When last we left Pat Fitzgerald and Northwestern football, he was helping Chicago break new ground in hosting the NFL Draft. The event’s final day included a special, unique moment when Fitzgerald, serving as an analyst for NFL Network’s live broadcast, witnessed one of his players getting selected. Safety Ibraheim Campbell went to the Cleveland Browns while Fitz was getting his color commentating on.
It was a proud moment in Fitzerland.
For the first time ever, the NFL Draft was held outdoors (day three only), and accompanied by a massive interactive fan festival named “Draft Town.” That’s where Fitz was stationed that fateful Saturday.
It might appear that we’re giving too much attention to this, but it underscores the greater point-
Northwestern football had a very quiet, uneventful off-season. There was no talk about Kain Colter, CAPA, unionization, collective bargaining, labor relations board etc.
This wasn’t 2014.
Also, we didn’t have any suspensions, guys getting kicked off the team, transferring, season ending injuries etc. This offseason was just the way Northwestern football fans wanted it- nice and boring.
Northwestern football players coming to Big Ten Media Day:
Traveon Henry, Sr., S
Christian Jones, Sr., WR
Dan Vitale, Sr., SB*
Offense:
QBs– Conventional wisdom is that the job is Clayton Thorson’s to lose. He’s a dual threat, and that’s extremely critical to running the Northwestern attack. The reason we had to endure the “quarterback 1a and quarterback 1b” soundbite so much in recent years is because there was just one thrower (not to be confused with Willie Thrower) and one runner in the years since Dan Persa left. (And Persa himself lost a lot of his mobility after the achilles injury)
It’s best for all involved with Northwestern football that they find one guy, the same guy, to do both. The QB derby is still officially completely wide open, but this offense doesn’t work well when you have a single threat QB. It can really thrive though when you have a dual threat taking the snaps from center.
I know this is greatly simplifying things, but honestly, there isn’t much more to it. “It’s not rocket science, it’s brain surgery,” as C. Montgomery Burns once said.
WRs- Will Christian Jones be himself again, after sitting out 2014 with a medical redshirt? If he’s convalesced 100% then he might have have a breakout year like striker Harry Kane did with Tottenham Hotspur. Jones is a big Spurs supporter; hence the reference to the hero of White Hart Lane.
NU has been plug ‘n’ play at this position group during the Fitzgerald era, making stars of no names like Andrew Brewer and Zeke Markshausen. Jones is better than a lot of those obscure guys though; so he might have a special year.
RBs- The strength of the team, with Justin Jackson being NU’s star player. He’s just a sophomore too; so the sky’s the limit. Quoting Monty Burns again regarding the Fire Department, “they’re new, but they’re good.”
OL- Question mark of the offense. Losing Brandon Vitabile hurts. If you are one of the many who believes that Offensive Coordinator Mick McCall shouldn’t have been brought back this season, here’s where he can prove you wrong. Or not.
Either way, this is where McCall can justify his retention.
Defense:
Line: I’m higher on this group than I have been in recent years. Getting Sean McEvilly back will be huge, and it’s easy to project good performances from Deonte Gibson and Dean Lowry. Now, if only Ifeadi Odenigbo could start producing in line with his recruiting rankings; then you’d really have something up front.
Linebackers- If Northwestern football is headed back to a bowl, it will be decided right here. There’s turnover at this position, but there’s also potential. NU lost four one-possession games last season; to make up the gap it’s up to the new LBs to carpe diem. Ever since his breakout game at Penn State, I see good things for sophomore Anthony Walker.
Secondary- Replacing Campbell is a tall order, but CB Nick Van Hoose is a solid player to lean on here. The Wildcats secondary is usually ball-hawking, and those TOs can be make-or-break. This year’s Northwestern football pre-conference schedule is tough. They have two Academic Quiz Bowls versus Duke and Stanford. If they’re going to pull off the upsets, they’ll need the secondary to make a lot of big plays.
Bottom Line:
After elevating themselves to a program which appears in bowls regularly, Northwestern is coming off back-to-back 5-7 seasons. Yes, injuries had a lot to do with that, but so did the fact that their opponents seem to have solved the schematic advantages NU once had. What’s more troubling is that Fitz made no changes to his staff this offseason; despite the fact that the program appears to be sliding back a little.
They’ll have to break in a new signal caller, and there’s plenty of issues with the group up front who will be blocking for that new, to be determined, starting quarterback. Six or seven wins sounds very accurate, but it’s highly unlikely the Wildcats exceed that mark.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook