Saw this article by Teddy:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-0113-northwestern-football--20110112,0,3198543.story

As a NU fan, I couldn't be more pleased. Does Fitz's coaching skills warrant this type of attention? Probably not yet. But it does signal a HUGE shift in the school's administration with the way it deals with athletics. The hiring of AD Jim Phillips and the recent appointment of Morty Shapiro (an avid sports nut) as school's president was the beginning. It's a seismic shift to get the folks in Evanston behind the level of investment needed in people and facilities to take this program to the next level. It's an arms race.

I'm not saying that Fitz is such a great coach. All I'm saying is that he is a perfect fit for NU. His a boy scout (or at least the media has painted him that way) and is a great face of the program. He's a blue collar Chicago native, which hopefully should help connect the city with this very accessible program. He's a very good recruiter. Do we have a ton of 4 star recruits? No. But we used to get all the other B10 teams' cast offs. Now we are actually in the final couple of schools for people who end up going to Ohio State and Notre Dame. That's a big improvement. I also love that the guy never ever makes excuses for the academic hurdles. He's not your best X's and O's guy, but give the guy enough time and I'm confident that will come.

But to make my point clear, it's not Fitz that I'm excited about. It's that the administration realizes this is an area that they WANT to compete effectively in. It's one thing to say it, it's quite another to lay down the Benjamins. Go Cats... Go Fitz.

This is a bad move IMO. What happens if they program goes down in 4-5 years? You fire the golden boy? What if Fitz decides one day he wants to take over another place? He tells dad that he quits? You don't have to have a contract to be a lifer - you just have to sign the extensions. Ask JoePa how that works.

You gotta take that risk. He's the best fit for our program and you have to take that risk, IMHO. Obviously he can break the contract, but its a clear signal from the administration that they appreciate his loyalty and it will be rewarded. The comments about PSU taking serious looks at Fitz are very real. You laugh, but I know folks fairly close to that program and they absolutely love Fitz. I'm a homer and I don't even like him that much. But don't miss the point, this move signals a seismic shift in what NU's administration has done in the past regarding paying its coaches.

BTW, did you support the decision to cut Ferentz a big check to keep him when he was getting overtures from the NFL? You can't emphasize enough how much the risk of transition at the head coach position can negatively impact recruiting. It has the potential to be a downward spiral for any program. Methinks Io_a did the right thing.

That's a lot of faith for a guy who has a losing record in Big Ten games.

I understand why he's so popular and I'd be excited to have him as my coach but the results and the perception of him seem to be significantly out of whack. If they were to happen to lose Fitzgerald to the NFL or another school I don't think the drop off would be that much and if they are willing to pay him significantly more they could attract another high quality coach.

Good for Northwestern for willing to pay more for a coach but my guess is that one way or another Pat Fitzgerald doesn't retire from coaching as NU's coach.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

First off, they seem to be doing the same for Carmody. I'm unsure why. Fitz makes sense because he made the program relevant and got them to their first Jan 1 bowl in quite a while (though they are still trying for their first bowl win since 1949).

As for Ferentz, it made sense at the time but it still would not have surprised me if he would have left. Seriously I'm surprised he is moving towards being a lifer.

Carmody is the first or second most winningest coach in Northwestern history. In other words, he's the tallest midget. I agree that the contract extension seems silly. However, having a coach under contract is a necessity these days, particularly in recruiting. Frankly, if Carmody was a good recruiter, I would think this would make sense, but he's not... so it doesn't.

Other than the unfortunate first year that Fitz took over (when he had crappy personnel anyway), he's been outstanding. I suppose it is all relative. But given our talent pool, facilities, fan base... there is no coach in the Big Ten that has done more with less. And that is worth something. No one in the Northwestern Football community (other than perhaps the ones on crystal meth) have delusions of consistently competing for the Big 10 crown. However, I think with decent investment, there is no reason why we can't consistently occupy that second tier of teams. We just don't want to go backwards... we've been there and it is not fun. And given our resources, NU should be in the cellar. I happen to think that Barnett, Walker, and now Fitz have done a good job of distancing us from that Dark Ages 1980's era.

I'll take that bet. A bottle of 12 year old Glenfiddich sounds like a good bet.

You would have to think with Fitzgerald, they will get that bowl win one year and I imagine a couple more after that.

I was suprised like most that Carmody got an extension, been there awhile and no NCAA tournament apperances and already this year, not off to a good start.

The problem with that bet is that until Pat Fitzgerald is no longer able to walk I'd never have to pay. You, on the other hand, would have to pay when he leaves or is fired.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Where else can you never get to the tournamnet in a decade... A DECADE... and still be considered one of the best coaches in the school's history? But Boilermaker Rick is letting me defect... Boiler Up (Toot toot) Boiler Up (Toot toot).



Oddly enough I'd still take the bet

Fitzgerald is not as good as either Walker or Barnett. Still, he is a decent coach who will never embarass the school and he views it as a destination. I would think NU would be hard pressed to find these three qualities in any other coach in the country. They might as well reward him.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

But he may be as good as they were at his age. More important, he doesn't see NU as a stepping stone. If he did, he might be in Ann Arbor.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

He may also think he's currently not prepared to handle the pressure there and win enough games.

The Michigan job sucks because unless you beat Ohio State at least 30% of the time you will be fired within 5 years and Tressel is not likely to leave unless it's a Pete Carroll "get out before you are caught" situation.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

What's your basis for evaluation? Both Barnett and Walker achieved successes but also so their talent level and record go south afterwards.

That's what I meant when I wrote, "he views it as a destination".

I'd have to look at the comparative ages. I remember Walker having some good success at Miami O. Barnett was an assistant on a national championship program. Either way, I think Fitz getting the original job with little experience and security as a young man will result in stunting his growth as a coach. I think what you see today is way you will get, an enthusiastic person who believes in the mission and gets that most out of his players...while going 7-5 or 8-4 in good years built on a cupcake OOC schedule. This is acceptable to me as a person who grew up in the Francis Peay days and it probably is for most alums.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

As both of the above, I believe it is not. Watching them win three Big 10 Championships in a six year period will do that to you though.

Would you really like to debate Barnett? He may be a scum sucker but he ushered in this modern eara at NU. The place was perenially one of the worst teams in all of college football. He rebuilt the program, taking them to two big bowl games at a time when getting to those games meant something. There is no question Barnett was better.

Walker, is a little more open to debate. Still, Walker had

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I don't see how NU could be anything but satisfied with a guy Michigan was extremely interested in.

_________________
Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Barnett... as much as he left a bad taste in your mouth, he did take the program with the longest Division 1 losing streak and put them in a close game against USC in the Rose Bowl. I'd say that is a good coach. But be wary of confusing a good coach as a good X's and O's guy. Walker was better than both. He was one . Fitz has hired some great coordinators and he is an excellent recruiter. He also brings a marketing angle to Northwestern's program that both Walker and Barnett never had.

Just remember that "coach" is more than the guy who makes halftime adjustments and sends in plays from the sidelines (most head coaches don't do that anymore anyway). It's marketing, recruiting, lobbyist for funds, hiring, and general "representin"

Win and the rest follows.

Fitz will keep NU in the perpetual "nice little story" category.

The program has had some sustained success. It is really time for it to mature into a perennial top 25 nationally and top 3rd of conference. Those are really some attainable goals for a program with the characteristics of NU.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.