Dear Fitz: PLEASE be honest about the state of the program this offseason. (Probably a pipe dream)

[olsh]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

 

[Alan Smithee_rivals156293]

You earned a like just by using “complementary” correctly, but I will also compliment you for the rest of your post.

 

[peatymeanis]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

Fitz cares more about being comfortable than winning. See: how long it took him to move on from McCall and Cushing, neither of whom are P5 quality coaches. Fitz just wants to have fun with his buddies who blow smoke up his *** 24/7

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

In short, say "I was wrong"

Don't wait by the phone

 

[olsh]

You earned a like just by using “complementary” correctly, but I will also compliment you for the rest of your post.

All three phases of the game WOULD have been more effective if they just sat on the sidelines and said nice things about each other instead.

 

[StreamCat]

Why worry about what he says? Worry about what he does.

 

[NJCat]

If you bothered wasting 10 minutes of your life listening to Fitz on his post-game interview, as I did, you'd hear that he placed most of the blame on the players. They need to get stronger in the weight room, although we of course read about the personal records set by this years team......they need to play complementary football.......in the end it all rests on Fitz, who has 9 more years on his outrageous contract, so he feels no sense of urgency to do things differently.

I found his interview weirdly serene. You'd think after getting blown out by his "rival" he'd be upset. But instead he praised the Seniors and the Illini and calmly looked to getting back in the gym in January for year 17 of off season workouts. Just another year closer to his kids playing for him I guess.

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

Matters much less what he says in a press conference than what he says in his exit interview with Gragg and even less than what he does (or does not do) to fix things.

 

[Alan Smithee_rivals156293]

Matters much less what he says in a press conference than what he says in his exit interview with Gragg and even less than what he does (or does not do) to fix things.

True. Still reasonable to not expect a complete disconnect between the two.

 

[peatymeanis]

in the end it all rests on Fitz, who has 9 more years on his outrageous contract, so he feels no sense of urgency to do things differently.

Why should he? He’s financially set for life. He’s coaching with his buds and having a grand ol time. He’d fire Gragg before Gragg could fire him. He’s got it made baby.

 

[hdhntr1]

You earned a like just by using “complementary” correctly, but I will also compliment you for the rest of your post.

Is that complementary?

 

[SmellyCat]

Fitz cares more about being comfortable than winning. See: how long it took him to move on from McCall and Cushing, neither of whom are P5 quality coaches. Fitz just wants to have fun with his buddies who blow smoke up his *** 24/7

I don’t think this is true at all, but he DOES have a hard time letting go. It’s hard to fire anybody (buddy or not) and even harder when your personnel changes are public. He wants to avoid that kind of conflict as much as possible but I’d never believe he doesn’t care about winning.

 

[peatymeanis]

I don’t think this is true at all, but he DOES have a hard time letting go. It’s hard to fire anybody (buddy or not) and even harder when your personnel changes are public. He wants to avoid that kind of conflict as much as possible but I’d never believe he doesn’t care about winning.

he cares about winning. Just not as much as he cares about being comfortable with his buddies on the staff.

 

[Hungry Jack]

If you bothered wasting 10 minutes of your life listening to Fitz on his post-game interview, as I did, you'd hear that he placed most of the blame on the players. They need to get stronger in the weight room, although we of course read about the personal records set by this years team......they need to play complementary football.......in the end it all rests on Fitz, who has 9 more years on his outrageous contract, so he feels no sense of urgency to do things differently.

I found his interview weirdly serene. You'd think after getting blown out by his "rival" he'd be upset. But instead he praised the Seniors and the Illini and calmly looked to getting back in the gym in January for year 17 of off season workouts. Just another year closer to his kids playing for him I guess.

I think they quit. The question is why. I think JON and his scheme had a lot to do with it.

Plenty of accountability to go around.

 

[Jaguar 88]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

The question that needs to be asked is if Fitz himself is capable of fulfilling those goals he set for the program after the 2018 Holiday Bowl. Right now, I would venture he doesn't have a clue and has been winging it.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Really need for Fitz to be honest about where his program is right now. He speaks of wanting to be a championship program, about winning championships, and I don't think you can be serious about that with this current staff.

This team literally from the first play of the season was not prepared to compete at a Big Ten level. And if you want to blame the talent and think the coaching staff was acceptable, I'll grant you that (but disagree) - because then the question is whether you believe these coordinators and this staff can attract the level of talent necessary to be at that level. I don't think they can do that either.

Coach Hank covered a lot of warts on offense. Allowed us to have an OC that played complementary football and have some success. Now we can't. The offense can't move the ball, the defense can't stop the other team, and the special teams, my goodness, I've never seen a Power 5 team with a worse kicking game.

The question is - does Fitz actually have the ability to be honest with where we are? I get he's an optimistic guy and that's great. But we have to be real with ourselves - this is not a championship staff.

Only thing that would give me hope is he fires both coordinators and we get new ones. With these two, we are done. Teams will score 30 on us weekly and we will struggle to get to 14. Maybe we get a couple of non-conference wins and take one from Rutgers or IU. We're back to the Dark Ages. It's sad.

Sorry, one other thing that would be a little scary, but I'm warming up to it. Nagy gets fired and Fitz goes to the Bears. At least we'd get to reboot and those two inept coordinators are gone. Maybe bring in Gary Patterson. That would give me hope.

 

[NUCat320]

Only thing that would give me hope is he fires both coordinators and we get new ones. With these two, we are done. Teams will score 30 on us weekly and we will struggle to get to 14. Maybe we get a couple of non-conference wins and take one from Rutgers or IU. We're back to the Dark Ages. It's sad.

Sorry, one other thing that would be a little scary, but I'm warming up to it. Nagy gets fired and Fitz goes to the Bears. At least we'd get to reboot and those two inept coordinators are gone. Maybe bring in Gary Patterson. That would give me hope.

I’m not sure coaches coming off 3-9 seasons get NFL jobs, but, then again, just-been-fired Kliff Kingsbury is probably your nfl coach of the year.

 

[olsh]

Matters much less what he says in a press conference than what he says in his exit interview with Gragg and even less than what he does (or does not do) to fix things.

I said nothing of the postgame presser, and I really don't care WHAT Fitz says there.

As you wrote - the actions will really show what he does to fix things.

We are NOT a championship program right now. We just lost by 5 TDs to our rival. Placing blame solely on the players is BS. SHARING blame with them, I buy that. But - bringing everyone back from 3-9 2 out of the last 3 years will be a clear example that Fitz's "tough" and "accountable" talk is pure BS that applies just to players and not coaches.

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

I said nothing of the postgame presser, and I really don't care WHAT Fitz says there.

As you wrote - the actions will really show what he does to fix things.

We are NOT a championship program right now. We just lost by 5 TDs to our rival. Placing blame solely on the players is BS. SHARING blame with them, I buy that. But - bringing everyone back from 3-9 2 out of the last 3 years will be a clear example that Fitz's "tough" and "accountable" talk is pure BS that applies just to players and not coaches.

I'm sure he said "that's on us, as coaches "

/s