Does anyone even listen to Coach Kill?

[GopherinPhilly]

One would think that after 60 years of not being great that our fans would have some realistic and rational expectations. Guess not.

Every week since the day the man was hired he has told us the truth. The truth being exactly what he said coming to pass and therefor proving it true.

When he got here he said the cupboard was bare. The kids didn't go to class, had no discipline, were slow, weak & limited in talent.

He said he would need 3 full recruiting classes to make a full impact.

Before every game for the last 3 years he has told us what his goals were, what the basic game plan was and what he thought of the opposition. Of course he uses some general superlatives to describe lessor opponents, but he doesn't (IMO) seem to over due it like some coaches.

Leading into this season he reminded us we are young. That for us to win we must execute, block, not make mistakes and tackle. Even though so many posters on this board seem to want to argue with Coach about how young we are (not as young as last year but still really young), how long this will take to turn around and so on. But each and every time, what Coach Kill says has come to pass.

So let me give you all some advice. Next week when Coach Kill says that MI is good. That if we can't contain their QB we will have trouble staying with them. That MI has some young defenders but they are very talented and we need to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves and we can't afford mental mistakes, missed blocks or dropped passes. That if we play our best game of the year, and do everything right, we MIGHT have a chance at a victory. But even if we do everything right, we still might get outplayed.

When Coach Kill says all that to us, please take heed. He isn't lying. He isn't down playing our position. He is telling you the truth.

I am all about being a fan. I love to cheer and I scream at my TV and I hate Iowa and Wisconsin (born in one and grade school in the other) and first hand knowledge of just how much those states suck. But I am also a reasonable and try to be based in reality...so if we don't win next week I am not likely to start demanding we start Streveler, or wondering why our veteran team can't block kids 2 and 3 years older than them, or why our Sophomore QB with 8 starts isn't in line for the Heisman and so on.

Dudes...try and find some balance. We have been banging our heads on this wall my whole life (44 years) and then some. I dream of going to the Rose Bowl ( or even the Capital One Bowl at this point) as much as all of you. I just choose not to act like ridiculous morons when the projected, the expected and the recurring happen exactly as our Coach said they would.

Now, if 2 years from now we are having these same issues...we will all be calling for Coach Kills head. Until then, know that he told each and every one of you that this isn't going to be like his last two stops. He needs one more year of recruiting to turn this around and make the big gains. Since he is 100% to date on telling me the truth, I am going to wait it out. If for no other reason than there is not a single person in the world who I think is better than Coach Kill that would take his job.

 

[#2Gopher]

I was one who came away unhappy yesterday. Later though I started thinking about what Kill has been saying. The Gophers were in sad shape when he took over. How quickly we forget. I believe we wanted to think that the team wasn't as bad as it was. The Big 10 is a pretty good league, we just can't waltz in without a foundation like Coach inherited and expect immediate results. Thanks for putting everything in prespective.

 

[goldengophers]

With the system this staff uses on offense we are looking at a 10-15 year plan until we're on pace with the consistency of the Badgers and Hawkeyes. This program needed differentiation and Maturi couldn't deliver.

 

[salaunese]

From an Iowa fan point of view..Kill is the right man for the job. The Minnesota turnaround is not going to happen overnight..It may take more than 5 years

You need to get stronger on the LOS. Slowly but surely that can happen. Getting rid of Mason and hiring a guy like Brewster really set the program back. Hiring Brewster was a strong indication that the University of MN did not know what it was going to take to win football games in the Big10. Sure, he had a history of being a strong recruiter but than can only get you so far. It's all about the "program" and its philosophy. In retrospect the university made a big mistake moving off campus to the dome in the early 80s.

Lots of fan apathy outside the alumni-this seems to hurt recruiting. Keeping WI and Notre Dame out would help..

It's a pro sports town

I think outside of hockey, the football program has failed to market itself to the average fan and non-alums in the state.

Find an identity. They had one under Mason but not sure what it is now.. Kill is trying to establish a similar one with a strong ground game. Just need to continue to develop players and get stronger.

 

[Spoofin]

GopherinPhilly is spot on here.

 

[salaunese]

With the system this staff uses on offense we are looking at a 10-15 year plan until we're on pace with the consistency of the Badgers and Hawkeyes. This program needed differentiation and Maturi couldn't deliver.

I think you need 15 years honestly..consistency? Iowa had attrition issues with a couple recruiting classes and that can really hurt a team like Iowa. The school is in a state of only 3.2 million people. They need to bring in a good number of kids from places like NJ, FL, MD, TX, MI or Ohio but this can also be risky at times. Attrition at RB and DL hurt the team in 2011 and 2012 and we're still rebuilding at RB.

 

[goldengophers]

I think you need 15 years honestly..consistency? Iowa had attrition issues with a couple recruiting classes and that can really hurt a team like Iowa. The school is in a state of only 3.2 million people. They need to bring in a good number of kids from places like NJ, FL, MD, TX, MI or Ohio but this can also be risky at times. Attrition at RB and DL hurt the team in 2011 and 2012 and we're still rebuilding at RB.

Correct, you have to outcompete Iowa and Wisconsin as they are focused on the same ground and pound recruits. There was a reason the zone blocking scheme proved highly successful. It's going to take 10-15 years running the same system and chasing the same kids.

 

[hungan1]

One would think that after 60 years of not being great that our fans would have some realistic and rational expectations. Guess not.

Every week since the day the man was hired he has told us the truth. The truth being exactly what he said coming to pass and therefor proving it true.

When he got here he said the cupboard was bare. The kids didn't go to class, had no discipline, were slow, weak & limited in talent.

He said he would need 3 full recruiting classes to make a full impact.

Before every game for the last 3 years he has told us what his goals were, what the basic game plan was and what he thought of the opposition. Of course he uses some general superlatives to describe lessor opponents, but he doesn't (IMO) seem to over due it like some coaches.

Leading into this season he reminded us we are young. That for us to win we must execute, block, not make mistakes and tackle. Even though so many posters on this board seem to want to argue with Coach about how young we are (not as young as last year but still really young), how long this will take to turn around and so on. But each and every time, what Coach Kill says has come to pass.

So let me give you all some advice. Next week when Coach Kill says that MI is good. That if we can't contain their QB we will have trouble staying with them. That MI has some young defenders but they are very talented and we need to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves and we can't afford mental mistakes, missed blocks or dropped passes. That if we play our best game of the year, and do everything right, we MIGHT have a chance at a victory. But even if we do everything right, we still might get outplayed.

When Coach Kill says all that to us, please take heed. He isn't lying. He isn't down playing our position. He is telling you the truth.

I am all about being a fan. I love to cheer and I scream at my TV and I hate Iowa and Wisconsin (born in one and grade school in the other) and first hand knowledge of just how much those states suck. But I am also a reasonable and try to be based in reality...so if we don't win next week I am not likely to start demanding we start Streveler, or wondering why our veteran team can't block kids 2 and 3 years older than them, or why our Sophomore QB with 8 starts isn't in line for the Heisman and so on.

Dudes...try and find some balance. We have been banging our heads on this wall my whole life (44 years) and then some. I dream of going to the Rose Bowl ( or even the Capital One Bowl at this point) as much as all of you. I just choose not to act like ridiculous morons when the projected, the expected and the recurring happen exactly as our Coach said they would.

Now, if 2 years from now we are having these same issues...we will all be calling for Coach Kills head. Until then, know that he told each and every one of you that this isn't going to be like his last two stops. He needs one more year of recruiting to turn this around and make the big gains. Since he is 100% to date on telling me the truth, I am going to wait it out. If for no other reason than there is not a single person in the world who I think is better than Coach Kill that would take his job.

I hear ya man. I've been a fan going on forty years. Two years from now, we hope to see the Gophers in the upper tier if everything goes according to plan. Until then, we may get grumpy and fickle after a lost. I get over it quickly. It will take five years to ride this ship. It has been a mess for a while.

 

[WolfontheProwl]

I would like to know how any of you can dream of this program being in a top tier bowl game in two years? This team will have a very small recruiting class coming in for 2014 meaning not a great deal of help in 2015 assuming most of them redshirt. Throw in last years class not being outstanding or very big. We need to start seeing the supposed improvement by this team against Big Ten competition.

 

[GO4INLALALAND]

Again, no one is calling for Coach Kill's head, yet. I don't care what excuses you make, that loss against Iowa was ugly. Gopher fans have been patient with coach Kill. This is the first loss, I, myself, am upset about because we just looked like we were not prepared for this game. I understand, and I think most, if not all gopher fans, understand that this is a long haul process. The thing is, you do not want to stick it out for another 4 - 5 years with Kill and have the same results in 4-5 years from now as this year. We should start seeing some improvement now to show that it is worth keeping Kill for another 4 - 5 years. Based on the play against Iowa, I do not see sufficient enough improvement to keep Kill around 4 -5 years. Maybe Kill can turn it around, I hope he can. But if we continue to have games like the game against Iowa, I will not be happy and I will voice my displeasure.

 

[LesBolstad]

"I am excited about Ricco. But Kill & Co have a real shot and turning around the cash driver of our athletic department and regardless of the naysayers, I think 8 wins this year is going to happen and new years day bowl. That kind of success would mean more to the U than Ricco making the NCAAs this year.

Now next year I am expecting Rose Bowl and Sweet Sixteen...lets stop messing around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" GopherinPhilly 8/28/03

IALTO. Dude, you are too funny.

 

[Killjoy]

Great question GopherinPhilly! Next question is will anybody listen to you. I think more and more people are listening to what you said. You may not believe it but I actually expected a greater melt down today than what actually occurred today. More and more people seem to realize that coach Kill knows how and what it take to change a program. There is not a magic formula but there is a word that is almost magic. Of course it isn't really magic but it is needed if we are going to reach our goal. That world is patience. The good news is president Kaler understands that. When he extended Kill's contract to seven years he was saying it loud and clear that this will require patience. That is called leadership.

Go Gophers!

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

Many truths spoken here along with a couple of misguided cynics. A major obstacle is our youth. 18 and 19 year old boys seldom beat 20-something year old men. Until we get the right recruits for our system and have upperclassmen holding the majority of starting positions, we will experience setbacks like the one this past Saturday. Like everyone else, I want it now but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day or even in a year or two. We need to keep the faith and should have a pretty good idea in the next couple of years if Kill can get the job done.

Go Gophers!

 

[thailleagle]

I was upset with yesterday's game but this team is *CLEARLY* improved from last year...

 

[BreakTheGopherCurse]

One would think that after 60 years of not being great that our fans would have some realistic and rational expectations. Guess not.

Every week since the day the man was hired he has told us the truth. The truth being exactly what he said coming to pass and therefor proving it true.

When he got here he said the cupboard was bare. The kids didn't go to class, had no discipline, were slow, weak & limited in talent.

He said he would need 3 full recruiting classes to make a full impact.

Before every game for the last 3 years he has told us what his goals were, what the basic game plan was and what he thought of the opposition. Of course he uses some general superlatives to describe lessor opponents, but he doesn't (IMO) seem to over due it like some coaches.

Leading into this season he reminded us we are young. That for us to win we must execute, block, not make mistakes and tackle. Even though so many posters on this board seem to want to argue with Coach about how young we are (not as young as last year but still really young), how long this will take to turn around and so on. But each and every time, what Coach Kill says has come to pass.

So let me give you all some advice. Next week when Coach Kill says that MI is good. That if we can't contain their QB we will have trouble staying with them. That MI has some young defenders but they are very talented and we need to take advantage of the opportunities when they present themselves and we can't afford mental mistakes, missed blocks or dropped passes. That if we play our best game of the year, and do everything right, we MIGHT have a chance at a victory. But even if we do everything right, we still might get outplayed.

When Coach Kill says all that to us, please take heed. He isn't lying. He isn't down playing our position. He is telling you the truth.

I am all about being a fan. I love to cheer and I scream at my TV and I hate Iowa and Wisconsin (born in one and grade school in the other) and first hand knowledge of just how much those states suck. But I am also a reasonable and try to be based in reality...so if we don't win next week I am not likely to start demanding we start Streveler, or wondering why our veteran team can't block kids 2 and 3 years older than them, or why our Sophomore QB with 8 starts isn't in line for the Heisman and so on.

Dudes...try and find some balance. We have been banging our heads on this wall my whole life (44 years) and then some. I dream of going to the Rose Bowl ( or even the Capital One Bowl at this point) as much as all of you. I just choose not to act like ridiculous morons when the projected, the expected and the recurring happen exactly as our Coach said they would.

Now, if 2 years from now we are having these same issues...we will all be calling for Coach Kills head. Until then, know that he told each and every one of you that this isn't going to be like his last two stops. He needs one more year of recruiting to turn this around and make the big gains. Since he is 100% to date on telling me the truth, I am going to wait it out. If for no other reason than there is not a single person in the world who I think is better than Coach Kill that would take his job.

1. I hear everything you're saying. You seem to accurately describe what Coach Kill has said and believes.
2. Respectfully, however, what's missing from both Coach Kill and you are the answers to the question "Why"?
3. I think a lot about what Coach Kill says, but I'd like to understand what he's saying.
4. Why will a 3rd recruiting class make such a difference? Ideally, I imagine Coach Kill will red shirt most of that class. Perhaps what he really means is that our players need another year to mature. To say he needs another recruiting class doesn't make sense to me. He probably won't even play those boys in the 3rd recruiting class.
5. If our inability to play with Iowa, et al., is mostly due to size, strength, and number of hours running a certain offense/defense, that's fine and understandable. So be it. Coach may want to point that out more. But that's just my opinion which certainly may be flawed and misguided.
6. There are other concerns that people have that may not be resolved with another year of recruiting or another year of maturation. For example, quarterback arm strength. In addition, we're told that Mr. Hageman is a beast and a contender for defensive lineman and other awards this year. To my untrained eye, Mr. Hageman is not making much of a difference out there. Admittedly, I have no idea whether our defense would be a lot more porous without him. Disappointingly, he put no pressure on Iowa's qb yesterday.
7. Game planning- if Coach Kill knows we're not big enough/strong enough yet to compete with Iowa, et al. why are we running plays constantly that require that size and strength? Is it an unwavering commitment to a system that he wants his players to refine, regardless what it means for our ability to succeed? If that's the case, so be it. But lots of fans don't understand that.

In conclusion, it's the "why" (if you will) or the reasoning behind certain decisions that leave fans frustrated. Do we deserve to know the reasoning behind Coach's decisions or statements? No. The only person he must answer to is his boss. But to the average fan, it does leave folks wondering, questioning and, ultimately, somewhat frustrated.

 

[Sparlimb]

I was upset with yesterday's game but this team is *CLEARLY* improved from last year...

And that team was clearly better than the one the year before. All that said, we're still a long way short of being a competent Big Ten team. I agree with the OP. Kill will be given through next year (which is a tough schedule to get better on) and we'll see where we are then. I still think Teague will be quicker to pull the trigger to get his own guy than he would had he hired Kill. I was very disappointed with yesterday's effort, but we do need to give Kill time to show what his recruits can do...

 

[the_matthman]

Right on, GopherInPhilly! As hard as that game was to watch, I have to remind myself of what Kill himself has said about the program. Rebuilding takes longer than my patience allows at times. Thanks for helping me remember to keep things in perspective.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

Of course I was disappointed in yesterday's game, but you can add me to the list of fans seeing improvement. I think Iowa will probably win a few B1G games this year and was better than most people were/are giving them credit for. Clearly, they were the better team yesterday.
My hope is that we can find a couple of conference wins this season (maybe IU and Northwestern or Penn State?) and win our low-level bowl game. I think anything less will be a genuine regression from last year. I am optimistic about 2014 and 2015, however, with our young team.

Better days lie ahead.

 

[Governor Sibley]

I think zero quality wins in his first three seasons would be kinda bad.

Not a deal breaker.

Brewster won a pretty nice game in Champagne in year three--a real quality slug fest. I believe Kill is twice the coach Brewster is (though the kids played HARD for Brewster at first).

 

[Sparlimb]

Many truths spoken here along with a couple of misguided cynics. A major obstacle is our youth. 18 and 19 year old boys seldom beat 20-something year old men. Until we get the right recruits for our system and have upperclassmen holding the majority of starting positions, we will experience setbacks like the one this past Saturday. Like everyone else, I want it now but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day or even in a year or two. We need to keep the faith and should have a pretty good idea in the next couple of years if Kill can get the job done.

Go Gophers!

Don't forget that as our players get older, the higher ranked players our opponents recruited in those same years are also getting older too. So eventually the guys we recruited we'll have to outplay guys that, on paper, are better.

 

[Governor Sibley]

Getting older is not always getting better.

I see no reason to assume the current o-line will get better with age.

I do think some of our younger players on defense will get better.

It's a new game. It's not like the old days when your seniors were your best players.

Kids these days take a big leap with one full season. After 10-15 starts you pretty much know what you have. There's usually not a huge amount of improvement after the 15th start.

 

[howeda7]

One can recognize that patience is required and and also find getting thoroughly dominated by a mediocre Iowa team at home in year 3 unacceptable.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

I think Iowa 2011 would qualify as a "quality win" if you include 2008 Illinois. Rivalry game against a .500 BT team. The Illinois win you speak of was against a 3-5 Big Ten team.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Many truths spoken here along with a couple of misguided cynics. A major obstacle is our youth. 18 and 19 year old boys seldom beat 20-something year old men. Until we get the right recruits for our system and have upperclassmen holding the majority of starting positions, we will experience setbacks like the one this past Saturday. Like everyone else, I want it now but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day or even in a year or two. We need to keep the faith and should have a pretty good idea in the next couple of years if Kill can get the job done.

Go Gophers!

Unrealistic fans of this team are any that expect a Big Ten Championship contender or a BCS bowl game. Clearly that is not realistic in year three by any stretch of the imagination.

However it is not unrealistic for fans of this program to expect their team to be able to compete at home with an at best middle of the pack Big Ten team on homecoming.

One thing that is very clear is people's opinions about the team are directly tied to their feelings about the head coach. Those of us that are not sold on Kill being the guy have a lot of concerns about what we see on the field. Those that are all in on Kill being the savior come up with excuse after excuse as to why we can't win now but point to subtle signs of progress as reasons for why we are moving the right direction.

We go out and lose to Michigan on the road next weekend it will be disappointing as a fan but not unexpected. Losing at home to an Iowa team we should be able to compete with is bad any way you slice it. Understand I am not calling for Kill's head, he will and should get till the end of the 2014 season to prove he is the guy, I'm just firmly in the class that still isn't sold he is going to get it done, which sucks because more than anything I want to see this program at least get back to Mason levels and then finally take that next step.

 

[cncmin]

1. I hear everything you're saying. You seem to accurately describe what Coach Kill has said and believes.
2. Respectfully, however, what's missing from both Coach Kill and you are the answers to the question "Why"?
3. I think a lot about what Coach Kill says, but I'd like to understand what he's saying.
4. Why will a 3rd recruiting class make such a difference? Ideally, I imagine Coach Kill will red shirt most of that class. Perhaps what he really means is that our players need another year to mature. To say he needs another recruiting class doesn't make sense to me. He probably won't even play those boys in the 3rd recruiting class.
5. If our inability to play with Iowa, et al., is mostly due to size, strength, and number of hours running a certain offense/defense, that's fine and understandable. So be it. Coach may want to point that out more. But that's just my opinion which certainly may be flawed and misguided.
6. There are other concerns that people have that may not be resolved with another year of recruiting or another year of maturation. For example, quarterback arm strength. In addition, we're told that Mr. Hageman is a beast and a contender for defensive lineman and other awards this year. To my untrained eye, Mr. Hageman is not making much of a difference out there. Admittedly, I have no idea whether our defense would be a lot more porous without him. Disappointingly, he put no pressure on Iowa's qb yesterday.
7. Game planning- if Coach Kill knows we're not big enough/strong enough yet to compete with Iowa, et al. why are we running plays constantly that require that size and strength? Is it an unwavering commitment to a system that he wants his players to refine, regardless what it means for our ability to succeed? If that's the case, so be it. But lots of fans don't understand that.

In conclusion, it's the "why" (if you will) or the reasoning behind certain decisions that leave fans frustrated. Do we deserve to know the reasoning behind Coach's decisions or statements? No. The only person he must answer to is his boss. But to the average fan, it does leave folks wondering, questioning and, ultimately, somewhat frustrated.

You make a lot of great points and ask a lot of great questions and for what it's worth I second each of them. I love honesty. I love reasoning and logic just as much. The latter is lacking from the coaching staff. I'm hearing a lot of excuses; so be it. But it's hard to get real excited about a team that keeps making excuses.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

I think zero quality wins in his first three seasons would be kinda bad.

Not a deal breaker.

Brewster won a pretty nice game in Champagne in year three--a real quality slug fest. I believe Kill is twice the coach Brewster is (though the kids played HARD for Brewster at first).

I think Iowa 2011 would qualify as a "quality win" if you include 2008 Illinois. Rivalry game against a .500 BT team. The Illinois win you speak of was against a 3-5 Big Ten team.

 

[Ole]

This was a game we should have won. That said, I think it shows the need for better talent more than a complete lack of coaching. I think this thread is spot on, and I think this incremental improvement will continue under kill, even if it's not enough for critics.
I still expect 2 b1g wins, one being a major upset and we'll all be praising the coaches for a great gameplan wondering where that was against Iowa.

 

[BreakTheGopherCurse]

You make a lot of great points and ask a lot of great questions and for what it's worth I second each of them. I love honesty. I love reasoning and logic just as much. The latter is lacking from the coaching staff. I'm hearing a lot of excuses; so be it. But it's hard to get real excited about a team that keeps making excuses.

Other "why" questions people have is: "why did the Gophers adopt a different look for last year's bowl game and then abandon it for this season, especially when it looked so effective?"; "why isn't Jamel Harbison being thrown to, especially since Coach Kill stated two weeks ago how excited he was to have Jamel back in action?";

Again, does Coach Kill owe us an explanation? No. But, these are reasonable things that passionate fans want to know. And they're fair questions that further add to the frustration.

 

[Some Day...Is Coming!]

Many truths spoken here along with a couple of misguided cynics. A major obstacle is our youth. 18 and 19 year old boys seldom beat 20-something year old men. Until we get the right recruits for our system and have upperclassmen holding the majority of starting positions, we will experience setbacks like the one this past Saturday. Like everyone else, I want it now but as the old saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day or even in a year or two. We need to keep the faith and should have a pretty good idea in the next couple of years if Kill can get the job done.

Go Gophers!

Our offensive line and running backs are not 18 and 19 years old. I would guess most are 20 and 21.

 

[metrolax]

What kind of a senior class does this team have? Be honest.....its all about your seniors. Bo at Michigan always said this,
and he was dead on. Your season is only as good as your senior class.

I have a sense that Iowa will do very well in the BIG this season. They sure didn't look like some 4-8 team.

Lou Holtz has often said that in CFB, you NEVER know what team you have from week to week. You can be world-beaters one
week and lose by 30 the next. Throw in the fact that we're throwing in freshmen and sophomores routinely, and that
becomes more so.

As flat as the Gophers were, and as strong as Iowa was, not long ago the score would have been 42-0. We were actually
STILL in the game late, and had Nelson not overthrown two sure TD passes, who knows what may have happened?

It was a clunker game....get over it. It happens, and will happen again. This team is making progress. I thought Nelson
was a bit out of sync after being out 2 weeks and it showed. He did not look comfortable- at all.

It was the combination of a much younger Gopher team coming out flat and a more seasoned Iowa team playing their A-game.
And we were still within shooting distance late. Remember, the 2nd half was 7-6 Gophers.

Chin up. We haven't seen this team play its best game. Saturday may actually have been the WORST game this team
plays all season.