thedoctor

if depaul can't beat northwestern, the big east conference slate is going to be an absolute bloodbath for them.

QUOTE(Rex Hudler @ Nov 15, 2006 -> 12:30 AM) Consider me in the camp of the Knight "incident" being a bunch of ado about nothing. I don't agree with everything he does, but I wouldn't consider that alarming at all. me neither. and on the indiana game they just referred to it as the "bob knight situation." gmafb.

i can't say i've seen any of the regular illinois-fan posters on this board making that assertion. as 101 mentioned, it's not realistic to think that any amount of recruiting momentum is going to push illinois into a position where they are challenging ohio state and michigan for big ten titles on a regular basis. those schools have pretty good coaches, established programs, tradition that no other program in the league can match, and they fill their stadiums with 100,000-plus every saturday. do i think there can be years when illinois can compete with them? sure. they've done it in the recent past so there's no reason to suggest it's totally absurd to think that. but can it happen consistently? not bloody likely. my hope is pretty straightforward. i'd like to see illinois competing for a bowl game most years. i'd like to not see us totally getting dismantled and having absolutely no chance against everyone but the poorest of teams. every four or five years i'd like to have an experienced team that with the help of the schedule is able to compete for a league title. that's about it. as for grandiose declarations about our future, i haven't seen any of them here, so i'm not sure why people seem so hard-pressed to assert that that's what illinois fans think is going to happen. if we want to get in the business of pulling quotes from other boards and using that to paint illini fans with a broad brush, then fine. i'm sure we can go to the board of about every school represented here and find some kind of off-the-wall belief. that's because stupid people post stupid things, and every team has fans who are stupid.

QUOTE(whitesoxfan101 @ Nov 14, 2006 -> 08:17 PM) They'll survive with this year's weak OOC....unless these injuries are nagging. true, but the latter part of your statement is what is most worrisome. groins and ankles have a tendency to turn into nagging problems.

illinois's done a good job of avoiding the injury bug the past few seasons, but it looks like that's all going to end this year.

jeff bowden resigns

i guess i don't see the point of even having a thread about recruiting if we aren't supposed to use it speculate about how those recruits could impact a particular program.

wtf is wrong with the orioles?

i try not to get too crazy with sick days. that whole puritan work ethic thing i guess. admittedly though i'm a salary employee and i do a good job, so if i see a need for any upcoming time period i'll need off, i tell my boss and she's usually pretty cool. i did that tomorrow, in advance of expecting to drink more than one beer during the bear game. no work until noon for me.

QUOTE(SleepyWhiteSox @ Nov 12, 2006 -> 02:49 AM) F U C K...blown out by bradley...AGAIN...there goes all the preseason buzz...once again, you are a terrible coach, wainwright... i'm a little surprised at that considering the disparity in experience between the teams.

can't wait. i'll be there.

QUOTE(IlliniKrush @ Nov 11, 2006 -> 08:32 PM) Brilliant coaching series right there by Zook: Down 11, waste a timeout on 4th down for your offense, then don't kick the field goal to go down 8 and keep the game alive. Hey tubberville, If there was a playoff, your team wouldn't even qualify for it. zook was terrible today.

this is not good at all.

i don't at all feel good about how that scenario is going to work out.

ohio state dominated vmi tonight, 105-69. vmi is horrible, however. osu looked good. daequan cook is the truth.

QUOTE(Soxbadger @ Nov 10, 2006 -> 08:13 PM) Only problem is that wr is basically the last position you need to fill to make a good college football team. i don't agree with that at all. i'd say tight ends are probably less important, and you could even argue that safety qualifies as well. besides, for illinois's purposes, their biggest needs are on the o-line and receiver. one of those has been addressed with the additions of benn and morris. hopefully craig wilson will help with some of the o-line deficiencies.

hopefully benn can help in that area.

in terms of fan recognition i would agree with you, but if you are talking about fellow coaches and players, i think they are all well-aware of juice. and no, he doesn't have outstanding numbers, but what true freshman quarterback does? it's not really about numbers this year for him. it's about getting experience and learning what the college game is all about. ideally, he wouldn't even be playing, but considering our senior quarterback shat himself, we didn't have much of a choice.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Nov 10, 2006 -> 05:31 PM) No reason to apologize, its a message board, they wont hurt you.....at least i dont think well, i don't like sounding like a big douchebag. which i did.

i don't think he'll come either, but it was encouraging to read that he was in attendance at benn's signing party last night. also, let me apologize to fotop for my comments last night. i was a little drinky, and reading them today it's clear i was posting like a douche. my bad. anyhow, i can understand some of the questions of why benn would choose illinois. from an outsider's perspective it makes no sense. but if you follow illinois football and watch the team, it's clear they are getting better. this team was way, way down, but it is coming back. two years ago we got killed every time out and the same last year. this year? not so much. yes the record is bad, but any time you start a true freshman at qb, you'll have problems. but if you watched games last year and watched them this year, the progression is clear. that, combined with the overwhelming youth on the roster gives you a little optimism. plus, i do think juice played a huge role in this. he's a pretty dynamic guy and a natural leader. he's the kind of player people gravitate to. and although he's struggled at times this year, he's also shown flashes that suggest he is going to be a major stud. there's a reason programs like ohio state and texas were after him. juice slotted at qb for the next few seasons is a good thing. and i think when you look at benn's finalists, it could be argued that by choosing illinois he selected the school that will have the best qb situation next year.

don't see where anyone suggested anything of the sort. fans like myself are happy with a great recruit joining what many college football fans would argue is an up-and-coming team. a compelling argument could be made for that. and again, if you think all of illinois's optimism is related to benn, well, you may watch a lot of college football but i'd have to question your acumen.

QUOTE(Fotop @ Nov 10, 2006 -> 12:35 AM) Lol that's an awfully bad joke, Wedge. I cannot fathom why you would want to go to UofI to play football when you're a player of his caliber, but it's his decision so he must certainly have his reasons. Great get for UofI....doubt Benn alone gets you anywhere, but you've got to start somewhere right? if you think benn is the first good thing to happen to illinois football you haven't been paying much attention.

QUOTE(Jimbo @ Nov 9, 2006 -> 11:50 PM) you can't go down much further heh heh

illinois's updated 07 commit list also, from reports benn intends to enroll early and will be on campus in january.

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Nov 9, 2006 -> 10:55 PM) Hopefully, one guy begets another 4 or 5 star recruit, who begets another 4 or 5 star recruit, who begets another 4 or 5 star recruit, and so on, and so on.... THAT'S what's so great about the guy. Getting a 5 star, arguably one of the best WRs in the class over Florida State and Notre Dame...AND to a 2-7 team. THAT'S a HUGE get. looks like that's already the case. four-star wide receiver anthony morris (6-3, 200) out of thornton high school has also committed to the illini. he was offered by illinois, iowa, arizona state, and west virginia. here's his profile: anthony morris 10 minutes to benn's announcement.