Illinois Coaching Staff Search

Poe's Law · Jan 19, 2018

breadman said:
Hope Smith knows how to run the wildcat offense because without any QBs in the stable, that's about it for the offense!

Agreed. It's extremely unlikely that we have any QB's on our roster come fall.

Greensboro · Jan 19, 2018

icengineer said:
It's hard to know whether McGee was the real deal based on what we saw here. The critical problem for whomever our new OC is going to be is those 'pieces he has to work with'.

this. McGee didn't have a chance, when you are starting multiple 3 star freshman offensive lineman or missing a QB things aren't going to turn out well, we had both. In McGee's short time here the staff has added at least 2 decent freshman QBs + hopefully still Taylor to address QB and all those freshman Lineman that started. We had a JV level team last year and we were heavily over matched. Add experience, get stronger, more depth and we will get better, but McGee was playing a losing hand last year & no OC would have looked good.

t7nich · Jan 19, 2018

Jeremy Werner‏
@JWerner247

#Illini hoping to officially announce new offensive coordinator this afternoon but at the mercy of campus finishing up the paperwork.

9:38 AM - 19 Jan 2018

TheGMan · Jan 19, 2018

t7nich said:
Jeremy Werner‏
@JWerner247

#Illini hoping to officially announce new offensive coordinator this afternoon but at the mercy of campus finishing up the paperwork.

9:38 AM - 19 Jan 2018

Hopefully is also announcing the other 2 positions as well.

Franklin Delano Bluth · Jan 19, 2018

Greensboro said:
this. McGee didn't have a chance, when you are starting multiple 3 star freshman offensive lineman or missing a QB things aren't going to turn out well, we had both. In McGee's short time here the staff has added at least 2 decent freshman QBs + hopefully still Taylor to address QB and all those freshman Lineman that started. We had a JV level team last year and we were heavily over matched. Add experience, get stronger, more depth and we will get better, but McGee was playing a losing hand last year & no OC would have looked good.

I agree that talent was a major obstacle, but the play calling last year was abysmal. This team was lacking talent and experience in many positions, however it was not completely devoid of talent. We had a VERY good set of WRs (Dudek, Turner, Smalling) and a number of Playmakers at RB as well. McGee's problem was failing to adjust to that. We had a young OLine and Poor QBs - There should have been way more quick hit plays to get the ball into your best players hands - slants, drags, screens, etc. Don't put too much pressure on that OLine and let your QBs make easy throws.

Joel Goodson · Jan 19, 2018

Greensboro said:
this. McGee didn't have a chance, when you are starting multiple 3 star freshman offensive lineman or missing a QB things aren't going to turn out well, we had both. In McGee's short time here the staff has added at least 2 decent freshman QBs + hopefully still Taylor to address QB and all those freshman Lineman that started. We had a JV level team last year and we were heavily over matched. Add experience, get stronger, more depth and we will get better, but McGee was playing a losing hand last year & no OC would have looked good.

+infinity

It's mind boggling (to me, anyway) that some fans don't accept this. McGee's hand was horrid. Not suggesting McGee didn't make mistakes, he did.

icengineer · Jan 19, 2018

TheGMan said:
Hopefully is also announcing the other 2 positions as well.

And the OC wouldn't have any input to those decisions so hopefully we will have the staff filled out today. End of next week at the latest.

Greensboro · Jan 19, 2018

Franklin Delano Bluth said:
I agree that talent was a major obstacle, but the play calling last year was abysmal. This team was lacking talent and experience in many positions, however it was not completely devoid of talent. We had a VERY good set of WRs (Dudek, Turner, Smalling) and a number of Playmakers at RB as well. McGee's problem was failing to adjust to that. We had a young OLine and Poor QBs - There should have been way more quick hit plays to get the ball into your best players hands - slants, drags, screens, etc. Don't put too much pressure on that OLine and let your QBs make easy throws.

I just think all we had was losing hands last year, it is easy to say do something different when what you did was a total failure, but when you start with an over matched offensive line it makes your weak QB play even worse, you can't establish a run game, and it is hard to believe throwing screens and quick slants every play is going to work either. In addition it seemed to me like we tended to fade from lack of depth and undersized freshman lineman getting beat on by upper classmen, but is hard to tell when the other team is letting off the gas at the same time. At least are punt game looked good.

icengineer · Jan 19, 2018

Greensboro said:
At least are punt game looked good.

Punters win Championships!!! :thumb:

StateFarmCenter · Jan 19, 2018

Joel Goodson said:
+infinity

It's mind boggling (to me, anyway) that some fans don't accept this. McGee's hand was horrid. Not suggesting McGee didn't make mistakes, he did.

McGee addressed the the most important position on the field with a guy nobody thought could qualify (and didnt) and a player who had the worst high school season of any incoming d1 quarterback. Doesnt really matter what hand he was dealt at that point. His mistakes were AWFUL.

Joel Goodson · Jan 19, 2018

StateFarmCenter said:
McGee addressed the the most important position on the field with a guy nobody thought could qualify (and didnt) and a player who had the worst high school season of any incoming d1 quarterback. Doesnt really matter what hand he was dealt at that point. His mistakes were AWFUL.

Are you saying Thomas isn't worthy of a schollie? Because his HS team was very poor?

In anything approaching a normal situation, Thomas gets redshirted and doesn't sniff the field until his redshirt soph season, if that.