So how good is Illinois?

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#51      
Mexi-Ken
blackdog said:
First is his big emphasis on functional mobility and strength. I dont even remeber the last time we had a guy pull something. He's also really knowledgeable about everything from nutrition to recovery and builds that in to maximize work. The last part, which kight be the most important, is that he gets buy in from his guys. Dude LOVE Fletch and when you have that its going to cause guys to want to push more and follow the program.
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Plus from what I hear is Fletch doesn’t ask anything out of the players that he doesn’t do or wouldn’t do. I heard he is right there with his players lifting right next to them!! That’s how you get respect
 
#52      
blackdog
Mexi-Ken said:
Plus from what I hear is Fletch doesn’t ask anything out of the players that he doesn’t do or wouldn’t do. I heard he is right there with his players lifting right next to them!! That’s how you get respect
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He's worth a follow on Instagram for anyone that has it.
 
#53      
Mr. Tibbs
I think you need to differentiate
toughest team
vs
toughest game to get a W

to me , winning out on the west coast is really hard for us , and many midwest schools
 
#56      
BalloonsTheElephant
AutoPoster 3000 said:
This is when we need ChiefGritty to resurface for a week to explain to us all this team’s weaknesses.
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I'm not quite Gritty, but as someone who agrees with a lot he says:

O-line run blocking
Pass defense (Torrie Cox especially)
Feagin seems indecisive

We have flaws, but going and winning 45-19 against a good football team and only playing one good half is a sign we have the ability and can adapt to the situation. Hopefully we can put Western Michigan away early and get ready for Indiana. If we beat Indiana, I'm starting to get excited.
 
#57      
OskeeLoyalty
Illini in Italy said:
I'm just gonna enjoy the ride!

Excited Easy Rider GIF by Action Bronson
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:ROFLMAO:Hell Yea! I-L-L
 
#58      
Dkayak
Dkayak said:
The Roman philosopher Seneca said “Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity”.

Coach B prepared the team with a video montage of Duke fumbles and takeaways, reminding them to strive to punch the ball out when tackling. A Special Teams analyst had identified the duplicate 8’s in pregame film, so he was on alert when they repeated it. Preparation begets luck and this team seems well coached and prepared, so expect more luck, just like last season.
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One more thought on how “lucky” we’ve been under Bret’s leadership. We recovered every loose ball every time Saturday. Was that statistically lopsided recovery outcome attributable to luck, talent, athleticism, or preparation/coaching?

Think about this when people attribute last year’s 10-3 record to lucky breaks, suggesting our luck won’t hold up this year. Our luck is more likely the result of a superbly coached team in a TSD culture (tough, smart, dependable). We’re under-ranked by analytic models that completely ignore the coaching, cultural, and mental aspects of the game, especially by models using screwy inputs like recruiting scores.
 
#61      
Fly Illini Fly!
There may not be the top end talent, especially at corner (if we’re counting Scott at nickel)… but the depth in that secondary is downright astounding. There’s literally eight starters in that room who’ll legitimately play any snap: Cox, Clarke, Patterson, X Scott, Heckel, Bailey, M Scott, Resetich. And that’s not even counting Strain, who was the staring CB three years ago, and Saboor Karriem, former four star and upperclassman.
 
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#62      
Guest
RabidDawgClassic said:
Loren Tate and Steve Kelly were talking about this recently and Loren asked —not in a mocking way, but seriously — what makes Fletch so special? What does he do differently that has earned him such a high reputation? Loren then said every school has strength and conditioning coaches — surely most of those people aren’t chopped liver.

So why does Fletch hold such a lofty position on the strength and conditioning pedestal?
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I believe there was a discussion about this not too long ago in the basketball section. Unfortunately, I don’t remember when, so I can’t refer anyone to those posts. Maybe someone else can remember and point the way. But I also often wondered this very same thing over the years when so many people have said how good he is. The only thing I can provide is something I copied (I was going to send it to a friend), which is this:

@Sam_Vecenie
Truly can’t emphasize enough: talk to NBA/CBB folks around the country about who has the best strength staff in college hoops, Illinois and Fletcher’s name will be, if not the first to come up, certainly within the top-3. But I’d say they’re the name I get most.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t really answer your question, but maybe, as I said, someone can remember when this was posted and point out any other posts that may have indicated the “why” he is so good.
 
#63      
Nohops 73
Curbelo Fanboy said:
I don’t know if we truly have top 10 talent up and down the roster. I think the talent is closer to that level than in a long long time. Time will tell this year. but I do know a few things

- IL football has an identity like it’s not had in at least 35 years. Tough,smart and physical. Sometimes the playcalling seems conservative especially when those first down runs go nowhere early on. But today like in the bowl game that physicality wears down the opponent and the yards come much easier.

- when the game hits the fourth quarter Bert Ball takes hold. If we lead after 3 the 4th becomes very hard for the other team. Cause we keep feeding run after wearing down the d over the first 3 quarters

- don’t know what final record will be or if we’ll make the playoff but I do know whoever beats this team is gonna have to play for 4 quarters. Very rarely does a Bret coached team get run. And they just kind of grind it out and stay in the game. Oregon last year and Va in year 1 are the only exceptions in his tenure.

- we are starting to become a team no one wants to play against. Bret with gamesmanship and attention to the details on the sub rules has gotten 2 opponents off their game a bit now.
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I agree with all of the above – well summarized.

Bret using the Transfer Portal to add quality depth up and down the roster has made an enormous difference in our ability to compete. We can substitute more freely without a big talent drop-off and keep everyone fresher. This helps us outlast other teams and also should reduce injuries from playing while tired. This doesn’t grab headlines like getting a 5-star transfer but may mean more over the course of a season.

The Duke victory allows the team to remain focused on going 1-0 each week. A loss would have put much more pressure on winning at Indiana. Having a mediocre first half and not panicking, making adjustments and playing much better in the second half is a credit to both the coaching staff and the maturity of the roster.

The continuity of the coaching staff is another huge advantage we have over other teams. We should be confident Illinois will be better prepared than our opponents, no matter the talent level. There may be games where there are better athletes at some positions than we have, but coaching can minimize how that affects the outcome. I'm still confident we can get to 10-2 with a reasonable chance at the CFP.
 
#65      
Curbelo Fanboy
ChiefKingfisher said:
Why is everyone assuming we lose to OSU? We won’t be favored and will need some friendly bounces, but I think it’s far from a certain loss.
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I'm not assuming that at all. If we can get there with 0 or 1 losses the crowd will have a serious amount of juice for that game. And life on the road is tough. And I trust Bret & Co. to come up with a solid game plan. Would be a tough game but they'd have a reasonable shot at pulling it off.
 
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