Gutless Playcalling

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MplsGopher said:
Really don’t get people freaking out about this game.

Fleck very clearly, very obviously had a plan going into it: get in, get out as quick as possible with as few injuries as possible.

End of story.

We were never going to win this game, no matter what.

Why give OSU offense more possessions? Why let them score more points?

I’m actually perfectly fine with it today.


Freaking out about Purdue was/is completely justified.



Move on. Beat Wisc. Pig & Axe in the same year. Win the bowl game.
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Then why play your starters at all? The starting offense was on the field down 34 late in the 4th quarter. That's really stupid if your only goal is to avoid injuries to key players.
 

MplsGopher said:
Really don’t get people freaking out about this game.

Fleck very clearly, very obviously had a plan going into it: get in, get out as quick as possible with as few injuries as possible.

End of story.

We were never going to win this game, no matter what.

Why give OSU offense more possessions? Why let them score more points?

I’m actually perfectly fine with it today.


Freaking out about Purdue was/is completely justified.



Move on. Beat Wisc. Pig & Axe in the same year. Win the bowl game.
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I'm actually on board with this and felt the same way. This wasn't the 2021 season opener where that Gopher squad actually had a chance to knock off the Buckeye with a few breaks (instead, Mo and a couple others broke).
 

MplsGopher said:
Really don’t get people freaking out about this game.

Fleck very clearly, very obviously had a plan going into it: get in, get out as quick as possible with as few injuries as possible.

End of story.

We were never going to win this game, no matter what.

Why give OSU offense more possessions? Why let them score more points?

I’m actually perfectly fine with it today.


Freaking out about Purdue was/is completely justified.



Move on. Beat Wisc. Pig & Axe in the same year. Win the bowl game.
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I don’t know that anybody is freaking out and you’ll have to excuse some of us that completely disagree with mailing it in. Hell, just play our back ups then the whole game if we want to keep from getting our front line guys injured. In the first half when things maybe barely arguably could’ve been still up in the air, you don’t play call and then punt line PJ did. Pure Puss. Perhaps it’s the head coach hangover and distraction but Maryland gave Michigan a game today. There’s no excuse in life for not trying to win.
 



Sure, I’d have been fine pulling the starters too.

But then again you could argue that that would lessen the ability to drain the clock as fast as possible.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
If I'm not mistaken, Hazzel came straight from OSU, PJ had time to cut his teeth at WMU and had the chance to build a program at a lower level.
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I think if you think hazzel might be as good as fleck you should check into a mental institution
 

The 0-13 score at the half was a mirage.

When they scored on the very first touch of he 2nd half and then strip sacked almost for a run back the next offensive play, that was the reality of this game.
 



Some guy said:
There certainly are raised expectations. But that’s not what the topic at hand was.
Do you think the 2019 season was bad for the program?
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I can see the argument for that. Fans have been wandering lost in the desert, occasionally tasting water and maybe even tea, then they get a taste of sweet, sweet wine. There is a dissatisfaction when the wine jug runs dry, there is no tea and all that remains is water. Right now people are trying to convince each other that if we get more tea it will be just like wine.

2019 was a threat to the Academia at UMN. Athletics was poised to bring in more money. The groveling at the State Capitol was not bringing in more funds and the Academia funding paradigm was being threatened. The jealousy over Athletic NIL money sits bitterly in the minds of Academia. For a group of people who claim to have superior critical thinking skills Academics are very reactionary. They are stomping their feet like toddlers over preferential treatment given to Athletics. They realize well enough that there is peripheral funds that come with successful Athletic programs, but don't accept that Academia is not designed solely for increased economic gain. They are railing against a millennia-old conflict: thinking should be rewarded equally like doing is rewarded.

So, yes, I do think 2019 was bad for the program by shining a funding light through the Athletic path which enraged those beholden to a strict Academic path for funding. It reminded the Academics their orthodox funding methodology was small compared to what goes on outside their ivory walls.
 

Research grants are funded largely by government agencies and have absolutely nothing to do with college athletics.

There is absolutely zero “threat” to academia and its research machinery from athletics.

Just silly to even talk about that
 

Some guy said:
I think if you think hazzel might be as good as fleck you should check into a mental institution
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All I'm saying, it might have benefited Hazzel to go to a MAC school and work on the nuances of being a head coach. Having a B1G job as a first head coaching is a lot. Some people cant handle it. I'm sorry if you don't agree with my assessment, I'm well in control of my mental facilities thank you very much.
 




Gopherchase said:
I don’t know that anybody is freaking out and you’ll have to excuse some of us that completely disagree with mailing it in. Hell, just play our back ups then the whole game if we want to keep from getting our front line guys injured. In the first half when things maybe barely arguably could’ve been still up in the air, you don’t play call and then punt line PJ did. Pure Puss. Perhaps it’s the head coach hangover and distraction but Maryland gave Michigan a game today. There’s no excuse in life for not trying to win.
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Exactly use it as practice, empty the depths of the playbook and bring your wildest ideas.
 
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MplsGopher said:
Research grants are funded largely by government agencies and have absolutely nothing to do with college athletics.

There is absolutely zero “threat” to academia and its research machinery from athletics.

Just silly to even talk about that
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No, it's not silly. It's a class war being waged for donor funds. Donors have a finite amount of dollars to contribute and are being bombarded with requests for donations. Research can be funded above and beyond federal grant. There are foundations and non-profits that provide additional funding. Academic funding isn't a one source thing.
 

You are just plain wrong.

Dollars that go to research never have been and never will be swayed one iota by athletics.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
All I'm saying, it might have benefited Hazzel to go to a MAC school and work on the nuances of being a head coach. Having a B1G job as a first head coaching is a lot. Some people cant handle it. I'm sorry if you don't agree with my assessment, I'm well in control of my mental facilities thank you very much.
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You’re insane.
You’re talking hazel right? The one from Purdue? I don’t have this wrong?
 

Some guy said:
You’re insane.
You’re talking hazel right? The one from Purdue? I don’t have this wrong?
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Have a good night, I said what I said, I hate repeating myself. It's OK to have a differing opinion and respect that person's viewpoint without the name calling. Don't have time for it.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
Have a good night, I said what I said, I hate repeating myself. It's OK to have a differing opinion and respect that person's viewpoint without the name calling. Don't have time for it.
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It is okay to have a differing opinion.
It is even okay to just make shit up.


You said hazel had a disadvantage because he never was a head coach. He was a coach at Kent state.

You said hazel is as good as fleck.
Hazel was 3-24 in the big ten


You have every right to think he is as good as fleck. And I have every right to think you should seek help.


Get some help
 

MplsGopher said:
You are just plain wrong.

Dollars that go to research never have been and never will be swayed one iota by athletics.
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You don't know human nature and ego. That is the Achilles' Heel of Bureaucracy.
 

Fleck's philosophy - which heavily impacts play-calling - can work when all of the pieces are in place: strong running game - accurate QB - strong defense - good kicking game. we've seen it work against good - if not great- opponents.

but the philosophy breaks down when one or more of those components is not up to the same level.

and that is where the issue lies - when Fleck does not have all of the pieces in place, he refuses to adjust his philosophy. like a military commander who refuses to adjust his strategy when the opponent changes their tactics.

the thing is - Fleck is who he is. he has shown no inclination to change or adjust his philosophy. so the question that Coyle and the higher-ups must answer is this: is it good enough?
 

Some guy said:
It is okay to have a differing opinion.
It is even okay to just make shit up.


You said hazel had a disadvantage because he never was a head coach. He was a coach at Kent state.

You said hazel is as good as fleck.
Hazel was 3-24 in the big ten


You have every right to think he is as good as fleck. And I have every right to think you should seek help.


Get some help
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Reading comprehension may help you, I said Maybe...i never said Hazzel was a better coach. And for your information, I forgot he had a stop Kent State. No need to be an arrogant asshole.
 

Gilthorp57 said:
Reading comprehension may help you, I said Maybe...i never said Hazzel was a better coach. And for your information, I forgot he had a stop Kent State. No need to be an arrogant asshole.
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Got it. Maybe hazzel is a better coach.

Lol.
That’s still an insane take.
Sorry that living in reality makes me arrogant. I’ll try to live in your fantasy world where hazzel is maybe as good as fleck!
 

MNVCGUY said:
I'm finally fully on board with some of the complaints many of you have had about offensive philosophy. The only chance you have to spring an upset against a team like Ohio State is to be aggressive and maximize every possession.

I can be ok with the idea of a punt from the opponents 43 if you are aggressively going after the first down and come up short. But in a game where you can't run, calling running plays on 3rd and 5 or 3rd and 6 isn't going to get it done. At least try a pass.....

Against a team like Ohio State any drive that gets into their territory should probably be viewed as 4 down territory. Especially knowing they are likely to drive down the field once they get the ball back.

I am firmly against the crowd saying Fleck should be fired after this year but I really hope he takes a hard look at some things after this season and makes some changes.
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Yeah, I'm good with Tressel-ball (only because it has worked), but they (TWO TIMES!) sent a bunch formation on one side with a lone receiver on the other on third-and-long. They (TWO TIMES!) drew man coverage. And they (TWO TIMES!) ran the ball on 3rd and 5+.

WHICH WOULD BE FINE IF YOU THEN GO FOR IT ON FOURTH DOWN BUT THESE JERKS PUNTED! WHO DOES THAT? WHY CALL A RUN IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GO ON FOURTH?
 

U2Gopher said:
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.
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Playing calling the way we did, there’s no chance we even win 1. You can’t win if you don’t even try to win and we weren’t trying (the coaches) to win that game.
 




Some guy said:
In my opinion. What changed is his team isn’t as good.

Running the ball =\= conservative IMO

He is definitely conservative. But it has more to do with decision making and broad strategy than run pass ratios
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Run/pass ratio is but one indicator of his conservatism. I started a list/diatribe, but it’s like yelling at the wind at this point, so I gave up. It’s merely one indicator on his philosophy that continues to crush a square peg into a circle hole, no matter what shaped hole is available.
 

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