Because those other schools aren't as smart as we are. For example, we now know Michigan's secret weapon next season will be to start Colin Kapernick at quarterback. Those fools!
Annual (Non) Spring Game Ranting Thread
- Thread starter TheC
- Start date
What makes you think a “potential fan” would either trek up to Evanston for a spring scrimmage or turn on the BTN in the middle of the day to watch?
Anything more than a handful would be pretty surprising. The spring games were mostly about existing fans getting access to the team and players. Fitz has decided the cost/benefit isn’t worth it.
One thing Fitz ISN'T, God love him, his a marketing exec. Things like a spring game are an opportunity to excite casual fans (helps make sure they do tangible things like re-up their tickets, keep donating, etc alongside building their enthusiasm for the program in general) and turn casual fans into serious fans. Any new fans turned into casual fans would be a bonus.
The casual fan at Michigan or Nebraska or Rutgers or whatever schools I saw on BTN the past couple of weeks gets a little reminder to excite them about their football program. The casual Northwestern fan doesn't even realize the team is practicing. How on earth can that be a good thing in a media driven world?
Isn’t a good thing, but also isn’t really a bad thing either, IMO. Any difference would be at the extreme margins.
A spring game would at least let the fans pretend to take away some positives. After the last season, it's a long off-season without much positive to talk about. The board is dead and there's no buzz, no excitement.
On the other end, some of the larger schools have actual game threads on Reddit for the spring game.
I do agree with you it's not that big a deal. One thing I wouldn't be surprised about is if the coaches calculate there was harm in the spring game with recruits because attendance was so low during visit season and created letdowns.
Well I put four seats back on the market for 2022. I can watch a ****** team just fine in my living room and save on the gas & parking. This is how a team acts when the new stadium is paid for and your handcuffed to the coach.
Yes. Michigan, Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, and Notre Dame are just giving away the whole playbook. Good thing King-Fitzy and the puzzle palace "know" better.... You know with all of those B1G Titles and CFP appearances.
Fitz gonna Fitz, which I am ok with, generally. That is - until he puts together 2 putrid seasons in the last three, takes no accountability for it, makes no substantive changes, and gives us no indication that this year will be any better.
- we have a stable of good backs. Really good depth. Best unit on the team
- Hilinski is a knowns quantity and there doesn't seem to be anyone that will beat him out. That's bad. he is a statue of limitations. Behind him are a bunch of unknowns. Weak position for us
- We lost our best WR, by far, although there is some decent depth there
- Any kicker must be better than what we had. Punter from UCLA probably as good or better than Adams
- OL is more experienced, but does that mean better? TBD
- JON still exists
- On D, it looks like they've tried to shore up depth with the portal. Don't know if the guys are any good. I'm too ignorant to speak intelligently about DL specifically
- LB - guy from Pitt is probably ~Bergin. Anybody else that plays has to be better than the other guy that left.
- DB's aren't bad, but despite the downplay, Joseph was our best athlete/player and he's gone. Not cool
I don't see us winning more than 3 games and that includes a loss to a MAC school. I'd take the points and SIU all day.
More generally, I believe that Miami will be better than Ohio was, and that SIU will be better than Indiana State. Compare to 2021 where there was very little chance we would lose to either P5/FCS opponent, or 2019 with UNLV and UMass.
I suppose there is a chance that we could end up with an Iowa-type offense and grind the ball, but, unlike Iowa, we don't have an actual defense or DC. C'est la guerre.
Competitors with cameras? Really? To steal the super secret JONS defense designed to allow the opponent to score efficiently? Or they want to have an inside track on which high performing QB that they should prep for? Or perhaps to use in the 'don't do this' portion of their position meetings?
Well, at least nobody will be able to pin the results of this season on the opponents getting the early inside scoop.
Why stop there? How about trek out to Evanston on a cold day to watch a product that simply isn't fun to watch? Or trek across the country to support a team in a foreign stadium even though the AD doesn't seem to care much? These are all some great questions!
They did, but it was held at a (previously) undisclosed location in NW South Dakota, because they believed the press wouldn't be able to get there quickly once they got wind of this. Turns out they got a deal on the rental of Sturgis, but didn't anticipate that bikers sniff out anything that resembles a rally, and so totally lost control of secrecy, even though the Pinkertons provided security. Yet another NU marketing blunder, since bikers all around the country are now spilling the beans about NU's game strategy for this Fall. Might as well have just held a Spring game
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If your predictions are facts, then one lottery ticket would put you in a different income bracket.
None of the answers to which rely at all on whether or not NU holds an open spring game.
Adrift would be winning 5 games, every year, four years in a row. The program is schizophrenic at the moment. Fitz deserves heat for the stinkers of 2019 and 2021 and praise for the west titles.
If the defensive transfers pan out and JON eats his wheaties, we could get to 6-6 this year. I'm a JON skeptic but I'm trying to cut him some slack for his first year and all the personnel issues we faced last year.
Although Barnett told us to have belief without evidence, there is no evidence that JON has removed his head from his a$$
As I recall, there were some on the field injuries during the last spring games we had - I think Brewer was one (can someone confirm?)
My very unconfirmed belief is that after those injuries Fitz basically said to hell with this - he knew that any vaguely competitive scrimmage that would actually appeal to fans/spectators would be a waste of his team's limited practice time and how he wanted to spend it, and put his players at risk for injury - once bitten/twice shy.
This certainly doesn't excuse the fact that we have no spring game, and it's not like Northwestern has a gargantuan built-in fan base to the point where the program doesn't need to fan the flames of excitement for the impending season...I'm just opening pondering how and why we got to this point. I also wonder if a guy like Gragg thinks to himself, "we're not going to be the only Big Ten team who doesn't have a spring game..."
My very unconfirmed belief is that after those injuries Fitz basically said to hell with this - he knew that any vaguely competitive scrimmage that would actually appeal to fans/spectators would be a waste of his team's limited practice time and how he wanted to spend it, and put his players at risk for injury - once bitten/twice shy.
This certainly doesn't excuse the fact that we have no spring game, and it's not like Northwestern has a gargantuan built-in fan base to the point where the program doesn't need to fan the flames of excitement for the impending season...I'm just opening pondering how and why we got to this point. I also wonder if a guy like Gragg thinks to himself, "we're not going to be the only Big Ten team who doesn't have a spring game..."
It is a "fact" that "I" believe they will win no more than three games. It is not a declaration of what the future will be. But, would I testify in court that I did make that statement? Yes. Therefore, it is a fact that this is what I said.
God, some of you people can just be so petty and perpetually in your own bubble.
It is also a fact that I believe 14 2 10 21 28 15 are the correct lottery numbers.
I’ve never won
Thorson
Bentley
Peterman
JJTBC
JJTBC
HuJo
Petty? Hey, I’m just a guy who posts on a message board. Petty is what we do.