P.J.R.: The group that matters can handle Kill's affliction

Donate To GopherHole

Copied and pasted for your reading pleasure.

The reports were nearly unanimous in saying that Jerry Kill was "rushed'' to a hospital at halftime of the Gophers-Western Illinois game on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

That's one of my favorites: "rushed'' to a hospital, as opposed to an ambulance crew stopping at Station 19 for some wings, and at Caribou for coffees with steamed milk, and then dropping off the Gophers football coach at the hospital.

In this case, Kill actually was driven by non-emergency vehicle to the University hospitals.

This was the third game in which Kill's in-game coaching was cut short by a seizure: Near the end of a 28-21 loss to New Mexico State on Sept. 10, 2011; at halftime of a 26-10 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 24, 2012; and at halftime of the 29-12 victory over Western Illinois.

New Mexico State was the first-ever home game for Kill and his coaching staff. Several of the coaches had previously experienced Kill's seizureS, but not the players, or the Minnesota media and fans. It was a stunning experience for those parties, and it might have taken away, say, a 25 percent chance the Gophers had to get a tying touchdown in the final seconds.

I don't think Kill's absence in the second half vs. Michigan State had much to do with the complete inability of the Gophers' defense to stop Le'Veon Bell and the Spartans' running game. Bell finished the final game of the 2012 regular season with 35 carries for 266 yards.

On Saturday, the Gophers led 7-6 at halftime, fell behind 12-7 early in the third quarter, and then overwhelmed Western Illinois as should be the case against a team from the second division of Division I football.

Does the impact of Kill's in-game seizures on past results matter much?

It does when you're offering this premise: To this point, there's no evidence that Kill's epilepsy and the public seizures it has produced have had a negative impact on Minnesota's football program.

Unless: You want to count the lost 25 percent chance to beat New Mexico State two years ago this month. Once their coach went down, the Gophers were so rattled that quarterback MarQueis Gray made one of the ugliest plays of his college career (and that's saying something) and the visitors escaped with a victory.

So, if Kill had not had his seizure, his inaugural Gophers could have gone 4-8 rather than 3-9, and, man, that would have been thrilling.

Of more interest in mentioning the Gophers and New Mexico State is this: Kill's initial Gophers were such a low-talent bunch that they were capable of losing to the lowly Lobos, and two seasons later, Kill's Gophers went to Las Cruces, N.M. and romped 44-21.

That's all we really need to realize Kill and his staff have improved things considerably from the mess inherited from Timmy (Two-Times) Brewster.

How about recruiting? Maybe Kill's seizures have been used against him with some impact by rival coaches. I have no idea, but I do have a guess:

Most of those four-stars turning down Minnesota to go elsewhere are doing so based on the Gophers' 45 years in the football hinterland rather than the fact Kill's affliction has been making an annual appearance during a game.

We do have strong evidence that the players now know the drill when their head coach heads for the hospital. And if the players who are the nucleus of an improving program can handle it, that should be what matters.

--PATRICK JAMES REUSSE.
 

"We do have strong evidence that the players now know the drill when their head coach heads for the hospital. And if the players who are the nucleus of an improving program can handle it, that should be what matters."

Ridiculous. It's all about if the media and fans can handle it!
 

Those pesky Lobos... must have been the AggieVision
 

As a side note; when Souhan was on with dubay and judd he/they were talking about how the previous games that kill had the seizures it adversely affected the team in those games. Not sure if that was part of his angle.

Also: Don't they call that place Buffalo Wild Wings now? He must have been thinking about me.:rolleyes:
 


GophersInIowa said:
"We do have strong evidence that the players now know the drill when their head coach heads for the hospital. And if the players who are the nucleus of an improving program can handle it, that should be what matters."

Ridiculous. It's all about if the media and fans can handle it!
Click to expand...


This guy^!!! sacasticismfireburn!!!
 

A Reusse article I actually enjoyed? That hasn't happened in a while.
 

Call me Doubting Thomas. I simply cannot believe Patrick Reusse wrote that article.

Now granted, I only read the "cut & pasted" version (since I will never give Reusse or Souhan a click) so maybe someone is pulling off a fantastic practical joke.
 

Reusse was hanging out with GopherLady this weekend in the tailgate lot. Maybe she buttered him up or liquored him up. Either way it worked.
 



AuEGO4 said:
Reusse was hanging out with GopherLady this weekend in the tailgate lot. Maybe she buttered him up or liquored him up. Either way it worked.
Click to expand...

I would be interested to hear GL's opinion on all this: Coach Kill, the media, etc. She's kinda in the middle of it all. A fan but also part of the media in a way.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I would be interested to hear GL's opinion on all this: Coach Kill, the media, etc. She's kinda in the middle of it all. A fan but also part of the media in a way.
Click to expand...

I won't speak for her, but based on my brief exchanges with her I think she mostly falls in line with those of us who are up in arms at the way most of the media is handling this.
 

g1976b said:
I won't speak for her, but based on my brief exchanges with her I think she mostly falls in line with those of us who are up in arms at the way most of the media is handling this.
Click to expand...

I smell GL blog post!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free
 





You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom