Tate & Turpin chat: 11 a.m. Monday
Monday, November 16, 2009 - 11:00am
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Chat with the hosts of "Saturday Sportsline" and "Monday Morning Quarterback."
Hello again. Here we go.
Who was behind replacing the Sweet Sioux Tomahawk trophy with the Land of Lincoln Trophy? Pure political correct nonsense! The kind of thinking that results in 13 people dead at Fort Hood, but I digress
Bill, it seems to us that the UI administration is doing everything possible to erase references to Indian culture. The Tomahawk is struck down by the same political correctness that felled Chief Illiniwek. Loren and Jim
Loren, love the chats, but what happened to Tate's Take?
Mike, the answer is simple. I do whatever I am asked to do. I serve at the pleasure of others. Loren
I was at the game saturday against NW and simply don't understand the performance of the coaching staff.
1)I watched the whole game observing NW complete 9 yard short out patterns. Can you not make an adjustment and stop it?
2)NW had a great offensive game plan. Why is our game play selection so bad?
3)I thought the constant personnel changes at QB were really bad. If Juice is ready he should play, good or bad. Magee will never be good enough to play, WR is a good option. Start Charest, then finish with him, good or bad.
4)I thought our talent was much better. I put this loss on the staff.
I want Zook to stay. He is a great recruiter. He needs a competent staff. Can he learn and become better?
A Suffering Illini Fan, Randy
Randy, you are asking questions that we hear week after week, and we don't have any more answers than anyone else. The pass defense has for years appeared too soft. They are playing the way Zook wants them to play. It is his defense. As for the QB situation, Charest had a bad first half and probably needed to sit back and watch for awhile. He said he benefited from sitting out.
Why, we wonder, do people think the UI's talent is so much better? Is it really?
Jim and Loren
After Saturday's game I have several questions, most center on coaching decisions:
1. At this late stage in the year why is there such a revolving door concerning the kick returners ? Every game and for that matter every kick seems like someone is new. I don't buy the injury reason either. 2. Did you agree with going for 2 after the first td ? Premature tries for 2, if they don't work can be killers. The question concerns itself with coaching judgment. 3. One of the Illinois timeouts (amazing we used all three ! ) was AFTER Northwestern made a first down or went out of bounds. Did not understand. 4. Why was Justin Green's redshirt year burned ? He makes cameo appears and then disappears. What could Zook be thinking ? A terrible waste of a year. 5. Cordale Scott- hype was immense, but after 2 years only play special teams AND has he caught a pass? 6. Last but certainly not least, the play calling on the two TD drives, this was a topic during the call in show after the game, and the WDWS crew dismissed the criticism of Schultz by saying the offense scored in a short period of time, obviously true, but the number of futile running plays called during these drives was ridiculous ! Hope you guys heard the boos, they were loud and clear. Fans are upset with Schultz because he does not call enough plays to take advantage of his players skills- ie Juice is a better long than short passer. The frustration of Illini nation with our OC is immense.
Steve, you are burying us with so many questions. Are you really worried about who returns kicks? Does it make a difference?
2. Asmussen didn't like going for 2. We were OK with it.
3. The clock starts on out-of-bounds plays until the last two minutes of each half. That rule came in a year or two ago.
4. Yes, his redshirt year was burned.
5. Scott has yet to catch a pass. If your expectations are high, they you're paying the price for believing recruiting experts.
6. The reason they ran those plays is because they thought they could catch the defense napping, and they THOUGHT the plays would work. Fans boo. That's what they do.
Steve, you practically took up our entire half hour. Jim and Loren
is simpson the best rebounder ,shot blocker on the team?
Mike, it is not clear whether Simpson can play effectively at this level. Jim and Loren
Who has the power to fire Gunther?
Zook needs to go now.
Juice, are you serious? We need someone that can pass, wish Whitmer could start against Cincy. At least give Charest the plays to get ready for next season.
Greg, the president and the Board of Trustees have that power.
Lots of fans are thinking about next year. The team is thinking about Cincinnati, and want the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win. Jim and Loren
Loren,
Have you rethought your support in the last week of Guenther to continue as AD in 2010?
Selling, this is a complicated question and is dependent on whether Guenther is willing to extend his stay. Yes, in my opinion, Illinois will be better off if Guenther continues as AD. But in this "blame somebody" culture, the feeling against him is growing strong. There is a lot more to his job than the Saturday performance of the football team. Loren
Where is Destiny Williams and when can we expect her to play? How are the illini women shaping up in recruiting?
Gary
Gary, Williams played 7 minutes at Temple, and was held out of the Siena game by the coach. She is evidently unhappy and her future at Illinois is cloudy. Jim and Loren
Has there been a rule change in the last couple of years that I must have missed. I notice especially in the last 4-5 minutes of football games, when someone goes out of bounds or is tacjkled out of bounds the game clock stops. Then when thee refs spot the ball, the game clock starts again. I don't remember this happening in the past. Is this something they put in to speed games up, or what. On another note, I think we should have ran the ball on 4/th and 1 yard instead of passing the ball. Quarterback sneak or Leshore, Ford, for the first down, spike the ball and regroup. Thank you
Uofeyefan, as mentioned early, the rule changed some time ago, and the clock doesn't stop permanently on out-of-bounds plays until the last 2 minutes of each half.
No offensive play caller can possibly satisfy everyone on every play. It is hopeless. The complaints against Locksley were strong, and they are even stronger against Schultz. Jim and Loren
What is Pat Fitzgerland doing as a coach that we are not? I was at the game Saturday and from the stands it looked that at least physically we were evenly matched but the Northwestern players had more energy and drive and better body language comparing the two sidelines.
They were also more disciplined. To me better coaching was the difference between the two evenly matched teams and I fear for next year if Zook stays which is likely.
Tom, you can't judge players by looking at them on the field.
NU players have always appeared more disclipined for some reason. It is ironic that some Chicago writers (Jim O'Donnell) think that Northwestern has underachieved. The interesting question is whether Fitzgerald, who played there, will remain at NU if he gets a better offer from some other team that actually draws fans. Jim and Loren
Loren, there's a rumor going around that they're going to cut a hole in the top of the Assembly Hall, obviously keep it covered with a giant piece of plexiglass, and then do flyovers prior to basketball games. I really feel like this will help the Illini get pumped up. Any word on if this is true? Look, if Illinois gets basketball flyovers, you might as well just hand Bruce Weber the national title now. Ain't no stoppin' an Illini squad hyped by flyovers!!
Flight Fan, we heard the same thing. Years ago a blimp flew around the Assembly Hall prior to the games, but unfortunately it crashed. Oh, the humanity. It was worse that the Hindenburg. Jim and Loren
How big of a loss is Moore for the womens basketball team?
Looked like she had some potential to have a good season
Ken, this is a major loss. She was a good-looking freshman and would have figured heavily in the rotation. She is especially strong on the perimeter. Jim and LOren
Why did Dufrene start the first and second halves? I haven't seen Dufrene make a big play in weeks, if not months, and Mikel is obviously the better back. I know there are bigger issues but why tinker around with an inferior player and start your horse on the sideline?
Adam, it's a good question. Why did Dufrene start most of the early games? There isn't much difference between the running backs, but Leshoure has proven, to us at least, that he deserves the most carries. Maybe they used Dufrene with McGee because they practiced together and were familiar with each other. Jim and Loren
After the latest (and now no bowl) loss how do both of you feel regarding coaching, additions, subtractions and/or a total overhaul for the football team. I'm frustrated, disgusted and just generally dissapointed (probably along with 95 plus % of the fanbase) with the season and outlook for 2010. Thanks
Wayne, look out Wayne, I (Loren) used 90 percent and got in trouble.
We are still looking for reasons to be optimistic about next year, and we haven't found any. Loren and Jim
Why didn't Leshoure, who had a good first half with 77 yards, only get 1 carry in the 2nd half?
Tom, see previous answer. We are asking the same thing. It just worked out that way. We have two quality sophomore running backs, and in our opinion we should keep the ball in their hands. Jim and loren
How long does Zook stick with Juice against Cincinnati? This game will be over before the end of the 1 quarter. Juice is to one dimensional.
Carll227, Illinois will be a big underdog regardless of who plays quarterback. The debate is whether you let seniors (who have earned their positions) continue to play, or go with youngsters with an eye toward next season. We think you owe it to the seniors, and should play the individuals who give the Illini the best chance to win. Jim and Loren
The talent might be good, but the question is how dumb are these players? We can see how dumb the coaches are. Is there an outside chance Zook could be replaced?
Carl, it seems unlikely that there will be a head coaching change. Guenther has indicated there'll be changes, but not at the top. But the entire matter will be evaluated after the final game. Jim and Loren
In your opinion, is it better to be loyal to a senior and start Juice for the final two games or prepare for next year and give Charest the game experience?
Ryan, repeated, we favor playing the individuals who give Illinois the best chance of winning, regardless of their year in school. Jim and Loren
Dufrene gets 6 carries compared to only 13 for Mikel. This coaching staff continues to amaze me every week. Does Mitchell decide who gets to carry the ball?
Thanks, everybody, we're out of time. No game next week. Maybe we can talk some basketball. Jim and Loren