Observations of a Transplanted Buckeye

Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Points
6
I have been following Gopher Football for the last several years and while I am thrilled with Coach Kill and the Progress made but I do have several concerns. They are as follows:

1. Coach Kill and Staff track record in bowl games. I believe that Jerry and his staff are currently 0-5 in bowl games. I realize that sometimes you can be matched up against a superior team but the concern I have is there appeared to be a lack of preparation against Syracuse and Missouri. This year there were so many fundamental mistakes that the game became a "sad comedy of errors" on our part. The 3 fumbles by the QB, muffed punt return, 2 fumbles by Cobb that he recovered on his own, dropped passes, the mental errors such as the roughing the passer call on 3rd and incomplete, the LB play in quarters 2-4 was atrocious. We had a LB in perfect position to stop the fake punt and he failed to make the play. The team simply looked like an 8th grade team and with Jerry's record in bowl games I am hoping he will reach out to friends such as Gary Patterson in the coaching fraternity to see if they can identify what we are doing wrong in our preparation for bowl games. This game was a significant setback to the program.

2. Gary Pinkel's staff took us to school. Normally I would stack Jerry and his staff up against any in the country but we were badly beaten on the chalk board in this game. We dominated the 1st quarter and they made adjustments and Missouri took the game over. They had scouted us well with the fake punt and the onside kick and they executed both to perfection. Obviously, Missouri was well prepared and the aggressor. We should have been prepared for them taking Cobb "out of the game" with their defensive scheme and we clearly weren't.

3. Recruiting. Harbaugh and other big names in the coaching profession will be calling several of our commitments for 2015 and I hope we are buttoning things up on the recruiting front as the day of backing off of committed athletes in the BIG Ten is over.

4. Commitment of the fans to building the program. Have you seen the facilities at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oregon? Jerry Kill is at a significant disadvantage in relation to the facilities we have compared to most of the rest of the BIG Ten. When fans complain about licensing fees and ticket price increases this is something that the majority of the BIG Ten schools have been doing for years. I have a number of friends and colleagues in the coaching profession and facilities is the number 1 thing that many 18 yr. olds are looking at in a school. The sooner we break ground on the new improvements the greater chance Jerry has at landing marquee recruits. But Alumni, Boosters and Friends of the university will have to do their part to make this happen.

Growing up in Ohio, playing college and professionally I can tell you that these are items that would be quickly addressed at Ohio State. But these challenges will take commitment by everyone involved to maintain the progress we are seeing in the program.
 

Really, post #1 is a bunch of captain obvious statements and a smattering of "you aint ohio" bs.

I am sure many will welcome you with open arms and maybe you aren't the troll you seem to be with this well written but poorly timed critique of the Gophers, but I am going to go with troll right now if for no other reason than we have had a bad weekend as Gopher fans and you are from ohio.
 

I have been following Gopher Football for the last several years and while I am thrilled with Coach Kill and the Progress made but I do have several concerns. They are as follows:

1. Coach Kill and Staff track record in bowl games. I believe that Jerry and his staff are currently 0-5 in bowl games. I realize that sometimes you can be matched up against a superior team but the concern I have is there appeared to be a lack of preparation against Syracuse and Missouri. This year there were so many fundamental mistakes that the game became a "sad comedy of errors" on our part. The 3 fumbles by the QB, muffed punt return, 2 fumbles by Cobb that he recovered on his own, dropped passes, the mental errors such as the roughing the passer call on 3rd and incomplete, the LB play in quarters 2-4 was atrocious. We had a LB in perfect position to stop the fake punt and he failed to make the play. The team simply looked like an 8th grade team and with Jerry's record in bowl games I am hoping he will reach out to friends such as Gary Patterson in the coaching fraternity to see if they can identify what we are doing wrong in our preparation for bowl games. This game was a significant setback to the program.

2. Gary Pinkel's staff took us to school. Normally I would stack Jerry and his staff up against any in the country but we were badly beaten on the chalk board in this game. We dominated the 1st quarter and they made adjustments and Missouri took the game over. They had scouted us well with the fake punt and the onside kick and they executed both to perfection. Obviously, Missouri was well prepared and the aggressor. We should have been prepared for them taking Cobb "out of the game" with their defensive scheme and we clearly weren't.

3. Recruiting. Harbaugh and other big names in the coaching profession will be calling several of our commitments for 2015 and I hope we are buttoning things up on the recruiting front as the day of backing off of committed athletes in the BIG Ten is over.

4. Commitment of the fans to building the program. Have you seen the facilities at Wisconsin, Ohio State, Nebraska and Oregon? Jerry Kill is at a significant disadvantage in relation to the facilities we have compared to most of the rest of the BIG Ten. When fans complain about licensing fees and ticket price increases this is something that the majority of the BIG Ten schools have been doing for years. I have a number of friends and colleagues in the coaching profession and facilities is the number 1 thing that many 18 yr. olds are looking at in a school. The sooner we break ground on the new improvements the greater chance Jerry has at landing marquee recruits. But Alumni, Boosters and Friends of the university will have to do their part to make this happen.

Growing up in Ohio, playing college and professionally I can tell you that these are items that would be quickly addressed at Ohio State. But these challenges will take commitment by everyone involved to maintain the progress we are seeing in the program.


So did Kill make these errors or did the players? Are you going to blame the loss Alabama had on Saban because Sims couldn't compete and threw interceptions. Sometimes you just have to realize the player you have at that position is not a very good player, but it is what it is cause we don't have anyone else. Leidner isn't a good QB, we don't have real good WR. Good points on facilities though we do need them to break ground immediately.
 

So did Kill make these errors or did the players? Are you going to blame the loss Alabama had on Saban because Sims couldn't compete and threw interceptions. Sometimes you just have to realize the player you have at that position is not a very good player, but it is what it is cause we don't have anyone else. Leidner isn't a good QB, we don't have real good WR. Good points on facilities though we do need them to break ground immediately.

There were a lot of fundamental mistakes that occurred that Division 1 kids should not be making if they are properly prepared to play IMHO. Also 0-5 in bowl games is an opportunity for Jerry and his staff.
 

Cliff notes version:

1. We need to coach and play better in games we lose.
2. We need to recruit like Bama.
3. We need facilities like Oregon.

Go Gophers!!
 


Perfect example of the cliff notes not telling the whole story. Friend of U makes some valid observations, whether you agree or not.

Cliff notes version:

1. We need to coach and play better in games we lose.
2. We need to recruit like Bama.
3. We need facilities like Oregon.

Go Gophers!!
 

Appreciate the Warm Welcome. :) Yes, I'm from Ohio and I played High School and College ball in Ohio. But I love the Twin Cities, the State of Minnesota and I bleed Maroon and Gold.
Really, post #1 is a bunch of captain obvious statements and a smattering of "you aint ohio" bs.

I am sure many will welcome you with open arms and maybe you aren't the troll you seem to be with this well written but poorly timed critique of the Gophers, but I am going to go with troll right now if for no other reason than we have had a bad weekend as Gopher fans and you are from ohio.
 

There were a lot of fundamental mistakes that occurred that Division 1 kids should not be making if they are properly prepared to play IMHO. Also 0-5 in bowl games is an opportunity for Jerry and his staff.

If the mistakes were happening on a consistent basis then yes I would agree with you but Kill is known for teaching very fundamentally sound football and normally that is the way the team plays but kids make mistakes and it happened at unfortunate times and more than once in the bowl game. I don't fault Kills coaching for that. It happens quite often on other teams as well.
 

If the mistakes were happening on a consistent basis then yes I would agree with you but Kill is known for teaching very fundamentally sound football and normally that is the way the team plays but kids make mistakes and it happened at unfortunate times and more than once in the bowl game. I don't fault Kills coaching for that. It happens quite often on other teams as well.

I understand that you see this with other teams as well. My concern is the "number" of mistakes that occurred and that they were primarily fundamental in nature. These were self inflicted for the most part. These can be minimized through the use of drills and preparation. We had 15 days to prepare these young men for this game and to see the number of miscues we had in this game and last year against Syracuse leads me to believe we have an opportunity to better prepare for bowl games.
 



The Gophers have lost seven straight bowl games under three different coaches. It's time for improvement!
 

Agree on commitment to the program - for example on a non-sports forum that I follow, a Nebraska fellow was disgusted with the football program at the end of the season. His solution? Send more money. While in MN the fan base melts down when the ticket prices are increased. Winning is not all about the money, but mostly.
 

Lopsided games occur at a high rate in bowl and playoff football. Why is that?
 

I wonder if the focus in the locker room the past few years has anything to do with the focus on the field. I mean Maxx's situation had to be a distraction to the other non seniors that i am sure he bounced things off of. If not then they were talking among themselves about it.
also the Jones issue could have been a distraction as well.

I just think there are too many mistakes in these bowl games to be just one thing. I am sure coach does the same thing as he normally does during the season but the kids have other things on their minds.

I do think that we need facilities built but am against the seat fees. I feel there are enough donations in the community that they dont need to squeeze the fans, but that is a whole other thread

I also agree that the coaches need to keep honing their skills as well. if asking fellow coaches to ponder our situation here and if they can lend a hand in suggesting something i think the coaches owe it to our players to try new Technics. Someone needs to help Limey discover not to run every receiver 20 yards or more on 3rd and 8, and that could go on another thread as well.

recruiting is improving. look for next years group (2016's) to be much better than most classes here have been, already starting off great with JoJo
 



Really, post #1 is a bunch of captain obvious statements and a smattering of "you aint ohio" bs.

I am sure many will welcome you with open arms and maybe you aren't the troll you seem to be with this well written but poorly timed critique of the Gophers, but I am going to go with troll right now if for no other reason than we have had a bad weekend as Gopher fans and you are from ohio.

Hilarious how irritated this guy (or gal) gets when someone invades his "country club," with opinions that don't fall in line with his own.

Thank God you're here to police these threads. Who knows how many people would freely post their ideas and opinions, without you here to do your best to suppress that.

Can anyone start an account around here without your personal attacks? Or, would you rather monitor and edit all content? Is it some kind of animalistic display of territorialism?

Fitting how you quote Nietzsche.....a rampant communist.

Just chill out. You must be so sickening to be around in person. You do nothing but complain and insult others (whether passive-aggresively or directly). I've been here about a week, and don't recall a post with actual football content, only calling out others constantly. I know what you're going to post before you post it.....already.

Don't bother with yet another insulting reply....I'm not going to read it. But, I'm sure you'll have to get the last word in for everyone else to read, so knock yourself out.
 

I'm willing to look past the 0-5 record...for now. Leidner needs to keep getting better, as does the offense. As far as the recruiting, it has gotten better. Last years class was Kill's best, and this year's class looks to be promising. lastly, most are saying that the new facilities will break ground in the spring.
 

So did Kill make these errors or did the players? Are you going to blame the loss Alabama had on Saban because Sims couldn't compete and threw interceptions. Sometimes you just have to realize the player you have at that position is not a very good player, but it is what it is cause we don't have anyone else. Leidner isn't a good QB, we don't have real good WR. Good points on facilities though we do need them to break ground immediately.

Special Teams is Kill's. So being outcoached there is on Kill (or the entire staff if you prefer). We were not ready for a fake punt, had one guy with an obvious chance to tackle and he whiffed horridly. We were out-schemed on the onside kick as the opposing coaching staff noticed we left that spot open. So while the players failed to make plays on the field, the team didn't look prepared to me.
 


Bud was 0-4 in Super Bowls.

Which meant he won at least 4 Division Titles, 1 NFL title and 3 NFC titles.

Just saying buddy, just saying..

newreply.php
 

F of the U - don't worry about the "warm welcome" you might get from a few GH's. Although your points are reasonable and probably nothing we don't already know, you need to understand that for a few people on here the team is like their own child. And even if their kid is not too bright and they know it, they just don't want someone outside the family telling them they have a dumb kid. Just understand that most folks don't mind some constructive criticism. With that little bit of insight, welcome to the GH ;-)
 

Hilarious how irritated this guy (or gal) gets when someone invades his "country club," with opinions that don't fall in line with his own. Thank God you're here to police these threads. Who knows how many people would freely post their ideas and opinions, without you here to do your best to suppress that. Can anyone start an account around here without your personal attacks? Or, would you rather monitor and edit all content? Is it some kind of animalistic display of territorialism? Fitting how you quote Nietzsche.....a rampant communist. Just chill out. You must be so sickening to be around in person. You do nothing but complain and insult others (whether passive-aggresively or directly). I've been here about a week, and don't recall a post with actual football content, only calling out others constantly. I know what you're going to post before you post it.....already. Don't bother with yet another insulting reply....I'm not going to read it. But, I'm sure you'll have to get the last word in for everyone else to read, so knock yourself out.

I agree, the guy is a tool
 

Which meant he won at least 4 Division Titles, 1 NFL title and 3 NFC titles.

Just saying buddy, just saying..

newreply.php

Just checking to see if you we paying attention.

Actually I just saw it on the radio.:cool02:
 

Yep

I agree, the guy is a tool

+2 Total d-bag. Love his quote in another thread:

"And lastly, I have two degrees (Business and Econ) from the U and 25 years experience in owning and running succesful businesses...I am glad to have a measuring contest anytime on knowledge, success and bank accounts if you want."
 

Love to admit it or not, Kill is a program builder, not a big game coach. Never has been...never will be.
In big games, like conference championships and bowls, he's out matched. It's something we'll have to
accept as we continue to support him. He wasn't brought to Minnesota to bring us to the promise land
year after year, he was brought here to undo what Brewster did and build this program back up to at
least the Mason years if not a little further.....but don't expect it to go much further than that.

It's not happening...
 

I can't disagree too much with the OP, I'm not worried though, Rome wasn't built in a day. I'd be more concerned if I saw things regressing. Brick by brick.
 

+2 Total d-bag. Love his quote in another thread:

"And lastly, I have two degrees (Business and Econ) from the U and 25 years experience in owning and running succesful businesses...I am glad to have a measuring contest anytime on knowledge, success and bank accounts if you want."

+19

I liked this line by Bulldog
"Hilarious how irritated this guy (or gal) gets when someone invades his "country club,"
 

+2 Total d-bag. Love his quote in another thread:

"And lastly, I have two degrees (Business and Econ) from the U and 25 years experience in owning and running succesful businesses...I am glad to have a measuring contest anytime on knowledge, success and bank accounts if you want."

But oddly enough he gets REAL pissed when people talk about actually having Season Tickets and donating money to the U. Because, of course, that's "bragging". :D

Though to give him his due, he can be just as funny as he is "pissy".
 

Love to admit it or not, Kill is a program builder, not a big game coach. Never has been...never will be.
In big games, like conference championships and bowls, he's out matched. It's something we'll have to
accept as we continue to support him. He wasn't brought to Minnesota to bring us to the promise land
year after year, he was brought here to undo what Brewster did and build this program back up to at
least the Mason years if not a little further.....but don't expect it to go much further than that.

It's not happening...

LOL.
 

Patience. It's only year 4 of a rebuild that started from scratch. Some of the crap I have read on here since the end of the Missouri game has been completely ridiculous.
 

Patience. It's only year 4 of a rebuild that started from scratch. Some of the crap I have read on here since the end of the Missouri game has been completely ridiculous.

No disrespect intended, but while some of that stuff is coming from people who have had axes to grind for quite awhile now, some of it is coming from people who believed all the hype about this being one of the greatest, or even THEE greatest team in Gopher gear since the 60's. Then saw them blow a chance to elevate the program on National TV.

Others, like myself probably, were very disappointed to see them lose 3 out of 4 and end the year on another lousy note. That was compounded by all the posts telling people to "forget it. Losing a bowl game is no big deal".

Many of those posts coming from people who have been telling us what a great team Kill and Company have built.

If you lump that in with all the "crap" you've been reading then you are certainly correct. IMHO of course.
 





Top Bottom