Proposal: Umberger

Robert

Foligno family
Mar 9, 2006
36,576
1,673
Louisville, KY
Point taken, but he is still supposed to be one of their best defensemen.

To a degree, btw, he (Myers) was scratched again tonight... (two in a row)

Myers is 23, technically a veteran but a young one... Umberger on the other hand is 30 and playing as bad or worse than Myers has, yet Richards is playing Umberger as if he was in the CBJ ownership column...

Umberger is not earning his current minutes, in some way I think the CBJ organization is trying to force Umberger into some delusional role of being the heart and sole of the CBJ now that Nash is gone....

It's also possible Umberger's desire to compete in Columbus is over...

Richards is expecting to much from RJ, he is not a first or second line NHL player, he never was and never will be... a blind dog could see that.
 
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blahblah

Registered User
Nov 24, 2005
21,327
972
Retribution appears to be the goal. Have fun with that. We are going to spend the next 87 pages listing who has been scratched and why it was a great idea to do it. Once again, people really haven't discussed the process to get to scratching a 30 year old veteran (23 year old "veteran"? Seriously?) who in the past has been an important player and leader. Sure we'll get the counter "Leader on a crappy team" comments.

There is no sign that Richards is upset with RJ's play, he appears to just be attempting to get him going. However, what the collective we is interested in is retribution. For not playing hard, being out of shape, not scoring more goals, or whatever we can use to justify said virtual flogging.

I have, on numerous occasions, attempted to take this conversation into areas into what I thought we be more productive. The future with the Jackets, the thought process that might be used in consideration in trading him, the best method for the coaching staff to handle him with the respect that he has earned as a veteran of his age. But what we want is to punish him for crimes against the Jackets and their fans.

Enjoy your latest scapegoat. If you want to get address your frustration in a more useful direction, call into the coaches call in show. Talk to JD in a season ticket holder event. Hell, even call your season ticket rep or tweet @BlueJacketsNHL. All this thread is going to become is a game by game dead horse in which one side said "He sucked again" and the other said saying "Look! He scored a goal!".

It is no longer a discussion about possibly moving him.

I am not trying to lecture, I would just like to try and have a rational discussion. RJ is an important discussion with this team going forward and my opinion on what to do with him is quite fluid.
 

IBleedUnionBlue

Registered User
Aug 16, 2009
2,143
0
I was frustrated with Umby in the 1st period last night, as I watched him skate 2 circles around his stick in the 1st, before he could pick it up, all while the Oilers were rushing towards their offensive zone. (Umby should have left stick and rushed to bench to let another skater on ice.

But as the game continued, Umby looked better. And I am hoping his goal last night can energize his game.
 

Mayor Bee

Registered User
Dec 29, 2008
18,084
526
Retribution appears to be the goal. Have fun with that. We are going to spend the next 87 pages listing who has been scratched and why it was a great idea to do it. Once again, people really haven't discussed the process to get to scratching a 30 year old veteran (23 year old "veteran"? Seriously?) who in the past has been an important player and leader. Sure we'll get the counter "Leader on a crappy team" comments.

There is no sign that Richards is upset with RJ's play, he appears to just be attempting to get him going. However, what the collective we is interested in is retribution. For not playing hard, being out of shape, not scoring more goals, or whatever we can use to justify said virtual flogging.

I have, on numerous occasions, attempted to take this conversation into areas into what I thought we be more productive. The future with the Jackets, the thought process that might be used in consideration in trading him, the best method for the coaching staff to handle him with the respect that he has earned as a veteran of his age. But what we want is to punish him for crimes against the Jackets and their fans.

Enjoy your latest scapegoat. If you want to get address your frustration in a more useful direction, call into the coaches call in show. Talk to JD in a season ticket holder event. Hell, even call your season ticket rep or tweet @BlueJacketsNHL. All this thread is going to become is a game by game dead horse in which one side said "He sucked again" and the other said saying "Look! He scored a goal!".

It is no longer a discussion about possibly moving him.

I am not trying to lecture, I would just like to try and have a rational discussion. RJ is an important discussion with this team going forward and my opinion on what to do with him is quite fluid.

Back during his consecutive games streak, Cal Ripken Jr. went through a handful of prolonged slumps, which inevitably would cause a chorus of "bench him" from the fans. Finally, Frank Robinson (managing at the time) just said something like, "I'm not sure how the hell you expect a guy to break out of a slump and produce by sitting on the bench."
 

pete goegan

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Jun 6, 2006
13,005
312
Washington, DC
We all know, including RJ, that his game has been a disappointment, so far. The goal he scored, last night, was the best move he's made, all year. I can only hope it signals a return to his usual form, which is certainly not great, but adequate and workman-like. We desperately need him, among others, to provide some offensive threat. Watching this first quarter of the season gives me new appreciation for what Nash was able to accomplish as often the only credible offensive force on the ice for this team!
 

Viqsi

"that chick from Ohio"
Oct 5, 2007
53,660
30,951
40N 83W (approx)
Speaking of putting ones hands over ones ears/eyes, I am looking around for the posts where you acknowledge he has been really bad at times and sub-par quite often.

They're limited to parenthetical comments and the VERY occasional joke at his expense. Mostly comments in Live Chat, too.

Admittedly, though, I've been excessively overcompensating for the lynch mob. It's a bad habit of mine.

* * *​
Retribution appears to be the goal. Have fun with that. We are going to spend the next 87 pages listing who has been scratched and why it was a great idea to do it. Once again, people really haven't discussed the process to get to scratching a 30 year old veteran (23 year old "veteran"? Seriously?) who in the past has been an important player and leader. Sure we'll get the counter "Leader on a crappy team" comments.

There is no sign that Richards is upset with RJ's play, he appears to just be attempting to get him going. However, what the collective we is interested in is retribution. For not playing hard, being out of shape, not scoring more goals, or whatever we can use to justify said virtual flogging.

I have, on numerous occasions, attempted to take this conversation into areas into what I thought we be more productive. The future with the Jackets, the thought process that might be used in consideration in trading him, the best method for the coaching staff to handle him with the respect that he has earned as a veteran of his age. But what we want is to punish him for crimes against the Jackets and their fans.

Enjoy your latest scapegoat. If you want to get address your frustration in a more useful direction, call into the coaches call in show. Talk to JD in a season ticket holder event. Hell, even call your season ticket rep or tweet @BlueJacketsNHL. All this thread is going to become is a game by game dead horse in which one side said "He sucked again" and the other said saying "Look! He scored a goal!".

It is no longer a discussion about possibly moving him.

I am not trying to lecture, I would just like to try and have a rational discussion. RJ is an important discussion with this team going forward and my opinion on what to do with him is quite fluid.

I appreciate your attempts, but frankly I've long since given up on the possibility of having that conversation with anyone except a very select few. A goodly portion of this fanbase has been exclusively about "who are we going to get retribution against" for quite some time.
 

Doug19

Registered User
Oct 14, 2008
6,542
222
Columbus, OH
The issue is acting like his game hasn't been pathetic for quite awhile. For once the lynch mob is completely just. R.J. hasn't been producing and he has never been held accountable for it from what we have seen. He's been given tons of prime minutes of the years here and his production is pathetic this year and last. You aren't overcomensating you are delusional about R.J. just as I was saying he sucked in his first two years here. Obviously the guy doesn't suck, but he sure is doing a great job of imitating a fourth line grinder the last year or two.
 

Viqsi

"that chick from Ohio"
Oct 5, 2007
53,660
30,951
40N 83W (approx)
The issue is acting like his game hasn't been pathetic for quite awhile.

Haven't explicitly claimed otherwise. I've tried to avoid bringing it up in detail simply because whenever I say something negative that seems to overly encourage folks. That's what I was referring to when I talk about overcompensating - I get so hesitant to give even an inch of rope to the lynch mob that I fail to make any mention of the fact that I do legitimately think RJ's game of late has been, well, crap.

And yet, despite said hesitation, I have said as much on these boards this season. :) I haven't reiterated it to the degree some other folks have (partly because I was seeing very slow, incremental improvement, mostly because of the aforementioned hesitation to give rope to the lynchmob) but it's been there.

For once the lynch mob is completely just.

There is not and never will be any scenario in which I agree with this statement. Ever.

Simple rule of thumb: if there's a lynch mob approach to analysis going on, something is fundamentally wrong with the analysis. This has been true throughout history. Such things form because folks are leaping to conclusions.

Has RJ been playing well? No. Of course not. But the "string him up" approach is NEVER justified.

R.J. hasn't been producing and he has never been held accountable for it from what we have seen. He's been given tons of prime minutes of the years here and his production is pathetic this year and last.

I refer you to Mayor Bee's earlier post on this point. It makes the point better than I could. :)
 

Nordique

Add smoked meat, and we have a deal.
Aug 11, 2005
9,138
265
Ohio
RJ came into the season out of game shape, its that simple. When you are a half step behind, you suddenly don't score in many situations that otherwise you would have. He's not a goal scorer per say to begin with. He's getting better everynight.
 

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