GopherHole Welcomes Darren Wolfson, Post-Spring Schedule Breakdown

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GopherHole is excited to welcome Darren Wolfson to the staff. Wolfson, a long-time radio personality at KFAN has added duties at Fox 9, MLB Network and the St. Paul Saints, as well as a blog at Star Tribune. A lifelong Gopher fan, Wolfson will offer insights and analysis of Gopher sports for GopherHole in addition to his other duties.

Below is a column he originally published at Star Tribune where he breaks down the 2009 schedule with a 7-5 season prediction:

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1002
 

it will be interesting to see if 7-5 earns Brewster an extension. I agree with Wolfson on his prediction and that it will lead to an extension, but it will be funny if it does as we fired Mason for 7-5 seasons and would be giving Brewster an extension for back to back 7 win seasons. I do realize that the non-conf season is more difficult though.

I am happy to see Doogie writing. I always thought he was the one fan of Gopher sports at KFAN along with Rosen. I look forward to his next column
 


I enjoyed the write-up and pretty much agree with how you see the season unfolding. Another 7-5 will create an interesting offseason. I too think Brewster will get an extension with 7 wins but it would all be so much easier for Brewster and Maturi if Brew could scratch out 8 wins.
 

I won't go so far as Sid as to say it's "too bad" we couldn't play the 2008 schedule, but he does have a point. Getting 7 wins this year would be the equivalent of getting 10 last year. I think 7 is definitely within reach as long as we don't have anymore Brock types of surprises. As long as everyone is back our offense will score and the defense should be at least as good as last year.
 



I think his analysis is pretty good. 7-5 seems like a decently successful record here, but more importantly 4-4 in the big ten , which would be a step up from 3-5 a year ago.

A win over Cal would be a nice pickup for the big 10 as a whole against the Pac 10 though.
 


Stan said:
it will be interesting to see if 7-5 earns Brewster an extension. I agree with Wolfson on his prediction and that it will lead to an extension, but it will be funny if it does as we fired Mason for 7-5 seasons and would be giving Brewster an extension for back to back 7 win seasons. I do realize that the non-conf season is more difficult though.

I am happy to see Doogie writing. I always thought he was the one fan of Gopher sports at KFAN along with Rosen. I look forward to his next column
Click to expand...

That would be the reasoning. Mason never played a schedule even CLOSE to this one.
 



Question, Doogie

Are you working for Rivals Gophers Illustrated anymore? Are you going to trash Brewster the way you did on GI? I don't mind thoughtful criticism, but I am not up for that kind of hatchet job again. Nice summary of the upcoming season.
 

BrewsterBooster said:
Are you working for Rivals Gophers Illustrated anymore? Are you going to trash Brewster the way you did on GI? I don't mind thoughtful criticism, but I am not up for that kind of hatchet job again. Nice summary of the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

and heeerrreee we go
 

Well, it's obvious Doogie doesn't think highly of Brewster, yet predicts the Gophers to go 7-5. I give him credit for going on record with a prediction this early as I have no idea where I think the Gophers will finish. I'd be disappointed by going 7-5, but I am not sure the squad even makes it to 7-5. Did the team that started out 7-1 just run out of gas and miss Decker dearly the rest of the year or did the book get out on how to beat a limited team? The team that showed up for the first 8 games was vastly superior to the team that showed up for the last 5. If we have the team that showed up for those last 5 games, a 2-10 type season is not out of the realm of possibility. If we get the team that played the first 8 games, then I could see 9-3.

One minor quibble with Doogie: How did the Wisconsin game show that Brewster could make adjustments? We lost a huge lead in that game in Masonesque fashion...to a team that could barely get by Cal Poly or something the following week.
 




BrewsterBooster said:
Are you working for Rivals Gophers Illustrated anymore? Are you going to trash Brewster the way you did on GI? I don't mind thoughtful criticism, but I am not up for that kind of hatchet job again. Nice summary of the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

Saw that coming down mainstreet.

What? Were you sleeping, you kool-aid slurping troll?

I would have taken Dantonio over Brewster too you irrational schmuck, and at the moment Brewster is not doing much to prove himself the better man. But for the love of god(s) can we move on?! It is nice to see the Gopher Hole transcend one hard working Nadine Babu, and I very much enjoyed hearing Wolfson talk Gopher sports on air in a town that ten years ago when I showed up, you'd of been hard pressed to even know they had a DI one program in town if all you did was listen to radio.

e9u0t1.jpg
 

ulfr said:
Saw that coming down mainstreet.

What? Were you sleeping, you kool-aid slurping troll?

I would have taken Dantonio over Brewster too you irrational schmuck, and at the moment Brewster is not doing much to prove himself the better man. But for the love of god(s) can we move on?! It is nice to see the Gopher Hole transcend one hard working Nadine Babu, and I very much enjoyed hearing Wolfson talk Gopher sports on air in a town that ten years ago when I showed up, you'd of been hard pressed to even know they had a DI one program in town if all you did was listen to radio.

e9u0t1.jpg
Click to expand...

Who's the troll? (hint, look in the mirror) He asked a legitimate question of Doogie. Quit drinking the kool aid on Dantonio you ignorant schmuck.
 

Welcome Doogie! I look forward to your contributions.
 

Inflamatory questions directed toward somebody who is willing to take time to share insights into the local club, wether you agree or disagree with their opinions is being a "troll". Not agreeing Tim Brewster is god is not being a Troll. I welcome the new angles Mr Wolfson can bring to the Hole and and am ashamed of the antics some of you showed in his recent troubles with the local Rivals outfit. Ashamed to share the same passion for Gopher football as you lot of griefers (probably a more accurate term for your lot but less prevalent on this board) None the less .....
Internet_Troll_velu_ill_artlibre_jnl.jpg
 

Overall the analysis was good, but is this what we have come to expect from someone who gets paid to write for a living? It was very tough to read with the plethora of misspellings and grammatical errors.

Doogie, if you want someone to proofread your articles before you submit them, I'd be glad to help out. I'll even do it for free.
 

ulfr said:
Inflamatory questions directed toward somebody who is willing to take time to share insights into the local club, wether you agree or disagree with their opinions is being a "troll". Not agreeing Tim Brewster is god is not being a Troll. I welcome the new angles Mr Wolfson can bring to the Hole and and am ashamed of the antics some of you showed in his recent troubles with the local Rivals outfit. Ashamed to share the same passion for Gopher football as you lot of griefers (probably a more accurate term for your lot but less prevalent on this board) None the less .....
Internet_Troll_velu_ill_artlibre_jnl.jpg
Click to expand...

Well, I hope we can avoid name calling..........."mental midget" wasn't very professional in referring to a player, if that's what DW is supposed to be. Constructive critism is welcome, constantly taking shots and claiming you share the "same passion", doesn't fly with me. We already have a few posters that remind us here how terrible of a job Brewster is doing, or the U admin is. We need more of these "insights"?
 

Ah, I love that argument method. "Just because he doesn't agree Brewster isn't god..." Because there are only 2 possible opinions on Brewster, he's either God, or a lousy coach. He's saying it's a no brainer that Dantonio is a much better coach. I think it's way too early to make that judgement. So I guess Doogie is the wise one, and I'm just a troll for needing more than 2 years of coaching a talent bare team to compare.
 

Where is the rip on Brewster in that piece? Saying D'antonio is a better coach (he just went 6-2) isn't a rip on Brewster. Brewster has posted a very poor record over two years. He has a good chance to improve it this year. This year is a huge year for Brewster. That is what I took from the piece.
 

I agree with his predictions, but thats the thing about prediting. nobody can predict injuries and such, so 7-5 could be 9-3 with other team's injuries or the huge improvement a Gray and/or Staudimire can provide, or a OL that is somewhat decent. But i will predict a 6-6, hopefully I'm under-estimating!
 

BrewsterBooster said:
Are you working for Rivals Gophers Illustrated anymore? Are you going to trash Brewster the way you did on GI? I don't mind thoughtful criticism, but I am not up for that kind of hatchet job again. Nice summary of the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

If that was a hatchet job you must not read many other sports message boards. Apparently, with some gopher fans you are not aloud to question anything about Coach Brewster. My god, I have seen harsher criticism of coaches like Mack Brown and Bob Stoops than Brewster ever gets here.
 

For as little credit as I've given Darren in the past, I think that's a pretty good assessment of the schedule. I think most reasonable people would agree that's roughly where we're going to be.

Maybe getting him away from KFAN will allow his brain to start functioning properly again.

Edit: And re-reading it, that looks like one of the more backhanded compliments possible. That was not what was meant. Let's try again: Good work, Doogie.
 

Glad to be here

As I mentioned on the other board, we all share a strong passion for Gophers athletics, a desire to watch our beloved football team play in the Rose Bowl, or at the very least, a Jan. 1 game...
I thank Nadine and company for approaching me when my time was up at GI following spring practice...
Unlike my fiance claims, I don't pretend to have all the answers...My goal is to create thoughtful discussion, but I guarantee that I will fail at that at times...hopefully not a lot though....when I do, please let me know.
I will do my best to write regularly, even during this somewhat dead period...then when the football and basketball seasons come around, many story lines will take shape...and provide plenty of material.
Thanks for welcoming me....I will post on here plenty...and if you can tolerate a few more posts from me in this thread without barfing, I will answer some of the questions tossed my way.
 

Responding....

EG#9 - You're right, we haven't seen clear success with halftime adjustments, but in Madison last year, unless the booze clouded my mind, I recall too many run calls in the 1st qtr, then all sorts of points being scored by airing it out in the 2nd qtr.

LC19 - I apologized for going over the line...reached out to individuals, and never heard back...that mistake won't/can't happen again...I sincerely apologize for it.

Dpodoll68 - By all means, very open to such a thing....however, unless a comma was placed out of turn (which I am fully capable of doing...I love my commas), I am missing the errors....I take great pride in my spelling...but please, point out where I messed up.
 

Don't ask me why, but I've just got a hunch that Brewster picks up that "signature" win this year (either in Columbus or Happy Valley) and the Gophers go 8-4.
 

UptownMaroon&Gold said:
I think his analysis is pretty good. 7-5 seems like a decently successful record here, but more importantly 4-4 in the big ten , which would be a step up from 3-5 a year ago.

A win over Cal would be a nice pickup for the big 10 as a whole against the Pac 10 though.
Click to expand...

I hope for a 7-5 record. I think that how we get there might be quite different than how D thinks it will happen. I believe that we always have a shot at Illinois (The Zooker is a liability) and even though Iowa murdered us last year, we have a chance there. I think that NU, PU and MSU could all be troublesome. Air Force also concerns me. If the option clicks they could hold the ball for most of the game and I have this recurring nightmare that the opening of the new stadium turns into a buzzkill. Right now I'd be happy with 7-5.
 

PlayHosea said:
Don't ask me why, but I've just got a hunch that Brewster picks up that "signature" win this year (either in Columbus or Happy Valley) and the Gophers go 8-4.
Click to expand...

I agree. I think PSU is vulnerable this year. IMHO, other than Indiana and Purdue, any of the other 9 teams has the ability to pull off an upset or two. I could easily see the winner of the conference having a 6-2 record.
 

I would not be surprised at all if OSU goes 8-0. I can't recall specifics without looking them up, but it seems to me that the last two times the Buckeyes lost a ton of talent and were expected to have a down year, the new guys stepped up and they exceeded expectations. Their recruiting the past several years has been awesome, so they can just keep plugging the holes with studs. I don't see any sure-fire team in the Big Ten that we can say for sure that can top them.
 

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