Coaching Staff Disaster

[Bob_Loblaw]

There are some strange fans here.
I don't think it's strange to be disappointed and I don't think any coach deserves our blind loyalty. However, some of the arguments against the coaching today are just bizarre.

You seem to be implying that we weren't aggressive enough for your liking (as if that was playing not to win). That's a god awful argument to begin with as some extremely successful coaches built programs on playing really conservative. Look at he amount that Norm Parker blitzed at his time building really good defenses at Iowa (it was REAL rare), look at how Barry Alvarez coached at WI (run, run and usually more run). So there is absolutely NO connection between playing conservative and not winning. It might not be your style, which is fair, but it's not a sign of a staff being over their heads. So your entire premise is wrong.

Secondly, they weren't even that conservative. They blitzed quite a bit during the game. I watched the game with a guy who dislikes the staff that kept complaining that everytime we blitzed, the picked it up and burned us deep. He was right. We did blitz quite a bit today, they were pretty much all picked up, but watch the game on replay and observe the amount of big plays they had on our blitzing plays.

So playing conservative is a matter of style. I actually like it with the makeup of this current team (we don't have the playmakers to overcome gambles). Playing conservative isn't throwing in the towel and it's certainly not a MAC level coaching philosophy, it's just one style of play that you may or may not like, that's it.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

There are posters here who think/believe it should/could happen in two years. Barring complete ineptitude any coach they hire deserves four years.

I almost think it should be 5, but you're 100% right. Barring complete and catastrophic failure (i'm talking like losing to the NMSU's of the world), a coach needs to be given time to get full recruiting cycles through. I think that's especially true at Minnesota.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I agree 100%

I thought the same thing watching this game. It felt like the staff was more interested with waisting the clock down so the score would look more respectable and in the end that blew up in their face with the late TD and pick 6.

-Why didn't we make some offensive effort at the end of the first half? Are you talking about when we started from the 1 cm line with 3 minutes left in the half? Really? Do you really need an answer to this question? We didn't try to score because we were forced to run on the first two downs to get out of the endzone and we had virtually no chance of moving into field goal range at the end of the half. We haven't been able to pass the ball very well all season, especially when our opponents know we are passing, why would we open it up and try to score at the end of the half? Could you imagine the outcry if we would given up a pick 6 or fumbled at that place in the field? Wow. Sorry, this is a bad question.

-On almost every 3rd down we stuck with a 3 man rush. Once again it felt like the coaching staff was more interested in waisting the clock by keeping all big plays in front of them and just hoping it would take awhile for Michigan to move the ball. Go back and rewatch the game. We blitzed more than you'd think. We also got absolutely burned every time we blitzed. Why would you want more of that, especially against a running QB. It'd be nice if we could play 15-16 guys on defense so we could blitz, spy the QB and cover people a little bit, but the rules won't let us. I don't think our problem was a lack of blitzing, I think our problem was a lack of being able to get to the QB. Blitzing wasn't even helping us, we were getting burned with every blitz. (We also blitzed at the end of the 1st half in Iowa, I'm sure you loved that play that went to 75 yards and a TD

-Why did we punt with 6 minutes left?You're right. I didn't like that call.

-Why were we milking the play clock down to 10 seconds in the 4th quarter when time wasn't on our side?I don't think we were milking it, I think we have too many FR playing and they aren't good at playing completely out of their element (passing a lot in a hurry up). It's not an excuse.

Just so many things that were frustrating. I know the argument has been made that firing the staff now and starting over would be a disaster but honestly things are not going to chance, especially form the offensive side of the ball. Limegrover just doesn't get it, I don't care if we have a young QB or not. He coaches the O-line too and they still suck.
*From a recruiting standpoint the only recruit I would be worried about losing would be Jones, we are still getting killed in recruiting so the "jolly gee shucks, hardworking kids" that Jerry has said we get that no one else appreciates aren't working.
Maturi made a bad hire and seriously doubt he looked into the documented game day seizures kill had in 2005 and I think 2001 was the other one. I'm so glad you made this argument. Our OL has probably been our biggest problem. Oddly enough, it's the position that we've had the most success recruiting. Look at the offer lists of Jonah Pirsig, Isaac Hayes, the McAvoys, Alex Mayes, etc., it's impressive. You can't rip on Jerry's recruiting when it comes to our OL. However, they are still a huge area of weakness. So maybe, our lack of success isn't completely due to failing to recruit glitzy enough athletes? I mean, our secondary is littered with decent players with barren offer sheets.

Any talk about moving on from this staff at this juncture is insane. We simply can't just keep replacing coaches during the turnaround. There are some positive things. We finally have some class parity, our academics seem solid and we are beating the non-conference nothing schedule. Now, that's enough to buy them more than a couple years, it's simply proof that this isn't a completely rotten situation that needs immediate removal. If we don't start winning in the Big 10, it'll be time to move on. I'm always ready to move on, I have no problem with that. However, I think we are in a place now that is tough, we still aren't good and we feel like we've been "improving" long enough to start seeing results.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

OK. Next time Wisconsin or Stanford are 19.5 point dogs and find themselves in a game they shouldn't be in and still choose to play a vanilla offense then I'll agree. When you aren't out talented by most teams in the B1G you don't need to take a ton of risks. When you are...

You don't watch much WI football. During the Alvarez years (their rebuilding years), he made Limegrover look like Chip Kelley. So yeah, I've seen it. I saw it with Alvarez and I saw it with Iowa. Both of those programs found success with less talent playing conservative.

 

[mcal24]

Welcome to Minnesota sports. You don't win immediately, the fans want your head. Not saying I don't do it either, its just how it is when you never have a winning program. We really need a coach like Kirk Ferentz is, someone that stays here for a while despite the bad years every once in a while.

 

[skauma]

It seems like they play for first downs. If we can gain 4 yards on 1st down, 3 on 2nd, 3 on 3rd, then, SUCCESS!! But they have no concept of the bigger picture.

bingo.

Its not just lack of talent, which we were clearly outmatched today talent wise, its that our coaches just have no creativity. I like Kill, or more so, I like the idea of him. A coach that disciplines his players, plays the more talented player, recruits good character kids, has a loyal staff...but the problem with all of this, is that the coaches have no in game intuitiveness. They are completely outmatched in games, and do not take advantage of their chances...for example, the end of the first half...what a great chance to go down and get at least 3 points, instead, they are intent on running the clock out...take advantage of that situation for *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#s sake.

 

[Sportsfan24]

If the strategy was to play the worse teams in college during the Non-Conf then pray for 2 teams to be worse then us & make it to a Bowl Game every year we might as well have kept Mason...

It's all about getting as many of those paychecks as possible baby!

Being serious; I agree with your take but Mn fans have shown they prefer what Mason did and Kill is now doing. Also; it has worked great for Wisconsin. Get relevant (get better recruits), beat a big name team in a down year (get more relevant and even better recruits). Presto! You have a program.

 

[Sportsfan24]

My point was, no up and coming coach seems to want this job. Agree on at least Maturi won't be involved.

Not true; NDSU's Craig Bohl very much wanted this job and we have seen what he has consistantly done on the D1 level with recruits the gophers turn away. The trick is hiring the right up and coming coach. Did we? I say no, but time will tell.

 

[Gopherprof]

I can't believe anyone thinks that a coach entirely unrelated to the program, who we fired 7 years ago, would take over (or be invited to take over) a staff and group of players that was not his own in the middle of the season. Honestly, sometimes I'm baffled at how stupid people are.

 

[Dr.Don]

I can't believe anyone thinks that a coach entirely unrelated to the program, who we fired 7 years ago, would take over (or be invited to take over) a staff and group of his players that was not his own in the middle of the season. Honestly, sometimes I'm baffled at how stupid people are.

I'm not anymore. It's displayed time and time again on GH, and as a result I have come to accept it as "what is, is".

 

[Spoofin]

Too bad Mase wouldn't take it. If he did we could have another 10-years of mediocrity and melt-downs.

 

[kellyleeks]

I know Dungy has said he wouldn't be interested in being a college coach, but maybe he would for a partial season. Or Bud Grant?

 

[JMWZ]

I think Jerry Kill will finish the year or even another couple years. If he doesn't, I don't expect them to hire an already fired coach who is already pretty old and hasn't been in college football for 7 years. My preference is James Coley but that's only if Jerry Kill steps down or can't turn the program around. I'm a Jerry Kill guy.