Gutless Playcalling

[Dakota2]

No, PJ had no intention of even trying to win this game. All he wanted to do try to keep Ohio State under 50. Granted, you could play this game 100 times and the Buckeyes are winning 99 of them, but Fleck had no intention of tonight being the 1 miracle. You can’t shock the world when you don’t even give your team a fighting chance.

Who did you find to coach the one out of 100 we would win?

 

[MNVCGUY]

Glad you are now taking this common sense position. Fleck will not be fired but it is not realistic to think Fleck will now or ever take a hard look at how he coaches offense. Not in him. No idea why he can't adjust to overwhelming evidence. He just will not.

There actually is a chance that this year will make him rethink some things. Because for the first time in 2024 there will be some heat on him. He won't be on the hot seat but he won't be untouchable either. Will be interesting.

 

[DEGopherfan]

A head scratcher to be sure. Disappointed that PJ showed no courage or heart in this one. No fight. We had a few real opportunities in the first half to show we wanted to win and settled for less than mediocrity in play calling and execution. Don’t know the answer Other than PJ is playing for next year already. Kinda sad.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

I was listening on the radio at halftime, and in his interview on the way to the locker room, he said they were trying to shorten the game. I know he loved that expression, but why are you trying to shorten a game where you are down double digits?

 

[goldengophers]

I was listening on the radio at halftime, and in his interview on the way to the locker room, he said they were trying to shorten the game. I know he loved that expression, but why are you trying to shorten a game where you are down double digits?

Literally the dumbest reasoning. Basically his hope was that every OSU player wore shoes 5 sizes too big and greased cloves.

 

[howeda7]

Punting twice from the 40 and not trying to get the ball back when pinning them at the end of the half are gutless in a game you will have to score at least 20 to win.

 

[Vandy]

Exactly. Great way to lose a locker room (if it isn’t lost already).

If they lose to Wisconsin, I’m afraid the run to the portal will be heavy, and we are looking at a tear-down.

 

[DanvilleGopher]

The problem with his philosophy is he doesn't treat easy wins as practice for games like this and instead we get beat in both games. Guy is terrible at understanding the holistic elements of in game coaching.

Ding Ding Ding!!

THIS!!

This is my biggest problem with the games where we punish lesser talented teams (most pre-conference games) and put them away by ramming the ball down their throats, when we could have worked the QB and receivers on the passing game, improving routes, having the coaches figuring out what plays work and what does not. Be creative with your offense and give other looks for teams to prepare for rather than just pounding the rock and draining the clock.

To me this kind of approach makes your program less attractive to recruits! You need skill players and if you're going back to a 1955 approach to win games, what high skilled offensive player wants to be in a system like this? I think we've seen the decline in recruiting as well; is it related to what 'seems' to be a 'change' in his philosophy as he seemed more aggressive and inclined to roll the dice earlier in his career than he does now. Players? Maybe, but that's on Fleck as well!

I've complained in post games about this in the past and then later read comments by others that; 'people are complaining about victories', showing they're completely missing the point.

Fleck truly is a control freak, which isn't a horrible thing, but he's not listening to the questions that have been raised and his responses are; he needs to educate people for them to understand why he does things, as in his mind they worked!

Have we reached the Fleck ceiling? Unless he drastically changes his game strategy (I think both offensively AND defensively due to being ultra conservative, along with other growing warts), my answer is yes!

 

[akgo4]

PJ can stay. Coyle needs to inform him that some coaches will not be retained. There is ZERO immagination with this team or coaching staff. Just hard to watch...

 

[forever a gopher]

PJ devolving into utter paranoia at the thought of not winning the TOP of a game and fearing a turnover. His paranoia is getting worse and it’s developed into an OCD-like condition.

 

[Gopherchase]

I was listening on the radio at halftime, and in his interview on the way to the locker room, he said they were trying to shorten the game. I know he loved that expression, but why are you trying to shorten a game where you are down double digits?

You can’t make it up.

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

Meanwhile, Jerry Kill says I don’t want no stinking field goals, and goes for it on 4th and goal from the three. Gets the TD and New Mexico State leads in auburn 24-7.

Jerry who?

 

[USAF]

This just became apparent TODAY?

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

You can’t make it up.

I understand not wanting Ohio State’s offense on the field, because recently we can’t stop anybody. Shorten the game? Tired of him being dumb. I agree with you. The last time I checked, you need to run plays and score points to win.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

If I didn't know better, I'd swear that making comments like, "I don't have a chip on my shoulder, I have a crack" and "I eat difficult conversations for breakfast" were nothing more than pure balderdash, and in no way, shape or form indicative of the type of person the current coach of the Gopher football team actually is.

 

[Dakota2]

There actually is a chance that this year will make him rethink some things. Because for the first time in 2024 there will be some heat on him. He won't be on the hot seat but he won't be untouchable either. Will be interesting.

That would be a big surprise. He is in total denial that he is the problem. I think he just deflects the heat as fans who don’t understand Tressell ball played without Tressell talent.

 

[Dakota2]

A head scratcher to be sure. Disappointed that PJ showed no courage or heart in this one. No fight. We had a few real opportunities in the first half to show we wanted to win and settled for less than mediocrity in play calling and execution. Don’t know the answer Other than PJ is playing for next year already. Kinda sad.

He’s playing to get this year over.

 

[Dakota2]

I was listening on the radio at halftime, and in his interview on the way to the locker room, he said they were trying to shorten the game. I know he loved that expression, but why are you trying to shorten a game where you are down double digits?

To get it over with.

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

You are losing anyway so try another quarterback.

I’m sorry to inform you that our next quarterback, Drake Lindsey, is still a high school senior in Arkansas. I hope to see him starting the opener against North Carolina.

 

[MNVCGUY]

That would be a big surprise. He is in total denial that he is the problem. I think he just deflects the heat as fans who don’t understand Tressell ball played without Tressell talent.

You may be right....but it is easy to deflect the criticism when the program is coming off of 9 win seasons....much harder to do that after winning 5/6/7 games.

He has done enough here to survive a down year from time to time but if it becomes a trend he will start to feel some real heat.

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

If I didn't know better, I'd swear that making comments like, "I don't have a chip on my shoulder, I have a crack" and "I eat difficult conversations for breakfast" were nothing more than pure balderdash, and in no way, shape or form indicative of the type of person the current coach of the Gopher football team actually is.

You don’t know better. You’re a gopher fan. Doesn’t it feel great? Even at a 6-6 finish, if we had any self-respect, we’d decline a bowl game.

 

[Some guy]

Its his own philosophy. It isn't the OC who is shackling the team. Fleck wants to try and lose by 35 or less. he thinks that makes him look better. He has no cojones.

Correct. I said this in the Sanford year.
Changing OCs won’t change this philosophy

Changing the OC may change the 3rd down play call. But changing Oc won’t change the choice to punt

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

You may be right....but it is easy to deflect the criticism when the program is coming off of 9 win seasons....much harder to do that after winning 5/6/7 games.

He has done enough here to survive a down year from time to time but if it becomes a trend he will start to feel some real heat.

Agreed. Need to go at least 6-6 next year because the schedule is really difficult. When he goes 4-8, then he’ll get fired. Hire Bobby Hauck from Montana!

 

[Gophergrandpa]

Literally the dumbest reasoning. Basically his hope was that every OSU player wore shoes 5 sizes too big and greased cloves.

Sorry, BSF is wearing the greased gloves.

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

Correct. I said this in the Sanford year.
Changing OCs won’t change this philosophy

Changing the OC may change the 3rd down play call. But changing Oc won’t change the choice to punt

Or Spann-Ford dropping another pass.

 

[Gopherchase]

You may be right....but it is easy to deflect the criticism when the program is coming off of 9 win seasons....much harder to do that after winning 5/6/7 games.

He has done enough here to survive a down year from time to time but if it becomes a trend he will start to feel some real heat.

Quite a few disagree on here, but I think his past success is a mirage fueled by Kills’ NFL players, magical season by Morgan and the ultimate warrior maybe to ever play for the Gophers— Mo. One or two signature wins in there in six years. It hasn’t been great and even in the nine win years a lot of the games sucked to watch. Hell, even in ‘19 the non Big 10 games sucked.

 

[Some guy]

Or Spann-Ford dropping another pass.

He is disappointing

I don’t really like the new Oc philosophically

I feel like it is harder to build an identity with what we are doing than what we were doing under KC.
At the same time.
I can’t blame him for drops.
I can’t blame him for misfires by the QB they miss wide open wideouts.

And the defense has really been the issue more than the offense against Purdue, Illinois, and northwestern

 

[Tim from Rosemount]

He is disappointing

I don’t really like the new Oc philosophically

I feel like it is harder to build an identity with what we are doing than what we were doing under KC.
At the same time.
I can’t blame him for drops.
I can’t blame him for misfires by the QB they miss wide open wideouts.

And the defense has really been the issue more than the offense against Purdue, Illinois, and northwestern

I still harken back to the outback bowl when Matt Simon called a perfect game. They want to keep him as co-offensive coordinator and not call plays? If he’s that bad, why don’t they fire him or why doesn’t he quit. Harbaugh is awful.

 

[Some guy]

I still harken back to the outback bowl when Matt Simon called a perfect game. They want to keep him as co-offensive coordinator and not call plays? If he’s that bad, why don’t they fire him or why doesn’t he quit. Harbaugh is awful.

Matt Simon has connections to Minnesota.
He is a recruiter.
He is a position coach



Should fleck fire all position coaches who he doesn’t see as coordinators?
Should fleck fire all positions coaches who don’t want to be coordinators?
Because one of those two things is why he isn’t a coordinator

 

[goldengophers]

Quite a few disagree on here, but I think his past success is a mirage fueled by Kills’ NFL players, magical season by Morgan and the ultimate warrior maybe to ever play for the Gophers— Mo. One or two signature wins in there in six years. It hasn’t been great and even in the nine win years a lot of the games sucked to watch. Hell, even in ‘19 the non Big 10 games sucked.

As stupid as it sounds that season may have hindered this program...