Is Kill the right man for the job?

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Gopher2017

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Don't bash me here as I'm simply throwing it out to see what people think. With the "Jerrysota" flags, "Jerry! Jerry!" chants, and the other 'Jerry' love, I know it will be hard to look at things objectively.

Kill has certainly risen our stock by leaps and bounds but has he taken us as far as he can? There were several questionable play calls against Nebraska and I'm not even talking about the field goal late in the game. Twice we had 1 yard to go when we were in Nebraska territory and instead of going for it we punted. That may not seem like a big deal at first thought but it really is. All that does is pump us Nebraska because you're telling them the coaching staff doesn't have the faith in our offense. I agree with punting 98% of the time but these were two times I completely disagreed with the coaching staff.

Some coaches use universities as a stepping stone; could a school use a coach as a stepping stone? Kill has risen our stock so is it possible he's risen it enough to entice a 'better' coach to come in and lead the team?

I want to state there isn't a right or wrong answer here and I'm a big fan of Kill so I'm throwing this out there just to see what people think about Kill. Is he our man for the long term?
 


I hate all the "Jerrysota" crap. Elevating the coach above the school is never a good thing. They come and go and are ultimately all carpetbaggers. It further inflates their already outsized ego's.
It will be interesting to see if this is Kill's ceiling. The play not to lose strategy can only take you so far. Agree that the punts were a bad idea as our D has suddenly become a liability.
 

Jerry could win a national championship and then go 10-2 the next year missing out on the playoff and there would still be people calling for his head.

I'm only 30 years old but saying 4-3 is a down year feels a lot better than what a down year was not that long ago.
 

This should be a fun thread.

We need to stay the course here and wait for some of the potential gamebreakers to develop. The program doesn't have enough depth at the top right now to overcome the injuries and the mistakes the team has dealt with this season.

This was always going to be a long term deal with Kill. That's where the program was when he took over, and that's where it is now despite the elevated expectations after the past 2 great seasons.

The fanbase is cranky and that's ok, but to lose the long term view of how this was going to get better when Kill took over is a mistake only those who have fooled themselves will make, or media types who know better but want to stir the pot for selfish reasons.

The next 3 seasons will tell the story of Kill's time here. Recruits he brought in after successful seasons with plenty of evaluation time and development will start coming into their own. Starting with the 2014 recruiting class and on.
Names like Jeff Jones, Lingen, Poock, Celestin, Holland Jr, Elmore, Richardson, Brooks, Moore, Huff, Croft etc etc as upperclassmen will need to impact the B1G more than guys recruited under tougher circumstances.
If we have a setback year like this in 2017 for example then it's time to evaluate Kill and whether it's time to move to a different path. Not now.
 


I don't like the "Jerrysota" stuff either. It's also unfair to a coach when they do that because when the inevitable rough patch comes in (as it does with all programs) it makes them stand out even more.

Whether Jerry Kill is the right man for the job, I still think he is. I don't think we'll be a national power under his watch but I think the potential is there to be a consistent player in the West.
 


Gopher2017 said:
Twice we had 1 yard to go when we were in Nebraska territory and instead of going for it we punted. That may not seem like a big deal at first thought but it really is. All that does is pump us Nebraska because you're telling them the coaching staff doesn't have the faith in our offense. I agree with punting 98% of the time but these were two times I completely disagreed with the coaching staff.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you disagreed with them, given that this didn't happen even once, let alone twice. We never had a 4th and 1 in Nebraska territory the entire game. We punted once in Nebraska territory, on 4th and 10 from their 47.
 

We don't have to decide today whether he is the right man "long term". I think he is, but I also think that's because we will have success. If we don't, and we spend the next 3 years hovering around the 6-7 win mark, I don't think he'll last. That's not a discussion for today. Ultimately, the success hinges on the O line, that has been true every year he's been here. It was true under Mason as well. Limey has said handling both might be too much. That's the change I'd like to see.
 



I used to think Kill was the right man, but then we started 1-2 in the B1G and so now I don't. Ask me again in 2-weeks what I think.
 

Long term... in CFB that's rarely a thing.

I'll hang with Jerry for quite a while.


Were we under the impression we wouldn't have an off year, bad year ever again?
 

Murray Warmath is probably the right man for the job, but I'm pretty sure he's dead.
 




You're going to have to good games and bad, good years and bad. My biggest concern right now is Croft. Are we really going to burn his redshirt for nothing?
 

Can we please just wait and see in a few years when we get some better recruiting classes to upper classmen? This season may not be as good as I wanted, but the last 2 seasons were the best 2 back to back of my lifetime.
 

I think he's still the "right guy" because he's a builder and this program still needs building. While I don't like a season where the team possibly won't make a bowl game (and that season isn't even over so who knows where it will end up), after two 8 win seasons he should have enough rope to go a couple more seasons. Of course, if the team doesn't get back to the 8 win area next year, then maybe this season wasn't just a blip and there is more cause for concern.
 

Kill said this was 7-8 year turn around. We are in year 5. He is 100% on course and the right man. We might disagree with in game calls and coaching, but he is truly building a program. It will be a shame if he is not allowed to reap the benefits of the updated facilities.

He took over a brutal program and has brought it to respectability mainly on his name alone. It's not easy recruiting here and he has shown that he can coach by coaching up players who chose to be Gophers. His highest average star class since coming here was 2.8 stars. He now has commitments from a 3.0 average star class for 2016. That's because he took lesser talent and won quickly with them. The program has hit a bump because it takes winning to get better talent in the program. The 2015 and 2016 classes are what we hope will get us over the hump. 9 of the 2015 class have already played.

Rivals Ranks
2016-27
2015-52
2014-52
2013-61
2012-73
2011-52

Bump in the road folks. Let's all remember the Mason went 6-6 in year 4 and 4-7 in year 5. He followed it up with three straight bowl wins, including a 10-3 season.
 

Ole said:
This should be a fun thread.

We need to stay the course here and wait for some of the potential gamebreakers to develop. The program doesn't have enough depth at the top right now to overcome the injuries and the mistakes the team has dealt with this season.

This was always going to be a long term deal with Kill. That's where the program was when he took over, and that's where it is now despite the elevated expectations after the past 2 great seasons.

The fanbase is cranky and that's ok, but to lose the long term view of how this was going to get better when Kill took over is a mistake only those who have fooled themselves will make, or media types who know better but want to stir the pot for selfish reasons.

The next 3 seasons will tell the story of Kill's time here. Recruits he brought in after successful seasons with plenty of evaluation time and development will start coming into their own. Starting with the 2014 recruiting class and on.
Names like Jeff Jones, Lingen, Poock, Celestin, Holland Jr, Elmore, Richardson, Brooks, Moore, Huff, Croft etc etc as upperclassmen will need to impact the B1G more than guys recruited under tougher circumstances.
If we have a setback year like this in 2017 for example then it's time to evaluate Kill and whether it's time to move to a different path. Not now.
Click to expand...

I agree with Ole. Short term this season sucks. But if you consider we won several iffy games the last few years (where one play was the difference) those years could have a different bend had it not gone our way. Kill had earned time, just as Mason did. There is enough to be happy about (going to class, not getting arrested, fringe bowl team) to get more time. I suspect Kill had the same ceiling as Mase did. We'll see some 8-10 win season's and some sub .500. We'll need to get lucky on some recruiting trails to compete for a title. I think mostly, we just need to be patient.
 

Well, one rough year is far too early to jump ship

MN is going to be a program that has down years, it's inevitable. Hopefully overtime our basement and ceiling are raised.

As of now, Kill is moving the team in right direction, overall, despite a current down year.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Long term... in CFB that's rarely a thing.

I'll hang with Jerry for quite a while.
Click to expand...

I will hang with him as well.

This program needs stability, #1, and impatience and turning over a staff every 5 years is not the answer. Although we'd prefer immediate success, I think we will need to settle for a slower growth curve. I think Coach Kill brings what we need.

The recruiting classes are improving year by year. Next year again looks like a slight improvement again. Like it or not, national recruiting vs. OSU and Michigan in the B1G is a tough road. Starting by keeping the BEST local talent is a start, and we are just about there...

He / they have the facilities coming... and in the long run, this will help even more.

Settle in and enjoy college football and the ride.
 

Totally agree with cut the "Jerrysota" crap. It's dangerous to idolize a person before they are dead and gone (and all closets have been cleaned of skeletons - think JoePa).
 

GopherJack said:
Totally agree with cut the "Jerrysota" crap. It's dangerous to idolize a person before they are dead and gone (and all closets have been cleaned of skeletons - think JoePa).
Click to expand...
This is not unique to Kill. Tubby Time and Brew's Crew come to mind.
 

GopherJack said:
Totally agree with cut the "Jerrysota" crap. It's dangerous to idolize a person before they are dead and gone (and all closets have been cleaned of skeletons - think JoePa).
Click to expand...

Maybe, but all they have to do in MN if iit goes bad is to just put that flag away and nobody cares.
 

Gopher2017 said:
Don't bash me here as I'm simply throwing it out to see what people think. With the "Jerrysota" flags, "Jerry! Jerry!" chants, and the other 'Jerry' love, I know it will be hard to look at things objectively.

Kill has certainly risen our stock by leaps and bounds but has he taken us as far as he can? There were several questionable play calls against Nebraska and I'm not even talking about the field goal late in the game. Twice we had 1 yard to go when we were in Nebraska territory and instead of going for it we punted. That may not seem like a big deal at first thought but it really is. All that does is pump us Nebraska because you're telling them the coaching staff doesn't have the faith in our offense. I agree with punting 98% of the time but these were two times I completely disagreed with the coaching staff.

Some coaches use universities as a stepping stone; could a school use a coach as a stepping stone? Kill has risen our stock so is it possible he's risen it enough to entice a 'better' coach to come in and lead the team?

I want to state there isn't a right or wrong answer here and I'm a big fan of Kill so I'm throwing this out there just to see what people think about Kill. Is he our man for the long term?
Click to expand...

Yes he is the right guy for the job. He has this program in the right direction and things have improved greatly since he became the head coach. I agree this thread should be deleted.
 

Gopher2017 said:
Don't bash me here as I'm simply throwing it out to see what people think. With the "Jerrysota" flags, "Jerry! Jerry!" chants, and the other 'Jerry' love, I know it will be hard to look at things objectively.

Kill has certainly risen our stock by leaps and bounds but has he taken us as far as he can? There were several questionable play calls against Nebraska and I'm not even talking about the field goal late in the game. Twice we had 1 yard to go when we were in Nebraska territory and instead of going for it we punted. That may not seem like a big deal at first thought but it really is. All that does is pump us Nebraska because you're telling them the coaching staff doesn't have the faith in our offense. I agree with punting 98% of the time but these were two times I completely disagreed with the coaching staff.

Some coaches use universities as a stepping stone; could a school use a coach as a stepping stone? Kill has risen our stock so is it possible he's risen it enough to entice a 'better' coach to come in and lead the team?

I want to state there isn't a right or wrong answer here and I'm a big fan of Kill so I'm throwing this out there just to see what people think about Kill. Is he our man for the long term?
Click to expand...

Consider yourself bashed.
 



Of course it's WAY to early to think about firing Kill. Thinking he could be replaced by someone with a better track record is ludicrous. Last year might have been to early to think that Kill and Company were guaranteed to take the program back to the Mason or Stoll levels too.

Personally, yeah think he will. But that 4-3 record, with 3 point wins against Colorado State, Kent State and Ohio and blowout losses against NW and NE hasn't felt good. Wish that Purdue game had been at home.

Now with Kill talking about how the team is decimated with injuries, not much of a run game, no pressure on their QB, a lot on ours,a remaining schedule that includes 4 ranked teams and Kill's closing record the last 2 years of losing all 4 remaining games in '13 and 3 out of 4 in '14? It could feel a whole lot worse when this season is over.
 

Patience is virtue.

We finally got a coach with a long term vision, who led the charge to upgrade our training facilities, who changed the culture of the football program, and whose kids graduate.

Everyone of us long suffering fans want the program elevated to the point where we win B1G championships. Who knows, maybe skies' the limit.

This is one of the hardest gigs in that it is difficult to recruit the marquee players to come here. As mention previously, the recruiting classes are getting better incrementally. He is shutting down the borders and keeping most of our top instate players.

The injuries showed that we don't have talent depth yet. Every team suffers through injuries. Eric Murray was right. No excuses.

The difference between us and MSU/tOSU is they can plug a talented athlete in and it will still work. Where as the Gophers need these kids in a red shirt year, coached up, and it won't be until they are in their junior and senior year that we see the fruits.

We can't get a Cardale Jones or a JT Barrett or a Braxton Miller to come here as of yet if ever. We do have Mitch Leidner, and now Demry Croft. Mitch is a leader his biggest attribute. He takes a lot of abuse. But, by golly the kid wins more games than he loses. He is not perfect, but he is who we have now. Cut him some slack. He is a kid.

I suppose one can argue that we should have attracted a big name coach, and things will all be miraculously fixed. We did try, and there were no takers. Incidentally, all those big names that were kicked around have either been fired from their last gig, or are in the doghouse. Nothing is guaranteed.

Be careful what you wish. I don't think the idea of firing Jerry Kill should be even in the discussion right now.

After they fired Murray Warmath, the football program went in a tailspin it is still trying to recover from.
 


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