Are we really going to rip Brew for the "kill shot" comment? I sure hope not!

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Are we really going to rip Brew for the "kill shot" comment? I sure hope not!

If we've learned anything in the last couple of years it's that Brewster loves adjectives and isn't afraid to boast from the highest mountain top about Gopher football. Whether it's a Harold Howell "the most electrifying athlete I've ever seen" comment to throwing out "outstanding" six or seven times to explain the development of Raymond Henderson or that Ralph Spry has "game changing speed" leads us to a "kill shot" for an OC hire that results in our 4th or 5th choice, then so be it. I'd rather throw out "kill shot" and a few too many "outstandings" in every sentence as opposed to Mason who didn't even want to speak at the TCF Bank groundbreaking or said we were still rebuilding in year 10.

I follow college football very closely as most of us do, but I am not a position coach or OC guru. I admit I have never heard of a Gunter or a Fitch or a Norton or even a Fisch until this process (I am getting killed in my offensive position coach fantasy league), and I would have loved to have a Heupel or Applewhite as their name recognition alone would have been a big plus, but I understand why didn't come here.

So here we are on the verge of naming our OC, and heck, if the past is a predictor of the future, we'll be waiting to hire another O or D coordinator a year from now anyway!! ;)

Kill shot or no kill shot - Go Gophers!!
 

Amen

I couldn't have stated it better myself Bleed. As usual, you are a voice of reason on this board.
 

by making that statement he made everyone take notice. i liked it. look at how much action this board has gotten just by him saying that
 

I am not doing so well in that fantasy league either! Oh well.

I hope people don't dwell on the "kill shot" comment, but I am sure some will. Right know no one even knows if the OC will end up being a "kill shot" or if the "kill shot" would have had the bullets in the end. The only opinions on this hire Brewster will really care about are those of his coaches, players, and recruits.
 

BleedGopher said:
If we've learned anything in the last couple of years it's that Brewster loves adjectives and isn't afraid to boast from the highest mountain top about Gopher football. Whether it's a Harold Howell "the most electrifying athlete I've ever seen" comment to throwing out "outstanding" six or seven times to explain the development of Raymond Henderson or that Ralph Spry has "game changing speed" leads us to a "kill shot" for an OC hire that results in our 4th or 5th choice, then so be it. I'd rather throw out "kill shot" and a few too many "outstandings" in every sentence as opposed to Mason who didn't even want to speak at the TCF Bank groundbreaking or said we were still rebuilding in year 10.

I follow college football very closely as most of us do, but I am not a position coach or OC guru. I admit I have never heard of a Gunter or a Fitch or a Norton or even a Fisch until this process (I am getting killed in my offensive position coach fantasy league), and I would have loved to have a Heupel or Applewhite as their name recognition alone would have been a big plus, but I understand why didn't come here.

So here we are on the verge of naming our OC, and heck, if the past is a predictor of the future, we'll be waiting to hire another O or D coordinator a year from now anyway!! ;)

Kill shot or no kill shot - Go Gophers!!
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Great points, Bleed. Coming from Brewster, it's just his everyday lingo, and doesn't really mean much.

With that being said, I've always been a fan of people who under-promise and over deliver. Maybe that's partially my profession - I'm in sales, and when my manager asks what deals I will close, I give him an indication, and a very generous timeline, then, when I close it a month early, he is elated. I think this may be a good strategy for many professions!
 


Since the kill shot had said he would take the job, and the next day backed out, i guess i am not so concerned about it. in a perfect world brewster would have save the comment for the actual official announcement and presentation of the guy. since job candidate reneged on his willingness to take the job, the whole thing would have been avoided if he had awaited the for the official announcement. couple with the fact that the kill shot comment was said casual as part of a converstation, i think many of us dwell way to much upon each little word, in our internet world.

having said all of that, i fully agree with gopher lady about under promise, over perform. the client, the public, the boss, etc always remembers the things that they want to remember the way they want to remember, so be prepared to be hung out and up, if you dont exceed the minimal promise.
 

GopherLady said:
With that being said, I've always been a fan of people who under-promise and over deliver. Maybe that's partially my profession - I'm in sales, and when my manager asks what deals I will close, I give him an indication, and a very generous timeline, then, when I close it a month early, he is elated. I think this may be a good strategy for many professions!
Click to expand...

I think my profession (project management) is why I feel the same way. I know when I hear things like that it makes me think of all the ways you can fail to meet the bar set by your own statements (something I learned not to do quick when I first became a PM fresh out of college). :D
 

BleedGopher said:
If we've learned anything in the last couple of years it's that Brewster loves adjectives and isn't afraid to boast from the highest mountain top about Gopher football. Whether it's a Harold Howell "the most electrifying athlete I've ever seen" comment to throwing out "outstanding" six or seven times to explain the development of Raymond Henderson or that Ralph Spry has "game changing speed" leads us to a "kill shot" for an OC hire that results in our 4th or 5th choice, then so be it. I'd rather throw out "kill shot" and a few too many "outstandings" in every sentence as opposed to Mason who didn't even want to speak at the TCF Bank groundbreaking or said we were still rebuilding in year 10.

I follow college football very closely as most of us do, but I am not a position coach or OC guru. I admit I have never heard of a Gunter or a Fitch or a Norton or even a Fisch until this process (I am getting killed in my offensive position coach fantasy league), and I would have loved to have a Heupel or Applewhite as their name recognition alone would have been a big plus, but I understand why didn't come here.
So here we are on the verge of naming our OC, and heck, if the past is a predictor of the future, we'll be waiting to hire another O or D coordinator a year from now anyway!! ;)

Kill shot or no kill shot - Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Why?

Does MN not offer enough? Enough of what?
 

Bleed,

I think there is a significant difference between promoting the program/trying to create excitement and not being completely honest. The first, in my opinion, is natural and understandable while the second impacts someone's credibility.

If he said about his first recruiting class that he was very happy with what they were able to accomplish in a short period of time and he really liked the potential and speed of Harold Howell, that would be creating excitement. Calling him the most exciting player he has ever seen appears to have been hogwash.

The same can be said about the OC position. He could have said that he has some potential candidates in mind and he's extremely optimistic. Instead he pulls out this kill shot line. Well, a process that features multiple interviews and what at least appears to be multiple candidates that did work out, doesn't exactly look a kill shot to me.

If I was Brewster's communications consultant, I would strongly advise him to remain positive, but to knock off the huge exaggerations. I think that he's close to having a credibility issue with some folks out there. I am certainly much more of a skeptic than a lot of people, but I have a hard time knowing what to truly believe. Are his words true and accurate? Or is everything he says exaggerated and hyped up?

Just one guy's take.
 



anonymous said:
Bleed,

I think there is a significant difference between promoting the program/trying to create excitement and not being completely honest. The first, in my opinion, is natural and understandable while the second impacts someone's credibility.

If he said about his first recruiting class that he was very happy with what they were able to accomplish in a short period of time and he really liked the potential and speed of Harold Howell, that would be creating excitement. Calling him the most exciting player he has ever seen appears to have been hogwash.

The same can be said about the OC position. He could have said that he has some potential candidates in mind and he's extremely optimistic. Instead he pulls out this kill shot line. Well, a process that features multiple interviews and what at least appears to be multiple candidates that did work out, doesn't exactly look a kill shot to me.

If I was Brewster's communications consultant, I would strongly advise him to remain positive, but to knock off the huge exaggerations. I think that he's close to having a credibility issue with some folks out there. I am certainly much more of a skeptic than a lot of people, but I have a hard time knowing what to truly believe. Are his words true and accurate? Or is everything he says exaggerated and hyped up?

Just one guy's take.
Click to expand...


I agree completely, and here's why.

In the past Brewster has said things like:

- The Harold Howell comment mentioned above
- We will have the best coaching staff in America
- Now the Kill shot comment​

Each of these comments was clearly over the top. Where I have problems with this, is how do we differentiate what he says here, vs what he says about other things? Here are some other comments he could potentially make:

- We expect our student athletes to follow the rules and be model citizens.
- We want to make Minnesota proud
- We understand where our weaknesses lie and are working hard to improve them.​

My concern here that every time he says something that is clearly over the top, the value of ALL of his future words become diminished. In the second set of quotes, if he ever says something like that, how am I to know now that he's not exaggerating or making those up as well? Personally I could care less because I'll be a fan no matter what, but it comes to relating to the casual Gopher fan he's digging himself into a hole. Just another guy's opinion.
 

Lets see, Brew went from 1 win on an arguably depleted team to 7 wins and a bowl game the very next year with a new DC and really only one recruiting class under his belt. Most recruits take a couple of years to start being really productive, so that should say something as well.

Just looking at that alone, I think Brew has a right to use positive adjectives! I am not someone who likes hype myself, but Brew has shown IMO that he is more substance then hype.

But I guess some would rather hear Brewster saying Spry was a kid that got mixed up with the wrong crowd, or Howell's electricity caused him to forget to hang on to the ball. And Brew should have said it when when Howell and Spry first committed of course so they would appreciate his honesty.

I really think the issue is some absolutely refuse to believe or accept that Brews manner is the right thing for MN regardless of what happens.

Personally, given all the inherent negativity swirling around (Ruesse, Barrerro, or had been with Sid's kid), and some fans who are determined to degrade Brew, I think his inherent positivity is something desperately needed and I only hope it is strong enough to make a lasting impact.
 

anonymous said:
Bleed,

I think there is a significant difference between promoting the program/trying to create excitement and not being completely honest. The first, in my opinion, is natural and understandable while the second impacts someone's credibility.

If he said about his first recruiting class that he was very happy with what they were able to accomplish in a short period of time and he really liked the potential and speed of Harold Howell, that would be creating excitement. Calling him the most exciting player he has ever seen appears to have been hogwash.

The same can be said about the OC position. He could have said that he has some potential candidates in mind and he's extremely optimistic. Instead he pulls out this kill shot line. Well, a process that features multiple interviews and what at least appears to be multiple candidates that did work out, doesn't exactly look a kill shot to me.

If I was Brewster's communications consultant, I would strongly advise him to remain positive, but to knock off the huge exaggerations. I think that he's close to having a credibility issue with some folks out there. I am certainly much more of a skeptic than a lot of people, but I have a hard time knowing what to truly believe. Are his words true and accurate? Or is everything he says exaggerated and hyped up?

Just one guy's take.
Click to expand...

If you watched some of Howell's recruiting videos, he was electric. Though some pointed out, and I believe fairly, that the tackling of some of the opponents was lacking, at the same time, when he first committed most mentioned how excited they were after seeing his HS videos.

What happens after that, in the course of developing, anything can happen. At the time it was a justifiable perspective.

People need to live up to and justify the privelege they received. Whether it is from HS to college or being a high draft pick. Do they always...of course not. There are probably more busts then booms.

Howell, like many players, was not able to take his game to the next level though he was given opportunity to. It happens, but I would rather Brew give his recruits the benefit of public praise rather then criticisms or even silence, which can be just as unnerving as criticism if not worse.
 

anonymous said:
Bleed,

I think there is a significant difference between promoting the program/trying to create excitement and not being completely honest. The first, in my opinion, is natural and understandable while the second impacts someone's credibility.

If he said about his first recruiting class that he was very happy with what they were able to accomplish in a short period of time and he really liked the potential and speed of Harold Howell, that would be creating excitement. Calling him the most exciting player he has ever seen appears to have been hogwash.

The same can be said about the OC position. He could have said that he has some potential candidates in mind and he's extremely optimistic. Instead he pulls out this kill shot line. Well, a process that features multiple interviews and what at least appears to be multiple candidates that did work out, doesn't exactly look a kill shot to me.

If I was Brewster's communications consultant, I would strongly advise him to remain positive, but to knock off the huge exaggerations. I think that he's close to having a credibility issue with some folks out there. I am certainly much more of a skeptic than a lot of people, but I have a hard time knowing what to truly believe. Are his words true and accurate? Or is everything he says exaggerated and hyped up?

Just one guy's take.
Click to expand...

I understand your point of view. However, I've always thought people should be themselves, and I think that is what Brewster is doing. He's just a very excited guy and I believe he just really loves his job. Many recruits have commented on his enthusiasm. That's a good thing. I just think Brewster should be Brewster and not anyone else. Asking him to calm down when he speaks would mean he's someone he's not.

Ultimately, it will come down to how he does on the field anyways, not what he says. If he doesn't get it done, he will be gone. People who don't like Brewster's excitement should just not listen to his press conferences. There are the Tony Dungy's of the coaching world, and there are the Bruce Pearl's of the coaching world. Both are good coaches but do it in a completely different way.
 



Brewster's over-the-top personality is not everyone's idea of who the Gopher football coach should be. I know it is not mine. But I have come to believe that Brewster is exactly who he appears to be. I am convinced that he was like that when he played tight end for the University of Illinois, and that he will be the very same person long after he leaves the Gophers. And I absolutley believe that Brewster's relentless positivity is what makes him such an effective recruiter. High school football players love what he is selling. I learned that in GI last recruiting season through the numerous recruit interviews that they did over there. Almost without exception the No. 1 thing that attracted the recruits to the Gophers was Brewster's extremely positive personality. Although they liked a lot of other things about the U, Brewster himself always seemed to be their primary reason for committing to the Gophers. Given that, I believe that Brewster is exactly who the Gopher football team needs to overcome 40 years of Administration neglect, substandard performance, media hostility, and fan apathy. In the end Brewster may fail, but in the meantime it is going to be a helluva ride.
 

Bottom line for me is that Brewster is in the position where he could see people's trust in him erode because of what he says.

He should be positive. He should be excited. But he's got to quit lying/exaggerating.
 

With Fisch calling the plays...

if they win a Big Ten Football Championship, nobody will remember who or how or when or even what was said when he got the job.
 

I agree that overperforming modest expectations is preferred in most areas of business, but consider the audience. 5 and 4 star recruits likely think that they will start anywhere and want to play for a big time program. If the statement was:

"We expect to fill the spot with an average candidate, since we're an average program. Even though we have deficits in budget, ticket sales, merchandise sales, and total fan support relative to the competition we're going to give it our best. I know it's tough being a Gopher...but I appreciate your hanging in there. We may never reach the Rose Bowl, or even compete for the Big Ten Championship, but we're going to work hard. At the University of Minnesota players and fans alike are thrilled with mediocrity and the occasional above-average year. If you want fame, television exposure, and to play in big bowl games we might not be your team...but if you like a team that works hard and is humble then Minnesota is for you."

How many five and four star players would ever come here? I doubt that "killer shot" was directed at the fans. While overstatements are not appropriate in some areas of business, they may be in recruiting. What if an employer said "I'd like you to come work for me but there isn't as much room for career advancement as there is with that other offer you have."

I refuse to believe that given all of the facts a star player would rather spend four years in Iowa City or Madison versus Minneapolis. Unless you're a drunk those places are boring. What's that worn out business cliche...Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude? Once good players start coming here (2008 class was a start) anything is possible.
 

"Are we really going to rip Brew for the "kill shot" comment? I sure hope not! "


No Way!!!!

This isn't nearly as big as "I can see Russia from my house" Or "I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

Those quote makers deserve to be ripped.

Brew is just an optimistic, high energy guy that is just what Minnesota needs, despite the negative naysayers and their cynical criticism....
 

We all know that Brewster speaks from his heart. While I think he meant the killer shot quote as a way to let the fans know that we shouldn't worry becasue he's going to get the best guy he can find, he did fail to take into account the interpretation of that quote. Almost everybody took it as that he already had a big time coach llined up and we were left to figure out who it was. That speculation led to some of the frustrations the fans had with the coaching search.

I think Brewster's the type of guy that admits his mistakes, and I'm sure that if he had to do it over again, he probably wouldn't use those words to reassure us things would be OK.

Should Brew be held accountable for his "killer shot" comment? absolutley. Do we need to dwell on it? I would say no (at least not right now).

Maybe this guy blows our doors off and, in retrospect, would have been considered a "killer shot".
 

I agree, I think Brewster is exactly what this program needs right now. That said, we aren't his #1 target audience, but we probably hear more than his recruits do. If it makes the media curmudgeons unhappy, he's accomplishing what he needs to.

Could he temper what he says? Sure. However, I don't think he needs to. Imagine when you were 16-17-18 year olds. What got your attention? Personalities like that, for better or worse.
 

calminnfan

I agree completely. If you watch Harold Howells youtube highlights, he is the most electrifying athlete I have seen. His highlights were sick. Still are. He just did not pan out, mostly because of grades, we can't completely judge him as a bust because he probably would have developed as years went by. Does his not panning out discredit Brewsters hype of him? I don't think so. Is Jedd Fisch a "kill shot" time will tell but a lot of NFL people in the know seem to think so.

As for Gopher7 comparing hyping a program to telling our student athletes to follow the rules is just plain ridiculous. I'm sure all the players are smart enough to know the difference and the public should be smart enough too. I don't think Brewster ever over exaggerates because he believes it. He believes he hired a knockout or he would not have hired him, he believes Harold Howell is electric (I still do) It's who he is and you need to get used to it. I love it compared to the alternative of a Childress or Mason attitude.
 

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