This is true but if a team knows that they are a huge underdog going into the game and just goes through the motions themselves then it doesn't matter if the favored team is flat or not. Take the Corbin/Knott game going on right now, if Knott would have just went through the motions it would not be a 2 point game at the half and no would really now that Corbin is playing "flat" so I do think the other team has something to do with it just not in a direct way. I mean the other team isn't the reason they are playing with no intensity or them not being focused but they still have a hand in it in a round about way. IMHO!

 

That is the one situation where I can see "flat" being valid - a team coming into a game as a big favorite not being as focused or intense as usual. Any other situation it just doesn't fly for me. Any game expected to be a challenge of any sort, I just don't think "flat" is valid because teams always get excited when the game is a challenge.

I have a good friend whose son plays for St. X. He did bring up a decent point, I thought. X had soundly beaten St. X (Louisville) and annihilated Trinity the week before the HHS game. He said he heard his son and friends talking about how the HHS game would be a blowout as well, since HHS was generally perceived to be on par with both St. X and Trinity. His son and friends were more excited/focused about their upcoming game with Elder the following week. He did feel that their team wasn't as "up" for the HHS game as they should have been and came out "flat" (there's that word again!). But he is also smart enough to know that, flat or not, HHS was clearly the better team that night, outplayed St. X. in every facet of the game, and deserved the win. But I do think it is very likely that St. X didn't see this as nearly as big a game as HHS and HHS benefitted from all the extra emotion.

This is exactly what I said 3 weeks ago and I got annihilated for it. :irked:

 

St. Xavier was clearly flat that night and didn't come to play.

 

-CardinalsFan

This is true but if a team knows that they are a huge underdog going into the game and just goes through the motions themselves then it doesn't matter if the favored team is flat or not. Take the Corbin/Knott game going on right now, if Knott would have just went through the motions it would not be a 2 point game at the half and no would really now that Corbin is playing "flat" so I do think the other team has something to do with it just not in a direct way. I mean the other team isn't the reason they are playing with no intensity or them not being focused but they still have a hand in it in a round about way. IMHO!

 

And then Corbin puts up 85 points. Flat does not lose a game. Never has and never will.

I have a good friend whose son plays for St. X. He did bring up a decent point, I thought. X had soundly beaten St. X (Louisville) and annihilated Trinity the week before the HHS game. He said he heard his son and friends talking about how the HHS game would be a blowout as well, since HHS was generally perceived to be on par with both St. X and Trinity. His son and friends were more excited/focused about their upcoming game with Elder the following week. He did feel that their team wasn't as "up" for the HHS game as they should have been and came out "flat" (there's that word again!). But he is also smart enough to know that, flat or not, HHS was clearly the better team that night, outplayed St. X. in every facet of the game, and deserved the win. But I do think it is very likely that St. X didn't see this as nearly as big a game as HHS and HHS benefitted from all the extra emotion.

 

Of course many St. X. supporters say they were flat. There has to be some explanation. I mean, seriously, losing to a N. Ky. team? Come on. That just isn't possible. Except it happened. I know you are giving HHS their due credit Coop. I am just making the point. Flat is a lame, bogus excuse used to avoid saying you got your butt kicked.

I am just making the point. Flat is a lame, bogus excuse used to avoid saying you got your butt kicked.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion VOR, regardless of how ridiculous and short-sighted it is. :ohbrother:

 

-CardinalsFan

You are certainly entitled to your opinion VOR, regardless of how ridiculous and short-sighted it is. :ohbrother:

 

-CardinalsFan

 

:thumb: Absolutely. And you are entitled to your ridiculous opinions regarding the Highlands beat down on St. X. A good debate is always fun.

 

One thing I will add though, this is something that has bugged me for years. As a Bengals fan, I have often heard over the years after a Bengals defeat how "they were flat" and that always made me laugh. You watch a less talented team get beat and people want to say they were flat. So this isn't short sighted or just driven off the Highlands game.

Of course many St. X. supporters say they were flat. There has to be some explanation. I mean, seriously, losing to a N. Ky. team? Come on. That just isn't possible. Except it happened. I know you are giving HHS their due credit Coop. I am just making the point. Flat is a lame, bogus excuse used to avoid saying you got your butt kicked.

 

Well, first, I know the guy extremely well and I'm certain he wasn't blowing smoke up my rear. Think about it for a moment - St. X had already throughly trounced the two teams perceived at that point to be the best KY had to offer. The HHS game was an interesting game to them, but they simply did not view it as anywhere near as big a test as St.X (Louisville) or Trinity. Based on what I was told, they were already talking about and looking forwarded to the following week's game with Elder and would "simply take a couple of hours on Friday night to mangle another NKY team" before they could put their full focus on Elder.

Now, does that make you come our "flat"? Unfocused a bit, perhaps lacking in some level of enthusiasm? Sure. Does that alone qualify as flat? I don't know. Not in my opinion. As my buddy said, "unfocused or not, when the whistle blew, HHS got our best effort on the field. We didn't hold anything back or play 3/4 speed so as to keep a little something extra in the tank for the Elder game. Despite giving our best effort, we got beat pretty thoroughly by a team that was clearly much better than any of us had envisioned."

 

So in the case of my buddy, while he did throw out the "flat" word out there, he also made it clear that HHS' outstanding level of play was what won the game and also caused St. X to look "flat" on the field. And slow. And stupid. "We got whipped by a team we had already recorded in our minds as a win and stupid things happen when you do that."

Of course many St. X. supporters say they were flat. There has to be some explanation. I mean, seriously, losing to a N. Ky. team? Come on. That just isn't possible. Except it happened. I know you are giving HHS their due credit Coop. I am just making the point. Flat is a lame, bogus excuse used to avoid saying you got your butt kicked.

 

Fully agree. :thumb:

One might say highlands came out "flat" against a manual team they beat 19-8.

One might say highlands came out "flat" against a manual team they beat 19-8.

 

One might, but again it's not an excuse for a loss. I think that's where the issue lies.

And then Corbin puts up 85 points. Flat does not lose a game. Never has and never will.

 

I disagree because sometimes it is hard to gather or gain that emotion within the course of a game. I think some coaches use playing flat as a term to indicate that their team didn't play to their full potential and I am not sure I agree with that or not and that is why I always just say "we didn't bring our A-game"!

Well, first, I know the guy extremely well and I'm certain he wasn't blowing smoke up my rear. Think about it for a moment - St. X had already throughly trounced the two teams perceived at that point to be the best KY had to offer. The HHS game was an interesting game to them, but they simply did not view it as anywhere near as big a test as St.X (Louisville) or Trinity. Based on what I was told, they were already talking about and looking forwarded to the following week's game with Elder and would "simply take a couple of hours on Friday night to mangle another NKY team" before they could put their full focus on Elder.

Now, does that make you come our "flat"? Unfocused a bit, perhaps lacking in some level of enthusiasm? Sure. Does that alone qualify as flat? I don't know. Not in my opinion. As my buddy said, "unfocused or not, when the whistle blew, HHS got our best effort on the field. We didn't hold anything back or play 3/4 speed so as to keep a little something extra in the tank for the Elder game. Despite giving our best effort, we got beat pretty thoroughly by a team that was clearly much better than any of us had envisioned."

 

So in the case of my buddy, while he did throw out the "flat" word out there, he also made it clear that HHS' outstanding level of play was what won the game and also caused St. X to look "flat" on the field. And slow. And stupid. "We got whipped by a team we had already recorded in our minds as a win and stupid things happen when you do that."

 

 

:thumb: You got it Coop That is basicly what I had been trying to say earlier but just couldn't find the words. I'm not refering to the HHS St X game as I have no knowledge of either but in general. Any team can be beaten on any given night by anyone if you are not prepared to play the game.

Personally, I have always thought of the "flat" comment as meaning the team thought they already had the game won, and were not mentally ready to play. It might just be me, but is what I always thought.

 

And, if that's the case, they obviously didn't bring the right mindset and focus to the game. Nobody to blame but themselves, but it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Sometimes teams just aren't ready, whether that's physically, emotionally, mentally, whatever and their opponent benefits.

 

"Flat", whether a person chooses to view it as an excuse or not, is a fact of life in sports. It happens and it affects performance and consequently outcomes of games.

 

JMO

Well, first, I know the guy extremely well and I'm certain he wasn't blowing smoke up my rear. Think about it for a moment - St. X had already throughly trounced the two teams perceived at that point to be the best KY had to offer. The HHS game was an interesting game to them, but they simply did not view it as anywhere near as big a test as St.X (Louisville) or Trinity. Based on what I was told, they were already talking about and looking forwarded to the following week's game with Elder and would "simply take a couple of hours on Friday night to mangle another NKY team" before they could put their full focus on Elder.

Now, does that make you come our "flat"? Unfocused a bit, perhaps lacking in some level of enthusiasm? Sure. Does that alone qualify as flat? I don't know. Not in my opinion. As my buddy said, "unfocused or not, when the whistle blew, HHS got our best effort on the field. We didn't hold anything back or play 3/4 speed so as to keep a little something extra in the tank for the Elder game. Despite giving our best effort, we got beat pretty thoroughly by a team that was clearly much better than any of us had envisioned."

 

So in the case of my buddy, while he did throw out the "flat" word out there, he also made it clear that HHS' outstanding level of play was what won the game and also caused St. X to look "flat" on the field. And slow. And stupid. "We got whipped by a team we had already recorded in our minds as a win and stupid things happen when you do that."

 

Whatever word you want to use, flat or something else, when a team goes into a game with that mindset they often don't play their best. Now, they may play as hard as they can physically, but mentally and emotionally they're not as sharp and focused as they should be. So, when he says, "unfocused or not, HHS got our best effort on the field...", that sounds like an oxymoron. If they were unfocused, HHS didn't get their best effort regardless of how hard they played physically.

 

And, there's absolutely merit to the idea that the HHS game being sandwiched between two wins against the Louisville powers and a game between an in-city rival. We see this time and again in sports when teams get up for a tough part of the schedule and then play much worse against an opponent that isn't expected to be as good as what they've been facing.

 

I remember UK a couple years ago (I think) when they had a tough trio of games that included the upset of LSU, then they come back against Mississippi State, whom many had pencilled in as a W, and got trounced 31-14.

 

Somewhere along the way, somebody was flat, or unfocused, or whatever you want to call it, whether it was LSU or UK or both.