Jerry has to move to the press box.

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Meyerchiro34 said:
Never said he should be fired. Would like him to stay, however just pointing out it may effect more then just the time missed during a couple games.
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It's irrelevant if he's doing a good job, which you said you think he is. If he's not doing a good job because he's missing too much time having seizures, then there's a problem. If he's doing a good job despite having seizures, there isn't a problem. It's that simple.
 

This is not just about Kill's ability to coach. This is currently on the front page of ESPN (top headline in the right column) and was also on the front page of CNN.com for awhile (gone now).

Terrible situation all around. For the coach and his family. For the Gophers national reputation. etc. And before you scold me, understand that the "average Joe recruit" is not as understanding and intelligent as you are.
 

Grant said:
So his presence on the sideline or even in the stadium is unimportant? This is a major problem moving forward. It is really a gd shame but I don't see this working for long.
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It is important. However, it is not more important than success. If Jerry is successful, then he should be our coach. If he is not, then he should ultimately be fired. It is that simple.
 

BarnBoy said:
This is not just about Kill's ability to coach. This is currently on the front page of ESPN (top headline in the right column) and was also on the front page of CNN.com for awhile (gone now).

Terrible situation all around. For the coach and his family. For the Gophers national reputation. etc. And before you scold me, understand that the "average Joe recruit" is not as understanding and intelligent as you are.
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We should fire him or put him in the press box because recruits will find out that he has seizures? I think they already know, and I don't think they'll care if we win.
 

... said:
It's irrelevant if he's doing a good job, which you said you think he is. If he's not doing a good job because he's missing too much time having seizures, then there's a problem. If he's doing a good job despite having seizures, there isn't a problem. It's that simple.
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Time and record will tell if he's doing a good job. We have a fairly young team. Like I said I hope it works out. I don't know if his seizures are getting worse or not, but I'm sure it won't slow him down.
 


BarnBoy said:
This is not just about Kill's ability to coach. This is currently on the front page of ESPN (top headline in the right column) and was also on the front page of CNN.com for awhile (gone now).

Terrible situation all around. For the coach and his family. For the Gophers national reputation. etc. And before you scold me, understand that the "average Joe recruit" is not as understanding and intelligent as you are.
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Would the Gophers have been on the front page of ESPN without the seizure? You could make the argument that there's no such thing as bad publicity.

I actually think it is a great opportunity for epilepsy to be discussed. Jerry is not some monster that should be locked behind closed doors because we don't want to see his seizures. Nor should any other epileptic. The U could help spearhead the issue, and it would be a net positive on their reputation. I doubt the deciding factor for most recruits is going to be whether or not a coach has a seizure disorder.
 

The only thing Jerry Kill "has to" do is beat SJSU and Iowa. I don't care if he does it on the sideline, in the press box, or by phone from Belgium.
 

People filter this episode through the same prism they view all news stories. Those that are anti-Kill and negative about the program overall, just use this to fan the fire. Real fans of the football program understand that we are better off with Kill, and his epilepsy, than without him. Our coordinators seemed to have zero problem navigating the ship for the second half.
 

Studwell55 said:
If this is going to happen again, it needs to be out of sight.

He has to move upstairs.

But is it workable?

This is the third time in, what, 24 games? 1 out of every 8 games?
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Studwell55 said:
I can't believe how blasé some people are about this.

Our coach needs to be available for three hours on 12 Saturdays a year.

If he checks out every 8th game, this is a problem.
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Wow.....just wow
 



The problem the gambler in me suspects, is that seeing that kill has had seizures requiring hospitalization in 1 out of 8 games likely means these are far more common than we've been led to believe. Lots of folks noticed the cuts and scratches on coach's face this week. This might not be 'just something that happens occasionally during a game.' ...and if it increasingly requires hospitalization each time, it certainly will affect all that preparation time that some claim is more important than game day coaching.
 


bleedsmaroonandgold said:
The only thing Jerry Kill "has to" do is beat SJSU and Iowa. I don't care if he does it on the sideline, in the press box, or by phone from Belgium.
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I'm thinking the QB wears google glass and skypes Jerry from his living room.
 

tato2001 said:
The problem the gambler in me suspects, is that seeing that kill has had seizures requiring hospitalization in 1 out of 8 games likely means these are far more common than we've been led to believe. Lots of folks noticed the cuts and scratches on coach's face this week. This might not be 'just something that happens occasionally during a game.' ...and if it increasingly requires hospitalization each time, it certainly will affect all that preparation time that some claim is more important than game day coaching.
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Right, and now that this happened I'd like to know why Jerry looked like a boxer on his show this week. This is an issue. The first time it happened I felt mostly bad for Coach Kill and hoped he would be OK. The second time it happened I felt bad for the players. From now on I have to say I don't feel poorly for coach Kill he makes the decision to put himself in a position where this may happen and then isn't capable of controlling his emotions enough to prevent them from happening. I don't feel sorry overall for the players as most of them now chose to come play for him knowing that he had this issue. What I feel mostly is confused as to what our AD should do about it, if anything. Anyone who says that having a HC suffer an in-game seizure 1 out of 8 games isn't an issue is lying to themselves and to us. It's an issue; one without any clear answers on what to do about it.
 



Indi1006 said:
Right, and now that this happened I'd like to know why Jerry looked like a boxer on his show this week. This is an issue. The first time it happened I felt mostly bad for Coach Kill and hoped he would be OK. The second time it happened I felt bad for the players. From now on I have to say I don't feel poorly for coach Kill he makes the decision to put himself in a position where this may happen and then isn't capable of controlling his emotions enough to prevent them from happening. I don't feel sorry overall for the players as most of them now chose to come play for him knowing that he had this issue. What I feel mostly is confused as to what our AD should do about it, if anything. Anyone who says that having a HC suffer an in-game seizure 1 out of 8 games isn't an issue is lying to themselves and to us. It's an issue; one without any clear answers on what to do about it.
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I think part of the problem with the fans is that their view has to be all or nothing. I do believe it is disingenuous to say that it is not an issue at all. If it really were all about preparation and the coach could just disappear at the game without any problems, then many coaches would have contracts that allow them to golf or (as I suggested earlier) be in Belgium for the games. Being there during the game is a big part of the job.

However, this is something that his staff is used to, and they have contingencies and plans in place. Our coach has an illness that has negative effects on his ability to do his job. All coaches have strengths and weaknesses. Coach Kill's epilepsy is a weakness (I say this not to be harsh, or cruel, but I am sure he would acknowledge that a condition that makes him have to leave is a liability). The coach seems to have turned this ship around, so I am happy to have Coach Kill, warts and all. He knows he has to work harder and be better than a coach who doesn't have the same condition burdening him, and he is a guy who is tough enough to do that without complaining. If he beats SJSU and Iowa in the next two weeks, I'll be pretty happy, even with his disorder. If he loses to one of those teams, I'll be pretty ticked off, and I would be even if he didn't have a seizure disorder.
 

This is close to a non-issue for me, until I see evidence that Coach Kill's medical condition is actually hurting the team's performance on the field and/or on the recruiting trail. As far as I can tell, the coaches and players dealt with it fine, got the win, and are undefeated through three games.

If anything, I came away from this feeling impressed at how prepared the coaches and players seemed to be:

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/83852/gophers-handle-kills-health-scare-just-fine
 

Welcome to my blocked list Studwell55. I do not find your ignorance refreshing.

This is easy. If Kill, the coaches, and players don't have issues with his condition (which they shouldn't), then nothing else matters. Your opinion and my opinion on it don't and shouldn't matter. Go Kill! Go Gophers! Ski-U-Mah!
 

Indi1006 said:
Right, and now that this happened I'd like to know why Jerry looked like a boxer on his show this week. This is an issue. The first time it happened I felt mostly bad for Coach Kill and hoped he would be OK. The second time it happened I felt bad for the players. From now on I have to say I don't feel poorly for coach Kill he makes the decision to put himself in a position where this may happen and then isn't capable of controlling his emotions enough to prevent them from happening. I don't feel sorry overall for the players as most of them now chose to come play for him knowing that he had this issue. What I feel mostly is confused as to what our AD should do about it, if anything. Anyone who says that having a HC suffer an in-game seizure 1 out of 8 games isn't an issue is lying to themselves and to us. It's an issue; one without any clear answers on what to do about it.
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He chooses to coach, and by no means are you obligated to feel bad for him. I doubt he wants pity, anyhow. ,Every person is different when it comes to seizures - but, I suspect two things in his case: 1.) Stress is a huge component; 2.) His seizures are more frequent than we know.

What do we do about it? Exactly what we do in any coaching situation. We determine if a coach is meeting our expectations for fielding a quality product on the field. If Jerry delivers a successful product, or appears to be making strides in that direction, we keep him. If he does not, we fire him. And we provide reasonable accommodations for any medical condition/disability he may have along the way. It is our legal and moral obligation.
 

So...if you are Jerry Kill and coaching staff, how do you approach the fact that every competing school will use Kill's epilepsy as a strike against coming to Minnesota? What is the strategy you would use to spin epilepsy in a positive light to future recruits?
 

He should have been there at halftime to rip his team a new arse, but wasn't. We won, so all is good. Wait until we start losing, then we've got ourselves an issue.
 



tinyarch said:
So...if you are Jerry Kill and coaching staff, how do you approach the fact that every competing school will use Kill's epilepsy as a strike against coming to Minnesota? What is the strategy you would use to spin epilepsy in a positive light to future recruits?
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Why would recruits view epilepsy in a negative light? Luckily for the Gophers most recruits aren't as ignorant as you.
 

tinyarch said:
So...if you are Jerry Kill and coaching staff, how do you approach the fact that every competing school will use Kill's epilepsy as a strike against coming to Minnesota? What is the strategy you would use to spin epilepsy in a positive light to future recruits?
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Ultimately, my only concern is the success of the program, and the 'issue' of his seizure disorder is a red herring. It is irrelevant to the discussion.

To answer your question more directly: What exactly will the coaches be insinuating? Either that he won't be coaching long, or may not be successful. So, if I was Jerry, I would mention:

-my commitment to continuing to coach
-the University's commitment to me, with full knowledge of the situation
-that we have a plan in place if it occurs during a game, and that we have successfully implemented the plan (ala today) without missing a beat
-that I have been successful at every place I have coached, even with the disorder

How can we spin it as a positive?
-Our win today is national news. It would not have been without the seizure.
-Often players commit to the coach with whom they feel the most comfort. That is achieved by a certain level of personal connection, and this is a great personal story that coach Kill has to address because of negative recruiting. In other words, it may be a negative recruiting tactic, but I think it actually plays into Coach Kill's hands.
-This is a great story for parents -overcoming adversity to achieve success in college football and being able to impart that on their kids.
-Coach Kill donates his to help others with epilepsy. For people who value volunteerism, he can recount these stories.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I have off the top of my head.
 

It isn't ignorant. It cannot be helpful to the players or to have your head coach being carted off the field following a seizure on the sidelines. You then lose him for the rest of the game and for some time afterward. If this were the second time in three years it wouldn't be good. But this is the 8th time in 2 1/4 years.

In no way is this situation acceptable. I assume that Jerry Kill has a valuable needed presence on the sideline. We are a marginal Big 10 team. We cannot afford to lose a valuable asset this often. It's really that simple. It also has to affect recruiting. If there were important recruits at the game who, together with 1 or 2 parents were looking forward to visiting with the HC offer the game? Good luck with them.

I love Jerry Kill and I believe he could turn this team around. However, if the doctors can't say they can control this he needs to be replaced.
 

The coaching staff I thought responded with nothing but professionalism and projected nothing but a sense of control and calm on the sidelines. They are prepared for the possibility of this and know how to project that things are under control to the players and get them focused. I think a lot of fans claim to worry about the players reaction to seeing Kill have a seizure to mask the fact that it makes them uncomfortable. It's a sad thought but I believe a lot of people want to run Kill out of town under the charge that he is a bad coach when in fact they are uncomfortable that he has seizures. The easiest thing to do with something uncomfortable is to get rid of it. If the admins at the U feel Kill can do his job effectively, then I don't care if he is occasionally affected by a seizure, I don't. I believe that Jerry Kill is a good coach and right for this program and if seizures are part of the deal, I can live with that. If other fans can't, that's their problem.
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I think part of the problem with the fans is that their view has to be all or nothing. I do believe it is disingenuous to say that it is not an issue at all. If it really were all about preparation and the coach could just disappear at the game without any problems, then many coaches would have contracts that allow them to golf or (as I suggested earlier) be in Belgium for the games. Being there during the game is a big part of the job.

However, this is something that his staff is used to, and they have contingencies and plans in place. Our coach has an illness that has negative effects on his ability to do his job. All coaches have strengths and weaknesses. Coach Kill's epilepsy is a weakness (I say this not to be harsh, or cruel, but I am sure he would acknowledge that a condition that makes him have to leave is a liability). The coach seems to have turned this ship around, so I am happy to have Coach Kill, warts and all. He knows he has to work harder and be better than a coach who doesn't have the same condition burdening him, and he is a guy who is tough enough to do that without complaining. If he beats SJSU and Iowa in the next two weeks, I'll be pretty happy, even with his disorder. If he loses to one of those teams, I'll be pretty ticked off, and I would be even if he didn't have a seizure disorder.
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It's correct that there's too much black-and-white on this. Clearly if he starts missing every other game, there's no way he can continue. But should he be relieved of his duties tomorrow? Of course not. Ultimately it will be up to him and Woody to determine where the line is.

I hope this was the one incident for this year, and it will be the furthest thing form our mind as we go 8-4.
 


howeda7 said:
It's correct that there's too much black-and-white on this. Clearly if he starts missing every other game, there's no way he can continue. But should he be relieved of his duties tomorrow? Of course not. Ultimately it will be up to him and Woody to determine where the line is.

I hope this was the one incident for this year, and it will be the furthest thing form our mind as we go 8-4.
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If Jerry is having seizures in games because of the stress and starts having a seizure every other game, then for medical reasons he may want to step down. However, that would be his choice. Could seizures have a negative impact? Sure, but that is not the ultimate question. The ultimate question is whether or not the U has or is building a successful program. If the answer is yes, we keep him. If not, we do not keep him. I do not think that is an oversimplification at all.
 

Studwell55 said:
Yes, but he's under contract for now. So maybe consider putting him in the booth.

There are two separate problems: 1) He can't coach; 2) He goes on the fritz in public.

My proposal solves one.
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Your proposal doesn't allow him to coach in any game so I'm not sure how that solves anything. He's not a play caller so he'd essentially be a spectator up in the press box.

Secondly, you're kidding yourself if we wouldn't find out about a seizure during the game if he was in the booth. You know the cameras would be on him throughout the game and they would notice if he was all of a sudden gone.

It's a concern to some degree for me, but I think your proposal would make it even worse. Like I and others have said, it's up to the other coaches and the players. If they don't have a problem with it, then what does it matter what we think.
 

tinyarch said:
So...if you are Jerry Kill and coaching staff, how do you approach the fact that every competing school will use Kill's epilepsy as a strike against coming to Minnesota? What is the strategy you would use to spin epilepsy in a positive light to future recruits?
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If someone doesn't want to come to MN because our coach has a disorder then I say screw him. As already stated, it's just as easy to spin it in a positive light too.

"Look at our head coach, he doesn't allow adversity to get him down. He's out here working his butt off every day."

Remember the first time he went down when we lost to New Mexico St.? A few players were crying. It was the first time it had happened so many probably didn't know what to think. Now guys know more about it so they don't freak out. That reaction also says a lot about what the players think of him. You can't tell me that wouldn't help in recruiting as well.
 

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