Lovie Smith Named Illinois Football Coach

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#451      
mycitymytime
I want to give a shout out to Cubit and the staff! Despite our administration screwing up over the last few years, Bill and his staff handled things with class! We should have a thank you page that makes sure he knows that we are proud of his contribution to our university and our student athletes. Thank you Coach!
 
#452      
BZuppke
Timing comes down to whether we can waive the job posting period. I think we can and that's what JFW was alluding to when he mentioned adhering to the process etc. again I would think with spring practice coming and let's face it this being a minority hire, no one will complain about waiving the posting period. Nor should they
 
#453      
ILL in IA
I will admit I have always been a "get me through football season with 6 wins and a bowl game, so I can start basketball season in a good mood" fan of Illinois football. That has now changed. I'm not saying I now have national championship or bust hopes, but making this move has me excited for Illinois football, for the first time in......ever. No longer a stop gap till hoops season.
 
#454      
South Farms
AeroIllini said:
Does your source have any idea on a timetable? It'd be nice to know :thumb:
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A Monday presser (between 10-1 ) makes most sense.
Highly doubt they have any assistant coaches to announce yet.
Look for spring practice to be delayed until spring break is over
 
#455      
sdfidaho
mycitymytime said:
I want to give a shout out to Cubit and the staff! Despite our administration screwing up over the last few years, Bill and his staff handled things with class! We should have a thank you page that makes sure he knows that we are proud of his contribution to our university and our student athletes. Thank you Coach!
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Good post!
 
#456      
Second and Chalmers
mycitymytime said:
I want to give a shout out to Cubit and the staff! Despite our administration screwing up over the last few years, Bill and his staff handled things with class! We should have a thank you page that makes sure he knows that we are proud of his contribution to our university and our student athletes. Thank you Coach!
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+1

He handled an impossible, thankless situation with great dignity.
 
#457      
ILHoff
DrewD007 said:
I doubt it'd happen, but I'd hope that years 1 and 2 of the deal would be a small dollar amount since he's still getting money from the Bucs. Then escalate to whatever the going rate is after year 3.
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I'm very curious about this. People are making it sound like we could pay him nothing and he would still earn the same amount of money (up to $10 million). That's obviously not right...
 
#458      
Trakis
So who wants to hop on over to Willard in a couple hours?
 
#461      
Xfactr
I'm excited with the direction but unsure of what Lovie can do. His hiring definitely brings interest back into the program but what can he do will be the big question. Here are some things to ponder.

1. An excellent personnel coach. Great at motivating his players in a no nonsense manner. Players were very loyal to him.

2. Excellent defensive coach, however was not very innovative. Lived and died under the Tampa 2 defensive scheme.

3. Not very good in finding the right assistants. Remember these names? Rivera, Babich, Martz, Tice. However Marinelli was a great assistant.

4. Recruiting???????

5. Remember Charlie Weis? A great offensive coordinator but lousy at the Golden Dome. Same big name hire hopefully a better outcome.

I'm just hoping that they hire some past Illini (Holocek) that can do the aspects of coaching Lovie didn't do so well in Chicago.

Go Illini:illinois:
 
#462      
Trakis
Xfactr said:
I'm excited with the direction but unsure of what Lovie can do. His hiring definitely brings interest back into the program but what can he do will be the big question. Here are some things to ponder.

1. An excellent personnel coach. Great at motivating his players in a no nonsense manner. Players were very loyal to him.

2. Excellent defensive coach, however was not very innovative. Lived and died under the Tampa 2 defensive scheme.

3. Not very good in finding the right assistants. Remember these names? Rivera, Babich, Martz, Tice. However Marinelli was a great assistant.

4. Recruiting???????

5. Remember Charlie Weis? A great offensive coordinator but lousy at the Golden Dome. Same big name hire hopefully a better outcome.

I'm just hoping that they hire some past Illini (Holocek) that can do the aspects of coaching Lovie didn't do so well in Chicago.

Go Illini:illinois:
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Ron Rivera wasn't a good assistant?

And in terms of recruiting: Imagine being a high school kid with Smith walking into your living room instead of Cubit. Smith has had success in both college and the NFL. He knows what it takes to get to the next level and win there. Cubit can't touch any of that. Not many college coaches can.
 
#463      
chief9
Xfactr said:
I'm excited with the direction but unsure of what Lovie can do. His hiring definitely brings interest back into the program but what can he do will be the big question. Here are some things to ponder.

1. An excellent personnel coach. Great at motivating his players in a no nonsense manner. Players were very loyal to him.

2. Excellent defensive coach, however was not very innovative. Lived and died under the Tampa 2 defensive scheme.

3. Not very good in finding the right assistants. Remember these names? Rivera, Babich, Martz, Tice. However Marinelli was a great assistant.

4. Recruiting???????

5. Remember Charlie Weis? A great offensive coordinator but lousy at the Golden Dome. Same big name hire hopefully a better outcome.

I'm just hoping that they hire some past Illini (Holocek) that can do the aspects of coaching Lovie didn't do so well in Chicago.

Go Illini:illinois:
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I didn't think Charlie Weis has ever been a head coach at any level prior to taking over at Notre Dame....Also Notre Dame's expectations and fan base may be one of the few that are more out of touch than Illinois'
 
#464      
ILHoff
ChainsawRevItUp said:
No, that's right
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I mean, holy crap, that seems like a pretty big deal. Did we just get Lovie Smith and we don't have to pay that much upfront for him because Tampa is paying the difference? This seems too good to be true.
 
#465      
EfremWinters84
Well, as I piece together the puzzle following the (1) sudden and unexpected Bill Cubit announcement, (2) Lovie leaks to all of the news outlets, and (3) lear jet updates this morning, and..........

It's obvious. It's logical. It's masterfully done. We should be hearing about that Monday presser at some point very soon. JW is not going to screw this up. It's the way it has to come down. It's all part of the Plan.

WEWILLWIN
 
#466      
ivwilsoniv
Mike Sherman OC rumor has some legs. Texas ties. Think it could be Tedford or Sherman.
 
#467      
Xfactr
mycitymytime said:
I want to give a shout out to Cubit and the staff! Despite our administration screwing up over the last few years, Bill and his staff handled things with class! We should have a thank you page that makes sure he knows that we are proud of his contribution to our university and our student athletes. Thank you Coach!
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Good post! I feel for the new assistants he hired.
 
#469      
South Farms
Xfactr said:
I'm just hoping that they hire some past Illini (Holocek)
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Lovie is a proven winner in the NFL . Never had a great QB in Chicago, and that is how you win the big games consistently in that league. That paired with great defense.

He turned the ship around in Tampa. They were fools to let him go.

If ever there was a time for Holecek to come to Champaign, now is it. Lovie can coach awhile yet, but at 58 (almost) , odds are its not more than 7-8 years. It would be awesome if he could be persuaded to come down
 
#470      
chief9
People forget that Tampa has had 4 coaches since Jon Gruden left in 2008. No one is going to succeed there until personnel control is taken away from the owners
 
#472      
Xfactr
Trakis said:
Ron Rivera wasn't a good assistant?

And in terms of recruiting: Imagine being a high school kid with Smith walking into your living room instead of Cubit. Smith has had success in both college and the NFL. He knows what it takes to get to the next level and win there. Cubit can't touch any of that. Not many college coaches can.
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Ron was a great assistant, but left too early and was replaced by who? Babich Aaaargh! Don't get me wrong Lovie brings appeal but can he bring us to the promised land? Lovie was great the first half of his career in Chicago but coupled with lousy management he didn't fare well in the latter years. I'm Hoping he can bring some life to the program as he did when he first came to Chicago.
 
#473      
TCTORNADO
chief9 said:
People forget that Tampa has had 4 coaches since Jon Gruden left in 2008. No one is going to succeed there until personnel control is taken away from the owners
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The Glazers are certifiable nut cases.:D
 
#474      
mattcoldagelli
When people cite "recruiting" as a concern, they mean the time commitment/grind of the process, right? And not Hub Arkush's silly criticism of "when was the last time Lovie had to talk to teenagers?"

You mean teenagers that dream of playing in the NFL, Hub? Whatever could they talk about, I wonder?
 
#475      
Trakis
mattcoldagelli said:
When people cite "recruiting" as a concern, they mean the time commitment/grind of the process, right? And not Hub Arkush's silly criticism of "when was the last time Lovie had to talk to teenagers?"

You mean teenagers that dream of playing in the NFL, Hub? Whatever could they talk about, I wonder?
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Correct. Here's a guy who basically the term "Player's Coach" at the top of his resume, and he wouldn't know how to talk to kids about playing in the NFL. Okay.
 
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