It's astounding
- Thread starter stpaulcat
- Start date
I can only speak for myself and say I didn't see anything promising at our spring game...
The lack in interest in the fans by the program seems to be rubbing off. Let’s see - not enough scholarship players to fill a two deep, obstinate coach full of himself, staff of coaches that don’t really inspire hope, no inbound transfers of any newsworthy consequence, need I go on….spring game, raising ticket prices while lowering product quality, did I mention a complete lack of communication / interest in developing a relationship with its customer community beyond trying to extract every last dollar from their pocket?
The lack of administrative support from the university to the football team concerns me for the competitiveness of the program in the short to medium term
I do find it really strange that they had a spring scrimmage (or whatever) and not much of any coverage or discussion about it anywhere.
They did? I had no idea. (Maybe reported on The Rock).
I'll be there this fall but, lacking info to the contrary, I expect little improvement. Better defenive schemes, but lost a lot of players and none inbound.
Really nothing much on The Rock. Nothing at all about spring practice on nusports.com. I can only speak for FB but nothing on social media.
I don't get it.
Not exactly the best approach to build excitement around the program and a new stadium. I keep getting a mental image of Fitz and staff trying to figure out how to get a 1970’s projector to work so they can watch some game film…
NU did post a pretty good amount of spring practice content on Instagram. I am not sure why it limits itself to that platform.
Not strange at all when the head coach has effectively stated he's not a fan of spring games and his actions reflect that. I think it stemmed from a time long, long ago when a player (maybe Andrew Brewer?) was injured during the game. I'm sure some people here can affirm more specific details.
Fitz of all people should see the value of this exhibition and its connection to building excitement around the program, but...whatever.
I am cautiously optimistic of his coaching hires - I think going the FCS route and picking winners from the Dakotas is a risky but bold move, but honestly that's all just "wait and see."
The lack of gains from the Portal is probably the most telling and equally discouraging part of this off season. Obviously we could just see a bunch of players develop and come into their own in 2023 - we've seen this happen before without any indication it would coming out of spring - but that's just wishful thinking.
Oh, and maybe I won't have anywhere to park my car for games this season.
I think there’s more reason for optimism than most will give NUFB credit for, but clearly it’s not for this year. Our best potential guys are young or inexperienced, coaches with great potential but they’re new, and depth is paper thin. I just hope the program can withstand another <=3 win season.
I actually agree with Fitz on this in that contact spring games are kind of dumb but nothing says that is what NU has to do.
Not too long ago the spring "game" was a glorified non-contact practice which was paired with a youth football clinic. Why not go back to that?
A spring game is just as much about the fans. It gives them a chance to hang out and tailgate/reconnect in the parking lots after the winter and also gives the fans opportunity to again chow down on one of those great Ryan Field hot dogs.
Customer service not a high priority for the football team.
You need to look a little harder. Nothing on social media is categorically false.
The Portal--14-31 over the last four years. Until transfers see improvement, I doubt NU will be able to attract the players they need through the portal. 2023 needs to be better.
Also, if they are successful at cramming the new stadium down our throats, 2 additional years wandering in the wilderness like Israelites
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Oy. I wasn’t even thinking about that. If we lay an egg this year who will even watch the games in the 2 off campus seasons? Maybe they could then just save money and hold home games on the indoor field, TV cameras only!
There is nothing, or close to nothing, about spring practice at NUsports.com.
Maybe I’m old school — I go to sites I want to read, not to whatever shows up in my feed. It just seems a missed opportunity.
(Edit: turns out, there is some spring practice content — it’s just at the bottom of the NUsports football page. Layout failure, more than a content failure. The lead story is about the new running backs coach.)
This week 5 roundup has almost 250 views. I guess there’s not much interest either.
Anybody who has worked in software or hardware knows that ‘user error’ is just an excuse for poorly designed work.
Everything Northwestern is doing right now with respect to football...sucks. And it's pretty discouraging.
Like most people reading this I get emails from various Northwestern Athletics entities every 3-4 days. I just checked my trash folder - a never-ending stream of bullsht content - softball, lacrosse, women's golf, baseball - nevermind that I've never given any indication or checked a single box to say I'm interested in these programs (with all due respect to them). But football is nowhere to be found in these emails - not even buried at the bottom.
And I have an email from Gragg talking about his strategic plan (R.I.S.E.) - a typical heady thought piece that won't actually matter for anything. You know the type. You read and have to ask, "wait...we weren't already promoting a culture of respect and we didn't already value competitive success?"
Not a single email as far as I can see about spring practice or spring content. Why? Because they know the football program is an absolute dog right now with no promising answers on how Fitz & Co. will improve from 1-11 this season. It feels almost taboo to ask, "we can't get any worse, right?"
The only messages I've received about football: season ticket renewals and polls on how much I'd spend on premium seating at the new stadium.
We're not in a great place right now, and I'm genuinely worried no one in charge knows how to fix it. I'm still not sure Gragg gets the culture and I'm not sure Schill cares, which has gotta be awful for Fitz coming from Phillips and Morty (but Fitz could also probably use a wake up call).
I have no idea where we're playing football after this season, no idea if I have parking anywhere, no idea if I will be able to afford season tickets at the temp home stadium or the new one eventually, or if I will even want them. No idea if we're jumping in with both feet into the NIL arms race (or if we'll even be able to hang) or if we're going to stand firm on a moral high ground. It's all pretty depressing when I really think about it, so maybe it was best that football has been out of sight/out of mind.
Pulling my hair out that …the school hasn’t emailed about spring practice. Seriously?
Lou and team put out plenty of content.
What are your burning questions about spring practice anyways?
Lack of support from the administration? Besides admissions, and I realize people disagree on where that line should be, in what other area is the administration lacking in support? I see a coach with job security. Tons of investment in infrastructure. Funding for staff. What are the big things that the administration could be doing differently?
Lou and team put out plenty of content.
What are your burning questions about spring practice anyways?
Lack of support from the administration? Besides admissions, and I realize people disagree on where that line should be, in what other area is the administration lacking in support? I see a coach with job security. Tons of investment in infrastructure. Funding for staff. What are the big things that the administration could be doing differently?
My answer to this is two-fold:
1. Fan engagement. We're a year away from Ryan Field being demolished, and I haven't even heard speculation on a short list on where we'll play. Apart from this, do we assume that the hardcore Northwestern fan base is so strong and so loyal that our last three seasons haven't carved it down to nothing? If the assumption is "if we build it, they will come..." Okay...that might be true for 1-2 games, until we lose to Weber State and Eastern Michigan and the amenities of a new stadium don't offset the double-digit loss to most visiting teams. There is not excitement or a lot of optimism for the program, and that should be a serious concern for the coach and the other caretakers.
2. Yup - you guessed it - fielding a competitive team. This NIL stuff is absolutely disgusting, but it isn't going away. You don't want to pay players? Fine. Let's spend $4 million on two mercenary coordinators. Don't want to do that? Fine...then all we're doing here is dressing up the ugly chick in pretty clothes.
We're doing everything but the stuff that really matters. As others have basically said, I'd rather go 9-3 in a crumbling stadium with tuned-in fans than 3-9 in a shiny new place where fans are only showing up to see the new facilities.
We are already a neurotic group. I characterize it as an abused child always cringing from the next expected blow. Then, last year, the blow fell. So, lack of returning talent, lack of transfers, early/unclear NIL value has me afraid. I've reached a point in my life where I don't really follow any other sports except NU, and if they take, say, 4 years to return to competitiveness, that's like 20% of the rest of my life. I'd rather not have 4 years of suck, for selfish reasons. Basketball helped. To paraphrase Mark Twain, it was a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.
It’s possible that a few years from now, CSC and a bunch of opposing fans will be all that’s attending the games. And CSC will still be yelling at the fans…
Liked the post a bunch. Stuff needs to be said and many are with you. Many are plenty angry with Fitzgerald, a HC who was given an unlimited checkbook and he overdrew it.
BUT... the NU D coaching staff has been rebuilt! NU is rid of a DC that can't coach and can't recruit! Fitz likely wanted to give him another chance.
So NU has already addressed half of the problem! After only 2 years of 3-D suck!!!
So "everything" overstates the sucking and NU is rebuilding, slowly, slowly. Just wait 'til 2027!!!
Well, this year looks to be the year that flips PF overall record to sub-500. His B1G record looks pretty submarine. And at this rate, in a couple of season, he will look more like Peay or Green than any of the HOF coaches or the two guys that preceded him.
By letting him hang to dry, the admin will make him look like another former great player that couldn’t coach.
Oh, Peay and Green graduated everybody and should have any fault blamed on admissions cuz that’s the way we rationalize around here.
