[NU Sports] Rueful Realist

[prplehaze at insightbb.com]

I have to agree with Alan on this one.  It's been so long since we have had an
effective defense that I can't remember the year.  The weakness in both the D
line and secondary is so patently obvious to me that I wonder why we are even
having the discussion.  It goes beyond recruiting, although it has become
evident that Walker has failed miserably at any attempt to consistently recruit
at either position.  It goes to coaching both to scheme and technique.  It goes
to conditioning, and that includes the preseason nightmare of year after year of
seeing Walker run the team through conditioning drills that are far too
strenuous and result in far too many injuries.  For those of you who follow
horse racing, it's the D. Wayne Lukas syndrome.  Let's run the kids like hell
and then they break down before the Derby.

I don't know that I have the answer, but I for one am rapidly coming to the
conclusion that it may be time for Murphy to find his own man.
--
Mark Ament
SportsBiz
http://www.thesportsbizblog.blogspot.com
sportsbiz at gmail.com


>  Joe (and everyone else),
>  Glad to see life there in the Twin Cities is still being filtered through 
> purple-colored (or gopher-colored, as is the case) glasses. I salute your 
> Wildcat-related optimism.
>  And let me also say here near the outset: I will be rooting passionately for 
> the Cats. I remain hopeful NU can pull out some wins.
>  But let's be realistic. Take Wisconsin, for instance, whom some of our 
> colleagues on this list have marked down as a possible NU win. Uh, Wisconsin 
> just beat Michigan. So maybe Michigan isn't the Michigan of yore. But it took 
> 'til almost the last play of the game, playing at home, for Wisconsin to win. 
> Methinks Wisconsin is maybe very good. 
>  So perhaps the Wildcats catch the Badgers in an emotional lull ... perhaps. I 
> rather think that's unlikely.
>  The Northwestern problem is easy to identify but apparently has proven 
> difficult to solve. 
>  The issue is not the linebackers. They are more than fine. Frankly, I even have 
> reason for optimism there; I see -- for the first time in many seasons -- depth 
> among the linebacking corps. It seems that Pat Fitzgerald is perhaps as good a 
> coach as he was a player and, when the time comes, I hope he is considered as a 
> replacement for Randy Walker. (Not saying that time is now. Just saying when the 
> time comes ...) 
>  The problem, as I wrote after the ASU game, is that the Cats 1) rarely get 
> pressure up front on the opposing QB and 2) are a sieve in the secondary. The 
> PSU game just underscored the issue and led me to conclude that any further wins 
> this year could well be elusive.
>  For you and others who say, oh, well, McGarigle ALMOST tipped that ball on the 
> decisive 4th-down play. Come on, everyone. A good defense doesn't have to rely 
> on ALMOST tips on 4th and 15 with the game on the line. A good defense brings 
> the hammer down. 
>  Candidly, a good defense would have brought the hammer down in the first half 
> -- after the Cat offense raced to a 23-7 lead.
>  It is a complete mystery to me why the Wildcats suffer year after year from 
> this particular issue -- strong linebackers, weak up front and in the secondary.  
> Really, a complete mystery. There must be four guys like Hudaifa Ismaili 
> available and willing somewhere in this great country of ours ... 
>  Yes, losing Brian Heinz and Jeff Backes hurt. So why don't the Wildcats have 
> depth there to match the linebackers? 
>  It's an off week so I hope we can all have an intelligent discussion about why 
> NU suffers from this recurring problem.
>  Thanks, Joe (and everyone else) -- Alan
>    
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Thiegs
> To: 'Abrahamson, Alan'; nwu-sports at tssi.com
> Sent: 9/26/2005 8:57 AM
> Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Rueful Realist
> 
> I'll offer some optimism, Alan.
> 
> I didn't get to see the game live because I was in the Metrodome for
> Minnesota's history-defying, double-overtime, heart-stopping win over
> Purdue.  I watched the NU game on tape early Sunday morning before
> heading
> out to church even though I already knew the general story line and end
> result.  As others have observed, our defense is not that great.
> However,
> I'm not yet convinced the season will be a disaster.  I was disappointed
> with the way this game turned out, but not at the same level of distress
> I
> felt at the end of the TCU and Hawaii games last year or the Air Force
> game
> the year before that.  In the first set of downs on that game-winning
> PSU
> drive, we had a couple of tremendous defensive plays--including two
> tackles
> for loss--to get to 4th-and-15.  From the replay of the fourth-down
> play, it
> looked like McGarigle's hand was just inches from blocking or tipping
> Robinson's pass.  Sometimes those desperation plays go your way, and
> sometimes they go the opponents' way (I do agree that the receiver
> should
> have been covered).  If that pass isn't right on the money, it's game
> over
> and while I'm sure there would remain some well-earned criticism of the
> defense, the tone on the board would be a lot different.  I expect
> things to
> get better as our safeties get more experienced--losing Bryan Heinz
> really
> hurt.
> 
> Penn State's offense isn't that hot but their defense is, and the
> league's
> only got a handful of offenses I would consider really powerful:  MSU,
> Minnesota, Northwestern, and Purdue.  Of those, we only have to play
> two.
> (I'm not yet a Badger or Buckeye believer regarding offense.)  Against
> most
> of the teams other than MSU and Purdue I think we can probably hold them
> in
> check just enough for our offense to show up theirs.  Ohio State's
> defense
> looks so good that I don't have high expectations for our O against
> them.
> 
> I see us going 5-6 now with wins over Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois.
> Plus,
> I think we've got a decent chance at knocking off Michigan on Homecoming
> (the Wolverines' second consecutive road game on the heels of what could
> reasonably be expected to be a fairly physical game at Iowa).  That
> would
> put us at 6-5 and into a bowl game.  Sure, this isn't exactly shooting
> for
> the stars but would be a pretty impressive accomplishment in light of
> our
> pre-season losses, IMHO.
> 
> Of course, I won't be too surprised if I'm shown to be wrong, but I'm
> keeping the purple-colored glasses on for at least another couple of
> games!
> 
> -Joe
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com]
> On
> Behalf Of Abrahamson, Alan
> Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2005 4:07 PM
> To: 'nwu-sports at tssi.com'
> Subject: [NU Sports] Rueful Realist
> 
> 
>  Having watched this team two weeks in a row from the stands, it pains
> me to
> say this but it must be said: they very well could go 2-9. 
>  I will continue to search for any sliver of defensive sunshine. So far,
> however, I see little but gloom. 
>  Anyone wishing to chime in w/a different viewpoint, I would love to be
> told
> why you have any reasonable expectation for optimism. This season. Not
> 2006.
> Or 2007. 
>  Regrettably, Alan
> 
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