Petersen Vs. Edsall

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Duluthguy

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With Petersen and Edsall being at the top of the rumor mill food chain the last day or so, I think you can use these two names to gain a little perspective about potential candidates. I've been thinking it's Petersen for most of this week, and I'd be very excited about his hire. It would be flashy and exciting, and we'd get tons of publicity and that instant credibility Maturi talked about. However, after watching Edsall's game last night, I learned a little bit more about him. For starters, the announcers said that the facilities at UConn have traditionally been no better than a high school's. Then, on College Football Final, the guys praised Edsall and said that probably no one in the country does more with less than Edsall.

This got me thinking that while we'd love a flashy, big name hire, a guy like Edsall (or some other coach guys here love to rip) may actually be a much better fit. Maybe the non-flashy, but very solid coach who really coaches up his players is the guy who has the best chance of success here.

Just something to think about before you start ripping the next coach because he's not flashy or the guy you personally prefer. (Though I'd still like the flashy guy too.)
 

Interesting take, never really thought of it that way. I'm sure that his facilities (or lack thereof) are a big reason why he recruited so poorly at UConn. He would have much more to work with here at Minnesota.
 

I heard the same comments about their facilities last night as well. The fact that he could still win the Big East (I know its the Big East) with poor facilities and not stellar recruiting classes says a lot about his ability to coach up players. So it appears that he can definately coach, now the question becomes can he recruit well enough with MN's facilities and continue to coach up the players to where MN is battling the Buckeyes, Huskers, etc. for a position at or near the top of the B10. I also think Petersen would be huge as well.
 

It seems Petersen has the higher upside but also the bigger flop potential ala Dan Hawkins. Sometimes the program makes the coach and not the other way around. See, e.g., Dan Monson, Hawkins.

Edsall seems more like a safer bet without the really high upside. Even so, maybe Edsall only needs better facilities and a bigger name program/conference to really take off.
 

I JUST posted in another thread that I'd be pretty happy with Edsall and feel like he might actually be a more preferable hire than Petersen other than the fact that Petersen would excite the fan base initially. With Petersen I worry that he would either be a home run or a strike out. As someone else said Edsall would be a solid double at least.
 


While I like Petersen, I don't think it's going to be him. The meeting scheduled today is their banquet! And he seems to have himself well grounded in both his community and the football program. If he doesn't have a great big ego, why come here when you like what you've got?

(I guess the counter argument is he has a big ego but he'd have a great shot at Stanford when Harbaugh goes to Michigan...he's a bigger name than Hoke).

Edsall or Kill is my thought and I'll be happy with whoever they pick because their name will not be BREWSTER.
 

I am not sure that Edsall is a double.

year of the gopher said:
I JUST posted in another thread that I'd be pretty happy with Edsall and feel like he might actually be a more preferable hire than Petersen other than the fact that Petersen would excite the fan base initially. With Petersen I worry that he would either be a home run or a strike out. As someone else said Edsall would be a solid double at least.
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It has taken him 10 years to get to the point where UConn is now. This is after Skip Holz established the groundwork. If this guy is such a program builder you would expect that he would be able to put together the supporters to fix the facilities in 10 years. I believe it is the only D1 program in the state. It is in a populous area where there should be some athletes to build around. Appartently not much has happened.

The fact that he is going to a bowl game is more of a fluke than anything. How many other 8-4 teams are going to a BCS bowl. Answer none. Would they be where they are if the WVU running back doesn't "fumble" at the one? No. Would they have won last night if the USF starting quarterback isn't injured and USF has to start a walk-on freshman? Probably not. I'll give his agents a lot of credit for creating a buzz, but I don't think all the enthusiasm is warrented by the body of work. I don't think any Big Ten quality recruit is sittling home right now thinking "I can't wait to play for Randy Edsall." I fear instead of double, he is more like a Nick Punto single.
 

I think they are both great coaches, but if you compare the situations the two walked into, they are polar opposites.

Petersen was already at a good program that was built under Koeter and Hawkins. They are a school with a pretty die hard fan base and have a pipeline to California. Most importantly, Boise St. is incredibly easy to get into (borderline community college), so a lot of players who couldn't/can't go elsewhere ended up at Boise St. They have good facilities and a famous stadium.

UConn had terrible football facilities (like similar to Concordia of St. Paul before Concordia upgraded), they've improved a bit, plays at a stadium that takes 45 minutes to get to from campus, and plays in the worst recruiting area in the continental USA.

I said it in a thread yesterday, there is a reason why he was rumored at Tennessee and Notre Dame, and it's because he really has done a very good job.

Look at the Villanova football team, if someone told you that their coach would be there in 10 seasons and in those 10 seasons they would move up to BCS conference football, go to 5 Bowl Games including an Orange Bowl and they would win a BCS Conference twice. Everyone would be applauding that coach.

**Note, I realize the Big East is a terrible conference, but if we are going to be praising Calhoun and Hoke for finishing in the middle of the Moutain West and Kill for finishing 2nd in the MAC, than winning the Big East is still noteworthy.
 

GRGOPHER said:
While I like Petersen, I don't think it's going to be him. The meeting scheduled today is their banquet! And he seems to have himself well grounded in both his community and the football program. If he doesn't have a great big ego, why come here when you like what you've got?

(I guess the counter argument is he has a big ego but he'd have a great shot at Stanford when Harbaugh goes to Michigan...he's a bigger name than Hoke).

Edsall or Kill is my thought and I'll be happy with whoever they pick because their name will not be BREWSTER.
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IT would take some serious changes of heart for Harbaugh to go to Michigan. Harbaugh and the powers that be at Michigan have been in some really brutal verbal confrontations. Lloyd Carr has described Harbaugh as "not a Michigan man". Harbaugh ripped on Bo Schembeckler (spelling), and ton of Michigan players have come out and been annoyed with the things HArbaugh has said.
 




Funny how so many experts across the country think Edsall is a great coach, but the experts on this board think he's no good. Try looking at both the positives and the negatives of each candidate. Reminds me of an old quote:

There is a little bad in the best of us
And a little good in the worst of us,
So it hardly becomes any of us
To talk about the rest of us.
 

JO good catch on the new FB Complex at UConn. However, they still have a 40,000 seat stadium located a ways away from campus if I recall correctly.
 

46Gophers said:
JO good catch on the new FB Complex at UConn. However, they still have a 40,000 seat stadium located a ways away from campus if I recall correctly.
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Believe the new facility was the work of Edsall. Not positive though.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
IT would take some serious changes of heart for Harbaugh to go to Michigan. Harbaugh and the powers that be at Michigan have been in some really brutal verbal confrontations. Lloyd Carr has described Harbaugh as "not a Michigan man". Harbaugh ripped on Bo Schembeckler (spelling), and ton of Michigan players have come out and been annoyed with the things HArbaugh has said.
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Yes, that's what I had heard too...but check out this link and you might rethink what's going to happen there. (Yes, it's an opinion too).

http://network.yardbarker.com/colle...rnal/harbaugh_to_michigan_a_done_deal/3710609
 

Lived in CT for 3 years. It is not much of a football state and west of New Haven/Bridgeport is basically a series of NYC suburbs. La Crosse seems like a bigger HS sport out there than football.
 

Johnny Olson said:
Connecticut has a new Football Complex.
We can take this angle off the table

http://portfolio.populous.com/projects/uniconnecticuttf.html
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I don't think it really takes it off the table. They have a good football complex (and I even said in my post that their facilities got better), however, when you look at his PAST success it was done with the players and recruiting classes that were recruited to a football team with high school level facilities.

So, if you are comparing where the UConn program is today, it makes sense to say that they have a new football complex. However, when you talk about his previous success and why he wasn't able to bring in top level players, the fact that they had old facilities definitely plays a part. My guess is that UConn would have only continued to upgrade their entire program under Edsall, but when he took over, it was garbage (and it still pretty much is when you look at their facilities (stadium, location, etc.)) compared to almost every other BCS conference school.
 


A beautiful new stadium but it is 23 miles from Campus.
A similar situation is UCLA playing at the Rosebowl.
 

I think recruiting is incredibly important and you can only "coach up" guys so far. Edsall has done a fine job at UConn, but it's not like he has a lot of big name scalps on his wall showing that he can beat the big boys with inferior talent.
 


By the way, the main thought of this thread was that Edsall or Hoke, Calhoun, Kill etc. would not be flashy hires, but they could be really solid coaches that fit in well here. I'm just saying that while the flashy hire would excite all of us, the guys who don't immediately excite us might be better for us in the long run. You just never know who might be the right fit, and he doesn't have to have a big name. Though I'm still hoping for a big name that gives me instant gratification - screw the long term.
 

I do not want to wait 3 or 4 years to be completive again. The current players could win six games.
The new coach may want to blow everything up and start from scratch.
 

If there is enough talent on the roster, the Gophers will win immediately. If there isn't, it's going to take them a couple of years.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think they are both great coaches, but if you compare the situations the two walked into, they are polar opposites.

Petersen was already at a good program that was built under Koeter and Hawkins. They are a school with a pretty die hard fan base and have a pipeline to California. Most importantly, Boise St. is incredibly easy to get into (borderline community college), so a lot of players who couldn't/can't go elsewhere ended up at Boise St. They have good facilities and a famous stadium.

UConn had terrible football facilities (like similar to Concordia of St. Paul before Concordia upgraded), they've improved a bit, plays at a stadium that takes 45 minutes to get to from campus, and plays in the worst recruiting area in the continental USA.

I said it in a thread yesterday, there is a reason why he was rumored at Tennessee and Notre Dame, and it's because he really has done a very good job.

Look at the Villanova football team, if someone told you that their coach would be there in 10 seasons and in those 10 seasons they would move up to BCS conference football, go to 5 Bowl Games including an Orange Bowl and they would win a BCS Conference twice. Everyone would be applauding that coach.

**Note, I realize the Big East is a terrible conference, but if we are going to be praising Calhoun and Hoke for finishing in the middle of the Moutain West and Kill for finishing 2nd in the MAC, than winning the Big East is still noteworthy.
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UConn was 10-3 (6-2 in conference) the year before Edsall arrived (Skip Holtz left for greener pastures).
 

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