Would NU have won this game with Fitz?

[Medill '03]

I've been outspoken in faulting Schill/Gragg for their handling of Fitz's firing. I think they need to be fired before the university can move on.

But I have an even bigger concern. Would NU have won this game with Fitz? The hazing crisis clearly took a huge emotional toll on the team. They're not prepared for the season. It would help to have an experienced head coach, not an FCS coordinator trying to learn on the fly from a USFL coach. Some of the transfers would have helped.

Would it have been enough to beat Rutgers, though? Would the OL have been stronger? Would the QB have made better decisions? Would NU have handed off the ball and made any progress up the middle? Where are the playmaking WRs? Who's supposed to stop the run or rush the passer? How would Fitz have made the LBs faster? I just can't see the talent out there. Skoronski and Hull were missed, and NU was an uncompetitive 1-11 with them.

I wonder if Fitz had not be fired for cause, this game might have put him on the hot seat. NU is looking at 4 of 5 disastrous seasons and maybe even a historic losing streak (again). It's the program Fitz built.

 

[NUChicago]

I don't think we win with Fitz. He made some terrible decisions that did him in (not speaking of hazing).

 

[JoeWildcat]

We would have had the same OL and DL, so we would have been thrashed just as badly. Braun did not hurt us today.

 

[Medill '03]

We would have had the same OL and DL, so we would have been thrashed just as badly. Braun did not hurt us today.

The fake punt was a bad call, or at least it failed. But it seemed like NU was already in deep trouble just in terms of roster quality.

 

[kaTNap]

We would have had the same OL and DL, so we would have been thrashed just as badly. Braun did not hurt us today.

With JON instead of (DC) Braun, we would have lost even uglier.

 

[Medill '03]

With JON instead of (DC) Braun, we would have lost even uglier.

The defense doesn't look good, but it doesn't look quite as helpless as last year, at least in this game.

 

[NUCat320]

This is the same team that lost 44-10 to Illinois.

 

[freewillie07]

no

 

[Catslash]

Yeah Fitz at linebacker would have made a difference

 

[villox]

In my opinion, Fitz would not only have won this game, but he would have been given a 5 year contract extension for doing so. I was on a transatlantic flight during the game so my connection was spotty, but I didn’t ONCE see a player slapping a Trust Yourself board.

 

[Go Catz]

We were watching the ghost of Fitz out there. These are his guys, his coaches, his culture.

 

[phatcat]

This is the same team that lost 44-10 to Illinois.

Minus 4 NFL players

 

[FeralFelidae]

Maybe if Fitz gave the starting job to Sully instead.

 

[Fitz51]

In my opinion, Fitz would not only have won this game, but he would have been given a 5 year contract extension for doing so. I was on a transatlantic flight during the game so my connection was spotty, but I didn’t ONCE see a player slapping a Trust Yourself board.

What they needed to slap was their privates against other player’s nude rear ends. It would have created the morale and teambuilding and Alpha Male masculinity NU needed in the trenches today.

 

[villox]

What they needed to slap was their privates against other player’s nude rear ends. It would have created the morale and teambuilding and Alpha Male masculinity NU needed in the trenches today.

I would never have agreed to be your/invite you to be my best man if I knew you were incapable of taking this situation seriously. PEOPLE DIED.

 

[TXnumbCAT]

No. Fitz became a loser. He would have kept losing.

 

[pawildcat]

Fitz was 3-9 and 1-11 in his last two years at the helm. There is zero reason to believe they would have won with him on the sideline today. It's beyond demoralizing to watch this team sink from respectability in 2020 to almost dark ages-level in the span of just a couple of seasons. It's a sad end to what had been a good run for the Cats.

 

[Fitz51]

Fitz was 3-9 and 1-11 in his last two years at the helm. There is zero reason to believe they would have won with him on the sideline today. It's beyond demoralizing to watch this team sink from respectability in 2020 to almost dark ages-level in the span of just a couple of seasons. It's a sad end to what had been a good run for the Cats.

Yeah, it’s kind of funny to ask if a coach who recruited these players and won four games in the last two seasons would have won today’s game. Wait for maybe the Howard loss for that question.

 

[Sheffielder]

I won't think too hard on this, but I believe if the events of the past two months hadn't happened...we would've had an exponentially better showing today. I believe Fitz's firing of JON was tangible evidence of his reality check/wakeup call and realization that this season could've/would've been the last straw, as he has had basically no equity with Gragg or Schill. I also think we could've possibly seen some true freshman starters who could have possibly been difference makers on the field...but we'll never know so I'm going to go eat my feelings now.

 

[Gladeskat]

What they needed to slap was their privates against other player’s nude rear ends. It would have created the morale and teambuilding and Alpha Male masculinity NU needed in the trenches today.

I thought this as well. I was disappointed the program didn't continue working on their naked pullups and show off a set while hanging from the goal posts during pregame warmups.

 

[BigCat77]

Sitting in the hot sun today, just didnt see the energy on the sidelines. After our first stalled drive, seemed they were just going through the motions. Only real encouraging thing was defense didn't really give up big plays, but Rutgers just ground them down.
Would have been little different with Fitz

 

[NorthwesternGraduate42]

I think a head coach is important. Northwestern is playing the season without one.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

Sitting in the hot sun today, just didnt see the energy on the sidelines. After our first stalled drive, seemed they were just going through the motions. Only real encouraging thing was defense didn't really give up big plays, but Rutgers just ground them down.
Would have been little different with Fitz

It’s almost like a big FU to Schill and Gragg. They are getting their scholarship and they can’t stand those two. Might be the “quiet quitting” phenomenon that has hit corporate America.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

In my opinion, Fitz would not only have won this game, but he would have been given a 5 year contract extension for doing so. I was on a transatlantic flight during the game so my connection was spotty, but I didn’t ONCE see a player slapping a Trust Yourself board.

You’re so smart.

 

[villox]

You’re so smart.

I’m not so sure. After all, I spent time watching NU football that could have been spent watching inflight movies or TikTok.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I’m not so sure. After all, I spent time watching NU football that could have been spent watching inflight movies or TikTok.

Not sure what happened to you. When did you become so condescending and intellectually superior to everyone?

 

[peatymeanis]

Fitz hired these coaches and recruited these players. This is who we are. Maybe Fitz today would have caused the team to score an additional fg

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

I've been outspoken in faulting Schill/Gragg for their handling of Fitz's firing. I think they need to be fired before the university can move on.

But I have an even bigger concern. Would NU have won this game with Fitz? The hazing crisis clearly took a huge emotional toll on the team. They're not prepared for the season. It would help to have an experienced head coach, not an FCS coordinator trying to learn on the fly from a USFL coach. Some of the transfers would have helped.

Would it have been enough to beat Rutgers, though? Would the OL have been stronger? Would the QB have made better decisions? Would NU have handed off the ball and made any progress up the middle? Where are the playmaking WRs? Who's supposed to stop the run or rush the passer? How would Fitz have made the LBs faster? I just can't see the talent out there. Skoronski and Hull were missed, and NU was an uncompetitive 1-11 with them.

I wonder if Fitz had not be fired for cause, this game might have put him on the hot seat. NU is looking at 4 of 5 disastrous seasons and maybe even a historic losing streak (again). It's the program Fitz built.

The short answer is YES, Northwestern would have won today if Fitzgerald were still the head coach.

Schill is now 0-1. Braun cannot possibly be blamed.

 

[zeek55]

I don't know that the result would be all that different if nothing had happened in the offseason and Fitz was at the helm.

This felt like a multi-year rebuild after last year and still feels like that now. Just have to hope that we figure out the right solution at HC.

And Bajakian hasn't fielded a competent offense since Ramsey's 2020 campaign. Don't see how Fitz being HC would change that.

Bajakian's seat was the hottest after JON's last year, and now it's the hottest by far.

 

[Fitz51]

Not sure what happened to you. When did you become so condescending and intellectually superior to everyone?

I’ve only known him since 1996, so since sometime before that.

 

[stpaulcat]

NO, WAY. His train left the left the station at least two years ago. Very sad, but here we are.

 

[villox]

Not sure what happened to you. When did you become so condescending and intellectually superior to everyone?

When did you stop learning how to take a joke?

 

[FeralFelidae]

When did you stop learning how to take a joke?

PEOPLE DIED.

 

[Katatonic]

I think a head coach is important. Northwestern is playing the season without one.

Fitz wasn't exactly the greatest game tactician.

And Bajak (Fitz's hire) isn't exactly an OC that lifts the talent-level that he has to work with, which is probably asking too much of an OC (a better OC may have gotten the Cats to score more points, but not enough to win the game).

 

[villox]

PEOPLE DIED.

Which is exactly why we should reinstate Fitz.

 

[PurpleWhiteBoy]

We don't know if Rutgers is any good. All we know is that they're better than us.
After 3 games it should be pretty clear.
Schiano likes his team, we know that. He reminds me of Pat Fitzgerald. His players trust him and work hard.
They had high expectations for their defense coming into the season.

 

[zeek55]

Fitz wasn't exactly the greatest game tactician.

And Bajak (Fitz's hire) isn't exactly an OC that lifts the talent-level that he has to work with, which is probably asking too much of an OC (a better OC may have gotten the Cats to score more points, but not enough to win the game).

It's almost amazing how poorly our DC/OC situation has gone since 2020.

I don't even blame Fitz for Bajakian; at the time, it seemed like a good hire and his one year with Ramsey worked out... so there was some hope that he could produce consistent offenses.

But the past 2 years and potentially this 3rd consecutive year just look like unspeakably bad offensive output.

JON was a questionable hire from day 1, but Bajakian hasn't done anything to prove his offenses are better than JON's defenses.

 

[Katatonic]

^ Which is why it's imperative for the program to hire a HC who can run one side of the ball (preferably O).

Asking too much for a CEO type HC to make good hires at both coordinator spots time and time again, much less once (Fitz wasn't able to do that).

Wouldn't say JON was a questionable hire, it was a disaster in the making from the start.

After already having 2 poor experiences with the read & react crap, Fitz decides to go for a 3rd round?

That's just ineptitude.

 

[peatymeanis]

An apology is warranted to Mick McCall. It wasn’t he who sucked but the entire ecosystem around the offensive side of the ball.

 

[Katatonic]

^MM still wasn't very good and the R&R scheme prevented young players (esp QBs) from having an early impact, but the caveat is how much having to play Fitzball made him look worse.