Well, one option would be to say, "Let me tell ya, we're losing five really good players up front (including Kieft), but we still have older, talented players and I think this year we could be just as good." Nice to both units, no promises, optimistic. But he didn't.
As a 50-year Gopher fan, I'm used to cycles, where we finally have a good year with a lot of veterans, then they run out of eligibility and we're crap the next season. But it doesn't have to be that way. Those five guys are being replaced by others who are 20, 21, 22 years old. Maybe they CAN be better this year.