Comments for A LION EYE http://alioneye.com Opinions on Illini sports. And lots of 'em. ____________ Illini (a-LION-eye) -proper noun 1. A group of 6 Native American tribes in the Upper Mississippi Valley, consisting of the Kaskaskia, Peoria, Cahokia, Tamaroa, Moingwena, and Michigamea tribes. Fri, 18 May 2012 21:48:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on Senior Sendoff by Duce20 http://alioneye.com/2012/05/17/senior-sendoff/comment-page-1/#comment-15817 Duce20 Fri, 18 May 2012 21:48:09 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4177#comment-15817 Glynn Blackwell. Glynn Blackwell.

]]> Comment on Senior Sendoff by jdl http://alioneye.com/2012/05/17/senior-sendoff/comment-page-1/#comment-15814 jdl Fri, 18 May 2012 11:58:52 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4177#comment-15814 Sorry, I'm going to have to deny you the inclusion of Hester here. He was a top 100 recruit who scored double figures SO/JR seasons. Maybe if we had a guy coming off a season ending injury, then you could play that card. Instead, I'd suggest a guy probably just outside of your era, Quinn (Apple) Richardson (note the last name!). He redshirted after his JR season, then had a great SR season after we lost Derek Harper to the NBA and Anthony Welch to a broken foot. That team only went 26-4 and made the E8 under his captaincy. Sorry, I’m going to have to deny you the inclusion of Hester here. He was a top 100 recruit who scored double figures SO/JR seasons. Maybe if we had a guy coming off a season ending injury, then you could play that card. Instead, I’d suggest a guy probably just outside of your era, Quinn (Apple) Richardson (note the last name!). He redshirted after his JR season, then had a great SR season after we lost Derek Harper to the NBA and Anthony Welch to a broken foot. That team only went 26-4 and made the E8 under his captaincy.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by Joe John http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15801 Joe John Thu, 17 May 2012 01:29:31 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15801 I shouldnt say nothing positive from special teams...Zook was blessed with some really good FG kickers, something that really cant be taken for granted every year. But punting and return game were bad. I shouldnt say nothing positive from special teams…Zook was blessed with some really good FG kickers, something that really cant be taken for granted every year.

But punting and return game were bad.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by Joe John http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15800 Joe John Thu, 17 May 2012 01:27:43 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15800 Thats why a team full of lesser talent and fewer pros can win games simply by playing smart fundamentally sound football. Dont fumble. Dont make stupid penalties Protect your qb (No negative plays from sacks) And you can win fairly easily. The Ron Zook era featured too many negative plays by the QB, too many penalties, and virtually nothing positive from special teams. Thats why a team full of lesser talent and fewer pros can win games simply by playing smart fundamentally sound football.

Dont fumble.
Dont make stupid penalties
Protect your qb (No negative plays from sacks)

And you can win fairly easily.

The Ron Zook era featured too many negative plays by the QB, too many penalties, and virtually nothing positive from special teams.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by Robert http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15799 Robert Wed, 16 May 2012 20:07:03 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15799 Florida under Zook: . Kickoff Returns 2002: 102nd 2003: 43rd 2004: 107th . Punt Returns 2002: 54th 2003: 30th 2004: 84th Florida under Zook:
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Kickoff Returns
2002: 102nd
2003: 43rd
2004: 107th
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Punt Returns
2002: 54th
2003: 30th
2004: 84th

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by BexleyIllini http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15798 BexleyIllini Wed, 16 May 2012 19:06:42 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15798 Anyone know how Zook's Florida teams performed with regards to special teams? If they were below average, that would really confirm a trend. Anyone know how Zook’s Florida teams performed with regards to special teams? If they were below average, that would really confirm a trend.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by illiniranger http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15788 illiniranger Tue, 15 May 2012 16:56:00 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15788 fyi, it look like Ty Isaac to USC. I'll be interested to see how he does out there. at least he didn't commit to UM. maybe he'll pull a Kyle Prater and be back in OandB. fyi, it look like Ty Isaac to USC. I’ll be interested to see how he does out there. at least he didn’t commit to UM. maybe he’ll pull a Kyle Prater and be back in OandB.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by PittsburghNellie http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15785 PittsburghNellie Tue, 15 May 2012 03:45:44 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15785 Zook and Weber's trust issues were major factors in their downfalls. Zook couldn't trust a coordinator and Weber couldn't trust his players. . Jury will still be out on Beckman for me until he coaches a full season and has to make difficult decisions, but he at least seems like a pretty trusting guy. Zook and Weber’s trust issues were major factors in their downfalls. Zook couldn’t trust a coordinator and Weber couldn’t trust his players.
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Jury will still be out on Beckman for me until he coaches a full season and has to make difficult decisions, but he at least seems like a pretty trusting guy.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by illiniranger http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15783 illiniranger Mon, 14 May 2012 19:49:31 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15783 sometimes football is a simple game. when your special teams are awful and you don't win the TO battle it is hard to win games. We probably should have been 9-3 in 2010 and 8-4 last year. that's 17 and 7, or as we like to call it around here, our two best consecutive years since the early 90s. . i'm excited for the Beckman era and am looking forward to some average to good special teams. sometimes football is a simple game. when your special teams are awful and you don’t win the TO battle it is hard to win games. We probably should have been 9-3 in 2010 and 8-4 last year. that’s 17 and 7, or as we like to call it around here, our two best consecutive years since the early 90s.
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i’m excited for the Beckman era and am looking forward to some average to good special teams.

]]> Comment on What Could Have Been by GrogsBBQPepperoni http://alioneye.com/2012/05/14/what-could-have-been/comment-page-1/#comment-15782 GrogsBBQPepperoni Mon, 14 May 2012 16:58:44 +0000 http://alioneye.com/?p=4169#comment-15782 . Nice post, Robert. I feel like you've touched on this topic before but it is good to go back to it after our recent NFL draft success and remember WHY we weren't better as a team. . I still think it's so odd that one of the most missed people last year was actually Santella (in a year when we lost Mike). Think of the bad hold in the PSU game at the end of the first half where we get no points, the terrible dropped punt in the Wisc. game that really started the wheels falling off and just the awful punts that barely went anywhere in general over the course of the season. . Special Teams was so painful to watch last year. Even a game against lowly Indiana. They take their first kickoff back for a TD and we botch our return and start at the 2 or 3. Well, it can't get any worse - that's the only thing we can say about it. .
Nice post, Robert. I feel like you’ve touched on this topic before but it is good to go back to it after our recent NFL draft success and remember WHY we weren’t better as a team.
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I still think it’s so odd that one of the most missed people last year was actually Santella (in a year when we lost Mike). Think of the bad hold in the PSU game at the end of the first half where we get no points, the terrible dropped punt in the Wisc. game that really started the wheels falling off and just the awful punts that barely went anywhere in general over the course of the season.
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Special Teams was so painful to watch last year. Even a game against lowly Indiana. They take their first kickoff back for a TD and we botch our return and start at the 2 or 3. Well, it can’t get any worse – that’s the only thing we can say about it.

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