(05-15-2017 09:47 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 09:25 AM)geef Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 08:32 AM)doss2 Wrote:  A person who lives in the same gated community the other day told me his son in law is an assistant AD at to$u. There him he has played golf etc. with Luke. The assistant AD and the father in law both think Luke is great and confirmed the general opinion in the athletic community is that "The coach formerly known as TT" was on early retirement at UC.

Said Luke is great at recruiting and motivating but game management needs some work. Also said they would not be surprised if Luke stayed 10 years unless one of two jobs were offered. One would be to$u, but said a second chance might not be in the cards. The other would be ND because Luke and family are very devout Catholics.

Some might say, "the same neighborhood". Not doss.

I did that just for the reaction. It worked.

Yep, it further solidified my opinion of you.

(05-15-2017 09:55 AM)geef Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 09:47 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 09:25 AM)geef Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 08:32 AM)doss2 Wrote:  A person who lives in the same gated community the other day told me his son in law is an assistant AD at to$u. There him he has played golf etc. with Luke. The assistant AD and the father in law both think Luke is great and confirmed the general opinion in the athletic community is that "The coach formerly known as TT" was on early retirement at UC.

Said Luke is great at recruiting and motivating but game management needs some work. Also said they would not be surprised if Luke stayed 10 years unless one of two jobs were offered. One would be to$u, but said a second chance might not be in the cards. The other would be ND because Luke and family are very devout Catholics.

Some might say, "the same neighborhood". Not doss.

I did that just for the reaction. It worked.

Yep, it further solidified my opinion of you.

"Just for the reaction" is the by the book definition of an internet troll. Not that that needed further proof in this particular case.

(05-10-2017 01:33 PM)@ES Trader Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:25 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 12:07 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 12:03 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 11:34 AM)ThinkBigPine Wrote:  Remember when USA Today gave UC an F grade for coaching hires?

Athlon ranked Fickell 10th out of the 12 AAC coaches.

I'm sure there are some concerns about his in-game coaching and things of that nature. I think his time at the helm at OSU will prove to be an unfair comparison. In the categories we can grade him on so far like recruiting, building a culture, and making good coaching hires, it seems like he is knocking it out of the park.

So true. Fickell stepped into an almost impossible situation at Ohio State that year, taking over after Jim Tressel resigned just 3 months before the season started. Plus it's not like the Buckeyes were that horrible that season. They went 6-7, beat two ranked teams, and 6 of their 7 losses were by a touchdown or less.

Seems like Fickell held the team together with duct tape fairly well and that season certainly shouldn't be representative of his coaching abilities at Cincinnati.

Not to mention the time he has had to continue to grow under urban plus bringing in his own experienced coaching staff. Dont forget our conference situation either.

I will say that I was skeptical with the hire but the coaching staff he has assembled and recruits he has signed so far is changing my mind. How poor of a coach can he be? Its not like he is going to run a 5'7" 165 lbs guy up the middle 3 straight times and punt right?

As a coach he cant be worse than what we just left at the curb.

Oh, with the tough schedule UC has this year, the record will suffer and people here will find something to ***** about.

(05-15-2017 11:08 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:33 PM)@ES Trader Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:25 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 12:07 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 12:03 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  Athlon ranked Fickell 10th out of the 12 AAC coaches.

I'm sure there are some concerns about his in-game coaching and things of that nature. I think his time at the helm at OSU will prove to be an unfair comparison. In the categories we can grade him on so far like recruiting, building a culture, and making good coaching hires, it seems like he is knocking it out of the park.

So true. Fickell stepped into an almost impossible situation at Ohio State that year, taking over after Jim Tressel resigned just 3 months before the season started. Plus it's not like the Buckeyes were that horrible that season. They went 6-7, beat two ranked teams, and 6 of their 7 losses were by a touchdown or less.

Seems like Fickell held the team together with duct tape fairly well and that season certainly shouldn't be representative of his coaching abilities at Cincinnati.

Not to mention the time he has had to continue to grow under urban plus bringing in his own experienced coaching staff. Dont forget our conference situation either.

I will say that I was skeptical with the hire but the coaching staff he has assembled and recruits he has signed so far is changing my mind. How poor of a coach can he be? Its not like he is going to run a 5'7" 165 lbs guy up the middle 3 straight times and punt right?

As a coach he cant be worse than what we just left at the curb.

Oh, with the tough schedule UC has this year, the record will suffer and people here will find something to ***** about.

Tough schedule? Seriously? AP, Miami and Marshall OOC? Sure UM will xitch slap us.

Our conference schedule is much easier than last year.

How is that a tough schedule?

(05-15-2017 08:32 AM)doss2 Wrote:  A person who lives in the same gated community the other day told me his son in law is an assistant AD at to$u. There him he has played golf etc. with Luke. The assistant AD and the father in law both think Luke is great and confirmed the general opinion in the athletic community is that "The coach formerly known as TT" was on early retirement at UC.

Said Luke is great at recruiting and motivating but game management needs some work. Also said they would not be surprised if Luke stayed 10 years unless one of two jobs were offered. One would be to$u, but said a second chance might not be in the cards. The other would be ND because Luke and family are very devout Catholics.

If Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires, then ND is the graveyard of coaching careers -- a place where dream jobs turn into nightmares. I can understand Luke wanting the OSU job and would wish him well if and when that opportunity arises, but devout Catholic or not, he should stay away from ND.

(05-15-2017 12:01 PM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 11:08 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:33 PM)@ES Trader Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 01:25 PM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote:  

(05-10-2017 12:07 PM)robertfoshizzle Wrote:  I'm sure there are some concerns about his in-game coaching and things of that nature. I think his time at the helm at OSU will prove to be an unfair comparison. In the categories we can grade him on so far like recruiting, building a culture, and making good coaching hires, it seems like he is knocking it out of the park.

So true. Fickell stepped into an almost impossible situation at Ohio State that year, taking over after Jim Tressel resigned just 3 months before the season started. Plus it's not like the Buckeyes were that horrible that season. They went 6-7, beat two ranked teams, and 6 of their 7 losses were by a touchdown or less.

Seems like Fickell held the team together with duct tape fairly well and that season certainly shouldn't be representative of his coaching abilities at Cincinnati.

Not to mention the time he has had to continue to grow under urban plus bringing in his own experienced coaching staff. Dont forget our conference situation either.

I will say that I was skeptical with the hire but the coaching staff he has assembled and recruits he has signed so far is changing my mind. How poor of a coach can he be? Its not like he is going to run a 5'7" 165 lbs guy up the middle 3 straight times and punt right?

As a coach he cant be worse than what we just left at the curb.

Oh, with the tough schedule UC has this year, the record will suffer and people here will find something to ***** about.

Tough schedule? Seriously? AP, Miami and Marshall OOC? Sure UM will xitch slap us.

Our conference schedule is much easier than last year.

How is that a tough schedule?

With regards to OOC, UC is replacing Purdue with Michigan, and Miami is an away game. Miami improved last year as the season progressed. With a new coach, I suspect this will be a "down" year for UC and this may be the year Miami breaks its losing streak.

Miami rated #1 in the graph of ease of schedule with highest number of returning starters for 2017. They will do well this year against their powder puff schedule but they shouldn't be a threat to beat UC.

(05-15-2017 12:58 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Miami rated #1 in the graph of ease of schedule with highest number of returning starters for 2017. They will do well this year against their powder puff schedule but they shouldn't be a threat to beat UC.

Here's the only stat that matters for next season.

2017 UC Football - Returning Starters
Coaching Staff - 0

SMU and UCF will both be tough at home as each will be improved. Both run spread offenses and will ring up a lot of points this year with their now experienced QB's. Both have dynamic young coaches. Temple is a ? with its new coach and new QB, but their defense should again be very good. They were a very disciplined team under Matt Rhule and I wouldn't expect too big of a fall-off. Navy and USF on the road are LIKELY LOSS and LOSS. At Tulane and at ECU; each is a toss up. UCONN at home is a UC win. We are a 7-5/4-4 team unless either Hayden Moore or Ross Trail takes a big step this season. This assumes we beat Miami and Marshall, and this year Miami cannot be taken for granted. They should be a good football team, especially at home and with revenge on their minds after UC has owned them for over a decade.

(05-15-2017 09:55 AM)geef Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 09:47 AM)doss2 Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 09:25 AM)geef Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 08:32 AM)doss2 Wrote:  A person who lives in the same gated community the other day told me his son in law is an assistant AD at to$u. There him he has played golf etc. with Luke. The assistant AD and the father in law both think Luke is great and confirmed the general opinion in the athletic community is that "The coach formerly known as TT" was on early retirement at UC.

Said Luke is great at recruiting and motivating but game management needs some work. Also said they would not be surprised if Luke stayed 10 years unless one of two jobs were offered. One would be to$u, but said a second chance might not be in the cards. The other would be ND because Luke and family are very devout Catholics.

Some might say, "the same neighborhood". Not doss.

I did that just for the reaction. It worked.

Yep, it further solidified my opinion of you.

I would say there's a 75% chance that doss is actually in his 20's. Doss does not have any actual money, he is a pauper who is free-riding it in his friend's basement.

(05-15-2017 01:24 PM)vabearcat Wrote:  SMU and UCF will both be tough at home as each will be improved. Both run spread offenses and will ring up a lot of points this year with their now experienced QB's. Both have dynamic young coaches. Temple is a ? with its new coach and new QB, but their defense should again be very good. They were a very disciplined team under Matt Rhule and I wouldn't expect too big of a fall-off. Navy and USF on the road are LIKELY LOSS and LOSS. At Tulane and at ECU; each is a toss up. UCONN at home is a UC win. We are a 7-5/4-4 team unless either Hayden Moore or Ross Trail takes a big step this season. This assumes we beat Miami and Marshall, and this year Miami cannot be taken for granted. They should be a good football team, especially at home and with revenge on their minds after UC has owned them for over a decade.

Excellent assessment. It's a season that could swing either way as there are just too many unknowns right now. Anything less than 7-5 and there will be broken legs for a few fans jumping off the bandwagon. But we can't underestimate the task before Fickell. He's had a total rebuild on recruiting, player conditioning, team discipline and probably offensive and defensive game plans. Butch Jones had a rocky start and great turnaround year two. I think we're all hoping that Fickell makes course corrections for a faster turnaround.

Somewhat related, I'm pleased with the love that Fickell is getting from the folks up north and he appears to have successfully leveraged both his Ohio roots and his OSU connection to our benefit. What I don't like is a few OSU fans whose remarks drip with condescension--along the lines of helping little brother (UC) and preparing Fickell to succeed Urban someday. Maybe that happens. No one could criticize Fickell for jumping to any top five job after a few years, should he be wildly successful here. But we're not OSU's farm team preparing a coach to be called up to "the majors" when they have a need.

Let's look forward to a day (very soon we hope), when Coach Fickell's UC team can take down a Nebraska or UCLA and win the biggest game in the the state of Ohio on a given Saturday. Go 'Cats!

(05-15-2017 01:24 PM)vabearcat Wrote:  SMU and UCF will both be tough at home as each will be improved. Both run spread offenses and will ring up a lot of points this year with their now experienced QB's. Both have dynamic young coaches. Temple is a ? with its new coach and new QB, but their defense should again be very good. They were a very disciplined team under Matt Rhule and I wouldn't expect too big of a fall-off. Navy and USF on the road are LIKELY LOSS and LOSS. At Tulane and at ECU; each is a toss up. UCONN at home is a UC win. We are a 7-5/4-4 team unless either Hayden Moore or Ross Trail takes a big step this season. This assumes we beat Miami and Marshall, and this year Miami cannot be taken for granted. They should be a good football team, especially at home and with revenge on their minds after UC has owned them for over a decade.

This is a pretty fair assessment. Last year's team was probably the worst Bearcat team I've seen since 1998 and we shouldn't assume a W over anyone-- including Miami, OH. Yes the 2005 and 2010 Cats also only won 4 games, but the eye test tells me those two teams would have rolled last years club. They could not score on anyone (including struggling against TN-Martin for most of the game). The QB situation and the OL is a major issue for us and on the other side of the ball our linebacker corps is thinner than a silver dollar pancake.

I think 7-5 is a very likely outcome for the season. The teams you mentioned (Miami, SMU and Tulane) have all improved. We haven't really won much on the road in the past few seasons.

I can't wait to enjoy UC football again, but it will probably take a couple seasons.

(05-16-2017 08:29 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(05-15-2017 01:24 PM)vabearcat Wrote:  SMU and UCF will both be tough at home as each will be improved. Both run spread offenses and will ring up a lot of points this year with their now experienced QB's. Both have dynamic young coaches. Temple is a ? with its new coach and new QB, but their defense should again be very good. They were a very disciplined team under Matt Rhule and I wouldn't expect too big of a fall-off. Navy and USF on the road are LIKELY LOSS and LOSS. At Tulane and at ECU; each is a toss up. UCONN at home is a UC win. We are a 7-5/4-4 team unless either Hayden Moore or Ross Trail takes a big step this season. This assumes we beat Miami and Marshall, and this year Miami cannot be taken for granted. They should be a good football team, especially at home and with revenge on their minds after UC has owned them for over a decade.

This is a pretty fair assessment. Last year's team was probably the worst Bearcat team I've seen since 1998 and we shouldn't assume a W over anyone-- including Miami, OH. Yes the 2005 and 2010 Cats also only won 4 games, but the eye test tells me those two teams would have rolled last years club. They could not score on anyone (including struggling against TN-Martin for most of the game). The QB situation and the OL is a major issue for us and on the other side of the ball our linebacker corps is thinner than a silver dollar pancake.

I think 7-5 is a very likely outcome for the season. The teams you mentioned (Miami, SMU and Tulane) have all improved. We haven't really won much on the road in the past few seasons.

I can't wait to enjoy UC football again, but it will probably take a couple seasons.

You aren't going to be able to enjoy this year? If the team shows any energy on the sideline, it will translate into the stands.

^^ Poor phrasing on my part. Yes I will enjoy the product if we have more energy and "smarter" football.

What I should have said was it will take a couple years to get back to playing like champions.

Besides, it will take a lot more than energy. Winning obviously counts more. I recall the 2006 team that beat USF to a pulp, at a nearly empty Nippert. Not a flashy offensive game by any means, but probably one of the better defensive games I've witnessed in the last two decades out of a UC team.

I don't recall but I believe that team was 8-5.

Coming off a 4-8 season combined with a transition year plus inexperienced leadership and more personnel questions than answers equals we really shouldn't be counting ANY game as a win. well except Austin peay who were 0-11 at 1AA last year.

That said, as a fan this is an extremely exciting season due to all the questions. Maybe not exciting in the sense of expecting a championship, but more in the unknown. I still maintain belief that our overall talent is above average within the conference. Looking at the big picture and I wouldn't be surprised by nearly any outcome. Should be fun to watch, and even in the worst case scenario we'd still have reason for optimism as fickell and staff will only get better at running the show and improved recruiting locally and throughout the state is already very exciting!

Hope for the best, but be ready to stay the course if things aren't clicking this year. the example used earlier about butch jones first season was a great example.

Comparing 2017 to 2010? Really

Losses:
@ Fresno 14
@ NCS 11
@ PBS lost by 2 to OK because our WR had the fumbles
USF by 8
Syracuse by 24
WVU by 27
@ UConn by 21
Pitt by 18

Beat:
Rotgers
@UL
Miami
ISU

That team playing this years schedule would be 8-4 at worst.

(05-16-2017 01:22 PM)doss2 Wrote:  Comparing 2017 to 2010? Really

Losses:
@ Fresno 14
@ NCS 11
@ PBS lost by 2 to OK because our WR had the fumbles
USF by 8
Syracuse by 24
WVU by 27
@ UConn by 21
Pitt by 18

Beat:
Rotgers
@UL
Miami
ISU

That team playing this years schedule would be 8-4 at worst.

I believe you completely misunderstood the analogy.

we're comparing expectations for the season. that team went 4-8 in a transition season before rebounding for 2 straight big east titles.