Here's my understanding of it all.
Basically the formula changed when Brewster was hired. It was flipped completely upside down.
IMO the drastic change in fan attitudes has very much to do with this change.
No longer is our coach and program under the radar as it was under the previous coach.
Brewster stepped out into the media firestorm and demanded to be paid attention to.
In response, most of the talking heads who had built their careers on either ignoring the gopher football program or slighting it took full aim, the 1-11 season made it worse and an easy punchline requiring no research or effort.
It became a fallback rip that local media could just throw in there any time material was thin, and Brewster continued and still continues to get the word out to pay attention to the program, not a bad thing, just a very risky thing considering the on field results and Brewster's limited resume'.
The fan apathy too stems from the drastic change in philosphy we saw when Brewster was hired.
No longer are comfy non conference blowouts in the stale Metrodome atmosphere able to satiate the hoards of part time and casual fans.
Our zone scheme was unique, and it was something difficult to prepare for and defend against unless you were a well coached or gifted defense with athletic Dlinemen who could beat the cut blocks and make a play. Stop our run like that and the O was done.
In his defense, Brewster had originally planned on keeping the O, trying to hire a then Texans Qb coach Kyle Shannahan as his O coordinator. The Texans' O has been fun to watch the last few years under Shannahan, and employs a zone scheme that would have transitioned easily in 07'. Alas, no. We went with dunbar and his spread.
In addition, the previous lack of recruiting prowess fielded defense after defense that were undersized and slow, the best athletes need to be on defense, they were not. It didn't matter until we went up against a Big Ten opponent, when top athletes were able to stretch and dominate our undertalented defenses.
Now we put emphasis on recruiting athletes and putting them on D, the offense is more balanced and unfortunately has been stricken with serious issues due to a lack of quality linemen and coaching turnover.
Nevertheless, we've seen a shift to a defense and special teams emphasis and an offensive philosophy that is much more standard to college football.
Bottom line: It's not exciting to the casual fans, and there has been nothing to hang the program's hat on like the 1000 yard rushers under the last coach, but in the end it keeps games close and gives us a chance to elevate ourselves, the jump hasn't been made yet though, and our team has struggled to overcome the 05 to 07 talent gap.
I'm incredibly hopeful our young defense will this year become a standout and exciting unit, and individuals become noticed in the local media market. Give fans something to hang their casual gopher hats on like a dominant linebacker or defensive end, and they will start to take notice, in addition win a few high profile games, and the media will have to take notice in a positive way. Get a few fans calling in to discuss a impactful player or game, and the tide turns. Until then, we're going to see apathy and negativity galore amongst uninformed and negative media members and fans.
