Question

[Rog]

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

Could we be so optimistic that with the right coaching our present players may surprise us this year?

 

[MaxyJR1]

I think this team has the potential to surprize a lot of people. However, our OL is a big question mark. I think they beat those teams because they got some fresh air when Brewster left and a big weight lifted off their shoulders. They played loose those last games.

 

[TLHGO4]

I think this team has the potential to surprize a lot of people. However, our OL is a big question mark. I think they beat those teams because they got some fresh air when Brewster left and a big weight lifted off their shoulders. They played loose those last games.

I Agree. My main concern is if there is enough depth to play a solid Fourth Quarter every game and avoid the injury bug. A lot of things have to fall in place in order to outperform this coming season. That B1G schedule is brutal.

 

[Meyerchiro34]

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

No! It would have been a disaster. It would have been a terrible situation for the Iowa game.

 

[Iceland12]

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

Could we be so optimistic that with the right coaching our present players may surprise us this year?

Just an opinion but after staying with Brewster's "Run first, stay with Weber" Offense for his first three games, didn't Horton start using Gray and throwing the ball before they were down by two touchdowns against IL and IA?

Heck just using Gray more was probably the main reason for it. There was no clamor to keep Horton after his first three games, just after Gray helped get him his two victories.

 

[Killjoy]

Optimistic?

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

Could we be so optimistic that with the right coaching our present players may surprise us this year?

After 50 years of wandering in the desert people are afraid to be even a little optimistic or at least to say so. I think answer lies in looking at what Jerry Kill has done in the past and what he is doing here every day. He is changing the culture one step at a time and doing it every day.

But to answer your question as to what was missing when Brewster was coach let me count the ways. First and foremost we were missing an experienced coach who knew what he was doing. I have no desire to rehash and bash Brewster but the reality is that he was way in over his head. The Big Ten is not a place for on the job training, especially for somebody like Brewster who lacked coordinator experience.

I don't know how many victories we will have this year nor is that what my focus is going to be in judging this team, coach Kill, and his staff. What I will be watching for is whether this team is more disciplined, in better condition, makes less errors, plays harder, faster, and reacts quicker, has a more aggressive defense, has a more creative offense, improves during the year, etc. etc.

Personally, I am very comfortable that this will happen. Having a real coach with a seasoned staff and systems will make all the difference in the world. You can bank on it.

What is not certain is how many victories this will translate into during Jerry Kill first year. It took Barry Alvarez and Kirk Ferentz three years to turn their programs around. Jerry Kill deserves to have the same amount of time also.

 

[Buck_Buchanan]

Good post Killjoy. I share similar views in what you will be focussing on while cheering the team on this year. We want to see improvement, a team that plays hard, etc.

ILLINOIS GAME:
+15 advantage in avg. yards / kickoff advantage
4-4 in Red Zone Chances
1-1 in FG's
3 SACKS

IOWA GAME:
+2 advantage in Int's
216 yards on the ground vs 91 yds
5-5 in Red Zone Chances
36 - 24 minute (+12) in Time of Possession
9 of 16 on 3rd Down conversions
1 SACK

Kids executed well and were well prepared by Coach Horton who didn't give up on the kids. Thought he did an admirable job of refocussing them.

SIDE NOTE: I just have visions of Brew going through game plans and team meetings while his players were texting, twittering, and playing with cell phones. May not be accurate or fair to say on my behalf but when Kill came in, he said "No Cell Phone" policy. That, being newsworthy must have not been prior practice by the former TE coach.

 

[SDGopherFan]

I'm going to go on record and say

we will play better than most think. My quess is that USC will be favored by 13 pts for the opener and I will bet the gophers. They will be drastically different from last year and I think Gray is in the perfect offense to succeed. Call me overly optimistic but i think this team is really going to surprise people.
As for last year, look at what a difference it made to the whole team to get rid of Brewster, imagine that with someone who has his team prepared and knows the plays.

 

[scools12]

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

Could we be so optimistic that with the right coaching our present players may surprise us this year?

they beat a medicore Illinois team and a disinterested Iowa team. nothing more to make out of it than that.

 

[dpodoll68]

I saw that scools12 made a post, thought to myself, "This is guaranteed to be a Debbie Downer post," and sure enough.

Is it physically painful to you to be positive about anything?

 

[dpodoll68]

Never mind that that "medicore" Illinois team beat both Purdue and Northern Illinois (two teams that made us look stupid, at home no less), beat Penn St. and Top 25 Northwestern on the road, and pounded their bowl opponent by 3+ TDs.

And as far as being "disinterested", well - show up to play or you get your ass beat. No excuses. We could easily use that same excuse for the eyesores we put up against USD and NIU, but we just got beat by teams who were better than us that day. Again, no excuses.

But - it sure is a lot easier to piss and moan than to do even a modicum of analysis.

 

[gophmeister]

I have no idea what was missing during the Brewster era. My guess is he was too wishy-washy and changed course too much.

 

[i'm batman]

What a lot of people are missing is that there will be an entire new coaching staff. Brand new schemes, brand new coaches.

I do think that the majority of the Gopher's problem last year was coaching related, but I don't think that picking up on the schemes will come in one season. What is Limegrover, the 6th coordinator in 7 years.

 

[mnsportcat]

Sorry talkin with ia fans no one is disinterested in mn games and I think Illinois needed a win to be bowl eligible which they did the next week beatin NW after some other unnamed school killed their star qb so I think they played pretty good the last 2 games.

 

[Ole]

I felt like Horton had finally gotten a certain amount of stability back from the turmoil of early and mid season.

Offense had played in the new offense for enough games, defense gained experience and Stoudemire made a difference with big plays in both those games at CB.

The Illinois game featured some very clutch plays from Weber and the runningbacks, Stoudemire in the kickoff game.

The Iowa game was preceded by a bye week which was sorely needed to rest and recoup several key players, and was obviously used well by the coaching staff in putting together an aggressive gameplan.

Plus you can't discount the rivalry factor, even though we hadn't played well in a number of rivalry games recently, records can be thrown out when teams are supermotivated like a trophy game against a bitter rival.

I'll say the Iowa players also looked soft and cold that day, ours were excited and seemed to embrace the home atmosphere, frozen field and all.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

The answer may be only an opinion but how was the gophers able to beat Illinois and Iowa after Brewster left, using the same players and coaches? What was missing when Brewster was coach or what was added when he left?

Could we be so optimistic that with the right coaching our present players may surprise us this year?

I have been wondering the same thing during the off season. But Gray must stay healthy and a couple of OL need to grow up immediately. I think the D will be better just because of our new staff and philosophy.

 

[Redbird]

It's not as though there was no talent on this team, as the season went on the defense began to gain confidence and actually shut down their opponents for longer stretches. A big problem the defense had was that the offense was so inept at times, the defense would barely get off the field and it had to go right back out there. I for one believe the strength of the 2011 Gophers will be the more experienced, more confident, better coached defense. There is experienced talent on that side of ball, however if there are any season-ending type injuries in the defensive backfield the depth there is unproven. I expect the games this fall will low scoring grind em out affairs, and the game we are able to win will be due to the defense and an abillity to run the ball that day.

 

[RodentRampage]

There will be a new coaching staff in a sense. But they have worked together before, the staff doesn't need to get to know each other, doesn't need to figure out how they work together. That's one of the rough spots that a lot of teams have with new coaches.

The last two games did indicate that there may be more talent on this team that it had seemed. I don't think the Gophers team at the end of the season would have lost to South Dakota. Horton seemed to have a clearer idea what he wanted to do.

 

[wait!what?]

rather forget the SD game. coulda been worse- Maturi could have hired the SD coach.

 

[Formo]

I felt like Horton had finally gotten a certain amount of stability back from the turmoil of early and mid season.

Offense had played in the new offense for enough games, defense gained experience and Stoudemire made a difference with big plays in both those games at CB.

The Illinois game featured some very clutch plays from Weber and the runningbacks, Stoudemire in the kickoff game.

The Iowa game was preceded by a bye week which was sorely needed to rest and recoup several key players, and was obviously used well by the coaching staff in putting together an aggressive gameplan.

Plus you can't discount the rivalry factor, even though we hadn't played well in a number of rivalry games recently, records can be thrown out when teams are supermotivated like a trophy game against a bitter rival.

I'll say the Iowa players also looked soft and cold that day, ours were excited and seemed to embrace the home atmosphere, frozen field and all.

Yeah.. The bolded is absolutely true. I loved seeing Bennett doing warm ups without a shirt on.. He embodied how the entire team played that day.. Embracing the atmosphere.

 

[ButchNashGuy]

Could have there been a more "disinterested" team than one that was 1-9 that had an interim coach? Horton and the coaches did a fantastic job. I think a confident unified coaching staff can get more out of these players than last year's crew.

 

[Tater]

What does it really mean when people say we will surprise this year? I think the answer will vary significantly. A .500 record? Three wins but competitive in every game? Five wins including an upset? Over six wins?

I too am buying into Kill and personally think they will "surprise" too, but by "surprise" I mean 4-6 wins with an upset victory and a significant number of well played losses.

 

[Killjoy]

Not a surprise but certainly satisfactory

What does it really mean when people say we will surprise this year? I think the answer will vary significantly. A .500 record? Three wins but competitive in every game? Five wins including an upset? Over six wins?

I too am buying into Kill and personally think they will "surprise" too, but by "surprise" I mean 4-6 wins with an upset victory and a significant number of well played losses.

I not as concerned with the actual number of wins as I am that we establish ourselves as a disciplined, well conditioned, hard working, smart, and tough football team. We need to see clear evidence that this team is moving in the right direction, i.e. something we can begin to build on. I will actually be surprised if we don't do what you described above. I am sure there will be a few Saturdays that may not quite live up to what we want to see but as long as we see improvement from last year and throughout this year I will be satisfied but not surprised.

 

[4four4]

Iowa looked disinterested in a rivalry game? There are no excuses to be disinterested in a rivalry game.