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ESPN.com - RECRUITING - Schlabach: Zook brewing more recruiting magic at Illinois
Yes, but can he coach? ESPN is hyping Zook a lot here… let’s see if he can actually turn all that potential into something this year. Remember, the Illini were in almost every game last year, a marked improvement over the 2005 campaign. GO ILLINI!
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Yikes.
Last night could have gone better for so, so, so many reasons. Let’s start with the play-calling:
1) Yes, Cedric hurt himself very early. But that also prevented him from making more fumbles. We do have some guy named Adrian Peterson as well at the running back position, and I seem to remember him doing pretty well as a fill-in earlier in the year. The Bears abandoned the running game in the second half when they could have taken their time and used the ball control in their favor. In the weather, with the Colts seeming to revert back to their regular season sieve-like defense, I think the run should have been used more.
2) The defensive game plan wasn’t much better. They got to P-e-y-t-o-n early, and then seemed to abandon their plans when they got burnt on the Wayne touchdown. Everyone then started playing way too tight. Did they not realize that the Colts actually had an offense? (BTW, where the hell were the safeties on that play? Hadn’t Phil Simms just finished telling us about how the safeties were 30,000 yards off the ball?)
I know the weather was a factor, but the game was sloppier than it needed to be, and most of the fault lies with our for-better-or-for-worse QB, the Rex Cannon. I thought Rex was actually doing alright until he started slipping and sliding. The fumbles were part nerves, part weather, part inattention to detail, and they drove me crazy. Nothing like killing a drive when you fall down and stay in the fetal position. The first interception was a bad decision. The second interception, however, was the right decision. It was a poorly thrown ball. Rex is so used to Berrian bailing him out that he forgot what it was like to try to hit someone in stride. Berrian was open, and the timing was right. If that ball is thrown 2-3 yards further down the field or gets there a little faster, the Bears are in business. The game was way too much of a rollercoaster for me.
Next year will bring some changes for the Bears. They need to put the franchise tag on Lance Briggs, and resign Lovie to a nice deal. He’s earned it. I don’t have the free agents in front of me currently– I’m sure we’ll talk about it down the road.
And then there’s Rex. There’s already talk that he won’t be the starting quarterback next year. I think an open competition in camp would be a good idea. I also think that he actually did a nice job with the intermediate routes yesterday, something the national talking heads are more than willing to point to on the case of Bad Rex. I have a hard time believing that Angelo and Smith will just drop him– there were plenty of other mistakes made yesterday on both sides of the ball. Rex is just good at killing any momentum. I think next year will bring some changes, but I will not be surprised if #8 is running the show once again. (”Rex is our quarterback. He was 13-4 last year as our quarterback.”)
I thought the game would be closer. I was surprised at how passionate I was at the game. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to actually be there. Frank the Tank and I were a little dazed by the end of it.
On a lighter note, I had a wonderful time at Marc and Beth’s party yesterday. It was a fun time, despite sub-zero weather and the loss. Also, because of wind chills, I have no school today, and you get to read this wonderful (and slightly foggy) post. Enjoy!
How many days ’til pitchers and catchers?
