Reusse Blog: Gophers and fans breaking new ground in Law of Diminishing Goals

[BleedGopher]

per Pat:

This was Kill’s fifth year, his defense was the best in the West, and the chance to be in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game was much more legitimate than when the Gophers went to Madison to face Gordon and Co. at the end of the 2014 season.

And now the Gophers have been humiliated 27-0 by Northwestern, threw in a route of Purdue in between, and then had the defensive meltdown against Nebraska on Saturday.

That puts the Gophers at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference, with a home game against Michigan, and road games at Ohio State and at Iowa. The season then will conclude with home games vs. Illinois and Wisconsin.

And now what is the storyline?

If only the Gophers can figure out a way to two games and become bowl eligible, to get to 6-6 and join 75-80 percent of Power Five teams in reaching a bowl game, any forsaken, ridiculous bowl game, then Kill’s fifth season will be a success … another building block.

Of course there’s also this: Kill’s team has had so many injuries (have you heard that Country Jer has never seen anything like it in three decades of coaching?), so if the Gophers only can get bowl eligible, it will be evidence of outstanding coaching and tremendous perseverance.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...ground-in-law-of-diminishing-goals/333890431/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Maroon92]

Not a big fan of him but hard to argue against his story

 

[gopherdudepart2]

Where has the narative changed to achieving a bowl game is a success

per Pat:

This was Kill’s fifth year, his defense was the best in the West, and the chance to be in Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game was much more legitimate than when the Gophers went to Madison to face Gordon and Co. at the end of the 2014 season.

And now the Gophers have been humiliated 27-0 by Northwestern, threw in a route of Purdue in between, and then had the defensive meltdown against Nebraska on Saturday.

That puts the Gophers at 4-3 overall and 1-2 in the conference, with a home game against Michigan, and road games at Ohio State and at Iowa. The season then will conclude with home games vs. Illinois and Wisconsin.

And now what is the storyline?

If only the Gophers can figure out a way to two games and become bowl eligible, to get to 6-6 and join 75-80 percent of Power Five teams in reaching a bowl game, any forsaken, ridiculous bowl game, then Kill’s fifth season will be a success … another building block.

Of course there’s also this: Kill’s team has had so many injuries (have you heard that Country Jer has never seen anything like it in three decades of coaching?), so if the Gophers only can get bowl eligible, it will be evidence of outstanding coaching and tremendous perseverance.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...ground-in-law-of-diminishing-goals/333890431/

Go Gophers!!

Everyone likes to go to a bowl and watch their team play one more game but that would not be evidence of outstanding coaching and perseverance, it would be a sign of holding on or just barely being average which a 6-6 record is.
People are hoping for better but when you lose a lot of starting players the reality set's in that it get's harder to achieve winning at a higher level. I doubt very much that people are going to be happy with losing the Pig or even the Jug even if we don't win that much, losing the trophy games is never fun, especially to Iowa. People want to see the Gophers do well, the reality is that it is starting to be a tough season so far. Hopefully some of what was working for the offense and overall improved play will continue and that the defense doesn't deteriorate further in to getting blown out more. Wisconsin is not great so even salvaging a win against them wouldn't save the season per say. The Gophers have a tough schedule it was always tough especially with Ohio State and Iowa on the road back to back, and then Michigan is way better so the games look kind of grim right now. Hopefully the team can get better and have a chance to win more games, that is what most of us are hoping for. Beating Michigan would improve a lot of moods and be a boost in confidence for the team going in to a tough stretch. Hopefully they still have a shot.

 

[killme]

Sorry, your credibility as a professional writer -- and critic -- is greatly diminished by your inability to use the word "rout." Since "excuses" are distastefully weak, guess we'll just have to chalk it up to lazy, incompetent, or poor at your job. You choose.

 

[EG#9]

I would assume it's a very, very small minority of Gopher fans that would consider 6-6 this year to be a success. That said, I've been disappointed by the amount of excuse making and rationalizing I've read on this board.

 

[diefirma]

Sorry, your credibility as a professional writer -- and critic -- is greatly diminished by your inability to use the word "rout." Since "excuses" are distastefully weak, guess we'll just have to chalk it up to lazy, incompetent, or poor at your job. You choose.

+1 Professional writers know how to spell and proofread.

 

[Hates Monikers]

I guess I missed all the people saying 6-6 would be a success. For where we are now, the way the season has taken a bad left turn, 6-6 sounds optimistic. But not many will look back on that as successful when the season ends.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

 

[Spoofin]

Falling in Fat Pat's trap again.

 

[cjbfbp]

I guess I missed all the people saying 6-6 would be a success. For where we are now, the way the season has taken a bad left turn, 6-6 sounds optimistic. But not many will look back on that as successful when the season ends.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

Correct. 6-6 with a bowl win over a weak team would be salvaging a season that people would otherwise rather forget.

I don't have the strong opinions most of the people around here have about Twin Cities sports reporters because I don't bother to read or listen to them, but I don't see why this guy feels the need to rub it in.

 

[ruppertflywheel]

Right now the only game we would be favored to win would be Illinois.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I don't think many of us would consider 6-6 to be a success. I'd consider that to be a pretty bad season.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

I don't think many of us would consider 6-6 to be a success. I'd consider that to be a pretty bad season.

It would be pretty easy for Pat to just pull posts from this site of the hundreds of Gopher fans who consider a .500 season to be a success. Wonder why he won't just do that?

 

[Ski U Mah 55]

Ending at 6-6 would be a failure on the season for the program, no doubt about that. Doesn't mean Kill should be fired, doesn't mean that the program is headed back to the crapper, but it would be a failure on the year.

 

[salzie]

I don't think many of us would consider 6-6 to be a success. I'd consider that to be a pretty bad season.

just few years ago, 6-6 was a success....at the very least, we're raising expectations...disappointing when we don't get them, but this is a good thing

 

[bemidjigopher]

Ending at 6-6 would be a failure on the season for the program, no doubt about that. Doesn't mean Kill should be fired, doesn't mean that the program is headed back to the crapper, but it would be a failure on the year.

Ya its starting to feel like that 2012 sparty team, that team went 6-6 coming off a legends title and a trip to the Citrus Bowl. I thought we had a team that could go 9-3 at the start of the year. Baring a miracle looks like I was wrong on that. Disappointing seasons happen, still have a good recruiting class coming in, most of the offense and front seven comes back next year. schedule gets lighter, will be fine. I'd be okay if we can some how keep the Axe and jug, here's hoping!

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Nobody thinks 6-6 is a success, they just hope that is all it is, get another game.

This is entertainment in the end, hoping for another game in the winter is reasonable.

I enjoyed reading Pat ages ago before his writing and perspective went downhill. Dude is just any other hack now.

 

[Maximus]

Win two more games in the regular season, beat Wisconsin, snap the bowl losing streak and momentum is back for 2016 despite a step back in 2015.

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

Perspective. Pre-season, I expected 7-5. Now I think 6-6 will be difficult to achieve. So at 6-6, I should be disappointed vis-a-vis my pre-season expectation. But I'd honestly be pleased with 6-6 based on performance so far and the remaining schedule.

 

[SKOOKM]

I should have been a sports writer. What an easy shtick. When teams don't live up to expectation you get to criticize away. When they have some success you raise the bar even higher than what is realistic waiting to pounce when they don't live up to that. If the Gophers ever won a national title some would just say, "Well yeah, but it was such a down year in football", then expect them to do it every year. That being said, I don't know who is saying that making some weak bowl game "would be a success, another building block". Ridiculous. Basically it would be better to win two more games than not to win two more games, or don't individual games have any meaning?

 

[Mulligan]

Correct. 6-6 with a bowl win over a weak team would be salvaging a season that people would otherwise rather forget.

I don't have the strong opinions most of the people around here have about Twin Cities sports reporters because I don't bother to read or listen to them, but I don't see why this guy feels the need to rub it in.

Because he's basically a prick and this is the only way he gets to be noticed?

 

[Goph94]

Falling in Fat Pat's trap again.

We're like a stocked trout pond to him.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I should have been a sports writer. What an easy shtick. When teams don't live up to expectation you get to criticize away. When they have some success you raise the bar even higher than what is realistic waiting to pounce when they don't live up to that. If the Gophers ever won a national title some would just say, "Well yeah, but it was such a down year in football", then expect them to do it every year. That being said, I don't know who is saying that making some weak bowl game "would be a success, another building block". Ridiculous. Basically it would be better to win two more games than not to win two more games, or don't individual games have any meaning?

You don't think that after two years of .500 or better in B1G play that it is warranted to expect better than .375?

 

[SelectionSunday]

Win two more games in the regular season, beat Wisconsin, snap the bowl losing streak and momentum is back for 2016 despite a step back in 2015.

Agree with this. This season has now become all about beating Badgers and winning a bowl game. It can be salvaged if both occur.

 

[2nd Degree Gopher]

We're like a stocked trout pond to him.

Poor comparison. No way Pat is getting off his lard butt to catch a fish, even from a stocked trout pond. Plus, then he'd have to clean and cook the fish. And for what? He's just going to be hungry again in 45 minutes.

 

[MNVCGUY]

just few years ago, 6-6 was a success....at the very least, we're raising expectations...disappointing when we don't get them, but this is a good thing

For quite some time now, outside of the years right around coaching changes, 6-6 has been a minimum standard, not a success. When you play an easy non-conf schedule the way Mason did and the way Kill has done for the most part getting to 6 wins isn't a successful season. If we end up 6-6 and go to some low tier bowl game it will be a salvaged season but I don't see any way it could be considered a successful one.

 

[tikited]

Win two more games in the regular season, beat Wisconsin, snap the bowl losing streak and momentum is back for 2016 despite a step back in 2015.

I'd take that in a heartbeat right now. Even if it means going to Detroit to see the bowl win.

 

[Spoofin]

You don't think that after two years of .500 or better in B1G play that it is warranted to expect better than .375?

Expect it? Sure.
Have 300 posts wondering if Kill should go when the season is half over and it looks like we won't hit that expectation? Silly.

It is OK to be disappointed this year. Who isn't? It is the folks (not saying you) acting like this should never happen to MN again and that Kill being only a "MAC Coach" must be why that give us a bad name. Not the folks changing their hopes for the year. I would speculate this won't be the last disappointing year in my lifetime where I will have to change my hopes for the team midway through.

 

[mplsbadger]

Pat Ruesse breaking new ground with record number of times writing the same negative column. We get it Pat. You're a realist. As your former colleague would say, "we're happy for you!"

It only took me 35 years to come to the realization that I should not try to solve affairs of the heart with the mind and should not respond to matters of the mind with my heart. The Gophers fans on GH have passion and love for their team. Pat's got a hammer called reason in his hand and everything is a nail. I truly feel sorry for him because I think he's forgotten how he felt about sports when he was a boy. He must have had a lot of love for sports to choose it as a profession. Sid, for all his faults has never lost his boyhood love of sport.

 

[Shielder]

Reusse is a Twins season ticket holder, he knows all about diminishing goals. He had been against the expanded playoffs in baseball until this year, he thought the Twins were going to make it. Now he wants us to believe the Twins are overachievers for producing a .500 + record for the first time in five years. He's been putting lipstick on that pig over at Target Field for years.