Just wondering. I think many would cheer. Who really would blame Gragg? And who really thinks we can’t do better?
If Gragg fired Fitz after the season, would anyone be upset?
- Thread starter EvanstonCat
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It’s not gonna happen. Both because it would be insanely expensive and because I think Fitz has earned the right to try building this thing back up. If he chooses to run it back in 2023 without meaningful changes and has a similar season, then I think those calls have more weight to them. If he actually makes substantive changes he has at least a few more seasons to see if those changes take hold.
At this point if Fitz won't fire his buddy, I'd even take the "NU football promotion" that's actually a demotion for JON. Assistant HC but NOT DC to hire Randy Bates as DC. Basically, what Barnett did with Jerry Brown when he was co-DC with another assistant I can't remember now.
I'll answer the question: yes, I will be upset. Not because he doesn't deserve it, but it'll be because the program - and Pat Fitzgerald - have fallen lower than I could've imagined in the last 27 years. I will root for the Cats if someone else is running the ship, but it'll still be a big hole in my heart every Saturday that some other guy is out there.
1) MacPherson is already AHC.
2) Randy Bates is not coming back.
3) I don’t want JON anywhere near the program anymore.
Yep. JON was a mistake in every way.
Depends. If Fitz won't fire the coordinators, then I'd be fine with Gragg just cleaning house completely.
I want desperately for him to turn it around and coach for the rest of my life. However, I am tired of his arrogance, stubbornness, disrespect for fans and media, and having to listen to the same tired bullshit.
I see no hope or path for a rebound. Get rid of him
I'd like to think that Fitz would just resign. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that you're not the right person for the role anymore.
Each day he helms the program sets it back. If he loves NU than he can't make it about him. He has been compensated beyond his dreams. Go be a cheerleader for the program in other ways but allow us to get someone who is hungry and knows how to put this program in a better direction. There is a day Mark Zuckerberg won't run Meta. There was a day Henry Ford I didn't run Ford.
Fitz hasn't had his finger on the pulse of this team for more than three years. The stubbornness, the poor coaching decisions, the attitude, and player departures. If he loves this program so then he needs to do the right thing and not make it about him.
I would be upset. Gragg has zero standing to do something so obnoxious.
Of course, I graduated from Northwestern, lived through the bad times and still attended every home game, so I actually respect Fitzgerald (and Barnett and Walker) and don't give a damn about Gragg, who has done jack squat to improve the university.
If you want to talk about making Fitzgerald the Athletic Director, that may be a compromise.
Of course, I graduated from Northwestern, lived through the bad times and still attended every home game, so I actually respect Fitzgerald (and Barnett and Walker) and don't give a damn about Gragg, who has done jack squat to improve the university.
If you want to talk about making Fitzgerald the Athletic Director, that may be a compromise.
Or his is another option. He tells you stpaulcat to go F yourself and waves his contract in your face. As he gets up he says, "You're paying me like it or not as long as I have 22 bodies on the field for the next 5 years. You can make holiday plans after November until then..."
One way or another, my Holiday plans within the next five years include the Rose Bowl (or equal), mainly since that will be about it for me, as far as years go, although I don't have a contract so who knows. I'd rather see a buy-out than miss the next Rose Bowl.
Some here think that is impossible. I believe a buy out is plausible frankly. That can be negotiated and if he insisted on his money and dragged it to court; he would be untouchable for hiring (meaning he would never coach again trying to get paid for a clearly shitty record as of late).
Firing is justifiable and him trying to max his pay under the guise of his recent record only delays the placement of his bronze statue at the new stadium. 'Fitz, do you want your statue dedicated the night we open the stadium or do you wanna wait until 2050? Do you want it made as a player or as a coach? Your call..."
In the meantime, go replace DiNardo on the B1G Network and be an analyst. He'd be great at the desk postgame.
Is this a real question? I wouldn’t be upset, I would be livid. I became a NU fan mostly because of Fitz, from his underdog story as a player to his ascension as Coach. I could care less about NU’s academic rating, I care about the football program. Fitz has been awful the last 2 years, but to suggest he doesn’t care about his players smacks of someone who doesn’t know any current of former players. That is a ridiculous statement. I don’t want a Harbaugh, Tucker, PJ, or Franklin type at the helm. Let’s see what changes are made before we bury the guy. If he does nothing, I will Jump on board the replacement train. Sure, he is painfully slow to taking action, but he will in a few weeks. His job is also to win games, let’s give him some respect for basically being able to do up until the disaster that is the last 2 years.
Firing Fitz after this year is too soon.I want to see what changes he makes going forward.If NU is still in this mess next year or the year after then that is a different story.
Would I be upset if Fitz got canned.Definitely.He was a main reason player wise NU finally became relevant in college football.He has ties to GB and RW.Fitz has been to more bowl games and won more bowl games in the history of NU.If Fitz got canned it means the program has not turned around.He May drive us crazy at times but his success over the years allows him at least 1 more year for sure and probably 2.
I also am not naive enough to think Fitz would be the only coach to have winning teams at NU.GB and RW had winning teams and eventually someone in the future will take over for Fitz and have winning programs also.
Would I be upset if Fitz got canned.Definitely.He was a main reason player wise NU finally became relevant in college football.He has ties to GB and RW.Fitz has been to more bowl games and won more bowl games in the history of NU.If Fitz got canned it means the program has not turned around.He May drive us crazy at times but his success over the years allows him at least 1 more year for sure and probably 2.
I also am not naive enough to think Fitz would be the only coach to have winning teams at NU.GB and RW had winning teams and eventually someone in the future will take over for Fitz and have winning programs also.
I really don't see Fitz's job in doubt (and I don't think it should be).
Fitz was HC when we were rolling for 15 years. Obviously the wheels came off the past 2 years but that's far more because of the failure of our OC and DC than Fitz (though obviously the abbreviated hiring process of DC was on Fitz). He's earned a chance to correct the course.
The one argument about Fitz that I can agree with is that he needs to modernize his offensive strategies.
Tressel-ball (emphasis on ball control offense that mostly just punches on the ground with a stout defense) worked in the past.
But everyone (except Michigan this year with their OL and RBs being NFL draft quality) has abandoned it. Saban modernized his offensive strategy to compete with the high scoring teams. Ohio State abandoned it after Meyer came in and aims for 50 points through the air every Saturday with all their weapons at WR. Nobody plays that way at this point. Everyone (that matters) aims for a high flying offense with big weapons.
We need a modernized offense, and obviously we need a real DC. Fitz still makes sense as HC if he's willing to find a much better DC and modernize the offense (whether with a new OC or with Bajakian).
Fitz was HC when we were rolling for 15 years. Obviously the wheels came off the past 2 years but that's far more because of the failure of our OC and DC than Fitz (though obviously the abbreviated hiring process of DC was on Fitz). He's earned a chance to correct the course.
The one argument about Fitz that I can agree with is that he needs to modernize his offensive strategies.
Tressel-ball (emphasis on ball control offense that mostly just punches on the ground with a stout defense) worked in the past.
But everyone (except Michigan this year with their OL and RBs being NFL draft quality) has abandoned it. Saban modernized his offensive strategy to compete with the high scoring teams. Ohio State abandoned it after Meyer came in and aims for 50 points through the air every Saturday with all their weapons at WR. Nobody plays that way at this point. Everyone (that matters) aims for a high flying offense with big weapons.
We need a modernized offense, and obviously we need a real DC. Fitz still makes sense as HC if he's willing to find a much better DC and modernize the offense (whether with a new OC or with Bajakian).
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I am fine if he is gone as long as we have a better, Perhaps younger, Perhaps someone who really knows the nuances of what is going on in the world of football these days handling our program.
This sounds reasonable but may I remind Wildcat fans that hiring head coaches is a crapshoot. Auburn hasn't got it right for years now, Nebraska, Illinois until they finally hired Bielema, USC and Notre Dame have had epic failures, the list can go on. Barnett, Walker, and Fitz were 3 really solid hires by NW - could they get it right a 4th time in a row if they are stupid enough to fire Fitz? Odds say no. Be careful what you wish for Wildcat fans.
And if you think hiring really good head coaches isn't hard, explain your miserable basketball program.
First off uiguy is right and let's remember there is no assurance that the next hire we make will be the next Barnett, Walker or early Fitz. How many "can't miss" coaches has Miami hired. How is current coach Cristobal who had everything needed to win doing (UMiami guy, assistant experience, successful Head Coach at Oregon - almost playoff status - written about in a book as a breathtaking motivator and recruiter - and look at their season, let's see if he is there in 5 years).
Northwestern will also not fire Fitz because it does not want to pay the buyout.
"At a time when you are raising tuition on my kid, how dare you pay out 50 million...." will cry too many parents and you have to know a certain anti-athletic faction among the faculty still exists. Hidden and quiet, but only for now.
Getting back to the administration, the faculty, regarding Fitz (and any BBall coach we have ever had) they are like a person with a disease who is instructed by doctors to take a nasty and expensive medicine, but the patient refuses to do it saying "well maybe it will get better on its own".
Face it, We are not going to fire Fitz in the near term. Maybe if we get - to continue the analogy - "sicker" (right now we have very bad stomach pains, we have not, however, puking up blood) we will start taking the medicine.
My guess is Fitz gets at least two years in the new stadium (so four more). If we still stink then they will pay the buyout in 2027, which will be far less then.
Until then, let's keep in mind recruiting IS going well this year, no college has it's arms around the NLI thing yet (and definitely no academic one - maybe Duke in basketball?), and while Fitz might be extremely stubborn he isn't dumb. Let's see what happens next.
And let's build a bigger stadium because we are going to need it when we DO turn things around which we will!
Northwestern will also not fire Fitz because it does not want to pay the buyout.
"At a time when you are raising tuition on my kid, how dare you pay out 50 million...." will cry too many parents and you have to know a certain anti-athletic faction among the faculty still exists. Hidden and quiet, but only for now.
Getting back to the administration, the faculty, regarding Fitz (and any BBall coach we have ever had) they are like a person with a disease who is instructed by doctors to take a nasty and expensive medicine, but the patient refuses to do it saying "well maybe it will get better on its own".
Face it, We are not going to fire Fitz in the near term. Maybe if we get - to continue the analogy - "sicker" (right now we have very bad stomach pains, we have not, however, puking up blood) we will start taking the medicine.
My guess is Fitz gets at least two years in the new stadium (so four more). If we still stink then they will pay the buyout in 2027, which will be far less then.
Until then, let's keep in mind recruiting IS going well this year, no college has it's arms around the NLI thing yet (and definitely no academic one - maybe Duke in basketball?), and while Fitz might be extremely stubborn he isn't dumb. Let's see what happens next.
And let's build a bigger stadium because we are going to need it when we DO turn things around which we will!
That would be 5 years if it’s 2 in the new stadium:
2023: final year at current RF
2024+2025: temporary away while new stadium being built.
2026: new stadium opens
Speak for yourself. I puked up a lot of blood watching our games this season. Enough for both of us.
Euro, at what point are we puking up blood? We were one Scott Frost pants-pooping from being 0-12.
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