Nelson on with Reusse

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TCF=UnitedWeStand

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Apparently he was just on, but I missed the interview. Did anybody catch it?

I don't want to get into the UNC debate again, but I wonder if Reusse repeated what he said on the air the day the UNC series cancellation was announced, "I'm now openly rooting AGAINST UMN football!"
 

I was meaning to catch that and totally forgot. If anyone heard it and would post a summary that would be great. I don't really want to search through the podcasts.
 

TCF=UnitedWeStand said:
"I'm now openly rooting AGAINST UMN football!"
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Did he seriously say this? Nice job trying to make the story about you Patty. This is reason #23,717 that I don't read you, click on your stories, or listen to you on the radio.

I'm now openly rooting for for the Strib, and 1500 radio to fail miserably.
 

I'm not exaggerating - I heard it myself and "I am now rooting AGAINST them" is verbatim.

I have respect for Reusse, I really do, but that was a comment I'll remember for a long time and exemplifies why someone in that role needs to be very careful of what they say - eventually things will get better and the same folks you're ripping are the same ones you're going to want to talk to at some point.
 

I seriously doubt he meant that.

Reusse hates that he stubbornly likes the Gophers. It's that simple.
 



Studwell55 said:
I seriously doubt he meant that.

Reusse hates that he stubbornly likes the Gophers. It's that simple.
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Trust me - at the time, he meant it. Now is it something he said in the heat of the moment (he and Mackey were on different sides of the argument, and it was actually pretty heated)? Probably. And is it something he probably realized later was a stupid thing to say? I would hope so.
 

So it would appear then that no one heard the interview? :)
 

I heard it. Nelson was well spoken but gave standard answers to most questions.(He was just getting out of a personal leadership class I believe) Had some interesting takes on the Wisconsin recruiting angle. Stated that he and his father got the impression that Chryst and Bolstad were both looking beyond their Wisconsin jobs and he could both feel it and heard from around the program. That's what he liked about the Minnesota staff the fact that they had been together so long. Ruesse and Mackey kept trying to press him about the whole being a badger fan angle. I got the distinct feeling that it was more his dad that was a fan and Nelson just liked going to the games. At the end Mackey said nice kid and there was an awkward silence then Ruesse said what they had coming up next almost like he was defiant about it which is weird because Ruesse has been pimping Nelson for two years.
 



rivergopher said:
I heard it. Nelson was well spoken but gave standard answers to most questions.(He was just getting out of a personal leadership class I believe) Had some interesting takes on the Wisconsin recruiting angle. Stated that he and his father got the impression that Chryst and Bolstad were both looking beyond their Wisconsin jobs and he could both feel it and heard from around the program. That's what he liked about the Minnesota staff the fact that they had been together so long. Ruesse and Mackey kept trying to press him about the whole being a badger fan angle. I got the distinct feeling that it was more his dad that was a fan and Nelson just liked going to the games. At the end Mackey said nice kid and there was an awkward silence then Ruesse said what they had coming up next almost like he was defiant about it which is weird because Ruesse has been pimping Nelson for two years.
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Thanks for the summary. It seems that the only things Ruesse speaks positively about when referring to the Gophers is Nelson. Was the guy at least respectful or did he through in some unneeded jabs at the program? I would hope when talking to a freshman that he was presentable.

The comments about Wisconsin coaching staff are very interesting. Goes to show what continuity will do for you. It's not something that you often find in the middle of the Big Ten as many are looking to move on to that helmet school or looking for a full time gig. It amazes me that Kill's staff is content where they are and enjoy working with each other rather than moving up in the ranks. You don't see that anymore.
 

rivergopher said:
I heard it. Nelson was well spoken but gave standard answers to most questions.(He was just getting out of a personal leadership class I believe) Had some interesting takes on the Wisconsin recruiting angle. Stated that he and his father got the impression that Chryst and Bolstad were both looking beyond their Wisconsin jobs and he could both feel it and heard from around the program. That's what he liked about the Minnesota staff the fact that they had been together so long. Ruesse and Mackey kept trying to press him about the whole being a badger fan angle. I got the distinct feeling that it was more his dad that was a fan and Nelson just liked going to the games. At the end Mackey said nice kid and there was an awkward silence then Ruesse said what they had coming up next almost like he was defiant about it which is weird because Ruesse has been pimping Nelson for two years.
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Thanks. The whole staff continuity thing is going to be interesting to watch as Kill and Co are here. Through previous stops they have remained very loyal to Kill however if they start winning at MN it will be interesting to see how they respond to more high profile offers that become available. My guess is to this point they have probably not been approached by more attractive offers since they have coached in pretty obscure locations. The coordinators may have had a few opportunities but I would be the position guys are still pretty much unknowns on the coaching landscape.

If they win at MN the coordinators will get more high profile coordinator or head coaching offers. The position coaches may receiver coordinator offers or more high profile position coaching offers. The flip side is if it looks like Kill is going to fail at MN how many of them will attempt to jump ship before he gets fired? Until now they have been on an upward trend but if Kill loses as MN he won't be able to move upward after he is fired, he may land somewhere and still bring his staff with him but it will be a downward move in pay and job. All of this is speculation of course but I am very curious to see how the staff continutity angle plays out as these caoches are being put in the prime time for the first time in their careers with the exception of Bill Miller.
 

For Ruesse it wasn't bad, but the two bozos on before them I can't stand. One in particular, Zulgad. I have been listening for a while and I appreciate that of those two he does watch the games. (Not so sure on Anderson) But any sport if it isn't high drama with many thrilling plays all he does is bitch about how ugly of a game it is. Instead of saying that it was a defensive game with 30 mile wind gusts it was ugly and hard to watch. (Does it wth any sport) I heard him state before the season started that 4-5 wins was expectations, now they exceed his expectations, and instead of saying that its nice that they get to go bowling he reverts back to the Iowa game and the fake FG. I realize that it isn't hasn't all been rosey and there are some things that need improvement, but for me I thought 4 wins and have not been sold on Kill at all. But I can admit when I am wrong and if we can beat Mich st( i think we are at 50/50) it has been a damn fine season, and I won't bitch that it was ugly.
 

rivergopher said:
For Ruesse it wasn't bad, but the two bozos on before them I can't stand. One in particular, Zulgad. I have been listening for a while and I appreciate that of those two he does watch the games. (Not so sure on Anderson) But any sport if it isn't high drama with many thrilling plays all he does is bitch about how ugly of a game it is. Instead of saying that it was a defensive game with 30 mile wind gusts it was ugly and hard to watch. (Does it wth any sport) I heard him state before the season started that 4-5 wins was expectations, now they exceed his expectations, and instead of saying that its nice that they get to go bowling he reverts back to the Iowa game and the fake FG. I realize that it isn't hasn't all been rosey and there are some things that need improvement, but for me I thought 4 wins and have not been sold on Kill at all. But I can admit when I am wrong and if we can beat Mich st( i think we are at 50/50) it has been a damn fine season, and I won't bitch that it was ugly.
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I used to be a real fan of Zulgad. He used to be on of the most level headed guys on the radio. I have noticed what you have been noticing as well, especially since Gopher season has started. He is really starting to lose any credibility when all he does is nitpick. A good radio host will balance the good with the bad, and if he can't find any good in a 6-4 Gopher team then I don't need to hear any more from him. It's a shame too because he used to be my favorite radio host.

Last week he was talking about how he didn't think we were gonna beat Illinois, but if you try to call him out on it he'll just play it off as Illinois being so terrible that the Gophers should have won.
 



Kid is beyond years in maturity. Open about Kill and staffs number 1 recruiting tool was continuity in staff.

Said they watched a lot of Harnish film in camp.

Talked in depth about Wisconsin. Above summary accurate. Talked about Chryst wanting to go to Texas and ultimately Pitt.

Discussed the value in starting in January and sitting the first 6 games. He had a chance to learn game week and watch Max and Q.

Said that Iowa was first road game in Big Ten for many and can see the improvement with each week and road game.

Ended talking about the value of 15 practices for a bowl. Multiply by number of years you miss bowl and they have missed a couple months of practice.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Thanks. The whole staff continuity thing is going to be interesting to watch as Kill and Co are here. Through previous stops they have remained very loyal to Kill however if they start winning at MN it will be interesting to see how they respond to more high profile offers that become available. My guess is to this point they have probably not been approached by more attractive offers since they have coached in pretty obscure locations. The coordinators may have had a few opportunities but I would be the position guys are still pretty much unknowns on the coaching landscape.

If they win at MN the coordinators will get more high profile coordinator or head coaching offers. The position coaches may receiver coordinator offers or more high profile position coaching offers. The flip side is if it looks like Kill is going to fail at MN how many of them will attempt to jump ship before he gets fired? Until now they have been on an upward trend but if Kill loses as MN he won't be able to move upward after he is fired, he may land somewhere and still bring his staff with him but it will be a downward move in pay and job. All of this is speculation of course but I am very curious to see how the staff continutity angle plays out as these caoches are being put in the prime time for the first time in their careers with the exception of Bill Miller.
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I don't really know anything about the assistant coaches other than Limegrover got a really high score on his ACT or SAT (might have even been a perfect ACT score. I don't recall.). I've been impressed with Claeys and I will be interested to see if he gets even more aggressive in his defensive playcalling once he gets more kids completely familiar with his system. Regardless of what one's expectations are/were, the defense has played well for the most part. There have been some problems against the run, but I love the way the defense attacks the offense as opposed to the "bend but still break" approach we've become used to as Gopher fans.
 

TCF=UnitedWeStand said:
Apparently he was just on, but I missed the interview. Did anybody catch it?

I don't want to get into the UNC debate again, but I wonder if Reusse repeated what he said on the air the day the UNC series cancellation was announced, "I'm now openly rooting AGAINST UMN football!"
Click to expand...

I heard it live. He was clearly being sarcastic.
 

CP Gopher said:
I heard it live. He was clearly being sarcastic.
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Ditto. People on here are way too thin-skinned when it comes to Reusse. He openly admits to being a Gopher football fan as a kid and talk about how great the Barn was in the '70's. Sure he takes a cheap-shot now and then. Given the amount of columns and radio/tv hours he's filled in the last 35 years, if you want to find something to be offended about, you will. But he's actually one of the more knowledgeable media members in the area. Souhan on the other hand...
 

. But he's actually one of the more knowledgeable media members in the area. Souhan on the other hand...
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Reusse can talk any sport at any level in this state and for the most part not embarrass himself. The other probably is LaPanta. Even PA has started to surround himself with knowledgeable people on the less than pro level because he know it is important to his listeners.
 

Thanks all for the summaries; I appreciate it.

As for the interpretation of Reusse's comments that I referenced from a few weeks back, it's a matter of opinion. I haven't been nearly as critical or as quick to jump on Reusse as many on here, and as I stated earlier, have a lot of respect for him, but I heard the entire segment and felt differently (and he certainly wasn't being sarcastic in calling the head coach, the AD, and the entire program a bunch of "cowards").

Anyway, 'nuff said; I won't bring it up again.

Thanks again for the summaries! Going back to the story about Nelson's committment (came to Kill's office with family to do so, I believe), he seems like a really good kid (and I loved his reactions on the TD passes during the Purdue game).

I think Kill had said at the beginning of the year that he knows there are a couple of coaches on the staff who have been head coaches previously and want to be again. I'm not going to look it up, but I think someone had said Poore, Zebrowski(sp?), and Miller had been, but not sure if that's right. Miller's head job days have to be over at this point, i'd think, right? I also remember Kill saying when he came here that he was trying to get one of the Assistants the head job at NIU. Obvious choices for who he was referring to are either Claeys or Limegrover, or perhaps both, and when neither got the job, off they came here.

I've talked to a previous head coach who knows Kill and the staff really well. This coach said he's not sure Kill has the best staff around, but the fact they've been together for so long is huge, not just as a selling point to recruits, but just how in how well the coaches themselves work together and get along. "Family" is sort of a cliche and very "coach-speak", but it's true in the sense that they can holler and scream at each other and not have to worry that doing so is going to result in somebody starting to look for a new job.

Anyway, it was a brief, but interesting conversation.
 

Tell you one area outside recruiting where the staff continuity angle is huge and this is during those days immediately after Kill has a seizure and is laid up. As a staff they have dealt with that scenario enough times that everyone knows their role and they are able to keep things moving while Jerry gets back on his feet. A staff that is not used to something like that could struggle with how to handle the situation and the team.
 


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