How We Can Tell if We Will Be Better in 2010!

[Honyocker]

How will we know if the Gophers are doing the things they need to do to be a better team next season? If Brewster and his coaches are talking about and taking action in the following areas, we have some hope that things will get better. If not, we have real reasons to doubt there will be improvement in 2010.

1) The QB position must improve from a leadership and production standpoint. Either Weber makes a leap forward (nothing leads me to believe this will happen)or there is serious discussion to make a change at the position. Improvement here is absolutely essential to any team progression.

2) Focus on the offensive line getting much better at run blocking and make incremental improvement at pass protection. You can't improve offensive efficiency without a respectable running game. Our RBs are adequate if they get good blocking. Right now we can't run to open up the passing game and we can't pass to open up the running game. We are not feared offensively at all by anyone. The OL will consist of the same cast of characters with some new young blood contributing to an unknown degree. The guys we have MUST get better.

3) Defensive ends is a focus area fo dramatic improvement. Our current DEs are just bad against the run and especially helpless rushing the passer. I mean we get horrible production here. Our DTs will be OK pugging things up so our LBs and safties can make plays behind them.

4) There must be coaching continuity. The musical chairs of coordinators must stop. I think our current staff (with maybe one or two exceptions) can do a good job of coaching up the players to run their stuff. But we simply cannot change systems, terminology, coaching personalities and expectations for at least the next couple years. As Nick Saban says, program continuity is absolutely required for college football success.

So nothing has really changed here. Brewster needs to deal with the same basic issues he didn't fix this past season. As I have said many times (I am as sick of writing it as you are reading it), we will know what we really have with Brewster in the 2011 season when his first recruiting class of 2008 (2007 was a terrible lame duck Mason class) are in their senior and r-junior elgibility years, but if Brew does not deal with the above issues and make some real improvement in 2010, he may not make it to 2011.
None of us want to patient, but we are still suffering with an upper classman talent issue coupled with a program continuity challenge. We are grinding it out, moving in the right direction, and I think we will get there. I really do.

 

[magpie]

1) The QB position must improve from a leadership and production standpoint. Either Weber makes a leap forward (nothing leads me to believe this will happen)or there is serious discussion to make a change at the position. Improvement here is absolutely essential to any team progression.

Even if Weber succeeds he's done after next year, so it's back to square 1 the following year. I hope the investment is put in Gray myself.

2) Focus on the offensive line getting much better at run blocking and make incremental improvement at pass protection.

Solving problem-1 will help solve this as well, considering that a solid passing game helps open up a solid running game (see ISU game, 2nd half).

3) Defensive ends is a focus area fo dramatic improvement. Our current DEs are just bad against the run and especially helpless rushing the passer. I mean we get horrible production here. Our DTs will be OK pugging things up so our LBs and safties can make plays behind them. (sic)

Many losses on defense will effect this, not just the DE's. Otherwise agreed.

4) There must be coaching continuity. The musical chairs of coordinators must stop. we simply cannot change systems, terminology, coaching personalities and expectations for at least the next couple years.

Sadly, as soon as Shanahan finds a new HC position, kiss Fisch goodbye (the sad part being the lack of continuity, not the loss of a poor OC).