There is an surprising amount of negativity for Jerry Kill around here. If you examine all the points of view that have been posted throughout the season then the conclusion is the majority around here essentially think Kill sucks.
I don't share that point of view. I'm not about to annoint Kill as great, but I'm also not going to throw him under the bus. What doesn't compute to me is the fact that Saint Joe left Kill with a program in decline in terms of results on the football field (folks, NIU was 2 and friggin 10 in 2007 in case you don't remember) as well as in recruiting (Novak's last two recruiting classes were bad, as in among the poorest in the MAC bad).
The critics of Kill should have a field day in 2009 because the NIU football program will likely struggle in a clear cut rebuilding year. It's quite possible we might struggle to get to even 4 wins.
Sidenote....Can someone kindly tell me how in the heck I get rid of the big black horizontal box that sits atop the screen when I am on this site? This new format chops off the top portion of what I am trying to read.
(12-30-2008 01:53 PM)Nigel Incubator-Jones Wrote: [ -> ]Sidenote....Can someone kindly tell me how in the heck I get rid of the big black horizontal box that sits atop the screen when I am on this site? This new format chops off the top portion of what I am trying to read.
Just wait with the rest of us. It is a development issue.
At least Novak knew how to run a game. Kill needs to pull his head out his rear end. Yes I am giving him time, but some of the game management this year was simply unacceptable. I hope Kill recruits well.
(12-30-2008 02:00 PM)HuskiemobileMan Wrote: [ -> ]At least Novak knew how to run a game. Kill needs to pull his head out his rear end. Yes I am giving him time, but some of the game management this year was simply unacceptable. I hope Kill recruits well.
Exactly right.
The problem with Kill isn't the record or how the team played, players are what they are, the problem is how he coached during the game.
Kill unfortunately ended up coaching in a lot of close games in his first year, and his biggest weakness as a coach is time management. Put two and two together and your'e gonna have some unhappy fans.
Tech would snap the ball with 15 seconds left. NIU took it to the wire each time. It is much easier for a defense to get a jump when you take the time clock down so far every time. This has to change.
What's going to happen in 2009 when NIU is likely to really struggle for wins in a rebuilding year? Kill is in line for some unfair withering criticism next season. I hope he has thick skin because it should get interesting.
The things he is being questioned for have nothing to do with how good the players on the field were. Those questions shouldn't come up for at least another two years.
No one is questioning him because Chandler Harnish made bad throws. It's not his fault the kid couldn't hit a wide open receiver or that Britt Davis has concrete hands. No one is questioning him for not making blocks on the OLine either.
He's being questioned for the things he does control, clock management and personnel use and to a lesser extent play calling. Things he did very poorly in his first year at this level. Nothing unfair about that.
Any coach at the Division-I level needs to have thick skin.
End O' Subject.
(12-30-2008 02:36 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote: [ -> ]Kill unfortunately ended up coaching in a lot of close games in his first year, and his biggest weakness as a coach is time management. Put two and two together and your'e gonna have some unhappy fans.
When Kill's Salukis came to NIU in 2007, he was able to control the clock enough to let SIU score a late TD to win the game.
I think we can agree that 2009 will be rough (barring a minor miracle) and it will become even rougher if our recruiting class is mediocre or worse.
Forget everything else for the moment, Kill needs a good class here...and not one that just the kool-aid drinkers deem good. I don't define good, at least at the onset, as having the ability to find the diamond in the rough...all the coaches in the MAC must do this. Show me some players that we really landed.
One last thought: It was us that changed Britt from QB to reciever. Perhaps HE would have been much better to us than Dan N.? Just a thought.
(12-30-2008 03:18 PM)Huskie_Jon Wrote: [ -> ] (12-30-2008 02:36 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote: [ -> ]Kill unfortunately ended up coaching in a lot of close games in his first year, and his biggest weakness as a coach is time management. Put two and two together and your'e gonna have some unhappy fans.
When Kill's Salukis came to NIU in 2007, he was able to control the clock enough to let SIU score a late TD to win the game.
And they were clearly the better team that year. They should have won by more.
There was no controlling the clock in that game, it was a frantic comeback. That has no parallel's to the many mistakes Kill has made in regards to time management this year.
On balance I would say this coaching staff did a real nice job this year. They need to step back in the offseason, look at what went right and what went wrong and make adjustments, and I'm sure they will do just that. This was a learning year for them to be coaching at this level. Clearly they need to get plays in faster and use timeouts more wisely but that doesn't seem so hard to fix. If they continue to make some of the same mistakes next year then I would say the criticism is valid. They also need to look at the playcalling, particularly in the red zone. Maybe things that worked at the FCS level don't work here, or maybe they'll have the complete offense installed next year and that will make a difference. They also need to figure out how Ball State and Central Michigan were able to move the ball at will against us and make adjustments. I'm optimistic for next year. I expect 8 or more wins. They should go at least 2-2 in nonconference so that's one more win, then pick up one more in the MAC.
It’s kind of humorous reading the posts about Coach Kill and the NIU Football program on this message board. Especially the posts from those that are “Stuck in 2003,”.thinking that NIU is still 10-2 and ranked in the top 20…..They blocked out of their mind the collapse of the program over several years to 2-10…The reason for the collapse was RECRUITING….
That was the major problem for the team this year. The lack of quality or impact players (RECRUITING)….There is no better example of this than at QB. We have four upper class QBs. Harnish is starting because he is the best…Harnish played well considering his lack of quality wide receivers and other players surrounding him. Oh yes, he is a freshman (something many on this board forget)….
Jerry Kill did what all great first year coaches do. They win more games than the previous year and do it with the players he inherited.…….
Were there disappointments this season? There were many, Ball State, Navy. And LA Tech. I thought we played well against, Minnesota, and Tennessee, considering the difference in talent…..
The bottom line is simple. When Jerry Kill is sitting in the Ads office in his first year review. It will be like this. Kill took over a dismal team that was 2-10 and turned the program around to 6-6 and received a bowl bid. This is one of the better turn around in college football this year…….He will have to significantly upgrade the recruiting of quality and impact players….
Will NIU win more games next year, than this year? ABSOULTLY…….
..............................................GO HUSKIES.............................................
Warning: Math Alert
I don't know how familiar everyone is with Bill James and his Pythagorean Expectation, but there is a similar formula for football, with 2.64 as the exponent.
Getting rid of the FCS game, for 2007 our expectation was 2.2 wins out of 11 games (we had 2). If you include the game with SIU, we were expected to win 2.6 wins out of 12 (which we still won 2).
In 2008, getting rid of the FCS game, our expectation was 7.1 wins out of 12 games (we had 5), and if you include the game against ISU, our expectation was 8.9 wins out of 13 games (we had 6).
So we underperformed a lot in 2008 compared to 2007. Sure some of it could be luck, but I think a lot can be attributed to poor coaching.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_expectation
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/52725...an-theorem
(12-30-2008 03:46 PM)HuskiemobileMan Wrote: [ -> ] (12-30-2008 03:18 PM)Huskie_Jon Wrote: [ -> ] (12-30-2008 02:36 PM)HuskieFan84 Wrote: [ -> ]Kill unfortunately ended up coaching in a lot of close games in his first year, and his biggest weakness as a coach is time management. Put two and two together and your'e gonna have some unhappy fans.
When Kill's Salukis came to NIU in 2007, he was able to control the clock enough to let SIU score a late TD to win the game.
And they were clearly the better team that year. They should have won by more.
You must have been comatose at that game. Everything that could go SIU's way went their way in the last 10 minutes of that game, from recovering an onside kick, to a WR catching a tipped ball that was even intended for him. NIU had a decent lead and sat back and let SIU back into the game, just like we did vs. Eastern Michigan that year. Don't know how anyone who saw that game could say SIU should have won by more.
But, the thread is about Kill's time management. SIU had an experienced team that year. NIU's offsense, or more specifically their QB, was very green. Always had to look at the play list on his arm, every play. Hopefully, next season, Harnish will know the plays better and can more effeciently run the offense. Still may not be enough for it to equate to more W's if we cannot develop a downfield passing game.
The one thing that worries me about Jerry Kill is his ability to recruit. If anything will be his undoing in DeKalb it probably will be that. The recruiting wars in the MAC (especially the West) are getting ferocious. Central Michigan and Western Michigan have been recruiting like demons for a couple years. Ball State under Brady Hoke was definitely getting the job done of late too. And historically speaking Tom Amstutz was a solid recruiter at Toledo, but we don't know how his successor will do.
I look ahead to 2009 and see a NIU team in definite rebuilding mode and with once again a challenging schedule. Hard at this stage to predict number of victories, but my guess expectations will be in the 4 or 5 win category.
Overall, it is VERY INTERESTING to me to see so many of you be already sour on Jerry Kill. I've got to believe some of you will be unfairly beating the drums to have him fired if indeed 2009 is a season of struggle.
It's so amazing how often fans extoll a coach as walking on water following an unexpectedly strong performance and outcome then turn like snakes following a frustrating loss & finding fault with every stroke a coach gulps water when drowning in his own perceived ineptitude.
Tell me more particulars re: time management details, please.
Kill stressed in practices since last spring the need to hurry up and always be ready for the next play.
He rode a few players rather hard at times, particularly Salerno. Teams are a reflection of their leader.
(BTW : Have we learned why Salerno was pooch punting for the 15 yard debacle? Also., did you listen to Kill's pregame press conference: No turnovers and don't kick to Livas will improve chance for victory. How prophetic. }
If a coaching professional has been at his game 24/7 for years and is less able to manage a game than are fans in the stands, you godda also question the questioners.
I dont recall reading or hearing many other reputable criitcs outside of the Dog Pound questioning his time management. No coach is perfect but Kill's pluses far outweigh any of the sniping underway.