Illinois fires OC Chris Beatty - Bill Cubit hired as new Illini Offensive Coordinator

[DaytonIllini]

Originally Posted by PaytonHighstep

so, how is making an assumption he can't do something any different than my assumption that he can probably throw the ball?

Throwing a ball accurately and into small windows in time requires a lot of skill and practice.

If you pick 10 smart guys the odds that any of them can be an accomplished quantum physicist are small. If you take 10 option QB's the odds that any of them can become pocket passers in a precision passing game are really small.

But you are right. We don't know for sure.

[Warriors1994]

Im sure the coaches wont ask Bailey to switch position in risk of losing him. until this guy is officially hired nobody knows exactly what he is going to run and he might adjust and put more running in but until he does we will not really know.

[DaytonIllini]

Originally Posted by PaytonHighstep

Dayton, I agree with what you say here. I just want Bailey to get a shot. We have seen what having a very athletic QB has done for teams across the nation.

I think he'd get a shot. I just am postulating that (1) it's a really ODD hire for our personnel (present and incoming) and (2) if it's true, I can imagine it creating a lot of positional changes.

[Dan]

Source: Illinois hires Bill Cubit

Illinois has hired former Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit to be its offensive coordinator, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Cubit was fired from Western Michigan in November after eight seasons. He went 51-47 overall and made three bowl appearances with the Broncos. Western Michigan was often among the MAC's offensive leaders in points and total offense during Cubit's tenure. The Broncos ranked 18th in the country in points (35.3) and 19th in total offense (458.5 yards per game) in 2011. Western Michigan averaged 29 points a game during Cubit's eight years.

Scott Powers

[Calilama]

Originally Posted by GilThorpe

not sure you understood the coment. the op was saying AB should leave UI the minute he was asked to switch positions

AB is the guy of the future for us. It doesnt mean he necessarily starts next September, but imo , very doubtful ROT is going to start over AB. He is just not mobile enough, and our OLine's weakness is still gong to require that.

Was a big fan of ROT in high school....nonetheless, having seen him at the next level convinced me he has uncorrectable flaws..if you can't get rid of the ball the athletes are just too fast at this level to cover up that flaw.....just as Nates pus arm insures the absence of a vertical passing game......to get the ball downfield Nate needs to take the running start of a javelin thrower....thats just what it is...great, great kids but that's not the issue

if I'm Beckman I am moving on to another QB....even Osei is a better option......

[illinicb]

Originally Posted by DaytonIllini

And yet he completed 75% of his passes, had an incredibly high passing rating (around 146) for the season and did it behind one of the most incompetent OL's in the nation. Couple that with a clueless offensive scheme and it's amazing to see what he did in limited playing time.

Well, I had limited views of his limited playing time, but my recollection is that he looked great for a series then looked awful. I suspect is body of work is too small to draw any real conclusion, but in the end he will have a chance to prove his worth to the new OC along with the other QBs.

As an aside is Bailey enrolled already? Having time with the new OC in spring ball will be critical for him (and the others).

[GilThorpe]

I like the hire.

TB obviously wants someone with lots of experience who will totally be responsible for the offense. My guess is we see him bring at least one position coach with him.

As for style of play, its up to him to adapt somewhat to our current personnel and those committied to coming. as for the future, I would think we start going after the best pro style quarterback out there in the class of 2014. What happens in future seasons ,when/if we land him. is up to AB and that player.

There is nothing to indicate that AB doesnt have the ability to thrive in Cubits preferred system.

[DaytonIllini]

Originally Posted by Calilama

if I'm Beckman I am moving on to another QB....even Osei is a better option......

[sdillini]

Originally Posted by ILLINITIM33

While i like getting an experienced oc not sure his system fits what we have on our roster nor what we are recruiting. We are rb heavy, wr,ol,& passing qb light. Also doesnt seem to fit Bailey.

This is exactly true

[IlliniByProxy]

Originally Posted by GilThorpe

I like the hire.

TB obviously wants someone with lots of experience who will totally be responsible for the offense. My guess is we see him bring at least one position coach with him.

As for style of play, its up to him to adapt somewhat to our current personnel and those committied to coming. as for the future, I would think we start going after the best pro style quarterback out there in the class of 2014. What happens in future seasons ,when/if we land him. is up to AB and that player.

There is nothing to indicate that AB doesnt have the ability to thrive in Cubits preferred system.

+1 I like this hire for a few reasons. One, we now have a guy who has quite a bit of experience as an O.C. Two, he brings not only experience, but also offensive success. Three, he has experience running an entire program and can be a great asset to Beckman in running the daily operations and overseeing the program.

I do agree with some though, that his recent offensive schemes don't seem to match our current personnel or recruits very well. That said, I don't know much of anything about the offenses he ran as an O.C. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to our current situation.

[TooHot4Tots]

How did his offenses do vs teams not in the MAC?

[breadman]

And this from
Bill Cosby: "What's a cubit?"
God: "Let me see, I use to know what that was..."
heh!
somebody had to say it!

[Thacher_H_Guild]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

I guess WMU usually had decent offenses under Cubit (once he had a chance to recruits his guys), but when you look at tempo-adjusted stats they were only above average in 2008 (Jr Tim Hiller at QB, didn't run at all) and 2011 (Jr. Carder to Jordan White). From a quick read of various articles, Cubit did a good job recruiting skill players (really good ties to Florida from high school and college coaching) but they often had OL problems.

Here is a hypothesis...maybe Beckman is looking at the OL he has and who he's recruited and is thinking they will be stuck with a subpar OL for at least a few years. In that case, it would kind of make sense to bring in a guy who has shown he can create an average to good offense without a good OL. (This doesn't mean it will actually work with the guys he'll have here, but I can see the logic if that's is what the thinking is....)

Of course, it absolutely still could be a (false) rumor.

[Illini87InClt]

Originally Posted by HsvIllini

It's definitely a demotion in title, but I've been curious - how much coordinator work was he doing? He only called third down plays, and then even those became fewer towards the end of the season. Was he a big part of the coordinating behind the scenes not during game day?

I agree with your assessment. Gonzo was doing minimal coordinating especially later in the season. This is a title demotion as you stated more than a full demotion. We'll see if Gonzo moves on voluntarily or is not retained by Cubit (if the OC hire goes through). It was interesting that Les Miles did not fight to retain Gonzo when he joined Beckman's staff.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by IlliniByProxy

+1 I like this hire for a few reasons. One, we now have a guy who has quite a bit of experience as an O.C. Two, he brings not only experience, but also offensive success. Three, he has experience running an entire program and can be a great asset to Beckman in running the daily operations and overseeing the program.

I do agree with some though, that his recent offensive schemes don't seem to match our current personnel or recruits very well. That said, I don't know much of anything about the offenses he ran as an O.C. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to our current situation.

Cubit has always run the same offense, with tweaks for personel. Going back decades.

This sounds like a done deal, but it looks desperate to me. In the long run if you are committed to the run-oriented spread then stick to your guns.

[quhawks12]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Cubit has always run the same offense, with tweaks for personel. Going back decades.

This sounds like a done deal, but it looks desperate to me. In the long run if you are committed to the run-oriented spread then stick to your guns.

Desperate? Nah. But I'm guessing we didn't have guys lining up to take the job. In that regard I think we made out well. Add the zone read and he essentially runs the same O we've been running.

[Ilovetheillini]

So from what you guys have posted it sounds like Cubit recruits Florida well.

[jackman404]

Originally Posted by quhawks12

Desperate? Nah. But I'm guessing we didn't have guys lining up to take the job. In that regard I think we made out well. Add the zone read and he essentially runs the same O we've been running.

Agreed. Considering the state of our program, I'm thrilled with this hire. I don't think we could have done any better.

[brosox]

i like the fact that he is a former head coach, in addition to being a former OC and QB coach.

[HsvIllini]

Originally Posted by TooHot4Tots

How did his offenses do vs teams not in the MAC?

They beat us in 2008...

[AHSIllini32]

Originally Posted by quhawks12

Desperate? Nah. But I'm guessing we didn't have guys lining up to take the job. In that regard I think we made out well. Add the zone read and he essentially runs the same O we've been running.

This is my thinking as well. It's not like Cubit's spread called for more downfield throws whereas Beckman's was strictly short passes and screens.

They both call for short passing routes and I'm betting we still see some zone-read.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by quhawks12

Desperate? Nah. But I'm guessing we didn't have guys lining up to take the job. In that regard I think we made out well. Add the zone read and he essentially runs the same O we've been running.

I'm not sure what O we've actually been running as it changed from week to week. But WMU certainly didn't run the same offense as Toledo other than spreading things out and playing at a fast tempo.

Thinks I like about Cubit as OC: (a) very experienced as OC and QB coach, and (b) had demonstrated success at WMU.

Things that concern me: (a) his offenses were atrocious when he didn't have the right kind of QB or WR, so I'm not sure about his ability to adjust; (b) he hasn't been very committed to running the ball; and (c) at 59 years of age, with decades of experience I really don't see Cubit changing his ways to fit what Beckman wants to do.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by AHSIllini32

This is my thinking as well. It's not like Cubit's spread called for more downfield throws whereas Beckman's was strictly short passes and screens.

They both call for short passing routes and I'm betting we still see some zone-read.

The Toledo offense was all about screens and flares, getting a RB or WR in space and letting them make an individual play. WMU does some of that too (more WR than RB), but has a lot more precision timing routes.

[quhawks12]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Thinks I like about Cubit as OC: (a) very experienced as OC and QB coach, and (b) had demonstrated success at WMU.

Things that concern me: (a) his offenses were atrocious when he didn't have the right kind of QB or WR, so I'm not sure about his ability to adjust; (b) he hasn't been very committed to running the ball; and (c) at 59 years of age, with decades of experience I really don't see Cubit changing his ways to fit what Beckman wants to do.

I agree with most of these likes and concerns.

[quhawks12]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

The Toledo offense was all about screens and flares, getting a RB or WR in space and letting them make an individual play. WMU does some of that too (more WR than RB), but has a lot more precision timing routes.

Yes. Precision and timing which why people say he runs a form of the west coast.