Fleck: “That was culture over skill.”

I’ve grown to like Fleck and kind of get a kick out of what he says, but I also really liked those Miami teams back in the day. I’m easily persuaded when a team wins.
 

I get what Fleck was trying to say. I wonder if that was the best way to phrase it.

There is another thread on this topic, but -

when a coach frames a game as "culture vs skill," - I think a reasonable person can draw the inference that one team had a better culture while the other team had more skill.

So, if you wanted to, you could see that as Fleck saying the other team has more talent. That is a weird way of complimenting his own team - "you guys aren't as talented, but you find ways to win games."

I think a better way to phrase that would be something like - "those were two good teams out there today, and our guys did what they had to do to win the game. That's a product of the way we practice and the way we believe in each other."
That's a similar take to Souhan in the paper today. This is more directed at Jim than you since your take is significantly more nuanced than his, but in my opinion it's just looking for the negative in what was meant to be a positive statement. Like a middle schooler overthinking everything their boy/girlfriend says. We know - and I'm sure the team knows - what he means and we don't need to search for some unintended insult in it. PJ always talks about wanting players with a chip on their shoulder. I don't think any player or recruit like that would find anything negative in saying that because of the development and culture within the program they're able to play better than and beat those widely seen as their "betters". Because on paper they are better, just look at the recruiting rankings.
 

I doubt Fleck presents things this way if Fleck wasn't being attached by coaches like Frost, who are all about Football. Fleck is about building up young men to be young men first who play elite football. While one is focused on recruiting incredible athletes, the other is about recruiting incredible athletes who also want to be called to be well rounded young men. The great thing is The Gophers have athletes who I am guessing put in the extra time to make themselves elite.

Culture that produces excellence is different from recruiting great athletes and telling them to go run plays. One develops, perfects and creates something beyond football. The other is depends on superior athleticism to win vs. everything else.

When you lose like we did to Bowling Green culture comes into question. I am guess Fleck was feeling the pressure of this and because of Frost felt the need to reiterate how importance our culture is.
 




I doubt Fleck presents things this way if Fleck wasn't being attached by coaches like Frost, who are all about Football. Fleck is about building up young men to be young men first who play elite football. While one is focused on recruiting incredible athletes, the other is about recruiting incredible athletes who also want to be called to be well rounded young men. The great thing is The Gophers have athletes who I am guessing put in the extra time to make themselves elite.

Culture that produces excellence is different from recruiting great athletes and telling them to go run plays. One develops, perfects and creates something beyond football. The other is depends on superior athleticism to win vs. everything else.

When you lose like we did to Bowling Green culture comes into question. I am guess Fleck was feeling the pressure of this and because of Frost felt the need to reiterate how importance our culture is.
You hit it right. Frost is a child mentally that just wants to "out man" the other team. Fleck wants his team to "out charachter" the other team. His athletes - put in the right positions and right circumstances are winners on and off the field. One team learns how to push through adversity by higher standards and the other knows how to fold when confronted by adversity.
 

I get what Fleck was trying to say. I wonder if that was the best way to phrase it.

There is another thread on this topic, but -

when a coach frames a game as "culture vs skill," - I think a reasonable person can draw the inference that one team had a better culture while the other team had more skill.

So, if you wanted to, you could see that as Fleck saying the other team has more talent. That is a weird way of complimenting his own team - "you guys aren't as talented, but you find ways to win games."

I think a better way to phrase that would be something like - "those were two good teams out there today, and our guys did what they had to do to win the game. That's a product of the way we practice and the way we believe in each other."
I’d bet Money, that was aimed at recruiting. As was Frost’s dig earlier. They operate in the same recruiting circles.

Remember the 4 Star we lost to them; bet Frost made fun of PJ. Next time, PJ has already primed recruits to hear his Culture stuff beats Frost macho ego up and down the field.
 

I’d bet Money, that was aimed at recruiting. As was Frost’s dig earlier. They operate in the same recruiting circles.

Remember the 4 Star we lost to them; bet Frost made fun of PJ. Next time, PJ has already primed recruits to hear his Culture stuff beats Frost macho ego up and down the field.
I think his comment was two-fold. This comment for sure. This is partly a recruiting stance he’s taking. I also believe the “sloganeering” pot-shot bothered Fleck and this was his way to run in that Fleck’s methods are better than Frost’s.
 

I don't really care about the "culture over skill" comment, but I do find it silly. Obviously, a good mix of both is needed.

Coaching a bunch of swell guys who get along but can't pass, catch, run, block, tackle nor kick very well just doesn't feel like it's going to produce acceptable results on the scoreboard.
 



I think PJ is responding this way not because he thinks our players are bad, but because Nebraska does out recruit us and we keep beating them. So if our recruits aren't as good as Nebraska's it must be the culture (coaching, development and environment) that gets our players better prepared than Nebraska. And he doesn't say Nebraska's culture is bad, just that ours is better.

And the rankings support the notion that Nebraska has recruited players with better evaluations than Minnesota has.

Big Ten Recruiting Rankings from 247Sports:

2021
5 Nebraska
8 Minnesota

2020
4 Nebraska
9 Minnesota

2019
4 Nebraska
10 Minnesota

2018
4 Nebraska
7 Minnesota

2017
5 Nebraska
12 Minnesota

5 Year Average
4.4 Nebraska
9.2 Minnesota
Maybe we are expecting to much from 2 & 3 star players.
 

I don't really care about the "culture over skill" comment, but I do find it silly. Obviously, a good mix of both is needed.

Coaching a bunch of swell guys who get along but can't pass, catch, run, block, tackle nor kick very well just doesn't feel like it's going to produce acceptable results on the scoreboard.
Yeah, I didn't love the "over skill" part of it. It just seems a little too much like he's saying that culture turned chicken shit into chicken salad. I love the culture, but I thought the boys looked pretty f'n skilled out there on Saturday too.
 

I actually think Frost and Fleck get along for the most part off the field from what their comments have been in the past. But Brohm and Ferentz definitely do not like Fleck.
 

Yeah, I didn't love the "over skill" part of it. It just seems a little too much like he's saying that culture turned chicken shit into chicken salad. I love the culture, but I thought the boys looked pretty f'n skilled out there on Saturday too.
I simply took it as Fleck’s culture and approach gets more out of recruits. Fleck knows where his classes rank and that Minnesota isn’t Nebraska. He’s working overtime to change that narrative. He was flat out recruiting with his comments.
 



You hit it right. Frost is a child mentally that just wants to "out man" the other team. Fleck wants his team to "out charachter" the other team. His athletes - put in the right positions and right circumstances are winners on and off the field. One team learns how to push through adversity by higher standards and the other knows how to fold when confronted by adversity.
Well stated.
 

I don't really care about the "culture over skill" comment, but I do find it silly. Obviously, a good mix of both is needed.

Coaching a bunch of swell guys who get along but can't pass, catch, run, block, tackle nor kick very well just doesn't feel like it's going to produce acceptable results on the scoreboard.
Those aren't the guys he's recruiting. He gets good football talents who will also do the hard work to be good men outside of football.
 

A "W" is a "W" but I saw two not very good teams play a pretty ugly game. Our best defensive play of the game was the Nebbie running back falling down on his own instead of running to the goal line. OK, not really, but that 4th down failure on Nebraska's part was is what changed the game back to our favor on D. Our D had nothing to do with it.

But, you don't have to put a picture in the win column.

The good news is, most of our opponents the rest of the way aren't very good, either, so the sky is the limit and we might grab the title of the "elite"-est mediocre team in all of college football.
 

Yeah, I didn't love the "over skill" part of it. It just seems a little too much like he's saying that culture turned chicken shit into chicken salad. I love the culture, but I thought the boys looked pretty f'n skilled out there on Saturday too.
I'm going to bet nobody wearing our uniform took it as coach putting them down.
 

I'm going to bet nobody wearing our uniform took it as coach putting them down.
That's fine if they didn't, we all do some mental gymnastics for people we like. It's also incredibly intoxicating for people to think they were the underdogs. You hear big time programs say things like "everyone doubted us" or "prove all the naysayers wrong". It is what it is. It isn't a big deal. I'm just saying that if anyone else said it, we'd be annoyed. I turned off the Big 10 post game because they were talking about us like the little engine that could and Nebraska like they were a talented juggernaut that blew the game.

The Big10 Network seems to think we overcame a massive gulf in terms of talent and it was annoying. PJ said the same thing and it's a good thing. This board gets weird about anything that even tangentially resembles a slight to people we like.

So let me ask you this, do you think the less skilled team won the game?
 

That's fine if they didn't, we all do some mental gymnastics for people we like. It's also incredibly intoxicating for people to think they were the underdogs. You hear big time programs say things like "everyone doubted us" or "prove all the naysayers wrong". It is what it is. It isn't a big deal. I'm just saying that if anyone else said it, we'd be annoyed. I turned off the Big 10 post game because they were talking about us like the little engine that could and Nebraska like they were a talented juggernaut that blew the game.

The Big10 Network seems to think we overcame a massive gulf in terms of talent and it was annoying. PJ said the same thing and it's a good thing. This board gets weird about anything that even tangentially resembles a slight to people we like.

So let me ask you this, do you think the less skilled team won the game?
No, we were the most skilled and the better team. I have no idea what Fleck really meant by his comment and I don't think anyone else does either. Everyone, including morons like Souhan, will make of it whatever they like.
 




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