Coaching the Gophers in 2011 will be...

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thailleagle said:
It's hard to say...the only player I really can see some progression with is Stoudamire. I think they're doing a wonderful job converting him as a WR. Everyone else? I don't know...Offensively I don't see any other player progressing. Bennet got worse but that was clearly due to his injury last year because he hasn't been playing the same since. Eskridge? Still average...Weber? It's his Freshman year all over again...Green? Green was decent last year he just didn't get too many looks...Tow-Arnet was always a solid TE...I don't see anybody that seriously progressed.

The O-Line? Still terrible an entire year & a half later.......
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Was looking for some resolution on Decker and what, if any, effect you though coaching had on his development, but it's clear you not going to give it, so I guess we'll move on.

On defense, I think there are a few players that have developed pretty well. Lawrence, Small, Brown, and Sherels come to mind. I think Cooper is shaping up pretty well, based on the limited reps that I've seen, as have Kirksey, Wilhite, and Edwards.

With that said, the complete absence of a pass rush suggests otherwise.

On offense, it's tough to disagree with you. Green may be an All American, but it's impossible to tell, given that Weber has been so inconsistent and the line, with a few exceptions, has been abysmal. There's a part of me that wants to believe it's less to do with player development and more to do with a) talent and b) the complexity of the current offense. The players seem to do well when the scheme is simplified and there's a minimal to no deficit in talent (see NU and Purdue games), but totally fall apart against more talented teams where it just comes down to beating your guy and executing the scheme.

Weber is a quandary. It could be the scheme is too complicated for him (or any college player). It could be the change in his throwing motion. It could just be that his biggest adversary is himself. In all of those cases, though, it's incumbent upon the coaches to a) do what's right for the player and simplify the scheme/correct his throwing motion or b) get Gray in there to see what he can do. I have no answer for why they haven't fixed the situation.

Thanks for the conversation. I'm downing the bourbon with some authority right now, so be advised I may slide into total incoherence without any warning. :)
 

Tim Brewster, because still under contract in '11. He deserves five years and will likely get an extension. But I agree Turner Gill would be a great catch at the next level (beyond Buffalo).
 

If you can surround this pick with exceptional coordinators: For a coordinator that gives MN a unique edge in recruiting that no other team has, for a coordinator that will fill the stands even if the team has a losing season, for National television exposure on a regular basis...how about Erin Andrews?
 

BuckBravo said:
If you can surround this pick with exceptional coordinators: For a coordinator that gives MN a unique edge in recruiting that no other team has, for a coordinator that will fill the stands even if the team has a losing season, for National television exposure on a regular basis...how about Erin Andrews?
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$$$$. A pure money take from a pure college football mind.

Your work on TDG is second to none. You gotta get JG in line before I start frequenting the joint again. He's like reading a Hawkeye board when he writes about Gopher football.
 

MBAGuy said:
$$$$. A pure money take from a pure college football mind.

Your work on TDG is second to none. You gotta get JG in line before I start frequenting the joint again. He's like reading a Hawkeye board when he writes about Gopher football.
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Thanks MBA,

Of course it's ridiculous, but the more I think about Erin Andrews as our head coach the better it sounds:

1: Gopher football on the cover of every magazine in America
2: A head coaching salary is probably far more than her current salary
3: Several Nationally televised games each year
4: The praise of women's rights groups and maybe some donations, too
5: She does a good job talking about football in her interviews...she's no dummy. The coordinators could do the coaching.
6: Sold out games from football fans and novelty seekers alike...the most popular ticket in town
7: I'd bet some decent talent and excellent coordinators would be willing to come here just for the publicity
8: Exponentially increased U of MN merchandise sales
9: Weekly features on ESPN
10: I actually think she could pull it off in a maroon and gold suit with a clipboard and coach's headphones

Another first for The U.
 



Tossing this out there...in a year or two (depending on staff turnover) maybe John Butler will be ready for coordinator gig, then who knows... In the Brewster era I don't really ever remember complaining about the LB play or special teams....

OK, maybe it's the liquor talking.
 


neut41 said:
I would love to be patient, but Brew is lost. I'm still hoping he turns it around and I will support the team on the field regardless, but good coaches win a little more quickly. Good coaches do not go 1-11, and then claw to get back to achieving the records of their predecessors' teams.

I didn't like Mason either, but Brew has been a disaster. You can scream "But he's a great recruiter" and "wait until he has all of his players in place" until you turn blue in the face, but coaching the talent is a very real concern. Brew has shown no ability to coach the players he inherited or the players he has recruited. The swinging door of coordinators has not helped, but coordinators do not typically leave a head coach they like. Where there is smoke there is fire and Brew's smoke has been hidden by the new stadium excitement for too long.

Based on what I've seen in the Brewster years, we're going backwards. The offense is worse than when Brewster started. The defense is modestly better, but will continually get destroyed by good teams because it is a "too much cushion/read-and-react" defense run by a guy who has no ability to make adjustments (Cosgrove).

I'll keep cheering for the team regardless of the coaching situation. However, when someone brings up the possibility of a new coach, I feel like I'm free to mention a person whom I think would be a great fit. I'm sorry for thinking that waiting for two and a half years to see progress (or, at the very least, get back to the level the program was at when Brewster took over) means I need a "little more patience with everything."
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have you been eating paintchips? or have you been smoking something? Brewster has this program in the best shape it has ever been in since our glory days and thanks to him our future glory days are in clear sight. We have more positive national press than we have ever had. You also have to expect a few steps backwards before going forward and going 1-11 was a great thing for recruiting. when building a program you need to lose big, then lose small, then win small, and then you can win big, so Brew needs a minimum of 4 years to start competing with the big boys especially since masons players suck crap.
 



My Take

bankonit said:
have you been eating paintchips? or have you been smoking something? Brewster has this program in the best shape it has ever been in since our glory days and thanks to him our future glory days are in clear sight. We have more positive national press than we have ever had. You also have to expect a few steps backwards before going forward and going 1-11 was a great thing for recruiting. when building a program you need to lose big, then lose small, then win small, and then you can win big, so Brew needs a minimum of 4 years to start competing with the big boys especially since masons players suck crap.
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I watched the Brewster TV show this week, and the Coach said about last week in Penn State: “I couldn’t have been more proud of the effort of my team”. WOW! Is all I can say. I am wondering what game he was at. If this B.S. continues, we are in BIG trouble. I’m as optimistic as anybody out there, but I was in total disbelief over his comments about that game last week. He’d better win out at home and go 7-5 is all I can say. That might silence the critics, but boy if he loses to Mich. State AND Illinois, I think he’s a goner. Let’s hope for a respectable game today, one that we could actually be proud of.
 

Cupla things.

First, Mason's last team was one missed field goal by an FCS team (a good FCS team mind you) at home from not being bowl eligible. One can like and respect Mason, but let's not let reality get in the way. He was a decent coach and a decent guy and a lousy recruiter.

Second, as per Adam Weber. I hated the Dunbar hire from the get-go, not because of Dunbar as a person (all indications are he was someone that the local HS coaches liked a lot), but the spread is a terrible offense, especially his iteration of it. When you're in the shotgun on 3rd-and-1, it really says something of a mindset that isn't going to get it done consistently at the major college level. The one thing the spread can do is make an average QB look better than he actually is. I think Weber is a gutty kid whose more athlete than QB. Nothing wrong with that. But does he have the skills to play QB under center, which is a totally different animal than taking snaps in the shotgun? I don't know if Gray is suited to it either, which means that Fisch may have to change things up a bit during spring ball. I do think Fisch is on the right track in incorporating multiple sets into the system, but that's going to take time. Everybody has to remember that this isn't a pro team where guys are football 24/7. College football systems have to be developed over a number of years and the dismissal of Dunbar is unfortunate because it does put the program back at least a year (maybe more) in terms of consistent development. But this does fall on Brewster to a great extent because he's the guy who hired Dunbar and promoted the spread in the first place.

Third, neut41, I liked the basic gist of your post although I quibble with some of your sub-points. I want to like Brewster and I want the Gophers to re-establish themselves as a program that is respected nationally. That's going to start with players and Brewster is doing a better job of anyone since Lou Holtz (Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. There I go cursing again.) in getting solid athletes into the system. Now comes the teaching part and hopefully Brewster and company can start doing that with more consistency. I also wish that Brewster would tone it down a bit. Maybe go to a PR firm. It's not that I mind the enthusiasm. I just don't like mindless enthusiasm.

I hope they give Brewster a shot to see the fruits of his recruiting labors. This looks like a solid recruiting class and if we can land a couple more top-tier recruits (and I think we will), we could be going in the right direction. I'm old, so it's easy for me to be patient.
 

MBAGuy said:
This is fun. So no on the coaching aspect, then?

I can avoid your question longer than you can avoid mine. :)
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Maybe the big "explosion" for Decker came from the fact that in 2007 we stopped running the ball and became a pass first offense.

Ron Johnson and Jared Ellerson could have put up monster numbers in a spread offense. Instead, they were great receivers in a run first, run often offense and were known more for their blocking skills.

Attributing Decker's development solely to Brewster is a joke. But then again, so is saying Brewster had no impact.

An offensive line that would be in the top half of the big ten under mason (sans Wills and Alford) vs. the worst o-line in the big ten is what concerns me most in the development arena.
 

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