ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
I would point out that out of all the variables involved in college football, this is one of the high impact ones that us fans control.
"us" and "fans" are two different things. The only butt I can put in a seat is my own.
I would point out that out of all the variables involved in college football, this is one of the high impact ones that us fans control.
I'll go a step further: Whitman will stay the course, unless there's little improvement. Obviously, little improvement is subjective. But the football program is a long play and Whitman's got a very large investment in it. There's no way he's overturning the apple cart unless he's convinced the current regime has failed. Patience is a virtue.
I'll even go a step further than that. Firing a head coach then requires finding one you are 100% convinced will be BETTER.
Our situation is not radioactive toxic, but its far from an ideal place to attract football people.
Its been a coaching graveyard ever since Mackovic left, and you could even argue since 1967 by saying Mac was an outlier.
We aren't the only ones who know that. Lets be real, its Lovie's job for awhile. It is what it is.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of that hire, but Les Miles to Kansas proves this train of logic wrong forever and ever.
You make a coaching change when the future is brighter moving on, considering the situation in total. It's literally never an 100% or 0% proposition, it's about figuring out which side of 50% you're on.
For a variety of reasons, I think keeping Lovie for next year was the right move at the time. A close and tough decision, but the right one. But there's no more rope at this point.
No school has ever let the same coach just wallow in suckitude for the better part of a decade on end. Not Kansas, not Vandy, not 80's Northwestern, not post-Death Penalty SMU, not couldn't-care-less-era Duke, nobody. We are not unique in being down on our luck as a football program.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of that hire, but Les Miles to Kansas proves this train of logic wrong forever and ever.
You make a coaching change when the future is brighter moving on, considering the situation in total. It's literally never an 100% or 0% proposition, it's about figuring out which side of 50% you're on.
For a variety of reasons, I think keeping Lovie for next year was the right move at the time. A close and tough decision, but the right one. But there's no more rope at this point.
No school has ever let the same coach just wallow in suckitude for the better part of a decade on end. Not Kansas, not Vandy, not 80's Northwestern, not post-Death Penalty SMU, not couldn't-care-less-era Duke, nobody. We are not unique in being down on our luck as a football program.
"us" and "fans" are two different things. The only butt I can put in a seat is my own.
Schiano is looking for a job now...?![]()
I prefer to think of it as good planning.Coach Smith could have gone for the quick fix and we would have had the same problem in three years, he instead built the program the right way play the young guys and when you get close sprinkle in grad transfers and other transfers, we just happen to get lucky and the transfers we are adding are studs.
90% chance lovie calls the Defense next yearThere were rumblings a while back about the DC already being on the staff (maybe probably possibly Lovie?) Anybody know how much truthiness there is to that?
90% chance lovie calls the Defense next year
This is it. Win. At home. Think how we've filled our diaper:That empty stadium will become not so empty in a hurry if we can just WIN. Really that's all there is to it. An early win in a game that maybe most aren't expecting us to win would go a long way in restoring hope, and really hope is all the fans need to return and fill those stands. That's what filled the stadium in the UNC game a few years back and perhaps knocking off a decent team in a game nobody expects us to win can get us that fan mojo back. I think next year we'll see plenty to restore our hopes.
First post on here. Current clemson student but always been an Illini fan. Middle of nowhere really. Odd timing I know. But I just want to say after that bowl game and two national championships later... clemson was on a 5 game losing streak to our rival and stuck in slightly better mediocrity. Coaches have to have game planning and success, but two things stood out after Dabo got hired. One was his hire of a phenomenal DC in Venerbales, but second is that he is a good person truly and morally. Lovie has that positivity and is generally a good man who cares about his players personal lives. Like dabo said in the postgame comments, anyone can do it. We have very good momentum and I think good things happen to good people, and Lovie has his coming. Just personal opinion I see similarity, let’s see this DC hire next.
90% chance lovie calls the Defense next year
My only concern is that it’s unkniwb to me how much lovie has been involved in the defensive preparation, game planning, and defensive calls during the game for the past ~15 years since he has only been a head coach at this time. Seems a little counterintuitive!! But it just seems he was letting the coordinators run with gameplanning and calls the last few years . Optimistically I can say lovie was busy with more macro issues for the program, and now the foundation is set can devote more time to details for the defense. Also, like duh, of course he was involved in the defense, and knows what he’s doing!!! I don’t know how the team was operating up to this point.90% chance lovie calls the Defense next year
Plenty of resources to get a quality DC. Sounds likes Lovie is betting on himself here.I can’t get hyped about this. It just feels like we failed to find a DC as opposed to this being the plan all along.
So you're saying we should poach Venables to be our DC? /sFirst post on here. Current clemson student but always been an Illini fan. Middle of nowhere really. Odd timing I know. But I just want to say after that bowl game and two national championships later... clemson was on a 5 game losing streak to our rival and stuck in slightly better mediocrity. Coaches have to have game planning and success, but two things stood out after Dabo got hired. One was his hire of a phenomenal DC in Venerbales, but second is that he is a good person truly and morally. Lovie has that positivity and is generally a good man who cares about his players personal lives. Like dabo said in the postgame comments, anyone can do it. We have very good momentum and I think good things happen to good people, and Lovie has his coming. Just personal opinion I see similarity, let’s see this DC hire next.
Plenty of resources to get a quality DC. Sounds likes Lovie is betting on himself here.
Someone will have the DC title I’m sure and they are going to use those resources to try and get two good defesnive assistants. Also that 28 year old was a big reason for the results in the early signing period.I have no objection to Lovie calling the defense himself, but that DC title and those resources need to then be used to find an excellent recruiter and teacher of technique.
It's a month after the end of the season and our defensive coaching staff remains a 28 year old, a guy who never coached in college before this year, Tyler Underwood and an empty chair. It is no coincidence we were among the worst defenses in the country with a staff like that. Dramatic overhaul is needed.