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- Thread starter Gladeskat
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At least, they have something to cheer for. Our half assed scrimmage seems to be mainly players milling around.
Nebraska had a full red-white game with 76,000 fans in attendance, with cheerleaders and the band. The new coaching staff is making a great effort to win over any Husker fans that might still be skeptical of them.
Our coach doesn't seem to care about what the fans think, and apparently doesn't have to, given his long term contract.
Nebraska had a full red-white game with 76,000 fans in attendance, with cheerleaders and the band. The new coaching staff is making a great effort to win over any Husker fans that might still be skeptical of them.
Our coach doesn't seem to care about what the fans think, and apparently doesn't have to, given his long term contract.
And Maryland had their game in an empty stadium. Do you believe that their coach doesn't care what the fans think, either? Awfully simplistic view of things that you have, imo.
This post was edited on 4/12 4:26 PM by mikewebb68
Geezus, now we are blowing smoke about the Spring. How many of you would have been sitting out there for the scrimmage game? Pleeeeeease! I too would prefer the traditional O versus D game, but let's not equate the lack of a game to the coaches secure contract. You may not like our head coach and that is fine, but to imply he wouldn't do what he thinks is best for the program is ridiculous. He clearly feels running a scrimmage game being shorthanded was not the best thing to do. I am sure the dizzy bat contest will get blamed for us being unprepared at some point in the year.
A dizzy bat contest is a lame...
substitute for a Spring Showcase of f-o-o-t-b-a-l-l. At best it's an exercise that underscores the fact that the HC doesn't give a lick re. building interest in NU Football among its fan base during the spring quarter of the academic year. What a missed opportunity to nurture some excitement and relevancy to a foundering program among the program's target audience - NU alumni and Chicago collegiate football fans in general (you know... that local segment of society to which the marketing slogan "Chicago's B1G Ten Team" was coined).
This post was edited on 4/13 9:03 AM by The_Waterboy
substitute for a Spring Showcase of f-o-o-t-b-a-l-l. At best it's an exercise that underscores the fact that the HC doesn't give a lick re. building interest in NU Football among its fan base during the spring quarter of the academic year. What a missed opportunity to nurture some excitement and relevancy to a foundering program among the program's target audience - NU alumni and Chicago collegiate football fans in general (you know... that local segment of society to which the marketing slogan "Chicago's B1G Ten Team" was coined).
This post was edited on 4/13 9:03 AM by The_Waterboy
Re: A dizzy bat contest is a lame...
Well winning cures a lot of ills and we just haven't done enough of it the last 2 years. What I do know from experience is training as a D1 athlete can be quite monotonous and injecting some "fun" in the routine is generally welcomed by the team. I am pretty sure we wouldn't hear about dizzy bat and watermelon eating contests from the fan base with some more victories.
I am not sure how you get to we have a Head Coach doesn't give a lick about building fan base during the spring quarter from this. We are not Nebraska, PSU, or OSU that can fill up 75000 people for a scrimmage, even with the band and cheerleaders! I actually preferred Lakeside Field setting to 5000 going into an empty Ryan Field. If you we're at both and think otherwise, then that is fine. His job is to build the best team he can and Spring is a part of that. Hopefully, that translates into an exciting team that we can all support during the SEASON. Having results equates into building a fan base. Having poor results hurts the fan base no matter how much pomp and circumstance you can drum up for a spring scrimmage.
Well winning cures a lot of ills and we just haven't done enough of it the last 2 years. What I do know from experience is training as a D1 athlete can be quite monotonous and injecting some "fun" in the routine is generally welcomed by the team. I am pretty sure we wouldn't hear about dizzy bat and watermelon eating contests from the fan base with some more victories.
I am not sure how you get to we have a Head Coach doesn't give a lick about building fan base during the spring quarter from this. We are not Nebraska, PSU, or OSU that can fill up 75000 people for a scrimmage, even with the band and cheerleaders! I actually preferred Lakeside Field setting to 5000 going into an empty Ryan Field. If you we're at both and think otherwise, then that is fine. His job is to build the best team he can and Spring is a part of that. Hopefully, that translates into an exciting team that we can all support during the SEASON. Having results equates into building a fan base. Having poor results hurts the fan base no matter how much pomp and circumstance you can drum up for a spring scrimmage.
You missed my point...
completely. The spring football season (20 practice sessions) are meant to evaluate a football program's field play growth and progress from both the individual player's perspective and the perspective of the team/group cohesive dynamic. Most other programs in the B1G use it as a marketing tool as well, and have shown that they are much more adept at marketing their product to their respective fan bases MUCH more than doers NU. You state that we (the Northwestern Wildcat football program) can't compete with the Big Dogs of the B1G to capture the time and attention from 50K rabid fans like Michigan, State Penn, Da BuckNuts, the BugEaters, et al; and the timbre of your dialog seems to be content, almost apologetic, in giving Fitz a kitchen pass to keep that damned effing small gridiron dog profile that NU has had among its larger conference brethren over the years.
To that approach and perspective... I say BULL S#IT!!! Competing with the B1G Dogs is EXACTLY what NU should aspire-to and has made attempts to do so over the last 20 seasons. And spring football season is an integral mechanism in those efforts to maintain and advance our competitive profile WITH AND AGAINST these B1G Dog programs. NU's football program should be doing EVERYTHING it can to demonstratively show that our athletes can and will compete at the highest levels - even with the incumbent NCAA national champion. But Fitz seems content to relegate spring football as a pro-forma exercise. IT'S ORIGINAL INTENT IS ANYTHING BUT.
Jim Phillips needs to have an erstwhile "Come-to-Jesus" meeting with Fitz to get him, his coaching staff, their football product and the NU athletic department's marketing aspirations aligned to the big picture and back on point to get fans (you know, those with disposable dollars to spend in the NU football program's direction) excited and anxious for revealing genuine on-the-field competitive growth and progress. A Spring Football Game is the single-most, tailor-made mechanism to do so. And I feel that Fitz and Phillips have been found lacking indeed towards this end by ignoring this great opportunity. Talk about fumbling the ball on your last possession of a game...
This post was edited on 4/13 8:36 PM by The_Waterboy
completely. The spring football season (20 practice sessions) are meant to evaluate a football program's field play growth and progress from both the individual player's perspective and the perspective of the team/group cohesive dynamic. Most other programs in the B1G use it as a marketing tool as well, and have shown that they are much more adept at marketing their product to their respective fan bases MUCH more than doers NU. You state that we (the Northwestern Wildcat football program) can't compete with the Big Dogs of the B1G to capture the time and attention from 50K rabid fans like Michigan, State Penn, Da BuckNuts, the BugEaters, et al; and the timbre of your dialog seems to be content, almost apologetic, in giving Fitz a kitchen pass to keep that damned effing small gridiron dog profile that NU has had among its larger conference brethren over the years.
To that approach and perspective... I say BULL S#IT!!! Competing with the B1G Dogs is EXACTLY what NU should aspire-to and has made attempts to do so over the last 20 seasons. And spring football season is an integral mechanism in those efforts to maintain and advance our competitive profile WITH AND AGAINST these B1G Dog programs. NU's football program should be doing EVERYTHING it can to demonstratively show that our athletes can and will compete at the highest levels - even with the incumbent NCAA national champion. But Fitz seems content to relegate spring football as a pro-forma exercise. IT'S ORIGINAL INTENT IS ANYTHING BUT.
Jim Phillips needs to have an erstwhile "Come-to-Jesus" meeting with Fitz to get him, his coaching staff, their football product and the NU athletic department's marketing aspirations aligned to the big picture and back on point to get fans (you know, those with disposable dollars to spend in the NU football program's direction) excited and anxious for revealing genuine on-the-field competitive growth and progress. A Spring Football Game is the single-most, tailor-made mechanism to do so. And I feel that Fitz and Phillips have been found lacking indeed towards this end by ignoring this great opportunity. Talk about fumbling the ball on your last possession of a game...
This post was edited on 4/13 8:36 PM by The_Waterboy
Re: You missed my point...
Ok, I pretty much agree with you statement of what spring ball is for. So tell me what you would do to market the experience of a spring game? How would you get 50,000 butts in the seats? I have been to every game the last 5 years and don't remember a ton of sell outs. This is Chicago, there is actually entertainment choices here. This isn't Lincoln, State College, or Iowa City, where there is basically nothing to do besides the go to the only game in town.
Where did I say I didn't want to compete with the big dogs? If you are interpreting my comments on the spring game as that, then you missed my point. So, I'll say it again in a different way, winning is the most important thing in building program enthusiasm from the fan base. We haven't done enough of that as I stated, I am not seeing how that is giving Fitz an effing kitchen pass? I want progress that leads to exciting games and consistent winning seasons! Yes that means competing for and winning conference titles. I don't give a flip about the spring game and do care a great deal about getting the team prepared to play to start the season. If Fitz and his staff thought the best way to do that was a spring game he would have done that. That's his job.
When the results aren't there, some want to whine about every aspect of the program and eventually it turns into a Fitz problem. Of course, he is in charge of the ship and has to do better, but some seem blame him for everything. Union, injuries, lack of progress on the facilities, recruiting failures, lack of development, play calling, silly games in the off season, media relations, the season ticket holder video, too much loyalty, a high salary, playing 2 QB's, not knowing who his starting QB is, poor strength training and now the Spring game. GMAFB! Do I think Fitz and his staff have to be better, absolutely, do I blame him for everything above, no way. It that's apologetic, so be it, but the one thing it isn't is content.
Ok, I pretty much agree with you statement of what spring ball is for. So tell me what you would do to market the experience of a spring game? How would you get 50,000 butts in the seats? I have been to every game the last 5 years and don't remember a ton of sell outs. This is Chicago, there is actually entertainment choices here. This isn't Lincoln, State College, or Iowa City, where there is basically nothing to do besides the go to the only game in town.
Where did I say I didn't want to compete with the big dogs? If you are interpreting my comments on the spring game as that, then you missed my point. So, I'll say it again in a different way, winning is the most important thing in building program enthusiasm from the fan base. We haven't done enough of that as I stated, I am not seeing how that is giving Fitz an effing kitchen pass? I want progress that leads to exciting games and consistent winning seasons! Yes that means competing for and winning conference titles. I don't give a flip about the spring game and do care a great deal about getting the team prepared to play to start the season. If Fitz and his staff thought the best way to do that was a spring game he would have done that. That's his job.
When the results aren't there, some want to whine about every aspect of the program and eventually it turns into a Fitz problem. Of course, he is in charge of the ship and has to do better, but some seem blame him for everything. Union, injuries, lack of progress on the facilities, recruiting failures, lack of development, play calling, silly games in the off season, media relations, the season ticket holder video, too much loyalty, a high salary, playing 2 QB's, not knowing who his starting QB is, poor strength training and now the Spring game. GMAFB! Do I think Fitz and his staff have to be better, absolutely, do I blame him for everything above, no way. It that's apologetic, so be it, but the one thing it isn't is content.
