NIU players discuss going from Kill to Doeren


Interesting. I know there is room for many different approaches to work in college football, but the contrast of both these coaches essentially swapping leagues (kinda like the TV program WIFESWAP) could be telling.

Do you need a calming influence to be successful in the Big Ten? Do you need to bark orders at a 2nd tier FBS conference team to be successful? I’m going to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.
 

Interesting. I know there is room for many different approaches to work in college football, but the contrast of both these coaches essentially swapping leagues (kinda like the TV program WIFESWAP) could be telling.

Do you need a calming influence to be successful in the Big Ten? Do you need to bark orders at a 2nd tier FBS conference team to be successful? I’m going to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.
I think a coach needs to do what feels natural to them and stay consistent in that style.
 

Quotes from the NIU website on their first practice. It will be interesting to watch their season especially the 9/17 contest with Becky in Chicago. They could have another very good season and seem to be loaded on offense led by Sr. Chandler Harnish at QB.

"Northern Illinois returns 48 letterwinners and 14 starters off the 2010 team that won 11 games and finished the season with a dominating performance in the Humanitarian Bowl over Fresno State. Now the returning players, along with the 27 players who redshirted last season, will use spring to acclimate to their new coaching staff while working to "get better every day."

This is an example of the attitude that we can expect from a Coach Kill team based on the level of intensity installed in the NIU players.

"The thing I loved was the effort and the intensity," said Doeren after his first practice as NIU head coach. "They sprinted out the door; they couldn't wait to get on the field. Those are the things I was hoping to get - great effort and great attitude. We have guys that want to get better.

"They are a group of guys that work hard. Everything you ask them to do they try to do. They are hungry, they are true to what they say. It was great to get them out on the field today. "
 

Interesting. I know there is room for many different approaches to work in college football, but the contrast of both these coaches essentially swapping leagues (kinda like the TV program WIFESWAP) could be telling.

Do you need a calming influence to be successful in the Big Ten? Do you need to bark orders at a 2nd tier FBS conference team to be successful? I’m going to grab some popcorn and enjoy the show.

Agreed! Each coach needs to be true to their style, the proof is in the W-L column.
 


Momentum...

"The thing I loved was the effort and the intensity," said Doeren after his first practice as NIU head coach. "They sprinted out the door; they couldn't wait to get on the field. Those are the things I was hoping to get - great effort and great attitude. We have guys that want to get better.

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Right now Doeren is riding a big wave of Kill-inspired enthusiasm and team-building...sprint here, sprint there...full speed...no loafing...get better every day, etc.

Maybe the NIU football gods will award this effort and attitude with a W vs Becky.

With essentially a completely new coaching staff, will NIU's high energy/effort level persist throughout the season?

As Kill likes to point out, the Gopher season is a "grind" of academics/football with the reward for high energy/effort being hard earned BT W's. And, if all goes better than expected by most here, perhaps a decent bowl bid.

Just like he did at NIU and unlike Doeren's situation, Kill's on a familiar rebuilding path of identifying and developing players who he thinks can measure up to his challenge, but he's also said that it's going to be a very rocky path through the BT West given Minny's depth-limited starting point.
 


I think along with stability, when there is a coaching change, you have a tendency to try and hire what the greatest need of the team is. In MN's case, Kill's stability and in the face energy was desperately needed to go along with his proven experience.
 

I think it was a good article. It wasn't bad for either coach, but just showing the contrasts of style.

It will be interesting to see if Coach Doeren can continue the focus and energy of the UNI football program? It is pretty apparent not only is he loving what he walked into, but the hope that Minnesota will soon taste those fruits of that labor also.

UNI is a program that is on stable ground, but Minnesota on the other hand is a rebuilding job. Hopefully Coach Kill continues his rebuilding magic!
 



I once heard someone say "you're not in trouble when the coach yells at you, you're in trouble when the coach STOPS yelling at you." If he's still yelling, he hasn't given up on you.
 

I think it was a good article. It wasn't bad for either coach, but just showing the contrasts of style.

It will be interesting to see if Coach Doeren can continue the focus and energy of the UNI football program? It is pretty apparent not only is he loving what he walked into, but the hope that Minnesota will soon taste those fruits of that labor also.

UNI is a program that is on stable ground, but Minnesota on the other hand is a rebuilding job. Hopefully Coach Kill continues his rebuilding magic!

I'm not aware of any connections that Kill or Doeren have with Northern Iowa.
 

“Coach Doeren makes a big fact that you’re against them, they’re your enemy kind of thing,” Butler said. “So when we see white (jerseys), from the defense’s standpoint, we just think enemy. And the offense does the same thing.”

Interesting approach how he is pitting the O vs D so heavily at NIU. Can work real well when things are going well during the season if your team is winning, however if NIU struggles on O or D during the season it can result in a lot of finger pointing. Not saying it will happen but when your O needs your D to help pick them up (or vise versa) it may not happen the way you would hope.
 

Haha my bad, I mean Northern Illinois. Remember I'm still getting over college basketball and I have been reminded Northern Iowa enough lately. ;)
 



"The thing I loved was the effort and the intensity," said Doeren after his first practice as NIU head coach. "They sprinted out the door; they couldn't wait to get on the field. Those are the things I was hoping to get - great effort and great attitude. We have guys that want to get better.

-----------

Right now Doeren is riding a big wave of Kill-inspired enthusiasm and team-building...sprint here, sprint there...full speed...no loafing...get better every day, etc.

Maybe the NIU football gods will award this effort and attitude with a W vs Becky.

With essentially a completely new coaching staff, will NIU's high energy/effort level persist throughout the season?

As Kill likes to point out, the Gopher season is a "grind" of academics/football with the reward for high energy/effort being hard earned BT W's. And, if all goes better than expected by most here, perhaps a decent bowl bid.

Just like he did at NIU and unlike Doeren's situation, Kill's on a familiar rebuilding path of identifying and developing players who he thinks can measure up to his challenge, but he's also said that it's going to be a very rocky path through the BT West given Minny's depth-limited starting point.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I think that with the number of returning players from last season, their energy/enthusiasm carried over from Kill.
 

Its also a different situation - Doeren is coming in to replace a successful coach who left [voluntarily]... Kill coming in to replaces a failed coach who was fired mid-season. Very different situation. One needs to make changes and make then now... the other would be wise to observe a bit before making massive wholesale changes or turning the dial up to eleven.
 




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