Athlon's 2011 BT Predictions: Gophs 4-8, 1-7

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I, for one, am willing to be patient.

Brewster's 1st team had a 1-11 (0-8) record. Even though the 2008 and 2009 records don't clearly show this - I saw a regression in the team during Brewster's tenure.

I don't want a 4-8 record, but I think that might be the reality. The key to me is seeing signs of good coaching. I am confident that this, combined with Kill recruiting players to fit his system, will lead us to much brighter days ahead.
 

Get tired of this step back crap. We took about 5 steps back already and are on the edge of a cliff. I can't step back any farther. Time to move forward, 1 big ten win is not acceptable.
 

Yes, it is acceptable. That's the reality with a new coach. Will you be calling for Kill to be fired after 1 year if the record is 4-8? Otherwise you're accepting the record.
 


There will be no stop backwards!

I don't know what their record will be but the Gophers will play better in 2011. They will work harder, make fewer mistakes, finish stronger, etc. etc. etc. How do I know this? Simple. Brewster was the coach last year and Kill is the coach this year. There are a lot of others reasons too but this is all that is necessary for the Gophers to better in 2011. It isn't rocket science folks.
 

ryanlee1 said:
Get tired of this step back crap. We took about 5 steps back already and are on the edge of a cliff. I can't step back any farther. Time to move forward, 1 big ten win is not acceptable.
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4-8 (1-7) would not be a step backward.
 

mattw1067 said:
4-8 (1-7) would not be a step backward.
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Sure it would, we had 2 Big Ten wins last year. Maybe I'm overly hopeful, but 1 Big Ten win would be a downer. I expect to win all the non confence games beside USC.
 




These coaches, this talent will win more than 4. It's easy to understand why no one thinks much of the Gophers, but Kill should be able to do much better than Brewster with the talent Brewster brought in. Sure there are some depth/experience issues and some bad luck injury-wise could cost some games. The defense should be the strength of this team, there is plenty of talent at linebacker and on the D-line, the backfield has some talent but little depth. 1-7 would definately be a step backwards.
 

We'll know a lot about this team by the bye week (Oct. 15). If they're at 4 wins by the time Nebraska rolls into town on the 22nd, they should be able to get to .500.
 


I think I'm in the majority here in that Athlon's is a totally realistic prediction that could very well happen.

However, I think they're a 5 or 6 win team given the schedule.

Yep, I'm a homer.
 



It depends on the nature of the wins and losses. If we look ragged and unorganized, that would be a disappointment and more of the holding pattern (on the way to oblivion) we've witnessed too much of over the past 40+ years.

If we play crisp, sharp football where losses are attributed to a talent gap and inexperience, I can live (albeit uncomfortably) with that. I believe Kill is capable of bringing in quality athletes and I know he can whip what talent he has into shape. In the early going, I will be looking for progress that is not measured in immediate wins and losses but will lead to a stronger program down the road.
 

Kill Warrior said:
Absolutely would! You will see de-commits if this happens and a tougher row to hoe in recruiting for 2013.
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Based on what? Brewster was able to bring in a top 25 recruiting class despite finishing with 1 win (5 less than the previous season) his first season. I don't remember mass de-commits.

There is a system change on both sides of the ball and anyone who follows football (Recruits included), should understand that there will likely be growing pains. Any recruit who thinks that the team is going to be winning a good amount of games is incredibly naive.

Also winning more games than the previous season is not a step back, especially for a first year coach with new schemes.
 

Kuato Lives! said:
Based on what? Brewster was able to bring in a top 25 recruiting class despite finishing with 1 win (5 less than the previous season) his first season. I don't remember mass de-commits.

There is a system change on both sides of the ball and anyone who follows football (Recruits included), should understand that there will likely be growing pains. Any recruit who thinks that the team is going to be winning a good amount of games is incredibly naive.

Also winning more games than the previous season is not a step back, especially for a first year coach with new schemes.
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First, how did said class turn out?

Second, you are comparing apples to bowling balls for a number of reasons, but here are a few:

1. Brewster brought that class in with bald-faced lies, hyperbole and anything else he could hurl.

2. Kill's class of 2012 to date is a tad smarter than Brewster's wonder class of 2008. Agree? They will not be as easily bamboozeled to stay if 2011 melts down.

3. See point 2. 2013 candidates will again be smart enough to see the forest for the trees and Kill won't be recruits looking to be sold a croc of @@@@ by a used car salesman.
 

Well Done Jerry Kill!

wels0081 said:
I think I'm in the majority here in that Athlon's is a totally realistic prediction that could very well happen.

However, I think they're a 5 or 6 win team given the schedule.

Yep, I'm a homer.
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This is not meant to be a critique of anybody's opinion but it is an observation of how well Coach Kill is managing our expectations. When Brewster came here as a very inexperienced coach, optimism wasn’t that hard to find. Now that we have a real coach, almost everybody seems to be afraid to show any optimism. Man that Jerry Kill is good! He got us believing his message. Do you think the other Big Ten coaches are buying it?

What is even more interesting is that there were some people on this blog that were already writing Jerry off because he couldn't recruit. No wonder he is often giving us the worst case scenario. With fans like us who have so little patience and understanding, expert management is a requirement.
 


Kill Warrior said:
First, how did said class turn out?

Second, you are comparing apples to bowling balls for a number of reasons, but here are a few:

1. Brewster brought that class in with bald-faced lies, hyperbole and anything else he could hurl.

2. Kill's class of 2012 to date is a tad smarter than Brewster's wonder class of 2008. Agree? They will not be as easily bamboozeled to stay if 2011 melts down.

3. See point 2. 2013 candidates will again be smart enough to see the forest for the trees and Kill won't be recruits looking to be sold a croc of @@@@ by a used car salesman.
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Wow:eek:

Got an axe to grind?

1)Brewster sold optimism and playing time to a very talented class, some didn't work out, some were/will be record setters.

2)Hopefully they are 4-5 year guys of high character and loyalty that get an excellent education and make us all proud. If they all break their commitments if things go south this season then they wouldn't be of that caliber would they?

3)If Kill can't show he can win in the Big Ten, then yeah he'll have a hard time getting recruits, kinda a duh moment isn't it? We don't know anything yet.
 

Loon

Originally Posted by Kill Warrior
"Brewster brought that class in with bald-faced lies."

You are truly are a piece of work. But who am I to argue with an expert on lies.

PS - I see that MV has a great deal of love for you at his blog.
 

Killjoy said:
Originally Posted by Kill Warrior
"Brewster brought that class in with bald-faced lies."

You are truly are a piece of work. But who am I to argue with an expert on lies.

PS - I see that MV has a great deal of love for you at his blog.
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He's REALISTIC, okay? He's allowed to preach the truth when he's constantly surrounded by dreamers and silly hearts.
 

Killjoy said:
This is not meant to be a critique of anybody's opinion but it is an observation of how well Coach Kill is managing our expectations. When Brewster came here as a very inexperienced coach, optimism wasn’t that hard to find. Now that we have a real coach, almost everybody seems to be afraid to show any optimism. Man that Jerry Kill is good! He got us believing his message. Do you think the other Big Ten coaches are buying it?

What is even more interesting is that there were some people on this blog that were already writing Jerry off because he couldn't recruit. No wonder he is often giving us the worst case scenario. With fans like us who have so little patience and understanding, expert management is a requirement.
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There was about a day of people being upset about the Kill hire, and then people warmed up to him really fast when they took a look at his resume. With the end of Spring football, the buzz has worn off. It's not that people's attitutes have really changed, people just don't keep that level of enthusiasm in the summer.

That leaves people with axes to grind for one reason or another. Some people have irrational expectations for how many wins a coach will have in year one or who have irrational expectations of how highly regarded a recruiting class you can expect for a new coach of a team that only had three wins the previous year. I don't think they are terribly representative.
 

You Missed My Point

RodentRampage said:
There was about a day of people being upset about the Kill hire, and then people warmed up to him really fast when they took a look at his resume. With the end of Spring football, the buzz has worn off. It's not that people's attitutes have really changed, people just don't keep that level of enthusiasm in the summer.

That leaves people with axes to grind for one reason or another. Some people have irrational expectations for how many wins a coach will have in year one or who have irrational expectations of how highly regarded a recruiting class you can expect for a new coach of a team that only had three wins the previous year. I don't think they are terribly representative.
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I am not talking about buzz nor am I talking about how many wins we will have. What I am talking about is how well coach Kill is managing us to have low expectations. There appears to be really very little objective discussion hear on what the potential positive and negatives are for the upcoming season. I am again not talking about wins. It is the fundamental changes in our football culture that are important.

If Minnesota Gopher football team was a stock I would say it is being undervalued. First and foremost it is under new management. This new management has a track record similar to Warren Buffet's when it comes to getting value out of their assets. Yea, I know this isn't a stock but this is a classic turnaround situation where fundamental change are taking place now. As a result, Jerry is going to be able to get a much better return on these assets than Brewster ever did. In addition, these are assets that are maturing and this alone should alone result in improvement.

I have notice that some people here point to the pre-season football magazines as if they really know what is going on. First and foremost they are in the business of selling magazines. They are not in the business of doing any in depth analysis of turnaround situations. Even most stock reports don’t recognize turnaround situations until the actual turnaround is well on the road.

This brings me to my other point, you can choose either to wait until after the fact, like most people do, to decide if this is a real turn around situation; or you can evaluate now from a systemic view point whether the changes taken place will lead to a turnaround. I would state that there is a large enough body of information and facts available now to say that this is very likely a real turnaround.

I am not suggesting that we are going to win x-number of games this year. This isn't even important or is it the real issue. What is the real issue is that we have a coach who knows how to do this, has done it several times before, and is in the process of doing it here again.

Therefore, let’s not worry so much about the number of wins we have this year but rather instead let’s evaluate how well we are doing in the changes that are needed for future success. That plus is the program moving in the right direction. This will requires patience and not reacting to every bump in the road. Again, just notice the change that are taking place. That is what really counts.
 

For what it's worth, Athlon was pretty much right on the money when it came to the Gophers last year. Maybe they're right about this year, maybe they're wrong. It's been pointed out before, but in this issue of Athlon, they do pick the Gophers to finish 4-8, but they also rank every single new head coach that was hired since last year ended. Guess which school they believe made the best hire? Hint: It ain't Colorado.
 

The magazines always base their predictions on the previous years results. That can usually be a very good indicator, but the gophers have not had a guy who can coach a team since mason. Mason could not recruit, but honestly he could coach. Kill can definitly coach, that is a start right there. The talent is on the team to do something. We will find out, but I think there is going to be a big improvement I know a guy who is pretty close to the program (I'm sure a lot of people do) and he said the coaching is night and day compared to what it was under Brewster.
I don't think we are going to be beating Wisconsin by 50, but I'm excited and think we are going to see alot of less stupid mistakes or somebody else is going to be on the field.
 




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