No doubt....this has been a difficult year for Illini fans. 

I did have some concerns coming into this year about the Illini  offense improving enough to overcome what happened during the 0-6 skid at the end of last year.  When you look at it...the Illini are simply not scoring enough points to win games.  Throw out the 44 points scored against a poor Charleston Southern opponent...and the Illini have not scored any more than 24 points against any opponent in 13 months.  The same issues that plagued them at the end of last year (allowing too many sacks, lack of deep passing game, etc) have not been fixed this year.  While the Illini defense was solid last year....the Illini still lost 6 in a row. Now even with some returning starters...the defense is allowing too many points to give the offense a chance to keep up. When the offense struggles...the defense is on the field too much...gets run down...and you get into a vicious cycle.

Throw in a seemingly endless number of injuries...and making mistakes at crucial times...and that is how you lose 12 of the last 15 games going back to the middle of last year.

Tim Beckman told me before the season started that he was really concerned about the lack of depth at key positions on the football team.  He also said that if the Illini had a lot of injuries...it would be really tough to overcome.  He has been proven right about that.

There are a couple of things to be optimistic about however. The steady improvement of Donovonn Young. The emergence of Mason Monheim.  The potential return of Corey Lewis this year and next (for a 6th year). Jonathon Brown's continued excellent play.  I also thought the pace of the offense early against Indiana is what Coach Beckman had at Toledo (one of the top offensive teams in the nation the last couple of years)...and with his own recruits coming in and adding much needed depth over the next few years to run that offense...I think things can and will improve for Tim Beckman and the Illini.  

I think most coaches prefer their recruited student-athletes stick with one sport...but in some cases...if the relationship is good between the coaches...things can be worked out.  Think about Kyle Hudson a few years ago.  He was an excellent baseball player for the Illini baseball team...but also was a pretty good receiver for Ron Zook's football team as well.    I think that coaches of all sports are willing to look at two-sport athletes on a case-by-case basis...and if that person can help both teams...then they are open to sharing that person with another sports team.   Not always the case...but at Illinois...I have seen it work.  Northwestern had a similar case with Arby Fields a few years ago (running back/ outfielder). Seemed to work well there also.

Kurt is usually more alert to sideline demeanor than I am.  I have lots of things to watch for...score, where the ball is on the field....who has the ball...etc. 

As former player(s)...both Kurt Kittner and Jerry Hester are pretty quick to pick up on body language for the football/basketball teams.  Early in the year.....I think the Illini tended to be pretty quiet on the sideline...but I thought at Wisconsin they played with real excitement for each other when big plays were made (Steve Hull interception for example-they mobbed him). I havent noticed any arguments between players and coaches during games...but then again...I am not necessarily locked in on that when announcing a game either.  I will say that if you watch any sporting event...during the heat of battle...you can find some pretty animated discussions going on between coaches and players.

One thing noticeably different for me is the age of the coaching staff. Dustin Ford, Jamaal Walker and Paris Parham all played basketball in the mid to late 90's.  I am 7 years older than  head coach John Groce.   Wow....

I thought the offense had good spacing and the players were taking open shots when they become available.  I think that John Groce is looking for an agressive style on offense and defense and I thought early against Lewis University they showed that on both ends of the floor. 

I liked what I saw the other night.

 How that translates into wins in Big Ten Conference play...in a hostile environment like Madison or West Lafayette or Ann Arbor when the heat is on.... and the crowd is roaring........we will see. 

I think you will see some immediate improvement.  Matt Bollant and his staff had a LOT of success in Green Bay and I think they will have some success this year.  How much remains to be seen.  The exhibition opponent the other night wasnt very good (40 turnovers)...but I was impressed with the aggressive play on both ends of the floor and the way they attacked the basket.

Jim,

Thanks so much for listening...and for your kind comments about the radio broadcasts!

I am always hopeful.  I do agree that it was a bit of a gamble when Ron Guenther insisted on new coordinators...(Petrino and Koenning) and paid them a lot of money. The gamble seemed to be working until Oct 8th of last year (6-0 start...bowl eligible for 2nd straight year).  Of course we all know what has happened after that.

The lack of depth on the roster  is the biggest thing hurting the Illini now (especially with all the injuries...forcing young players to step in before they are ready). . Tim Beckman hopefully can fix that over the next couple of years and then mold the team into what he and his staff  think it should look like.  

I dont know if the 22-pound weight loss has come up in any discussions between Mike Thomas and Tim Beckman.  I know this season has been stressful on a coach who has been with a lot of winning programs in recent years (Ohio State, Oklahoma State for example).  Obviously.... he has to take care of himself physically and eat properly.  I have heard his wife Kim is a really good cook!