Chip Scoggins: What we’re hearing about improvement isn’t what we’re seeing

[tikited]

There is no chance they could have beaten Syracuse last year. None. Nada.

Man, I guess Syracuse was better than Iowa and Illinois last year! Syracuse! Please, this is beyond crazy.

Who knows who would have won, but to say we couldn't have is really really stupid.

 

[4four4]

I'm far from a Mason apologist and don't think he left Brewster a lot, but the fact is that every year from 1999-2006 we won at least 6 games. Brewster took that foundation, put in a spread offense, and led us to the single worst season in Gopher history and what ESPN recently ranked as the worst team in the history of the Big Ten. 2010 was on pace to equal it, until Horton helped change things at the end.

Today's loss was disappointing in part because we all still think of Northwestern as the weak team that they had been for so long, but the fact is they have been to bowl games the last 6 years and were 4-1 coming into today's game. It's not like we lost to a team that was 1-4. I'm not making excuses, we need to start winning these type of games soon, but let the season play out before we have conversations regarding Kill's long-term status.

Coming into the game the Wildcats were ranked 23rd in the nation they are far from their mildcat days. They are going to a bowl game again.

 

[BreakTheGopherCurse]

I try to read as much as I can find about Gopher Football. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I disagree with the assertion that (in Scoggins' words) Kill "trumpeted" a damn thing and that he "vowed" (i.e. promised) anything. He has represented that the players are getting bigger and stronger and faster, that they've definitely improved, that Gray is a more confident and poised qb and that they added some very talented players. He never promised wins, but he was hopeful. And guess what, they're 4-2 and definitely better than last year. This Scoggins is an f'ing liar, and a hyperbole-laden dramatizer!

 

[Shielder]

I try to read as much as I can find about Gopher Football. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I disagree with the assertion that (in Scoggins' words) Kill "trumpeted" a damn thing and that he "vowed" (i.e. promised) anything. He has represented that the players are getting bigger and stronger and faster, that they've definitely improved, that Gray is a more confident and poised qb and that they added some very talented players. He never promised wins, but he was hopeful. And guess what, they're 4-2 and definitely better than last year. This Scoggins is an f'ing liar, and a hyperbole-laden dramatizer!

Right On BreakTGC! All of a sudden people are upset with a 4-2 record. I expected a 5-6 win season, we're right on schedule. There will be some ugly games along the way, that's life.

Whether Chirp Scoggins likes it or not, this team is young/inexperienced and that's not hyperbole.

 

[LesBolstad]

I have watched an awful lot of football for decades and in the first half of last year the Gophers played some of the worst football I have ever seen. It was certainly the worst Gopher football I have seen in my almost 30 years of watching. Worse than Brewster's one win season. There is no chance they could have beaten Syracuse last year. None. Nada.

Dumbest thing I've read in quite some time.

 

[jovs]

Right On BreakTGC! All of a sudden people are upset with a 4-2 record. I expected a 5-6 win season, we're right on schedule. There will be some ugly games along the way, that's life.

Whether Chirp Scoggins likes it or not, this team is young/inexperienced and that's not hyperbole.

The schedule is not very freindly going forward, with the strong start I think expectation for a bowl game was heightened, at this point it looks like reaching a bowl game might be a reach, Illinois and maybe Purdue seem to be the plausible wins, any other wins would be a big upset.

 

[sonnygarcia]

​

Don't forget he has a seven year contract.

I thought we extended him 1 yr from the original 4 yr deal? How did we get to 7?

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

The schedule is not very freindly going forward, with the strong start I think expectation for a bowl game was heightened, at this point it looks like reaching a bowl game might be a reach, Illinois and maybe Purdue seem to be the plausible wins, any other wins would be a big upset.

Going into the season, the expectation for a bowl game may have been heightened. But, if we are a better team, I don't think that it is unreasonable to have the expectation that we match last season's conference performance. I think we will. And since we got four out of conference wins, that would take us to a bowl game.

 

[we will win this week?]

Wow, this article has been written a thousand times. The best part was thousands of empty seats. Why was the attendance announced at 49000?
We are improved, but that does not mean we are ready to make the next step-win every game! What did northwestern do in the air yesterday. We actually had guys covered, in years past it looked like practice for opposing quarterbacks. Does any one remember New Mexico States quarterback, we made him look like an nfl quarterback.
This game was not decided until the end. We had a chance to win. Last year it would have been decided by the third quarter.
Go Gophers!

 

[50PoundHead]

Right On BreakTGC! All of a sudden people are upset with a 4-2 record. I expected a 5-6 win season, we're right on schedule. There will be some ugly games along the way, that's life.

Whether Chirp Scoggins likes it or not, this team is young/inexperienced and that's not hyperbole.

I am not upset, but this was a winnable game that featured a couple of really bonehead moves and a carryover from the Iowa game in an inability to stop straightforward running plays out of the gate. That makes Scoggins basically correct in his assessment.

Everybody gives Pat Fitzgerald verbal fellatio, but Northwestern is a fraud. That team isn't very good.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Man, I guess Syracuse was better than Iowa and Illinois last year! Syracuse! Please, this is beyond crazy.

Who knows who would have won, but to say we couldn't have is really really stupid.

If we played Syracuse last year, it would have been early in the season. It would have been highly unlikely that we beat them.

 

[CP Gopher]

The guy's name is Chip. Enough said.

 

[cfb120]

Wow, this article has been written a thousand times. The best part was thousands of empty seats. Why was the attendance announced at 49000?
We are improved, but that does not mean we are ready to make the next step-win every game! What did northwestern do in the air yesterday. We actually had guys covered, in years past it looked like practice for opposing quarterbacks. Does any one remember New Mexico States quarterback, we made him look like an nfl quarterback.
This game was not decided until the end. We had a chance to win. Last year it would have been decided by the third quarter.
Go Gophers!

That was the amount of tickets sold. I was at the game, and I would guess around 35,000-39,000 at the start of the game, much less after it started raining hard. 11am start and bad weather I am sure played a large part in it

 

[50PoundHead]

Wow, this article has been written a thousand times. The best part was thousands of empty seats. Why was the attendance announced at 49000?
We are improved, but that does not mean we are ready to make the next step-win every game! What did northwestern do in the air yesterday. We actually had guys covered, in years past it looked like practice for opposing quarterbacks. Does any one remember New Mexico States quarterback, we made him look like an nfl quarterback.
This game was not decided until the end. We had a chance to win. Last year it would have been decided by the third quarter.
Go Gophers!

Colter is a very good football player, but he's not a passer (his 10-10 performance largely on safe passes notwithstanding). Siemian isn't very good period.

 

[littlebigboy]

Chip, I'm dis
disappointed that you as someone that covers football cannot see that Coach Kill is building the program the right way. There is alot of improvement although I admit it is not showing in the W-L. You write an article like this and expect us to think you know what you are writing about when covering FB. Only people that don't have a clue would!

 

[OddStack]

I like the fact that all of the Negative Nellies are looking at the W-L record for results. These are the same people that have a goal of losing 100 pounds, lose 20, and give up because the diet is not working. IT'S A FREAKING PROCESS!!!!!!!! The last 2 years we couldn't win 4 games and beat a I-AA opponent!

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I like the fact that all of the Negative Nellies are looking at the W-L record for results. These are the same people that have a goal of losing 100 pounds, lose 20, and give up because the diet is not working. IT'S A FREAKING PROCESS!!!!!!!! The last 2 years we couldn't win 4 games and beat a I-AA opponent!

Your analogy is misplaced. Trying to lose 100 pounds, losing 20, and giving up would be like saying we want to be 7-1, we were 2-6 last year, this year we are 3-5, 3-5 is not 7-1, so we are giving up. Some people use overall record, I prefer conference record because frankly I don't really care about the non-conference schedule and it is too easily manipulated by scheduling easy games. If I use conference record as my metric, and we finish with the same record as we had last year, we didn't lose 20 pounds. If we go 1-7 or 0-8 we have put some weight back on. If we are 3-5 or better, then we are still shedding the pounds and on track.

 

[OddStack]

Your analogy is misplaced. Trying to lose 100 pounds, losing 20, and giving up would be like saying we want to be 7-1, we were 2-6 last year, this year we are 3-5, 3-5 is not 7-1, so we are giving up. Some people use overall record, I prefer conference record because frankly I don't really care about the non-conference schedule and it is too easily manipulated by scheduling easy games. If I use conference record as my metric, and we finish with the same record as we had last year, we didn't lose 20 pounds. If we go 1-7 or 0-8 we have put some weight back on. If we are 3-5 or better, then we are still shedding the pounds and on track.

My point is that it is a process like you state. We had 3 easy non-conf games last year and couldn't win but ONE. This year's a step in the right direction regardless if we win 2 games in the B1G.

 

[howieramone]

What happened to patience? Give it time folks, the foundation is being laid.

+1

 

[Deleted_User]

What happened to patience? Give it time folks, the foundation is being laid.

Year 2 and we are still laying the foundation. Year three, will you be saying that we are laying the foundation. I assume you will repeat that in year 4 as well. What phrase will be the the choice words for "terrible" then? My guess is "maturing".