Sorry I haven’t been with you in a while. I spent the bulk of last week working on my part of a special section devoted to new Illini football coach Bret Bielema that is set to appear in Friday’s edition.
On an icy Monday afternoon, there are so many topics to write about. Here’s some of what is on my mind (scary up there):
Making a dateIllinois fans, there is a reason to watch the Super Bowl. And not just to boo Tom Brady.
Actually, I am over my disdain for the former Michigan quarterback. Partly because the 43-year-old is no longer with the New England Patriots, one of my least favorite pro franchises. And partly because he is the closest in age to me of any current NFL quarterback. I am not old enough to be his dad.
Last point about Sir Tom: He is the most amazing player at his position in NFL history. To go from the Patriots to the Buccaneers at a late age and lead Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl in Year 1 is mind-blowing.
Back to the original point: Nick Allegretti.
The former Illini captain is now a starting left guard for the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Allegretti got all sorts of praise from the CBS announcing team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo during Sunday’s 38-24 win against the Bills in the AFC championship game in Kansas City. The same crew will be calling the Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 7.
No matter what happened to him in the NFL, the 24-year-old Allegretti set himself up for life by working hard in school.
He couldn’t have dreamed up a better scenario, playing in Super Bowls his first two seasons.
If he can avoid injury, Allegretti looks like a guy who can play more than a decade at the highest level.
No real surprise that he is doing well. Allegretti is a part of a great, hard-working family. I was confident he would do everything in his power to make it in the NFL.
Nice to see good things happen to people who put in the time and effort. Makes you think there is a reason it is all working out for him.
Normally, I would pick Brady in the Super Bowl. But Patrick Mahomes appears healthy, so I am taking the Chiefs.
If Kansas City wins, Allegretti joins former teammate Ted Karras as recent two-time champions. With perhaps many more rings on the way.
In the books
Bielema completed his 10-person Illinois coaching staff by hiring Kevin Kane (outside linebackers) and George McDonald (receivers) last week.
Bielema put together a group with an appealing combination of youth and experience.
Other than holdover Cory Patterson, Bielema hired coaches from Appalachian State, Missouri, Arizona, North Carolina State, Air Force, Wyoming, Purdue, Vanderbilt, SMU and Army.
The coaches figure to have no trouble walking into most high schools and homes across the country. Recruiting, even in a pandemic, is the key to turning the Illinois program around.
Bielema now has the people in place to help make it happen.
Again, a warning to overeager fans: This is not a one-year turnaround. It will take time.
But the program is in much better shape today than it was two months ago.
Familiar face
It was great to see McDonald return to C-U. Well, on Zoom at least.
I knew McDonald back in the day. I was at every open practice during his final three seasons at Illinois in the late 1990s.
When I asked McDonald a question, it wasn’t like talking to a stranger. Which he acknowledged.
“You covered me when I was playing,” McDonald said with not a hint of, “You are really old.”
I can’t wait to shake hands with McDonald and the rest of his new colleagues. Actually, just being in the same room with the new staff will be a treat. No rush. Vaccines for everyone first.
Many of the coaches McDonald mentioned as mentors are people I have worked with, too: Ron Turner, Greg McMahon, Buddy Teevens, Dan Roushar, etc. Nice to reconnect after all these years.
Say it ain’t so, P.J.
Just when I was starting to feel good about P.J. Fleck, he is rumored to be one of the lead candidates at Tennessee.
Why would you leave the bone-chilling temperatures of Minneapolis for Knoxville? Personally, I wouldn’t. Fleck has a good deal with the Gophers, where expectations are reasonable and the rewards are great.
And no offense to Knoxville, which is a wonderful place, but Minneapolis/St. Paul is unbeatable, except for the weather. And they have heaters everywhere.
Tennessee has been a mess since the days of Phil Fulmer. Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt all got run out of town. After Lane Kiffin left town. Not in a nice way.
Maybe it will be the perfect place for Fleck. But if the school hires him, it will need to keep a short list of potential replacements.
I’m not sure what Fleck’s ultimate goal is for his career, but I can’t believe it is Tennessee.
Hoop dreams
Did I miss something? Has the Illinois basketball team played more of those secret scrimmages?
It seems like forever since the 19th-ranked Illini were last on the court. Actually, it was just a week ago that Penn State came to town.
Illinois missed road games earlier in the month at Nebraska and Michigan State because of positive COVID-19 cases for the Cornhuskers and Spartans. Brad Underwood’s team is doing all the right things and staying healthy. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in the rest of the conference.
It would have been fine with the fans and media had Illinois scheduled back-to-back games with Iowa. But my guess is the coaches wouldn’t have loved the idea.
So, here come the seventh-ranked Hawkeyes back to the State Farm Center. A month and a half short of the one-year anniversary of the 2020 classic, won by Illinois.
No matter what happens Friday night, here’s hoping we get to see a rematch in the Big Ten or NCAA tournaments. Or both.
Wrestling with success
Not that anyone can see them, but Jim Heffernan’s wrestlers are off to a great start this season. Four wins so far, two decided by three points or less.
And now, Heffernan’s team will take on the nation’s best, when it visits No. 1 Iowa on Sunday. Never mind that Iowa is Heffernan’s alma mater.
Michigan was supposed to be there too, but the nation’s No. 2 team has COVID-19 issues.
It’s that kind of year.
The wrestling season is supposed to end with the NCAA meet at its favored venue in St. Louis. Knock on wood, the sport will be able to cross the finish line.
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