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In 2019 I felt there was something seriously wrong within the program. Couldn't put a finger on it but had a bad, bad feeling Fitz had lost the team. Ramsey and several other transfers really helped us in 2020 but when Ramsey didn't come back with a chance to be the all-time passer in B1G history it reenforced my queasy feelings. '21 and '22 sealed my doubts. JON hire, bad O, lousy effort became the standard. The play on the field was awful and obviously there were major issues within groups of players. We greatly needed change. What has occurred is revolting to me but the signs were all there.2020 wasn't an outlier for us because Hank was DC and it was a continuation of 2015-2019; we had solid defenses for the most part every year from 2015 to 2020.
2015-2018 we had CT as QB, won the division once, averaged 9 wins, and went to 4 straight bowl games (won last 3 of them).
2019 we had a strong defense but the offense was a mess; ended up 3-9.
2020 we got Peyton Ramsey as a grad transfer and that fixed the offense; combined with Hank's defense that team was going to be hard to beat regardless of Covid.
2020 team would win the west regardless.
Post-Covid, yes the team collapsed, but that was due to going from a top defensive coordinator of all time to one of the absolute worst (a buddy hire) in JON.
Our pre/during/post Covid situation is much more about the DC change than anything else.
I think Fitz would agree with your take and had planned to overhaul the staff over a 2-3 year period starting with the past offseason. I think we'd likely have seen at least a few other new hires in the subsequent offseason.In 2019 I felt there was something seriously wrong within the program. Couldn't put a finger on it but had a bad, bad feeling Fitz had lost the team. Ramsey and several other transfers really helped us in 2020 but when Ramsey didn't come back with a chance to be the all-time passer in B1G history it reenforced my queasy feelings. '21 and '22 sealed my doubts. JON hire, bad O, lousy effort became the standard. The play on the field was awful and obviously there were major issues within groups of players. We greatly needed change. What has occurred is revolting to me but the signs were all there.
Well thought out and statedI think Fitz would agree with your take and had planned to overhaul the staff over a 2-3 year period starting with the past offseason. I think we'd likely have seen at least a few other new hires in the subsequent offseason.
Observing Fitz, I think he wanted to spread the coaching changes out in order to integrate the new additions easier while giving other coaches another year or two to try to fix their units.
It can happen to any organization where the head has been in place for a long time, so this to me isn't Fitz-specific but more just several units struggling all at once and taking steps backwards.
Obviously this makes it sort of an impossible job for Braun to do now for example because Fitz probably planned to evaluate Bajakian this season. Do we expect Braun to do that as a new HC? Not sure it's all that reasonable expectation that he'd win the job and oversee another staff overhaul (harder as a new HC without a past history of assistants).
They’ll probably discuss this in a future episode of Cover 3. Penn State, Michigan, Indiana and Northwestern all getting mentions in the replies.
We had a hug advantage in 2020. We had fewer Covid problems than basically any other program and we were able to take advantage. The team was good but harder to say just how good2020 team was good. Probably win the West anyway, although maybe more like the 2018 W L record
Better than the rest of the granola in the B1G WestWe had a hug advantage in 2020. We had fewer Covid problems than basically any other program and we were able to take advantage. The team was good but harder to say just how good
I've often thought this and been especially proud of that year's team for it - extreme discipline which was required in such weird and unknown times.We had a hug advantage in 2020. We had fewer Covid problems than basically any other program and we were able to take advantage. The team was good but harder to say just how good
Wait... I'm confused. I would have thought all our hugging would have increased the chance of a Covid problem.We had a hug advantage in 2020. We had fewer Covid problems than basically any other program and we were able to take advantage. The team was good but harder to say just how good
But we also had our 1st rounder/Pro Bowler offensive lineman sit out the season...We had a hug advantage in 2020. We had fewer Covid problems than basically any other program and we were able to take advantage. The team was good but harder to say just how good
And he was replaced with a Frosh who also became a first rounderBut we also had our 1st rounder/Pro Bowler offensive lineman sit out the season...
Car washes and Shrek claps were suspended during COVID.Wait... I'm confused. I would have thought all our hugging would have increased the chance of a Covid problem.
Yes, we could have had 2 first rounders play on the line in 2020. Don't underestimate what that could have done for us.And he was replaced with a Frosh who also became a first rounder
Huh? Illinois had a horrible, but in no way an outlier, 2020 season.NU conference record 2015 to 2020 before Hank’s retirement:
2015 6-2
2016 5-4
2017 7-2
2018 8-1
2019 1-8
2020 6-1
And let me understand, you think 2020 is the outlier?
I think you need to play the game “ one of these years is not like the others.”
It also makes me laugh that Vassar decided to show up after Illinois decided to show up.