[NU Sports] Talent

[Beamsley, Jeff]

There are plenty of examples of teams even in our conference who have  
more talent but are playing worse.

Our strength is going to be playing better and smarter as a team.

The beauty of college football is that on any given Saturday a better  
team can beat better athletes. (eg. Purdue OSU)

It isn't an issue of facilities. It is an issue of demographics. We  
are just too small to compete on the basis of football reneue. So we  
have to compete on the basis of being a better team. We've got the  
right coach for it and we have the right student profile (smart kids  
who are overachievers).

The risk is that some years the team just doesn't gel. That may be the  
case this year because we lost so many leaders from last year.

Jeff



Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 19, 2009, at 3:13 PM, "Jonathan Hodges" <jonathanwhodges at gmail.com 
 > wrote:

> I agree that you can't make up for talent.  The fact is that  
> Northwestern
> doesn't have the depth of talent when compared to most other schools  
> in the
> conference, although I would argue that the 'Cats have a good amount  
> of
> talent and are certainly competitive in the conference.
>
> While I would imagine gameday atmosphere is important to recruits, I  
> would
> argue it seems to be of minimal importance to most of them.  And I can
> certainly say that building building brand new facilities on campus  
> (or
> wherever since there is no room on campus) would NOT suddenly increase
> attendance on its own or increase the talent level of NU recruits.
>
> Yes, a few more students may roll out of bed and into the game and a  
> few
> more people may decide to attend a game on campus, but a new  
> facility is not
> the solution to NU attendance woes (discounting the fact that it's not
> feasible, not affordable, and doesn't make any sense).  It may also  
> attract
> a recruit or two, but overall, NU's facilities are on par with other  
> FBS/I-A
> institutions (NU doesn't really compare to the traditional "football
> factories" who have way more money and resources than NU, and NU  
> could never
> compete with them in a "battle of the Joneses" since they can just  
> keep
> expanding/improving).
>
> I would like a new stadium, sure, and who wouldn't?  But using these  
> two
> items as reasoning to get one is just plain incorrect.
>
> I'll leave the attendance issue alone for now, we've talked that  
> issue to
> death multiple times (even though it's the biggest issue affecting NU
> football right now).
>
> While NU could always use more talent on the team, I think Fitz is  
> taking
> the best approach to recruiting right now.  He's bringing in guys  
> that fit
> the program and not sacrificing NU academic standards.  Yes, there  
> are some
> guys who have to be developed in college, since NU can't just bring  
> in class
> after class of "5-star" guys.  He has arguably upgraded the talent  
> level and
> is now competing (and winning) against some BCS conference foes  
> (e.g. MSU
> and Nebraska).  And it's no accident that this team doesn't make  
> headlines
> for the wrong reasons nearly as often as many other schools, while  
> almost
> routinely placing members on academic/service teams within the  
> conference
> and nationally.  Oh, and he has this year's team in the hunt for a  
> third
> consecutive year of bowl eligibility for the first time ever at NU.
>
> I, too, would support a drive to build a new stadium (although the  
> idea is
> outlandish considering the financial and physical constraints of  
> NU), but I
> think it's fairly clear that isn't going to happen anytime soon.   
> And using
> a recruiting argument to support a stadium just doesn't work.
>
> Jonathan
>
> On Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM, Dennis W. Brandt <tbng at comcast.net>  
> wrote:
>
>> <I was of the understanding that our style of spread offense could be
>> adjusted to compensate for lesser talent.
>>
>> Just how does one compensate for lesser talent?  If the other guy is
>> faster, he'll run you down.  If he's stronger, he'll over power  
>> you.  If
>> he's more agile, he'll make moves you can't stop or respond in time  
>> to
>> yours.  A given offense may minimize talent differences, but it  
>> cannot
>> overcome them.  NU's football talent has improved, but it is still,  
>> on the
>> whole, of average caliber.  To attract talent, we must build a  
>> quality,
>> on-campus stadium and supporting facilities that will wow a kid on  
>> a campus
>> visit, which is what Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan do every  
>> year.
>> (It will be interesting to see how Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota
>> progress over the next few seasons now that they are playing in new  
>> or
>> updated faclilities.  We may not like the results, but they will be
>> interesting.)  New facilities will not be enough on their own, but
>> recruiting top talent will remain a nearly insurmountable obstacle  
>> as long
>> as we play in ancient, however-renovated, off-campus Dyche before  
>> crowds of
>> 25,000, half of whom are rooting for the other team.  This will be  
>> a slow
>> and often painful building process, and we cannot afford back-sliding
>> seasons as this year's is in danger of becoming. But any goal of  
>> short of
>> putting us into annual contention for the Big Ten title is a waste  
>> of time
>> and money.  I am eager to hear the long-range goals of the incoming
>> administration.
>>
>> 
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