Lovie Smith to Illinois
- Thread starter St. Anger
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Wow...as a guy that grew up there this not only a splash hire this is THE HIRE. Period.
Will it work, who know...is it as of right now a huge home run...Yes....and if you know anything about Illinois politics it is even a bigger win
Will it work, who know...is it as of right now a huge home run...Yes....and if you know anything about Illinois politics it is even a bigger win
Twice fired NFL coach with no college experience? I don't see what the big deal about this is.
First black head coach in a state that has been dying for it...Huge Chicago ties and is totally credible. Chicago and Illinois have been waiting for this...
I can see why they may be excited. I just don't see why anybody else is supposed to be impressed.
Well...I don't think anyone is asking you to be impressed.
He may fall flat on his face.
We're talking about Illinois, one of the worst programs in major college football. It would be like Nebraska Basketball hiring Tom Thibodeau.
I don't expect he will turn Illinois into a powerhouse, but it's a very good hire for a program that has been a trainwreck lately. And considering the records of the last 3 coaches we've hired, I'm not sure we should be criticizing any other program's hires.
Oh, I humbly apologize for having an opinion. I wasn't aware that there was a rule that stated that unless your team has been greatly successful in recent years, you aren't allowed to have an opinion about another team's coaching hire.
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anon_umk0ifu6vj6zi
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We'll see if this pans out for them, but this is the kind of hire that many on here scoffed as "unrealistic".
Never being a Head Coach at the College level is probably the reason why some questioned it here because of us having Bill Callahan as our head Coach and he failed 27-22 after 4 years despite Callahan being an asst coach at Illinois during the White era which has been Illinois best teams in the last 4 decades.
Only Pro Coach that was really successful at the college level that I can think of was Pete Carrol.
Only Pro Coach that was really successful at the college level that I can think of was Pete Carrol.
Yes, why indeed. I mean we of all teams know that hiring a coach who took his team to the Super Bowl is a sure ticket to success.
Agreed. You actually have to be trying really hard to think that as of right now this is anything other than a great hire. It is March and they just got a well respected person/coach with an appearance in the Super Bowl and huge ties to the state.
The only hire that could have been "bigger" for them would have been Ditka as head coach. Butkis as DC and Red Grange as OC.
I just find it strange how unimpressed you are with this hire considering how unimpressive our last 4 coaching hires have been at a "blue blood" program. Riley was a much bigger failure in the NFL than Lovie was. So was Nick Saban for that matter. What better coach was a program like Illinois going to get in March? You think any good college head coach was going to leave their current job in the middle of spring practice?
Great hire for Illinois. Not sure why some think it's not...who'd you expect Illinois to get? I wouldn't like it at nu but if I were an Illinois fan I'd be happy.
Illinois would have been doing cart wheels with Solich and Pelini records in Champaign.
I'll believe it when I see it. Everyone is basically following Feldman's lead on this story... but Feldman also said if Lovie says no Illinois would consider Fleck, Calhoun or Warriner. I don't see Illinois being a serious option for any of those three at the best of times let alone in March.
See, that's essentially what I am saying. I can see why they might be excited, but from an outsider's perspective there isn't really much to be excited about. I can guarantee you most of the people saying this is a great hire wouldn't be saying that if we hired him. Which means it may be a great hire for them, but not one that is going to make the rest of the league take notice. I couldn't care less whether he gets them to bowl games on a regular basis, which is really about all that they expect of a coach. I care whether he is going to make them a legitimate contender for division titles. And while of course nobody can predict how well he or any coach will do, I just don't see anything there to make me think he is good enough to do that. That is how I am evaluating this potential hire and why I am not all that impressed.
I'm impressed with the hire considering the current state of Illinois. He gives them as good a chance as anyone they could have hired to win the division. It's as if you think they had a chance at some you would consider a home run. This is their home run.
Chicago already had him. Not sure why you think they'd be happy with this hire.
Being a Buc fan I can tell you I'm not impressed with him at all. Glad he's there.
Good hire for Illinois . If it works out great it's Ron Zook part2.. If not, sheesh it's freakin Illinois. Question is will they be happy with 7-8 wins a year or fire the best coach they've had since Zook?
Yeah, Witman had to have a firm yes from his man before he would ever do something like this. He wouldn't want to pull a "Peterson".
zook had one good year
2-9
2-10
9-4 ( rose bowl)
5-7
3-9
7-6
6-6
34-51 18-38 in b10
Lovie is still well liked here in Chicago, particularly after Trestman came in and sucked out loud to follow him. There were a lot of people who didn't think he should have been fired, but his signature defense was full of aging vets. The offense was never good.
It's odd that he didn't get more time in Tampa. They were God awful, that was a 3-4 year rebuild. There was speculation there that he wouldn't make assistants' heads roll, so his did instead.
All that said, I'm not worried about the Illini just yet. I'll believe he can build a strong college program when I see it.
It's odd that he didn't get more time in Tampa. They were God awful, that was a 3-4 year rebuild. There was speculation there that he wouldn't make assistants' heads roll, so his did instead.
All that said, I'm not worried about the Illini just yet. I'll believe he can build a strong college program when I see it.
If you're implying hiring Lovie Smith is "swinging for the fences", I'll politely disagree. As a fan of Nebraska Football, you've:
- already seen Nebraska make a hire just like this;
- aren't taking into account the difference in Administrations between the two universities;
- already seen a new Athletic Director exhibit ego over patience;
- haven't been paying attention to the culture of Nebraska Football as it relates to hiring practice.
My guess is, if Nebraska had hired Lovie Smith, you'd be unimpressed. Your dislike for our current hire is showing.
I guess I get to be the guy to remind everyone that Illinios beat us this yr (so yes, I don't think any of our fans should really comment like they know what's good for them...). As noted above, Lovie still had a better Pro coaching record than our current coach. I guess about the only thing Huskers fans should do is wish them the best of luck with their new coach and leave it at that...
GBR
GBR
Lovie is also the first AA coach in Illini history...that is a big deal and if you know anything at all about the Chicago Public Schools (and private) it could be a huge part in recruiting.
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