Massive fan exodus and mutiny

[Atl Gopher]

Massive fan exodus and mutiny

How do we prevent this because you have to believe it is getting close? How much more of this will we take? We have just added one of the best football programs in the nation to the Big Ten. It is not getting easier out there for us. As bad as this seems now it could get worse.

1.A kill shot hire will generate some short-term positive energy. It should take 2 to 3 years to see some results and we will have patience but much beyond that, I don't know. At least we need to see development. We don't have to win championships in 2 to 3 years but we will have to show progress and potential.

2.Reach out to the alumni if we need financial support for this kill shot hire. We may not have a billionaire supporter but there are many thousands of U grads that have done well enough to help to some degree if approached properly. I for one started attending the U in 1969 and the U helped to give me the tools to become a winner. It would be nice to see a winner at TCF in my life time.

3.A good hire will not do at this point. I think that most of us believed that Brew was a good hire and look what happened. A good hire hire will have to show results much faster. Another 1-11 start and we will start seeing a packed TCF stadium. Unfortunately, it will be packed with the visiting teams' fans just like the Metro Dome.

4.We need to hire a publicist for the new coach so he avoids Brew-like errors with his big mouth or Mason-like errors with his failure to win over the local press and the high school coaches.

5.With the definition of insanity being we keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results, it would be a big boost to fan morale to see a different QB next week. I hope that the next pass that I see Weber throw will be in the NFL. He is a great kid and a great representative of the U, but we have screwed him up so much with the umpteen OC's, etc. that it is and has been for a long time, time for the next man up no matter what the results.

My concern is that none of these things will happen. We have an interim coach but we also have a lame duck AD and school president, since both are on their way out. There will be no accountability for anything they do going forward because they will be vacationing in some tropical paradise. Gentlemen, prove me wrong please. Start with this week at the QB position and then get us a coach.

 

[Too Long in the Wasteland]

Massive fan exodus and mutiny

How do we prevent this because you have to believe it is getting close? How much more of this will we take? We have just added one of the best football programs in the nation to the Big Ten. It is not getting easier out there for us. As bad as this seems now it could get worse.

1.A kill shot hire will generate some short-term positive energy. It should take 2 to 3 years to see some results and we will have patience but much beyond that, I don't know. At least we need to see development. We don't have to win championships in 2 to 3 years but we will have to show progress and potential.

Good point. We really need a coach with instant credibility a la Tubby. You're right on the 2-3 grace period. And it'll take every minute of that to clean up the mess Brewster left. After watching the product on the field last night I don't see how Knute Rockne could coach this bunch to anything better than 4-8 next year.

2.Reach out to the alumni if we need financial support for this kill shot hire. We may not have a billionaire supporter but there are many thousands of U grads that have done well enough to help to some degree if approached properly. I for one started attending the U in 1969 and the U helped to give me the tools to become a winner. It would be nice to see a winner at TCF in my life time.

I started attending the U a decade after you, and I wonder the same thing. I'd like to make it to Pasadena before I go into a nursing home

3.A good hire will not do at this point. I think that most of us believed that Brew was a good hire and look what happened. A good hire hire will have to show results much faster. Another 1-11 start and we will start seeing a packed TCF stadium. Unfortunately, it will be packed with the visiting teams' fans just like the Metro Dome.

Ditto my earlier comment. We need a home run hire (not freakin' Trestman!). You think the stadium will be an embarrassment of visiting fans in 4 weeks. Wait till the first time big Red rolls into town.

4.We need to hire a publicist for the new coach so he avoids Brew-like errors with his big mouth or Mason-like errors with his failure to win over the local press and the high school coaches.

Maybe the Dave Mona hire could help here? Public relations and marketing have always been a joke here. They could assign sports marketing as a class project at the Carlson school and get better results.

5.With the definition of insanity being we keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results, it would be a big boost to fan morale to see a different QB next week. I hope that the next pass that I see Weber throw will be in the NFL. He is a great kid and a great representative of the U, but we have screwed him up so much with the umpteen OC's, etc. that it is and has been for a long time, time for the next man up no matter what the results.

I agree. Judging by the comments in my section (#105) last night, the fans are sick&tired of watching Weber throw passes at people's feet. Its unfair to Weber, who's trying as hard as he can, but he has become a negative lightning rod every bit as much as Brewster was 3-4 weeks ago. He needs to be sat down just to end the negativity. And let Gray (or Alipate) show what they can do. If nothing else you're showcasing them for whomever the next coach is. As a side note, if I was a finalist for the Gopher job, I'd already be scouring the prep schools to identiy a JUCO QB to bring in for next year.

My concern is that none of these things will happen. We have an interim coach but we also have a lame duck AD and school president, since both are on their way out. There will be no accountability for anything they do going forward because they will be vacationing in some tropical paradise. Gentlemen, prove me wrong please. Start with this week at the QB position and then get us a coach.

I do agree with your last statement. I think it will take a "Thou Shalt..." from JM or BB to force Horton to bench Weber. I'm ambivalent about Maturi, but I really do think that Bruininks wants to leave a positive legacy regarding the football program. He's largely responsible for making TCF a reality, but he needs to have his fingerprints on the next coach being the right guy.

 

[mplsbadger]

I agree with most of what you said. My bigest concern right now is that if the hire doesn't generate enough excitement, renewals will be way down.

 

[1983]

Massive fan exodus and mutiny

How do we prevent this because you have to believe it is getting close? How much more of this will we take? We have just added one of the best football programs in the nation to the Big Ten. It is not getting easier out there for us. As bad as this seems now it could get worse.

1.A kill shot hire will generate some short-term positive energy. It should take 2 to 3 years to see some results and we will have patience but much beyond that, I don't know. At least we need to see development. We don't have to win championships in 2 to 3 years but we will have to show progress and potential.

2.Reach out to the alumni if we need financial support for this kill shot hire. We may not have a billionaire supporter but there are many thousands of U grads that have done well enough to help to some degree if approached properly. I for one started attending the U in 1969 and the U helped to give me the tools to become a winner. It would be nice to see a winner at TCF in my life time.

3.A good hire will not do at this point. I think that most of us believed that Brew was a good hire and look what happened. A good hire hire will have to show results much faster. Another 1-11 start and we will start seeing a packed TCF stadium. Unfortunately, it will be packed with the visiting teams' fans just like the Metro Dome.

4.We need to hire a publicist for the new coach so he avoids Brew-like errors with his big mouth or Mason-like errors with his failure to win over the local press and the high school coaches.

5.With the definition of insanity being we keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results, it would be a big boost to fan morale to see a different QB next week. I hope that the next pass that I see Weber throw will be in the NFL. He is a great kid and a great representative of the U, but we have screwed him up so much with the umpteen OC's, etc. that it is and has been for a long time, time for the next man up no matter what the results.

My concern is that none of these things will happen. We have an interim coach but we also have a lame duck AD and school president, since both are on their way out. There will be no accountability for anything they do going forward because they will be vacationing in some tropical paradise. Gentlemen, prove me wrong please. Start with this week at the QB position and then get us a coach.

1. correct, the key to potential rescue of the sunk ship.

2. the Alumni from this university have been for the most part, no where to be found in regards to athletics. There have been some who have done a lot and given a lot. Sitting on the hands is very popular with Minnesota Alumni. Dave Mona has been brought in to help solve this problem.

3. Go back to #1. We may have such a poor reputation at this point that only a good hire will be the best we can do.

4. If you need a publicist for your head coach, you hired the wrong guy.

5. Nothing will change and at this point, it really can't. Weber will take the last snap of the season. Its really the last thing we should be worried about.

Even if we hire what people think is the best coach in America, its no guarantee and if we don't get on his band wagon from DAY 1, shame on all of us.

 

[RodentRampage]

Most of the candidates seem pretty good. I think a new hire is going to breathe new life into the fan base.

 

[axe2grind]

I hope there is a coach that will turn our program around instantly like Tubby, but recruiting for basketball and filling out a football team are quite different. Let's be realistic the U is not going to get the star recruits right away, especially with our current one to three year outlook. We need a coach to establish a system and keep to that system for some time. I think there will need to be a commitment by the fans and administration to stomach mediocrity for awhile until we are able to take the next step of getting the star recruits that will fit within our system and take us to the next level. Again, this will all stem from our next coach being able to coach the recruits into top notch Big Ten players.

I hope I'm wrong, but I think there is a lot of foundation building football-wise that will need to happen before we are even thinking about a Rose Bowl. I just haven't seen the talent on the field. Some of this may be Brewster failing to turn the talent into a competitive team, however, one would think we should see some diamonds in the rough as the season has progressed. I can't believe that since I became a Gopher in 1996, I have seen two Gophers wins against the Badgers. So I'm already prepared for a long wait for us to become a winner.

 

[gophermartin]

From the other thread.....does the name Fulmer do it for ya? I didn't think so.

 

[RodentRampage]

Football is much harder to turn around instantly than is basketball. In basketball, if you get 5 good players, you can be a good team, even if the bench is thin, Threads like this indicate why we need to not wait too long after the season ends to hire a new coach. All the despair ends when we get a new coach. When Lou Holtz was hired, the football program was in a ditch at least as deep as this one. But Holtz' hiring revived interest in Gophers football fast. I believe that most of the names we are considering will restore faith and interest in the Gophers. We don't have to get back to a bowl game right away, a new coach will have enough of a honeymoon for that. But we do need a coach who has a firm idea of what he wants to accomplish, and how he wants to accomplish it.

 

[ruralgopher]

You guys are all being too dramatic. You know the 'old people' and 'Blue Hairs' that people around here love to bitch about? They will continue to support the program and keep it afloat like they have for the last 40 years while the majority of young people piss and moan about them.

 

[Section2]

Step 1, play a QB other than Weber for 1 snap per game minimum.

 

[Goldmember]

I agree with most of what you said. My bigest concern right now is that if the hire doesn't generate enough excitement, renewals will be way down.

There is a long history of new HC hires throughout the country. The data shows that a new HC has a positive effect on ticket sales, regardless of who the person is. Look at what Brewster did for excitement and ticket sales, despite that it was fairly obvious he was unlikely to improve the situation at the U. Nonetheless, people bought tickets.

Also, even if the new HC turns out being a "last-in-line" type of hire (like Marc Trestman), who on earth would not renew their tickets with this schedule:

New Mexico State
Miami (Ohio)
North Dakota State
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Illinois

TCF may only be 2/3 full for some games and full of rival fans for others. But the stadium should certainly sell-out with season tickets again.

The fallout could come in a big way in 2012 if the U brings in a guy who can't win a significant game or two in Year 1.

 

[RodentRampage]

Word of the Day: Interregnum, a period of discontinuity in a government, organization, or social order. In modern times, when a king dies, the successor is known with certainty. It wasn't always like that, however. There could be a lot of uncertainty and turmoil until the new king was crowned.

That's what we are in, an interregnum. It is unpleasant time of uncertainty. But Brewster was fired to reduce the uncertainty: at least we know for certain that there will be a new coach next year. Did anyone really think that firing Brewster in mid-season was going to cause the team to play better for the rest of the season? It's like turning a ocean liner, it doesn't turn around quickly.

The names we are looking at are not long shot names, they are not names where we cross our fingers and hope. We are looking at some solid coaches. Yes, the team is in bad shape, but the situation is not as dire as some feel that it is. We will have a new coach soon, and attitudes will turn around fast.