Coach Long

[CrippleCat]

I just wanted to say I was very surprised to see Coach Long leave. I am hoping that he had enough and was ready to get out of coaching, so he basically retired. Coach Long is an excellent man and a great coach, who players worked hard for and related to. We always had an excellent D line, which always made our linebackers ook and play better. When I think of coaches who impact players both on and off the field, Coach Long is up there with the best.
Coach Hanks, as I said years ago was a great part of Northwesterns success, I think Coach Long is another coach that we can thank for the success we enjoyed in recent years.
I personally think the Wildcats will have trouble finding a coach who matches Coach Long, and Hanks can never be replaced. I wouid imagine Fitz knows who he is replacing JON with, and maybe the new coach wants his own D line coach.
It is hard at times for me to get on these boards because as bad as our team may be, many of our so called fans are even worst.
I doubt Coach Long reads this board, I am sure he is more intelligent than to listen to most of this dribble. But if he does happen to read this post, I want him to know I appreciate all he did for my son on and off the fiekd. I appreciate him taking the time to talk to me when my son was carted off the field for over an hour I want to thank him for always treating his players and the parents like famiky. I hope whatever he decides to do with his life that God blesses him. When I think of Wildcat football, my thoughts will always include Coach Long
GoCats

 

[docrugby1]

I am hoping this was Fitz throwing Coack Long a golden parachute because of his desire to retire

 

[curdog]

I also was surprised to see his departure. He consistently fielded a solid d line, which has been a strength of the team. I hope this was a case of he had enough and wanted to retire.

If we were going to let go of a line coach, my vote would have been Kurt Anderson. We have recruited better at that position group (at least on paper) but they have not improved. I would argue that for the past decade, the o line has been NU’s worst position group.

 

[Figrating]

I am surprised Coach Long didn't leave after JON's first year. After working with a brilliant DC for many years, all of a sudden he was working for Mr. Disaster. But he was a dedicated coach and I think he really enjoyed coaching at NU so he hung in there, hoping for the best.

But Coach Long was not part of the problem. I might even go so far as to say his firing is f'g crazy. Fire Long who has long (HHHHH) history of performing for NU and keep Jake who had one good year working with Ramsey. Otherwise, Jake has underperformed big time in coaching, recruiting and development. But we're gonna keep Jake because of JON syndrome - known only to Pat Fitzgerald - that's when you observe screaming coaching failure and decide to reward it with another season. A malady similar to &^%$-for-brains.

That's about where we are, Wildcats - the NU D will likely be better, but we've seen what Jake can do and you're gonna see another season of it. The NU O looks like it's playing in the tar pits.

I don't understand why every NU fan isn't fed up with Pat Fitzgerald, including his cash-mighty patron.

 

[Ryanfield124]

I just wanted to say I was very surprised to see Coach Long leave. I am hoping that he had enough and was ready to get out of coaching, so he basically retired. Coach Long is an excellent man and a great coach, who players worked hard for and related to. We always had an excellent D line, which always made our linebackers ook and play better. When I think of coaches who impact players both on and off the field, Coach Long is up there with the best.
Coach Hanks, as I said years ago was a great part of Northwesterns success, I think Coach Long is another coach that we can thank for the success we enjoyed in recent years.
I personally think the Wildcats will have trouble finding a coach who matches Coach Long, and Hanks can never be replaced. I wouid imagine Fitz knows who he is replacing JON with, and maybe the new coach wants his own D line coach.
It is hard at times for me to get on these boards because as bad as our team may be, many of our so called fans are even worst.
I doubt Coach Long reads this board, I am sure he is more intelligent than to listen to most of this dribble. But if he does happen to read this post, I want him to know I appreciate all he did for my son on and off the fiekd. I appreciate him taking the time to talk to me when my son was carted off the field for over an hour I want to thank him for always treating his players and the parents like famiky. I hope whatever he decides to do with his life that God blesses him. When I think of Wildcat football, my thoughts will always include Coach Long

I just wanted to say I was very surprised to see Coach Long leave. I am hoping that he had enough and was ready to get out of coaching, so he basically retired. Coach Long is an excellent man and a great coach, who players worked hard for and related to. We always had an excellent D line, which always made our linebackers ook and play better. When I think of coaches who impact players both on and off the field, Coach Long is up there with the best.
Coach Hanks, as I said years ago was a great part of Northwesterns success, I think Coach Long is another coach that we can thank for the success we enjoyed in recent years.
I personally think the Wildcats will have trouble finding a coach who matches Coach Long, and Hanks can never be replaced. I wouid imagine Fitz knows who he is replacing JON with, and maybe the new coach wants his own D line coach.
It is hard at times for me to get on these boards because as bad as our team may be, many of our so called fans are even worst.
I doubt Coach Long reads this board, I am sure he is more intelligent than to listen to most of this dribble. But if he does happen to read this post, I want him to know I appreciate all he did for my son on and off the fiekd. I appreciate him taking the time to talk to me when my son was carted off the field for over an hour I want to thank him for always treating his players and the parents like famiky. I hope whatever he decides to do with his life that God blesses him. When I think of Wildcat football, my thoughts will always include Coach Long
GoCats

I have met Coach Long and he was a great representative of this program who developed & produced some fine NFL caliber players. He got the most out of the talent he had regardless of what was going on. There is no way this guy was a part of the problem.

I have seen him take on players who weren't getting a fair shake on the other side of the ball and convert them to D-line with no penalty. He was fair and expected performance paired with an approachable demeanor. For some players he was relatable in ways Fitz will never understand.

Anderson frankly should be gone. The O-line on the field is now his and they were pitiful. All hat no horse with that dude. He has run players out of those positions and off the program.

As a fan (according to CC) I think these players, its followers, and the institution deserve better. David Shaw stepped down when he realized he isn't the person to lead Stanford. I just watched Fitz's 3 minute post game interview where he still denies he doesn't have a culture problem. Talked about fundamentals (like he has since 2018) yet they don't get better.

Fitz is the problem as he permeates every inch of the program. These players aren't without talent or intelligence. But over this four year block the culture is of losing and fake accountability. I'll reserve my comments for later.

 

[EvanstonCat]

I just wanted to say I was very surprised to see Coach Long leave. I am hoping that he had enough and was ready to get out of coaching, so he basically retired. Coach Long is an excellent man and a great coach, who players worked hard for and related to. We always had an excellent D line, which always made our linebackers ook and play better. When I think of coaches who impact players both on and off the field, Coach Long is up there with the best.
Coach Hanks, as I said years ago was a great part of Northwesterns success, I think Coach Long is another coach that we can thank for the success we enjoyed in recent years.
I personally think the Wildcats will have trouble finding a coach who matches Coach Long, and Hanks can never be replaced. I wouid imagine Fitz knows who he is replacing JON with, and maybe the new coach wants his own D line coach.
It is hard at times for me to get on these boards because as bad as our team may be, many of our so called fans are even worst.
I doubt Coach Long reads this board, I am sure he is more intelligent than to listen to most of this dribble. But if he does happen to read this post, I want him to know I appreciate all he did for my son on and off the fiekd. I appreciate him taking the time to talk to me when my son was carted off the field for over an hour I want to thank him for always treating his players and the parents like famiky. I hope whatever he decides to do with his life that God blesses him. When I think of Wildcat football, my thoughts will always include Coach Long
GoCats

Coach Long was real low on my to fire list. Didn't really make it actually.

Basically #1 was yanked and so was #3, but #2 still lives much to my dismay.

 

[Ryanfield124]

Coach Long was real low on my to fire list. Didn't really make it actually.

Basically #1 was yanked and so was #3, but #2 still lives much to my dismay.

Really #1 and #1A Both equally shitty.

 

[TheC]

I am hoping this was Fitz throwing Coack Long a golden parachute because of his desire to retire

So, why would he be reported as "fired" then? That's a pretty strong term and usually implies an involuntary separation. Sure seems strange.

 

[CatManTrue]

So, why would he be reported as "fired" then? That's a pretty strong term and usually implies an involuntary separation. Sure seems strange.

I agree. I think that, if he had voluntarily retired, that would have been a separate and much more positive announcement a la Brown & Heffner.

How did Long go from a stud DL coach to gone in two seasons? Something doesn’t add up here.

 

[EvanstonCat]

I agree. I think that, if he had voluntarily retired, that would have been a separate and much more positive announcement a la Brown & Heffner.

How did Long go from a stud DL coach to gone in two seasons? Something doesn’t add up here.

I think that's why someone suggested he might have been fired as a gift to give him a golden parachute.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I am surprised Coach Long didn't leave after JON's first year. After working with a brilliant DC for many years, all of a sudden he was working for Mr. Disaster.

John Hiatt actually wrote this about heroin addiction, but squint your eyes and can apply it to it JON's scheme:

And the master of disaster
Gets tangled in his telecaster
He can't play it any faster
When he plays the blues

 

[ashley0623]

Like others, I also did a double-take when Long’s name was on the list. He wasn’t even on my radar for the hot seat. Great guy who bled Northwestern and overall did a good job over the years.

And if this was a golden parachute retirement, it would’ve been announced as a retirement.

Which leads me to believe there must’ve been some personality conflict between Long and Fitz. Lots of others should’ve been on the chopping block before him.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Like others, I also did a double-take when Long’s name was on the list. He wasn’t even on my radar for the hot seat. Great guy who bled Northwestern and overall did a good job over the years.

And if this was a golden parachute retirement, it would’ve been announced as a retirement.

Which leads me to believe there must’ve been some personality conflict between Long and Fitz. Lots of others should’ve been on the chopping block before him.

For example Bajakian

 

[docrugby1]

So, why would he be reported as "fired" then? That's a pretty strong term and usually implies an involuntary separation. Sure seems strange.

I do not have any information on his contract, but if he had several years remaining, he would have forfeited those years of salary by retiring. He may be entitled to other benefits such as healthcare, pension options and unemployment benefits. By accepting the "embarrassment" of termination, he may have benefitted financially at a time when he was ready to consider or even desire retirement

 

[Titanium999]

I also was surprised to see his departure. He consistently fielded a solid d line, which has been a strength of the team. I hope this was a case of he had enough and wanted to retire.

If we were going to let go of a line coach, my vote would have been Kurt Anderson. We have recruited better at that position group (at least on paper) but they have not improved. I would argue that for the past decade, the o line has been NU’s worst position group.

Me too! He has a first rounder this year

 

[TheC]

I do not have any information on his contract, but if he had several years remaining, he would have forfeited those years of salary by retiring. He may be entitled to other benefits such as healthcare, pension options and unemployment benefits. By accepting the "embarrassment" of termination, he may have benefitted financially at a time when he was ready to consider or even desire retirement

I see. But couldn't they negotiate some kind of early retirement under those circumstances?

 

[docrugby1]

I see. But couldn't they negotiate some kind of early retirement under those circumstances?

I doubt Fitz can even discuss this topic legally for the "firing" to have the desired effect

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I agree. I think that, if he had voluntarily retired, that would have been a separate and much more positive announcement a la Brown & Heffner.

How did Long go from a stud DL coach to gone in two seasons? Something doesn’t add up here.

Have you seen our DT play over the last few years? Going back to Hank’s tenure? It’s been atrocious. We haven’t been the same since Jordan Thompson graduated. A bunch of recruiting misses and unhappy campers. I’ll leave it at that.

 

[KappaKat]

Have you seen our DT play over the last few years? Going back to Hank’s tenure? It’s been atrocious. We haven’t been the same since Jordan Thompson graduated. A bunch of recruiting misses and unhappy campers. I’ll leave it at that.

We must of heard something similar.

 

[peatymeanis]

Have you seen our DT play over the last few years? Going back to Hank’s tenure? It’s been atrocious. We haven’t been the same since Jordan Thompson graduated. A bunch of recruiting misses and unhappy campers. I’ll leave it at that.

More atrocious than our QB play? Or our LB play?

 

[CatManTrue]

Have you seen our DT play over the last few years? Going back to Hank’s tenure? It’s been atrocious. We haven’t been the same since Jordan Thompson graduated. A bunch of recruiting misses and unhappy campers. I’ll leave it at that.

Interesting. In 2020 the DTs were depleted by injuries, but I recall Saunders batting heroically. They were still unhappy then?

And what about our other position groups where the same thing could be said about recruiting missed and lack of performance? QB, OL, and special teams come to mind - we’ve had one or two reliable kickers over the past 15 years. Or are they happier despite the lack of improvement? (The OL had major injury issues in 2022 - again - but argue against the other two).

Lou’s article and the latest @westlotpirates pod made some great points - more change was likely needed.

We’ve been pitiful in all three phases of the game for the last two seasons on American soil. Thank God for Rutgers & Dublin.

 

[NJCat]

More atrocious than our QB play? Or our LB play?

There's plenty of atrocious in this program to go around.

 

[CatManTrue]

More atrocious than our QB play? Or our LB play?

Our LB play was not as bad as advertised - the system was. Gallagher, Metz, and Mueller did as best they could.

I agree that our QB - and thus our offensive - play left much to be desired

 

[Ryanfield124]

Our OL is the barometer of what kind of season we will have. I think the OL coach talks a big game but I don't see the improvement. But... He is 'buds with Stand Pat and you know at NU friendship is more important than performance.

 

[CatManTrue]

Our OL is the barometer of what kind of season we will have. I think the OL coach talks a big game but I don't see the improvement. But... He is 'buds with Stand Pat and you know at NU friendship is more important than performance.

Our OL looked solid, perhaps pretty good, at the start of the season when both of our starting guards were in (Priebe & Rowley).

Rowley looked like a difference maker at RG - as soon as he was injured, our offense took a huge hit.

So our starting five looked like a quality B1G OL. We continue to struggle with depth, as we have for many years.

 

[techtim72]

I see. But couldn't they negotiate some kind of early retirement under those circumstances?

Perhaps, but NU has what, 10k other employees wondering the specifics as to how his retirement/termination was handled and how it might apply to them in the future?

 

[techtim72]

Our OL is the barometer of what kind of season we will have. I think the OL coach talks a big game but I don't see the improvement. But... He is 'buds with Stand Pat and you know at NU friendship is more important than performance.

I have zero knowledge about injuries but over the past several years reading this board, a common thread was that 2022 was the year when Anderson's coaching and recruiting would show fruit. Yet relative silence here, not total, in terms of asking for his head. I don't think Coach Fitzgerald is the only one that is overlooking performance.

 

[CatManTrue]

Perhaps, but NU has what, 10k other employees wondering the specifics as to how his retirement/termination was handled and how it might apply to them in the future?

A lot of those are professors where the question of tenure surely complicates what the corporate world considers to be HR.

Hopefully Long was given a purple parachute. He certainly deserves it if they exist for assistant football coaches.

 

[Ryanfield124]

I have zero knowledge about injuries but over the past several years reading this board, a common thread was that 2022 was the year when Anderson's coaching and recruiting would show fruit. Yet relative silence here, not total, in terms of asking for his head. I don't think Coach Fitzgerald is the only one that is overlooking performance.

I agree. Lots of hype. Very little accountability.

 

[Eurocat]

Our OL is the barometer of what kind of season we will have. I think the OL coach talks a big game but I don't see the improvement. But... He is 'buds with Stand Pat and you know at NU friendship is more important than performance.

He is not 'buds with "stand Pat" as far as I have heard. He came from Arkansas to Northwestern because his dad coached at NU and he grew up around the Northwestern program (this was a two decades before Pat ever set foot on our campus, Anderson was long gone when Barnett arrived). Maybe they get along now (aren't most people more or less friendly with others at work - at least for the most part?) but nothing indicates they had some kind of previous relationship.

 

[TheC]

He is not 'buds with "stand Pat" as far as I have heard. He came from Arkansas to Northwestern because his dad coached at NU and he grew up around the Northwestern program (this was a two decades before Pat ever set foot on our campus, Anderson was long gone when Barnett arrived). Maybe they get along now (aren't most people more or less friendly with others at work - at least for the most part?) but nothing indicates they had some kind of previous relationship.

Be that as it may, Stand Pat is still kind of a funny nickname.

 

[hdhntr1]

I agree. I think that, if he had voluntarily retired, that would have been a separate and much more positive announcement a la Brown & Heffner.

How did Long go from a stud DL coach to gone in two seasons? Something doesn’t add up here.

You are bringing in a new DC. Doesn't it make some sense to give him at least one position to upgrade? So who would you get rid of on that side of the ball?

Does the being "fired" allow them to give him a package that retiring would not? Could be a lot behind the scenes we don't know

 

[Just Gary]

You are bringing in a new DC. Doesn't it make some sense to give him at least one position to upgrade? So who would you get rid of on that side of the ball?

Does the being "fired" allow them to give him a package that retiring would not? Could be a lot behind the scenes we don't know

Well, it depends if his contract had guarantees. He definitely was not let go because of a terrible job. He has been an exceptional coach for our system with numerous players getting drafted and definite skills. I did notice last year that the line was not doing as well under the new DC so it could be an adaptation issue. Also it could have been an ultimatum as maybe Long thought he should be given a chance at DC. I hope this was done with a lot of care and consideration as Long is one of the reasons we had success in the last 12 years.

 

[CatManTrue]

Well, it depends if his contract had guarantees. He definitely was not let go because of a terrible job. He has been an exceptional coach for our system with numerous players getting drafted and definite skills. I did notice last year that the line was not doing as well under the new DC so it could be an adaptation issue. Also it could have been an ultimatum as maybe Long thought he should be given a chance at DC. I hope this was done with a lot of care and consideration as Long is one of the reasons we had success in the last 12 years.

Given what we know about Fitz, he wouldn’t willingly screw someone who’s clearly been a loyal and productive contributor to our success. These are his guys and we know how loyal he is.

I hope Long’s contract had enough guarantees to carry him through to what he wants to do next.

For my money, he’s been the most impactful assistant coach that Fitz has hired. Walker too.

 

[Sheffielder]

All this is message board speculation at its absolute best

I agree with others who suggest or believe this probably was not as simple as Fitz telling Long he sucks and is fired.

 

[ricko654321]

Our OL looked solid, perhaps pretty good, at the start of the season when both of our starting guards were in (Priebe & Rowley).

Rowley looked like a difference maker at RG - as soon as he was injured, our offense took a huge hit.

So our starting five looked like a quality B1G OL. We continue to struggle with depth, as we have for many years.

I fully agree that the OG injuries really hurt us. To me when Priebe went down in particular things took a turn for the worse. At that point it seemed like we had a LT in pass protection and not much else. The run blocking was hit or miss (with a decent number of good plays) but the pass blocking was pretty consistently a disaster after that.

PS I know someone that volunteered for the football team when at NU and worked with Coach Long and always liked him. Similar to the original poster, I wish Coach Long the best. I hope we can find a DC hire that can also get us a great DL Coach that can match and potentially exceed his contributions.

 

[Figrating]

Which leads me to believe there must’ve been some personality conflict between Long and Fitz.

Got zero consideration for DC for some reason. After all his years of Fitz-level dedication and success under Hankwitz, some resentment could have found him.

Could have been a big personality conflict between Long and JON, and Fitz sided with JON.

Others have noted that D line play and recruiting are not as good over the past two years and suggested Long isn't performing. But Long has a history of performing under Hankwitz, and the past two years were JON years.

The new DC may well want to hire a new DL coach. Here's hoping he's as good as Long.

 

[hdhntr1]

Got zero consideration for DC for some reason. After all his years of Fitz-level dedication and success under Hankwitz, some resentment could have found him.

Could have been a big personality conflict between Long and JON, and Fitz sided with JON.

Others have noted that D line play and recruiting are not as good over the past two years and suggested Long isn't performing. But Long has a history of performing under Hankwitz, and the past two years were JON years.

The new DC may well want to hire a new DL coach. Here's hoping he's as good as Long.

Well the DC is gone as well so it would not seem as if that would be the reason. And DL recruiting has supposedly been pretty good under JON, But we have decided to move on from Jon. If MaGargle and Macpherson are considered the future and one would think that any DC candidate worth their salt would likely feel that they would want to be involved in hiring staff, someone would likely have to go. By cutting him now that would give him the best opportunity to find a new spot if he was not ready to hang it up. Again there could be a lot of moving parts behind the scenes and we likely won't ever really know for sure all the reasons behind it