The Illinois Coaching Staff Search

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#601      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Dude said:
What? Someone correct me here but I thought C Pat's expertise was his offense at Trinity so it made sense to have him on O at Illinois. I want to see him stay but we have had plenty of sheety position coaches the last 5 years. That needs to stop
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He's a designated recruiter either way.

Holding the Trinity kids - even just for the purpose of stopping any momentum of transfers away from the program in this totally singular and unprecedented offseason in which our roster could just vanish with no resistance - is WELL worth spending the resource of one assistant spot for one year on CPatt.

Make that down payment, get back into an environment in which kids have to sit when they leave, and reassess things in a year. That's the smart move.
 
#602      

ChiefGritty

ChiefGritty
Chicago, IL
ChiefGritty
Ander1345 said:
The trend in coaching may be going young, but that doesn't invalidate experience.
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That's fair, but the difference between his being the main play caller there and just being a position coach is nothing. The guy has been a proper FBS OC at three different stops over the past 8 or so years. That data is what you look at, the Minny stuff is ancient history. Petersen is a grizzled career college football coach, of that there is no doubt.
 
#603      

Deleted member 186590

D
Guest
Deleted member 186590
WINTer said:
Interesting if true. No idea if this is his plan but I kind of assume the dc will be announced before defensive assistants, similar to the oc being announced before oline. Any ideas on dc?
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Ash the DC at Texas seems to be a common name mentioned- he’s making 800K, so we can afford him but don’t know that he’d want to leave Texas to come here
 
#604      

CogDog

CogDog
CogDog
ChiefGritty said:
Lemme give you three data points, because I think connecting them is genuinely unclear.

February 7, 2000:
Following offensive coordinator Steve Loney’s resignation Thursday, the Pioneer Press reported that head coach Glen Mason is expected to give quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen the duties of running the offense.
The Pioneer Press also reported that Petersen, not Loney, had been the one calling the offensive plays for the Gophers throughout the 1999 season.

2003 Broyles Award Finalist (top 5 assistant coaches of the year, in virtually all cases playcalling real-coordinator OC's and DC's): Minnesota co-OC Mitch Browning

From Minny's website: Gophers all time coaching staffs. Browning and Petersen were co-OC's from 2000-04. Then in 2005, Browning became "Offensive Coordinator/Tackles & Tight Ends" and then "Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator" in 2006, whereas Petersen was just "Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks".

It SEEMS from googling around at various articles from the period that Petersen was the "real" playcalling OC at least until around 2001, and that Browning had taken over by 2003. I can't find ironclad proof, but the media is going to Petersen for quotes about the offense at the beginning of that period and Browning by the end. And the Broyles Award thing is very compelling evidence that Browning was seen as the "real" guy. And then Browning's position was set in stone starting in 2005, with Petersen as the glorified QB coach.

I want to be very clear that there is only one way a serious rational person would interpret all of this, which is to completely ignore it because that was practically the stone age in football terms and it does not matter. Petersen could have been the waterboy, it's completely meaningless for the purposes of Illinois football in 2021.

But alas, I'm a sick maniac and I did some digging, and this appears to be the truth.

Still, I want to make it clear, if your opinion of Petersen was driven by the idea of him having been a longtime Big Ten playcaller under Glen Mason, you aren't wrong because that isn't true, you're wrong because that was a zillion years ago.
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From one sick maniac to another sick maniac, I appreciate the thought and effort you put into this.
 
#605      

Kendall Gill’s Uncle

K
Kendall Gill’s Uncle
ChiefGritty said:
Lemme give you three data points, because I think connecting them is genuinely unclear.

February 7, 2000:
Following offensive coordinator Steve Loney’s resignation Thursday, the Pioneer Press reported that head coach Glen Mason is expected to give quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen the duties of running the offense.
The Pioneer Press also reported that Petersen, not Loney, had been the one calling the offensive plays for the Gophers throughout the 1999 season.

2003 Broyles Award Finalist (top 5 assistant coaches of the year, in virtually all cases playcalling real-coordinator OC's and DC's): Minnesota co-OC Mitch Browning

From Minny's website: Gophers all time coaching staffs. Browning and Petersen were co-OC's from 2000-04. Then in 2005, Browning became "Offensive Coordinator/Tackles & Tight Ends" and then "Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator" in 2006, whereas Petersen was just "Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks".

It SEEMS from googling around at various articles from the period that Petersen was the "real" playcalling OC at least until around 2001, and that Browning had taken over by 2003. I can't find ironclad proof, but the media is going to Petersen for quotes about the offense at the beginning of that period and Browning by the end. And the Broyles Award thing is very compelling evidence that Browning was seen as the "real" guy. And then Browning's position was set in stone starting in 2005, with Petersen as the glorified QB coach.

I want to be very clear that there is only one way a serious rational person would interpret all of this, which is to completely ignore it because that was practically the stone age in football terms and it does not matter. Petersen could have been the waterboy, it's completely meaningless for the purposes of Illinois football in 2021.

But alas, I'm a sick maniac and I did some digging, and this appears to be the truth.

Still, I want to make it clear, if your opinion of Petersen was driven by the idea of him having been a longtime Big Ten playcaller under Glen Mason, you aren't wrong because that isn't true, you're wrong because that was a zillion years ago.
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That makes sense. Thanks! I get your last point. It was a long time ago and he hasn’t been back to the Big Ten since or a high major program. I’m not blown away by the hire but I’m willing to give it a chance because at least he has been an OC at multiple schools and called his own plays for awhile. Whether that’s good or bad is to be seen. I see it as a positive now because Rod Smith hadn’t been the lone OC “play caller” anywhere except South Florida I believe and I think that was evident. The offense lacked flow or the ability to pivot if needed if you ask me. Just my opinion.

It could end up being that Petersen has been the OC at multiple schools because he couldn’t move up and was part of the good ol boys club of college coaching.

I appreciate the digging though.
 
#606      

PackofIllini12

PackofIllini12
PackofIllini12
So I am not going to say the Petersen Hire is a home run, but I do want to make a specific point about his time at ECU.

Scotty Montgomery killed the program. Montgomery was an OC at Duke with Cutcliffe, and was thought to be the next offensive genius to rise to prominence at ECU. If you look at those offenses, they suffered bc (1) ECU had no OL, (2) ECU had limited skill position play, (3) failing to adapt scheme to their personnel. I thought Montogomery would do well there after they ran Ruffin McNeil out, but it became clear very quickly that he was not cut out to be a HC or an OC for that matter. Granted, I am not sure who exactly had play calling duties, but it was disturbingly similar to what Duke ran when he was with Cut.

I bring this up, bc App State is nothing to be sneezed at. Frankly, Illinois would be lucky to have the consistency that school has had for years on offense. I know he was only there for 1 yr, but that was a solid team. Everyone has bad jobs on their resume that they wish didn’t exist. I think he can be solid here

Miller though at OL..... helllllllllll yeah!!!!!
 
#607      

altenberger22

altenberger22
South Carolina
altenberger22
Good article by Robert today, in that Offense has pretty clearly been priority #1 for Bielema up to this point. Nearly all of the player announcements and all of the Assistant Coaching announcements have been focused on the Offense.

BB's attention should now quickly turn to the DEFENSIVE side of things, where we need a DC and we have numerous players who have yet to declare whether or not they're returning for the 2021 season. There will be some gaping holes in our "defensive foundation" if guys don't come back.
 
#608      

GILL-INOIS

G
GILL-INOIS
altenberger22 said:
Good article by Robert today, in that Offense has pretty clearly been priority #1 for Bielema up to this point. Nearly all of the player announcements and all of the Assistant Coaching announcements have been focused on the Offense.

BB's attention should now quickly turn to the DEFENSIVE side of things, where we need a DC and we have numerous players who have yet to declare whether or not they're returning for the 2021 season. There will be some gaping holes in our "defensive foundation" if guys don't come back.
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Good stuff!

If you look at his stint at Wisconsin for 7 years it is all about ball control. They were top 25 in time of possession in all 7 years. I think something like 4 of the 7 years they were top 6 in time of possession. Bielema knows he has a lot of holes on the defense but is hoping to keep them off the field a little more next year and stay fresh.
 
#609      

sacraig

sacraig
The desert
sacraig
the juiceman cometh said:
I don't understand what dead horse is being beaten here. A lot of people are getting on ChiefGritty's case for being pessimistic about the Petersen hire. I may be wrong, but as I recall he was a lot more optimistic about the BB hire than a lot of others (including myself) on here, so it's not like the people criticizing Peterson are all doom and gloom on everything.

I get it, optimism is a better way to live life, you don't want anyone raining on your parade. But this is a message board for sports fans, which makes it possibly the most passionate and least rational group of humans ever assembled.

If you want pure, unadulterated, unearned optimism, may I suggest Rees Woodcock?

writingillini.com

Illinois Football: 4 reasons Tony Petersen is a home run hire for the Illini

Illinois football has tabbed Tony Petersen as the next offensive coordinator. Here are four reasons why this is a home run hire for the Illini.
writingillini.com writingillini.com
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I can't speak for others, but I was critiquing his jump all the way from "this wasn't the OC splash hire we were looking for" to "no one wants to work for Bielema" to "Whitman got played." It's a huge leap in logic based on effectively nothing. Then he started talking about what lesser salary Bielema would have accepted if only we'd offered less as if there was actually any way to know that.

Be pessimistic all you want, but for Pete's sake let's not completely lose our minds over one hire that wasn't splashy.

Also: never click on Rees Woodcock articles.
 
#610      

sacraig

sacraig
The desert
sacraig
Henson71 said:
That was a tough read - you could tell it was tough to put a home-run hire spin on this one. It's a natural reaction to pour through a coaches resume to look for that legend they used to work for, or the offense they turned from trash to one of the best in the country or the NFL stars they coached. You aren't going to find any of that in Petersen's resume. From a pure resume standpoint, there is quite literally nothing to get too excited about.

But, it's BB's hire and he's known the guy a long time and wants him coaching his offense. He also seems to be flexible in the system and will take pieces from different coaches - the fact that he ran App State's offense rather than instill his own is telling. I hope it works out and they find a good balance of what BB wants in his offense and how Petersen can coach em up and run it effectively. He's an experienced play caller and has had to attack defenses with less talent than the other team, so he has that going for him.

We also shouldn't jump to conclusions on salary - Rod Smith made $950K this year, which was one of the top assistants in the big ten. But that is not the going rate, no reason for his salary to be above $600K (Indiana doesn't pay any assistants more than $500K for example and they were a top 15 team this year), maybe BB has plans for where to allocate resources to get a top recruiter or top DC that he's targeting, let's see how the staff is completed
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I think this is the key right here. Bielema's statement on the hire said "Throughout his career he has blended the roster and skill sets of the players to maximize the results." Petersen may or may not work out, but it seems to me that what Bielema valued was someone whose system was built around personnel rather than the other way around, i.e. go get the best guys you can and maximize the group you have. It's basically the opposite of, say, the RichRod approach where he went into Michigan and tried to play West Virginia offense with Michigan's existing players and wasn't ever able to get the roster he needs to do that before he was canned.

Is this a winning strategy? Who knows!? But it does seem like there was an actual plan here. Time will tell if it is a good one (or if I am at least right in the above assessment).
 
#611      

ProfessorQC

ProfessorQC
Ace Wolf
UofI
ProfessorQC
Dude said:
What? Someone correct me here but I thought C Pat's expertise was his offense at Trinity so it made sense to have him on O at Illinois. I want to see him stay but we have had plenty of sheety position coaches the last 5 years. That needs to stop
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He has always preferred to coach on defense. TE’s was just his only way in!
 
#613      

Chukwuwumba

Chukwuwumba
Chukwuwumba
Dude said:
What? Someone correct me here but I thought C Pat's expertise was his offense at Trinity so it made sense to have him on O at Illinois. I want to see him stay but we have had plenty of sheety position coaches the last 5 years. That needs to stop
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Well, speculating a bit here...only if info is valid (has been spotty)
CP seems to still be an option for staying on staff. That is known. Could still be an option as asst if info not valid.
OC hire is now known.
my guess is that OC may want to go in a different direction for assistants/ fit/ connection.
So, if CP to stay on, as an option, would be a Def asst or ST asst. not offense.
 
#615      

31D1kids

3
31D1kids
As a coach from Rio Rancho New Mexico. A city of 80,000 people two high schools with almost 3,000 students in each High School. each year we had 200 to 250 football players freshman, C team, and JV and varsity! I will say this I have a kids all Over rhe country!
Purdue University left tackle over 30 starts in the Big Ten six foot seven 315 lb he will go in the first round of this year's draft I got a kid that's at Mississippi State he plays free safety 6 foot 1 200 lb runs a for 4:40 that's legit. I got a kid that play for me in high school Gatorade player of the year 5 foot 11 195 lb he is now back at New Mexico after transferring playing for Coach Danny Gonzalez the kid can flat-out fly I can keep going on the offensive lineman my offensive lineman that year in 2016/2017 were bigger than most college lineman and they all went on to play major college football. Well I'm trying to get This? can this guy recruit who's going to be below him I'm very disappointed at this higher on the offensive coordinator I'm very impressed with the line coach that's fine that's good to go, but can you get on it every day in the grind and I'm worried about that I am a Fighting Illini I am a coached, over 30 kids who have played major college football and right now they would not even consider the University of Illinois and that upsets me.
 
#617      

altenberger22

altenberger22
South Carolina
altenberger22
Peoria Pipeline said:
I think Ash is a pipe dream. That would be an absolute grand slam hire, I just don’t think it’s possible
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After seeing our first two coaches hired on the offensive side, I believe you're correct. Or initial expectations were set a little too high on both sides of the ball. It now seems highly improbable that we're getting a former Power 5 HC (Ash) to move from a Top 10 all-time NCAA Football program (Texas).

We are Illinois, after all.
 
#619      

RedRocksIllini

RedRocksIllini
Morrison, CO
RedRocksIllini
sacraig said:
Also: never click on Rees Woodcock articles.
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I really think we're not giving this guy enough credit. The section in that article on various pipelines was straight up 24k comedy gold. If he could have worked in a Tony Peterson-Larry Bird comparison, he gets hisself a Poolitzer Prize.
 
#620      

Title

T
Title
ProfessorQC said:
He has always preferred to coach on defense. TE’s was just his only way in!
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Where did you get this from? What about CP says he wanted to be on the defensive side of the ball? He is a recruiter period. He did it in youth, High School and now college. XO knowledge was never an asset.
 
#622      

Deleted member 747671

D
Guest
Deleted member 747671
Peoria Pipeline said:
I think Ash is a pipe dream. That would be an absolute grand slam hire, I just don’t think it’s possible
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Agreed. I think our only chance at Ash was if they completely bombed the Alamo bowl last night and Herman got fired last night/this morning. I just don't see him taking the step down, even with Herman being on the hotseat.
 
#623      

IllinoisssssssVarsity

I
IllinoisssssssVarsity
WINTer said:
Agreed. I think our only chance at Ash was if they completely bombed the Alamo bowl last night and Herman got fired last night/this morning. I just don't see him taking the step down, even with Herman being on the hotseat.
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As somebody who lives in austin I would have bet all my beach houses that Herman would have been gone after this year. Literally nobody wants him around anymore. I 100% can not believe his is still here.

Because I know the sentiment around the program is like that, I can not even fathom that he’d be retained after another year like this one, next year.

For that reason I think Ash is gettable.

As an aside, I know 2 analysts on the UT staff. Since we were talking about analyst salaries and responsibilities pertaining to our new OC. One helps with offense and the other with D. O guy makes 120k. D guy makes 30k.
 
#624      

Illinivek23

Illinivek23
Gurnee
Illinivek23
If Ash can help Bielama turn our ship, does he have a better shot at another HC job in the B1G than the unrealistic Texas job? Rutgers has been rough on everyone not named Schiano...
 
#625      

O&B4Ever

O
O&B4Ever
WINTer said:
Agreed. I think our only chance at Ash was if they completely bombed the Alamo bowl last night and Herman got fired last night/this morning. I just don't see him taking the step down, even with Herman being on the hotseat.
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Just offer him mo money, mo money, mo money! Do not underestimate the power of the almighty dollar! What they saved by hiring Petersen can be used on the DC hire.
 
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