IlliniKrush

Going away from the Illinois discussion for a second... I'll go on record and say that I completely think Winston raped the victim and I can't believe he wasn't charged with anything. This whole thing stinks. I feel like I'm watching a future 30 for 30 episode while it's happening. How FSU and the authorities were able to cover up and keep their Heisman QB eligible so they could go on to win a national championship. Between the awkward, laughing press conference, the piece Rock put in here, and now listening to "the victim's" attorney's press conference - there's way too much smoke here. I can't help but feel that this is a giant cover-up. This went away way too quickly, and there's way too many inconsistencies and oddities here.

QUOTE (illinilaw08 @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:23 AM) Beckman's buffoonery in year 1 has nothing to do with year 2. The team improved in Year 2, significantly. Here's the thing. I could have been on board with firing Beckman last year. The level of incompetence on the sidelines (running over officials, the dip, etc.) showed a guy that was absolutely out of his element. He was better this year. The team was better this year. The defense in the Penn State game showed a ton of heart and pride (only allowed 17 points and made a number of huge stops). The message you are sending if you fire Beckman after the team was noticeably better is... not good... to the rest of the coaching world. There are some interesting JUCOs coming in next year and, of course, Lunt gets the keys to the offense. I'm actually looking forward to Illinois football next year. If they win games, that will answer the recruiting questions about Beckman's job security. If they don't, or if they step back, there are grounds to let him go. This exactly. If you go re-read my posts last year, I as all on board with firing him if MT thought it was the best thing to do. But, BW et al still don't think it would be sending any sort of message to the coaching world. Which is ridiculous. QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:28 AM) That is, yet again, giving Beckman credit for being absolutely horrible year one. He was so horrible, so stop giving him credit for improving a historically bad season for us. He should not be allowed to benefit for being inept. It's ultimately meaningless. And for the record, the buffoonery of fighting other coaches, sideline interferences and horrible interviews all occurred this year as well. You're seeing it however you want to see it. So whatever. No one's giving anyone credit for year one. 8 wins next year, btw, is not happening, so if by chance they win 6 or 7, I can't wait to have you be ready to fire him once again. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Dec 13, 2013 -> 08:38 AM) What about the Nebraska, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, & Northwestern games? Is it good to allow 200 rushing yards to 5 different players? Anyone who follows Illinois football knows the defense was going to be awful from time Camp Rantoul started due to inexperience and youth. Now they have a year under their belt, are keeping the same system for next year. Major improvement has to be shown, or everyone will be gone. This isn't hard to figure out. Thinking he was going to get fired for the performance this year is just silly based on what we needed to see and expectations given the talent level etc. I really don't know what anyone expected or why this is such an issue.

I think bathroom attendants are worse than the bums that think you need help calling for a cab, but it's sure close.

QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:32 PM) Cliff Alexander had an ok outing tonight. 30 pts, 24 boards, 15 blocks. IDKWTI 2

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 10:44 PM) Because, seriously, who cares what a Wisconsin coach hired 24 years ago did? I mean, what? How is that remotely relevant? In support of my argument, I may as well bring up some obscure coach from the 80s who started terrible and was then fired for being terrible. Hell I bet there's a lot more of those thany Alvarez'. Bringing up one unrelated coach and trying to make some meaningful comparison is really really stretching it. In a long line of awful arguments siding with Beckman, this one has to BY FAR take the cake. Because it goes to show you a coach can struggle 2 years and then be able to turn it around. The argument started when 1-15 was brought up, as if that is never acceptable ever and immediately leads to a firing because no one will ever have success after it. That was proven false. It's really not that hard to comprehend. I still would love to know what your expectations were sitting in August of this year, and were they met? I also want to know what you are rooting for next year? You're one of those fans that seems to find joy in failure rather than success. Almost Cub-fan like. It's so easy being the FIRE THE COACH guy all day, every day.

QUOTE (Milkman delivers @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 01:45 PM) But do they start enforcing the rule that catchers can't block the plate before having the ball? If not, this creates a huge double standard. The catcher can stand right in the way with impunity, knowing that the runner will have to go out of his way or be penalized. You can bet your ass obstruction will be enforced, it'll likely be HS rules at home plate, or close to it.

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 12:42 PM) Yeah. A completely non-contact sport has one random play where "anything goes". It makes no sense. These men are not trained to hit or take hits like in the NFL (well, at least how the NFL used to before contact was stupidly banned from practice). This is a play that will not be missed in baseball. LMAO at some of the comments in here. Exactly this, Steve. It's a pointless play. No one goes to a baseball game thinking OMG I HOPE I SEE A PLATE COLLISION TODAY!!! It's a play that just screams for injuries. Catcher's don't want it, they are sitting ducks. It's a crazy physical play in a sport that is not physical at all (you can save your breaking up a double play crap, that's not physical). It's never made sense in the sport. Not everything in America has to be a physical sport. Go watch football or hockey if you want hits. Baseball is a different game that isn't enhanced by this stupid, pointless play that literally adds zero enjoyment to any game. This isn't the Coliseum in Rome, where fans need to watch people die. Get over it. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/02/27/ber...late-collision/

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:24 AM) 23-24 I think. The back story is I thought we'd already broken up and then she showed up to my house to take me to her bday party and I had to dump her again. I laughed out loud reading this. Nice.

QUOTE (DrunkBomber @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 05:02 PM) If Cutler is healthy you play him. Not because starters dont lose their jobs to injury, but because they need to decide if theyre going to pay him lots of money to remain the teams qb after this season. Dont get me wrong, Id love for the Bears to make the playoffs, but in the grand scheme of things the likelihood of the Bears winning in Seattle or New Orleans in the playoffs is pretty low. Its much more important to get whatever decision they make with Cutler right and see what he does with the last 3 weeks of the season. 100% on board with this. Get as much information as you can.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 10:24 PM) Wisconsin won less games the three years previous to Alvarez than Illinois won in 2011. lol at using that as any sort of justification for anything. Ridiculous. You'll dismiss anything that doesn't fit your OMG FIRE BECKMAN agenda. We get it. But to say it's irrelevant, LMAO. Illinois was a f***ing dumpster fire after that 2011 season, period.

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 8, 2013 -> 09:45 AM) Take Auburn in a heart beat. I'll actually take Auburn to win. Granted, FSU has blown every one out but they've beat Clemson and nobody else. On a side note, looking at the bowl projections, there is like nothing I'm looking forward to. Care to make it interesting? Although last time I did this with you in 2007 I got owned. That's what I get for betting on Ohio St.

This doesn't help Illinois establish a program, that's for sure: http://www.thechampaignroom.com/2013/12/12...ir-counterparts

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 09:07 PM) Ya man you might be in trouble there. The 2nd half has like 300 yards and 3 tds for Peyton written all over it. He might be in trouble. Me, I have Moreno. Not working out well either. And I don't know what booked you picked up but it doesn't have that stat line. Thursday games, ugh.

QUOTE (gatnom @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 09:06 PM) As for the bold point, I'm not anywhere near connected enough to know, but the rumor is that the main reason Thomas was hired was that he was willing to come in and clean house from the previous AD. And, he did. Whether or not that even qualifies as a sketchy reputation is somewhat up for debate. With respect to the first part of your post, did you know that Barry Alvarez had a 6-16 overall record and was 2-14 in conference in his first two years? There are numerous other coaches who had similar starts to their coaching tenures. You need to give a coach time even if he is "obviously incompetent." (not your words, per se) Unfortunately necessary disclaimer: I'm not saying Beckman is anywhere near Barry Alvarez in terms of coaching ability and not saying that Beckman will succeed. If anything, I think he's going to fail due to his seeming inability to consistently make good coaching hires and the overwhelming negativity surrounding him. Everyone here would have fired his ass. Unacceptable.

Montee Ball got his helmet ripped off and I don't know if I've seen him since. That and the Broncos aren't up to run the ball a lot. This may not turn out so well...

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 08:35 PM) No, they wouldn't be calling for his head if he was bringing in top recruiting classes. See Beckman immediately after getting Lunt. It saved his perception for...a week or two. As you yourself said at the time Lunt committed, it may save his job. Now multiply that effect by a bunch because it was a lot more than one player under Zook. That's why no one called for Zook's head then. The general feel for Beckman compared to Zook is different for most people, even taking out recruiting for a second. But, I don't think Beckman is in any position to haul in top recruiting classes anyway. We're Illinois. You have to figure out something on the field first before the recruits will come. Zook was an anomaly. But also something I don't want to go back to.

QUOTE (Brian @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 08:23 PM) Can never have enough boobs. Double D's are the best kind.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 06:13 PM) His point was simple. No one would be calling for Beckman's head if he was signing top recruits left and right. Bulls***. People absolutely still would, who are you kidding. But, I'm not sure you can expect a great class with this program and these results right now. IMO, you need to play above what your recruiting class says and get results on the field, and that's when recruiting takes off. I can't really fault him right now for not having a great recruiting class. He has to get it done with the guys on the roster right now. It sucks, but it's the reality of the situation. Anyway, he tried to make a point after throwing out the record when he didn't realize Zook did the same thing in his first 2 years. Until I brought that up, there was nothing brought up about recruiting.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 05:15 PM) Really? Is that the bar you want to set? Zook at least brought in some top recruits. His first year he signed two 5 star guys. His 2nd and 3rd year were probably two of the top recruiting classes in the programs history. Has Beckman done that? Nice backpedal. What bar am I setting? There's been all this talk about Zook around here. Same thing happened in his first 2 years. Were you calling for his firing then too? Or did you want to give him a chance to get his systems put in place and some consistency going? The point is, coaches have turned things around in year 3. Whether or not Beckman does that, I don't know.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 04:40 PM) Honestly I've never heard of the unwritten "at least three years" rule, and if there is such a thing, i think it's pretty stupid. Again, tell me who in their right mind thinks 1-18 in conference play in two years is acceptable, even for a guy taking over a s***ty roster (which we've established isn't really THAT s***ty given the defense they had last year and the offense they had this year). I've never heard of Thomas having a sketchy reputation. What's the back story there? I'm not sure where anyone said it's "acceptable." But let me correct you, it's 1-15. You're going to have to make me do this, since you've now posted it twice. Do you know what Ron Zook's BT record was his first 2 years? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 1-15. And 4-19 overall.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 03:29 PM) Dino Babers would leave Charleston in two seconds flat, let's not kid ourselves. Perhaps, but 95% of people would respond with "wait, we hired an Ohio Valley conference guy after a MAC guy didn't work? Who the f*** is this guy?"

QUOTE (PlaySumFnJurny @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 03:04 PM) Anyone still wondering why they removed the "Madhouse on Madison" signage has their an$wer. Yup, as I talked about a while ago.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 02:26 PM) My thinking is, what harm is there to fire the guy and start over? He's not bringing in tons of awesome recruits that might decommit. It's not like he's got some amazing scheme that the roster has been molded for. We're at the bottom of the barrel anyway. This just isn't a case where the program would be set back another few years because the new coach would have to start from scratch. How is losing next year and firing Beckman then any different from where they are right now? Probably who would take the job, as outlined above.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 12:50 PM) Just once I would love to hear from you guys why you believe Beckman can be successful as a coach at Illinois. The list on why he cant be is certainly long and laid out. All I here ever in this discussion is excuse after excuse to the point where we are justifying 28 point home losses to WAC teams. If you've read me over the past two football seasons, you know I don't. But, I understand the logic behind the 3rd year at this point. Two separate arguments. I will hope I'm wrong and root like hell for them next year as I did this year.

QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 11:50 AM) Not what I said. I said Beckman being credited for improving his dumpster fire coaching job in year one is ridiculous. Probably what they did. Those expectations were thanks to a terrible coach. Those expectations weren't all due to a terrible coach, it was due to a terrible program and roster as well. Again, not sure what you wanted or expected this year. Far from the first coach to take over a program and suck the first year, especially taking over a team that tanked the 2nd half of last year (and was a mirage the first half). And got their coach fired. And the DC left. QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Dec 12, 2013 -> 12:02 PM) They weren't really expected to suck that year. They had a top 15 defense the year before which they lost some talent off of, but had three guys get drafted and a fourth who would have been (but had to return due to injury). Maybe they were meant to suck, but not let's give up 52 points at home to a WAC team suck. They weren't supposed to be good if you remember the end of 2011. And DC left. And that talent as you said. LOL at La Tech being a s***ty WAC team. 57 against A&M.