[NU Sports] The 2005 Outlook

[Jeff Beamsley]

Thanks for the thoughtful well-reasoned post.

I agree that the key concept here is improvement.  If we are improving (more
wins, more competitive games) compared to our competition, the program is
moving in the right direction.  If we are deteriorating (fewer wins, less
competitive games) compared to our competition, then the program is moving
in the wrong direction.

Since Steve and I have agreed to bury the RW hatchet for at least another
season, I suggest that the other programs to pay close attention to are
Illinois, Indiana, and MSU.  Will these programs exhibit the "crash and
burn" predicted because of their coaching changes, or will they exhibit
improvement because they replaced an ineffective coach with a more effective
one?  MSU certainly has shown improvement with the kids that were there when
Smith arrived.  We should start to see some more of the kids he recruited in
2004 getting on the field this year. Will MSU improve or deteriorate? Can
Illinois and Indiana match the heady 8-5 Smith debut at MSU?  If so, it
might be time to at least re-evaluate the premise that coaching changes
damage a program.  

Jeff



-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of DPENDERG at aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 12:12 PM
To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
Subject: [NU Sports] The 2005 Outlook

With the arrival of spring and the first kickoff still a long way down the
road, it's easy to be seduced into an overly optimistic expectation about
the coming season. The bottom line is expectations have been burned in the
glare of reality over the last four seasons.  The only thing that counts is
what happens on the field next fall and no one should project anything more
than cautious uncertainty about certain pivotal, unanswered  questions:
 
Can players step up to fill those big holes in the OL and DL?
 
Can the chronically vulnerable defensive backfield start to cover receivers
rather than just watch them run down the field?
 
Can BB throw the ball consistently well beyond his favorite 5-10 yard
patterns?
 
Do we have receivers who can stretch the field and really challenge
opposition secondaries?
 
Will Jordan or a newcomer step up to fill the big shoes in the long line of
outstanding, even dominating Cat running backs, perhaps the most
distinctive feature of the Randy Walker era?
 
Can the Cats overall improve to keep pace with a Big Ten which everybody
agrees will be much stronger this year?  And, do not neglect the
non-conference 
games.  ASU will be a very tough W on their home turf.   And, NIU will be 
mobilized for an upset of their Big Ten neighbor and could  do it if we're
not well prepared.
 
Sure, in the abstract, it's easy to answer those questions positively, but
let's face it, we simply do not know and spring practice is hardly a forum
to produce answers.  We hope for the best and 6-5 (in my view) would be a
welcome outcome but not easy to achieve with the schedule we face  unless
there are really positive replies to those questions.  
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