The Illinois Defensive Coordinator Search
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Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Nancy and Barb?
That's what I thought
I heard he takes input from this board. We are in good hands. /s
I seem to remember Bret saying that he and the defensive staff got together and created the “Illinois” defense. If this is not true then Bret is blowing smoke. If it is true then Walters is blowing smoke. Can’t imagine any coach blowing smoke but my faith is with Bret. I say since Kane had a hand in developing the defense he deserves a shot.
My opinion, I'm sure many on the defensive side had a hand in the "Illinois Defense," but calling the plays that Walters dialed up was also a huge factor. Don't believe there was any smoke blown what so ever.
He was referring to his time in Iowa and that is how they started over there when he started coaching as I recall.
i love the fact that BB is so secretive. nothing leaks out unless he wants it to.
i wonder if he ever scans these rantings laughing at us. maybe even..... nevermind.
i wonder if he ever scans these rantings laughing at us. maybe even..... nevermind.
I've always been partial to Leaders and Legends. /s
They all had a hand in it. There is nothing to hide. It is a system and the whole coaching staff is being rewarded for it. No one is blowing smoke. Walters orchestrated it on the field and that is why he is where he is.
I agree with what you are saying 100%. Walters did say in his Purdue introduction that he doesn't have a name for the defense that "he" designed because it was so new. I hope our coaches that know the ins and outs of "his" defense and show him a thing or 2 next year! I-L-L
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
that " Illinois" defense worked so well because of the 16-17 guys we had out there playing at various times of the game.
without the skill set of those players, it might not work so well .
A really good coach/staff, will adjust the calls and coverages and responsibilities based on the 11 out of 18 guys who are often out there.
as the roster and 1-2 deep changes , the defense changes
How many times have any of us left meetings thinking the idea was our own, only to discover later that everyone in the meeting thought the idea was their own.
Not discount one bit. They all said last year they created the D from scratch. Everyone agrees that Walters deserves credit for putting the players in the correct places to make plays. But to then say in his presser that "he" created the D is just not 100% true. Do you really believe that all these other coaches didnt learn and can't run the scheme they helped create? It isnt like Walters came in and told Bielema " I've created this defense that will blow your mind". They all sat together and brainstormed and created a fabulous defensive approach that works. Time will tell if the next man up will be able to call it with success. But you can bet your @$$ coach B was taking notes of everything coach Walt was doing. Our D will be fine. Whatever Walters wants to call it we all know its 22Illini D! He was great for us but im not gonna kiss his @$$ on the way out. I hope we score 50 on him.
I have no idea but believe it doesn’t matter.
Yes, the others could have learned whether they participated in creating or not.
Let’s hope they do better than the creator(s) against a few opponents last season.
I hope we can let RW go and support him. He has done so much for this program, that splitting hairs on his language seems blasphemous a bit to me.
No ill will at all. Hope coach Walt is successful everywhere but Purdue. I mean is it really possible to root for his immediate success as the HC of our rival school? Im sorry but im the type that loves watching our rivals get DEMOLISHED and being in the cellar.
Truthfully, I hate Purdue and hope they lose every game, with or without RW.
I root for their D, but hope their O turns it over and gives up infinite points.
But…I’ll always have it in my mind that RW is a stud DC and would welcome him back.
It matters in the fact that we are trying to predict whether the Illinois defense will stay top notch or not on a message board. Illinois had 4 coaches, Bielema, Kane, Buh, and Walters who have D1 experience as DC's and now they have 3. We'll find out soon enough whether RW was a savant who masterminded everything or if an experienced coaching staff worked together and had a stud lockdown CB that made everything that much easier to gameplan around. I'd guess that with the Bielema track record that we'll be fine. If he could identify RW, why couldn't he identify the next guy?
I also root for the front of the jersey and not the back. So I don't plan on supporting RW at all. The goal is to be better than Purdue on game day and in the eye's of recruits. And in a zero sum game Illinois can only win at the expense of other teams, like Purdue, losing.
Absolutely! He deserves to be where he is at. Calling the D off instincts without the play sheet is impressive. Hope he strikes out on stealing any of our staff though.
He helped us go 5-7 and 8-4. I don't think we need to alert the sculptors for his statue.
He's a good coach we would have liked to keep, but let's not forget both Bielema and Kane are also former Defensive Coordinators. It's not like they were just sitting around as spectators just doing what they were told.
And while Walters was surely viewed as a top up and coming DC, I think very few would not rate Leonhard as a better DC. He was offered the DC role for the Packers and turned it down.
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