As if our "known" before Lovie was so fantastic.
There will be naysayers and this hiring may fail, but it cannot be said that it wasn't the biggest, boldest attempt available to Illinois
Lovie Smith Named Illinois Football Coach
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As if our "known" before Lovie was so fantastic.
There will be naysayers and this hiring may fail, but it cannot be said that it wasn't the biggest, boldest attempt available to Illinois
FeelYourPaign
- So Cal
I am getting absolutely nothing done.
And it's great fun
And it's great fun
PaytonHighstep
- Downers Grove, IL
100%, you're not alone.
hooraybeer
- Peoria, IL
come on there's seats available on both sides of my 4 in section 108... i know someone wants to be friends
This could reinvigorate Lovie. I don't care who you are, the negativity of sports writers and fans can make you cynical.
Maybe a few years of positivity and popularity is just what Dr. ordered
Illinithad
- Northeast Missouri
http://www.fightingillini.com/watch/?Live=515
This may already be somewhere on here, but just in case, this is the link to the press conference that's coming up.
This may already be somewhere on here, but just in case, this is the link to the press conference that's coming up.
Trakis
- Chicago, IL
Yeah I've done zero work today. Fortunately my Manager and Director are both Illini.
[YOUTUBE]kU6DHiwwbN4[/YOUTUBE]
Thats Whitman's next big job. I would think it would be done by next week, but Archie Miller has a couple of tournaments to coach in first.
#bestinthewest
I would think you would have listened to him :thumb:
Those were all the exact same comments made when Madden was hired for the Cubs. How many Cubs fans, potential players and media are saying anything now? Zero!
SuperMetroid
- Evanston
For the first time in a long time, it feels like there are actual adults in charge of Illini sports. Couldn't be happier with this hire. 
(And as some have pointed out, if morons like Kaplan and Rosenbloom hate the move it pretty much proves that it was a good one)
(And as some have pointed out, if morons like Kaplan and Rosenbloom hate the move it pretty much proves that it was a good one)
I mentioned this earlier in this thread, that it was just a nearly two months ago, I was chatting with other posters about suggesting that Lovie Smith, should come coach the college game and leave the non-sense that comes with coaching in the NFL. At that time, I thought it would be a pipe dream for him to coach the college game, let alone the Illini. Pipe dream no more. This has become a reality and boy does it feels great!!! 
Chambana13
- Charleston, IL
i dont understand why people think college sports is such a flowers and roses career. Its cutthroat, you do your job or youre gone. simple. Cubit and his son walked away with more than enough money that 95% of us wish we could walk away with after being fired from a job. They knew this walking into this mess of a collegiate program. we NEED to win ballgames and this is a start to how that is going to get done. Go Illini and Go Cubbies!
I was thinking the same thing. You get an opportunity to upgrade your brand from a tricycle to a Harley you take it even if you just made the down payment on the tricycle.
I think this was all pre-decided before Whitman took the job, including Lovie's interest in the job.
Just because it's water under the bridge now doesn't mean the Cubs didn't stab Renteria in the back.
However, Theo's responsibility to the Cubs organization outweighed his responsibility to Rick Renteria. Whitman's responsibility to the program as a whole outweighs his responsibility to Bill Cubit.
PaytonHighstep
- Downers Grove, IL
standing ovation when Lovie was introduced to them.
I hope they ask that question at this presser, but I kinda doubt it goes that far back.
I'm really struggling to follow the logic of this other popular contrarian "hot take" today that Whitman did something unethical by courting Lovie and getting a handshake agreement before firing Cubit. The whole point of the two-year deal, which was openly acknowledged at the time it was announced, was that it specifically structured to provide an option for the new AD, whoever that was, to reverse course and bring in someone else at any time. If Cubit did not want this outcome, he needed to hold out for a longer contract with a bigger buyout or not take the job. Whitman could not have fired first and searched second. For one thing, the riskiness of that approach would have been immense; we could have gotten hung out to dry on an epic scale. And second, we'd have no leverage in negotiations even if Lovie or someone else was interested in the job. It was either do it this way or retain Cubit. There was no third option.
So, are these critics of ours really suggesting that the "right" thing to do would be to pass on Lovie, sit on Cubit until the end of the 2016 season, and then take our chances with whoever we could land on the open market during silly season ten months from, all because it would be considered kind of jerky for some people for us to exercise a clause that was part of the deal from day one and gives us an opportunity to massively revitalize the program which we may never see again? I love the hypocrisy of all this. Like these sports pundits judge teams and athletes and sports executives by how nice and considerate they are, and not on sheer results. Like these same guys' hot takes next November after we went 4-8 wouldn't be to critique that "amateur" Whitman for letting it happen.
Pathetic.
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