Greg Colby the new Illinois DL coach

[Calilama]

Originally Posted by HsvIllini

Who is Wright?

Wrong guy......meant Bridge

[Dan]

Officially official.

Former Illini Player and Coach Greg Colby Joins Football Staff



Illinois football coach Tim Beckman announced today the hiring of Greg Colby as defensive line coach following a five-year stint as head coach at Millersville University, an NCAA Division II institution located in Millersville, Pa.

"Greg Colby brings a wealth of coaching experience and Fighting Illini historical football knowledge to our staff," Beckman said. "Greg grew up in Danville, was a great student-athlete at Illinois, was on the coaching staff here for eight years, and has worked at several different successful programs since. He has built some outstanding relationships with his extensive recruiting experience in the Chicagoland area. Greg understands what it means to be a Fighting Illini football player and what it takes to be successful here. I have no doubt our players will respond very positively to him as a coach and as a person."

http://www.fightingillini.com/sports...021213aaa.html

[BexleyIllini]

I checked the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference website (http://www.psacsports.org/) and found the following record for Millersville over the last 5 years:

2008: 1-10
2009: 3-8
2010: 2-9
2011: 3-8
2012: 2-9

Now it doesn't bother me that he is coming from a Div II school (Jim Tressel came from Youngstown St before coming to OSU), but this record is not exactly inspiring.

I truly hope that I'm wrong this fall, but there is very little about the Illini football program that makes me hopeful (other than a few recruits).

[GilThorpe]

Originally Posted by BexleyIllini

I checked the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference website (http://www.psacsports.org/) and found the following record for Millersville over the last 5 years:

2008: 1-10
2009: 3-8
2010: 2-9
2011: 3-8
2012: 2-9

Now it doesn't bother me that he is coming from a Div II school (Jim Tressel came from Youngstown St before coming to OSU), but this record is not exactly inspiring.

I truly hope that I'm wrong this fall, but there is very little about the Illini football program that makes me hopeful (other than a few recruits).

I wouldnt be excited if he was coming over as HC or DC, but hes going to be our DLine coach? You dont think a guy with his expereince knows what it takes to be a good Dline coach?

Do you knoe anything at all about the situation at Millersville? were they winning before he took over or were they just as bad before? I have no idea, but there is nothing about his W-L record as HC there that disqualifes him from being a good Dline cach for us.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by BexleyIllini

I checked the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference website (http://www.psacsports.org/) and found the following record for Millersville over the last 5 years:

2008: 1-10
2009: 3-8
2010: 2-9
2011: 3-8
2012: 2-9

Now it doesn't bother me that he is coming from a Div II school (Jim Tressel came from Youngstown St before coming to OSU), but this record is not exactly inspiring.

I truly hope that I'm wrong this fall, but there is very little about the Illini football program that makes me hopeful (other than a few recruits).

Remember, we are not hiring Colby to be our head coach, or even our DC.

That said, none of the hires this year to date have me doing cartwheels. All three are on the downside of their careers, there is a question of fit with Cubit, and Bridge has spent most of his career coaching TE. When Zook hired Koenning after the 2009 purge, I was excited. Heck, I was even excited about Petrino (though less so, I was worried that he hadn't ever called plays.)

These guys might be better than the coaches they replaced, but I'm definitely in a wait and see mode for next season.

[BexleyIllini]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Remember, we are not hiring Colby to be our head coach, or even our DC.

That said, none of the hires this year to date have me doing cartwheels. All three are on the downside of their careers, there is a question of fit with Cubit, and Bridge has spent most of his career coaching TE. When Zook hired Koenning after the 2009 purge, I was excited. Heck, I was even excited about Petrino (though less so, I was worried that he hadn't ever called plays.)

These guys might be better than the coaches they replaced, but I'm definitely in a wait and see mode for next season.

Yes, I understand that Colby is not going to be HC or DC, and I have no idea of the situation at Millersville. I would just hope to see something that hints of success in Div II after his high major experience at Ill, MSU and NW. I'm certainly no insider, but virtually none of the public information available provides much confidence for next fall. I certainly hope that my negativity is proven to be unfounded next fall, though.

[TomB]

This article is interesting:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/l...all-coach.html

A couple of interesting quotes:
"It was frustrating not being able to turn things around," said Colby. "It's been frustrating and at the same time it's been an eye-opener for me. I've learned maybe I am better as a position coach and maybe I wasn't the right guy for the job."

Colby, like Trainer and Kiesel before him, could only do so much with the hand he was dealt. While some PSAC schools are utilizing the maximum 36 football scholarships, Colby said he had seven to work with and tried to come up with different ways of distributing them to get the most bang for the buck.

"The program is getting better, slowly, from a financial standpoint," said Colby, who credited alumni and the Carpenter Foundation for helping make that happen. "If the money situation improves, at least maybe they can be more competitive."

If it doesn't, the new head coach could face the same dilemma Colby dealt with each week, trying to keep his undermanned squad motivated, despite what he called "the odds stacked against them."

[quhawks12]

Well no wonder he didn't win. 7 scholarships to 36 basically gives you zero chance.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by quhawks12

Well no wonder he didn't win. 7 scholarships to 36 basically gives you zero chance.

No kidding. You wonder why they don't just give up football if they can't fund scholarships at anywhere near the level of their competitors.

[Calilama]

I hate feeling that every 60 year old Beckman hires is taking the job because no matter what happens, it gets them 1 year closer to Social Security....I think maybe I will just decide to not feel that way anymore...problem solved

[RHITIllini]

Originally Posted by Calilama

I hate feeling that every 60 year old Beckman hires is taking the job because no matter what happens, it gets them 1 year closer to Social Security....I think maybe I will just decide to not feel that way anymore...problem solved

What are you even talking about?

People complain because young coaches don't have experience, and apparently also complain when older coaches get hired.

I guess people just like to complain no matter what happens.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by RHITIllini

What are you even talking about?

People complain because young coaches don't have experience, and apparently also complain when older coaches get hired.

I guess people just like to complain no matter what happens.

Or maybe we want to hire assistant coaches who both have sufficient experience and are still on the up side of their careers. It doesn't say much for Beckman if he can only hire guys with no experience at the job they are hired to do (e.g. Beatty) or a few years from retirement (e.g. Cubit).

[Juice]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Or maybe we want to hire assistant coaches who both have sufficient experience and are still on the up side of their careers. It doesn't say much for Beckman if he can only hire guys with no experience at the job they are hired to do (e.g. Beatty) or a few years from retirement (e.g. Cubit).

Can't tell if this is serious or just sarcasm?

[AHSIllini32]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Or maybe we want to hire assistant coaches who both have sufficient experience and are still on the up side of their careers. It doesn't say much for Beckman if he can only hire guys with no experience at the job they are hired to do (e.g. Beatty) or a few years from retirement (e.g. Cubit).

To be fair, Beatty was very highly thought of and it was the same strategy Beckman used that worked out so well at Toledo for him.

It didn't work out here so he made the necessary changes. If these hires work out and the program gets going in the right direction then when these guys decide to hang it up we will be in a better position to hire someone with the qualifications you mentioned.

Plus, Cubit could easily coach for another 4-6 years. It's not like he's 1-2 years away from needing a wheelchair.

[quhawks12]

Originally Posted by RHITIllini

I guess people just like to complain no matter what happens.

Yep.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by AHSIllini32

To be fair, Beatty was very highly thought of and it was the same strategy Beckman used that worked out so well at Toledo for him.

It didn't work out here so he made the necessary changes. If these hires work out and the program gets going in the right direction then when these guys decide to hang it up we will be in a better position to hire someone with the qualifications you mentioned.

Plus, Cubit could easily coach for another 4-6 years. It's not like he's 1-2 years away from needing a wheelchair.

No, Campbell was a young guy, but had OC experience. And in year 1 he was paired with an experienced, but young, QB/OC coach from App St. The Beatty hire is not directly comparable.

Yes Cubit could coach for another 4-6 years, but he is clearly on the downside of his career and there are legitimate questions about whether his offense fits the players Beck has been recruiting.

Originally Posted by Juice

Can't tell if this is serious or just sarcasm?

Dead serious. Yes, I think Cubit is an improvement over Beatty. And Bridge is an improvement over Butkus. I'm not at all sure Colby is an improvement over Gilmore, but Gilmore had to go for chemistry reasons.

But I'm not overwhelmed with these hires. Colby last coached D1 ball in 2007. Do you think this was by choice? Do you think the Millersville job was highly sought after? No one wanted to hire him after he was let go by Fitz, the only coach Fitz has ever fired. Cubit doesn't have a good high-major OC record and again I don't think anyone was beating down his door to be a top conference OC. I would love Bridge as a TE coach, but I'm only okay with him as our OL coach.

Beckman didn't land a Patton, or equivalent. He didn't land a Koenning. Maybe these hires will work out, but I don't see any home runs in a year when he really needed a home run. Will basic competence be enough of an improvement over last year? We will see.

[quhawks12]

Interesting that Billy Gonzales was the connection that got Colby to Illinois.

[Calilama]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

Or maybe we want to hire assistant coaches who both have sufficient experience and are still on the up side of their careers. It doesn't say much for Beckman if he can only hire guys with no experience at the job they are hired to do (e.g. Beatty) or a few years from retirement (e.g. Cubit).

This is a fair characterization of what may be going on.....don't think it's complaining... just an reasonable observation....

Two problems and I am merely opining....first, the assistant jobs do not look like all that secure of a job...Beckman crashed and burned in his debut...thin ice....second, he may just not be that good of a guy to work for...everybody who left seems to have found pretty damn good jobs..bad boss who wins is tolerated...bad boss who loses ain't around for long

Hope,it was just a perfect poop storm and we end up killing it

[AHSIllini32]

Originally Posted by Calilama

This is a fair characterization of what may be going on.....don't think it's complaining... just an reasonable observation....

Two problems and I am merely opining....first, the assistant jobs do not look like all that secure of a job...Beckman crashed and burned in his debut...thin ice....second, he may just not be that good of a guy to work for...everybody who left seems to have found pretty damn good jobs..bad boss who wins is tolerated...bad boss who loses ain't around for long

Hope,it was just a perfect poop storm and we end up killing it

Butkus was about to work at FIU before he got a call from maybe the worst franchise in the NFL to be an assistant OL coach. Beatty is a WR coach at Wisky, who is clearly a better program than us but it remains to be seen how their new coach (whom people would have flipped sh*t about had we hired him) does. Gilmore took a job he was offered with a former DC he had success with.

I haven't heard any former coaches voicing any sort of displeasure after working for Beckman.

[xaipe97]

Originally Posted by Calilama

This is a fair characterization of what may be going on.....don't think it's complaining... just an reasonable observation....

Two problems and I am merely opining....first, the assistant jobs do not look like all that secure of a job...Beckman crashed and burned in his debut...thin ice....second, he may just not be that good of a guy to work for...everybody who left seems to have found pretty damn good jobs..bad boss who wins is tolerated...bad boss who loses ain't around for long

Hope,it was just a perfect poop storm and we end up killing it

Yes, that is your opinion... For what it is worth, I think you are off but hope you do truly believe that Coach Beckman will turn it around.

In terms of the coaches who left finding better jobs, do you believe that, or do you not have any clue? Beatty took a 30% pay cut - did he want to? As much as I wanted Butkus to work, he was encouraged/forced to join the staff and didn't work and was going in my opinion to a much lower job. Gonzalez - do you think he wanted the demotion and big cut in pay?

Beckman is here for 2 years unless next year shows no improvement - not sure why that seems unfair unless he is too white for your taste. He walked into a bad situation - last year should have been better - but I do think we will see improvement next year with the real test to be 2014. So, if you are a true fan, I'd suggest giving him a chance. If you are a closet Iowa fan, continue to flame away.

[ncoillini]

Originally Posted by xaipe97

Yes, that is your opinion... For what it is worth, I think you are off but hope you do truly believe that Coach Beckman will turn it around.

In terms of the coaches who left finding better jobs, do you believe that, or do you not have any clue? Beatty took a 30% pay cut - did he want to? As much as I wanted Butkus to work, he was encouraged/forced to join the staff and didn't work and was going in my opinion to a much lower job. Gonzalez - do you think he wanted the demotion and big cut in pay?

Beckman is here for 2 years unless next year shows no improvement - not sure why that seems unfair unless he is too white for your taste. He walked into a bad situation - last year should have been better - but I do think we will see improvement next year with the real test to be 2014. So, if you are a true fan, I'd suggest giving him a chance. If you are a closet Iowa fan, continue to flame away.

I don't agree with Cali all the time but, he is not an Iowa fan and has some good points to his post. You can also look at the coaches that moved on as they wanted away from TB at any cost and would accept lower pay and titles.

I don't know the answers on the coaches moving on. I have a my own ideas but, I do know Cali is not a closet Sqwakeye fan.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by ncoillini

You can also look at the coaches that moved on as they wanted away from TB at any cost and would accept lower pay and titles.

You are assuming these coaches had a choice about moving on.

[AHSIllini32]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

You are assuming these coaches had a choice about moving on.

Exactly and shouldn't people pay attention to the fact that Gonzales stayed on to help finish up recruiting and helped us land Bridge?

It's not like these guys were fleeing left and right immediately after the season which would suggest they wanted to get away from TB as fast as possible.

I just think people bringing up that idea are fishing because they don't think TB is a good coach.

[skamin7]

I think it was a class move by Gonzales to stay on and bust his butt to keep the recruits flowing. But I have to admit that I do not believe that TB is a good coach and I do believe that is hurting him and us from getting top quality assistant coaches from joining him here. If he can somehow turn it around and show that he is learning from his mistakes then better assistants might consider coming here again and these lower rated coaches will be replaced. Right now being here isn't much of a resume builder.

[ncoillini]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

You are assuming these coaches had a choice about moving on.

I am not assuming anything and one can go many ways with what happened. We all can speculate and have our own thoughts. Personally, I don't care what happened. Put a competitive team on the field with competent coaches. I'm sure we all want that!