So you think he is less talented than Hank Beatty, for example? Hank saw some time as a true FR. Not saying you're wrong, but I thought Elzy was expected to be an immediate contributor.
Illini Football 2023
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So you think he is less talented than Hank Beatty, for example? Hank saw some time as a true FR. Not saying you're wrong, but I thought Elzy was expected to be an immediate contributor.
Elzy is a beast. Don't see how they will be able to keep him off the field.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Elzy is going to have to demonstrate that he can run precise routes consistently and has proficient knowledge (as opposed to mastering it) of the playbook.
FWLIW, I really like our WRs. The competition among them should be fierce.
Think he is more speaking to the skill of our room being better than it was when Beatty first got here. Elzy is more talented, but we have more experienced guys who probably knows the system, routes, and audibles better.
So you think he is less talented than Hank Beatty, for example? Hank saw some time as a true FR. Not saying you're wrong, but I thought Elzy was expected to be an immediate contributor.
looking at BB's first year year. It's unreal how much different this season's WR room should be. Our top options that year were IW and Deuce Spann both playing the position for the first time, freshman Pat Bryant, Washingon, and Donny Navarro.
We've beat out other P5 programs for 5 top 1000 WR recruits the past 2 years; plus Beatty and Hollins who has some tools.
Been really impressed with how quickly the depth at both WR and Edge has been built.
Totally agree with you here. And that is why it's been so maddening the last 20yrs or so. We have all the pieces, just needed a great coach & AD to put it all together.
Unless he gets injured than Elzy sees the field this season. Some of you are watching way too many hot take shows. Majority of positions look like a strength until injuries and underperformance take place.
IW is like a fine wine and only going to get better
Bryant had a nice season last year and still missed 4 games
Washington has been in the system awhile. I like his experience and hoping for more out of him(still waiting on 1st receiving TD)
Hightower also transferred out who was a solid WR for this group
BB has brought in more talent at the WR and see who can develop out of the last class or two now
Difference between Elzy and majority of guys brought in lately(besides talent level) is Elzy doesn't need a year in the weight room to develop his body. He is entering college ready to go and can keep developing his strength. The only thing we never know is the speed of the game for guys coming from high school to college. I don't care if Elzy starts or is transitioned in slowly as the season goes on but I think he will make some nice contributions this season. If IW, Bryant and Elzy can stay healthy I think this could be a special season.
IW is like a fine wine and only going to get better
Bryant had a nice season last year and still missed 4 games
Washington has been in the system awhile. I like his experience and hoping for more out of him(still waiting on 1st receiving TD)
Hightower also transferred out who was a solid WR for this group
BB has brought in more talent at the WR and see who can develop out of the last class or two now
Difference between Elzy and majority of guys brought in lately(besides talent level) is Elzy doesn't need a year in the weight room to develop his body. He is entering college ready to go and can keep developing his strength. The only thing we never know is the speed of the game for guys coming from high school to college. I don't care if Elzy starts or is transitioned in slowly as the season goes on but I think he will make some nice contributions this season. If IW, Bryant and Elzy can stay healthy I think this could be a special season.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yep, and if all you experience is misery and letdown ... you start to try to rationalize it subconsciously. We have very loyal fans here who don't view Illinois as having any "built-in" advantages that a school like Iowa State or Mississippi State doesn't have ... because we haven't performed like it. However, that could not be further from the truth. It's also a "chicken and the egg" thing as far as instate support goes. Georgia does not get more loyalty out of Atlanta than we do out of Chicago because of a God-given right to their state's casual fans ... they have been good for so long that it has seeped into the culture! Chicago/Illinois has been the literal opposite. It will take time to change the narrative and have the vast majority of casual Illinoisans growing up diehard Illini fans, but it CAN be done. We have seen flashes during periods like our 2005 Final Four run and 2007-08 Rose Bowl where a truly astonishing number of people have gotten on the bandwagon!
mhuml32
- Cincinnati, OH
Interesting. I like this a lot more for KU than Illinois. Kansas plays their week 1 game on 8/31. They'll still have eight days before the Illinois game but now carved out an extra day of rest before their week 3 game ( @ Nevada - which sounds like a Guenther special). Illinois plays Toledo on 9/2, so now they are short resting that week but gaining a day before Penn State. You could argue that short-resting by a day after only week 1 is fine.
illiniswish09
- Northwest Suburbs
Annoying
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
its really a nice town - some cowboy history there .
you'll enjoy
That stinks. I was planning to fly in Friday evening for the Saturday game. Not sure I can swing it now.
Atlanta is actually very similar to Chicago in that it is a magnet for graduates from schools in the Southeast. Of course there are a lot of UGA fans there, but you also have big followings for Bama, Auburn, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida, Florida State, among others. You'd think UGA would totally dominate Atlanta because of their success, but they really don't. So regardless of how successful we are, we will never dominate Chicago.
Having said that, there is a lot of room for improvement and there is precedent for it. If you think '07-08 was impressive, you should have seen what happened in the first half of the '80's. It was a fantastic time to be in college and to be a fan.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Yeah, I should have been clearer, as I used Atlanta for a reason. While UGA would never dominate it like Wisconsin would Milwaukee, they do better than we do in Chicago, but that’s only because we’ve been bad! Look how pathetically Atlanta supports UGA basketball, haha.
Have lived by Atlanta for 20+ years now. Agree with your assessment.
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
need to make hay this season, cause the sledding is going to get more difficult afterwards
The numbers that you quote are tickets sold. Actual attendance was much lower. Average actual attendance over the seven home games was 28,692:
Illini football turnstile totals: Breakthrough season doesn't lead to huge crowds
More than 7,000 fans turned out a game than in 2021 but the average turnstile count again fell short of 30,000 at 60,670-seat Memorial Stadium, according to figures obtained via
Oof, way to rain on that paradeThe numbers that you quote are tickets sold. Actual attendance was much lower. Average actual attendance over the seven home games was 28,692:
Illini football turnstile totals: Breakthrough season doesn't lead to huge crowds
More than 7,000 fans turned out a game than in 2021 but the average turnstile count again fell short of 30,000 at 60,670-seat Memorial Stadium, according to figures obtained viawww.news-gazette.com
Seriously though, good info.
I thought the exact same thing. Might have been easier to list who isn’t going.
LOL the shoulder bag. Kids used to make fun of the around-the-stomach "fanny pack" used by older (supposedly dorky) folks. Move it to around-the-shoulder and it's suddenly cool.
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