Northwestern University Athletics
The Skip Report: Midweek Musings
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Northwestern is in the midst of a focused week of practice, and Skip Myslenski reports on what they're doing to be as prepared -- mentally and physically -- as possible when they take the field Saturday vs. Michigan.
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Back on Monday, at his weekly press conference, Pat Fitzgerald discussed what had to be done in the wake of the 'Cats collapse at Iowa. His job, he said, was "To get our guys to bust their tails." Their job, he said, was "To work (their) butts off at practice to get better and get (themselves) ready to play." If that happened, he said, "I believe we can win every game that we play."
None of that was surprising. But then, notably, he added this. "We've got to get our guys to have that kind of confidence and then go play in the moment each play that way."
So is the team's confidence level an issue, he was asked on Wednesday.
"Well, yeah," he said. "When you get your fanny whipped, yeah, it should be. That's natural. You've got to go back to work and the guys did. The energy level's been good (at practices). They've been working hard to execute what we're trying to do. (But) there's still, in my opinion, way to many guys on this team, every day is their first day. That's our problem right now. We have way too many guys where it's things that we've covered and covered and covered, and they still go out and make the same mistakes. We're just going to keep coaching the heck out of them.
"That's our number one problem. Our inconsistency is because of our guys inability to progress into being what sounds like a very simple term, but it's called being a football player. If every day is the first day, it's really hard. And we have too many guys, it's really hard right now. There's no magic pill to that. It's like a light switch. It's either on or it's off. For me, early in my career when I was inexperienced, that's the way it was. You're just hanging on to your butt. You're just hanging on.
"We've got too many guys right now hanging on, and I don't have enough competition to be able to pull `em. So, to answer your question, that's where we're at. We're just going to keep grinding. That's all you can do."
Back on Monday, after he followed Fitzgerald onto the stage, defensive end Deonte Gibson was asked about the 'Cats' anemic pass rush against the Hawkeyes. "Guys weren't trusting their moves and their instincts," he answered. "It was a lack of aggression across the board, pass rushing-wise. We've got to get back to that this week. Guys got to trust themselves when they're out there more in the pass rush game. Just trust that they're capable of making a play."
Center Brandon Vitabile was another who succeeded Fitzgerald on Monday and he was asked about the Hawkeyes' torrid start in their game. "We didn't do a great job responding to that," he answered. "That starts at the top, from senior leadership going down. I know I've got to be more positive with the guys on the boundary. On the field, just know that if we run things the right way and do it the way were coached to do, we'll be successful. It's that simple. But you start trying to second-guess yourself, you start trying to hit a 10-run home run when you can't. I'm not going to go back there and run 60 yards for a touchdown. I've got to block somebody, that's my job. So I've got to do the best job I can do at that. When people get away from doing their job, that's when we struggle."
So that lack of trust noted by Gibson, that trying-to-do-too much noted by Vitabile, does that result from a lack of confidence or a lack of maturity?
"It's probably both. It's a combination," Fitzgerald said Wednesday. "It's fun. I'm having a blast. You guys might not think I am. You might think I'm crazy. But I'm crazy enough to think we can win every game that we play and I'm trying to get these guys to believe that."
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Fitzgerald, on more than one occasion, has called these 'Cats an immature team, which gave resonance to this other nugget he dropped on Wednesday. "I think you learn a lot everyday. Everyday is something different," he said here. "It's hilarious. Stacy (his wife) asks me every night, `How was your day?` I'm like, `You don't have enough time for me to tell you.` My day starts this morning bright and early with a one-on-one with a player. I've had more one-on-ones with players on Mondays than any other year that I've been head coach. It is what it is, and you just keep grinding. I believe in 'em. I've just got to get them to believe in themselves. That's the fun challenge."
It is to be assumed the one-on-ones were at his request?
"Oh, yeah. We've had plenty of principal-office conversations. There's plenty of guys in the principal's office."
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There was absolutely no sugar coating by Fitzgerald on Wednesday, a point proven when he was asked how he thought his receiving corps had played the last two weeks.
"Horrible," he said. "But we're going to coach 'em."
Dropped passes? Wrong routes?
"Sure. Keep going. Horrible. But we're not going to stop coaching them. A lot of guys in that group, that's who I'm talking about. Every day is the first day. It's fun to work with a group like that."
In more prosaic matters:
• Middle linebacker Collin Ellis, who has not played since suffering a recurring injury late against Minnesota, will sit again Saturday when the 'Cats host Michigan.
• Safety Ibraheim Campbell, who was injured in the Penn State game, was expected to play against the Hawkeyes, but sat after feeling some tightness in pre-game warmups. He has practiced this week and Wednesday, when asked his chances of playing against the Wolverines, he said, "I feel good. Until I feel otherwise, the chances are pretty high."
• Asked about his two injured seniors, Fitzgerald said, "I think Collin's in as good of a place as he could be. He's been really good. He was hard on himself in my last couple meetings with him. He really feels like he's got to do more with Anthony (Walker, the redshirt freshman who has replaced him). To me that's a guy, it's really important to him. Then Ibs is just battling to get out and play. It's a tough challenge. But their attitudes have been phenomenal. That's all I can ask."
• Among those who have not practiced this week are receivers Miles Shuler and Stephen Buckley and running back Solomon Vault.
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