is InsideNu Too negative?

[Turk]

In the latest article, they ask the question if Fitz is too comfortable here and they conclude after he sits back in his chair that he is comfortable after a few disappointing seasons. I think they may be suggesting something that is far from the truth.
imo i dont think fitz is comfortable at all being left out of post season play. In fact i think he is anxious and intense and focused.
im not sure i figured out the point of the latest insidenu article. Oh well

 

[FloridAlum]

They are a bunch of college kids trying to be good journalists. They try hard, are on campus, and provide pretty good coverage. Sometimes they try too hard and seem to like write something for the sole purpose of writing something. However I really appreciate their efforts and it has become mandatory reading. I actually enjoyed the article to which you refer, and did not find it extremely negative.

 

[Hungry Jack]

Turk, of all people asking if someone is being too negative about NU football...

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Question: do players on the Northwestern University football team feel think Turk is the worst poster on this website?

Answer: Yes

 

[Walker Fan]

Insidenu is not too negative, but they miss the point. Fitz does not address the team's weaknesses or understand what it takes to win in the Big 10. You win in the Big 10 by recruiting players in the trenches. Offensive linemen are supposed to be the smartest football players. NU has failed miserably in recruiting enough stud offensive linemen. You win in the fourth quarter by stopping people on defense and you do that with DTs who stop the run and DEs who can get to the quarterback. You win on offense by getting a push from the offensive line and running it down people's throats in the fourth quarter. Anyone remember NU's failure to score a TD after Tyler Scott's INT v. UNL in Lincoln two years ago.

On defense, NU has been struggling for years because of a failure to stop offenses with 5 minutes or less in the fourth quarter or stopping teams on 3rd and long by playing too soft. Why we do not have enough pluggers or enough depth or talent at DT. Since Arnfelt left in 2013, we get malled by more physical offensive lines (Iowa, UNL, Minny, UW last year). Remember when we had winning Big 10 records, it was with Matt Rice, Luis Castillo, Barry Cofield leading the way up the middle. Now we have limited depth and talent at DTs and OL and that is why we lose to more physical teams, particularly in the Big 10 where team's identities are based solely on overpowering people on the lines (UW, Iowa, Minny, MSU and OSU come quickly to mind). It is not that our coach is comfortable, it is because our coach has not gone out and convinced enough stud offensive linemen or developed enough nasty (i.e. physical) offensive linemen and defensive linemen to go to NU (anyone remember Dan Voltz from Barrington who would have been a four year starter at OT at NU instead he went to UW and got moved to C).

Compare our basketball coaching staff with our football staff. The basketball coaching staff knew immediately that we lacked size at the 4 and 5 positions. They went out and recruited size in Skelly, Falzon, Pardon, the Va Tech transfer and Barrett Benson. Five players in less than two years to address the obvious weaknesses in size and depth that prior teams had that prevented NU from closing out Big 10 foes (remember Sullinger). Why can't the football coaches address obvious needs or vulnerabilities on the lines? Until they answer those questions, NU will not have a winning conference record.

 

[iskaboo]

I look back at what I wrote when I was at Medill, and it makes me more impressed with Inside NU. Yes, they some make mistakes and sometimes the coverage is too over-critical, but they supply a lot of information and they are pretty quick with getting it to the reader. One of the site's biggest problems is that the headlines often do not accurately represent the contents of the articles, but that is a mistake that a lot of professional publications often make.

There was another thread on The Rock several weeks ago that really took Inside NU and a particular journalist to task. My advice is if you don't like the site, you don't have to read it. Personally, I enjoy it.

 

[realcatfan]

They are a bunch of college kids trying to be good journalists. They try hard, are on campus, and provide pretty good coverage. Sometimes they try too hard and seem to like write something for the sole purpose of writing something. However I really appreciate their efforts and it has become mandatory reading. I actually enjoyed the article to which you refer, and did not find it extremely negative.

There's a person on this board which rips Fitz, Collins, and Phillips constantly. Then his kid and his friends take the same stance on a website.... That makes a lot of sense.

And I don't read it iskaboo. I don't need to. I just know that it's bad for the program and want them to stop. Lake the Posts did a great job being positive, but also appropriately critical at times.

 

[phatcat]

In the latest article, they ask the question if Fitz is too comfortable here and they conclude after he sits back in his chair that he is comfortable after a few disappointing seasons. I think they may be suggesting something that is far from the truth.
imo i dont think fitz is comfortable at all being left out of post season play. In fact i think he is anxious and intense and focused.
im not sure i figured out the point of the latest insidenu article. Oh well

Not sure if "comfortable" is the right word, but I do think he is, for whatever reason, not going to change how he does business. that might be comfort, arrogance, lack of ability, whatever. I think he will continue to do things the same way with the same coaches and expect different results. He's the winningest NU coach of all time, after all...

 

[shakes3858]

Not sure if "comfortable" is the right word, but I do think he is, for whatever reason, not going to change how he does business. that might be comfort, arrogance, lack of ability, whatever. I think he will continue to do things the same way with the same coaches and expect different results. He's the winningest NU coach of all time, after all...

You should listen to his press conference. Fitz said that he changes all the time and continues to learn and grow. Said the day he stops doing that, he'll be coaching his kid's grade school football team.

You want a big splash in firing a coach, but how many things has Fitz changed from the last two years to this year? It's been reported that there were chemistry issues between the offense and defense last year. Fitz told the Dline to take the oline under their wing and told the DBs to take WRs under their wing. We've brought in a nutritionist. The strength and conditioning program has changed according to a poster here.

How many countless other things has Fitz changed from last year to this year? How has he tweaked the playbook? He appears to be recruiting QBs that are mobile and fit the system better than Siemian and what we think of Oliver. How many other positions has he done that with where it's less obvious to us?

To say that Fitz isn't changing all the time is insane.

 

[Catreporter]

You should listen to his press conference. Fitz said that he changes all the time and continues to learn and grow. Said the day he stops doing that, he'll be coaching his kid's grade school football team.

You want a big splash in firing a coach, but how many things has Fitz changed from the last two years to this year? It's been reported that there were chemistry issues between the offense and defense last year. Fitz told the Dline to take the oline under their wing and told the DBs to take WRs under their wing. We've brought in a nutritionist. The strength and conditioning program has changed according to a poster here.

How many countless other things has Fitz changed from last year to this year? How has he tweaked the playbook? He appears to be recruiting QBs that are mobile and fit the system better than Siemian and what we think of Oliver. How many other positions has he done that with where it's less obvious to us?

To say that Fitz isn't changing all the time is insane.

Oh no, don't you get it Shakes? Fitz has to FIRE people in order to make any changes. SARCASM ALERT! And as for the line play, I'm sure Fitz doesn't understand that it takes good lines to win football games. O-line was really good in 2012. Injuries have been a factor there lately. D-line is tougher position to recruit for academic schools, but I like recent recruits there.

 

[Styre]

And I don't read it iskaboo. I don't need to. I just know

Sums it up, I think.

 

[NJCat83588]

You should listen to his press conference. Fitz said that he changes all the time and continues to learn and grow. Said the day he stops doing that, he'll be coaching his kid's grade school football team.

You want a big splash in firing a coach, but how many things has Fitz changed from the last two years to this year? It's been reported that there were chemistry issues between the offense and defense last year. Fitz told the Dline to take the oline under their wing and told the DBs to take WRs under their wing. We've brought in a nutritionist. The strength and conditioning program has changed according to a poster here.

How many countless other things has Fitz changed from last year to this year? How has he tweaked the playbook? He appears to be recruiting QBs that are mobile and fit the system better than Siemian and what we think of Oliver. How many other positions has he done that with where it's less obvious to us?

To say that Fitz isn't changing all the time is insane.

As I posted in a different thread, I though Pat's press conference was excellent. It caused me to rethink my expectations. As he pointed out, there have really only been 2 games the last couple of years where NU didn't compete: Wisky in '13 and Iowa last year. NU is a competitive second tier program. They will average 6 wins a season, some years better, some worse, but I can't see any reason to expect contending for championships every year. Which is OK. I went to school during the dark ages and the product on the field now is so much better it isn't funny. Is Pat a great coach? Probably not. But is he getting the most out of the smallest program in the Big 10 and one of the smallest Power 5 programs? Probably is. And that's about all one can expect. He sold me on the state of the program (as did Turk from his exclusive insider report from practice this week).

 

[shakes3858]

As I posted in a different thread, I though Pat's press conference was excellent. It caused me to rethink my expectations. As he pointed out, there have really only been 2 games the last couple of years where NU didn't compete: Wisky in '13 and Iowa last year. NU is a competitive second tier program. They will average 6 wins a season, some years better, some worse, but I can't see any reason to expect contending for championships every year. Which is OK. I went to school during the dark ages and the product on the field now is so much better it isn't funny. Is Pat a great coach? Probably not. But is he getting the most out of the smallest program in the Big 10 and one of the smallest Power 5 programs? Probably is. And that's about all one can expect. He sold me on the state of the program (as did Turk from his exclusive insider report from practice this week).

Every team is 0-0 right now. As such, I want the team to have the goal and the expectation that they will win the championship. Why should a team bother playing the season if they aren't expecting to win the championship? Do you think the team should walk into the season and say, "I expect to be 6-6 and get to a bowl game." Then if they do better think, "Gee, golly we really surprised ourselves." That's crap. You expect victory and you expect championships or don't even bother having a team.

As a fan, why wouldn't I do the same. Not that it's going to happen every year, but let's go into every season with the expectations that we can and we will win. It's a lot more fun than thinking we can't and we won't. Maybe my heart will get broken. But it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

What do you do when expectations aren't met if you're Fitz or if you're you? Do you fire coaches if youre Fitz or write that Fitz should fire coaches on a message board? Do you change admission procedures or demand that it's done? Do you cheat and give money to players? Do you say screw it I'm not buying another ticket until they win a championship? Do you switch to be a coach a a fan of "better" team? I say no to all of that. You go back to work if you're Fitz. If you need to change something do it. If you don't believe something is an issue, you trust yourself. If you're a fan, then you go back to hoping and cheering and drinking beer and having another year that I promise will be a lot of fun.


(MSU 2013 was a pathetic display too)

 

[phatcat]

You should listen to his press conference. Fitz said that he changes all the time and continues to learn and grow. Said the day he stops doing that, he'll be coaching his kid's grade school football team.

You want a big splash in firing a coach, but how many things has Fitz changed from the last two years to this year? It's been reported that there were chemistry issues between the offense and defense last year. Fitz told the Dline to take the oline under their wing and told the DBs to take WRs under their wing. We've brought in a nutritionist. The strength and conditioning program has changed according to a poster here.

How many countless other things has Fitz changed from last year to this year? How has he tweaked the playbook? He appears to be recruiting QBs that are mobile and fit the system better than Siemian and what we think of Oliver. How many other positions has he done that with where it's less obvious to us?

To say that Fitz isn't changing all the time is insane.

I'll have to figure out a way to save this thread for mid-season. Heck for the first game, when people are pi$$ing and moaning that a) we are not prepared b) the game plan sucks c) the players aren't progressing from year to year, d) we make poor in-game adjustments, etc.

I didn't say the answer necessarily is to fire a coach, but to continue to slowly decline (except for 2012), and to not own it doesn't bode well.

WTF does it mean for one line to take the other under its wing? Why do we have a 10th year coach, who is lauded for his people skills, that has a team with poor chemistry.

Didn't notice the strength/conditioning coach/nutritionist issue, and I am not sure that this is the source of the injuries, etc, but to me those are good avenues for improvement.

He's recruited more mobile quarterbacks - we hope. 22 games into his time at NU, Alviti was not able to move the ball in limited duty. And according to the coaches, neither he nor Zak had developed to the point of helping a crippled Siemian. Other positions have adapted, you mean like WR, where we are Effed in a big way if CJones doesn't come back strong from two surgeries? Our O-line is a crazy quilt of guys, some of whom coudln't crack the lineup in a group that was widely panned by many

To NJ Cat - you have to define second tier for me. We finished 6 of 7 last year and are picked about the same this year. Do you mean that we are relegated to being just ahead of whichever team is putrid that year (Purdue now, Indy before, Ill occasionally)? We used to beat Iowa like a drum, now they have beaten us 3 out of 4, even though they are not any good. We've lost 4 straight to mediocre Michigan teams, including the last 3 in hilarious fashion. I reckon we will be underdogs (which didn't used to make a difference to the Cats) in 8 or 9 games this year. I am also a child of the dark ages, and I share your realistic hopes and expectations of 6-7 wins a year. If we start doing that again, I will STFU. If we continue this 5 win (or worse) pattern, I'll continue to gripe.

I don't think anyone has ever answered me, but I have a lousy memory - how many losing seasons will it take for something to change? How many are acceptable?

Sorry to be Buzz Killington - I, too, am excited for the year and already have plans to go to the two SAT bowls. I think the defense will be pretty good, which is cool, but worry about depth. I have fingers crossed for a running attack, pending line effectiveness. I like our kicker. I don't think this team, at the moment, can compare to the 08/09 teams.

Shakes, my YOUNG friend, I'm not seeing these changes. I must BE insane.

 

[NJCat83588]

To NJ Cat - you have to define second tier for me. We finished 6 of 7 last year and are picked about the same this year. Do you mean that we are relegated to being just ahead of whichever team is putrid that year (Purdue now, Indy before, Ill occasionally)? We used to beat Iowa like a drum, now they have beaten us 3 out of 4, even though they are not any good. We've lost 4 straight to mediocre Michigan teams, including the last 3 in hilarious fashion. I reckon we will be underdogs (which didn't used to make a difference to the Cats) in 8 or 9 games this year. I am also a child of the dark ages, and I share your realistic hopes and expectations of 6-7 wins a year. If we start doing that again, I will STFU. If we continue this 5 win (or worse) pattern, I'll continue to gripe.

Second tier is a polite way of saying bottom half of the Big 10. It means 3.5 wins on average when the Big 10 goes to 9 conference games. Occasionally NU will have a winning conference record and we'll all be ecstatic.

 

[shakes3858]

I'll have to figure out a way to save this thread for mid-season. Heck for the first game, when people are pi$$ing and moaning that a) we are not prepared b) the game plan sucks c) the players aren't progressing from year to year, d) we make poor in-game adjustments, etc.

I didn't say the answer necessarily is to fire a coach, but to continue to slowly decline (except for 2012), and to not own it doesn't bode well.

WTF does it mean for one line to take the other under its wing? Why do we have a 10th year coach, who is lauded for his people skills, that has a team with poor chemistry.

Didn't notice the strength/conditioning coach/nutritionist issue, and I am not sure that this is the source of the injuries, etc, but to me those are good avenues for improvement.

He's recruited more mobile quarterbacks - we hope. 22 games into his time at NU, Alviti was not able to move the ball in limited duty. And according to the coaches, neither he nor Zak had developed to the point of helping a crippled Siemian. Other positions have adapted, you mean like WR, where we are Effed in a big way if CJones doesn't come back strong from two surgeries? Our O-line is a crazy quilt of guys, some of whom coudln't crack the lineup in a group that was widely panned by many

To NJ Cat - you have to define second tier for me. We finished 6 of 7 last year and are picked about the same this year. Do you mean that we are relegated to being just ahead of whichever team is putrid that year (Purdue now, Indy before, Ill occasionally)? We used to beat Iowa like a drum, now they have beaten us 3 out of 4, even though they are not any good. We've lost 4 straight to mediocre Michigan teams, including the last 3 in hilarious fashion. I reckon we will be underdogs (which didn't used to make a difference to the Cats) in 8 or 9 games this year. I am also a child of the dark ages, and I share your realistic hopes and expectations of 6-7 wins a year. If we start doing that again, I will STFU. If we continue this 5 win (or worse) pattern, I'll continue to gripe.

I don't think anyone has ever answered me, but I have a lousy memory - how many losing seasons will it take for something to change? How many are acceptable?

Sorry to be Buzz Killington - I, too, am excited for the year and already have plans to go to the two SAT bowls. I think the defense will be pretty good, which is cool, but worry about depth. I have fingers crossed for a running attack, pending line effectiveness. I like our kicker. I don't think this team, at the moment, can compare to the 08/09 teams.

Shakes, my YOUNG friend, I'm not seeing these changes. I must BE insane.

Of course you haven't seen the changes. You're not at practice, the meeting rooms, the coaches' offices.... How would you have seen them? Does Fitz need to hold a press conference or call you on the telephone to give you a mission statement followed by an outline of what he's going to do differently this year. He's welcome to call me, but I'd prefer he doesn't waste the time and does more productive things. I know it's frustrating as a fan, but you can have faith in Fitz or you can hope that someone else can get the job done. I really don't want to hire the next Tim Beckman, Brady Hoke, Kevin Wilson, or Darrell Hazell. I trust Fitz. He got the team to a good place in 2008-09. He looked strong in 2010 and was met with the Persa injury and dealt with that in 2011. 2012 was great. 2013 and 2014 he dealt injuries to half his team and a rogue star player/alumni intent on unionizing NU football. He'll build it back up whether you see the "changes" or not.

If Fitz doesn't make a bowl game the next 2 years I'd tell him the next year is do or die. I'll allow 6-7 with a bowl game. Walker had losings seasons 4 out of his 1st 5 years and was 6-6 in the 6th year. Only 2 winning seasons in 7. The great Gary Barnett was only over .500 twice in his 7 year career and was 0-8 in the Big Ten in his LAST year and we're putting him in the Hall of Fame. Fitz is at or over .500 in 5 out of his 9 seasons. I know we like to look back at them and remember 1995, 1996, 2000, and the 2004 OSU win and the Sun Bowl team... Let's not make 'em Bill Walsh or Don Shula or pretend a coaching change for the sake of change is smart.

 

[thewildcat2011]

For the most part, the authors of the articles do a decent job. I say decent, not good or great, because it's obvious that they don't really know a lot about what they are talking about sports wise (football or basketball) and they lean towards fairly weak "statistical analysis" (usually based on a faulty interpretation of an advanced stay that has not been proven to have relevance) or "hot takes" type articles. Also, I get the concept of it being a blog or student run enterprise, but I don't think the article authors should be engaging in defending or altering the meaning of their pieces in the comment section. If you have to explain yourself post facto, you did not write a clear, well thought piece. If you feel you did, then there's not point in jumping to defend yourself...let the piece speak for itself and stand by it.

The authors also don't have much perspective when it comes to NU, even compared to people who saw the program the college cycle before they matriculated.

Their "public interest" pieces are great because they are good writers and take the time to actually think about what they are doing (and also it's a more familiar style of prose to most HS and young college students with an inclination towards writing).

That said, the comment section makes that website nearly unreadable. There is fairly heavy overlap between posters here and posters there, but there are some on InsideNU that are just absolute pieces of $h!t and ruin the website for a lot of people. I think Lou has kept that from happening here and while there are tiffs and posters ripping on each other, it seems like we have moved past the constant and incessant bickering that plagues InsideNU.