Gopher Talent Level Debate

[BrewsterBooster]

Just how much talent does the 2009 edition of the Minnesota Golden Gopher football team truly have? I think we are all hopeful, but we are going into another season with many unknowns at many positions and we have young inexperienced talent playing key roles. We do have Weber to Decker going for us, but what other PROVEN high level talent do we have on this team? DTs? LBs?

There were ZERO Gophers selected in the last NFL draft. That is unusual for a Big Ten team of any stature and standing. Usually there is a gem somewhere on any team who is draft elgible.

Was the cupboard bare when Mason left? I think the facts are clear on that issue....yes it was. Have we injected enough talent in the right places to win more games than we did last year? Maybe. Maybe not. The last two recruiting classes has provided us with promising, inexperienced young talent coupled with some experienced talent....all learning another new system. So it is not just the talent level of the players. It is the seasonal musical chairs routine with our coordinators....we have new defensive and offensive coordinators this season. They may be great people, but they are installing new systems with new terminology...again.

So where do we really stand heading into the 2009 schedule? I am excited about the influx of athletic players over the last two years. But are we expecting too much this year? We have a tougher schedule. We have new offensive and defensive systems and coordinators. We have many very promising but untested players. I think we will be challenged to repeat the success of last season. It certainly is not a given. I will be very happy to win one more game in 2009. We will know what Brewster can really do at Minnesota when his first full recruiting class from February of 2008 is playing in their senior year. That is the Fall of 2011. If Brewster has great success before then, I will be ecstatic.

 

[grunkiejr]

We had no players on the First, Second or Third All-Big Ten teams this year. I cannot recall the last time that happened.

Eric Decker was a consensus first team All Big Ten selection. I believe Traye Simmons was consensus 2nd team All Big Ten but if he wasn't consensus I know he was voted on by at least the coaches or media. Adam Weber was voted 2nd Team All Big Ten by the coaches. Van De Steeg was also 2nd Team All Big Ten by either the coaches or media but not the other.

There isn't even a 3rd team All Big Ten--that is basketball. After 1st and 2nd it goes to honorable mention where Jack Simmons & Kyle Theret were both honored.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Decker was first team WR, Weber, Simmons and WVD made second team and Jack Simmons HM.

This is a good time for many Gopher players as opportunities are there at many positions for ample PT. I hope some of the young guys are ready to step up. It will be interesting to compare the starters for the first game compared to the last game.

 

[dpodoll68]

We had no players on the First, Second or Third All-Big Ten teams this year.

No.

Eric Decker, 1st team media and coaches
Adam Weber, 2nd team coaches
Willie VanDeSteeg, 1st team media, 2nd team coaches
Traye Simmons, 2nd team media and coaches
Jack Simmons, 2nd team media

As far as I know, there is no "3rd team", but J. Simmons was honorable mention for the coaches, while Theret and Weber were honorable mention for the media.

Though neither VDS nor J. Simmons were drafted, I guarantee Decker, Weber, and T. Simmons all will be. Many other players currently on the roster, including Lawrence, Stoudermire, Green, etc. will have a chance in the future. Though it is way too early to tell, I think as many as 6-8 of the incoming jucos, transfers, and freshman could be drafted in the future.

All that being said, I predict 7-6 for this season. 3-1 non-con (loss to Cal), 3-5 Big Ten (wins over Wis, Purdue, and Illinois) with a bowl victory over a mid-level MAC or low-level Big 12/SEC team. The talent is no doubt on a huge upswing, but the schedule is just too difficult this year, and we were unlucky enough to miss the two worst teams in the conference from last year's slate.

 

[dpodoll68]

Sorry guys - I was typing while your posts were put up. Didn't mean to repeat earlier info.

 

[sugarriver]

Looking at the spring game, I have to believe the talent is there. Inexperience and depth may be issues, but I thought the team speed has definitely been improved on both sides of the ball. I certainly think the gophers will be better this year, even if the record may not be.

 

[grunkiejr]

Looking at the spring game, I have to believe the talent is there. Inexperience and depth may be issues, but I thought the team speed has definitely been improved on both sides of the ball. I certainly think the gophers will be better this year, even if the record may not be.

Do you really believe depth is going to be an issue compared to past years? IMO this is the deepest Gopher team I have ever seen as evidenced by the 17-17 tie between the 1st team & 2nd team in the spring game. We return 37 of 44 players from the 2008 two deep depth chart (38 if Brock is eligible) including 10 starters on O & 7 or 8 on D (Brock?). To the group of returnees we add 4 projected starters in Carufel & Royston as experienced D-I transfers and Wills & Carpenter as Juco transfers. Depth is the least of my concerns for this team. My biggest questions are how they respond to new coordinators & OL coach and how long until the more athletic youth gain enough experience and strength to surpass upperclassmen in the starting lineup.

I was concerned about a new kicker & punter but after the spring game I'm not concerned because Ellestad looked great and the projected back up punter looked strong. We'll see with Orseske when he gets here this fall but if we have to rely on the back up we could do worse.

 

[Schnoodler]

Yes, I think it will be an issue. If you weight the talent of this team with an experience factor, we're still a year or two off from competing with the top half of the league. The talent level is exciting, but other teams have talent too and depth, it's just that they're not freshmen and sophmores. One more year, and we'll have the depth that will make us a factor. I'm excited about the future, and the kids coming in, but they'll need time, and we'll need more of them.

 

[calminnfan]

Though Brew does not have anyone who has been drafted in the first round yet, from what I remember Mason had 2 his 10 years here and one of them was arguably a reach in Middlebrook who was slatted as a late second rounder if I remember correctly.

If drafting is the overall point, Brew should be given the 10 years Mason was and lets see what happens. Also, the ones not drafted these last 2 years were Mason recruits, not Brews.

If the argument is in regard to overall talent level on the team as a whole, I think there really is not comparison. Brew is elevating the talent level on the team way past what Mason settled for.

One more point. Though the amount of stars a player gets is not an absolutely certain way (there is really no way outside of God) to gauge how a player will turn out in college. A 2 star player can end up a 1st round NFL pick and 5 star players can be dudes. At the same time, the teams that generally are in the upper echalon in regards to star recruits are generally in the upper echalon in regards to the standings and bowls.

 

[harrys ghost]

Yes, I think it will be an issue. If you weight the talent of this team with an experience factor, we're still a year or two off from competing with the top half of the league. The talent level is exciting, but other teams have talent too and depth, it's just that they're not freshmen and sophmores. One more year, and we'll have the depth that will make us a factor. I'm excited about the future, and the kids coming in, but they'll need time, and we'll need more of them.

I think you need to distinguish between offense and defense. On offense, I tend to agree. On defense I don't and actually think our '10 defense will likely be worst than this coming year's. It's looking like we will be starting around eight seniors on defense (all of which were either starters or played a lot last season).

 

[magpie]

Willie should've been drafted. Other than him, there weren't a lot of seniors. We could've had Decker and Traye leave, but they did what we like to see -- they returned for their senior years. I don't think our cupboards were any more bare than normal, we just had less upper classmen than normal.

Watch -- next year we'll have several drafted players, some very high -- and the hype will turn positive.

 

[BrewsterBooster]

Ooops! Brain Fart!

Eric Decker was a consensus first team All Big Ten selection. I believe Traye Simmons was consensus 2nd team All Big Ten but if he wasn't consensus I know he was voted on by at least the coaches or media. Adam Weber was voted 2nd Team All Big Ten by the coaches. Van De Steeg was also 2nd Team All Big Ten by either the coaches or media but not the other.

There isn't even a 3rd team All Big Ten--that is basketball. After 1st and 2nd it goes to honorable mention where Jack Simmons & Kyle Theret were both honored.

My apologies to Decker, Simmons, Weber and Van DeSteeg. It was the basketball team that had no all big ten players. Can't believe I really wrote that. Do you think Brewster will sue for slander? He would win. I am slinking over into the corner now.

 

[grunkiejr]

My apologies to Decker, Simmons, Weber and Van DeSteeg. It was the basketball team that had no all big ten players. Can't believe I really wrote that. Do you think Brewster will sue for slander? He would win. I am slinking over into the corner now.

All is forgiven. I agree with the gist of your post as far as the improving talent level but IMO we still have the talent to make a bowl and be competitive in the Big Ten the next two years.

I will admit that the thought of this 2 deep on D in 2011 makes me smile. The large number of 3-star's as upperclassmen that would be sitting on the bench should provide great depth.

4-stars in Red, 3-stars in blue, 2 star's in green, not yet rated - black (Rivals rankings)

DE: Jacobs (RsSr) / ??Combs?? (Sr)
DT: Edwards (Sr) / Joey Searcy (RsSo)
DT: Kirksey (Sr) / Eric Jacques (RsSo)
DE: Wilhite (RsJr) / Garin (RsSo) / Gregory-McGhee (RsSo) or he could be OLB
LB: Cooper (RsJr) / Singleton (RsSo)
LB: Maresh (GsJr) / Tinsley (Sr) --play MLB in 3-4
LB: Reeves (GsJr) / Grant (RsJr)
CB: Carter (Jr) / Johnson (Sr)
CB: K. Lewis (Jr)-unless he's at S / 2010 Juco CB? / A. Lewis (So)
S: Dandridge (Sr)
S: Watkins (Jr)

The offense should be pretty stacked too:

QB: Gray (GrJr) / Alipate (RsSo) / Nance (RsJr) / Parish (RsFr)
RB: (no idea of the order) Bennett (RsSr), Eskridge (Sr), Salamon (Sr), Whaley (RsJr), Lipscomb (Jr or RsSo), Edwards (So or RsFr)
WR: Green (Sr) / Brandon (Sr) / Keise (Jr or RsSo)
WR: Smith (Sr) / McKnight (Sr)
WR: Stoudermire (Sr) / Allen (Jr or RsSo)
TE: Hageman (Jr) / Lair (Sr)
FB: Rengel (GrSo)
I won't pretend to know who will be starting at OL but here is what we have by class:
RsSr: Bunders, Orton, Davis, Wynn
Jr/RsSo: Campion, Olson, Michel
So/RsFr: Gjere

That whole depth chart is based off of 2008 & 2009 recruits and 4 players from the 2010 class. Hopefully the 2010 class will fill in the holes nicely.

 

[flyingdutchmanstinks]

Pre Brewster the words Gophers and Talent were seldom used in the same sentence.

 

[BrewsterBooster]

All is forgiven. I agree with the gist of your post as far as the improving talent level but IMO we still have the talent to make a bowl and be competitive in the Big Ten the next two years.

I will admit that the thought of this 2 deep on D in 2011 makes me smile. The large number of 3-star's as upperclassmen that would be sitting on the bench should provide great depth.

4-stars in Red, 3-stars in blue, 2 star's in green, not yet rated - black (Rivals rankings)

DE: Jacobs (RsSr) / ??Combs?? (Sr)
DT: Edwards (Sr) / Joey Searcy (RsSo)
DT: Kirksey (Sr) / Eric Jacques (RsSo)
DE: Wilhite (RsJr) / Garin (RsSo) / Gregory-McGhee (RsSo) or he could be OLB
LB: Cooper (RsJr) / Singleton (RsSo)
LB: Maresh (GsJr) / Tinsley (Sr) --play MLB in 3-4
LB: Reeves (GsJr) / Grant (RsJr)
CB: Carter (Jr) / Johnson (Sr)
CB: K. Lewis (Jr)-unless he's at S / 2010 Juco CB? / A. Lewis (So)
S: Dandridge (Sr)
S: Watkins (Jr)

The offense should be pretty stacked too:

QB: Gray (GrJr) / Alipate (RsSo) / Nance (RsJr) / Parish (RsFr)
RB: (no idea of the order) Bennett (RsSr), Eskridge (Sr), Salamon (Sr), Whaley (RsJr), Lipscomb (Jr or RsSo), Edwards (So or RsFr)
WR: Green (Sr) / Brandon (Sr) / Keise (Jr or RsSo)
WR: Smith (Sr) / McKnight (Sr)
WR: Stoudermire (Sr) / Allen (Jr or RsSo)
TE: Hageman (Jr) / Lair (Sr)
FB: Rengel (GrSo)
I won't pretend to know who will be starting at OL but here is what we have by class:
RsSr: Bunders, Orton, Davis, Wynn
Jr/RsSo: Campion, Olson, Michel
So/RsFr: Gjere

That whole depth chart is based off of 2008 & 2009 recruits and 4 players from the 2010 class. Hopefully the 2010 class will fill in the holes nicely.

Wow! Nice work, grunkiejr. Sure makes me feel good about the depth developing on this team. When the rest of the 2010 class is in, this chart could look very good. It has been a while since we have had this much talent on defense.

 

[4starrecruit]

Well people, then we had better start seeing a heck of a lot of Big Ten wins coming up in 6 or 8 years or whenever you think coach brewster might have had a chance to get his guys in here...all at the same time to go to the Rosebowl. Big question though: how many of them will stick around for four years in succession? I'm getting tired of the tired excuses about this brewster-ball experiment failing because of someone else and poor coach brewster can't help it because you just can't expect him to win many Big Ten football games for a very long time. I have not been able to understand that. I thought that coach brewster was the head guy and that he was in charge starting way back in very early 2007. Why didn't he put in an offense that he would run for the first four or five years at least?

What kind of offense does brewster-ball feature this year? Is it the dunbar spread or what ever it is that brewster is currently totally committed to for the 2009 seasons? It's so darn confusing. Some of you were so sold on that dunbar spread stuff of the last two years. Now we are starting all over again.

And the defense: what about the defense? What is brewster-ball defense like? We have our 3rd defensive coordinator in three seasons. Doesn't all that switching around all the time leave any of you a little unsettled? Just what is brewster-ball all about? What is his philosophy? When will he have his players in place to play this newest version of brewster-ball? Does this mean that we can't hold him accountable for another four years? So, that's how it works? maturi had better hurry up and give him a seven year extension so that he can be here when he is finally accountable for the product he puts on the field on Game Day Saturdays!

Will this newest switch-a-roo that brewster has pulled on offense look a lot more like a Mason/Browning offense than that dunbar spread-coast stuff? Why didn't this brewster just come in here for the 2007 season and play the kind of offense that he now has fallen in love with. It was obvious that dunbar stuff wasn't going to work out too well in the Big Ten. And the players he had were more used to this kind of offense that he is now putting in during his 3rd season here.

What will the offense of choice for brewster-ball be in 2010? Will there be more wholesale changes during the off-season if this newest brewster philosophy of offense and defense doesn't work out well?

I think it is essential to ask these questions of our fearless leader. Why all the changes now, coach brewster? What is your offensive philosophy? How does it fit in with your game planning? How can you make adjustments at half-time to get yourself back into a ball game when iowa is killing you with what you are doing or are not doing during the first half? These are all vital questions coach brewster. What's the plan?

When can we start expecting a lot of Big Ten wins with your plan coach? Not that anyone is wanting to rush you...maybe five or seven years from now we can expect many more Big Ten wins, if that would be all right with you? But don't worry...the first five years can all be blamed on the former coach and the dear souls who call themselves names like "brew's crew" and stuff like that will attack anyone who dares to ask when this Gopher Nation can start seeing you win a lot of Big Ten games. But, we are going to go to the Rosebowl sometime...Just like you said we would...right? When will that be coach brewster...when will that be? "...tell us about the Rosebowl, brew...tell us about the Rosebowl..."

Well, any way, just for the record, I wanted to ask when we can hope to win five Big Ten games in one single season? I know people will probably be angry with me for asking such a question, but, someone HAS to try to find out some how.

 

[4starrecruit]

And by the way, this brewster started cashing checks from the U of M very early in 2007. Did he throw that stinking 2007 season so far away that you don't even start counting until 2008? He recruited his first recruits in February of 2007 brewboost. You must have inadvertantly forgotten that little fact of life. I know he was here for the 2007 season. I suffered through it. brew-ball started in 2007.
How could anyone ever forget that? During the last five games of the 2008 season, brew-ball reverted to the year 2007. You don't get to try to forget about 2007. Thank goodness dunbar is done...thank goodness dunbar is gone.

 

[oleboy41]

Dude go watch Wisconsin or something.

 

[GopherGod]

Well people, then we had better start seeing a heck of a lot of Big Ten wins coming up in 6 or 8 years or whenever you think coach brewster might have had a chance to get his guys in here...all at the same time to go to the Rosebowl. Big question though: how many of them will stick around for four years in succession? I'm getting tired of the tired excuses about this brewster-ball experiment failing because of someone else and poor coach brewster can't help it because you just can't expect him to win many Big Ten football games for a very long time. I have not been able to understand that. I thought that coach brewster was the head guy and that he was in charge starting way back in very early 2007. Why didn't he put in an offense that he would run for the first four or five years at least?

What kind of offense does brewster-ball feature this year? Is it the dunbar spread or what ever it is that brewster is currently totally committed to for the 2009 seasons? It's so darn confusing. Some of you were so sold on that dunbar spread stuff of the last two years. Now we are starting all over again.

And the defense: what about the defense? What is brewster-ball defense like? We have our 3rd defensive coordinator in three seasons. Doesn't all that switching around all the time leave any of you a little unsettled? Just what is brewster-ball all about? What is his philosophy? When will he have his players in place to play this newest version of brewster-ball? Does this mean that we can't hold him accountable for another four years? So, that's how it works? maturi had better hurry up and give him a seven year extension so that he can be here when he is finally accountable for the product he puts on the field on Game Day Saturdays!

Will this newest switch-a-roo that brewster has pulled on offense look a lot more like a Mason/Browning offense than that dunbar spread-coast stuff? Why didn't this brewster just come in here for the 2007 season and play the kind of offense that he now has fallen in love with. It was obvious that dunbar stuff wasn't going to work out too well in the Big Ten. And the players he had were more used to this kind of offense that he is now putting in during his 3rd season here.

What will the offense of choice for brewster-ball be in 2010? Will there be more wholesale changes during the off-season if this newest brewster philosophy of offense and defense doesn't work out well?

I think it is essential to ask these questions of our fearless leader. Why all the changes now, coach brewster? What is your offensive philosophy? How does it fit in with your game planning? How can you make adjustments at half-time to get yourself back into a ball game when iowa is killing you with what you are doing or are not doing during the first half? These are all vital questions coach brewster. What's the plan?

When can we start expecting a lot of Big Ten wins with your plan coach? Not that anyone is wanting to rush you...maybe five or seven years from now we can expect many more Big Ten wins, if that would be all right with you? But don't worry...the first five years can all be blamed on the former coach and the dear souls who call themselves names like "brew's crew" and stuff like that will attack anyone who dares to ask when this Gopher Nation can start seeing you win a lot of Big Ten games. But, we are going to go to the Rosebowl sometime...Just like you said we would...right? When will that be coach brewster...when will that be? "...tell us about the Rosebowl, brew...tell us about the Rosebowl..."

Well, any way, just for the record, I wanted to ask when we can hope to win five Big Ten games in one single season? I know people will probably be angry with me for asking such a question, but, someone HAS to try to find out some how.

I agree that he does need to be held accountable for making the coordinator hires that he did and replacing the coordinator does not buy you more time. At other programs coaches are held accountable immediately for their personnel decisions and that does not qualify as a valid excuse for losing(i.e. Tommy Tuberville hiring Tony Franklin as OC and then having to fire him mid season of his first season). That ultimately cost him his job as well and he had 10 years of success there.

 

[Gold Vision]

And by the way, this brewster started cashing checks from the U of M very early in 2007. Did he throw that stinking 2007 season so far away that you don't even start counting until 2008? He recruited his first recruits in February of 2007 brewboost. You must have inadvertantly forgotten that little fact of life. I know he was here for the 2007 season. I suffered through it. brew-ball started in 2007.
How could anyone ever forget that? During the last five games of the 2008 season, brew-ball reverted to the year 2007. You don't get to try to forget about 2007. Thank goodness dunbar is done...thank goodness dunbar is gone.

Normal people/fans move on and give the benefit of the doubt to someone who's a professional in their position instead of calling for their head after 1 year. It's college football, not foreign policy.
What's the point of bashing a program you're a "fan" of for 5 years calling out the players and the coaches? Live life a little and enjoy the ups and downs of being a sports fan. Who is up at 1 in the morning posting on a gopher fan message board about the teams record 2.5 years ago? What a miserable existence...

 

[dpodoll68]

He recruited his first recruits in February of 2007 brewboost.

I guess we have to address this again. Brewster's first recruiting class was 2008. Period.

He was announced as the new Gophers head coach on Jan. 17, 2007. Presumably, he had to wait a day or two to start making calls until he could pass his recruiting test, since he came straight from the NFL. National signing day was Feb. 7. Let's suppose for argument's sake that he was able to start making calls right away on Jan. 17 (which I highly doubt). Even if that were the case, the guy had 21 days to convince Mason's guys to stay, and fill out the rest of the class on his own. And we're supposed to judge that by the same standard as coaches who literally had years to sign their 2007 classes?

You're an idiot.

 

[harrys ghost]

I guess we have to address this again. Brewster's first recruiting class was 2008. Period.

He was announced as the new Gophers head coach on Jan. 17, 2007. Presumably, he had to wait a day or two to start making calls until he could pass his recruiting test, since he came straight from the NFL. National signing day was Feb. 7. Let's suppose for argument's sake that he was able to start making calls right away on Jan. 17 (which I highly doubt). Even if that were the case, the guy had 21 days to convince Mason's guys to stay, and fill out the rest of the class on his own. And we're supposed to judge that by the same standard as coaches who literally had years to sign their 2007 classes?

You're an idiot.

Welcome to Wren's World.

 

[flyingdutchmanstinks]

4starrecruit, please stop posting. I am dumber for have reading your post. Please come back to reality, if you were ever there in the first place.

 

[4starrecruit]

The moment a coach accepts a job, signs the contract and starts cashing checks, that poor sucker is on the hook for the won/loss record, the recruiting classes and every thing that happens in the program. So, if you people say this brewster didn't even recruit that 2007 recruiting class, what the heck did he do in that 2007 season. He went 1-11 (0-8 in Big Ten play) and he didn't even recruit or sign recruits in February of 2007? Why, no wonder you dudes and dudettes say that this brewster's first recruiting class was the 2008 recruiting class! Now I see what you brew-crew spinners are getting at. What a free-loading, no-count, lazy bum he appears to have been if what you claim is true. He dug himself such a deep hole by not showing up for or being responsible for anything in 2007 that he probably never will get out from under that totally irresponsible first year on the job.

Or, was the WHOLE thing part of that maturi/prexy b botched contract extension that they offered Mason after letting Mason's contract run down to nothing. They worked on doing that for 3 incredibly long years... they were just going to let his contract run out. That would have been fine. It was hard on recruiting, but, this maturi and prexy b wanted Mason gone at any cost! They, in an incredible change of mind and change of heart, in a few days time in Nashville TN, this maturi and prexy b decided that they HAD to extend Coach Mason to a long-term contract...and then they signed Mason to a multi-year extension at the very end of that 20-05 season....so he could bring home the stadium naming rights and help them pitch the stadium proposal/bill to the state legislators. Then they bought him out a year later, setting up the Mason fire/buyout and the brewster hire situation that led to that recruiting problem in 2007? Why not call it the way it was brewster apologist dudes/dudettes, (which ever the case may be). Sothat 2007 recruiting class is the one that maturi/prexy b let get away! Mason was no longer the coach...brewster was just coming in...who do we need to crucify for that 2007 recruiting class? Obviously it was maturi's doing with the blessing of this prexy b. They called the shots. They bought out Mason's contract. They hired this brewster. It was THEIR recruiting class! ; 0 )

But: back to the 2007 recruiting class that you brew-crew apologists don't want pinned on this brewster...It's just the way it goes brew-crew apologists: IF a coach takes the job he is responsible for EVERYTHING that resembles anything mentioned in his official U of M football coache's job description! It did say something about recruiting didn't it?

So....he didn't even sign any recruits in February of 2007????? Now I've heard evrything! He really was asleep at the wheel for that disasterous 2007 season...the season that this brewster threw away as some say...Or, are you brew-crew apologists just trying to claim that brewster didn't actually have to take responsibility for that recruiting class because you are trying to protect him and/or look better than he really looks? Are you just stretching the truth a little?

 

[BrewsterBooster]

Complete Ignorance

The moment a coach accepts a job, signs the contract and starts cashing checks, that poor sucker is on the hook for the won/loss record, the recruiting classes and every thing that happens in the program. So, if you people say this brewster didn't even recruit that 2007 recruiting class, what the heck did he do in that 2007 season. He went 1-11 (0-8 in Big Ten play) and he didn't even recruit or sign recruits in February of 2007? Why, no wonder you dudes and dudettes say that this brewster's first recruiting class was the 2008 recruiting class! Now I see what you brew-crew spinners are getting at. What a free-loading, no-count, lazy bum he appears to have been if what you claim is true. He dug himself such a deep hole by not showing up for or being responsible for anything in 2007 that he probably never will get out from under that totally irresponsible first year on the job.

Or, was the WHOLE thing part of that maturi/prexy b botched contract extension that they offered Mason after letting Mason's contract run down to nothing. They worked on doing that for 3 incredibly long years... they were just going to let his contract run out. That would have been fine. It was hard on recruiting, but, this maturi and prexy b wanted Mason gone at any cost! They, in an incredible change of mind and change of heart, in a few days time in Nashville TN, this maturi and prexy b decided that they HAD to extend Coach Mason to a long-term contract...and then they signed Mason to a multi-year extension at the very end of that 20-05 season....so he could bring home the stadium naming rights and help them pitch the stadium proposal/bill to the state legislators. Then they bought him out a year later, setting up the Mason fire/buyout and the brewster hire situation that led to that recruiting problem in 2007? Why not call it the way it was brewster apologist dudes/dudettes, (which ever the case may be). Sothat 2007 recruiting class is the one that maturi/prexy b let get away! Mason was no longer the coach...brewster was just coming in...who do we need to crucify for that 2007 recruiting class? Obviously it was maturi's doing with the blessing of this prexy b. They called the shots. They bought out Mason's contract. They hired this brewster. It was THEIR recruiting class! ; 0 )

But: back to the 2007 recruiting class that you brew-crew apologists don't want pinned on this brewster...It's just the way it goes brew-crew apologists: IF a coach takes the job he is responsible for EVERYTHING that resembles anything mentioned in his official U of M football coache's job description! It did say something about recruiting didn't it?

So....he didn't even sign any recruits in February of 2007????? Now I've heard evrything! He really was asleep at the wheel for that disasterous 2007 season...the season that this brewster threw away as some say...Or, are you brew-crew apologists just trying to claim that brewster didn't actually have to take responsibility for that recruiting class because you are trying to protect him and/or look better than he really looks? Are you just stretching the truth a little?

Quite possibly the most ignorant, off-the-mark post I have read in a long long time. 2007 is no more Brewster's recruiting class than Wren and logic go together. Brewster was in the NFL when he was hired....completely out of the recruiting loop. I will judge Brewster in the 2011 season when his first recruiting class from February of 2008 are seniors. He had to completely reload this team with talent.

 

[ulfr]

2011!

Quite possibly the most ignorant, off-the-mark post I have read in a long long time. 2007 is no more Brewster's recruiting class than Wren and logic go together. Brewster was in the NFL when he was hired....completely out of the recruiting loop. I will judge Brewster in the 2011 season when his first recruiting class from February of 2008 are seniors. He had to completely reload this team with talent.

'Sooner rather than later'? 2011 isn't what I had in mind. Most coaching changes occur late in a recruiting cycle, and many first recruiting classes don't go as poorly as 2007 did in Dinkytown. While I agree that this coming recruiting cycle's ability to go out and make an impact in a fairly short (2011ish) order will make or break this grand adventure, I am sure that there will be a new round of excuses on this board if the '09 and '10's classes fail to launch or the academic casualty rate starts to look like a flashback of the Somme...


PS Is 'sooner' before or after the 10 years of program 'rebuilding' that ol' Grinnin' Glen had?

 

[dpodoll68]

Most coaching changes occur late in a recruiting cycle, and many first recruiting classes don't go as poorly as 2007 did in Dinkytown.

First of all, you're dead wrong. How many programs fire a coach after a bowl game? The U had to fire Mason because of the colossal Texas Tech collapse, the latest in a series of signs that this program under him was never going to do anything more than tread water.

The fact is that most firings occur toward the end of the regular season, or after it's over in November. This would give the typical incoming coach two full months more than Brewster had in 2007. And if you don't think that's significant, you're even more clueless than I had already suspected.

Second of all, unlike many other programs, we hired Brewster straight from the NFL. Usually when this happens (Saban to Alabama, Carroll to USC, Weis to Notre Dame, Jagodzinski to BC, etc.) the program is in good enough shape that its immediate future doesn't hinge upon a quality recruiting class to set the program on a good course. That certainly was not the case here, by any reasonable assessment of the situation. Was Brewster supposed to be recruiting HS players while he was TE coach for the Broncos?

Go sit over in the corner with Wren.

 

[4starrecruit]

Once again, the 10 years that Mason had is the fault of this maturi and prexy b. Point the finger at maturi and prexy b for EVERY complaint that you have about Mason and I will certainly take this maturi and pexy b to task for all of these brewster short-comings and screw-ups. What we have here is what we have ALWAYS had here: administrations that mess up the football program. maturi doesn't have a CLUE about what it takes to actually win Big Ten FOOTBALL GAMES. Hammer on the darn administrators for the ten worthless years of Coach Mason. Hammer on the administrators for the millions and millions of dollars that this prexy b borrowed to make Mason go away AFTER that prexy b and maturi had let Mason's contract run down for three seasons and then EXTENDED at the end of the 2005 season. What pathetic administrators have been running the football show. Run the foolish and incompetent administrators of the football program out on their ears! Rid the U of M football program of their incompetence now!

They dragged out the Mason thing for basically at least four years longer than it should have gone on, once they decided not to renew his contract. The day after he went on less than three years remaining on his contract, he was effectively DONE as a Big Ten Coach. But, this maturi and prexy b dragged it on until the bowl game in Nashville. Then, the blinking idiots...maturi and this prexy b EXTENDED Mason's contract. Three years of leaving the Football Program hanging and failing to show support for the coach went down the drain because this maturi and this prexy b were not "administrators" enough to get the stadium deal done without Mason. What foolish clowns they were when they extended Mason and then had to borrow funds to buy him out the next year. Basically Mason should have been here five or six years...and THAT was the plan of prexy b and maturi all along. But, they dropped the ball on their OWN scheme. They blew it big time. They choked when the pressure was on. They couldn't do the deal.

So, now they have bungled this sad brewster-ball experiment all to heck. Once again maturi is about to enter into a deal where he lets his no name, inexperienced football coach go into that "nevenever land" of football coaches when their contract slips below 3 years of contract remaining. And this maturi knows it. He tried to sneak an extension in for this brewster after the no-name got his brains caved in by a 55 to nothing score at the hands of iowa. Who was this maturi kidding?????
Now we start hearing the word that there is a rift between this maturi and his no-name football caoch over some "twittering foul up" on the part of this brewster. If a few more "low-classed" situations develope in the next few months or during the course of the 2009 season, the rift will grow wider and deeper. A few untimely Big Ten losses will NOT help this brewster's case and will not provide this maturi with the "cover" he needs to extend this brewster's contract. Less than three years could grow to less than two years remaining. And if and when that happens, this brewster's career as a no-name Big Ten coach will effectively and for all practical purposes be OVER. The foolish experiment by this maturi and this prexy b will have also failed.

Ditch this foolish maturi. We need a new administration and a new AD in place to start putting the fiishiing touches on this U of M Football Program situation. We have a new stadium...more unpaid bills and the "future" revenue streams that have been promised to the Title IX and non-revenue programs for as long as the University continues to have sports programs. That's about all we have right now, unfortunately.

 

[flyingdutchmanstinks]

Worst. Post. Ever. 4starrecruit you make no sense at all, what football program have you been following? And why do you have such an axe to grind with administration? did they not hire a family member of yours? did someone you know not get into the U? You have issues that have nothing to do with football

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

Big Ten wins

This Brewster hasn't won a big ten game in almost 6 months. When can we expect another? October?