Football Coaching Staff / Coaching Carousel Thread

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#26      
t has been disappointing and the only person that has gained anything is Lovie and his retirement fund.
I agree with the first - It HAS been disappointing. But do you really believe that we have gained nothing? I think we have gained, just not enough. It takes a whole lot of energy to get a becalmed battleship moving into the wind. That is what Lovie signed up for. He could almost certainly have done more, but I can't buy into nothing
 
#27      
I’m not recognizing any significant payoff from the decades of NFL experience on the Illini coaching staff. Maybe it’s there and I’m just not seeing it.
 
#28      
We’re completely unwatchable in year 3 against any team better than Kent state. Time for a new coaching staff.

Who are you going to hire and with what money?

Seriously, you have to recognize that there is like 0% chance this happens.

Absent retirement, Lovie will be the coach next year and there really isn't much point in belaboring this issue.

To many people, this is only year 2 based on Lovie's bizarre hiring date.
 
#29      
Who are you going to hire and with what money?

Seriously, you have to recognize that there is like 0% chance this happens.

Absent retirement, Lovie will be the coach next year and there really isn't much point in belaboring this issue.

To many people, this is only year 2 based on Lovie's bizarre hiring date.

Exactly. For better or for worse we put all chips in on the Lovie hire. He will be given ample time to succeed or fail.

It took Barry Alvarez 3 bowl less years to build Wisconsin up ready for sustained success, and like you pointed out this really isn't year 3 of Lovie's rebuild
 
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#30      

Soxfreak64

Bloomington
Don't get me wrong, I'm on the fence with Lovie too. He'll get one more year no matter what...the buyout is just too high. But did this game really move the needle for any of you? I understand Purdue on Homecoming, but this was a team we haven't beaten in a decade...at their house...with 5 turnovers...and all the hallmarks of a typical Badgers offense.

If Illinois lays this kind of egg against Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska or Northwestern, I'd get it. And I'll be just as upset/pessimistic as you if they do.
 
#31      
Considering Wisconsin had a much better team last year and we played them close, compared to today, this was regression. A defensive HC has the worst defense in recent memory at Illinois. Blowouts are ridiculous as is the yardage given up. If we don’t win another game this season, i think JW has a difficult decision to make, imho.
 
#32      
Better question: What coach will want to come here?

Based on the ill timed coaching search that should have been started instead of extending Cubit and wound up with rejection by all coaches desired the next search will wind up with another failed wish list. Lovie wasn't even on any list. Ron Turner connected Josh with Lovie at the last minute.
 
#33      

BES76

Kennewick, Wa
Including today, post-1950, Lovie trails only Moeller and Valek in win percentage (0.258), and this year's defense after 7 games is worst in history at 510 yd/game after and tied for 4th worst at 34 pts/game (trailing only Valek ('69), Zook ('05) and Beckman ('13,'14)). The offense is up +5 pts/game and +90 yd/game over last year, but from here out its all conference games left. Lovie should get at least 4 yrs, but so far this is not any better then previous worst coaching years.
 
#34      
Rebuilds are always messy and uncertain. 1990-1992 no one at Wisconsin was certain that Barry Alvarez was going to get it done.

In those same years no one at NW was sure that Gary Barnett would be the guy to lift NW from the Big Ten basement.

1999-2000 Iowa fans were screaming that replacing Hayden Fry with Kirk Ferentz was a big mistake.

I hate it as much as all of you but we have to be patient and stay the course.

Rebuild is probably not the correct term for IL FB since we weren't "built" at any time prior to Lovie's arrival. Dig a hole, pour a footing, pour a foundation, frame the house, etc is the task that Lovie has. Not an easy one.
 
#35      

the national

the Front Range
Rebuilds are always messy...1990-1992 no one at Wisconsin was certain that Barry Alvarez was going to get it done...no one at NW was sure that Gary Barnett would be the guy to lift NW...Rebuild is probably not the correct term for IL FB since we weren't "built" at any time prior to Lovie's arrival. Dig a hole, pour a footing, pour a foundation, frame the house, etc is the task that Lovie has. Not an easy one.

This is my opinion. If we were a competent program, I would be more critical of the whole football debacle. But this is a full rebuild, strip the ground bare, grub the land, and excavate to put in footings. Lovie has had to clear the ground so we could get started putting in the footings. Our program under Beckman, and even more Thomas (who I really blame for the state of our athletics) was a total laughing stock. Thomas litterally destroyed the semblance of football and basketball program we had
 
#36      
I thought lovie was a mistake couple weeks after the hire. took me that long to get over the shock. iirc, I only saw his name once as a candidate for an open nfl job. I thought he took the job because it was the only head coach gig anywhere he was being offered. And there were other sorta troubling things that first month or two...the fact he got a condo here instead of a house, a comment he made in an early interview about how he had no intention of being 70 years old and still coaching - this when he was 57 (I think) when he took the job. And then also, regardless of the super bowl appearance with the bears, I never thought he was a very good nfl coach. And his age and time away from the college game - for the ground-up rebuild that the illini job is, I thought/think it requires a younger guy - 40's - with the energy and fire to see it thru. And now in year 3, when it seems like half of the good players either get injured, suspended or transfer out, I think the lovie experiment is going down in flames. Having said that, I would give him 5 full years - partly due to the prohibitive buyout till after 5 years, partly due to at some point we've got to stop the coaching carousel for a bit - and who knows, maybe year 5 will be the turnaround year.
 
#37      
I think it’s funny that people can’t see we are an improving team with too much youth. This ear we
I thought lovie was a mistake couple weeks after the hire. took me that long to get over the shock. iirc, I only saw his name once as a candidate for an open nfl job. I thought he took the job because it was the only head coach gig anywhere he was being offered. And there were other sorta troubling things that first month or two...the fact he got a condo here instead of a house, a comment he made in an early interview about how he had no intention of being 70 years old and still coaching - this when he was 57 (I think) when he took the job. And then also, regardless of the super bowl appearance with the bears, I never thought he was a very good nfl coach. And his age and time away from the college game - for the ground-up rebuild that the illini job is, I thought/think it requires a younger guy - 40's - with the energy and fire to see it thru. And now in year 3, when it seems like half of the good players either get injured, suspended or transfer out, I think the lovie experiment is going down in flames. Having said that, I would give him 5 full years - partly due to the prohibitive buyout till after 5 years, partly due to at some point we've got to stop the coaching carousel for a bit - and who knows, maybe year 5 will be the turnaround year.

I don't agree with your opinions of Lovie, but I agree with your idea that at some point we have to give a coach the chance to make it. If we get rid of Lovie in two years for lack of performance, we will have a solid foundation to build on. If we get rid of him now, our good players will leave and the program will continue to be in disarray with few coaches even wanting the job.
 
#38      
He'll get the full 5 years. Defense is something we need to figure out and quick. If we make necessary adjustments and win 2 more games this year while competing in the rest I feel like the thoughts of this thread will change drastically.
 
#39      

Deleted member 651864

D
Guest
Lovie is a great guy, but he has not put us in a position to win in year three. Other programs (or basically all other Power 5 programs except for Rutgers) have passed us by in all categories. At what point will Josh Whitman pull the plug on this disaster? I really just want to win again at some point. That is going to mean bringing in a young, energetic, non-MAC coach. The defense is just poor. I know we lost guys to transfer, injuries, etc., but you have to have talent waiting to play. And I'm not thrilled with the play-calling on offense, lack of energy from players AND coaches on the sideline, etc.
 
#40      
He'll get the full 5 years. Defense is something we need to figure out and quick. If we make necessary adjustments and win 2 more games this year while competing in the rest I feel like the thoughts of this thread will change drastically.

Not sure thoughts of the thread will change. Rather, different people will be empowered to speak up. By week 4, I hadn’t heard much alumni rumbling. But, as soon as Purdue, lots of people that saw improvement were waiting to point out that Lovie wasn’t going to make it. Then they validated it by everything that had happened up to that point “team gives up” “it’s not a well coached team” “the defense sucks”

Everyone pulls out their own stats to validate their viewpoint. We give up a lot of yards and we do a great job taking the ball away. Either side can have a field day. I see improvement in the players and the demeanor of the team. I never thought we would beat Wisconsin or Purdue. I think Minnesota is a good gauge of how far our team has come. I think turnovers are a sign that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Adjustments will be made to compensate for what’s not working and what skills we lack. Time will tell if lovie will work out, but he has accomplished enough in his career (top 50 winningnest coach in NFL history) to warrant some time to figure out the college game. Talking about getting rid of him before his time is up is just silly.
 
#41      
What are everyone's thoughts on turning Rod Smith into the HC and bringing on a up-and-coming DC? Outside of the Purdue game, I have been really happy with the progress Smith has made with the offensive side of the ball.

My thought is that this has zero chance of happening and for good reason. Smith has improved the offense and I would like to see that continue. This is his first season with full play calling authority, let alone running a program. Lovie should and will get a chance to coach most of his guys as upperclassmen. Our recruiting class while small, has some game breakers who you do not want to jeopardize.

If we aren't significantly improved by this time next year, then we can start the who is next coach debate. Generally you don't promote within when you fire the head coach either.
 
#42      

UofI08

Chicago
What are everyone's thoughts on turning Rod Smith into the HC and bringing on a up-and-coming DC? Outside of the Purdue game, I have been really happy with the progress Smith has made with the offensive side of the ball.
I like Rod Smith as much as anyone, but I don’t see that at all. Probably possible that the next coach might want to keep Rod though. Rod Smith has all of 7 games experience calling and running an offense. And it’s a subpar offense at that.
 
#43      
At least it's an offense. We just don't have the horses to run it, whether through injuries or just subpar performers (Smalling has won, what, one 50/50 pass this year so far?).

The defense is what is currently so ghastly.
 
#44      

Deleted member 654622

D
Guest
Guys...relax! Get through the process. You can bring 50 different coaches in here and it wont matter. Like it or not, the other team has better athletes than we do at EVERY POSITION on the field. That will change when these guys get older. It is not going to change so stop spending so much energy wishing it would. Just watch the game breakdowns and look at the one on one matchups. We lose the majority of them. Their fullback juked our LB for freaks sake. That is not going to happen when this roster matures.
I honestly think our best position group is our Running Backs and then Offensive Line right now. They win more one on one battles than anyone on the team. As a result, we are a good running football team. Bobby Roundtree is a real good player, and he is a true sophomore...I want to see him as a senior along side a junior Calvin Avery, playing in front of a senior Jake Hansen, all with experience playing in this system. IT WILL LOOK MUCH DIFFERENT!
 
#45      

UofI08

Chicago
Why are so many people ok with the worst power 5 football team, outside of Rutgers? That’s what we are. In year 3, or year 2 for some of you, Lovie should at the very least show some competency. Our offense is better than last year and shows some good signs of improvement, but it’s still well below average. Our defense is absolutely pathetic. I don’t care if you’re playing all walkons. In year 3, they should at least know what they’re doing, and look like they want to be out there.

Whitman is somehow funding all these huge projects. If he can’t find 12 mil to inject the football program with competency and energy, he’s not doing his job.
 
#46      
Stop calling this year three.

Also, Lovie knows that if he turns this thing around he will have a statue in front of Memorial Stadium with his name forever remembered in Illini history. Stop acting like he isn't all in or doesn't care. It is crazy talk.

He gets next year to make a bowl. And it will happen. I will also bet my house that we are competitive (within 2 scores) with every team remaining on the schedule except Iowa.

Most predicted a 4-8 or 5-7 season. One or the other is going to happen. So why are we talking about firing anybody? Every team we have lost to so far will be in the top 25 by the end of the season. Relax fellow fans.

Holy goodness this board's highs and lows are tough.
 
#47      
Stop calling this year three.

Also, Lovie knows that if he turns this thing around he will have a statue in front of Memorial Stadium with his name forever remembered in Illini history. Stop acting like he isn't all in or doesn't care. It is crazy talk.

He gets next year to make a bowl. And it will happen. I will also bet my house that we are competitive (within 2 scores) with every team remaining on the schedule except Iowa.

Most predicted a 4-8 or 5-7 season. One or the other is going to happen. So why are we talking about firing anybody? Every team we have lost to so far will be in the top 25 by the end of the season. Relax fellow fans.

Holy goodness this board's highs and lows are tough.
Well it's year three of the Lovie tenure, that isn't some sort of argument, thats plain fact. If you want to debate whether he gets a pass the first year, I could see arguments on both sides, and yes I think to those who matter in the AD, this is consider his second "graded" year.

The bolded is the part that interests me. Are you suggesting that if he doesn't make a bowl next year, he's gone? For a team that hasn't passed half the wins necessary to become bowl eligible in back to back year, with a possibility of making that a three-peat, it's a bold claim. Our schedule is about as light as it'll ever get next year, but that's a plateau this team has looked up to for a while now.

For now, I'll stick with Whitman's prescribed "progress" as the measuring stick. The first 5 games showed progress, the last two, I'm not so sure.
 
#48      
Well it's year three of the Lovie tenure, that isn't some sort of argument, thats plain fact. If you want to debate whether he gets a pass the first year, I could see arguments on both sides, and yes I think to those who matter in the AD, this is consider his second "graded" year.

The bolded is the part that interests me. Are you suggesting that if he doesn't make a bowl next year, he's gone? For a team that hasn't passed half the wins necessary to become bowl eligible in back to back year, with a possibility of making that a three-peat, it's a bold claim. Our schedule is about as light as it'll ever get next year, but that's a plateau this team has looked up to for a while now.

For now, I'll stick with Whitman's prescribed "progress" as the measuring stick. The first 5 games showed progress, the last two, I'm not so sure.

Based on the light schedule next year I am suggesting that it is bowl or bust. If Lovie can't get that done then it is time to talk about a new coach. Now is not the time however. Halfway through the season in what is "figuratively" year 2 is a little early for my taste.

Not sure how that is confusing.

I am also predicting that the team will make a bowl next year. That is my optimism showing of course.
 
#49      

SKane

Tennessee
Love will get five years (absent a scandal) regardless of what you or I think.

Whitman has too much money and credibility invested in him for the situation to be anything else.

If Lovie does not get to a bowl next year, he will be a dead coach walking. If he does get into a bowl, he will be here for another couple of years.

I care enough to post here but it isn't worth worrying about beyond that.
 
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