Kaler needs to get this done NOW!

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Some guy said:
It is hard to argue these two things at the same time:

TC is an in demand coach

And

Minnesota could sign him with a short term low buyout contract
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Would Claeys agree to a short term low buyout contract? He just might since it's unlikely other P5 schools are lining up to sign him as their head coach.
 

I love the hire Claeys on a low ball contract with low buyout. I guess he and the recruits are too dumb to notice. Kind of like suggesting we trade a Timberwolf bench player for LeBron James - I mean, it sounds real good.
 

station19 said:
Patrick Reusse @1500ESPN_Reusse
2015 Gophs have played much better for Claeys than they did Kill for any 2-wk period.
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Thing is, everyone is trying to judge Claeys - either negatively or positively - based on the last 1.5 weeks, but you cannot really say either way at this point. It's still Kill's team and system. Especially the Michigan game - the game plan was already developed over the bye week and you could only really give a little +/- credit for a few specific game time decisions (0:19, ahem). You would really need several weeks to assess fairly.

Most everyone also assumes that by hiring Claeys everything is likely to stay on exactly the same trajectory, will run the same way and have similar degree of success doing it.

Some cite Claeys' stint a couple years ago, but that's not really valid because he knew he was just maintaining Kill's system and he still had Kill in the booth for part of that.

I am thinking some of the D assistants may get offers elsewhere, so there is a possibility for significant turnover on the D side, which is the Gophers' strength anyway. Then you could end up cannibalizing your best unit coaches and leaving the "worse" offensive coaches in place because Claeys won't want to fire people he worked 15-20 years with. And Claeys being head coach doesn't mean the D will be just as good, because there have been plenty of instances of DC's getting promoted to HC and their teams not performing well. It is a different role and he would need to delegate to whoever is DC, otherwise that DC is likely to be pretty unhappy if they don't have control.
 

Kill's initial contract was for 1.2 plus incentives. I don't see how this is "lowball" for a largely unproven head coach. They can negotiate it but neither side has great bargaining power. As others have said it is likely Claeyes and Sawvel receive offers as coordinators or perhaps HC at lower profile programs but I suspect they'd rather stay and continue to build here.
 

scools12 said:
Would Claeys agree to a short term low buyout contract? He just might since it's unlikely other P5 schools are lining up to sign him as their head coach.
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I agree. I do not think he has other great offers coming his way
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Kill's initial contract was for 1.2 plus incentives. I don't see how this is "lowball" for a largely unproven head coach. They can negotiate it but neither side has great bargaining power. As others have said it is likely Claeyes and Sawvel receive offers as coordinators or perhaps HC at lower profile programs but I suspect they'd rather stay and continue to build here.
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I really don't care how much they pay. Not my money. My concern is more the U giving up future flexibility
 

Spoofin said:
99% of the people who post ignorant rants on this forum are equally ignorant about the Gophers. If someone disagrees, they are "happy with mediocrity", "play to lose", and just don't get it.

They think they know football because they watch the Vikings/NFL and do well with their fantasy football team. They likely haven't been to a CFB in years.
They think they are Gopher fans because they live in MN and happened to come across the Gopher game on Prime Time TV when looking for an SEC Game. They likely know no details on what this staff has done to turn around the culture of this team in just 5 years.
They assume the Gophers are underachieving because of the coaches because they lead their XBOX team to 50 points a game and have a great 4th down conversion rate. Why not hire Dungy?

I'm not saying you fit this description, I am saying odds are 99% you do. Please leave.
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I bet less than 1% of the traffic on this site are the person's you describe. The casual fan doesn't post here with passion. What I do like in your argument is your unwavering belief you are better than these posters and clearly more intelligent. I'm thankful to know we have you policing these public forums letting the unlearned know they aren't welcome.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Not fair to include Bierman and Warmath in this breakdown. Many of those seasons only had 8 games total and both guys won National Titles. However if you start at 1972 with Stoll and move forward you have Stoll, Salem, Holtz, Gutey, and Wacker all with 0 - 8 win seasons. So the argument can certainly be made that Kill's success is up there at the top from the last 40+ years of Gopher football.

My standard for success in the current Big Ten structure is being a factor in the division race with a chance to win it. Last year we were, this year we won't be.
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Agreed. Had the same thoughts on Bierman and Warmath. I'd have to look it up, but I also think Stoll and Salem had tougher non-conference schedules (Or at least didn't have as many cupcakes. Mason pretty much ran a bakery.).

Claeys is going to get the job unless he totally screws up the negotiations, so I'm not going to spend much mental effort on that.

I know this staff has been together since Abram left Ur, but I wouldn't be against a bit of a shake-up. I'm less concerned about Limegrover as OC than I am of him as the offensive line coach (and I'm not nuts about him as OC). I don't know if any of the other position coaches on the offensive side of things are anything special. Outside of Maye, has this staff developed a WR who can get any kind of separation? I realize it's a bit more complicated than simply putting that on the WR coach, but it's really maddening to me that we've recruited some sought-after WRs and to this point, none have really shown much. Granted they are young and Stills appears to be someone who could really develop, so maybe my concerns are overblown.

On the defensive side of things, things are better, but I believe there are times when the staff is still in a MAC mind-set and doesn't realize that in the B1G, offenses are going to be able counter-punch a lot more effectively than they do in the MAC.

Lastly, I know the injuries can't be laid on the training staff, but for all we heard about Eric Klein, I'm not seeing the "bigger, stronger, faster" that was advertised, especially on the offensive and defensive lines.

So, I'm all for Claeys, but hopefully he was the cojones to make tough decisions if they are warranted.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Kill's initial contract was for 1.2 plus incentives. I don't see how this is "lowball" for a largely unproven head coach. They can negotiate it but neither side has great bargaining power. As others have said it is likely Claeyes and Sawvel receive offers as coordinators or perhaps HC at lower profile programs but I suspect they'd rather stay and continue to build here.
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Agreed. Kill was scheduled to receive $2.5mil this year. Do people expect that Claeys will demand something close to this considering he's a career assistant with sporadic head coaching experience? If people believe Claeys should essentially take over Kill's contract, they're kidding themselves.
 



A thought has been circulating my mind. We're all assuming the staff wants to stay together under Claeys. That's not necessarily true. Maybe they'd drive through a wall for Kill, but don't care you work for Claeys. Maybe Limey feels like he should have been given the job. So I'd make sure, if I was the U, that the continuity they want to preserve is really there.
 

Sparlimb said:
A thought has been circulating my mind. We're all assuming the staff wants to stay together under Claeys. That's not necessarily true. Maybe they'd drive through a wall for Kill, but don't care you work for Claeys. Maybe Limey feels like he should have been given the job. So I'd make sure, if I was the U, that the continuity they want to preserve is really there.
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And I guess my point is "Is continuity the paramount goal?" Are these position coaches the best we can do? That's a rhetorical question because I don't honestly know. After the assistant coaching carousel we experienced under Mason and Brewster, the stability is refreshing, but in any enterprise, stability is only valuable to the extent it is tied to success.
 

Sparlimb said:
A thought has been circulating my mind. We're all assuming the staff wants to stay together under Claeys. That's not necessarily true. Maybe they'd drive through a wall for Kill, but don't care you work for Claeys. Maybe Limey feels like he should have been given the job. So I'd make sure, if I was the U, that the continuity they want to preserve is really there.
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That hypothetical is unlikely, but anything's possible.
 

Sparlimb said:
I bet less than 1% of the traffic on this site are the person's you describe. The casual fan doesn't post here with passion. What I do like in your argument is your unwavering belief you are better than these posters and clearly more intelligent. I'm thankful to know we have you policing these public forums letting the unlearned know they aren't welcome.
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Well considering many on here think I offer no value, I humbly accept your compliments.
 



MNGoldenGophers1 said:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If we hire TC or anyone else, it should be structured as a LONG TERM hire. It should not be an experiment with a cheap salary and easy buyout. If TC is the guy, then make him the guy and let the coaching staff, recruits, fans, etc. know who we are and where we are going. If we structure it as a short term deal, the recruits, coaching staff and fans will see through it and react accordingly. Let's do this right!
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Hire Claeys now as permanent head coach. If the U is certain Claeys is their guy, they should give him their vote of confidence now with a contract that is favorable to the U and with clauses for renegotiation. The new AD won't be in place until next Spring. The new AD can terminate Claeys if he is failing to meet certain standards down the road.
 

So Alabama is losing recruits to the Gophers if only they keep Claeys, right? That's how it sounds from the Claeys perspective. You can claim you need a permanent HC for recruiting, but so can about 10 other teams that have had coaching changes already. Really not much leverage on Claeys' end, but he's trying the best he can to leverage a weak track record into a long-term job. I don't see much reason to justify hiring Claeys permanently. When you have an old school, slow tempo offense in a sport that opposing offenses keep getting faster and more wide-open, and you aren't winning a lot of games, I don't think you're headed in the right direction.
 

Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0 said:
Agreed. Kill was scheduled to receive $2.5mil this year. Do people expect that Claeys will demand something close to this considering he's a career assistant with sporadic head coaching experience? If people believe Claeys should essentially take over Kill's contract, they're kidding themselves.
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I would think they could find common ground where it is beneficial to both Claeys and the administration. If you go with a new staff there is going to be some starting over happening, if he expects to get $2.5 mil then start a coaching search immediately, if he is okay with $1.2mil guarantee one year and a modest buyout after that and sign him to a five year contract. Renegotiation of contracts is pretty common, if he is successful you can always upgrade the salary and the buyout clause.
 

Give Claeys 3 years after this one, at ~$1.8-2million a season. He's not reinventing the wheel, Kill laid a great foundation in terms of talent and he has his whole staff back.

If Claeys can't win with the schedule we have coming up, all the staff continuity, and the system, then he's not the right guy to lead the team.

3 years is the perfect amount of time to reevaluate, the athletics village will be built by then as well so we won't be as behind the arms race.
 

beatles said:
I'm not a Limegrover fan either but Leidner is finally starting to look more in control of the passing game than he ever has. Do we really want to make him learn a new playbook now?
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While I'd be happy to see Limey replaced, that is not a bad point. Maybe the AD offers TC the job with the caveat that Limey gets one more year to prove he is worth keeping.
 

Donovan said:
While I'd be happy to see Limey replaced, that is not a bad point. Maybe the AD offers TC the job with the caveat that Limey gets one more year to prove he is worth keeping.
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1st NYD bowl game in 50 yrs and you think Limegrover is at fault for...not winning the national championship?
 

wait!what? said:
1st NYD bowl game in 50 yrs and you think Limegrover is at fault for...not winning the national championship?
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I don't fully understand what he's doing sometimes, but I don't see Limegrover's gameplans as being that big an issue. I think the playbook has been opened up a bit more since Kill stepped down, so Kill may have been the guy stressing laufen uber alles (don't know if I have my German right). I have said several times that I'm more concerned about Limegrover's capabilities as an offensive line coach.
 

I'm hearing TC is getting a two year deal. A lets see how its goes approach without an AD named. I'm not saying how I know. Also, its not the deal I would prefer, just what I'm hearing.
 

sbanyai said:
I'm hearing TC is getting a two year deal. A lets see how its goes approach without an AD named. I'm not saying how I know. Also, its not the deal I would prefer, just what I'm hearing.
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Thanks for the insight.

It's kind of an unfortunately perfect storm and those always seem to land on our athletic department. The whole AD mess really complicates things.
 

I like what I have seen in the two weeks. I have seen more continuity from offense than prior weeks...K J Maye is a spark and great competitor. Mitch is making better decisions. The pick 6 was inevitable down there. The D...what is there to say - our star for sure. To have MI, OSU and a hot IOWA after Kill resigns is tough for any team. The Special Teams needs work but I say we have seen FIGHT out of these "Jerryless" Gophers and a 2 year deal seems fine to me for TC. Lock those commits in and use a much weaker '16 schedule to get to Indy next year!!!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 

Glad to hear there is some movement. My choice would be at least three years.
 

sbanyai said:
I'm hearing TC is getting a two year deal. A lets see how its goes approach without an AD named. I'm not saying how I know. Also, its not the deal I would prefer, just what I'm hearing.
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Not trying to shoot the messenger, appreciate, but that's a terrible deal for stability and recruiting. There's no way for the class of 17 that Claeys or even this class that Claeys can walk into a kids living room and promise he will be there for the four years that their son is on the field
 

bemidjigopher said:
Not trying to shoot the messenger, appreciate, but that's a terrible deal for stability and recruiting. There's no way for the class of 17 that Claeys or even this class that Claeys can walk into a kids living room and promise he will be there for the four years that their son is on the field
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I agree, I'd like to see a 4 year deal. However it will all be a nonissue when we win the Big Ten West in 2016.
 


the atmosphere has definitely changed the last few weeks -- for the better! In the beginning of the year, we barely scraped by smaller schools that we should have pounded, very disheartening, now it seems we can play with the big boys and have a shot at screwing iowa and taking back the axe for the first time in 11 years
 

wait!what? said:
1st NYD bowl game in 50 yrs and you think Limegrover is at fault for...not winning the national championship?
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The whole 1st NYD Bowl Game is a red herring. Technically true, but we a better claim to those bowls twice under Mason. So while it was the first NYD bowl, it wasn't any better of a season that we've had twice already the last 15 years.
 

bemidjigopher said:
Not trying to shoot the messenger, appreciate, but that's a terrible deal for stability and recruiting. There's no way for the class of 17 that Claeys or even this class that Claeys can walk into a kids living room and promise he will be there for the four years that their son is on the field
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A two year deal is a terrible idea. So coming from our athletic department it makes perfect sense.
 

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