Must read for everyone
- Thread starter MCC_Cat
- Start date
Randy Walker rode into Evanston on his pickle boat in 1999, a Midwest boy who grew up in the era of 3 yards and a cloud of dust. He talked about bringing smash mouth football to Ryan Field. After a miserable first year, he quickly realized he didn't have the horses and hogs to operate that kind of offense successfully, and quickly adopted the spread offense that revolutionized the Big Ten and earned him a championship.
Some 20 years later, his protégé Pat Fitzgerald is learning that smash mouth football is nearly impossible with an undersized line and below average skill players, especially at QB. And a porous defense to 'complement' that anemic offense.
Fitz needs to look at the data and realize he needs to make some radical changes.
Your move, Fitz.
Some 20 years later, his protégé Pat Fitzgerald is learning that smash mouth football is nearly impossible with an undersized line and below average skill players, especially at QB. And a porous defense to 'complement' that anemic offense.
Fitz needs to look at the data and realize he needs to make some radical changes.
Your move, Fitz.
After a long, hard look at the data, Fitz whispers to himself, “Stats are for losers”. He then dials up Gragg and orders a new contract extension for both Bajakian and JON.
I couldn't possibly describe the disgust I feel for this article. Is this written by an actual journalist?
That MNWildcat said it all.
But we know our HC - he won't accept any of it and will insist on keeping the OC and DC he chose himself. WASS.
There is no way this can have a happy ending. Life was hard during the Dark Ages. NU was rarely on TV. I recall sneaking up on the paper to see if NU even beat the spread. Maybe they're getting better! But the path out of present state of NU football will be a similar experience.
Ah, well, if the Dark Ages didn't discourage us, neither will this.
But we know our HC - he won't accept any of it and will insist on keeping the OC and DC he chose himself. WASS.
There is no way this can have a happy ending. Life was hard during the Dark Ages. NU was rarely on TV. I recall sneaking up on the paper to see if NU even beat the spread. Maybe they're getting better! But the path out of present state of NU football will be a similar experience.
Ah, well, if the Dark Ages didn't discourage us, neither will this.
The article says Jeff Genyk was Fitz position coach. I believe that is incorrect and that coach Tim Kish was the LB coach.
Maybe so, but outside of the miss on Genryk as Fitz's position coach, it was hard to point to anything that he said that wasn't just spot on.
which is this board’s specialty. The same guys piling on, are the ones that were jumping on the bandwagon last year. I hate to say it but I have more respect for the perpetual cynics like mikero. At least they are consistent. The Monday morning QBs on this board make me sick.
Because it's just so wrong to be pleased when you're decent and to be outraged with disaster.
Vs. the self-professed and self-righteous experts who know so much more than the rest of us and think the coaches can do no wrong.
What makes me sick is the product on the field this season. In a majority of our games, WE HAD NO CHANCE. And that's on the coaches. Without any significant changes, we can expect more of the same next year. Even if another Peyton Ramsey transfers in, our defense continues to be a liability. Do your job, Fitz!
I think the performance of the team this year warrants an extra level of angst. This team defied how bad most people thought an NU team could be. This was dark ages bad football where the game was over before the team exited the locker room.
Look, I know what JON was trying to do on defense. I know what Bajakian is trying to do on offense. I know why both were hired. Fitz is trying to take the next step. The issue is whether NU can get the personnel to run the systems the coordinators want to run.
This is why I have so much concern about the program. What did we see this year from any players that gives fans any hope that the current roster can win games with the current coaches down the road?
Careful, or you shall be deemed Not Worthy To Be A Fan by corbi, the Arbiter of NU fandom and All-Knower of Football.
JON has sucked at every place he has coached so even if he had Alabama's first string where is the evidence that he knows what he is doing? I acknowledge there is a self-induced talent deficit but I saw no evidence that says, "Oh yeah that would work if we had the right kid..." never did I see that. Purdue ran the SAME play 4 times and gained 40+ each time! Not one adjustment.
Well for what it's worth we did change up personnel and try some different looks on Milton Wright (which was one side, while we left the safety over the top on David Bell and generally had the other safety moving forward to help with the run). I am not 100% certain offhand, but I believe if you check the tape you'll find that there was a hitch and go that went for long yardage against each of 2, 11, and 24 on our team. So we tried different guys solo on him, they all just covered him terribly. Admittedly the overall scheme stayed fairly similar, but would you rather that we had played David Bell's side with no safety help? I suppose we prob should have fallen back into more of a base zone D.
Btw I am in favor of making a change at DC though, just pointing something out.
Yeah... that game was simply about Purdue taking what we were giving them. And taking it easily. With Bell on the other side, you knew their #2 WR was going to be wide open all day.