My suggestions are unrealistic for Lovie so there is no need to get into it. The obvious answer is do a better job coaching the kids up. Too many NFL coaches on staff.
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Illini
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My suggestions are unrealistic for Lovie so there is no need to get into it. The obvious answer is do a better job coaching the kids up. Too many NFL coaches on staff.
Since the geniuses that are the U of I athletic administration and whoever else hand a hand in this that have saddled us taxpayers with another loser, here is what I would do.
Lovie is the main recruiter. Look, he is a solid citizen. Well spoken, good looking and has a NFL resume. He needs to be in as many living rooms as possible, talking to all the parents he can see. Get out of Champaign. Criss-cross this state. He can't leave this to his assistant coaches. THIS is what he was hired to do.
Then, Lovie needs to stay away from game decisions. I have demonstrated just a few of his blunders. It is like having a bad cook in the kitchen.
After all this, then you hope and pray that you can make it through the next 3 years without throwing up in your mouth.
Top 30 class based on what? They currently have a 5 star and a 4 star recruit. I don't see a whole lot remaining.
Keep dreaming that dream. This is why the Illini have been so bad. You are willing to accept below average and call it good.
And to keep things straight...2016 was year 1. 2017 was year 2.
No circle at all my friend. Stop twisting. You tell me what you read and I'll tell you what I read and we will see? Fair enough?
I like Lovie’s beard. He should stick around for two more years just to show off the beard and then we can see what he and his staff and his players can acccomplish in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. I personally believe every major college coach deserves a full 4 years (four full recruiting classes due to Redshirting Frosh) to show what they can do. I don’t think it is fair to judge his programs progress after a year and change.
They had to get that piece of trash, Bill Cubit, out of there. Didn't see this type of vitriol for that scum bucket. I agree Lovie gets far too much hate considering everything. I expected a bigger impact recruiting wise from his hiring, but even with that disappointment he's 1000x better than what they had in every way.
Lovie was hired March of 2016 giving him 4 months to prepare for the season. I’m positive you’d dust-off your back-slapping device but I’m sure not even someone as talented as you would feel confident going into a B1G season with four months preparation. So, to keep things straight 2017 was year one.
Serious dude, at this point just give up and go back to trying to self-fellate because you’re just looking like a bitter, angry a-hole who will grasp at any straw to support your argument
Every member of the Triumverant of Brutality - Mike Thomas, Tim Beckman & John Groce - has been removed. Does their MAC-level stench still linger? Sadly yes but you cannot expect a miracle after what was left for each coach.
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Since 2016 didn't count, can we get our money back then? Didn't think so.
You alums are just realizing what all of us knew before: The U of I f-upped. Again. And we as taxpayers have to clean up your mess. Again. I get pretty tired of bailing out your third-rate athletic program. I can think of plenty of ways my tax dollars can be better spent.
Don't you think it is time for the Illini to go to Division 2? Maybe they can win there.
Since your first arm has been shattered to pieces, trying shifting to the second arm to achieve proper flexion. Raise. Stretch. You’ll get it. Keep patting. Your back in particular may be swollen from all the attention it’s been getting lately so make sure you ice after your most recent session. And, always stretch. You have to be back here again tomorrow to lecture everyone so don’t want you laid up unnecessarily.
So what would you consider success? A winning season? Good recruiting? Both?
Bottom line is Lovie isn’t getting the best players in his own state. In order to turn this program around he will have to do that.
This program has been a laughing stock for years. They haven’t been relevant in the conference since they went to the Rose Bowl.
What makes it even worse is the team 3-plus hours North of them in Evanston has lapped them in terms of recruiting, organization, coaching, competitiveness, quality of facilities - though Ryan Field is still a mess.
I like Lovie though I agree it was time for him to go when he got clipped. I just think that his approach is not one that will carry into the college game any longer.
Between men’s hoops and football it’s been a pretty miserable existence at Illinois that doesn’t show many signs of getting better any time soon.
If I were and Illinois alum I would be numb by now because it’s downeight embarrassing the product they have put on the field.
I don't care what you read. I'm not in some news article-reading/dick measuring contest.
You are a weird cat.
That said, what I have read is that the Illini still have no idea who the QB is, so Lovie could struggle to score points again.
Didn't you get suspended in the past for mentioning a male genital and what someone should do with yours? Hmmm...yes you did. And you call me weird. LOL! You better check yourself. WHOA, nevermind!
If you don't know or care what I read then don't go around saying I'm uninformed when I can prove I am.
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LOL as if I care, I'll likely tell someone to shove off again. Being mad is one thing, you are just incapable of logic, that's worse.
My point is this thread is a mess of shitposting by you in which you vacillate between praise of HS football reporters and simultaneously slamming one, all while grouping him with NFL writers. All because he is critical of a coach with a losing record and nothing signalling a positive upswing in his college program.
Best of luck to the Illini, and well, you can enjoy their 2018 season of success.
I wasn't praising and HS writer. Just reporting on what I read. I had no idea that guy was a writer. And, if you can go back and do a more thorough job of reading my posts I wasn't even lumping him in with NFL writers. Like I say, I had no idea he was a writer when I went off on the Chicago Sportswriters. It's funny how you continue to twist things for your benefit in the discussion. Either you can't read and comprehend or you are just lazy and say whatever comes to your mind at that time.
The way you are acting it makes me think some guy from somewhere south of I-80 near Dwight hijacked your handle.
So you are just dense. He's been posting here for years with you and identified as a sportswriter dozens of times.
Have a great day chum
If he identified himself as a sportswriter I missed it. I don't read every single post from every single thread. Unlike guys like you, I do have a life outside this board. I am sure you'll tell someone else to "shove off" or you'll do something else as juvenile. You just can't help yourself. Guys like you have no self-control.
You like facts...here are some...
Since the Illini's last Rose Bowl appearance in 2008 (after the 2007 season), they have had just 2 winning seasons. And both of those the Illini were just 1 game over .500 after winning their bowl game, which means they were 6-6 in the regular season. The Illini have not had a winning season since the 2011 campaign and just 1 bowl appearance since that time where in 2014 they LOST to football powerhouse Louisiana Tech.
That's the school's flagship program.
Ahhh...but many say the Illini is a basketball school. And maybe it should be. Without a doubt, the state of Illinois produces the best high school hoopsters in the country. Certainly they would flock to Illinois. And why not? History for starters. The Illini have not been to the NCAA tourney since the 2012-2013 season and have just 1 winning season in that span. Bye bye Illinois high school stars.
And how about women's hoops. Again, this state is ripe with talent at the high school level. At most NCAA D-1 schools, it is the 3rd largest program for income. And how have the Lady Illini faired? They haven't had a winning season since 2012-2013 and they have won just 9 games in each of the last 3 seasons. 9 games.
So while this is going on, we fire coaches, eat inflated salaries and pass it off to the taxpayers of this state.
As I said earlier, The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference would be perfect. Maybe the Illini could win there.
You as an alum should want more. Demand more. Not follow along like some lemming.
No stretching needed here. I didn't even have to work up a sweat to get those facts.
It's a shock to you and anyone else that I cover HS sports? And not just football.
The point here which Quags has shown is that Illinois has been dismal, even before Lovie, and has been a bottom dweller. Why is all the anger directed at Lovie? Cubit looked like he was purposely knee capping the program and has escaped scrutiny. Perhaps it will take someone better than Lovie to turn this train wreck around, but I don't think Saban or Pete Carroll is walking through that door.
No, I wouldn't say it's a shock. Maybe you are highly qualified to do the work you do. I don't even know you. I don't assume anyone's employment and other than you and Newt, I have no idea what anyone else on this board does for a living.
I have a question for those participating here. Does anyone know if Lovie was offered a job at any other major college football program besides Illinois? I tried to find something but couldn't.
What are you talking about? You've posted like 10x as much as me of late.
Also, holy crap you are dumb. Can you even type in a legible sentence? I'd take offense to what you type but it clearly comes from someone who is not all there. You can deflect all you want about me, but ITT you just look stupid and confused.
Typical...when you're losing an argument break out the insults. I see it from you and others here all the time. Obviously you've run out of ideas....which is also typical. You do that all the time too. And who said you get to be the sentence and punctuation police? But, whatever.
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Not really out of ideas, it's just readily apparent you are an idiot. I had no dog in this fight, I just watched you spin your wheels ITT going at Quags and Newt. I commented on it, and you came at me. In doing so you solidified my opinion that you are not smart, nor capable of following along with much of anything.
I'm not even mad, it's frankly impressive you've reached adulthood.
I think the best UofI can hope for with Lovie is to stabilize the program and maybe get to a low level bowl with a .500 record. Then maybe they can look for an upgrade, JMO.
I always found the Lovie hiring odd. He just doesn't seem like the guy that wants all that goes with being a B10 HC...all the recruiting and dealing with boosters ect.
I always found the Lovie hiring odd. He just doesn't seem like the guy that wants all that goes with being a B10 HC...all the recruiting and dealing with boosters ect.
Then, I am left wondering why he wasn't offered a job somewhere else. There is no question in my mind, he is qualified. The guy was a head coach in the NFL for years. Is something else in play here. Let's look at another example.
Who remembers when Bill Callahan was the head coach of the Raiders? He had been in their system for a while and was promoted before the 2002 season. In his first full season with the Raiders he took the team to the Super Bowl but lost. But, let's be honest. He took a team Jon Gruden built. Because, the next year Oakland went 4-12 and he was fired. His final record in Oakland was 15-17.
Shortly after he was fired he was hired as HC by Nebraska for the 2004 season. Nebraska's record in 2003 was 10-3 including a 17-3 win over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. So, it wasn't like the guy was having to take over a struggling program. I don't know if he had any other offers, but getting that offer sure as hell wasn't bad. During his four years at Nebraska they never won 10 games and they were 1-1 in Bowl games. His final record at Nebraska was 27-22. I am not saying he wasn't qualified for that job. But is it possible he knew someone there?
But, here you have two coaches. One more successful in the NFL than the other. Yet, the guy who was more successful is only offered a HC job in a program that was, quite frankly, a mess. The guy who was far less successful gets an offer right away from a program that was light years better. Why? Lovie deserved better.
It is troubling to me to see that over 50% of Division I football players are black, yet only 11% of the head coaches are black. And it's impossible for me to believe these minority coaches just aren't as qualified as their counterparts. I am not saying Lovie Smith is the best coach out there. But, like him or not, the guy has the credentials to coach at pretty much any school. If his name is good for recruiting at Illinois, then it's good enough to coach somewhere else besides the Titanic. Is it possible he didn't get more offers because of his race?
I am not specifically accusing any program for overlooking him because of his race. I am simply asking a question. And what's going on in college football with HC hirings needs to change.
Smith strikes me as a guy who wouldn't take a job if he really didn't want it. I seriously doubt he needed the money.
Actually, we don't do this for a living. We are freelancers, albeit ones who have covered HS sports for a very long time. Both Newt and I have full time jobs as well.
This line is hilarious. You are like the Kleptomaniac saying.."but, I didn't steal anything...TODAY." LOL
In 2012 they should have hired Mike Leach he was a high profile coach who was damaged goods looking for a second chance, Washington State took a chance and is now a top 25 team. Mike Leach would probably have Illinois as a top 15 team.
Clown,
I like your thoughts on highering Mike Leach for sure. Making the Illini a perennial top 15 team I find harder to accept as a likely outcome. The PAC 12 and Big10 are very different animals.
I like your thoughts on highering Mike Leach for sure. Making the Illini a perennial top 15 team I find harder to accept as a likely outcome. The PAC 12 and Big10 are very different animals.
The Big Ten West is worse the either of the PAC 12 divisions, the overall the Big Ten is better conference but right now you have Wisconsin and a bunch of nobodies in the West.
Illinois with Mike Leach could reach 9-10 wins yearly.
Clown,
I understand that the West is weaker than the East, won’t argue that for a second. But honestly I don’t see what you’re seeing unless the Illini would have scheduled extremely week for their non-conference games and they’d still have to go 6 of 8 to reach 10 wins. Please expand on how they consistently reach 9-10 wins per season, who do they beat every year?
I understand that the West is weaker than the East, won’t argue that for a second. But honestly I don’t see what you’re seeing unless the Illini would have scheduled extremely week for their non-conference games and they’d still have to go 6 of 8 to reach 10 wins. Please expand on how they consistently reach 9-10 wins per season, who do they beat every year?
At the very minimum Mike Leach would recruit as well as at TTech or WSU but I imagine he would recruit much better than that since for the first time he would be at a flagship scho a and stones throw from two solid football recruiting areas (StL & Chi)
If you look at Illinois schedule they play 3 non con, 5 division and 3 crossover.
The 3 non cons are wins since as long I can remember the Illini have never played a tough non conference.
In the division they have to go 4-1 or 3-2 consistently and this is do able.
The crossover games a little tougher since the rotate but this year they play Maryland, Rutgers and PSU. Going 2-1 is not stretch by any means.
As it stands right now we are at 8 or 9 wins but we are forgetting that they would get to play a winable bowl game which puts them at 9-10 wins. If you want to see how this plays out in reality look at Northwestern winning 10 games in 2015 and 2017 using this exact same philosophy. Mike Leach would have less academic restrictions at Illinois then Pat Fitzgerald does so it’s possible.
