Focus on the football season and move forward? Almost all the comments have to do with the past and the current hazing issue and whether Fitz is or isn't responsible. All of that is important but at this point we're getting close to a football season, it would be nice to see more reporting and discussion about that.
Like the players suggest, Why Can't This board...
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Tough to muster up excitement for a one-win team. Sullivan-Bryant seems a scintillating battle tho.
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Agreed and with you there. I'm mostly just tuned out right now and once the games play will be focused 100% on that. These guys wear our colors, going to root hard for them.
At the same time, that gives us a chance to outperform extremely low expectations. I'll be watching with no expectations and any success will be satisfying.
Where should someone look to find information about this year's team and fall camp?
This is NOT last year's one-win team.
It's an entirely different team with a new highly regarded defensive coordinator replacing the disaster of the last two years.
Plus a highly rated 4-star wide receiver with A.J. Henning.
There is a lot to look forward to, so forget about the last two years unless you enjoy dwelling in misery.
Go CATS.
Yeah, because no offense at all to the players, but right now I don’t have much of any excitement for the upcoming football season. It’s just disgust. Maybe that will change once football season starts. But for once this year, I have negative interest in trying to consider or analyze talent at different position groups and what our prospects are in different matchups. I just don’t care. Which is why I won’t be attending any games (as of now).
Maybe once the season starts that will change. I want to root for the players and I like Braun thus far. It still seems likely that once it gets started I will want to watch the games. But this situation has created such an extreme level of disgust that I can’t muster up any interest in thinking about the upcoming football season. Hopefully the players are better at turning that disgust into motivation than I am right now, I guess…
Go Cats, against the world
And against Schill and Gragg
That's too bad. If you really want to dwell in misery then go right ahead. But for many fans here, probably most of them, there is no need or value in doing that. Time to move on. It's a new year, a new coach, and a new team. Zero value in worrying about the past.
Only a few weeks to go...
With Rutgers as the first game, I think we're going to know pretty quick what kind of season this is going to be .
With Rutgers as the first game, I think we're going to know pretty quick what kind of season this is going to be .
Haha dude alright. I’ve been going to Cats games since I was 6 years old. I’m not telling you how to be a fan. I certainly am not “dwelling in misery”, but you do you. And if you think there is “zero value” in focusing on getting Schill and Gragg gone before they eff up our university more going forward, then let’s agree to disagree. I’m sure you’re super cool though and always know the *right* answers to how to be a fan.
I hope you enjoy the upcoming season, and like I said we will see how I feel when games start being played, but maybe ease up on the sanctimony toward those who are still quite salty about this cluster**ck. I think I’m not the only one.
You are most definitely not the only one. Despite my anger towards Shill and Gragg, I’m going to bite the bullet and go to the Rutgers game as planned. Will be wearing my Cats Against the World t-shirt in support of our players and coaches.
Misery is what I expect on the field from an inexperienced coaching staff and distracted program. I'm afraid things will get worse when the football actually begins and announcers in every game focus on the "story," which will be Fitz's firing and the abusive players. Media don't want to move on. They have a storyline to uphold.
We've already seen what some on this board predicted. There's no "feel good" story, because even NU's own AD blames the players. If they somehow win, they won't be sympathetic figures in the eyes of the public. Gragg and Schill made sure of that so they could keep their jobs. It's working—for them—so far.
Gleeson being on staff should help the Cats prepare for Rutgers; Schiano pretty much made him the scapegoat for Rutgers’ lousy season. If the Cats keep the game close the Scarlet Knights, as is their M.O. in close games, will step on their ponchos. 16-10 Northwestern.
"I can't go to games I'm so disgusted" is a bit of an overreaction, regardless of whether you went to games in utero or are a literal wildcat who hates how this is making felines look.
I was livid when this went down. Still am pissed it reached the point Carl had a point to make against Fitz. He needed a tighter ship, especially given he sold us "good ol clean fun" as his thing. But it's now been weeks, we've seen the peak of what it was, and now with the dust settled the magnitude is less and the leaders of NU the issue. Time to watch a game.
I know Illinois is the engineering school but I'm pretty sure this fanbase can build a bridge and get over it.
I was livid when this went down. Still am pissed it reached the point Carl had a point to make against Fitz. He needed a tighter ship, especially given he sold us "good ol clean fun" as his thing. But it's now been weeks, we've seen the peak of what it was, and now with the dust settled the magnitude is less and the leaders of NU the issue. Time to watch a game.
I know Illinois is the engineering school but I'm pretty sure this fanbase can build a bridge and get over it.
I'm not really much excited at all about D1 football at this point. The current realignment craze has shown (as if it needed showing) that it's basically a race to bring in the bucks as evidenced by the geographic insanity of the largest conferences now. I'm turned off that Penn State is racing to bring in millions in NIL money to compete with the big boys in football, but is cutting off all funding for its student newspaper ($160,000) next year. The newspaper has been around since 1887. Basically, I was about done with D1 ball, and the NU fiasco has been the unwanted icing on the cake. I might actually get to the NU-Penn State game this year as my brother and I got tickets because we wanted to see a game during what looked like the last season at the old Ryan (formerly Dyche, but that's another tale of big bucks). But I guess we'll see if they plunge right ahead with the new stadium at this point.
For most of the year I'll be enjoying D2 games with $10 tickets, free parking and cheap concessions. And you won't hear about it if my D2 alma mater has a hazing scandal because our Pa. media are so obsessed with Penn State that they don't pay any attention to us.
Generally, if you tune in right at kickoff, you avoid the talking head storyline and get to just watch and hear about the game.
And if they get to the ‘storyline’ after that, it’s because (if recent trends hold true) the deficit is insurmountable and you’re better off getting some sunshine anyway.
I sheepishly admit that I reached the point last year of not watching some games, looking at the score afterward and then deciding what if anything to rewatch.
You deny that you are "dwelling in misery", but by not going to games because Fitz got fired you actually are. I don't see any other way to explain it.
And I never said that there is zero value in focusing on getting Schill and Gragg fired. That certainly is at the top of my list. But I don't see any connection between that and going to games. If you think that poor attendance to games is going to have any effect at all on the BOT you are being dillusional. They couldn't care less. Shill and Gragg are about much bigger and onerous things than game attendance.
The reason for regular game attendees to continue going to games is simply to support the team and the players. They are the ones putting in all the hard work and deserve to see as many fans in the stands as possible. So by refusing to go to games you are accomplishing nothing other than demoralizing the players. If that is your choice, so be it. But I think it is a poor one.
I would love it if NU poured millions into NIL and cut off funding for the school newspaper.
NU has a top engineering school superior to Illini in many fields.
Go to a non revenue sport game. They put in as much work and get far less. Send your support that way.
That would be great for Medill and NUs ranking as an institution. I hope you aren’t one of those that believe admission standards should not be lowered for athletes.
Yeah, that's basically my expectation. "We're going to see if this Northwestern team can compete after all the chaos in their program. . . . Nope, they're losing by 30. . . . So, what do you think about this Coach Braun and the terrible circumstances of his hire? . . . He's doing great just keeping his team within 40 when so undermanned with all the transfers." Time to mow the lawn.
But it's not in the past. They are wearing t shirts lauding their fired coach, as are some coaches, apparently. Cats against the world? Making inflammatory gestures on the heels of a humiliating scandal will, indeed, pit us against the world.
Administration is holding onto culpable assistant coaches to keep them as witnesses for the defense instead of the prosecution, so the stink will remain.
I have two #51 jerseys, anybody want a good deal? I'll stick with my Colter and Mark Jerseys.
YES. That is precisely what they are doing.
Because there are many of us who believe that firing Fitz was completley unjustified and was a knee jerk reaction by a totally unqualified university president who was afraid to take the time to find out the whole story.
By a president who was much more concerned about how he would look rather than whether fairness was being employed in the investgation.
By a president who refused to believe Fitz even though there was no evidence that he was lying.
So, yes. Screw Shill. He doesn't belong here and the sooner he goes the better. And please take Gragg with him.
If they're under oath, aren't they sworn to just tell the truth? Are you saying that the administration assumes they will tell a different truth if they keep them on staff?
That is absolutely disgusting.
Scenario 1: fired. Run to a lawyer and claim wrongful discharge . Scenario 2: "I cannot recall"
That’s all right, that’s ok….your Illini engineers probably work for NU partners today
There is very little that can be said about this upcoming season right now. This team is a total unknown.
A new head coach who is also the new DC, some new top players like A.J. Henning, some new first timers, and some question marks about the previous stars like Cam Porter.
It's rare for a team to have that many unknowns at the start of the season, but realistically that is who we are at the moment.
So if you are expecting a lot discussion about the team's future performance I'm afraid you are going to be disappointed. There really isn't much that anyone can say right now. In a few weeks after some games it might be different. But right now it's just a big unknown.
Yeah, I agree. The season is only weeks away and Fitz isn't coming back. The one thing I want to see is how Bajakian's offense will be. It has been suggested many times in this forum that Fitz had forcibly toned down Bajakian's offensive scheme and maybe even McCall's to get in line with the ball control philosophy he had. I would love to see the offense open up quite a bit now, as I think that is the real key in taking the program forward. We are not going to really improve on the recruiting front with the same boring offense we have seen over the last few seasons. When Bajakian first came aboard I was excited because of what he did with BC's offense, but it didn't transfer to NU. Here's hoping that can happen now!!! I highly suspect the defense will improve because of Braun. I think there is indeed a reason to be somewhat optimistic. You have a guy that has shown some real competence as a coach that wants to show his stuff, and build something great.
Well put. Or, as one of our former quarterbacks once said:
“You can hold yourself back from the sufferings of the world, that is something you are free to do and it accords with your nature, but perhaps this very holding back is the one suffering you could avoid.”
I think recruiting has much bigger obstacles than a boring offense.
* Offense will be improved just by adding Ben Bryant, and AJ Henning next. Whether it will be Peyton Ramsey level improvement still waits to be seen.
* Defense will be improved by subtracting JON. The same players will look different, especially the linebackers. Bryce Gallagher will be All B1G.
* Special teams will feature AJ. As for the kicker and punter, I have no clue.
We should get to at least 4 wins.
I have no tie to the Illini. None.That’s all right, that’s ok….your Illini engineers probably work for NU partners today
I said sure because if that's what you took away from the post, it's worthless carrying on with you.
