Random Thoughts From The Weekend December 11, 2011
Here’s another “I have a half hour before the hoops game starts and so I’ll type out a quick, un-edited blog post to rid myself of this nervous energy even though there’s no reason in the world to be nervous before a home game against Coppin State” posts.
If No Vic, What Do We Do With The D?
As in, we’ve recruited quick, small defensive ends to play our Bandit position and small, safety-types to be our Sam Linebacker. So if Vic goes elsewhere and we put in a new, standard D next year, do we have the horses?
Michael Buchanan brings the perfect combination of size and speed to make an outstanding Bandit. Can he play a typical strongside defensive end? Possibly. I think he’s bulked up enough to make that happen. But what do we do after he graduates? We’ve been recruiting smaller, quicker guys like Brandon Denmark and Darrius Caldwell for that position – what do we do when we need a typical defensive end? Especially with Whitney Mercilus certainly going pro and Tim Kynard being the only DE with minutes on the field?
And what of the Busseybacker position? Ashante Williams is in line to take over for Trulon Henry at that position. Can Ashante be more of a typical Sam Linebacker if we move back to a true 4-3 defense? What about the other smaller, quicker safety/linebacker types like Earnest Thomas and Zeph Grimes? Can they play a standard linebacker position, or would they need to go back to safety?
Just a concern I’ve had. Vic has spent two years finding guys like Caldwell and Grimes who are perfect for his hybrid positions, and I’m just not sure where they fit if we go back to a hybrid-free defense.
Can We Bounce Back From The Bonnies Trap Game?
I’m really, really wanting to see a quick start from the basketball team tonight. We were sleepwalking for 35 minutes during the St. Bonaventure game until Brandon Paul woke up and saved the day. It was my concern that whole day – it seems like in the 25+ years that I’ve been following Illini hoops, in games the week after we find ourselves ranked for the first time that season, we’re 2-79. Make that 3-79.
So tonight, I want to see some domination. I want to see us ACT like a 9-0 team. Ooh – and you know what I really want to see? I want a breakout performance.
I’ll select… Myke Henry. He comes in with 10 minutes left in the first half, hits a few pull-up jumpers, and Bruce leaves him in. He ends up playing 22 minutes and scores 19 points to lead all scorers. Henry is the talk of the Illini internet tomorrow, as we all debate whether he just took the #8 spot in the rotation, possibly pushing Joe Bertrand down. That’s what I’d like to see.
Or maybe Tracy Abrams gets 8 assists including a Frankie-like ball-on-a-string fast break assist to Mike Shaw for the dunk. Or maybe Nnanna Egwu comes in for a foul-prone Meyers Leonard and grabs 11 while scoring 13 for a double-double. Or maybe it’s JoeBert who remembers the role he filled in Cancun (and in Europe) and finds himself in double digits.
I just want a breakout performance. And a dominating win.
The Institute
I’m TOTALLY stealing that one from my friend Tom. (Tom’s second “my friend” reference here, which puts him in elite company). When I suggested that Beckman should be the coach, Tom suggested that his nickname be The Institute. Get it? Beckman Institute. That giant, fancy building up on University? Yes? His last name is Beckman… Beckman Institute… The Institute. Got it? By the time I have that hashtag up and running next fall, no one will remember this paragraph and everyone will think that it’s my very own witticism. Having a voice rules.
Anyway, I’m still pretty happy with The Institute. As I said on Friday, he could be everything the last 7 years were not – recruits PLUS discipline. Recruits PLUS focused, prepared special teams. Recruits PLUS winning. Recruits PLUS not making the top-10 in the Fulmer Cup standings. Recruits PLUS not losing 6 games to end the season in a terrible tailspin. And if he doesn’t do that, he’s Zook 2.0, and Thomas will fire him quickly.
Which brings me to my last point. I don’t have time to dig it up and link it right now, but when Mike Thomas hired Brian Kelly at Cincinnati, he told him he had 5 years to win the Big East or he was gone (Kelly responded by saying “I’ll win it in three”). I’m pretty sure The Institute is on the same plan – he has 4 or 5 years to win the Leaders or he’s gone. And if he shows Zook 2.0 tendencies, I could see Mike Thomas making a move after 3.
OK, game’s starting. Go Myke. Time for a breakout.
I’ve raised the same concern regarding a post-VK defense when Beckman was hired. Someone had mentioned that his defensive philosophy is similar, albeit with different terminology.
What did they actually run at Toledo?
On the whole, I’d feel better if VK stayed, but nothing lasts forever.
I honestly don’t know what kind of defenses TB ran at other schools, and I know people have cited his rather lackluster defensive rankings. Especially for being a defensive minded head coach.
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But I wonder if he did have a similar defensive philosophy then maybe he just didn’t have the athletes to make it work? I guess we will see, and I really really hope he keeps VK. I mean, if other schools are knocking at his door and blowing up his phone, TB has to realize what kind of an asset he is.
Can someone explain to me any reason in the world you would walk into a new HC job, where the only thing working on your new team is a #9 ranked defense – and you would fire the guy that got him there? I understand coaches have their own staff and guys they’re loyal to, etc. but at the end of the day, it’s their own ass on the line. If TB fires VK, brings in his own guy, and we end the season with a #50 defense – what will the fans say? What will MT say?
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I understand we’ve got a year or two of rebuilding the offense, and maybe 5 years on special teams, but under VK, we lost a bunch of guys from 2010, and yet we got better. Can’t he get us there again next year? So we lose Merciless and a couple other guys – maybe we finish #8 next year?
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Bottom line: why WOULDN’T TB keep VK?
So much for the breakout game..
This illini basketball team = football team.
Winning ugly vs bad teams, and will lose vs the good teams.
Beckman runs a 4-2-5.
Not sure if that front can work in the Big 10.
Wow Joe, you really went off the deep-end with this one.
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First of all, Gonzaga says hi in reference to your “lose vs the good teams” comment.
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Second, that front is the same front VK has been running since he got here for the most part so I’d say it can hold up just fine in the Big 10.
Institute? I don’t know. I’m wary of giving nicknames before they’re earned. Some boards call Weber BAM, for Bruce Almighty (that would be BA for English-speakers). Then you stopped seeing that for a while, or posters who used it were derided. Now it’s making a comeback. I don’t know that I like a nickname that would need to be explained to outsiders all the time. My deep thoughts.
The defense will be fine, there’s plenty of talent.
I saw that Barry Switzer recently announced that he is bored and looking to coach college football again. NOW THAT might have been an interesting development that created some buzz and excitement??? But to be fair, coming from Akron and Cincy, i am not sure MT was using the same definitions of the terms that the fans were.
I got bored and went to the Boise State websites. I had forgotten that former Illinois Lt. Governor Bob Kustra and UofI Phd grad, was the President there. Heck of a good guy. I talked with him dozens of times. Petersonsons 2010 contract is 5 years for 8 mill. If MT were to play his cards right, i would start sending them both Christmas cards and fruitcake now, double Peterson’s salary and make Bob part of a package deal so that he feels more comfortable. That way in 2014, we may have a plan in place and dont look like a deer in the headlights again.
Keep VK, and give him a raise!
oh joe john, so smug yet so wrong. Vic K runs a 4-2-5, and sometimes a 3-3-5, and sometimes a 3-2-6. the # of times we were in a true 4-3? zero. let me break it down for you since your football knowledge consists of “i really hope sumlin can get that QB that lived in Metamora for a week and a half” or “i hope we hire Todd Monken so that Wes Lunt plays here.”
Our defense this year looked like this in the base set: DE – Mercilus, DT – Foster, DT – Spence, Bandit – Buchanan, WLB – Thomas, MLB – Brown, SLB – Henry, BCB – Wilson, FCB, Hawthorne, FS – Hull, SS – Sanni. So yeah, that looks like a 4-3 right? well that’s where you’re mistaken. Henry is playing SLB for one reason – to defend the field horizontally. How many times did he line up inside the TE like a true SLB? Almost never. How often did he line up on a slot receiver in coverage or wide of the tight end? Every freaking time he was in the game. The reason is that our SLB is really another strong Safety than linebacker. Vic just calls it a SLB b/c that’s what he calls it. Look at the players slotted to play there. Bussey (former Safety, recruited as a DB), Henry (same), Williams (same.) In passing situations Henry didn’t come out of the game – Ian Thomas did and we put Justin Green in his spot. That’s when we would take on a traditional nickel look, but really, we had 6 DBs out there and not 5.
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So how about the 3-3-5? That’s where the Bandit spot comes into play. The reason Vic K has that position is to present the offense with a 3-3-5 look, something we showed a TON in passing downs. most of the time that look is designed to hide the blitz. Who’s coming? Bandit? MLB? WLB? take the bandit hand on the ground and drop into coverage, or, start him on his feet and blitz. one of the reason’s Vic’s D was so good is that we were outcoaching our opponents.
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I love when guys like Joe John that don’t know anything make statements like, “well, that 4-2-5 defense just won’t hold up in the Big 10.” That’s funny, we had a top-10 defense in the country running a 4-2-5. Also, Gary Patterson, the MASTER of the 4-2-5 and his “5 D Back” system beat mighty Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last year. The fact is the 4-2-5 is a great defense because it gives you so much flexibility. Spread offenses are here to stay and the 4-2-5 gives you the best ability to defend the width of the field because you are essentially lining 8 guys wide on every play…AND… against pro offenses you are essentially liniing up with 8 in or near the box on every play and can stop the run with minor adjustments.
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Our schedule this year we played ASU, SDSU, ASU, WMU, NU, OSU, PU, PSU, UM, Wiscy, and Minny. How many of those teams run the spread? All with the exception of Wiscy. How many of those don’t run spread more than 50% of the time? Only Wiscy and PSU, and PSU’s most recent success came with Michael Robinson in the spread.
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The spread isn’t an offense its a philosophy that attempts to stretch defenses horizontally to create 1 on 1 matchups that the offense can win. People think you are “spread” when you shotgun snap it to the QB. Wrong. Paul Johnson’s offense at GTECH is as spread as it gets. How can an offense that DOESN’T EVEN HAVE A TIGHT END ON THE ROSTER lead the country in rushing year after year after year? because they spread people and have a system and adjust to it.
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To be successful on offense you only have to have one play work once to score a touchdown. The defense has to play well on every play to keep the offense out of the end zone. Spread philosophies, be they run or pass, stretch and stress defenses in ways that traditional offenses dont. Which is why the 4-2-5 is a phenomenal scheme in college, and why you should never listen to your local blowhard like Joe John about football.
Ranger,
The 4-2-5 that Beckman played at Toledo was horrible.
So, perhaps he didnt disguise it right.