Eleven Adjustments #11: Fix The Sideline October 27, 2012
The game starts in 22 minutes. I’m home for an Illini game for the first time since Louisiana-Lafayette in 2008. At least I think that’s the last game I missed. Feels like I might have missed an FCS game in there somewhere, like Eastern or something. But I think that was maybe 2006 or so. Anyway, I have a Thing at 2:30, and I can’t go to the game and also make it to the Thing.
So I saved this last Adjustment for game time. Because I want anyone who reads this to watch for this during the game. I’m a huge believer in sidelines. I feel like a team can gain so much energy from an enthused sideline. When there’s a momentum shift in a game, and you either feel excited that we’re about to make a comeback or dejected that we’re about to blow a lead, you can watch it swell on the sideline.
My first experience with sideline momentum was in the fall of 1992. We were playing Northwestern, at home, on Homecoming, and I want to say we had a 27-10 lead. Or maybe it was 27-7. Either way, Northwestern needed three fourth quarter touchdowns.
There was a kid from my high school who played for Northwestern. Really the only kid from my high school to play D-I ball in the 20 years prior or the 20 years since. Since my seats were right behind the Northwestern bench, I spent a lot of time watching the Northwestern sideline. And I noticed how enthused they were despite trailing 27-7. There were guys going back and forth on the sideline, encouraging their teammates that the game wasn’t over.
And the game wasn’t over. They scored to cut it to a two touchdown lead, and their sideline was going insane. Our sideline was a lot of standing and staring. I wasn’t worried, though. I mean, it’s Northwestern. Do you really think we’re going to allow some wide receiver named Lee Gissendaner to run all over us and score twice in the fourth quarter and take away our Homecoming…
Northwestern won. It felt like their sideline willed them to victory. 85 guys all believing they were going to come back and win the game.
I’ll pause here to say this. It’s not a formula. When we’re trailing 28-0 at Michigan, we can’t just say “OK, time to do the sideline thing and will our team to a comeback”. Of course it doesn’t work like that.
But we can stay enthused. And we can stay together. And we can focus on one goal. And we can congratulate any player who comes off the field after a good play. And we can stay vocal. And we can fire up our teammates. And our coaches can show emotion. And we can keep our team in the proper state of mind.
Or, we can do that “both hands hold the collar/shoulderpads” and just stand and stare. Which is what I see a lot of this year. No emotion. Nobody fired up for a special teams hit (er, well, nobody making a special teams hit, but who’s counting?)
I want to see an improved sideline. I want to see a united team. The last two years, especially the defense, was so incredibly united on the sideline. Remember the whole “two hands over the head” thing? Cheesy, I know, but that defense kept their military mindset through most games. They fed off each other. The backups screamed for the starters.
This year, I see very little of that. And to me, that’s on the coaches. They must build a culture of togetherness. It seems like such a little thing, but every coach from Nick Saban to Bill Snyder will tell you how important it is.
So today – in five minutes, actually – I’m hoping that the coaches showed game film of our morbid sideline during this losing streak. I’m hoping they talked to the team about how important it is for all 105 guys to stay together. It’s very easy in football to go hard the first play of the game. It’s really difficult to keep that motor running high on play #56. It takes mental fortitude. And a fired-up sideline can nurture that.
Adjustment #11: work on sideline togetherness. This is a team. Those are your brothers. Fight for them. Starting…. now.
Indiana wins 31-17.
IU, just played smart competitive football….Illinois makes dumb mistakes, and Illinois loses again.
Time to call a spade a spade Robert.
Tim Beckman is a disaster.
I won’t give TB a pass for the loss. He isn’t doing well with what he has. But these players are not good. Our players are undisciplined, football dumb, and lack confidence. But they came into the TB era with all that baggage already there. These coaches have had lots of time but in my opinion, not enough to fix these issues. And it’s because these issues have been groomed and instilled into these players for 4 years. The type of team that Zook created has doomed Illinois football for awhile.
.
I back that up with the big issues of the game. Penalties and turnovers. Justin Staples with the push out of bounds, Akeem Spence with the offsides, Black cat with the unnecessary roughness (which was bs in my opinion), and Tommy Davis with the muffed punt. Coaches can only tell players what to do so many times. If they refuse to buy in, they just won’t do it. What’s unsettling is that these are all upperclassmen.
.
TB may not be our coach in 3 years. But man do I hope they instill discipline and football smarts into the players they have while they have them. Also, I hope they stock the cupboard with a few okay recruiting classes.
.
Bottom line, these players are not and have not been in the game for awhile (end of last year). So hopefully TB can turn it around or at least help get things ready for the next guy…
First of all let me say I’m disappointed there would be a live “from the stands” post today. Would love hear the emotions after this one.
.
More stupid football. Is this rock bottom? We just lost to IU, at home, on homecoming, after a bye week. And we held them to one 3rd down conversion, and still lost by 14. That seems impossible.
.
Why are we throwing the ball in the 4th quarter when we’ve been able to run, and no one can pass block? Every play was snap it, guy on you, scramble, get sacked or throw a prayer at somebody. If anyone on the offensive line would like to block 1 on 1, that would be great. 7 sacks to a team that had 12 all year. I don’t really care who is playing on the line, that is just pathetic to a team like IU.
.
As far as sideline demeanor…how many more shots do we need of the confused, deer in the headlights looking Beckman?
Where has the passion gone? I watched ‘special teams’ for blocking and saw none. Just saw players not trying or just chasing someone to block.
Why do the coaches continue to play these guys?
Our play calling was again predictable and stupid plays and turnovers cost the team any chance for a victory. These coaches had two weeks to prepare for a team that had not won a Big 10 game in over a year and still came away with another blowout loss! Anyone beside the AD see any improvements in our team over the last five weeks? I say that is unacceptable.
Robert~C’mon…where’s the lack of discipline post? They scored a td after every bad play!
Robert~It’s time to sell MT. Agree?
What a frustrating loss. Illinois GAVE the game away by beating themselves more than getting beat. I second guessed several calls, but what perplexed me the most was not running in the 4th quarter when we had been doing very well with the run game. Ultimately, mistakes and lack of discipline cost us. Was it the players or the coaching or a combination? I have even less faith in Beckman’s ability to turn things around.
When the announcers talk about Indiana taking a knee with 90 seconds to go being a situation with which they are just not familiar, I just shake my head. How low can we go?
.
When EVERY single obvious Illini passing down is an adventure in frustration, I just give up. This is as bad as it’s ever been. And it’s been very very bad before. Many times in my life.
.
Awful.
I dont think Illinois will win another conference game until 2014 at the earliest. That would be a 22 game conference losing streak.
There’s no talent on the offensive line….and it doesnt matter about their ages…you can tell if guys are good or not when they are freshman and playing, and these guys just dont. Michael Heitz wasnt good last year, he’s not good this year. Pocic/Thornton were never more than average in their careers, and thats about what they are this year (Pocic is probably significantly worse actually…his snaps are terrible). Hill and Feldmeyer…yeah ok they’ll save the team.
Then you go to skill positions…besides Ferguson, does anyone look like a difference maker in the spread offense? I dont see anyone. Donovon Young would be fine as an I back…but thats not the offense Beckman is going to run., And anyone that thinks “the system” will look better next year with the exact same personnel running it is fooling themselves….Nate running 20+ carries a game, and then attempting to throw the ball at most 25 yards is not going to scare anybody.
As for defense…the DBs have been getting torched this as it is…and thats with 2 senior starters in Hawthorne/Green….take them away and then what do you got…not to mention losing a top 10 draft pick (according to Scott Wright) in Michael Buchanan…
Robert, its over. Seriously.
Mike Thomas mammothly screwed this football program with this hire. Beckman has no scheme advantage, he doesnt have guys play smart football, and there’s no way he’s going to able to recruit given how bad the current team looks.
There is literally no hope with this hire…at all.
When Ron Turner came in, everyone was tired of seeing Robert Holcombe rush 40 carries for Tepper…so there was hope that Turner was an offensive guru, he’d throw the ball, at least the team would be more entertaining. And it happened, at least for a short time.
When Ron Zook came in, everyone was tired of seeing really bad recruiting, so there was hope that Zook would bring in way better players…and he did. Look at the pros he put into the NFL.
But where is the hope with Tim Beckman? How is he going to improve this team? It certainly hasnt been on the field, nor any hope for the future (recruiting is ok…nothing great..)
Beckman is the “meh’est of meh” hires ever…and if you think the Illini football fanbase is fickle now, just wait till the next 2 yrs.
According to Tate, the DIA is financially doing well, plans ahead for losing FB seasons to offset lack of ticket sales, and that big plans are in place. Hmmmmm. I wonder what it will be like after two years w/Beckman if we are still the butt of the conference in FB.
I tend to agree with Joe John that Turner had some strengths as an offensive coach and Zook as a recruiter and building the program up. One cannot deny that this team went to two straight bowls. It does logically raise the question — what can Beckman do to truly advance the program? His coaching does not, at least to date, seem to be a strength and the recruiting is primarily middle of the road so far. One can legitimately raise questions about the long term health of the program. Sure, we will continue to play FB, but are we evolving into the type of program was in the 50s and 60s with 20 straight years of not one winning season? It is plain scary.
but are we evolving into the type of program IOWA was in the 50s