Hopefully...A Little Balance

[IronRanger91]

I really like the passion on this board...however, it seems so polarized with no middle ground...we have those that think that Brewster needs to go now and give him no credit...we also have those that automaticly follow his every word, assume that we are going to the Rose Bowl because he says so and think that all of his recruits are golden because Rivals says they are four star...hopefully, I can provide a little balance.

To the Brewster Detractors...the Golden Gophers are 4-4 and not 0-8...their next three games are very winnable and who says they will not upset Iowa...they have upset favored teams such as Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State...they could very easily finish 7-5 if not 8-4...if that happens, no one will even be talking about the last two games...I think that he has done a nice job of selling the program and his recruits are young.

To the Brewster Ultra Supporters - the Golden Gophers have yet to have tha signature victory in Brewster's three years...before you compare him to Barry Alvarez, remember that Alverez upset Ohio State in his third year and was extremely close with Indiana, Iowa and Illinois all of whom were solid programs then...the offense has struggled and lacked direction...they do not have an identity...they have looked extrmely undisciplined and the sideline antics on Saturday were extremy embarrassing...Maturi and Brewster backed themselves into a corner from day one...Maturi made the change with Mason because he expected bigger things from the football program...Brewster immediately talked of Rose Bowls...the program has taken a step back and is not as competitive as they were under Mason...just my opinion...they also look a long ways off from a Rose Bowl...he also has changed offenses and dismissed some coaches...I understand that this is part of the business, but Mason was villified when he did this.

The fact is...Brewster is not going anywhere this year...next season is critical...if the Gophers continue to struggle and do not make substantial progress next year (eight wins or more), Maturi may have to make a change...I am sure he is not happy with how things are now...if the Gophers finish 7-5 or 8-4 this season, relax...there is still time to turn things around...and the whole appearance of the program is somewhere in the middle.

GO GOPHERS!!!

 

[frozengopher]

I love the fact that this post has been up all day with no replies. You've successfully called out each party and no one has a smarmy, smart ass comment for you. Congratulations on your third post, I'll sign off on this one.

Also, good job showing that there are some grounded, halfway intelligent Iron Rangers (I think I fail at that quite a bit).

 

[Mulligan]

I really don't see that many "Brewster Ultra Supporters". I think most of us are basically saying that you really need to give it more time to see how this is all going to end. After two and a half years, there're a bunch of people who seem very sure of themselves that Brewster can't do the job. I don't think those of us on the other side are as sure Brewster is going to be a success, but we're saying he has shown us enough to make us hopeful. We're 4-4 with still a good chance to have a winning record, and we have had what is supposed to be two good recruiting classes. Let's see how it plays out without the snide attacks on specific players; without ridiculously calling for Kiffen or Green or Dungy to show up to save us; and without the absolute conviction that you know more about coaching than real coaches just because you might watch a couple of games a week.

I do think you're onto something with the reference to the Rose Bowl. I think part of the attack on Brewster is because of his salesmanship. He got people awfully excited, and he got expectations awfully high. That's partly why he was hired, but it's coming back to bite him. I think some of the people are so hard on him because they almost feel betrayed. Have to admit, the piece of sod from the Rose Bowl seems pretty silly now.

A question I now just thought of is if some fans have stopped believing in Brewster's spiel, can it be happening to the team also? It would be interesting to see how he addresses the players. If you keep preaching the positive, but positive things don't happen, how long before the players stop buying it? Hopefully, that's not the reason we seemed to unravel the second half against Ohio State. I think we'll get a pretty good reading Saturday. A win isn't a necessity but we can't afford another game like that.

 

[thailleagle]

No there are definitely some "ULTRA BREWSTER SUPPORTERS" who see nothing wrong........

 

[littlebigboy]

When Brewster was talking Rose Bowl, he was laying out a goal, he never said it would happen overnite. He is now laying out his plan, even with a few more bumps than I'm sure he anticipated. Buthe is bringing in better athletes, and it will take a few more yrs. for the program to get that much better. Most starting lineups in the BT and major confrences are are made up of 3-4-5th yr players. It takes that long to develope, ie. Triplett. Whether the bashers like it or not, it will take a couple more yrs. All the hype about a great recruiting class does notpay off for 3-4 yrs. Thats just the way it is. Sentrel H. might be really good, but he probably is not going to make a big difference in his 1st yr. out of HS. Have him talk to Rasheed, and Jeff willis, there is big jump. If the pgm . isn't significantly better in 2-3 yrs. I'll be calling for his head too, but until then let him carry out his plan.

 

[Donovan]

I'm in the middle of this debate. I really hope Brewster succeeds here. I predicted a 7-5 year. If that happens, I'll be thrilled. What has me concerned are the last two games where me got spanked, and the seeming lack of discipline on the team. The tone of the year was kind of set with the Syracuse game. I thought we would handle them easy, and after that first possession where we scored a TD in the first few minutes, I was thinking: SWEET! After that OT win was over, I was happy we won, but just a bit deflated. I had hoped Syracuse was maybe better team than we expected, but looking at their record now, obviously not the case.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

That's not a bad analogy for the season at all Donovan. Well said.

As far as this thread goes, I agree with most everything Iron Ranger states, with the exception of the '8 wins or more' for next season. Given our schedule, this might be a bit much to ask for 2010. 2011 is the year I'm looking at as the year where we make the jump.

 

[thailleagle]

It amazes me that anyone who saw the Syracuse game could think we were better then last year. After the Syracuse game I already knew where this season was headed as did anyone with *ANY* kind of Football Common Sense.......

I personally don't see a difference...it's the EXACT same thing as last year. We beat teams we're supposed to beat...lose to the teams we're supposed to lose to and Wisconsin is a toss up. The Offense performs ok but without Decker they're lost...Weber is exactly the same as last year no growth whatsoever & the Defense keeps us in games for as long as they can before the Offense forces them to tire out.......

 

[Mulligan]

No there are definitely some "ULTRA BREWSTER SUPPORTERS" who see nothing wrong........

So what? Now you're going to quibble over the difference between "that many" and "some." The point is that there are a whole lot of people who are sort of in the middle supporting the program instead serially ripping it week after week.

 

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

It amazes me that anyone who saw the Syracuse game could think we were better then last year. After the Syracuse game I already knew where this season was headed as did anyone with *ANY* kind of Football Common Sense.......

For me, I usually don't read too much into the results of that first game, especially when you've got brand new coordinators and it's on the road. A throwaway game in terms of what we will be midway thru the B10 season. A team that slips past Syracuse in OT, probably shouldn't beat Air Force, or be competitive with Cal. Yet we did and we were.

 

[Tucker32]

It amazes me that anyone who saw the Syracuse game could think we were better then last year. After the Syracuse game I already knew where this season was headed as did anyone with *ANY* kind of Football Common Sense.......

I personally don't see a difference...it's the EXACT same thing as last year. We beat teams we're supposed to beat...lose to the teams we're supposed to lose to and Wisconsin is a toss up. The Offense performs ok but without Decker they're lost...Weber is exactly the same as last year no growth whatsoever & the Defense keeps us in games for as long as they can before the Offense forces them to tire out.......

Ok, I'm calling you out a bit here. I was impressed by your posts earlier in the year - prior to the last few weeks - because you were actually seeming to try to be a voice of reason. Now, you are calling for heads and being holier than though with other posters. So, a simple use of the GopherHole search tool I found the more reasoned thailleagle I thought I'd read. Here is a post you made earlier in the year in response to a Star Trib article putting pressure on Brewster:

So what do they think will happen? Fire the only coach who has a point to prove and wants to take the program to the next level or bring in a coach who will use Minnesota to get a better job? Stupid article, give Brew 2 more years before we start calling for heads.......

You also wrote the following:

We took the #8 team in the country down the stretch.......
...with only 37 rushing yards & no Marcus Sherels.......
I can't wait til' we get a running game we're going to be a dangerous team. The more I watch our Offense the more I like what Fisch is doing.......

And:

I like his vision for the team.......
He wants Minnesota to be Ohio State caliber and I had my doubts but todays game showed we can hang with anybody and we're still a pretty crippled team.

I thought your tone had significantly changed. We all have a right to change our minds, but it wasn't so long ago you seemed to be willing to let it play out a little more, and you were seeing positives in our coaching. Don't act like you had it all figured out on Sept. 5. You didn't. Either did I, but I'm also not throwing in the towel all together yet.

 

[thailleagle]

Ok, I'm calling you out a bit here. I was impressed by your posts earlier in the year - prior to the last few weeks - because you were actually seeming to try to be a voice of reason. Now, you are calling for heads and being holier than though with other posters. So, a simple use of the GopherHole search tool I found the more reasoned thailleagle I thought I'd read. Here is a post you made earlier in the year in response to a Star Trib article putting pressure on Brewster:

So what do they think will happen? Fire the only coach who has a point to prove and wants to take the program to the next level or bring in a coach who will use Minnesota to get a better job? Stupid article, give Brew 2 more years before we start calling for heads.......

You also wrote the following:

We took the #8 team in the country down the stretch.......
...with only 37 rushing yards & no Marcus Sherels.......
I can't wait til' we get a running game we're going to be a dangerous team. The more I watch our Offense the more I like what Fisch is doing.......

And:

I like his vision for the team.......
He wants Minnesota to be Ohio State caliber and I had my doubts but todays game showed we can hang with anybody and we're still a pretty crippled team.

I thought your tone had significantly changed. We all have a right to change our minds, but it wasn't so long ago you seemed to be willing to let it play out a little more, and you were seeing positives in our coaching. Don't act like you had it all figured out on Sept. 5. You didn't. Either did I, but I'm also not throwing in the towel all together yet.

Changed? Not at all...I still like what Fisch is doing & I still think we're pretty solid, once we have a *REAL* RB & a *REAL* QB our Offense will finally be able to keep up with the Defense. My biggest concern with Brewster is how his team lacks Discipline & his Man Crush on Weber. I've been saying we're a crippled team & now that I've seen that the Weber Bandwagon is emptying I feel Gray just may save Brewster's job.......

 

[Sparlimb]

Changed? Not at all...I still like what Fisch is doing & I still think we're pretty solid, once we have a *REAL* RB & a *REAL* QB our Offense will finally be able to keep up with the Defense. My biggest concern with Brewster is how his team lacks Discipline & his Man Crush on Weber. I've been saying we're a crippled team & now that I've seen that the Weber Bandwagon is emptying I feel Gray just may save Brewster's job.......

+1

 

[Tucker32]

Changed? Not at all...I still like what Fisch is doing & I still think we're pretty solid, once we have a *REAL* RB & a *REAL* QB our Offense will finally be able to keep up with the Defense. My biggest concern with Brewster is how his team lacks Discipline & his Man Crush on Weber. I've been saying we're a crippled team & now that I've seen that the Weber Bandwagon is emptying I feel Gray just may save Brewster's job.......

Thanks for the response. I still don't think you had it figured out after the Syracuse game though. Also, glad to hear you are still holding out hope - your back and forth with some other posters makes it sound like you are calling for Brewster's head.

I'm there with you on the Weber issue. I admire his effort and passion, but he just seems lost. I keep hearing the "dropped passes" issue, but that didn't really emerge until OSU. The last straw for me was a key 3rd down near middle field in the second quarter when Adam short-hopped it to a receiver 10 yards from him for what would have been a first down. He just misses on too many like that. I don't know if Gray is the answer, but it will be fun to watch. And maybe the break will do Adam some good as it has other QBs.

 

[RedPoo]

The fact is...Brewster is not going anywhere this year...next season is critical...if the Gophers continue to struggle and do not make substantial progress next year (eight wins or more), Maturi may have to make a change...I am sure he is not happy with how things are now...if the Gophers finish 7-5 or 8-4 this season, relax...there is still time to turn things around...and the whole appearance of the program is somewhere in the middle.

While I agree with most of this post, I really have to take issue with the timeline. Call me a Brewster "ultrasupporter" if you want, but I think we'd be doing a disservice to Brewster and this program if we look at next season as a make-or-break year. I know it's hard if not impossible to project this far in advance, but next year looks like a similar record to me. I'd hope to see some improvement on the offensive side of the ball, but I also expect a temporary step back for a defense that's losing a big chunk of its starters. The schedule also doesn't look terribly forgiving next season. Trading the Cal loss this year for a USC loss next year is a wash, but the 'winnable' games we have this season at home (Purdue, Illinois, MSU, and the more challenging potential win w/ Wisky) are all on the road next year, so the games we could/should win will be more difficult. Sure, one would hope we can make up that ground with a possible OSU or PSU upset at home, but those teams look to be more than a home-field difference better than us.

I really think we need to give any coach, and especially one who was brought in as a recruiter, at least until his first recruits are seniors before we start passing final judgement.

 

[thailleagle]

Thanks for the response. I still don't think you had it figured out after the Syracuse game though. Also, glad to hear you are still holding out hope - your back and forth with some other posters makes it sound like you are calling for Brewster's head.

I'm there with you on the Weber issue. I admire his effort and passion, but he just seems lost. I keep hearing the "dropped passes" issue, but that didn't really emerge until OSU. The last straw for me was a key 3rd down near middle field in the second quarter when Adam short-hopped it to a receiver 10 yards from him for what would have been a first down. He just misses on too many like that. I don't know if Gray is the answer, but it will be fun to watch. And maybe the break will do Adam some good as it has other QBs.

The thing about the Syracuse game is we started off on fire then cooled off completely.......

After watching that game several times all it did was put a "Theory" in my head and over the course of the season that "Theory" is starting to be proven.......

It's not so much about just Weber but more so the Coaches "Obsession" with Decker. He's nearly our only answer on Offense. We talk about having better depth then in the Mason years but I remember Barber going down & Russell picking up & having no dropoff...then Russell goes down & Pinnix comes in and racks up 200 yards in 1 half. Ellerson went down, still had Wallace & Wheelwright. I remember Cuptio didn't play in that 2005 Game & Mortenson did just enough that we should've won. I also remember Khaliq not starting in the 2003 Game when we beat Wisconsin.......

Now it seems like once Decker is out we don't have ANY answer & I blame that on the Coaches because Green & Stoudamire are both good but it's amazing that neither (if any) receiver has had a "breakout" game since Brewster came to town and put the entire Offense on Decker's shoulders. When are we gonna see a 2nd WR emerge? Why do Green/Stoudamire/McKnight/Hayo get so little designed plays? This is on the Coaches & I don't see how anyone with any Football sense could say different.......