Illini Football 2021

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#126      
Should be 8 guys unless I'm missing someone (Brown, Carney, Epstein, Hayes, Kramer, Lowe, Perry, Hansen). Green was the only graduate. To provide a comparison to some other lower-ranked B1G teams by SP+: Rutgers has 10 and Purdue has 8. Not sure how that top graphic was assessing all-B1G (no media? non transfers?) or I just can't do basic math (probably the latter).
Might be someone who received All-B1G as a junior/underclassmen and not as a senior.

Edit: Never mind, he was missing McCourt.
 
#127      
I remember reading a few weeks ago Bielema mentioning that Illinois football players and faculty should be fully vaccinated. It is not mandated but he thought they would reach that number. Any word or new articles on that?

Has Alex Bryant applied for a waiver?
 
#128      

Ransom Stoddard

Ordained Dudeist Priest
Bloomington, IL
I'll be happy with our progress this season if the defense gives up 30% fewer big plays and the offense has 25% more big plays. Those are pretty significant numbers, but I think that's reasonable given the difference in football discipline and play calling I expect to see between BB and Lovie.
 
#129      
I'll be happy with our progress this season if the defense gives up 30% fewer big plays and the offense has 25% more big plays. Those are pretty significant numbers, but I think that's reasonable given the difference in football discipline and play calling I expect to see between BB and Lovie.
I don't disagree with you, but when you listen to BB speak, one of the things he regularly talks about will be a good measure of how much they improve. He refers to winning by not losing the game: don't commit penalties, don't turn the ball over, etc. Perhaps not allowing big plays defensively falls solidly in that area, but I think the focus will be eliminating the little things that kill momentum or allow the other team to keep theirs, and I expect to see real improvement from the sloppy, "unprofessional" play of Lovie's teams.
 
#130      

illini80

Forgottonia
I don't disagree with you, but when you listen to BB speak, one of the things he regularly talks about will be a good measure of how much they improve. He refers to winning by not losing the game: don't commit penalties, don't turn the ball over, etc. Perhaps not allowing big plays defensively falls solidly in that area, but I think the focus will be eliminating the little things that kill momentum or allow the other team to keep theirs, and I expect to see real improvement from the sloppy, "unprofessional" play of Lovie's teams.
It will be interesting to see how BB deals with mistakes. I suspect he will have a short leash, at least early when he has enough bodies.
 
#131      
Not sure if this is the right place or if it's already known but looks like Rod Smith got hired by Virginia as an analyst.

Feels like a lifetime ago he was calling plays here already lol.
 
#132      
I remember reading a few weeks ago Bielema mentioning that Illinois football players and faculty should be fully vaccinated. It is not mandated but he thought they would reach that number. Any word or new articles on that?

Has Alex Bryant applied for a waiver?
Yes.
One thing about this year's team is they likely won't give up 20 yards every time a TE goes wide and then over the middle.
 
#133      
I remember reading a few weeks ago Bielema mentioning that Illinois football players and faculty should be fully vaccinated. It is not mandated but he thought they would reach that number. Any word or new articles on that?

Has Alex Bryant applied for a waiver?
There were 12 players who were not vaccinated when practice began. Don't know why or what their current status is. I thought the U was going to require all students to be vaccinated for the start of school.
 
#135      

illini80

Forgottonia
There were 12 players who were not vaccinated when practice began. Don't know why or what their current status is. I thought the U was going to require all students to be vaccinated for the start of school.
The last I heard Bielema address it, all players had their first shot and would be done before the Nebraska game.
 
#136      
I hope that BB can make the team competitive this year and improve year by year. Certainly the constantly extremely wide open receiver in the middle should be minimized. Tampa 2 guys open defense will change. OL should be strong. Generally have limited optimism for football, but I am sure for most of us, we want to see something before jumping in.

GO ILLINI! :hailtotheorange:
 
#137      
Lovie recruited a lot of raw athletic players. This super senior thing is great for those guys because they get another year of development in every way. That allows them to compete in every facet and then they will fall on depth chart where they will. But the competition to get there should be tough. Then the ones who fall will transfer per usual. What that does is raise the floor of the team early in BB’s tenure. With a raised floor to you don’t HAVE to play incoming freshman like Lovie did. You can get into a true developmental cycle for every player and build true depth, so the drop off isn’t a cliff when your subs come In. For a program like ours, it helps us level the playing field a bit.
 
#138      

Illinivek23

Gurnee
Will be interesting to see if Pearl cracks the starting lineup, most likely at RG. Will Palcho be ready against Neb. This OL will be a huge key to our season, assuming we get a consistent week-to-week performance at QB

Down to 2 weeks until we find out.
 
#139      

Dan

Admin

 
#140      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
A comment that caught my eye: Bielema said he hired Ben Miller because he worked under Troy Calhoun, whose "offense is very similar".

Calhoun is a *little* less doctrinaire about the triple option than Army or Navy are, but it's an option offense.

Tony Petersen at App State wasn't running much option, but it was a very run-heavy offense with a decent amount of QB run.

And yet we've moved Isaiah Williams and Coran Taylor to WR and brought in and recruited a bunch of statuesque pocket passers more akin to a Wisconsin-type offense.

And we are certainly not recruiting the kind of smaller linemen you associate with service academy football.

I'm perplexed!
 
#141      
A comment that caught my eye: Bielema said he hired Ben Miller because he worked under Troy Calhoun, whose "offense is very similar".

Calhoun is a *little* less doctrinaire about the triple option than Army or Navy are, but it's an option offense.

Tony Petersen at App State wasn't running much option, but it was a very run-heavy offense with a decent amount of QB run.

And yet we've moved Isaiah Williams and Coran Taylor to WR and brought in and recruited a bunch of statuesque pocket passers more akin to a Wisconsin-type offense.

And we are certainly not recruiting the kind of smaller linemen you associate with service academy football.

I'm perplexed!

I went to Air Force and was there for the start of the Calhoun era. While it was definitely more pass happy (like I dunno, 10 throws a game?) than Army and Navy I didn’t expect to see it at Illinois.

I do think we have the athletes to run it better, but Gritty’s right in the sense that we aren’t recruiting the type of players you’d normally see in that offense.

Maybe the BB comment is more about TE blocking schemes? Or something else?

Or maybe BB has learned from Bill Belichick that you take every single opportunity you can to confuse your opponents. I wonder if some Nebby GA is reporting to Frost tonight that they might need to prepare for some triple option.
 
#142      
I wonder if some Nebby GA is reporting to Frost tonight that they might need to prepare for some triple option.
Maybe, but with the guys in our qb room now I don’t think that’s a hard conversation. Make the qb keep the ball and beat you.

The new triple option is the RPO and I could see us doing that with our guys but instead of the qb keeping and going, just shifting the pocket with boots and rollouts.
 
#143      

ChiefGritty

Chicago, IL
Maybe, but with the guys in our qb room now I don’t think that’s a hard conversation. Make the qb keep the ball and beat you.

The new triple option is the RPO and I could see us doing that with our guys but instead of the qb keeping and going, just shifting the pocket with boots and rollouts.
Peters was really smart and effective in keeping defenses honest in read option type situations. He's an elite faller, like a redwood coming down, before you know it he's gotten 8 yards.
 
#144      
A comment that caught my eye: Bielema said he hired Ben Miller because he worked under Troy Calhoun, whose "offense is very similar".

Calhoun is a *little* less doctrinaire about the triple option than Army or Navy are, but it's an option offense.

Tony Petersen at App State wasn't running much option, but it was a very run-heavy offense with a decent amount of QB run.

And yet we've moved Isaiah Williams and Coran Taylor to WR and brought in and recruited a bunch of statuesque pocket passers more akin to a Wisconsin-type offense.

And we are certainly not recruiting the kind of smaller linemen you associate with service academy football.

I'm perplexed!
The service academies don't really choose smaller linemen. There's some size restrictions involved. Option offense or not, you take the best available.
 
#145      
I went to Air Force and was there for the start of the Calhoun era. While it was definitely more pass happy (like I dunno, 10 throws a game?) than Army and Navy I didn’t expect to see it at Illinois.

I do think we have the athletes to run it better, but Gritty’s right in the sense that we aren’t recruiting the type of players you’d normally see in that offense.

Maybe the BB comment is more about TE blocking schemes? Or something else?

Or maybe BB has learned from Bill Belichick that you take every single opportunity you can to confuse your opponents. I wonder if some Nebby GA is reporting to Frost tonight that they might need to prepare for some triple option.

If I had to guess, we'll be offering pretty varied looks on O and D with the O looking mostly pro style. I formation or 31 personnel with some RPO mixed in.

Would love for us to just come out rocking 3 back sets but I don't see it being our mainstay.
 
#149      

illini80

Forgottonia
"This strength staff, I have no words for how good they are. This is the best staff I've been a part of, with respect to every past staff that I've been through," Epstein said. "They really do (place an) emphasis on taking career of your body and soft tissues. (I'm) super, super glad and happy with the staff that Coach B put together."

 
#150      

Dbell1981

Decatur, IL
A comment that caught my eye: Bielema said he hired Ben Miller because he worked under Troy Calhoun, whose "offense is very similar".

Calhoun is a *little* less doctrinaire about the triple option than Army or Navy are, but it's an option offense.

Tony Petersen at App State wasn't running much option, but it was a very run-heavy offense with a decent amount of QB run.

And yet we've moved Isaiah Williams and Coran Taylor to WR and brought in and recruited a bunch of statuesque pocket passers more akin to a Wisconsin-type offense.

And we are certainly not recruiting the kind of smaller linemen you associate with service academy football.

I'm perplexed!
I don't think it is a scheme fit move at all. Someone mentioned Bilichek taught him to have someone with a military background to instill toughness and discipline. Could have been that considering how much coach talks about the line being so tight knit.
 
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