Firing Brewster

[gophmeister]

Here's an interesting blog I found. I it makes points that lend credence to both firing or retaining Brewster. After reading this, I do have to admit, maybe keeping Brew isn't such a bad idea. He's the equal of Mason in many senses and his better in one important aspect, recruiting. I think the grass always looks greener somewhere else. I guess I am cool with Brew staying or going.

http://www.hereticalideas.com/2008/12/football-coaches-bailouts-and-hiring-losers/

 

[holereader]

I have struggled with this issue

the one thing that just continues to bug me is this resume issue - the fact that he portrays some coaching record that includes all of his assistant roles amounting to somethng like 116 wins- this just does not sit right with me and just put too much of an issue around him being a phony - I take this and all of his continius rhetoric and I just cannot get there with this guy - throw out the records - throw out the comparisons to mason - his getting cute with his "coaching record" tells me somethng just ain't right.

 

[gophmeister]

He is prone to be grandiose, but I think that's just a part of the chest thumping enumerations that sports tends to encourage. He's got to say something to recruits to assuage their fears about the lack of overall success in the program and his lack of experience. In essence he's saying I've been successful along the way I can't imagine I won't be here. Kids seem to repond to him.

 

[littlebigboy]

He has to be given 5 yrs. unless yr 4 is terrible. Then the program is his. Unless a coach gets 5 yrs. other GOOD coaches will not look at coming. If they know they will be able to show their stuff you have a shot at a top notch coach. Brew. and staff are alsol learning, so at yr 5 end there will be a resume to go by.

 

[GophersInIowa]

the one thing that just continues to bug me is this resume issue - the fact that he portrays some coaching record that includes all of his assistant roles amounting to somethng like 116 wins- this just does not sit right with me and just put too much of an issue around him being a phony - I take this and all of his continius rhetoric and I just cannot get there with this guy - throw out the records - throw out the comparisons to mason - his getting cute with his "coaching record" tells me somethng just ain't right.

Do people really think Brewster himself wrote his bio? Universities have an SID and staff to do all that stuff. Maybe Brewster told them to put that in there, but we don't know for sure. It's not like he approves everything that gets printed. He's got more important things to do.

You can say he's a bad coach on the sidelines and all, but I wouldn't call anyone a "phony" when I don't even know the facts.

 

[wait!what?]

I am ok with any member of a team tallying up wins and losses. I would furrow my brow if someone told me he/she had a win loss record as a head coach but never was a head coach. I hear people all the time say "we are 9-1" re: the vikings and they only watch the games on TV.

 

[BradDad]

My biggest gripe with Brewster is scrapping an offense he's spent two plus seasons installing.

He came to Minnesota saying he was going to run the spread and presumably recruited players to fit the spread. Dumping the spread after last season meant starting over with your quarterbacks, wide receivers, etc. rather than building on the knowledge and experience they gained by training for two years in the system.

IMO, a coach should have more commitment to the plan than that.

 

[Too Long in the Wasteland]

Its a little skanky, but it doesn't come near to the phony resume George (I stormed Omaha Beach) O'Leary passed off on Notre Dame. I'll tell you though, that the easiest way to get dropped for consideration for any corporate job is to fudge anything on your resume. But I agree that there's a grey area between lying and "rounding up".

 

[AhliBobwa]

He has to be given 5 yrs. unless yr 4 is terrible. Then the program is his. Unless a coach gets 5 yrs. other GOOD coaches will not look at coming. If they know they will be able to show their stuff you have a shot at a top notch coach. Brew. and staff are alsol learning, so at yr 5 end there will be a resume to go by.

+1 It's important to honor coaching contracts. That encourages other good coaches to want represent the Maroon and Gold in the future. If Brewster can't turn it around after 5 years, it's likely at the very least he will leave a lot of talent in the cupboard.

 

[TWeber]

+1 It's important to honor coaching contracts. That encourages other good coaches to want represent the Maroon and Gold in the future. If Brewster can't turn it around after 5 years, it's likely at the very least he will leave a lot of talent in the cupboard.

I think his future will be decided during or after next year. College coaches never go into the final year of their contract without an extension. It kills recruiting and other schools will use it as a tool against you. I think two things will factor into the decision:

1. The state of the program. This sounds obvious, but if we obviously regress, there will be no patience. If we show improvement record wise, here comes the extension. The gray area will be what happens if we go 6-6 again and have a similar season as this year. Then.....

2. Brewster's status with Maturi, others in the athletic department and the school president. If he is a well-liked coach and well respected, there will be more of a desire to keep him around. If any of the discussion about him talking down to Maturi or showing the arrogance that has been talked about, there will be very little support to keep him around. Why would you want to give a jerk the benefit of the doubt? (not saying this is true, just looking at the what-if scenerios).

 

[Too Long in the Wasteland]

I agree that he should be back next year whether we like it or not, but I don't think any coach is owed a year 5, especially if there are very valid questions about whether Brewster is competent to coach a BT football team. If you go to a fancy new restaurant, and the service is terrible plus they burn the piss out of your steak, how many times do you go back. Maybe once, figuring that the staff needs an opportunity to get their brown matter coalesced. But after the 2nd or 3rd crappy meal you take your business elsewhere. While the hardcores on this board might continue to return, saying "yeah, the steak tasted like shoeleather but the salad wasn't bad", the casual fans will say "enough is enough." We can't afford to keep Brewster if the result is apathy in the other 99% of the Twin Cities fan base.

And I think there will be plenty of mid-major or smaller school coaches (e.g. Edsall at UConn) who would give their left nut to coach at a place like Minnesota, regardless of when Brewster got S-canned.

 

[myleslong]

The real question is who will outlast the other Maturi or Brewster? Tubby's hire may buy Maturi more time. Brewster has been a disaster that some you can't or won't see.

 

[gophmeister]

Oh Please

The real question is who will outlast the other Maturi or Brewster? Tubby's hire may buy Maturi more time. Brewster has been a disaster that some you can't or won't see.

That's a little harsh. I don't think you can characterize his tenure as a disaster. Aside from his first season, he's had similar success to that of Mason. Sure the offense has been incompetent, but defensely this team is light years from those coached by Mason. Mason tried to out score his opponents and in the end it was his undoing. Brewster is trying to balance the two. Recruiting wise, he's raised the bar tremendously. If he can hold this class together, he will have a stable of solid players available to him. If the offense can come together, I think this team could be dangerous next season. Keep it together one more year and if it falls a part, then fire him. Otherwise, we're just setting ourselves up for a situation where will slip to Indiana levels with a MAC coach or a semi successful coordinator. I think anyone worthwhile will be too nervous to come here. One more year and I think a good coach will look at the stadium and three excellent recruiting classes and think, "Hey, I think I can make something out of this."

 

[samloupete]

How many coaches will it take before the college football fans in this area realize that Minnesota is an average football program. It has been 42 years since we even shared a Big Ten title. Pick a coach and stick with him, especially one that can recruit. I don't care how well you can coach, if you don't have the horses you won't win the race. Plow horses won't win horse races.

 

[dpodoll68]

From the article

"Still, if you are a historically mediocre team who manages to find a coach who wins 6 or 7 games a year and gets to a bowl now and again, keep him. You’re far more likely to hire someone worse than hire someone better."

Hmm.

Read it. Learn it. Live it.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

"Brewster has been a disaster that some you can't or won't see. "

"Disaster"? In what sense? Back-to-back (Albeit modest) bowl games, upgraded talent coming up the pipeline, upgraded schedule, more buzz (positive) around the program than I can ever remember. Is the program not in better shape now than when he inherited it in 2007? I'm not saying there aren't things to pick at but "disaster" certainly seems harsh. Even the extremists who want him fired aren't calling him a "Disaster". I'd like a courteous, direct answer to my question if you could please.

 

[mkAz]

#1 reason you keep Brewster for at least one more year is that he's already got 20+ commitments for 2010. Fire him now and I'll bet most will look elsewhere. If you chase him out after next year you will at least give his eventually replacement a nicely stocked roster (something Brewster never had BTW). Reason #2 to keep Brewster, I think he deserves to be judged based upon how he coaches a complete team of players he brought in. Reason #3 to keep him around, it will infuriate Reusse, Barreiro and company (although they may actually like having a whipping boy around).

 

[Gold Rush]

Well, I would call his end of the year offense a disaster, that's for sure. If he
can get that turned around, we just might be in a lot better shape than people think.

He DOES have two very good recruiting classes that are still a little young but are
very close to stepping in and helping out in a big way. I also thought the defense
by the end of the year was playing very well and was encouraged by that side of the ball.

I think a lot of their problems on offense are correctable but will take a little work. I think
there are talented players on that side of the ball but the exection just isn't there. I have
said this before but I think they need to just work on executing their basic offense and
then they can work out from there. I wouldn't be trying all these trick plays until you
can execute your basic offensive plays to perfection.

And to Braddad -- that is my biggest gripe too. Brewster inherited a very successful offense
when he got here. He changed it completely around but I gave him a free pass on that
because a coach is entitled to change his offense to what he wants. That is his right.
Changing your offense around a second time just a couple years later really makes the
coaching staff look like a bunch of rookies. It makes them look like they don't know what
they are doing. To be honest, I wish they would have just stuck with Mason's old offense.
That one worked a hell of a lot better than either of the two he has tried to install in his
three years here!!

This one had better work because if it doesn't he will be out of a job and if you think the
local media has been harsh on Brewster you just wait to see how bad it gets if that offense
is still just as bad in year four!!!

 

[myleslong]

"Brewster has been a disaster that some you can't or won't see. "

"Disaster"? In what sense? Back-to-back (Albeit modest) bowl games, upgraded talent coming up the pipeline, upgraded schedule, more buzz (positive) around the program than I can ever remember. Is the program not in better shape now than when he inherited it in 2007? I'm not saying there aren't things to pick at but "disaster" certainly seems harsh. Even the extremists who want him fired aren't calling him a "Disaster". I'd like a courteous, direct answer to my question if you could please.

The problem athletes he has brought in, the inconsistent dispensing of consequences and/or punishment, his BS mantra regarding his coaching record, while seemingly minor, speaks volumes about the guy. Then there is the demeanor on the sidelines. Of course wins must factor in to this somewhere, right.

One day you guys will be seeing the same things the rest of the Big Ten sees. It's tough with the gold Koolaid and glasses some of you drink and wear. Congrats on getting to the same level bowl Mason took them to. He's O-fer in rivalry games against four different schools in three years. To my knowledge no other school has FOUR rivalry games, and if they did, they wouldn't go FOUR seasons without winning one, which you guys are about to.

One day you guys will see it the way I depict. Until then enjoy the ride.

 

[i'm batman]

The problem athletes he has brought in, the inconsistent dispensing of consequences and/or punishment, his BS mantra regarding his coaching record, while seemingly minor, speaks volumes about the guy. Then there is the demeanor on the sidelines. Of course wins must factor in to this somewhere, right.

.

slow down on the t-day wine. then maybe you could list the "problem athletes" as well as the "inconsistent dispensing of consequences and/or punishment" as well as a link to his "BS mantra regarding his coaching record". and don't list hearsay, list facts.

i am not sure how i should deem him a disappointment because of his sideline demeanor, though.

 

[mkAz]

One day you guys will be seeing the same things the rest of the Big Ten sees. It's tough with the gold Koolaid and glasses some of you drink and wear. Congrats on getting to the same level bowl Mason took them to.

He's only had 3 years, none of his recruits are upper classmen yet, why the rush to judgement?

 

[GoldInDirt]

the one thing that just continues to bug me is this resume issue - the fact that he portrays some coaching record that includes all of his assistant roles amounting to somethng like 116 wins- this just does not sit right with me and just put too much of an issue around him being a phony - .

So does he go into a visit with a recruit and say "I'm 0-0. I've never been a head coach in a game before". Or does he say that I've been a significant part of many different successful programs at both the collegiate and professional level?

 

[GoldInDirt]

My biggest gripe with Brewster is scrapping an offense he's spent two plus seasons installing.

He came to Minnesota saying he was going to run the spread and presumably recruited players to fit the spread. Dumping the spread after last season meant starting over with your quarterbacks, wide receivers, etc. rather than building on the knowledge and experience they gained by training for two years in the system.

IMO, a coach should have more commitment to the plan than that.

You're in a very, very small minority of people who might have argued the past off-season that we should have stayed the course. Most people were encouraged with his disgust with the offense the past two seasons. In retrospect, you may have been right. The current system makes it a little easier to run the ball. He may have seen that it would be at least two more years before we could run with the ball due to the poor offensive line.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Congrats on getting to the same level bowl Mason took them to. He's O-fer in rivalry games against four different schools in three years. To my knowledge no other school has FOUR rivalry games, and if they did, they wouldn't go FOUR seasons without winning one, which you guys are about to.

Four rivalry games? Badger fans have plenty of ammunition against Minnesota; no reason to make crap up. Four trophy games, yes. But ridiculing us for having two extra, non-existant rivalry games really shreds your credibility.

Also, reaching the same level as Mason had us means Brewster has not taken us farther. It doesn't define disaster.

 

[hudson14]

Do people really think Brewster himself wrote his bio? Universities have an SID and staff to do all that stuff. Maybe Brewster told them to put that in there, but we don't know for sure. It's not like he approves everything that gets printed. He's got more important things to do.

You can say he's a bad coach on the sidelines and all, but I wouldn't call anyone a "phony" when I don't even know the facts.

The SID wrote it, but do you really think Brewster didn't approve it before it went to press?
He's a (snake oil/used car) salesman who's been thumping his chest since day one without any accomplishments to call his own. For example, Ron Gardenhire recently got his
700th win. If he was Brewster he would have also claimed the '91 championship and every win under TK, when he was part of the staff.
That isn't how it works.

 

[Schnoodler]

It's pretty standard operating procedure in marketing to sell your positives. Lack of a track record does not equate to a poor track record. You hear it in media all the time. If a company is a hundred years old they celebrate their 100 years. If they are a young company, they sell the experience of the parts. I would be deeply dissapointed in Brewsters ability if he didn't strongly sell the great programs he's been a part of in the absence of running his own program. He's doing his job just as he should.

 

[hudson14]

It's pretty standard operating procedure in marketing to sell your positives. Lack of a track record does not equate to a poor track record. You hear it in media all the time. If a company is a hundred years old they celebrate their 100 years. If they are a young company, they sell the experience of the parts. I would be deeply dissapointed in Brewsters ability if he didn't strongly sell the great programs he's been a part of in the absence of running his own program. He's doing his job just as he should.

Perhaps I'm a little older, but we used to call that lying. If you don't have a track record as a head coach, or even coordinator, don't pretend you do. And that is the first thing that turned me off of Brewster. (Probably Reusse as well) Accomplish something before you tell the world how great you are. He's talking Pasadena and he can't figure out how to use time outs.
Did the SID tell him to say Illinois won at Iowa?

 

[MBAGuy]

The problem athletes he has brought in, the inconsistent dispensing of consequences and/or punishment, his BS mantra regarding his coaching record, while seemingly minor, speaks volumes about the guy. Then there is the demeanor on the sidelines. Of course wins must factor in to this somewhere, right.

One day you guys will be seeing the same things the rest of the Big Ten sees. It's tough with the gold Koolaid and glasses some of you drink and wear. Congrats on getting to the same level bowl Mason took them to. He's O-fer in rivalry games against four different schools in three years. To my knowledge no other school has FOUR rivalry games, and if they did, they wouldn't go FOUR seasons without winning one, which you guys are about to.

One day you guys will see it the way I depict. Until then enjoy the ride.

Honestly, dude, why the eff do you care? It's our effing program. Piss off.

 

[Schnoodler]

Perhaps I'm a little older, but we used to call that lying. If you don't have a track record as a head coach, or even coordinator, don't pretend you do. And that is the first thing that turned me off of Brewster. (Probably Reusse as well) Accomplish something before you tell the world how great you are. He's talking Pasadena and he can't figure out how to use time outs.
Did the SID tell him to say Illinois won at Iowa?

I'm older than you think. And it is not lying. If he said I have x numbers of wins as a HC that is lying. He's been apart of many winning programs, many excellent programs. It's his responsibility to sell that. It's a selling point. it would be irresponisble for him not to sell that advantage. Quantifying those wins is correct and smart. It is only lying to those who need to stretch the truth and grasp for anything to help support their opinions. Which is much closer to lying than what you are trying to pin that tag on Brewster for.

 

[hudson14]

I'm older than you think. And it is not lying. If he said I have x numbers of wins as a HC that is lying. He's been apart of many winning programs, many excellent programs. It's his responsibility to sell that. It's a selling point. it would be irresponisble for him not to sell that advantage. Quantifying those wins is correct and smart. It is only lying to those who need to stretch the truth and grasp for anything to help support their opinions. Which is much closer to lying than what you are trying to pin that tag on Brewster for.

So Illinois did beat Iowa?