Eleven reasons in favor of Jeff Horton for head coach

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SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI

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It appears we are in a bit of a pickle:

- We can't hire the program-rebuilder type because that's what Mason was.
- We can't hire the "guy who the players liked" because that's what Gutey was.
- We can't hire the successful lower-division coach because that's what Wacker was.
- We can't hire the master recruiter with no college coaching experience because that's what Brewster was.

So it appears the only thing left is the big-name guy because that's what Holtz was......???

Let's hold our judgment for a minute and take a more in-depth look at everything Jeff Horton has going for him. Initially I thought the very idea of keeping Jeff onboard was absurd. But the more I think about it, the better he looks. Let us count the reasons:

1) His losing record was earned mostly at UNLV, which is virtually impossible to win at. Seriously, if you thought it was hard to win at Indiana, you should check out UNLV.

2) Extensive college coaching & recruiting experience, including proven ability to develop players, such as several very successful Wisconsin QBs, and install successful schemes, such as the one that just knocked off Boise State a couple days ago. Runs a balanced offense that would be relatively easy to recruit for without having to strip-mine the state of Texas looking for all the UTEP-reject prima donnas who are just looking for a stepping stone to an NFL tryout.

3) Liked and respected by the players (and the fact that Gutey was too means nothing).

4) No worse than most of the other names going around. Seriously, Sumlin, Golden, Edsall? We fired Mason and now Brewster for THAT?

5) Loves Minnesota, has midwest ties, not a salary chaser, not a mercenary coach, not a job hopper, not too old, and appears healthy and fit which should keep him going a long time.

6) Intimate knowledge of our #1 enemy.

7) Has turned around a moribund program in only 5 games as interim HC, ultimately leading a formerly abysmal team to a win over former #7 Iowa.

8) Eats at Burrito Loco like the common man.

9) Would probably work for cheap, which leaves more $$ for coordinator salaries, and the piggy bank. If it doesn't work out with him, we've got money saved for a higher-caliber guy, and a more stable and successful program to attract him - because let's face it, we're not very attractive right now...

10) Would have as good a chance as any with the Minnesota media. Funny and loose, won't shoot his mouth off like Brew, not prickly like Mason.

11) The majority of posters on GH would strongly oppose the hire, which means it's probably an excellent idea.


Now don't get me wrong - if it comes down to Horton vs. Leach, I'll take Leach; if it comes down to Horton vs. Harbaugh, I'll take Harbaugh; but Jeff Horton should be a legitimate candidate and at the very top of "tier B." I'm not under any delusions that he's the second coming of Woody Hayes, but he may be just what we need right now.

One of the things that pissed me off about Brewster from day 1 was how he scrapped everything the moment he got in. We had a great rushing offense, a great OL coach, a great OC, that he just threw in the garbage in favor of his own ignorant fantasies. Jeff knows how to get it done. Here. Now. With the tools he already has. The ideal candidate may be right under our nose.......
 

I think we should give Horton another year right now..... hey he is 2 and 0 in the big ten!!!!
 


DocfromDarwin said:
I think we should give Horton another year right now..... hey he is 2 and 0 in the big ten!!!!
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He is 2-3 in the Big Ten.

Horton has done a fantastic job.

He didn't recruit a single one of these guys. He has an abysmal head coaching record. Horton could probably parlay this past month into a head coaching job at a mid-major.
 



SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
It appears we are in a bit of a pickle:
...
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I read this and stopped. What pickle are we in? We are in the same boat as every other school that has fired their coach. Season just ended for most yesterday. Nothing has come out on any hires for any of the jobs other than speculation. Let's see what happens.

I assume that no matter who we hire, the grass will look greener on the other candidates on this message board.
 

SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
8) Eats at Burrito Loco like the common man.
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This is by far, my favorite point!

I do love Horton, and would love to keep him around as an OC. Unfortunately, the fact that this program was driven into the ground by Brew prevents us from taking another chance on a Jeff Horton that has struggled in the past...regardless of the circumstances.
 

We need to separate ourselves from everything that was Tim Brewster. If the next head coach would like to keep Horton on as a QB coach or something then that would be great. It is obvious that the players were fond of him and he fond of living in the upper midwest.

Dont be so quick to rule out the names you hear in rumors. Just because a guy says he is no longer interested doesn't mean its true.

Has anyone on these boards ever haggled before? Walking away from an offer is often a smart thing to do initially. It forces the other party to come back after you and show how much they really want you.

What is Hoke or another current coach have to lose by turning Minnesota down on the first offer? Don't get the Minnesota job, stay in your current position where you are happy.

Minnesota is the partner in this dance with no leverage, therefore these coaches are going to do what they can to get theres.
 

I would take Horton over Trestman. I would not take Horton over Buck "Rock & Roll" Zumhoffe.
 



Horton struggled as a head coach, why would he be successful here? We can get someone better!
 


Did the team win the last two games because of Horton or was it the experience that the young defense gained from playing a whole season as well as just the looseness of not playing for their coaches job anymore? I am not convinced it was Horton's coaching that got this team wins, He may have changed schemes somewhat and gotten them to loosen up. But you can hire a high school coach to simply start playing music at practice. Same concept as did the Cowboys start winning because of Jason Garrett or because he wasn't Wade Phillips? And with the Vikings today.

Horton has done a wonderful job with what he has been asked to do. It has been tremendous actually based on the situation. But I can not see any reason to keep him as head coach over any of the other guys they are looking at. Edsall is about to win the Big East, Trestman won his second championship in Canada, these guys have more going for them, IMO, than a 2-3 Jeff Horton with an abysmal record at UNLV.

However ... after saying ALL of that, Bill Belichek won at Cleveland like he did in New England, right? Oh ...
 

Not me

Breakin' The Plane said:
I would take Horton over Trestman. I would not take Horton over Buck "Rock & Roll" Zumhoffe.
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I really appreciate the last two wins Horton led us to. But, in my opinion, Trestman is vastly superior to Horton.

We pretty much all like a few guys who seemingly are not coming here. After that, nobody can predict the future. Some guy who has a losing record can turn around a program like Ferentz at Iowa did. Or the guy can hang on here for 10 years going 32-48 in the Big Ten but scheduling schools you never heard of to achieve an overall winning record. Or the guy can just flame out. Nobody is a guarantee of the guys we seem to be targeting.
 



#11 Is The Primary Reason

SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
It appears we are in a bit of a pickle:

- We can't hire the program-rebuilder type because that's what Mason was.
- We can't hire the "guy who the players liked" because that's what Gutey was.
- We can't hire the successful lower-division coach because that's what Wacker was.
- We can't hire the master recruiter with no college coaching experience because that's what Brewster was.

So it appears the only thing left is the big-name guy because that's what Holtz was......???

Let's hold our judgment for a minute and take a more in-depth look at everything Jeff Horton has going for him. Initially I thought the very idea of keeping Jeff onboard was absurd. But the more I think about it, the better he looks. Let us count the reasons:

1) His losing record was earned mostly at UNLV, which is virtually impossible to win at. Seriously, if you thought it was hard to win at Indiana, you should check out UNLV.

2) Extensive college coaching & recruiting experience, including proven ability to develop players, such as several very successful Wisconsin QBs, and install successful schemes, such as the one that just knocked off Boise State a couple days ago. Runs a balanced offense that would be relatively easy to recruit for without having to strip-mine the state of Texas looking for all the UTEP-reject prima donnas who are just looking for a stepping stone to an NFL tryout.

3) Liked and respected by the players (and the fact that Gutey was too means nothing).

4) No worse than most of the other names going around. Seriously, Sumlin, Golden, Edsall? We fired Mason and now Brewster for THAT?

5) Loves Minnesota, has midwest ties, not a salary chaser, not a mercenary coach, not a job hopper, not too old, and appears healthy and fit which should keep him going a long time.

6) Intimate knowledge of our #1 enemy.

7) Has turned around a moribund program in only 5 games as interim HC, ultimately leading a formerly abysmal team to a win over former #7 Iowa.

8) Eats at Burrito Loco like the common man.

9) Would probably work for cheap, which leaves more $$ for coordinator salaries, and the piggy bank. If it doesn't work out with him, we've got money saved for a higher-caliber guy, and a more stable and successful program to attract him - because let's face it, we're not very attractive right now...

10) Would have as good a chance as any with the Minnesota media. Funny and loose, won't shoot his mouth off like Brew, not prickly like Mason.

11) The majority of posters on GH would strongly oppose the hire, which means it's probably an excellent idea.


Now don't get me wrong - if it comes down to Horton vs. Leach, I'll take Leach; if it comes down to Horton vs. Harbaugh, I'll take Harbaugh; but Jeff Horton should be a legitimate candidate and at the very top of "tier B." I'm not under any delusions that he's the second coming of Woody Hayes, but he may be just what we need right now.

One of the things that pissed me off about Brewster from day 1 was how he scrapped everything the moment he got in. We had a great rushing offense, a great OL coach, a great OC, that he just threw in the garbage in favor of his own ignorant fantasies. Jeff knows how to get it done. Here. Now. With the tools he already has. The ideal candidate may be right under our nose.......
Click to expand...

If it conflicts with the ideas of most of the knuckleheads here...it's probably the right thing to do.
 

This board has lost it's mind.

Please hire someone this week Maturi - I beg you
 

If they hire Horton, season tickets start getting dumped by the thousands. No chance.
 

Just to clarify some of your points....

#1: (about all of his losses being at UNLV). Well, he has the worst winning percentage of ANYONE who has ever coached at UNLV, and that is including his 7 win first season. When he was playing his own players, wow, it get extremely ugly. So while some other coaches have failed at UNLV, none of them have failed quite to the degree that Jeff Horton failed.

#2: (developing players bit): He really didn't show any of that at UNLV. He was at UNLV for 5 seasons and 2 of his last 3 seasons he went 1-11. If he is so capable of developing players, how in the world did that happen? While he might have been involved in some of experience in developing players as a position coach at WI, that is an incredibly low standard to ask someone to reach (good position coach).

To be honest, this entire point seems a bit strange. Are you implying that players who fit better in the spread are more likely to go to the draft earlier than players in a pro set? It just seemed like a really strange point to make.
 

skoalvikings said:
If they hire Horton, season tickets start getting dumped by the thousands. No chance.
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I will be the first to dump mine. Hiring Horton will be an unmistakable sign that Gopher football is doomed to perpetual mediocrity. Not just for 40 years, but forever. Anyone who thinks Horton is the answer is part of the problem.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
I will be the first to dump mine. Hiring Horton will be an unmistakable sign that Gopher football is doomed to perpetual mediocrity. Not just for 40 years, but forever. Anyone who thinks Horton is the answer is part of the problem.
Click to expand...

Well so far it doesn't look like we'll be hiring anybody with a winning record so who do you feel is the answer?
 

SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI said:
It appears we are in a bit of a pickle:

- We can't hire the program-rebuilder type because that's what Mason was.
- We can't hire the "guy who the players liked" because that's what Gutey was.
- We can't hire the successful lower-division coach because that's what Wacker was.
- We can't hire the master recruiter with no college coaching experience because that's what Brewster was.

So it appears the only thing left is the big-name guy because that's what Holtz was......???
Click to expand...

Sums up the gopherhole. Past experiences will replay 100% of the time apparently. I wonder if the geniuses here would have signed Chizik to Auburn. Actually, i don't have to wonder.
 

Dumbest thread ever.

Further, your post is rife with falsehoods and inaccuracies, some of which Blahblahblah pointed out.
 

thailleagle said:
Well so far it doesn't look like we'll be hiring anybody with a winning record so who do you feel is the answer?
Click to expand...

It depends on how you define "winning record". Although there are no guarantees, any coach who has taken a losing DI program and made them into a consistently competitive team is a safer bet than Horton who has taken another man's team and won two games. The Gopher players themselves had as much or more to do with winning those games as the coaching staff. From the start of the Iowa game it was obvious to anyone who was there that the Gophers were a fired-up team on both sides of the ball. They won because they wanted it more than Iowa did. I am not going to give Horton the credit for that. For all we know the team played better for no other reason than Brewster wasn't there to get in the way of the players and coaching staff. That would mean they probably would have beaten Illinois and Iowa if I was the coach.
 

UpnorthGo4 said:
It depends on how you define "winning record". Although there are no guarantees, any coach who has taken a losing DI program and made them into a consistently competitive team is a safer bet than Horton who has taken another man's team and won two games. The Gopher players themselves had as much or more to do with winning those games as the coaching staff. From the start of the Iowa game it was obvious to anyone who was there that the players were a fired-up team. The won because they wanted it more than Iowa did. I am not going to give Horton the credit for that. For all we know the team played better for no other reason than Brewster wasn't there to get in the way of the players and coaching staff. That would mean they probably would have beaten Illinois and Iowa if I was the coach.
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I agree...
 

I really like Coach Horton but the man is 2-19 in his last 21 games as a head coach. I'm sure he's learned stuff in his years between head coaching stints, but a Big 10 school shouldn't be taking that kind of risk. I'm guessing he'll get a better opportunity now than he would have gotten had they gone 0-5. Maybe a lower level head coach or a better coordinator job. Best of luck, if there's anything we can do to get him a decent job we should, but hiring him here should be nearly a last resort. Heck, I'd have to think long and hard whether I'd rehire Mason or hire Horton.
 

Buck the Fadgers said:
Sums up the gopherhole. Past experiences will replay 100% of the time apparently. I wonder if the geniuses here would have signed Chizik to Auburn. Actually, i don't have to wonder.
Click to expand...
The geniuses here wanted Greg Schiano in 2007... but they ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE with Brewster after his first presser.
 


A little more about UNLV. This is a school that is 50 years old. It entered D-IA in the mid-70s. Even at its peak during the housing bubble it never cracked the U.S. News top 400 universities list. For several decades it was a small (like a few buildings small) community college. To this day it remains, academically, a joke, not remotely comparable to the U of M. The Silver Bowl (barebones stadium) was built in the high desert 10 miles to the east, in what at the time was the middle of nowhere. So in essence, Jeff Horton's task was to be successful in the Big West with nothing - no budget, crap stadium, no history, no academic excellence, nothing.

Ask John Robinson, Mike Sanford, and Bobby Hauck how easy it is to succeed at UNLV...
 

Horton deserves at least some consideration, if nothing better comes up. I'm not very concerned with his record at UNLV, that was some time ago. I am impressed with what he has done here, he's done a great job as interim coach. His job was pretty much just to keep the team from utterly melting down, and he did that and more. He was handed a team in disarray and went 2-3. The team may be fired up, but fired up doesn't win if a team is badly coached. I'm not saying Horton should be hired, but he may not be our worst option.
 

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