Fire PJ immediately please

[SD/MNballer]

I'm tired of PJ Fleck football. Its the same old same old that i have watched the last 30 years.

They need to hire Jason Eck before he blows up at Idaho. Eck knows offensive game plans and recruits the Offensive weapons. He recruited them at SDSU and now Idaho. The money would make sense, his wife is a Minnesota girl, and we need a better coach period. Do what's right and move on from PJ.

 

[GringaGopher]

They try to get $250K in donations in their upcoming fundraising event at that golf course, who the F will donate when you don’t win?

We get it and accept if you don’t win versus MI or tOSU, but my god, to be up by 3 TDs and then allow it to go into OT and lose? Cmon! Even if we did win that game last night, we’d still be pissed and irritated to allow NW to come back like they did, but with a LOSS? Man, I’m still fuming!

I can see it now, all previous committed 4️ and even some 3️ recruits will drop MN because we are irrelevant and we don’t have NIL money to provide them. We don’t have NIL money because we don’t win games that we’re supposed to win.

PJ does not have any “Prime effect”, we as a program don’t have competitive NIL sponsors or money, we don’t win games, we don’t really have much to attract talents. It’s a broken wheel.

MN will forever be stuck with most 2-3️ recruits and a 2nd to bottom tier B1G team, especially now with 4 amazing PAC 12 teams rolling into B1G next year.

Imagine the recruiting power those 4 PAC12 teams will have once their in the B1G conference?! They’re already winning programs, they already have top recruiting classes without being in the B1G conference, and now they’ll get even more media money from being in the B1G! C’mon, it’s like adding more gas into a huge bonfire!

Formula to turn our program around?

1) New HC who’s will get us more 4️ and our first 5️ recruits

2) we start winning

3) more NIL donations due to the fact that we’re winning all sort of games (games that we should AND games that we were dogs in)

4) now with more NIL money, more 4️ and 5️ recruits

Reinvent the wheel!

All starts with a new HC that will have some sort of “effect”

Not this RTB culture. RTB is a great philosophy to better a person, not to winning games.

I like your formula and we all understand the rapidly changing landscape of college football. I want a coach who both wins and makes the development of young men a priority. Most of these athletes are not going to the NFL and will not be making a living off of NIL.

 

[stocker08]

My brother doesn't even like going to the games (or sometimes even watching) because he says it's too boring. He's not wrong. But if PJ can win an average of 7-8 games a year, stay competitive with our biggest rivals, and manage a top 25.....ten win season here and there......he's going to have a lot of supporters no matter how boring his gameplans are. Many of us have suffered through multiple stretches of downright abysmal stretches....so just being respectable is nice.

I suspect that a lot of the people bitching and moaning and calling for his head are newer/younger fans that demand instant gratification while not knowing the ceiling that exists in college football. Like it or not.....Fleck has turned the program into something respectable. However....with the divisions going away and higher prestige teams entering the conference.....PJ is going to have to adapt or die. His service academy ground and pound isn't going to work against the higher caliber teams.....and if the Gophers revert to scratching for a bowl invitation on a yearly basis while PJ continues this rigid gameplanning.....well.....many people might get their wish.

 

[Dakota2]

What a bad loss!!! Blowing a 21 point lead to a bad Northwestern team is inexcusable. We will get the usual player inexperience and it’s all on him speech from Fleck. A number of bad plays and bad play calling piled up bad loss. It may be time for Flecky to go due to I am not seeing him taking this team to the next level. Does Kaliakmanis need a tire and swing for the week to practice on?

14 for 19, with two drops, is 76%.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

That is so utterly depressing

Sports were beneath the maroon and gold decision makers. Oops!

 

[T D Fleck-i-Check]

Why in Jesus name would anyone look to remove the closest coach to Saban in all of NCAA......Either dont know Football or they hav ahave vendetta/aversion to Greatness!!! PJ & Heather have brought Morals & Respect back to GopherNation. As the team mother heather has helped these young kids stop yearing for home.....PJ's Row culture has indisputably rocked Big10 nation with a football IIQ never seen b4 @ our beloved Minnesota institution....Instead of negatives lets please laud undoubedly the GREATEST FOOTBALL MIND ever to roame our sidelines

 

[ChromeDomeGopher]

Why in Jesus name would anyone look to remove the closest coach to Saban in all of NCAA......Either dont know Football or they hav ahave vendetta/aversion to Greatness!!! PJ & Heather have brought Morals & Respect back to GopherNation. As the team mother heather has helped these young kids stop yearing for home.....PJ's Row culture has indisputably rocked Big10 nation with a football IIQ never seen b4 @ our beloved Minnesota institution....Instead of negatives lets please laud undoubedly the GREATEST FOOTBALL MIND ever to roame our sidelines

Welcome to the board Heather

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

There's a sixty year history of Gopher football that suggests that there's a limit to the potential here and I think Fleck has reached that. We haven't had a coach that gets this much out the players that are willing to come to UM since Murray Warmath and Warmath coached before The Cities became a pro town and top players avoided us. Keep Fleck and enjoy the level we're at.

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

Who would you hire that would make a difference? Honest question

The full question is "Who would you hire that would come to Mpls?" The big name coaches want to be THE Big Name In the Market not on page three behind the NHL, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and major college hockey coaches.

 

[disco]

The full question is "Who would you hire that would come to Mpls?" The big name coaches want to be THE Big Name In the Market not on page three behind the NHL, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and major college hockey coaches.

Lincoln Riley went from being probably one of the five most recognized people in Oklahoma to just another face in the crowd in LA.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Why in Jesus name would anyone look to remove the closest coach to Saban in all of NCAA......Either dont know Football or they hav ahave vendetta/aversion to Greatness!!! PJ & Heather have brought Morals & Respect back to GopherNation. As the team mother heather has helped these young kids stop yearing for home.....PJ's Row culture has indisputably rocked Big10 nation with a football IIQ never seen b4 @ our beloved Minnesota institution....Instead of negatives lets please laud undoubedly the GREATEST FOOTBALL MIND ever to roame our sidelines

Troll alert.

 

[SHGopher]

so the question - can Fleck move the Gophers from the 3rd tier to the 2nd tier? If he can't, can someone else make it happen, or is it impossible?

Can a Gophers coach move the Gophers back to 5th tier? Yes.

Finishing 2nd in the West is not bad, and he's done that many times. Winning the West would be even better and I believe possible. They were close. Right around that is the strike range.

I'm not sure what that is next season with the West teams coming in. Is that then a fight for the #6-7 overall spots?

Beat Iowa is another "possible" that hasn't happened.

Fleck's contact was extended to 2029. It's guaranteed he's the coach four more years if not five. The contract is so large that no university could buy it out and pay another. Can another coach do better? I doubt it. Can another coach do worse? Yes.

Win the West. Beat Iowa. That's the Super Bowl.

 

[SHGopher]

Can a Gophers coach move the Gophers back to 5th tier? Yes.

Finishing 2nd in the West is not bad, and he's done that many times. Winning the West would be even better and I believe possible. They were close. Right around that is the strike range.

I'm not sure what that is next season with the West teams coming in. Is that then a fight for the #6-7 overall spots?

Beat Iowa is another "possible" that hasn't happened.

Fleck's contact was extended to 2029. It's guaranteed he's the coach four more years if not five. The contract is so large that no university could buy it out and pay another. Can another coach do better? I doubt it. Can another coach do worse? Yes.

Win the West. Beat Iowa. That's the Super Bowl.

Maybe bowl game is the decider of a good season or not. Divisions seem destined for meaningless. AP rankings seem to be everything.

 

[PeoplesFront]

Why in Jesus name would anyone look to remove the closest coach to Saban in all of NCAA......Either dont know Football or they hav ahave vendetta/aversion to Greatness!!! PJ & Heather have brought Morals & Respect back to GopherNation. As the team mother heather has helped these young kids stop yearing for home.....PJ's Row culture has indisputably rocked Big10 nation with a football IIQ never seen b4 @ our beloved Minnesota institution....Instead of negatives lets please laud undoubedly the GREATEST FOOTBALL MIND ever to roame our sidelines

Dear New Friend,

Successful trolling is an art of subtlety, and what you wrote was anything but. It is probably best at this point that you drop this moniker, go back to buckyville to revise your technique, and then return here using a new GH account. We will be patiently waiting for your return and your amended craft.

All the best,
PeoplesFront

 

[T D Fleck-i-Check]

Dear New Friend,

Successful trolling is an art of subtlety, and what you wrote was anything but. It is probably best at this point that you drop this moniker, go back to buckyville to revise your technique, and then return here using a new GH account. We will be patiently waiting for your return and your amended craft.

All the best,
PeoplesFront

Typical, when confronted & disarmed PF & others resort to deflectio ,& defamation......Facts & Numbers speak for themselves.....HATERS WILL ALWAYS HATE!!! Onward Row Row Row to Greatness!!!

 

[MplsGopher]

@SD/MNballer interesting, I will follow Idaho this year. They beat Nevada handedly, lost a reasonable score to Cal, and just beat the #4 ranked team in FCS. Big Sky is a tough conference in that division, be interesting if they can win it and then what they do in the playoff.

 

[btowngopher]

Any counter arguments?

I kind of like 9 wins as a fairly steady baseline.

 

[Some guy]

then there is a second tier of teams that show up in the top-25 rankings and play in major bowl games. The Gophers have finished in the top-25 once under Fleck. they were in the final rankings twice under Mason. (went from '68 to '99 without a top-25 finish in the AP or Coaches' Polls)

this is somewhat misleading as from 68-89 there wasn’t an AP top 25

Granted we may not have been top 25 any of those years anyways.

 

[FanSinceTheFifties]

Lincoln Riley went from being probably one of the five most recognized people in Oklahoma to just another face in the crowd in LA.

You could be right. Maybe there are low-ego coaches who would take the job in Minneapolis. I guess it happened once in the 60+ years I;ve been a Gopher fan but he moved on to Notre Dame quickly.

 

[T D Fleck-i-Check]

LOL

Troll alert. View attachment 27329

LOL NumbNutz PWM owner of 14,567 posts of insignificant Nonsense has the audacity to sit in mummies basement attempting to throw shade @ a div 1 player & grad cuz he/she/her doesnt like PJ........what a jamoke

 

[howeda7]

You could be right. Maybe there are low-ego coaches who would take the job in Minneapolis. I guess it happened once in the 60+ years I;ve been a Gopher fan but he moved on to Notre Dame quickly.

His nickname was Lou "Low Ego" Holtz....

 

[Taji34]

LOL

LOL NumbNutz PWM owner of 14,567 posts of insignificant Nonsense has the audacity to sit in mummies basement attempting to throw shade @ a div 1 player & grad cuz he/she/her doesnt like PJ........what a jamoke

I mean, to be fair, you're a new account, and your post does read like someone trying to provoke a response.

Also, you didn't point out being a division 1 player/graduate of the U in your first post He had no way of knowing.

It's also PMW not PWM.

 

[DelawareGopher]

The full question is "Who would you hire that would come to Mpls?" The big name coaches want to be THE Big Name In the Market not on page three behind the NHL, NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and major college hockey coaches.

PJ was one of the hottest candidates when we hired him. We hired Tubby Smith. Those are both hires in my relatively short time as a Gopher fan. The notion that Minnesota can’t hire desirable coaches is just wrong.

That said, I wouldn’t fire PJ at this point. He took over, improved the team in pretty short order to a great season in 2019, and has had 9 win seasons since then (not counting the Covid season). This is his first major road bump season. Let’s see how the team handles it and how at least the beginning of next season goes.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

MN will forever be stuck with most 2-3️ recruits …

Serious question: who are the 2* recruits you are referring to that we are stuck with? Name them please.

 

[Yah-E]

Serious question: who are the 2* recruits you are referring to that we are stuck with? Name them please.

Per 247, committed and enrolled

2017 - 6
Grant Ryerse
Royal Silver
Trenton Guthrie
Noah Hickcox
Austin Schirck
Ben Davis

2018 - 0

2019 - 2
Brady Weeks
Michael Lantz

2020 - 1
Mark Crawford

2021 - 1
Mathew Trickett

2022 - 0

Why so surprised? You sound like I was making this shit up? Yes, majority of our players were 3️s, but PJ accepts 2️ kids.

 

[Word]

Per 247, committed and enrolled

2017 - 6
Grant Ryerse
Royal Silver
Trenton Guthrie
Noah Hickcox
Austin Schirck
Ben Davis

2018 - 0

2019 - 2
Brady Weeks
Michael Lantz

2020 - 1
Mark Crawford

2021 - 1
Mathew Trickett

2022 - 0

Why so surprised? You sound like I was making this shit up? Yes, majority of our players were 3️s, but PJ accepts 2️ kids.

Do you realize what percentage are kickers, punters, and long snappers? 100% post 2018

 

[Gophergrandpa]

Per 247, committed and enrolled

2017 - 6
Grant Ryerse
Royal Silver
Trenton Guthrie
Noah Hickcox
Austin Schirck
Ben Davis

2018 - 0

2019 - 2
Brady Weeks
Michael Lantz

2020 - 1
Mark Crawford

2021 - 1
Mathew Trickett

2022 - 0

Why so surprised? You sound like I was making this shit up? Yes, majority of our players were 3️s, but PJ accepts 2️ kids.

So, the ONLY guy on 2023 roster who was a 2 star recruit is a foreign-country punter. Every other scholarship player on 2023 team is a 3 or 4 star. Every one.
Last year’s team: the ONLY 2 stars were a transfer FG kicker (who, I thought, was rated higher than 2 as a TRANSFER), the same foreign country punter, and a long-snapper who started every game and played extremely well. Not a single ordinary position player, not one, regardless of depth level.

The only year (2017) PJ took 2 stars at regular positions was his first year when he was hired late and had to scramble to quickly construct a class. In his first full recruiting year (2018), PJ took no 2 stars. In following years, only 2 stars were kickers and a single long snapper. Not a single regular position player in offense or defense. By my way of thinking, you definitely are making things up when you say we’ve got to stop taking so many 2 star players.

Could we do with more 4 star players? That probably would help, but too many 2 star recruits is is made-up concern. Sorry.

 

[gopherphil]

If you loose to your two worst opponents on your schedule you got to go. And I’m a huge Fleck fan.

 

[gopherbad]

Fleck is gone after this season if they lose today. No coming back from this. Probably won’t make a bowl game and only 1 “good” season in 7 years ouch

 

[goldengophers]

If you loose to your two worst opponents on your schedule you got to go. And I’m a huge Fleck fan.

The fact that he doesn't want to improve is astounding and something I never expected.