P.J. Fleck believes Minnesota will have one of the top offensive lines in the B1G

[Spoofin]

Those who think PJ is only about PJ will choose to find a negative motive in everything he says. It is unfortunate because what they are missing is a really positive coach <b>who is already talking potential championships in year 3. Compare that to say Kill who flat out said it would take at least 6 years to be competitive.</b>

Not sure talking about a championship sooner is better. Brewster talked about it in year one.


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[short ornery norwegian]

If you think Fleck is the only coach who tries to frame things to make himself and his staff look better you are not paying attention. Nearly all coaches do this, all the time. Fleck is a good story teller and he knows how to work the media which is why we get significantly more attention with him as head coach then we did under any of the previous regimes.

Those who think PJ is only about PJ will choose to find a negative motive in everything he says. It is unfortunate because what they are missing is a really positive coach who is already talking potential championships in year 3. Compare that to say Kill who flat out said it would take at least 6 years to be competitive.

It's all in how you say it. Fleck could - if he chose - go with "our depth is much better than it was just a year or two ago." Instead, he keeps going back to 'only 4 healthy linemen.' that is a choice. he is choosing to emphasize that point for some reason. Just like he chooses to keep throwing out "one of the youngest teams in the country."

hey, he can say whatever he wants to say. I just wish he'd come up with some new material. He needs better writers.

 

[GoGoGopher12]

If you think Fleck is the only coach who tries to frame things to make himself and his staff look better you are not paying attention. Nearly all coaches do this, all the time. Fleck is a good story teller and he knows how to work the media which is why we get significantly more attention with him as head coach then we did under any of the previous regimes.

Those who think PJ is only about PJ will choose to find a negative motive in everything he says. It is unfortunate because what they are missing is a really positive coach who is already talking potential championships in year 3. Compare that to say Kill who flat out said it would take at least 6 years to be competitive.

+100. Some folks are just so butt hurt from having their hopes and dreams dashed for so many seasons, they simply can't trust anything that is positive. I'm not sure if anything will ever change that mindset which is a sad life to live.

 

[MNVCGUY]

+100. Some folks are just so butt hurt from having their hopes and dreams dashed for so many seasons, they simply can't trust anything that is positive. I'm not sure if anything will ever change that mindset which is a sad life to live.

Believe me, I know I am setting myself up for disappointment by going all in with what I see from Fleck. But I spent 15 years in close proximity to the program and what is going on right now is different. Could end up being totally wrong and it could all come crashing down eventually the way it has so many times in the past but I just have this feeling that Fleck has something working here in a way that it has not for a long time.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

+100. Some folks are just so butt hurt from having their hopes and dreams dashed for so many seasons, they simply can't trust anything that is positive. I'm not sure if anything will ever change that mindset which is a sad life to live.

Yeah, some of these naysayers couldn't even get excited when we had our highest win total since 2003. Must be rough for them being that pessimistic.

 

[Gophers_4life]

Believe me, I know I am setting myself up for disappointment by going all in with what I see from Fleck. But I spent 15 years in close proximity to the program and what is going on right now is different. Could end up being totally wrong and it could all come crashing down eventually the way it has so many times in the past but I just have this feeling that Fleck has something working here in a way that it has not for a long time.

I don’t want to go down the waste of time rabbit hole about arguing which way of “doing things” is best. I don’t. But I do want to say that right now and in the recent past, has been the best possible conditions for a head football coach to succeed here, regardless which way he prefers to do things. There are institutional & facility fundamentals that need to be strong, no matter what.

 

[AndroidNimh]

I'm not worried about LT.

It'll come down to Dickson or Blaise.

Dickson is an unknown, but if he's good, he will likely start at LT and Blaise will stay inside.
If he isn't ready, Blaise can move over to LT and I don't have concern about that switch.

any talk of moving faalele to LT?

 

[MNVCGUY]

I don’t want to go down the waste of time rabbit hole about arguing which way of “doing things” is best. I don’t. But I do want to say that right now and in the recent past, has been the best possible conditions for a head football coach to succeed here, regardless which way he prefers to do things. There are institutional & facility fundamentals that need to be strong, no matter what.

Totally agree, we finally have an administration that is willing to support football more heavily. Not at the helmet school level but definitely way more then we have in the past.

In addition to the Athlete's Villiage, the Fleck hire was the best proof of all of this new commitment. Brewster was an unknown who was hired on the cheap, Kill was an established coach but still a relative unknown who we had to settle on after all the main targets said no. Fleck was the "hot" name in coaching, we targeted him and landed him.

 

[#2Gopher]

Not sure talking about a championship sooner is better. Brewster talked about it in year one.


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Brewster also talked national championship in short order as well. Can't quite remember what he was saying. 5 years?

 

[highwayman]

+100. Some folks are just so butt hurt from having their hopes and dreams dashed for so many seasons, they simply can't trust anything that is positive. I'm not sure if anything will ever change that mindset which is a sad life to live.

That's Minnesota "nice" in a nutshell. Its really Minnesota "Passive-aggressive". Minnesotans hate positive leaders, Hubert Humphrey being the exception.

They prefer dour leaders that set no real goals or expectations. Misery loves company. Jump abroad. Its safer.

I'd rather just go for it. I have high expectations every season and every week. Its not safe, but I love it. I haven't been this excited about the football team's potential for 15 years. Can't wait for the season to start.

 

[Spoofin]

That's Minnesota "nice" in a nutshell. Its really Minnesota "Passive-aggressive". Minnesotans hate positive leaders, Hubert Humphrey being the exception.

They prefer dour leaders that set no real goals or expectations. Misery loves company. Jump abroad. Its safer.

I'd rather just go for it. I have high expectations every season and every week. Its not safe, but I love it. I haven't been this excited about the football team's potential for 15 years. Can't wait for the season to start.

Such a trailblazer.


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[Gold Rush]

Feels like forever since we had great line play on either side... really would like that.

Me too!! I liked Mason's run blocking schemes he had - they could block ANY team;s best defense. Remember there were a couple teams that flew people up here including Auburn to talk with coaches and see what made it work so well.

This offensive line is very different - it has great size and should be able to move the pile just with its sheer mass. I am really looking forward to seeing it in action!

 

[RememberMurray]

Me too!! I liked Mason's run blocking schemes he had - they could block ANY team;s best defense. Remember there were a couple teams that flew people up here including Auburn to talk with coaches and see what made it work so well.

This offensive line is very different - it has great size and should be able to move the pile just with its sheer mass. I am really looking forward to seeing it in action!

... A big, strong offensive line.

... At running back: a battering ram (Ibrahim), a youngster who has flashed real potential (Williams), and two proven B1G veterans (Smith and Brooks).

... A 240 lb. wildcat QB who loves to play physical football.

This team will be a pounding, dominating force. They will wear their opponents down.

And, after softening up the demoralized opposition, there will be prime opportunities for a passing game run by two QBs with starting experience. Both have proved they can run the offense well; they will make good use of a fine stable of very talented WRs.

We saw exactly what our future will look like in the Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech games last season.

 

[BulldogGopher]

It's all in how you say it. Fleck could - if he chose - go with "our depth is much better than it was just a year or two ago." Instead, he keeps going back to 'only 4 healthy linemen.' that is a choice. he is choosing to emphasize that point for some reason. Just like he chooses to keep throwing out "one of the youngest teams in the country."

hey, he can say whatever he wants to say. I just wish he'd come up with some new material. He needs better writers.

This is what I don't like about the offseason. We don't have tangible on-field results to discuss, so instead, people sit on here and bicker about what Fleck says in interviews, or even more so, the way he says it. Why do people care so much? Besides, what he's saying about the OL is true. There were only four healthy OL his first spring here. Now, two years later, I think most would agree our talent and depth on the OL far exceeds what it was in 2017. I think you could say the same thing about a lot of our our other position groups, too.

Yes a lot of what Fleck says is redundant. Most Gopherholers are more than casual fans so we probably notice it more than others, but keep in mind there are a lot of casual fans out there that likely go looking for Gopher football news no more than a handful of times during the offseason. So in that respect it makes sense to repeat common themes. No games are being played right now so there really isn't a ton of new stuff for him to talk about each week on the Sports Huddle. The main news throughout the offseason is recruiting-related, and he can't talk about that. For these reasons I would bet a lot of coaches out there are repeating themselves in interviews throughout the offseason.

At least he isn't saying stupid crap to alienate fans the way Bo Pelini did at Nebraska.

 

[BulldogGopher]

... A big, strong offensive line.

... At running back: a battering ram (Ibrahim), a youngster who has flashed real potential (Williams), and two proven B1G veterans (Smith and Brooks).

... A 240 lb. wildcat QB who loves to play physical football.

This team will be a pounding, dominating force. They will wear their opponents down.

And, after softening up the demoralized opposition, there will be prime opportunities for a passing game run by two QBs with starting experience. Both have proved they can run the offense well; they will make good use of a fine stable of very talented WRs.

We saw exactly what our future will look like in the Purdue, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech games last season.

You're exactly right. We've got legitimate B1G talent in both the running and passing game. Both will help each other out and keep defenses honest. I can't wait to see what our offense can do this year.

 

[Schnauzer]

It is going to be soooo much fun to see what the O line can accomplish this season. The thought of additional Freshmen capable of stepping in and playing right away adds depth. O-Line: Deep, young, but experienced too. RB: very deep with biggest problem being how to spread the ball around. Receiving: Deep, young, but experienced too. TE: Should be fine. That leaves the annual QB question mark. But instead of the usual question of "Do the Gophers have a guy that can play?" The question will be, "Which of the two serviceable sophomores might step up and reach a new level?" It all bodes well for what should be the best offense we have seen in a while, and maybe ever for the Gophers in TCF Bank Stadium.

Fun fact: 21 of the 76 posts so far in this thread are from the same two people that fill every thread with their arguments, counter points, jabs. Its almost as if there is a contest to see who can post the most.

 

[John Galt]

It is going to be soooo much fun to see what the O line can accomplish this season. The thought of additional Freshmen capable of stepping in and playing right away adds depth. O-Line: Deep, young, but experienced too. RB: very deep with biggest problem being how to spread the ball around. Receiving: Deep, young, but experienced too. TE: Should be fine. That leaves the annual QB question mark. But instead of the usual question of "Do the Gophers have a guy that can play?" The question will be, "Which of the two serviceable sophomores might step up and reach a new level?" It all bodes well for what should be the best offense we have seen in a while, and maybe ever for the Gophers in TCF Bank Stadium.

Fun fact: 21 of the 76 posts so far in this thread are from the same two people that fill every thread with their arguments, counter points, jabs. Its almost as if there is a contest to see who can post the most.

Everyone keeps saying our o-line is deep, which I disagree with. I think our starters are as talented as any we've seen in a while. But the back-ups are all young and untested.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Everyone keeps saying our o-line is deep, which I disagree with. I think our starters are as talented as any we've seen in a while. But the back-ups are all young and untested.

Yeah I'm hopeful, but I've not seen a lot of reason to be so sure about depth and injuries happen.

 

[Goldteam]

This offensive line will have arrived when it is ripping off 40 and 50 yard runs against the big boys. We tend to bog down against tough opponents on the ground.

 

[Pompous Elitist]

It is going to be soooo much fun to see what the O line can accomplish this season. The thought of additional Freshmen capable of stepping in and playing right away adds depth. O-Line: Deep, young, but experienced too. RB: very deep with biggest problem being how to spread the ball around. Receiving: Deep, young, but experienced too. TE: Should be fine. That leaves the annual QB question mark. But instead of the usual question of "Do the Gophers have a guy that can play?" The question will be, "Which of the two serviceable sophomores might step up and reach a new level?" It all bodes well for what should be the best offense we have seen in a while, and maybe ever for the Gophers in TCF Bank Stadium.

Fun fact: 21 of the 76 posts so far in this thread are from the same two people that fill every thread with their arguments, counter points, jabs. Its almost as if there is a contest to see who can post the most.

That is literally what a “forum” is for. Discussion, argument, point/counterpoint. Like all forums, this place would be insufferably boring and bereft of interesting content without all the characters sharpening each other. I’m going to counter your statement above with a rear end statistic of 70% of the posts consist of knee jerk defenses of occasional dumb/irrelevant things the coach says, or occasional questionable coaching decisions, or personnel decisions. Some of us value more precision and/or maybe “read into” why coach brings things up, others don’t. Sometimes arguments require more than a Twitter-length thought to flesh things out. It’s true - sometimes we could just hold our fire. I’m guilty. But, I can sure you with 100% certainty we’re not going to hurt PJ’s feelings.

Getting back to the point of the thread I agree this could be a breakthrough year for the offense. Things seem ripe for success assuming a few guys pan out on the line and nothing bad and/or stupid happens at QB.

 

[Schnauzer]

That is literally what a “forum” is for. Discussion, argument, point/counterpoint. Like all forums, this place would be insufferably boring and bereft of interesting content without all the characters sharpening each other. I’m going to counter your statement above with a rear end statistic of 70% of the posts consist of knee jerk defenses of occasional dumb/irrelevant things the coach says, or occasional questionable coaching decisions, or personnel decisions. Some of us value more precision and/or maybe “read into” why coach brings things up, others don’t. Sometimes arguments require more than a Twitter-length thought to flesh things out. It’s true - sometimes we could just hold our fire. I’m guilty. But, I can sure you with 100% certainty we’re not going to hurt PJ’s feelings.

Nice job using the bold print to explain what the forum is for. Unfortunatley it appears my point sailed over your head. If you had started four words earlier with your bold print, you would have actually got my point. But, thanks for the lesson anyway.

It is like saying "The Titanic had a wonderful maiden voyage until it sunk."

 

[Pompous Elitist]

Nice job using the bold print to explain what the forum is for. Unfortunatley it appears my point sailed over your head. If you had started four words earlier with your bold print, you would have actually got my point. But, thanks for the lesson anyway.

It is like saying "The Titanic had a wonderful maiden voyage until it sunk."

If you were a moderater you’d use your ban hammer. I think I understand your opinion, even if I don’t agree with it.

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

That is literally what a “forum” is for. Discussion, argument, point/counterpoint. Like all forums, this place would be insufferably boring and bereft of interesting content without all the characters sharpening each other. I’m going to counter your statement above with a rear end statistic of 70% of the posts consist of knee jerk defenses of occasional dumb/irrelevant things the coach says, or occasional questionable coaching decisions, or personnel decisions. Some of us value more precision and/or maybe “read into” why coach brings things up, others don’t. Sometimes arguments require more than a Twitter-length thought to flesh things out. It’s true - sometimes we could just hold our fire. I’m guilty. But, I can sure you with 100% certainty we’re not going to hurt PJ’s feelings.

Getting back to the point of the thread I agree this could be a breakthrough year for the offense. Things seem ripe for success assuming a few guys pan out on the line and nothing bad and/or stupid happens at QB.

Some folks engage in constructive debate. Some other morons (Gophers_4Life for example) are simply "last word" people who just will not allow another opinion to be considered above theirs. If I just keep responding and responding and responding, I will get the last word and therefore I am correct. There is a slight difference.

 

[Schnauzer]

Some folks engage in constructive debate. Some other morons (Gophers_4Life for example) are simply "last word" people who just will not allow another opinion to be considered above theirs. If I just keep responding and responding and responding, I will get the last word and therefore I am correct. There is a slight difference.

Hammer hits nail right on the head...

 

[Spoofin]

Hammer hits nail right on the head...

Your post count on this thread (3 of the last 9) is climbing fast.


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[RememberMurray]

Everyone keeps saying our o-line is deep, which I disagree with. I think our starters are as talented as any we've seen in a while. But the back-ups are all young and untested.

True enough. But how many teams have a full stable of veterans as backups on the O-line? I'm not baiting you; I genuinely don't know the answer.

 

[Some guy]

You must have some control over NET, huh?

Saying something is a bad metric is not the same thing as letting it consume my life.
I’m just sad the gophers got put in the tourney when a great team like penn state was left out.

 

[dpodoll68]

Saying something is a bad metric is not the same thing as letting it consume my life.
I’m just sad the gophers got put in the tourney when a great team like penn state was left out.

No one said anything about anything consuming someone's life. You said, in reference to Fleck's words, "I know I can’t control it so I don’t let it bother me." NET quite clearly bothers you, as evidenced by the 80 posts you've made about it on the basketball board. So the two options are that you have some control over NET or that you're full of BS and should take some of your own medicine.

 

[Pete smith]

Yeah I'm hopeful, but I've not seen a lot of reason to be so sure about depth and injuries happen.

Unfortunately we didn’t recruit the 6’8” 360 OT from IMG or his 6’5” 300 OT partner from IMG. Would have helped the depth factor. Both went to Alabama. I was really hoping we would have a real presence at IMG. To many great football players go through that academy. Come on PJ, assign one recruiter to that part of Florida.

 

[Some guy]

No one said anything about anything consuming someone's life. You said, in reference to Fleck's words, "I know I can’t control it so I don’t let it bother me." NET quite clearly bothers you, as evidenced by the 80 posts you've made about it on the basketball board. So the two options are that you have some control over NET or that you're full of BS and should take some of your own medicine.

Lol