I have read a lot of comments Brew vs Mason

[lakesgopher]

that absolutely ate up lesser competition, but against the big boys, the result was rarely different than what we saw against Dunbar's spread. Opposing defenses with better athletes across the front simply would blow it up.

Alabama in 2004 had one one of the better run defenses, and Maroney and Barber shredded them.

Oregon, Michigan, and Wisconsin are other teams that had very sold run defenses that gave up 300 plus yards in rushing to MN.

Minnesota put up huge rushing numbers on many good to great defenses, so the result was very different than that of the wretched Dunbar Spread.

This same offense put up similar passing yardage to our current system as well, but the myth is that the Mason teams could not pass the ball because they were too "unbalanced'.

its too bad all those rushing yards didnt lead to wins! beat wisconsin twice and michigan once. blew multiple 25+ leads in second halves...mason was a joke and thats why he is working for the big ten network. he is too smug to take a d1aa job or a mid major position

 

[myleslong]

You consider a zone blocking power running game to be a gimmicky offensive scheme?

+1 Mason has players all over the NFL, several whom are stars on the offensive side of the ball. He lined up and ran a fairly common scheme and had the talent to do it.

 

[The 12th Man]

In no way was Mason's scheme "gimmicky." The moderate success Mason did have was due to two things:

1) Outgunning teams in high-scoring shootouts, because nearly any player with any talent whatsoever either started (or was moved to) offense.

2) Going in four-year cycles where you would play the same guys their whole careers, load them up for "big years" (see: 1999 and 2003) and then be lost the next year when you had a bunch of young guys who weren't slowly ramped up to be Big Ten players. We went 6-6 and 7-5 in the years following our most successful seasons in decades.

No matter all the legitimate criticisms you hurl at Mason (and believe me, there are many), there is one thing you can't take away from him: he is a damn good offensive coach. I would kill to have him as the Gophers OC right now. Frankly, I'm shocked that some school hasn't hired him to do just that. Maybe he's not open to such a scenario at his age, but he should realize that's the one thing he's really, really good at.

A HEAD COACH DOES NOT COACH. Mitch Browning coached the "Mason" offense, called the plays, etc.

 

[lakesgopher]

+1 Mason has players all over the NFL, several whom are stars on the offensive side of the ball. He lined up and ran a fairly common scheme and had the talent to do it.

other then barber, who are the other "stars"? maroney has been relatively average, spaeth barely plays, tyrone carter is a back up plus he is on defense...who are these stars?

 

[50PoundHead]

oakstreet, I seldom talk in absolutes, hence the word "rarely" inserted into my comments about Mason's offenses. Sure there were examples were they did perform against stiffer competition, but it was rare and not consistent. That's my point.

I stand by my critique of his passing game. Statistical comparisons mask weaknesses and the fact remains that against better teams, Mason's passing games weren't that good.

 

[thailleagle]

As of this point I'm sorry to say but Mason>Brewster.......

Maybe Brew will prove something next year but right now I don't see what he's done that's been so great yet.......

 

[Schnoodler]

Mason is a better coach. If he had Brewsters recruiting ability he'd still be coaching. In Ohio.

 

[MBAGuy]

As of this point I'm sorry to say but Mason>Brewster.......

Maybe Brew will prove something next year but right now I don't see what he's done that's been so great yet.......

This is where I need that "blowing my brains out" emoticon....

 

[thailleagle]

This is where I need that "blowing my brains out" emoticon....

Please elaborate........

 

[lakesgopher]

As of this point I'm sorry to say but Mason>Brewster.......

Maybe Brew will prove something next year but right now I don't see what he's done that's been so great yet.......

masons greatness:

scoring 35 in the first half vs Texas tech and then pissing away 24 point lead and losing a bowl game?

maybe it was having that 28-7 lead vs Mich going into the 4th quarter...which that solid coach allowed his team to give up 31 points in the 4th quarter to give the game to mich?

or maybe it was his desire to destroy any in state ties with minnesota high school coaches?

or the fact it took him 5 years to beat wisky?

c'mon, if you dont like brew just go with that! but to say mason was a better coach...may be true as of now, but at least we gave glen a fair shot to do a job! and mason did a good job of taking us from horrible with wacker, to average with mason! mason deserves credit with the new stadium and i wish him the best! however, im so thankful he is gone! he gave no hope and he never was able to keep a top 10 minny kid in state. im sticking with brew and the positivity for the future. brew deserves at least 1 more year, i would give him 2, but im still hopeful he will make it happen!

 

[thailleagle]

masons greatness:

scoring 35 in the first half vs Texas tech and then pissing away 24 point lead and losing a bowl game?

maybe it was having that 28-7 lead vs Mich going into the 4th quarter...which that solid coach allowed his team to give up 31 points in the 4th quarter to give the game to mich?

or maybe it was his desire to destroy any in state ties with minnesota high school coaches?

or the fact it took him 5 years to beat wisky?

c'mon, if you dont like brew just go with that! but to say mason was a better coach...may be true as of now, but at least we gave glen a fair shot to do a job! and mason did a good job of taking us from horrible with wacker, to average with mason! mason deserves credit with the new stadium and i wish him the best! however, im so thankful he is gone! he gave no hope and he never was able to keep a top 10 minny kid in state. im sticking with brew and the positivity for the future. brew deserves at least 1 more year, i would give him 2, but im still hopeful he will make it happen!

That's right, overlook any positive things Mason's teams did. Like blowing a 35-14 lead to NW...oh wait, that was Brewster.......

I like Brew...but I don't see where we upgraded as far as a program.......

All this hype & talk & recruiting and it's still not showing up where it counts which is on the field. Brew's gonna be here next year but if it's anything like this season then he's gone, it's that simple.......

 

[STPGopher]

You consider a zone blocking power running game to be a gimmicky offensive scheme?

When did we ever have a power running game? If and when we had successful power plays, it was the individual efforts of Tapeh, Russell, or mostly Barber. If you noticed we weren't all that successful when we went between the tackles and needed that key yard or few to win the game. Michigan 03', Iowa, several times, and UW 05' come to mind. Michigan 05 was a stretch zone play.

 

[lakesgopher]

That's right, overlook any positive things Mason's teams did. Like blowing a 35-14 lead to NW...oh wait, that was Brewster.......

I like Brew...but I don't see where we upgraded as far as a program.......

All this hype & talk & recruiting and it's still not showing up where it counts which is on the field. Brew's gonna be here next year but if it's anything like this season then he's gone, it's that simple.......

you cant see better recruiting? you dont see more hype about the program then in years past? i remember a mason team on the verge of cracking the top ten and many didnt evem know it was happening. i love how brew and minny high schools have a rebuilt relationship that crumbled under mason.

as for you nu comparison...i would say mason was able to top that easily!

brewster[/U]
Minny vs Northwestern 2007
going into the 4th quarter the score was 35-21
nu scored 14 to send it to overtime

mason
Minny vs Mich 2003
going into the 4th quarter the score was 28-7
mich scored 31 in the 4th quarter

Minny vs Texas Tech 2006
going into the 4th quarter the score was 38-14


tt scored 24 to send it to overtime

 

[RodentRampage]

When did we ever have a power running game? If and when we had successful power plays, it was the individual efforts of Tapeh, Russell, or mostly Barber. If you noticed we weren't all that successful when we went between the tackles and needed that key yard or few to win the game. Michigan 03', Iowa, several times, and UW 05' come to mind. Michigan 05 was a stretch zone play.

I wouldn't describe it as a power running game either, it was a very non-traditional running game, although I wouldn't use the word "gimmicky" to describe it. A lot of people assumed that since the Gophers were a running team, it must have been have been an old power-I formation team. The offense tended to lack the ability to grind out first downs and run the clock down when we really needed it.

I thought it odd to see the triple option described as "gimmicky", there's nothing gimmicky about it. The triple option is nothing but old-school football.

 

[Schnoodler]

I think gimicky is being used as a term to describe anything that requires special preperation for the opposition because it is disimilar to the other shemes they face in other weeks in a substantive way. Not gimicky as in quirky. It really was brilliant by Mason. It allowed him to pull in O linemen who were athletic but undersized, thus he could recruit the absolute best for his scheme with little competition. Plus it was a difficult matchup for many teams. It was a great approach for the college football climate he had. Not so much today.

 

[50PoundHead]

I think I coined it as "gimmicky" and Schnoodler hits the nail on the head with what I meant. It worked extremely well against comparable opponents and not so well when the Gophers were outmanned. Of course, that could be said about a number of teams and a number of different offensive sets on both ends of that equation. A great spread team can be blown up if you have the right defensive players to do it. I thought the same thing went for Mason's offenses.

But let me be clear. Brewster's offense this year has not done well and there is no dressing that up. I just thought the Mason offenses, for all of the yardage they racked up, were a bit misleading. I never saw it as a "power at the point of attack" offense and I don't care what set you run out of, if you are a good team, you are going to succeed at that.

 

[thailleagle]

you cant see better recruiting? you dont see more hype about the program then in years past? i remember a mason team on the verge of cracking the top ten and many didnt evem know it was happening. i love how brew and minny high schools have a rebuilt relationship that crumbled under mason.

as for you nu comparison...i would say mason was able to top that easily!

brewster[/U]
Minny vs Northwestern 2007
going into the 4th quarter the score was 35-21
nu scored 14 to send it to overtime

mason
Minny vs Mich 2003
going into the 4th quarter the score was 28-7
mich scored 31 in the 4th quarter

Minny vs Texas Tech 2006
going into the 4th quarter the score was 38-14


tt scored 24 to send it to overtime

When the magical "Recruiting" starts showing on the field then I'll agree about the program being upgraded but right now all I see is a coach that likes to talk to put butts in the seats and it's not working.......