Negativity

[Aging Booster]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I try not to let negativity creep into any aspect of my life (except my cynicism of ideology-driven politics). But part of the purpose of a fan board is to vent, kvetch, and bemoan. It would be worse if we were stinking up the joint and no one gave a shart.

 

[Rebel_]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

Could not have said it better, six games are left. I hope we win our share. That being said, NU football has much of which to be proud in this era!!!

 

[CatManTrue]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

I will apologize to you for one thing and one thing only: you were right on your rumors about Hunter not being ready, and I’m sorry for questioning said rumors. Why that is the case is a separate question, but it is disappointing and unfortunate.

That being said, who cares what we did last season. Fitz is getting paid a lot of money and got the facilities he wanted. Our offense is the worst I’ve ever seen as a Cats fan. Given we returned a lot of talent from last year we should have expected at worst a mid-tier bowl game - 6-6 or 7-5 was reasonable. I bleed purple but this season sucks.

Just win baby. Notre Dame and Stanford do it pretty consistently, so what is holding Fitz’s program back?

 

[Titanium999]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

Agreed! Northwestern is a great program! Our players are real students living productive lives outside of football! Keep up the good work!

 

[FeralFelidae]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

I can forgive a down year, but if Hunter needs experience, then I don't understand why we're not giving him experience. It doesn't feel like a down year; it feels like a wasted year. That's what's frustrating.

Again, if Hunter really is still injured, then I understand, but I don't understand what Fitz is trying to accomplish by keeping that secret.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

I can forgive a down year, but if Hunter needs experience, then I don't understand why we're not giving him experience. It doesn't feel like a down year; it feels like a wasted year. That's what's frustrating.

Again, if Hunter really is still injured, then I understand, but I don't understand what Fitz is trying to accomplish by keeping that secret.

This is exactly it. I don’t think many fans expect NU to be great year after year. What I hope to see is progress the rest of the year. I would be disappointed if we didn’t get 4 more wins. Nobody is dominating on the remaining schedule and our toughest game is next week. NU should have a chance in all of them.

I am not sure why it is surprising people are frustrated with what they have seen this year. The recent stretch prior to this has been encouraging. However, the ineptitude on offense this year has people concerned. The inability to show even modest capabilities is hard to overlook. I know that most people that express that concern care and to be labeled as negative is unfair.

 

[TXnumbCAT]

We won in spite of our offense last year. The offense has gotten to be putrid. 128 out of 130. That’s not negativity. That’s reality. Something needs to change. Otherwise, I can shift back to the mindset of my freshman year (Dennis Green’s last season) and just have zero expectations for NU football.

 

[stpaulcat]

Okay. If you break your leg, you go to the doctor and have it repaired. You don't wait ten years limping along until your make shift splint wears out. Our offense has been a decade of non-progress (with some very bright spots). It's a simple question. Why not make it better? It's a "might as well" situation. No one is bemoaning what Fitz and the team accomplished last year and the years prior. But the mystifying thing is if the coaching staff can build a defense as good as we have now, why is it not possible to at least build an above average offense to compliment that. I mean, when do you regroup and say this maybe isn't working as well as you'd planned and ask what really needs to be done to change that? Next year, two years from now, never? Offensively, we've had gradual progress, in the wrong direction. No miracle player will save us from that.

 

[phatcat]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

I have one quibble. There is absolutely, positively no excuse for being the worst offense in the country. Period. We lost to one top five team, one poser, and three mediocre to poor teams, all while being completely dominated on offense. Inexcusable

 

[Colonel Kong]

I don't comment here much, and only check in a few times a year. I watch the games, but don't really care about the outcomes. So maybe I'm objective (or maybe not). At any rate, my perspective is based on living through the worst (class of '80), enjoying the renaissance starting with Barnett, and observing the years since. And I gotta say, I think this team has done really well. Being competitive in the Big 10 and winning bowl games is something no one would have predicted prior to Barnett. I think Fitz has done a good job - and I don't even like him. I don't think he's real bright, is certainly no Belichick type thinker/strategist, and seems a bit full of himself. But he also is a successful rah-rah type coach for college kids. He has done well with very limited talent - just check out NFL players by school and compare NU to Stanford, Miami, etc. for a reality check on our talent. And attracting that talent is another issue entirely. It seems to me that to get to the level some on here want, the school would have to shift to a football identity, and that would probably start with hiring a coach based on real ability, not favored-son status, and continue on to admissions, budget, etc.
Compared to what us old-timers experienced, we are Alabama.
Enjoy it.

 

[TXnumbCAT]

Enjoy it? That’s like “embrace the suck” I could handle bad, unentertaining offense when we won. Now it’s miserable. Unwatchable garbage.

 

[TXnumbCAT]

I’d happier losing games 34-27 or something. That might be entertaining.

 

[Titanium999]

Seek the truth! We got guys like Anthony Walker,JJ,and Tyler Landcaster making millions. We also got guys like TJ Green going to Kellogg! Lots of silver lining in our losses. I'm proud of Northwestern! The Ivy league of the Midwest!

 

[stpaulcat]

Seek the truth! We got guys like Anthony Walker,JJ,and Tyler Landcaster making millions. We also got guys like TJ Green going to Kellogg! Lots of silver lining in our losses. I'm proud of Northwestern! The Ivy league of the Midwest!

I think you mean the Midwest of the Ivy League. We've both been there, or at least close, you know the difference.

 

[wildcatpn]

I don't comment here much, and only check in a few times a year. I watch the games, but don't really care about the outcomes. So maybe I'm objective (or maybe not). At any rate, my perspective is based on living through the worst (class of '80), enjoying the renaissance starting with Barnett, and observing the years since. And I gotta say, I think this team has done really well. Being competitive in the Big 10 and winning bowl games is something no one would have predicted prior to Barnett. I think Fitz has done a good job - and I don't even like him. I don't think he's real bright, is certainly no Belichick type thinker/strategist, and seems a bit full of himself. But he also is a successful rah-rah type coach for college kids. He has done well with very limited talent - just check out NFL players by school and compare NU to Stanford, Miami, etc. for a reality check on our talent. And attracting that talent is another issue entirely. It seems to me that to get to the level some on here want, the school would have to shift to a football identity, and that would probably start with hiring a coach based on real ability, not favored-son status, and continue on to admissions, budget, etc.
Compared to what us old-timers experienced, we are Alabama.
Enjoy it.

Admitting that you don’t really care about the outcomes of the games immediately makes anything you post irrelevant.

 

[Titanium999]

Admitting that you don’t really care about the outcomes of the games immediately makes anything you post irrelevant.

I love the Wildcats win or lose! Football,like MMA, is a barbaric sport. Soon to be outlawed ar the college level. Heck,they don't even do live hitting in practice anymore. Schools like Northwestern are positioned well for the epic demise of college football. Likely, the power five conference will look more like the ivy league of years ago. Pro football will lose it's glitter. Why? At the core,too much liability insurance for a college football team. Northwestern is a real school with real students. Guys will be going pro at 18! Having concussions at 23,and on drugs or painkillers at 25! Believe me,I lived the life as a college athlete. Five major surgeries before the age of 25! That is no way to live. There is more to life than permanently damaging your limbs. Which by the way,happens, pretty much every weekend. Look at Martinez from Nebraska. Heisman hopeful to the operating table in no time.

 

[IGNORE]

Of course I am saddened when we lose games and I certainly hoped for the 'Cats to be better than 1-5 at this point in the season. However, I am more disappointed in all of the negativity I read on this board - peopled bemoaning the state of the program, criticizing Fitz, and calling for heads to roll. Shame on all of you! We just won the Big 10 West Division last year, beating every team in the division. We won a bowl game against Utah, a very good team from the Pac 12. Our program has never had the long-term success that it has enjoyed under Fitz and this coaching staff; and please do not under-estimate the role of the head coach in convincing the university to build the new practice facility. Our graduation rates are stellar and our student-athletes' behaviors are exemplars for the entire nation.
Many of us stated during the off-season that this would be a rebuilding year. Our expectations were only confirmed this past summer in conversations with the coaches and others close to the program. We knew we would have inexperienced QBs, an OL breaking in three new guys who did not play well last year as backups, a need to replace our best cover corner and our best LB in pass coverage, as well as the heart of our interior DL. Then we lost our most experienced QB, our top RB, and our best WR in the first game of the year. Some of our best talent is at least a year away from making real contributions. We have to be patient - which should not be so hard to do as we bask in the recent successes this coaching staff has provided and contemplate what this team will look like in a year or two.
I have posted many times that in our good years I expect us to win our share of divisional and conference titles and in our down years for us to be competitive. We all hope for our "down" years to be 6-6 or even 7-5 seasons. This one still could be. But, NU is in this for the long haul - and so is Fitz and so am I.

The offense has been terrible for a decade. Your mindset is like tenure and has no place in competitive sports or business. If NU was a business, McCall would have been fired years ago regardless that the company was turning a profit thanks to Hanks department.

Tell us your measuring stick of productivity for a coordinator - particular details over particular time period. Anything short of the Corbin luv fest will equate to McCall fired.

Ball control? Ok - how about time of possession stat. Overall production of O? We know how they have ranked. Placement into NFL? Not many drafted and fewer playing.
McCall should have been fired five years ago.

 

[Colonel Kong]

Admitting that you don’t really care about the outcomes of the games immediately makes anything you post irrelevant.

That is a "specious" argument, as we say at the Harvard of the midwest !

 

[Hungry Jack]

That is a "specious" argument, as we say at the Harvard of the midwest !

This could only be found on a Northwestern fan board. Illinois fans go straight to F bombs.

 

[phatcat]

That is a "specious" argument, as we say at the Harvard of the midwest !

Actually, the fact that you do not care actually lends some balance here, whereas everyone else is the NUFB equivalent of Alt Right or Green New Deal with a yawning, empty chasm between the factions

 

[Figrating]

I would not care if I only knew how.

Like, lifted from Friedrich: Can an ass be tragic? To be crushed by a burden it can neither bear nor throw off? The plight of an NU sports fan...

 

[Colonel Kong]

I would not care if I only knew how.

Like, lifted from Friedrich: Can an ass be tragic? To be crushed by a burden it can neither bear nor throw off? The plight of an NU sports fan...

I think it comes with age - at least in my case. I cared deeply back in 1995 to maybe 2002. But I was a crazed NY football Giant fan as a kid, on through the Super Bowls of '86 and '90, then my fandom faded gradually. I still watch out of habit, but care even less about the outcome than I do with NU. Same thing happened with the Yankees after all the success through the early 2000s. In many ways it's a relief to not be devastated by the performance of a sports team - at least one you don't have a kid playing on.

 

[NURoseBowl]

I would not care if I only knew how.

Like, lifted from Friedrich: Can an ass be tragic? To be crushed by a burden it can neither bear nor throw off? The plight of an NU sports fan...

This is good, Figmeister.

 

[Catreporter]

Our offense is the worst

Were you around for Gary's last year in 1998? That offense was pretty bad and we got blown out a number of times, including 44-10 by Duke (when they were really bad) at home.

 

[CatManTrue]

Were you around for Gary's last year in 1998? That offense was pretty bad and we got blown out a number of times, including 44-10 by Duke (when they were really bad) at home.

I’ve only been following the team since 2000, so fortunately I was not. I’m sure there were some Dark Age offenses that even more atrocious, but those were the Dark Ages.

When one compares our preseason hopes to the current reality, we are waaaaay below our offensive expectations / potential. I sure hope we figure it out next week but I’m no longer holding my breath.

 

[PZAZ]

I agree that there's too much negativity. Sure, many of us feel that the O has underperformed for awhile. But until this year, we sure won a lot of games and did well. If TJ hadn't gotten hurt, based on how he did against Stanford (vs. Hunter), we might be 4-2 or 5-1. There may be a reason Fitz isn't playing Hunter. Besides injury, perhaps he's actually not as good as Aiden. Or perhaps Fitz wants him to get another year of experience and be with NU more years when he is ready.

We're getting great new players commit, we have a new facility, and we have a tradition now (not this year but the last 25 years) that helps bring more players (more than most B1G schools). I'm as disappointed as all of us, but I also realize that life happens and I think we'll be back.

 

[kawacko]

I love the Wildcats win or lose! Football,like MMA, is a barbaric sport. Soon to be outlawed ar the college level. Heck,they don't even do live hitting in practice anymore. Schools like Northwestern are positioned well for the epic demise of college football. Likely, the power five conference will look more like the ivy league of years ago. Pro football will lose it's glitter. Why? At the core,too much liability insurance for a college football team. Northwestern is a real school with real students. Guys will be going pro at 18! Having concussions at 23,and on drugs or painkillers at 25! Believe me,I lived the life as a college athlete. Five major surgeries before the age of 25! That is no way to live. There is more to life than permanently damaging your limbs. Which by the way,happens, pretty much every weekend. Look at Martinez from Nebraska. Heisman hopeful to the operating table in no time.

I to went through several surgeries while playing and in my later life, But the game has become more vicious and the injuries are not just to the limbs but to the brain. For my part I think my knees saved me for continuing my football career and my have saved me from head injuries.

 

[No Chores]

I to went through several surgeries while playing and in my later life, But the game has become more vicious and the injuries are not just to the limbs but to the brain. For my part I think my knees saved me for continuing my football career and my have saved me from head injuries.

I believe you're right. Sadly, for your brother Andy, another very bright guy, he did continue his career in the NFL, and the head injuries took a terrible toll.

 

[IGNORE]

We're getting great new players commit, we have a new facility, and we have a tradition now (not this year but the last 25 years) that helps bring more players (more than most B1G schools). I'm as disappointed as all of us, but I also realize that life happens and I think we'll be back.

Wait a couple years and the PKK will tell you these recruits sucked too.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Wait a couple years and the PKK will tell you these recruits sucked too.

We already have have the anti-PKK for that.

 

[BigNUFan51]

Negativity is warranted IMO. It would be one thing if this was a regular run of the mill bad season, but I don’t even feel like I am watching football when this offense comes on to the field. If I was Pat Fitzgerald I would be beside myself.

 

[NUera]

Respectfully, OP, the days of small-expectation, let’s win one for the gipper, at-least-we-tried Northwestern Football ended with the founding of the BTN and the arrival of Fitz’s large contracts. Fan expectations will now, rightfully, be high — and multi-seasons of abysmal offenses will lead to shouting. Some would call this progress; others will just say its big-time football. Either way, we’ve arrived?

 

[corbi296]

Negativity is warranted IMO. It would be one thing if this was a regular run of the mill bad season, but I don’t even feel like I am watching football when this offense comes on to the field. If I was Pat Fitzgerald I would be beside myself.

Shocker! What dirt do you have on LouV that has spared you from being banned months ago?

 

[phatcat]

Were you around for Gary's last year in 1998? That offense was pretty bad and we got blown out a number of times, including 44-10 by Duke (when they were really bad) at home.

We averaged 200 yds passing a game and more than a TD pass a game

I'd take it

 

[IGNORE]

We already have have the anti-PKK for that.

In an odd turn, the two sides merge. Anti-PKK condemning recruits before they arrive, PKK condemning after they arrive in defense of the coaches that recruited, coached and play designed for them. The circle of life is complete.

 

[IGNORE]

Shocker! What dirt do you have on LouV that has spared you from being banned months ago?

Try reporting him another 100 times. If that don’t work, stomp your feet, bang your fist and go cry to your mom that the world isn’t fair. Cheers.

 

[FeralFelidae]

We averaged 200 yds passing a game and more than a TD pass a game

I'd take it

I'd much prefer 1999 to 1998, where our heralded transfer QB (Kustok) got valuable playing time that paid major dividends for 2000! Sure, we didn't win much, but it wasn't a wasted season.

 

[klemman]

As a sports fan, it’s the albatross that comes with success. Expectations rise and patience diminishes.

 

[phatcat]

I'd much prefer 1999 to 1998, where our heralded transfer QB (Kustok) got valuable playing time that paid major dividends for 2000! Sure, we didn't win much, but it wasn't a wasted season.

D'Wayne Bates tho