This week's Forgotten Illini-The Illini quarterback tradition. From Dave Wilson to Tony Eason to Jack Trudeau to Jeff George to Jason Verduzco to Kurt Kittner. Juice Williams, Nathan Scheelhaase good careers at Illinois but wouldn't put them in the same sentence QB's mentioned above. What has happened to the QB position at Illinois/college now? Old days, Mike White's first QB coach was Walt Harris (80-82). Those days unlimited practice/watching film time for college players with coaches. Harris excellent QB teacher/developer would have his quarterbacks out an hour before each fall/spring practice going thru drills, drops, footwork, mechanics, touch, timing, accuracy teaching the mechanics/fundamentals of the QB position. Now with the 20 hour practice rule....few QB developers in college. Now QB/offensive coordinators teach their quarterbacks scheme/play/reads in practice. Sure they have a 10 minute period most practices to work on 'fundamentals'…..that's basically making sure the QB is holding the ball right, footwork, doesn't trip over his feet on drops, rollouts. Quarterback recruiting now a crapshoot cause with few QB developers/little time to teach/improve the QB's fundamentally next level….along with majority of top rated quarterbacks now play in a spread/RPO offense in high school where they make one read, rarely have pressure in their face, best athlete on the field. Quarterbacks are like point guards, instincts, intangibles for the game that can't be measured by throwing 6 TD's passes a game without any pressure up the middle, looking great at a camp, getting hyped by a private QB coach. College coaches go with tools, size, arm strength, hope it works with so little time to teach the fundamentals of the position at the college level. As the late Bill Walsh said way back, 'Few know how to evaluate quarterbacks correctly, even fewer know how to develop the quarterback correctly'. Truer words never spoken.
Big Ten team of the week 6-Yeah Yeah, Iowa big win at home...my pick Wisconsin…….Given up for dead by many like myself….struggling Badgers came into Champaign….ran the ball at will on their way to a 24-0 win…..Illinois knew what Wisconsin was going to do and still had no success stopping the Badgers' offense.
Big Ten football Week 7
Rutgers (+1) at Northwestern (2-3) 11 am CT. BTN
Rutgers has played physical games vs. Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State last three weeks lost all three....Northwestern bad but rested and at home....Northwestern lay the point.
Nebraska (3-4) at Minnesota (+2.5) 11 am CT. ESPN2
Cornhuskers offense should go thru the Gophers suspect defense like a knife thru hot butter but....Gophers week off and at home….’Row the freakin’ boat’ always seem to win close Big Ten conference games at home...home team and the points.
Michigan State (6-0) at Indiana (+3.5) 11 am CT. FS1
Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. questionable to start on Saturday vs. Michigan State….QB suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder in Indiana's loss to Penn State October 2……Experienced backup Jack Tuttle to start for the Hoosiers if Penix a no go……Spartans been riding high all season. Upset of the week.....Tuttle leads Indiana to victory........Hoosiers at home taking the points.
Purdue (+12.5) at Iowa (6-0) 2:30 pm CT. ABC
Iowa let down game after last week's comeback win over Penn State…..Iowa wins…..Purdue covers.
Army (+12.5) at Wisconsin (2-3) 7 pm CT. BTN
Army 4-1….had last weekend to off the get healthy….Knights on defense stingy, giving up 3 yards per carry/7 yards per pass attempt…..Army ball control offense will shorten the game…..Knights and the points.
No Illini football this week, let's pivot to Big Ten hoops....Big Ten pre season men's poll came out last week…..let's take a look.
1. Michigan
Michigan excellent NBA level spacing on offense, did a good job executing it no doubt last winter......when a good defensive team countered that offense, Michigan fell apart, no counter. talented, load of talent but one trick pony type of team to me, when good really good, when they don't control pace, tempo, crap......all gas, no 'D'...love the candor from Michigan center Hunter Dickinson big man will say shit, doesn't care and they don't muffle him, pissed off the Maryland fan base about his recruitment......Illini fans with his comments, on his game against the Illini last year:...."Illinois fans definitely let me know how I played on Instagram and Twitter a lot. I definitely had one of my lesser games of the season, so for me to be able to have another chance, I would appreciate that"...every conference season needs a Hunter Dickinson type saying shit like he does….gets everyone following fired up.
2. Purdue
Will push, pull, grab on defense, slow ball on offense, bore us all to death having to watch them.
3. Illinois
Clear Andre Curbelo is Robin to Kofi's Batman...keep hearing the 'staff thinks Curbelo has lottery pick talent' this is the year to show it….While Kofi is a 70's/80's era back to the basket center in an age of pick and pop hoops, four year Illini?…..Illini non conference schedule soft….power 5 matchups vs. Notre Dame, Arizona, Cincinnati, Mizzou, Marquette all either stink or rebuilding.....December Big Ten game(s) at home vs. Rutgers, at Iowa. two wins....Illinois should be undefeated going into January.
Illini head coach Brad Underwood on other B1G teams not liking Illinois-"I think you have to play the game with some fire in your belly and maybe it means we've arrived a little bit. People want to talk about us that way and not like us. I'm never going to apologize for coaching with passion" Know Underwood loves to be that tough guy head coach like his heroes Frank Martin, Huggy Bear little of the 'hate' cause of his team....majority of the 'hate' from other team's players for Illinois?…..Illini fan base on social media....unrelenting….Know it will never be asked but would be nice to know how Underwood improved as a coach in the off season? Coaches always talk about players having to do this or that to improve off-season….same goes for head coaches/staffs.
4. Ohio State
E.J. Liddell and a bunch of transfers….4th seems a bit too high but realized....Purdue, Michigan, Illinois, 3 potentially great teams and the rest of the Big Ten quite a bit below them.
5. Maryland
Terps have a transfer point guard named Fatts Russell....Maryland under Turgeon will be what they always are….talented/under-achieving....go on a mid-season win streak, limp into the NCAA tourney win a game, lose 2nd round…after, their fans call for Turgeon's head.
6. Michigan State
Coach K, Roy Williams both announced retirements when is Izzo going to? Stop annoying with his lectures, moral authority act?…..If Northeastern transfer point guard Tyson Walter is as good in games as pre season scrimmages…..Spartans could be very very good.
7. Indiana
Archie Miller nightmare is over....new Hoosier head coach Mike Woodson: "I never would have pursued any other college ... I know the dynamics of this job because I played here and I watched it over the years ... When the job opened, I made it clear I wanted to come back home."….315-365 record as NBA head coach who was going to hire Woodson anyway? Apparently Woodson 'understands Indiana basketball culture and the fanbase'...WTF does that even mean?…..Has talent to work with not a crap roster like say Minnesota, Penn State.
8. Rutgers
Rutgers made the NCAA tourney, won a game in it....good...bad? Rutgers took a chance on 'big' Myles Johnson out of high school, developed into a solid player, leaves for UCLA....that's messed up...Guards Geo Baker Paul Mulcahy 'All Big Ten rat f*cker' member both return.
9. Iowa
'BYU of the Midwest'....Hawkeye sophomore forward Keegan Murray very, very good...other than that….Jordan Bohannon continues his 8-year Iowa career along with the co-captain of the 'All Big Ten rat f*cker' team Connor McCaffery.
10. Wisconsin
Co-captain of the 'All Big Ten rat f*cker' squad Brad Davison is back as the Badgers continue their fall to the bottom of the Big Ten.
11. Nebraska
3rd year for Fred Hoiberg in Lincoln…..another roster turnover, 8 new faces, five star wing McGowen joins his brother at Nebraska…..Team chemistry has to be better this season than that cluster last winter.
T-12 Northwestern
So called 'best player' 'team leader' Miller Kopp leaves for Indiana...what does that say about Chris Collins program?….Watching Boo Buie being told Pete Nance's father played in the NBA...after that? nothing here…..Collins record since that 2017 NCAA appearance? 45-73…..Crappy football season followed by a crappy hoop season...new AD at Northwestern…..Phillips not around to protect Collins now.
T-12 Penn State
New head coach Micah Shrewsberry in Happy Valley and still no one cares.
14. Minnesota
First year, first time head coach with only 2 scholarship players from last season's disappointing team....good with God young man.