Realistically, a season like this gets Fitz fired at a lot of places, right?
- Thread starter NUCat320
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Well it must be time for NU to pack-up the football gear and turn the new Ryan Field into a hockey arena.No way Jose! Nu is an academic school first and our footballteam is full of exemplary student athletes! The higher ups at NU know football is a fleeting sport! Just don’t get anyone permanently injured! Fitz can go 3-9 for two more years and he still would go down as one of best coaches ever!
Heavy contact Sports are riddled with problems at the highest level! MMA, boxing all come hand in hand with problems! The entire Big Ten is an excellent conference with the vast majority of the players and coaches doing credible things for young men!
If nothing is done in terms of philosophy/ schemes it is very likely. This can potentially snowball. The only hope is that a lot of recruits come, thinking they have a real shot at starting out of the gate, which is one of the top reasons players give for choosing the program they commit to. Things need to change is the bottom line, with Fitz feeling the heat if things keep going south being one of them. The guy said he envisioned conference titles and nattys after the Holiday Bowl win over Utah, he needs to step it up in a major way to get there!!!! Dark Ages 2.0 could be a reality if he doesn't.
Fitz is the modern day Bob Davie. Get rid of him. Hankwitz was his crutch. This is a bigtime multi billion dollar football program w a great university and top facilities. Its time NU expect excellence
There is no evidence for this. Once we reverted back to our old defensive schemes earlier this season, we have pretty much been using the same philosophy and schemes that won us West titles and good bowl games twice in the last three years. This year’s team seems undersized, less physical, and lacking in execution. We might need to revisit our recruiting, teaching, and strength and conditioning. All of this talk of just needing more creative schemes comes across as saying the coaches just need to call the touchdown play more often. We actually need to fix our ability to execute, eliminate mental errors, and win some battles in the trenches.
Too many NU fans are convinced NU can't compete and they just accept seasons like this and 2019.
In the business world, you turn in results like this and - even if you were hired by your best friend - you're gonna feel heat and if you don't improve you'll be gone.
When a HC hires a new OC AND a new DC, there's hope to acquire coaches who will lift the program and snag a few top recruits because of their rep and skills. Hasn't happened at NU. For all the success Fitz has had, it's time to question his judgment.
In the business world, you turn in results like this and - even if you were hired by your best friend - you're gonna feel heat and if you don't improve you'll be gone.
When a HC hires a new OC AND a new DC, there's hope to acquire coaches who will lift the program and snag a few top recruits because of their rep and skills. Hasn't happened at NU. For all the success Fitz has had, it's time to question his judgment.
I suspect he's limited by Fitz' direction and so we really don't know what he could achieve. The NU O is too cautious. After the blocked kick, it's 1st and goal at the Iowa 9 and NU runs the ball twice which goes nowhere. Ooops, 3rd and long again! How'd THAT happen??? Now Iowa knows to expect a pass. Then NU gets an off sides penalty to set up 3rd and goal at the 4, but Marty sailed third down pass that was wide open. That score could have been the margin of victory.
OTOH, there's last season when Coach Jake looked pretty good... maybe he's not the problem but most fans were hoping for more from him.
It’s hard to understand you because you are our intellectual better. Maybe you could dumb it down for us hopeless dullards.
NU opens with Nebraska in Ireland, then plays Duke, Southern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) in Evanston. If the Fighting Fitzes start "bad" with that schedule then wholesale changes will be required.
I’m not vocally demand PF be fired or kept. So on the point that will become our next Carmody battle, I’m quiet.
But in general, not at all.
This season is totally unaccpetable. NU is a turnkey bigtime program with bigtime first class facilities and awesome school.
Totally whiff by Fitz. This isnt his first whiff. Dude needs to be outright fired. He is limiting progress bigtime.
For what it’s worth, he should’ve had a touchdown there, it’s just that Marshall Lang isn’t 9-foot-4.
No, don't get rid of him. Help Fitz do better. After all, there have been some very bright spots.
So, the QB missed a wide open receiver and that's evidence that we should have passed more often? At a point in the game when the QB was 7-16 for 42 yards with two sacks and one interception and the team had run the ball 18 times for 59 yards? It didn't work out, but there's certainly logic in not throwing the ball a bunch in that situation. It sounds like you're mad that Baj didn't just call the touchdown play.
I'll wait to see whether they have improved, unless you mean only from 2020. He still has 2 games he could lose in the regular season, plus the inevitable loss to an SEC team in a Florida bowl. If they start 7-0 and end up 9-4, that's not a good look. Improved from 2020 but same as every other year he's been there, winning every game that doesn't matter
Training wheels are off as Hankwitz did his best. He cant ride. Get rid of him. Now! Its not going to be any better. His recruiting is downright horrible. Terrible.
We have a billion dollar program. Billions in resources. Top school. Yet he cant even get a decent FG kicker and cant get a coach to want to coach with him without a gary barnett recommendation.
Get him out. Get him out now. No game changers even on the bench. No talent for next 4 years.
I share your frustration but still believe he is the right guy for the job. Problem is, new AD and new President won't be able to comprehensively have a performance review with him and give him specific direction. I think pulls a rabbit out of his *** and rights the ship, but not until 2023. Look at it this way. Peyton Ramsey on this team suddenly makes us a 5-4 team and competitive/respectable in all losses but Nebraska. You get a legit transfer QB, or, you know, develop one, instead of a grab bag, and we look pretty good. Not an easy task but surely possible
Doesn't take that much brain power with this subject matter. If you don't agree that is fine, but the point I was making was clear cut. If you don't agree with it just say so and make a counter argument if you are so inclined to do so.
Nope. Someone pointing to the scoreboard and thankfully im not like fans who graduated from NU. Their view is warped. They have a hard time to reimagine.
Billions $$$. Best facilities. Best school. Best conference. Awful recruiting.
Anyone who argues fitz must stay can not do so by saying things will get better. They wont. Nothing will get better. Just pointing to the scoreboard.
I just think a major problem is that Fitz has gotten bigger than the program.
My perspective on this program is an objective one. This isnt the same program that had walker and barnett practicing in mud next to the softball field 2 miles away. This program committed billions to turn the program into a TOP program. And apparently billions more. The facilities are tops. The salaries are TOP SALARIES.
The school is awesome.
Yet Fitz cant recruit. Our recruiting is horrible for this program.
We always had the school as a recruiting tool. Now we have the facilities. Yet we cant attract good coaches to coach with fitz and we cant recruit players.
Even going 7-5 is grounds for dismissal. Never mind going 3-9.
Fitz is done. Ole man Ryan wont see a bigten championship no matter how many hundreds of millions he invest to see one, if Fitz stays around.
Fitz is not nor will ever be a championship coach.
It’s an interesting statement. Something put Duke on the map. Something out ND football on the map. Facilities aren’t an issue. PF gets exceptions. Alum is all about the former standout players become coach and have some success. And there will be those, especially the non athletic, that are happiest w graduation rates and some success.
But this could be like the carmody discussions. Guy A gets the program here and hits a ceiling. Guy B goes higher and hits a ceiling. The do nots will fear regression. The ones that want to see even more can accept the dice roll.
With all the money involved, next few years will be interesting for both programs.
Florida sacked their DC and OL Coach after getting whipped by USC Saturday. Accountability in spades....
Why did Dan Mullen make the changes now?
G. Allan Taylor, Florida beat writer: The plan for making staff changes during the offseason was expedited after things fell apart against South Carolina. Energy and motivation were so lacking that it was untenable to risk three more games under lame-duck assistants. The Gators clearly need a spark, even if it meant parting ways with Hevesy, a colleague of Mullen for the past two decades.Yeah, but Mullen’s their guy and, anyway, they were in the conference championship game last year. Wild.
It wasn't a complete disaster, but Iowa's offense isn't ranked anywhere remotely in the top half of Division I. This said, I agree that the problem now is not the D. It's the O. But, the defense's improvement came when we stopped the insanity around JON's ridiculous scheme that hasn't worked at any level of the game except in producing bottom of the barrel defenses, especially rushing defenses. Why do we need him? Seems like dead weight to me.
Again, despite false claims by corbi that I’m a “closeted Fitz hater”, his seat is nowhere near hot. But this has been his worst season so far, and changes should be made.
I think a couple of coaches will retire in the offseason. Not saying I want that to happen as the two most likely to retire are two of my favorites on the staff. There’s also a possibility that Mac finally lands a head coaching job somewhere - which would also be a big loss.
Genyk’s seat is more than safe- that blocked punt was beautiful and Kuhbander looked better. I highly doubt JON or Bajakian will be fired. There is zero chance that McGarigle will be fired. ZERO!!!
What we need to do is to hit the transfer portal HARD. We should have 10-15 available slots and Fitz should demand more leniency from admissions. Now the new president is less likely to be friendly to this policy, but the new AD will want to win more and get back on track. So we’ll see what they can do.
But there’s no way Fitz will be fired anytime soon. Sure he made a mistake at DC but everybody makes mistakes man. Maybe if he were at a different school, but not him at NU. It would take multiple consecutive seasons like this and bigtime character issues (e.g. dropouts and arrests).
And Northwestern just finished in the Top 10 only 10 months ago! Both in football and academics. 3 games left in what is clearly a rebuilding season. Hopefully we win 2 and become bowl eligible.
Go Cats! In Fitz we Trust! Beat Wisconsin.
Turk just loaded up on the Zombie Dust and is looking for a reaction. He is going to go crazy with posts after the players declare for the transfer portal.
Let’s see what happens this off season. If we can’t land guys in the trenches in the portal, it will be a long season next year too. A few Assistances taking their services elsewhere probably is a good thing too.
Here’s my holiday shopping wish list from the portal:
1 QB
Another WR or two like Robinson
3 OL with starting experience
2-3 DL
2 LBs
1 new punter as Adams is graduating
1 legitimate returnman
So at least 12 players. Maybe another RB like Clair for depth. Plus your point about the transfer portal impacting us may increase the list.
Not really. Ive seen enough of ineptitude at a primetime program. The two previous coaches won championships at a program that didnt invest. Where is the return on investment?
You lose every data point arguing Fitz shouldnt be fired. I want wins at this point. I gave Fitz space when the program had crap facilities. But the school wants to compete and sunk hundreds of millions and is moving forward with hundreds of millions more.
This may be acceptable to you but not to me now. Its actually embarrassing.
I agree with your statement. But it's just not happening. The guy survived three losing season in four years ((2011-2014). If it wasn't going to happen then , it's not going to happen.
Even going 7-5 is grounds for dismissal. Never mind going 3-9.
I know you are given to hyperbole, but this part isn't true, was never true, and will never be true. Let's start with what we know:
- Fitz isn't going to be fired any time soon, no matter how much you, and others, pi$$ and moan about it. If CCC hasn't been fired after his, um...performance, Fitz has years before his seat is even warm; however...
- TCU is an interesting data point. It's Texas, so you have to put an asterisk next to it because they are wacko about football; however, they experienced a similar purple dark ages like us and KSU, at about the same as ours. They had a couple of good years under Franchione (so, like Barnett), then Patterson has been like their Fitz, albeit with a couple of really high level years. They haven't had as much recent success as NU, but their "lows" are not terrible - certainly better than ours - in the last decade. It appears that they've simply decided that they refuse to be mediocre to poor, and, although Patterson is far and away their best coach ever, they feel he is in the way of future progress. And so he's gone.
- Our fans and administration do not have TCU's expectations. Should they? Doesn't matter - they don't, and the administration won't, for the foreseeable future. It will take the new Prez and AD YEARS to develop an opinion on this, which still might not align with your 'fire Fitz' mantra.
- Fitz is not dumb. He's stubborn, but not dumb. He cares very deeply about the university and the team's success. I'm sure this is killing him. But - he's like the German generals in War and Peace - who Tolstoy scornfully called the machine builders and sausage makers. He feels there is nothing wrong with the battle plan. The battle plan is perfect, so if it fails, it must be poor "execution". I cannot find this reference in Google and am too lazy to find it in the book, but I remember thinking of young Fitz when I read this, circa 2011-12.
- He is also slow to react, and, given the university's admissions policies, he doesn't have Mel Tucker's carte blanche on transfers, but I feel that, like Bill Snyder before him, Fitz and company will learn to exploit this, to our advantage. Remember, our system has been successful, by and large, without 4-5 star talent, it seems pretty straightforward to skim off disaffected 3 or even 4 stars that simply aren't playing under the bright lights of Columbus or Tuscaloosa. Heck, have a full time position dedicated to recruiting only portal players. We can have a target of X players per year to bring in via portal (10?). We are going to lose some anyway.
- TL;DR - Fitz ain't going anywhere for a minimum of 4-5 more years, and by then, he'll probably right the ship, at least to the extent that it won't cost him his job. Get used to it.
Yeah, but the German machine builders and sausage makers made Milwaukee famous, even if they were not helpful in the Kutuzov's loss to Napoleon. Plus Fitz is Irish.