[NU Sports] a different perspective on Fitzgerald and the coaching job

[Brad Wilson]

This is an e-mail from an old, old friend of mine who
is a dedicated Wisconsin alum and fan and an intense
Big Ten and CFB fan. He has, let me assure you, NO
love lost for Northwestern at all. He also is pretty
sharp on sports analysis in general.

The subject is, mostly, Fitzgerald:

BW: I suppose you are referring to Fitzgerald's
lack of experience and youth?

Mr. Wisconsin: That's just the starting point.   In
that regard I think our guy (Bielema) is going to be
out of his depth at first.    And yet he worked his
way up through Iowa as a coach, was a DC at (yuk) K St
and a DC at UW.   Lots of Bowl games, a hand-picked
staff with veterans and a few hold overs and he has an
AD that certainly knows the ropes of college football.
  All of that said, Bielema is still going to have his
organizational skills taxed.   

Fitzgerald, working in the same conference, will have
none of that.   Instead he will be jumped from being a
squad coach, over several other coaches (including his
current DC) to be HC.    He will have to separate
himself from players whom he recruited as an assistant
and position coach.   He has never led a practice as a
DC, much less HC.     

Instead of an impressive coaching staff (on paper at
least) Fitzgerald will have to deal with a duncy
secondary coach, a new LB coach, Colby--whose squads
were never great and who might be a little resentful,
a newish OC .     Additionally he will have to fill
the special teams coaching slot -- this for a squad
that was frankly woeful of late.   
 
Now consider the dozens of little things ---
organizing the side lines, dealing with the zebras and
the B10 office, organizing the traveling squad.  
Uggg.   At the very least Alvarez can pick up a cell
phone and help Bielema out ("the bus should have left
already, dummy").    for all of his  good intentions,
Murphy has never been (iirc) a college coach.   
 
And, right now, NU players probably need Fitzgerald in
his current place --- something closer to a confidant
rather than an ass kicking HC --- and for all of the
current encomiums and pleasantries, successful B10 HCs
have more than a little ass-kicker in them.  
 
Sometimes gravitas comes with age.   Nothing against
Fitzgerald, but his current sideline demeanor is more
of a fiery kind.    Nothing wrong with that at age 30
and an LB unit coach --- lots wrong with that for an
HC.    I doubt there is a toggle switch for the
situation.
 
NU should be thinking about the future, Fitzgerald's
included.   If they really want him as a future HC,
one that, in theory is around for a while, tossing him
in now would be a terrible move.   His first year out
would be very rough sledding.  With an 'interim' HC
the recruiting class is going to be difficult --- and
making him the permanent HC right now saddles him with
a staff that is less than desirable.    If NU fans
really want Fitzgerald to be HC one day, they should
wait.
 
The timing couldn't be worse.  It is about 4 weeks til
freshmen report?    Finding anyone to step in is
difficult, impossible if the 'interim' tag isn't
removed.    Brown was already shunted aside while
still left with about as high a paying job as he will
find.    Don't worry about hurting his feelings,
promote Colby or (the offensive coordinator) and bite
the bullet for this season.    Pray for the best.    

In the best of all possible worlds you find an older
coach out their with some NU ties that is running out
the string at his current job and won't piss off too
many people   with an abrupt July departure.   How old
is VanDerLinden?     Let someone like him be a
caretaker for a few months, then hit the ground
running in the fourth week of November with a real
plan.
 
Otherwise back to Colby.  
 
 If you get whats-his-name from Cal that does make
sense.   Worth the flier, let him know that he can
change his staff at the end of this season.  If, big
if, he wants to jump now I think it means Murphy is
going to have to move in a way that all reports
suggest he is unwilling to do.     i.e. make the
change close to Walker's funeral; don't tag him as
'interim'; don't worry about hurt feelings; don't
worry about pissing off Cal."

BW here again. I offer this as a different view. I do
agree with much of it, some not, but I do think, all
things considered, I would make every effort to get
Mike Dunbar. 

Brad Wilson

 
    


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