Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba.com

"one source close to the football program labeled the hire “an absolute disaster”; another called Beckman “in way over his head.”


http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-State/2 ... inois.html

Man, what is going on at Illinois? Article states "One complicating factor: Illinois is on the hook for a combined $7.1 in buyouts after firing Zook and its men’s and women’s basketball coaches after last season." How does an AD fire the head coaches of its top three programs all in one year? I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that.

MarkL wrote:Man, what is going on at Illinois? Article states "One complicating factor: Illinois is on the hook for a combined $7.1 in buyouts after firing Zook and its men’s and women’s basketball coaches after last season." How does an AD fire the head coaches of its top three programs all in one year? I don't think I've ever heard of anything like that.

My larger concern is for a school that is so in debt that they can't afford $7.10 in buyout. The AD ought to skip lunch one day and be done with it.

I understand Illinois has been bad this year. Really bad. But it is the coach's first year. Unless a first year coach makes irreparable damages in year 1, parting ways is just terrible for the program's image, the school's image, and the stability of the program. See Tennessee. Nobody wanted to take over after Kiffin bolted town after only a year so they were stuck with Derrick Dooley, coming from Louisiana Tech with a losing record. While I think Dooley is a good coach and has the potential to make things work out, he clearly was nowhere near first pick. It's year three for him and the program still isn't on stable footing. Some of the oldest players on that team have known as many as three head coaches, including three in three years, plus coordinator changes, scheme changes, and of course changes in committments with head coaches. There is no faster way to tank a program than to go through constant coaching changes with all the instability it brings. No matter how bad this year has gone for Illinois and no matter how bad a loss to Indiana looks, letting Timmy go, or even considering it, should be off the table. It would make the current situation far, far worse.

Another article on Timmy in today's Blade:

http://www.toledoblade.com/DaveHackenbe ... ource=t.co

MarkL wrote:I understand Illinois has been bad this year. Really bad. But it is the coach's first year. Unless a first year coach makes irreparable damages in year 1, parting ways is just terrible for the program's image, the school's image, and the stability of the program. See Tennessee. Nobody wanted to take over after Kiffin bolted town after only a year so they were stuck with Derrick Dooley, coming from Louisiana Tech with a losing record. While I think Dooley is a good coach and has the potential to make things work out, he clearly was nowhere near first pick. It's year three for him and the program still isn't on stable footing. Some of the oldest players on that team have known as many as three head coaches, including three in three years, plus coordinator changes, scheme changes, and of course changes in committments with head coaches. There is no faster way to tank a program than to go through constant coaching changes with all the instability it brings. No matter how bad this year has gone for Illinois and no matter how bad a loss to Indiana looks, letting Timmy go, or even considering it, should be off the table. It would make the current situation far, far worse.

A Senior on Tennessee's team this year might have been here under Kiffin, but in Dooley's third year, a Junior would have only been under him. There is no one left from Phil Fulmer's last year (also the year our own Coach Clawson was OC here in Knoxville.) I suppose if you want to pick nits, you could bring up a redshirt player. But by the nature of the redshirt, they didn't actually play under Coach Fulmer.

Also, for what it's worth, you're one of the first people I've seen in quite awhile to say they thought Coach Dooley has the potential to make things work out. The fact that he managed just 3 in-conference wins his first year, 1 last year and none so far this year doesn't inspire confidence. (And to put a little more perspective on that one win last year, it was an overtime situation at home against Vanderbilt. It was followed up the next week by losing to Kentucky for the first time in 26 years, in a game where UK fielded a wide receiver at QB.)

What can I say, I married a Volunteer grad & moved to Knoxville...


As for Timmy at Illinois, it doesn't hurt my feelings too badly to see him struggle.

Thank god the UK win over UT wasn't enough for another year of the Joker Phillips experiment....