After sleeping on it..

Yes it's in their head he called the game cause he actually did. PJ said he Simon called the game. Dont let facts get in your way tho 🤷
Re-read the comment you responded to. He’s saying people think every game Simon calls would produce the same results. Obviously he’s exaggerating but the point is likely correct.
 


...and watching some of the game over.

I'd hate to say it, but this loss was LARGELY on Rossi and the defense.

I pick on PJ and his choice to do the co-offensive coordinator thing
(which is still very relevant, give Simon the full-time job!)

But our defense was out of position, couldn't cover, looked lost so often,
couldn't tackle, get pressure when we needed it. They looked so bad..
Even watching "first round draft pick" Tyler Nubin looked like a D3 player out there..

any idea why?? Over looked NW? Hungover?
Yup, it was on the D. The offense had good stats for both Athan and Taylor (who now leads the B14 in rushing. A key NW drive was kept alive by a face mask penalty (who was it?), which was on the D. And the D gave up 21 points in the last quarter, a classic collapse, and as often happens in such situations, it was not stopping a passing QB (shades of Texas Tech, Michigan '03 and so many others in our fabled history). NW gave good protection to him and he had a hot hand late.
 


I agree that the second half was the worst defensive performance I've seen from this team in some time but the offense deserves some blame for that. It's been said multiple times that a major reason for our high defensive ratings during most of Rossi's tenure is that the defense didn't spend so much time on the field due to the offense sustaining drives and eating up the clock.

After we got to 31 points, Fleck decided to take no more chances. Northwestern, on the other hand, started playing like a team with nothing to lose. All the pressure was on our defense and very little pressure was on theirs (just go all in on stopping Taylor). In the end we suffered an almost unimaginable loss and may also have suffered the loss of Taylor at least temporarily.
In these classic collapses, the inability of the offense to make a first down when absolutely necessary is always an ingredient, but the pass defense was terrible, well down in the new B14 stats today. After four games a pattern is emerging. Coaching, personnel?
 


Re-read the comment you responded to. He’s saying people think every game Simon calls would produce the same results. Obviously he’s exaggerating but the point is likely correct.
This. People are real sensitive about Coach Simon it seems. Cripes
 


It doesn't have to be Simon but Fleck's picker is off and Simon hasn't been picked. We need Fleck invested in modernizing and going outside his comfort zone.
Agreed 100%. As I’ve said already, I’d rather we do a full search but for sure let Simon call the plays the rest of the year. If he can do it week in, week out the rest of the year, you’re done. But that’s a huge part of it versus just one game. Hell even Brian Ferentz can put together a game or two in a season to beat us
 

Simon also took over play calling at the end of 2021, offense was suddenly night and day better.

Simon has earned it. Hope it happens this year officially
 



In these classic collapses, the inability of the offense to make a first down when absolutely necessary is always an ingredient, but the pass defense was terrible, well down in the new B14 stats today. After four games a pattern is emerging. Coaching, personnel?
fleck (i am huge backer of fleck) is 100% totally at fault. He sucks at OC picking. A , deaf, mute brain dead corpse wouild be able to stop our offense. it is beyond simple to know where, who and what they are running. the 2 or 3 in motion plays had span ford in motion and he missed his blocks on those 2 motion plays. crazy stupid offfense. we will not win in big ten with it. fleck made a huge huge huge huge mistake. my patience is done.
 

That was mean and I apologize. He really does look a bit defeated though. I think he thought the B1G was going to be a lot easier road than it’s been since he made the move from the MAC.

The B1G West is a pretty easy road.
 


what jumps out to me about the defense is the substitution issue.

the D is clearly trying to do a lot of situational substitutions and rotations at various positions. that results in groups of players running onto the field and then trying to get the call and get into the correct position. You see players looking around and looking at the sideline before the play - and it certainly seems as if there is some confusion out there involving assignments and responsibilities.

Rossi has done a very good job for the Gophers. I don't think he's forgotten how to coach. But I think he might be trying to do too many things and play too many players.

my suggestion would be to simplify some of the concepts and cut down on some of the substitutions and rotations. I would rather have a slightly tired player out there - who knows what he's supposed to be doing - as opposed to a younger and fresher player who isn't 100% sure what's going on.
 



These FB losses are going to cause us to move to bball for some solace…oh no.
 

You know the answer to this and it's because of the Auburn game. I think that there are certain things that PJ is doing that show a complete lack of pragmatism (benching a star RB because he fumbled two weeks ago, refusing to give the playcalling duties to someone that flashed in his one tryout, running one RB into the ground when every other team in the country has figured out how to use a rotation, etc.)

I like PJ because he stabilized a lot of things, and I think that MN needed some of his philosophical 'junk', but I'm a little bored with him. The entertainment factor has worn off and I'm not really having fun watching the Gophers this year.
What “star rb” did he bench?
 

what jumps out to me about the defense is the substitution issue.

the D is clearly trying to do a lot of situational substitutions and rotations at various positions. that results in groups of players running onto the field and then trying to get the call and get into the correct position. You see players looking around and looking at the sideline before the play - and it certainly seems as if there is some confusion out there involving assignments and responsibilities.

Rossi has done a very good job for the Gophers. I don't think he's forgotten how to coach. But I think he might be trying to do too many things and play too many players.

my suggestion would be to simplify some of the concepts and cut down on some of the substitutions and rotations. I would rather have a slightly tired player out there - who knows what he's supposed to be doing - as opposed to a younger and fresher player who isn't 100% sure what's going on.
Or he doesn’t have good enough players
 

Lol no. I’d go outside and hire someone new. I like Simon but to say he just should get the job hands down is too simplistic/naive. I was just trying to answer OPs question. I would have him call plays the rest of the year to see if it’s merited. Harbaugh is atrocious
This is what I have been saying since week 1. By week 6 Fleck should swap Harbaugh & Simon and give Simon a 6 to 7 game audition. Let him coach the QB’s too. Then you know for certain and can invest in a really good OC in the off season, because 2021 and 2023 have shown us Fleck is not very good without one.
 

I never said he did zero decision making, but there's more to being an OC than just calling plays.

Obviously Simon doesn't have what it takes, or doesn't want to do it, which is why he's never been a full time play calling OC in his life.
He's not a QB coach, stated by PJ as the reason why.
PJ demands his play caller also be the QB coach.

Why? PJ reasons...
 

Yes it's in their head he called the game cause he actually did. PJ said he Simon called the game. Dont let facts get in your way tho 🤷

Q. Did he (Matt Simon) make every call?

P.J. FLECK: "No, he called the game. I mean, I followed along with him. I called what I wanted to call when I interjected, got to call some plays, made sure that it was based on what he wanted. I checked with him, as well.I’m not going to micromanage my people at all. I’m going to hire really good people and we’re going to let them coach. My job is to be able to be the cultural coach, be able to make them better coaches, be able to support them any way I possibly can, make their dreams come true one day because they’ve all made my dream come true. I’m living my dream. I am living my dream every day.There are a lot of people that are responsible for that. My way to pay it forward is make sure all their dreams come true. Matt Simon called his first game tonight, which I thought was really big, in the Big Ten against one of the best teams in the country. Did a great job."

All i'm saying is. Why not let him do it the remainder of the season?
What the hell do we have to lose at this point? Give him that opportunity to shake it up and if he blows, go out and hire the correct guy for the job.
 

This fanbase’s obsession with Simon is something I will never understand. GWG said it perfectly, there’s a reason he hasn’t been given full control.
You have absolutely nothing to lose after game 6. You’ll be 3-3, most likely 3-4 after game 7. Crappy bowl game is all you have to lose. If they show well against Michigan then maybe wait one more week.
 

He's not a QB coach, stated by PJ as the reason why.
PJ demands his play caller also be the QB coach.

Why? PJ reasons...

Except nearly all play calling OC's are also the QB coach. It's extremely common, and not just PJ reasons..
 

Ya after sleeping on it, I gave-sold my season tickets but to whom?? That’s the question in front of the jury.
 

Offense scored 31 in regulation, which is exactly what we wanted and needed to see at this point. So they come through and the defense shits the bed in return. You can't make it up.
Points were not so much of an issue this time. Having drives with multiple first downs in the second half were at minimum needed. Should have been more aggressive in the third quarter as well.


Why wasn't the holding penalty called on Northwestern in addition to the facemask penalty called on Joyner?(about 1:00 left in the fourth quarter) .Joyner was clearly being held prior to and during the facemask penalty. How does the facemask nullify the holding penalty?
 

fleck (i am huge backer of fleck) is 100% totally at fault. He sucks at OC picking. A , deaf, mute brain dead corpse wouild be able to stop our offense. it is beyond simple to know where, who and what they are running. the 2 or 3 in motion plays had span ford in motion and he missed his blocks on those 2 motion plays. crazy stupid offfense. we will not win in big ten with it. fleck made a huge huge huge huge mistake. my patience is done.
This is spot on.
 

He's not a QB coach, stated by PJ as the reason why.
PJ demands his play caller also be the QB coach.

Why? PJ reasons...
Who cares. Let him coach the QB’s. He’s a football coach. He couldn’t coach the QB’s any worse than Sanford or Harbaugh.
 

what jumps out to me about the defense is the substitution issue.

the D is clearly trying to do a lot of situational substitutions and rotations at various positions. that results in groups of players running onto the field and then trying to get the call and get into the correct position. You see players looking around and looking at the sideline before the play - and it certainly seems as if there is some confusion out there involving assignments and responsibilities.

Rossi has done a very good job for the Gophers. I don't think he's forgotten how to coach. But I think he might be trying to do too many things and play too many players.

my suggestion would be to simplify some of the concepts and cut down on some of the substitutions and rotations. I would rather have a slightly tired player out there - who knows what he's supposed to be doing - as opposed to a younger and fresher player who isn't 100% sure what's going on.
I'm with you SON but remember the coaching overloading was the "problem" with Rob Smith when he got canned. Maybe it's just scheme-creep over time with any coach, but can't help but notice that potential reality.

As for the "ethnic fire drill" on substitutions on D, NC certainly took advantage of that and if I ate crawfish morning, noon, and night I might take that to The Bank literally this coming weekend.
 

I’m certainly not in love with Harbaugh after 4 games, but this game isn’t one to make me ready to fire him. I also think Athabaskan hasn’t done him any favors against NE and NC. The other two games the offense wasn’t awful.
 

Re-read the comment you responded to. He’s saying people think every game Simon calls would produce the same results. Obviously he’s exaggerating but the point is likely correct.
I was mainly responding to his initial incorrect comment.

"Because people still have it in their head he called the Auburn game"

Never said anything else about the rest of his post. Beyond the Auburn game we don't know what Simon has and has not called.
 

I was mainly responding to his initial incorrect comment.

"Because people still have it in their head he called the Auburn game"

Never said anything else about the rest of his post. Beyond the Auburn game we don't know what Simon has and has not called.
It’s not “incorrect”.
People have it in their heads ge called the game, correctly at that. That’s what’s making them say Simon. You somehow have decided i said that was a negative. I’m saying people are using that fact to decide he would be good calling plays every week
 

The obligatory offensive coordinator thread. Love it.
 




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