(12-08-2022 12:48 PM)eastisbest Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 12:14 PM)toledobigmike Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 11:51 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 11:40 AM)toledobigmike Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 08:56 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  Guys, the wheels have completely fallen off at NIU. Its a downward spiral of bad coaching, players leaving, fan attendance shrinking and Huskie stadium is very dated. They cant even run concessions and run out of food. NIU is in big trouble as they just don't have the donor base or the budget to fix this anytime soon. In my eyes, their AD has been asleep at the wheel for years and made some pretty poor decisions.

How do you account for their 2021 MACC if “their AD has been asleep at the wheel?”

Go ask Huskie fans, they are pissed off. That team only won the MAC because they had Rocky Lombardi at QB as a transfer. Same coach was awful the two years prior. Same coach was awful this year with Lombardi out hurt. Now ten players are transferring even with the same coach there, so you tell me?

Fan discontent and program malaise are not necessarily the same thing. Hell, Toledo won the MAC, yet some here view the program as in shambles. With people and money distinctly moving south and west, Midwest programs playing in the shadow of OSU, UM, ND, etc will continue their decline. The MAC was truly awful this season. I detect no resources or methods to stem that downward slide. The year Purdue had is the exception not the rule in West Lafayette. They remain incapable of retaining top tier talent much like the MAC even if their pockets appear four times deeper.

Purdue's pockets are determined by available resources. They're one of the few programs, athletics is separate from the rest of the University. Pre-Brohm, I'd say their fans' expectations of their program were lower than ours, relatively. We are expected to be in the running for the MAC with 10 wins. They are hopeful to have a winning record.

With the success of Brohm, money has been put into the stadium and other athletic supporting functions. Expectations are probably higher but they are not going to dominate that division, let alone that conference. Their conference expectations are still lower than ours but only because that's a rougher road (supposedly).

With the new alignments and coaches coming, the BCantCount West might actually become relevant.

Brohm obviously was good at finding and attracting less recognized talent. The walk-on is not such a rare thing there. Getting Hook out of Indiana was a coup for Candle, IMO. Brohm is also great at conducting a game. He had his missteps this year but generally they play above their weight. Candle can't say that. He's not ready to go until he can say that, IMO.

The most recent cover 3 podcast went over the situation. Bud Eliott chimed in that Candle would be an awful candidate, because Purdue needs someone who can do more with less, and not less with more. Florida's old HC was mentioned as a good candidate.

(12-08-2022 11:51 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 11:40 AM)toledobigmike Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 08:56 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(12-06-2022 06:42 PM)falconplucker Wrote:  QB Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio)
QB John Paddock, Ball State
RB Carson Steele, Ball State
RB Donny Marcus, Ball State
WR Cam Gillentine, Ball State
DB Chayce Bishop, Ball State
RB Shakhi Carson, Kent State
WR Dante Cephas, Kent State
CB Montre Miller, Kent State
RB Harrison Waylee, Northern Illinois
RB Mason Blakemore, Northern Illinois
WR Mason Pierre-Antoine, Northern Illinois
WR Jeremiah Howard, Northern Illinois
WR Mohamed Toure, Northern Illinois
OL Marques Cox, Northern Illinois
DL Jeffrey Griffin Jr., Northern Illinois
CB Jordan Gandy, Northern Illinois
CB Sam Jackson, Northern Illinois
CB Eric Rogers, Northern Illinois
DL Braden Fiske, Western Michigan
RB Sean Tyler, Western Michigan
WR Corey Crooms, Western Michigan
DL Andre Carter, Western Michigan
DL Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
LB Ryan Selig, Western Michigan
WR Dennis Smith, Eastern Michigan
WR Tyree Oneil, Buffalo
DL Joey Fakhoury, Bowling Green
LB Cory Gildersleeve Jr., Central Michigan
DB Charles Amankwaa, Akron
DB Chu Ogbonna, Akron

Guys, the wheels have completely fallen off at NIU. Its a downward spiral of bad coaching, players leaving, fan attendance shrinking and Huskie stadium is very dated. They cant even run concessions and run out of food. NIU is in big trouble as they just don't have the donor base or the budget to fix this anytime soon. In my eyes, their AD has been asleep at the wheel for years and made some pretty poor decisions.

How do you account for their 2021 MACC if “their AD has been asleep at the wheel?”

Go ask Huskie fans, they are pissed off. That team only won the MAC because they had Rocky Lombardi at QB as a transfer. Same coach was awful the two years prior. Same coach was awful this year with Lombardi out hurt. Now ten players are transferring even with the same coach there, so you tell me?

We Dog Pounders, phrasing, are in an a state of negative over reaction. The lows are that much lower when your expectations were maybe too high. Since the 2010's success of the program any deviation form winning is met with a chicken little mentality. Carey won 2 championships and many fans wanted to catapult the guy out of town bc he went 5-3 in conference play one season. Believe it or not the evaluation of Hammock is still incomplete by most. Total rebuild, covid, macc, 3-9. Ham has failed with some of his staff and with some of his recruiting. Now we will see if he can fix his staff and use the portal. And as bad as the MAC West is right now, a healthy Lombardi and Rudolph puts NIU right back in contention while the big man tries to fix his coaching inexperience.

(12-08-2022 11:51 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 11:40 AM)toledobigmike Wrote:  

(12-08-2022 08:56 AM)stpeterocketfan Wrote:  

(12-06-2022 06:42 PM)falconplucker Wrote:  QB Brett Gabbert, Miami (Ohio)
QB John Paddock, Ball State
RB Carson Steele, Ball State
RB Donny Marcus, Ball State
WR Cam Gillentine, Ball State
DB Chayce Bishop, Ball State
RB Shakhi Carson, Kent State
WR Dante Cephas, Kent State
CB Montre Miller, Kent State
RB Harrison Waylee, Northern Illinois
RB Mason Blakemore, Northern Illinois
WR Mason Pierre-Antoine, Northern Illinois
WR Jeremiah Howard, Northern Illinois
WR Mohamed Toure, Northern Illinois
OL Marques Cox, Northern Illinois
DL Jeffrey Griffin Jr., Northern Illinois
CB Jordan Gandy, Northern Illinois
CB Sam Jackson, Northern Illinois
CB Eric Rogers, Northern Illinois
DL Braden Fiske, Western Michigan
RB Sean Tyler, Western Michigan
WR Corey Crooms, Western Michigan
DL Andre Carter, Western Michigan
DL Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
LB Ryan Selig, Western Michigan
WR Dennis Smith, Eastern Michigan
WR Tyree Oneil, Buffalo
DL Joey Fakhoury, Bowling Green
LB Cory Gildersleeve Jr., Central Michigan
DB Charles Amankwaa, Akron
DB Chu Ogbonna, Akron

Guys, the wheels have completely fallen off at NIU. Its a downward spiral of bad coaching, players leaving, fan attendance shrinking and Huskie stadium is very dated. They cant even run concessions and run out of food. NIU is in big trouble as they just don't have the donor base or the budget to fix this anytime soon. In my eyes, their AD has been asleep at the wheel for years and made some pretty poor decisions.

How do you account for their 2021 MACC if “their AD has been asleep at the wheel?”

Go ask Huskie fans, they are pissed off. That team only won the MAC because they had Rocky Lombardi at QB as a transfer. Same coach was awful the two years prior. Same coach was awful this year with Lombardi out hurt. Now ten players are transferring even with the same coach there, so you tell me?

I think you nailed it. Hammock has a very good background in coaching, academic achievements and was a very good player at NIU. But this is his first gig as a head coach. Without Lombardi, they were not a very good team - but managed to win a number of close games throughout 2021. My problem with him is the BS he pulled with the onside kick-offs against Toledo - especially the one with under a minute left in the game and down 20 points. Only good thing is it may have given UT more experience in handling them under live action of a game. Blew it on the first one.

(12-08-2022 01:48 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  [

We Dog Pounders, phrasing, are in an a state of negative over reaction. The lows are that much lower when your expectations were maybe too high. Since the 2010's success of the program any deviation form winning is met with a chicken little mentality. Carey won 2 championships and many fans wanted to catapult the guy out of town bc he went 5-3 in conference play one season. Believe it or not the evaluation of Hammock is still incomplete by most. Total rebuild, covid, macc, 3-9. Ham has failed with some of his staff and with some of his recruiting. Now we will see if he can fix his staff and use the portal. And as bad as the MAC West is right now, a healthy Lombardi and Rudolph puts NIU right back in contention while the big man tries to fix his coaching inexperience.
[/quote]

-------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the perspective. He got a championship, but its always going to be - "what have you done for me lately.." Welcome to the head coaching profession.

I think someone needs to get to Hammock (his wife) and get him to shed about 100 pounds. He's cutting his life considerably short - and with the stress of a head coaching job, he is likely struggling to keep medications at a level that can relieve the likely diagnosed situation with hypertension and quite probably diabetes on top of that. That is a recipe for a stroke. Thought the same with Amstutz, but he's now bearing down on 68 years old and seems to be doing well. Also looked like he trimmed down a bit the last time he was at the Glass Bowl.