Calm Down
Michigan State fans have long been known for their passion. East Lansing is a great college town, it tiptoes the line of crazy and irresponsible. When the basketball team and football team experiences a Final Four or a Rose Bowl victory, couches start burning. Spartan fans make their way to every game to support their teams, whether it’s snow or rain, you can count on Spartan Stadium to be full. East Lansing is largely a community that supports their Spartan athletes through thick and thin. Although there has not been much to complain about lately. Mark Dantonio has taken the Michigan State football program to new heights; he has taken them from a team with a lot of potential that could not get out of their own way to a team that reaches their potential and beyond. To steal a term from the Spartan football program itself, they “Reach Higher.” This leads us to this season, where again the expectations for the Spartans were high from the outside looking in and even higher on the inside. This season has not gotten off the expected start, but that’s okay.
He is just a kid
As the Spartans’ season began to unfold it looked as promising as ever. They won their season opener in a less than impressive fashion, but then went on to beat a Notre Dame on the road in impressive fashion. Since that Notre Dame win, the Spartans have gone on to experience two disappointing losses. The first loss came at home, to the hands to a highly ranked Wisconsin team with a very stingy defense. The second loss came an even more disappointing fashion, on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers. The main culprit in receiving the blame for these two losses has been quarterback Tyler O’Connor. The quarterback often gets more credit for wins than he deserves and more blame for losses than he deserves. That’s a given, and it comes with the position. However, what does not come with the position and should not come with any position is the internet trolls. Tyler O’Conner is a 22 to 23-year-old kid. He’s in college, he is still learning and trying to figure out quarterback as much as he is trying to figure out life. Spartan fans do not have to be in support of his play and can even hope for a quarterback change. What should never happen is the internet “trolling” that occurs on sites like Twitter and Facebook and trust me, I realize that these trolls do not speak for Spartan Nation and make up a very small part of it, but let’s address them anyways.
Tyler O’Connor, by all means, seems like a nice, polite and thoughtful young man, who is a great teammate. By all indications, he will go on to be a productive and respectful member of society. So what if he has not played as well as everyone had hoped he would play? Here is a news flash for those out there looking to harass him, he’s not playing as well as he hoped he would play either. Rest assured, there is no one out there that is a harsher critic of his play than he is on himself. One last question to the internet trolls out there, before you come back out and rear your ugly head again this Saturday, let me ask you this…Tyler O’Connor already earned his Bachelor’s degree from a Big Ten University and is now working on completing his Master’s degree, oh and he happens to be a starting quarterback in arguably the best conference in the country. What have you done that is so special that you can spew such hate at someone that is just a kid?
Trust
To those few individuals that feel the need to question the Michigan State coaching staff because of the struggle to the season. CALM DOWN. It was only game four. The college football season is a long one. It has crazy turns and highs and lows. No one’s success is permanent and no one’s failure is fatal. Do you really need to question if head coach Mark Dantonio and offensive coordinator Dave Warner are really doing what’s best for the team and the program? If so, then it is time to question if you are really a supporter of the program. To those few fans that are riled up, calm down and give them time. The season isn’t over. It’s hardly even begun.
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