It's coaching but it's not coaching

[inward2half]

I'm 44 years old so I'm not an old timer, nor am I a youngster with no historical perspective. What happened today just epitomizes Indiana football, the losingest program in college football history.

At this point I can't even get mad at coaches anymore. At some point losing, and more losing, and more losing just makes you want to throw your hands up.

I know not all of these guys were head coaches but John Harbaugh was an assistant here. He went on to win a Super Bowl. Jim Johnson, one of the best NFL defensive coordinators in history coached here. Sam Wyche lasted a year and went on to the Super Bowl in the NFL. Cam Cameron has been one of the best offensive coordinators in football for the last 15 years. They were all losers here. Cameron was picked for the job over Jon Gruden, who was probably fortunate because he likely would have met a similar fate.

Yes, recruiting has gotten better. It got better under Cameron too but neither coach could ever get a defense to support explosive offenses. Even with improved recruiting, losses like today make it so hard to sustain momentum.

High school coaches in Indiana who have top players couldn't care less about sending kids to IU. They'd rather have the ego boost of sending a kid to UM, OSU, or ND. So, where do you have to go? Other states, grabbing kids that the big schools in those states don't want. I think this staff is good at identifying talent. It still hasn't been enough.

At this point I'm not even mad at Kevin Wilson. He really has no business returning for a sixth year but he may very well benefit from the failure, after failure, after failure, after failure before him. Would I be excited about a new coach? Probably, but I'd also feel for him too because it almost feels like his fate would be sealed before it even began. Kevin Wilson would be a highly sought after OC at a program far better than this one.

I'm sure I'll get responses about Bill Mallory winning here. He did win. He also lost a helluva lot too. 1-15 in the Big Ten in his last two seasons. He benefited from a bad Wisconsin program during most of his tenure and a Penn State-less program for most of his tenure as well. Now we've thrown Nebraska, albeit a shell of what it used to be, into the mix as well.

This team may still go to a bowl game. I have a hard time thinking a 2-6 record in the Big Ten should be bowl worthy, yet I hope it happens. Although at the same time, I think back to 2001 and that very solid Randle El-led team went 4-4 in the conference and didn't go to a bowl.

Heck, at this point I don't even know what I'm writing. I guess we just enjoy the wins, and even losses like against Ohio State, as much as we can. There are fan bases of undefeated teams out there who aren't enjoying their seasons because they are worried that their special times aren't good and because of it they won't win next week.

So, yes, I'm disappointed with Kevin Wilson but I feel for him too. I feel for all of us. It just doesn't even seem fair.

 

[FL33]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

 

[oldcougar77]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

It doesn't start with the fans. It has nothing to do with the fans. Nobody likes losing. The idiots are those who think the fans have anything to do winning or losing.

 

[Lujo1986]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

Really? Which fans are in charge of hiring and firing???

 

[UTFO]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

Explain New England Patriots fans, then.

lol

 

[IUHarselCo]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

This is the dumbest post so far. Seek help...

 

[FL33]

It doesn't start with the fans. It has nothing to do with the fans. Nobody likes losing. The idiots are those who think the fans have anything to do winning or losing.

You say you don't like it , but you go to or watch the games. The money is all the same to the admin. You enjoy losing more than most.

Explain New England Patriots fans, then.

lol

Touche....the turd in the punchbowl of my theory!

I'm downtown this weekend. There will be a lot of them at the game, btw.

 

[FL33]

This is the dumbest post so far. Seek help...

Oct 4, 2015

Welcome, IUHarselCo. Stick around and read about IU football. If you want to see dumb, this is the place to be.

 

[IUHarselCo]

Oct 4, 2015

Welcome, IUHarselCo. Stick around and read about IU football. If you want to see dumb, this is the place to be.

Dude I've been here since Mike started his site before switching it to Rivals. Where were you?

 

[Iudanapoint]

Oct 4, 2015

Welcome, IUHarselCo. Stick around and read about IU football. If you want to see dumb, this is the place to be.

You made a huge contribution to the "dumb". Yesterday's result stunk and Wilson may be on his way out, but the only problem with fans are when dumb ones like you approach your keyboard. Please throw it out now and save yourself further embarrassment.

 

[oldcougar77]

Oct 4, 2015

Welcome, IUHarselCo. Stick around and read about IU football. If you want to see dumb, this is the place to be.

Feel free to never return. The collective and average IQ of the posters here will increase significantly when we get to take you off the list.

 

[gulcherboy]

Hahaha.....Same as always.

It takes 3...4 years max....to evaluate a coach. It takes IU 6+ years. That's why IU will never win.

It starts with the fans. Too many apologists. Too many idiots. You generally get what you deserve.

The fans? Really? Which ticket holder or radio listener or TV viewer missed a tackle or dropped a pass? Which one of those people were on the field for the final 17 minutes? Don't we still play this game on the field? Don't coaches still prepare game plans and players execute (or don't) that game plan?

 

[IUFANMI]

I understand your frustration & unfortunately agree with most of your post. My freshman year was Sam W. only year, then Bill M.'s winless year was my sophmore year, & by the time I graduated, we were making strides forward. Why was that?

Coach Bill M. gave us some of the best years in IU football history, but he was also had the luxury of OSU being in a flux, as well as, other schools going through a transition. That window closed quickly & he started losing at an alarming rate.

If you go to the coaches hot seat website, it is clear that IU goes cheap on coaches. When you stack-up IU's coaches vs. the rest of the country, we hire typically hire good coaches with no-HC expereince. Why? They are cheaper and might be the next coming. How has that worked for us the past couple of decades?

We know from basketball that talent follows coaching more than programs ie. Look at the struggles that M. Davis had bringing local talent to IU. Top talent did not want to play for Davis even though we have multiple banners. So, IU football is set-up for losing on both ends - no-name coaches & bad program - not a good recipe for success.

Nothing against CKW, but what top talent wants to play for a guy with no winning pedigree. Coach Bill M probably had the best reputation of any coach hired in the last 30 years & we had some success.

You can't change our record for the last 50 years, but what about hiring a winning coach for a change instead of some potenetial miricale worker who has no chance for success.

 

[Iudanapoint]

I understand your frustration & unfortunately agree with most of your post. My freshman year was Sam W. only year, then Bill M.'s winless year was my sophmore year, & by the time I graduated, we were making strides forward. Why was that?

Coach Bill M. gave us some of the best years in IU football history, but he was also had the luxury of OSU being in a flux, as well as, other schools going through a transition. That window closed quickly & he started losing at an alarming rate.

If you go to the coaches hot seat website, it is clear that IU goes cheap on coaches. When you stack-up IU's coaches vs. the rest of the country, we hire typically hire good coaches with no-HC expereince. Why? They are cheaper and might be the next coming. How has that worked for us the past couple of decades?

We know from basketball that talent follows coaching more than programs ie. Look at the struggles that M. Davis had bringing local talent to IU. Top talent did not want to play for Davis even though we have multiple banners. So, IU football is set-up for losing on both ends - no-name coaches & bad program - not a good recipe for success.

Nothing against CKW, but what top talent wants to play for a guy with no winning pedigree. Coach Bill M probably had the best reputation of any coach hired in the last 30 years & we had some success.

You can't change our record for the last 50 years, but what about hiring a winning coach for a change instead of some potenetial miricale worker who has no chance for success.

Most of the IU football hires over the last few decades have been head coaches before they got to IU. Pont, Corso, Mallory, DiNardo, Hoepner, and Lynch all were head coaches before IU. It's not a magic cure.

 

[Hoosier-n-KY]

I understand your frustration & unfortunately agree with most of your post. My freshman year was Sam W. only year, then Bill M.'s winless year was my sophmore year, & by the time I graduated, we were making strides forward. Why was that?

Coach Bill M. gave us some of the best years in IU football history, but he was also had the luxury of OSU being in a flux, as well as, other schools going through a transition. That window closed quickly & he started losing at an alarming rate.

If you go to the coaches hot seat website, it is clear that IU goes cheap on coaches. When you stack-up IU's coaches vs. the rest of the country, we hire typically hire good coaches with no-HC expereince. Why? They are cheaper and might be the next coming. How has that worked for us the past couple of decades?

We know from basketball that talent follows coaching more than programs ie. Look at the struggles that M. Davis had bringing local talent to IU. Top talent did not want to play for Davis even though we have multiple banners. So, IU football is set-up for losing on both ends - no-name coaches & bad program - not a good recipe for success.

Nothing against CKW, but what top talent wants to play for a guy with no winning pedigree. Coach Bill M probably had the best reputation of any coach hired in the last 30 years & we had some success.

You can't change our record for the last 50 years, but what about hiring a winning coach for a change instead of some potenetial miricale worker who has no chance for success.

So you're saying we need to hire Spurrier or Sarkisian? Good luck with that unless you have Cuban on speed dial.

 

[IU Scott]

It doesn't start with the fans. It has nothing to do with the fans. Nobody likes losing. The idiots are those who think the fans have anything to do winning or losing.

When recruits see a half empty stadium on their visits and those fans leave after halftime then yes fans has some responsibility for this.

 

[Kendallville Comet]

Where are we going to find a coach with a better pedigree than Wilson? Why would any up-and-coming coach want to come to IU? And why would a current head coach come here? Hoeppner (sp?) came the closest to turning the program around, or at least getting it headed in the right direction. But he was unique, or nearly so.