Our recruiting class looks pretty good considering

[Turk]

looks like we can finish close or at the top 50 in recruiting. Most services still have us a pinch inside top 50 although I assume we will sail off a bit while other teams max out their classes. Considering our last two awful years I think Fitz has done a helluva job to build trust and hold onto the players we have. Toss in the fact that we always have a limited amount of scholarships when compared to state schools since our scholarship actually averages over 3.5 years and most schools only average around 2 or less. The extra investment, due to; 5th years; players not blowing off school; players not being incarcerated or doped up; or leaving early for NFL, should mean more opportunity at efficiency with our players learning and playing in the system. That said, Fitz isn't perfect and he has shown a general lack of understanding on how to develop young men, physically, so we are almost always physically inferior to any team we play, regardless if we have a 5th year guy or not.

Go Cats!

 

[stpaulcat]

"That said, Fitz isn't perfect and he has shown a general lack of understanding on how to develop young men, physically, so we are almost always physically inferior to any team we play"

You don't need to keep reminding us. We got it the first time you brought this up, and in the 165 posts that followed.

 

[Gladeskat]

Originally posted by stpaulcat:
"That said, Fitz isn't perfect and he has shown a general lack of understanding on how to develop young men, physically, so we are almost always physically inferior to any team we play"

You don't need to keep reminding us. We got it the first time you brought this up, and in the 165 posts that followed.

And we still know it's bullmariotti.

The Problem of Turk.

 

[EvanstonCat]

Your definition of "pretty good" is different from mine. We haven't had a good class (top 30) since Barnett.

This said, recruiting rankings are not perfect, and so hopefully we can buck any correlation and can perform far better than our recruiting rankings as we have for much of our past.

 

[pawildcat]

Nobody knows whether this is a good class or not until we see how they do at Northwestern.

 

[shakes3858]

Our recruiting class is great considering we have attention seeking jackass "fans" on the internet trashing the coaching staff and the team without a clue of what they're talking about all the f-ing time.

This post was edited on 1/20 8:32 AM by shakes3858

 

[AtlantaCat]

Yes, it should be clear that the quality of our recruiting classes is much more dependent upon what certain yahoos say on a fan message board about the coaching staff after going 5-7 the last two years and not going to Bowls, rather than the team going 5-7 the last two years and not going to Bowls.
This post was edited on 1/20 10:59 AM by AtlantaCat

 

[chicagocatfan24]

Motion to ban Turk from posting?

Aye!

 

[phatcat]

Turk gets carried away but perhaps he should have said "...considering that the team has regressed every year but one since 2008. All of the "superior talent" we are recruiting has resulted in....?

 

[epicbret]

I'll say I really like the recruits on the defensive front seven. The two linebackers will both be home runs IMO, and the DE's are also players I liked.

At WR, they threw numbers out there, but NU needs them to turn into legit college wideouts capable of separating from corners. Likewise, there are a number of DBs. I really like the current secondary, and hopefully this class is a good haul of depth.

That said, the OL crop is light, literally in numbers and size, and are projects. The Cats need OL to perform now. They have an uber-talented SO back, he needs holes. Moten is going to be a solid addition at back as well.

I'm also not sold on Yates as a QB.

 

[Turk]

I doubt Yates is given a chance at QB other than the 'token' Peterman like chance where he goes under center for the first few practices.

There was talk about Alviti transferring but I doubt Matt ever considered transferring since he will have too much playing potential to leave. Never mind that he has already seen the field and scored a TD as a freshman. And, especially since our starting QB's get eaten alive, and Fitz only recruited a marginal QB in this class. More importantly, imo, is 2016. I think with the light recruiting of QB's in 2015 NU class, that we are in position to recruit a solid 2016 QB and tell him that it is clean sailing once Thorson graduates. Thus, at minimum, unless a 2016 QB recruit is a real flunky, he should start at least two years.
This post was edited on 1/20 2:31 PM by Turk

 

[Turk]

that's a great question phatcat.

All of the 'superior talent' we are recruiting has resulted in.........non development along the lines, non development at QB, non development at wr. And as some would say, resulted in "No Nothing".

Loyalty is always a virtue? Hogwash! Not when it is used as a mask on the face of the Problem.

 

[shakes3858]

Originally posted by AtlantaCat:

Yes, it should be clear that the quality of our recruiting classes is much more dependent upon what certain yahoos say on a fan message board about the coaching staff after going 5-7 the last two years and not going to Bowls, rather than the team going 5-7 the last two years and not going to Bowls.
This post was edited on 1/20 10:59 AM by AtlantaCat

As Coach Fitz would say, "We can only worry about what we can control." Contrary to some people's belief's, they cannot control success on the field by telling Fitz what he should be doing on an internet message board. What we can control is whether we're giving the university and the program a bad name by trashing players, coaches... in a place that can be and is read by recruits, players, and their families.

To think, we have a player on the roster who decided to go Rutgers for a year and half before transferring in after a certain poster told his dad to quit pimping his kid out on the internet. So yes, I do believe that fans giving the university a bad name is bad for recruiting. It's not like their is a whole lot of other places where recruits can read about the program.

 

[stpaulcat]

Shakes, I'm happy you've turned your decision to leave the boards into something positive! Keep blasting away.

 

[phatcat]

1) no changes to staff
2) no acknowledgement of any bad performance or bad decisions by the coaches
3) wait and hope attitude. "If only not so many injuries..."

I really do think Fitz is the guy, even now, but only if he has an epiphany and realizes he needs to adapt in the face of, well, failure.

 

[gocatsgo2003]

Originally posted by phatcat:

1) no changes to staff True.
2) no acknowledgement of any bad performance or bad decisions by the coaches Not true.
3) wait and hope attitude. "If only not so many injuries..." What else do we have?

I really do think Fitz is the guy, even now, but only if he has an epiphany and realizes he needs to adapt in the face of, well, failure.

Can we take a step back and at least recognize that, if nothing else, Fitz got us to the point where consecutive five win seasons could be considered a "failure?" We all want the program to be better than that, but it's not like we are anywhere near uncompetitive.

 

[phatcat]

Actually this is quite true. I remember when a "winning season" meant "we won a game during the season".

To be grumbling about 2 consecutive losing seasons is kind of like circa 2004 PSU "Joe must go" campaign.

Furthermore, GCG, 3 of the wins were against legit power 5 conference teams, all bowl winners.

If you've ever read 1984, there is a passage about how, no matter what the Party told you, there was this gnawing feeling that things weren't right. (in that case, the gnawing was probably hunger). Anyway that's the feeling. Pickle boat is leaking IMHO

 

[IGNORE2]

Disagree. I would argue RW raised the bar. By the time of his departure, a 5 win season would be a disappointment. GB showed us that we could compete. RW showed us we could maintain a higher level of success.

I would argue that the complacency in your post parallels the contingent that protested the upheaval of Bill Carmody. Carmody raised the bar for a program that traditionally stunk. He showed us that we could expect regular post season tournaments. And then his program stumbled and the administration swept in and replaced him with a new coach. And I think that was also the correct move.

The difference between these two programs - BC had a sour expression and no ties to NU. Fitz is the NU posterboy (Go Cats!) If Fitz was not Fitz, but another football coach while achieving the same results over the last several years, based on the BC experience, I would be shocked if the AD did not fire that football coach after last season. I believe Fitz is living off reputation and AD pride.

 

[Gladeskat]

Originally posted by xyzbobxyz:
Disagree. I would argue RW raised the bar. By the time of his departure, a 5 win season would be a disappointment. GB showed us that we could compete. RW showed us we could maintain a higher level of success.

I would argue that the complacency in your post parallels the contingent that protested the upheaval of Bill Carmody. Carmody raised the bar for a program that traditionally stunk. He showed us that we could expect regular post season tournaments. And then his program stumbled and the administration swept in and replaced him with a new coach. And I think that was also the correct move.

The difference between these two programs - BC had a sour expression and no ties to NU. Fitz is the NU posterboy (Go Cats!) If Fitz was not Fitz, but another football coach while achieving the same results over the last several years, based on the BC experience, I would be shocked if the AD did not fire that football coach after last season. I believe Fitz is living off reputation and AD pride.

I would be shocked if the AD DID fire a non-Fitz coach after two 5-7 seasons, following 5 bowl games. I think it would be a huge story if they were fired, too, much like Solich's and Friedgen's firings were head shakers at the time.

 

[phatcat]

and a long term contract. and a school that doesn't DEMAND excellence on the field (but does in the classroom).

Coaches turn it around. Fitz is neither JoePa nor Ferentz but both had lulls from which they recovered. I hope he does, it would be a true success story. But I feel deeply that unless he changes his approach drastically, there will be continued mediocrity.