Clay leaves the game.

I do not like the following:
1 – I do not like how Bret Bielema leads his team out of the tunnel before the game starts. Let the kids run out on the field…the coach should walk out like he has done this a thousand times before.
2 – I do not like the defensive signal-calling. No defensive squad takes longer to line up and on a half dozen plays each game they appear on the brink of disaster with no one covering a receiver, a player running onto the field late, etc.
3 – I do not like the special teams play. Plain and simple…it is poor. The kick coverages are poor, the returns are poor, and the organization seems lacking. It seems like a team that spends little time on this very important facet of the game.
4 – I do not like the tackling. Wisconsin used to be known as a physical, sound tackling football team. They are not anymore.
5 – I do not like 2:30pm or 6pm starts. They mess up my Saturday. 11am works perfectly for me.