recruiting

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NateDawgUM said:
I find myself more drawn to hanging out with my friends and enjoying the atmosphere of the day.
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You should start a thread on tailgating then. You could offer tips on:

1) Grilling the perfect bratwurst
2) Taking the perfect pictures to post on your favorite Gopher Website
3) Doing a keg stands without throwing up
4) How to freeload off of neighboring tailgaters without them knowing it
5) Ways to piss off tailgaters from Iowa and Wisconsin
6) Staying dry while tailgating in the rain of mid October
7) Staying warm while tailgating in the cold of late November
8) Staying cool while tailgating in the heat of early September
9) Checking out the female co-eds without your own girlfriend/wife knowing
10) Avoiding public intox tickets after over-invibing at your tailgate party

Who needs recruiting news? Let's break down the perfect day hanging with friends and enjoying the atmosphere of the day!:)
 

I grew up watching a College Football dynasty.

I cheered on 3 National Champions.

I know what success feels like, if I based my day around the outcome of a sporting event or where some pimply faced teen signs his name, I sure as hell wouldn't have gone to Minnesota. My other options were Michigan and USC.

Would I have been happier with a winning football team? No. Would I have a lot less pimply faced teens to curse at for choosing someplace else? Yes.

My whole point about recruiting is that, YES, it IS important when it comes to building a program. But this part is between the coaches and the players, NOT the fans. It is immature and downright ridiculous how we stalk and fawn over these kids as they make a major life decision.

It sickens me how people bad mouth teenagers picking their colleges.

Once the game starts, I truly love the sport of football and I enjoy watching Minnesota win games. I've been AT most the big wins the last few years, while you rubes have probably been in your basements in the chat rooms.

Ever since Brewster has come around and we've become somewhat of a player in the recruiting aspect, I've noticed that this board has become less and less about our team and more and more about who might be on our team in the future.

I can't get into this type of fanaticism.

I also don't base my self worth on whether or not the Gophers win or lose. I've already watch a team win just about every game for 5 years, and while it was fun, it's no more fun that watching the Gophers pull of a big win against Michigan in football for the first time in a few decades.

It's all relative.
 

NateDawgUM said:
I grew up watching a College Football dynasty.

I cheered on 3 National Champions.

I know what success feels like, if I based my day around the outcome of a sporting event or where some pimply faced teen signs his name, I sure as hell wouldn't have gone to Minnesota. My other options were Michigan and USC.

Would I have been happier with a winning football team? No. Would I have a lot less pimply faced teens to curse at for choosing someplace else? Yes.

My whole point about recruiting is that, YES, it IS important when it comes to building a program. But this part is between the coaches and the players, NOT the fans. It is immature and downright ridiculous how we stalk and fawn over these kids as they make a major life decision.

It sickens me how people bad mouth teenagers picking their colleges.

Once the game starts, I truly love the sport of football and I enjoy watching Minnesota win games. I've been AT most the big wins the last few years, while you rubes have probably been in your basements in the chat rooms.

Ever since Brewster has come around and we've become somewhat of a player in the recruiting aspect, I've noticed that this board has become less and less about our team and more and more about who might be on our team in the future.

I can't get into this type of fanaticism.

I also don't base my self worth on whether or not the Gophers win or lose. I've already watch a team win just about every game for 5 years, and while it was fun, it's no more fun that watching the Gophers pull of a big win against Michigan in football for the first time in a few decades.

It's all relative.
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Excellent post.
 

It is not your place to decide for the rest of us how we should be fans, nor to belittle and place value judgments on the way we choose to be so.

This is all you are trying to accomplish.
 

Yeah, but people badmouth kids on the field as well. Your original post came across as belittling those who closely follow recruiting specifically. To me, it doesn't make a difference what aspect of the game it is, getting angry at kids and bad mouthing them on message boards because they may not play as well as you'd like or because they made a college choice you didn't like, it's all the same to me. I don't see the point in differentiating between the two.

At this point in time, as there is little reports out of spring practice, there isn't much to talk about with the team, so recruiting becomes a bigger topic of conversation. You won't hear a whole lot of recruiting talk from July through January compared to talk about the actual team. But in April, it happens. It's the ebb and flow of college football nowadays.
 



tjgopher said:
So, it sickens you how people badmouth teenagers picking their college, but it must be okay for people (you) to bad mouth our own players, then?

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?t=2726

You're right, it is all relative.
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WOW!!!!!!!!!! GAME. SET. MATCH.

NateDawgUM, let me guess, you will now stop posting for a while because you just got shown what a hypocrit you are. Holy cow. What a two faced hypcocrit who belittles what some enjoy and sticks his chest out at what he chooses, rips on people for ripping a kid, yet rips a kid himself.

tjgopher with a TKO.
 

tjgopher said:
So, it sickens you how people badmouth teenagers picking their college, but it must be okay for people (you) to bad mouth players after they choose their college, even if that college is the one you cheer for??

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?t=2726

You're right, it is all relative.
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That would be the type of thing I am referring to. I'd almost rather you badmouth a kid who ended up choosing another school than guys who made a commitment to this University and pour their hearts out on the court/field/rink/whatever and just because they can't meet your expectations, you rip on them. I'd rather people not slam on guys who give their all out there, but obviously that's not gonna happen.
 





If you are not interested in recruiting that is fine but don't criticize people who do and don't tell people how they should live their lives. People are interested in it because they are fans of the team and it affects the success of the program. Maybe you aren't that interested in football and the success of the team, but some people want to see the team win. I was not around for the glory years of this team, but I would like to see us contend for a Rose Bowl. Brewster gives us a better chance of that than most recent coaches because he brings in talented players. You might notice that the best teams have a lot of talent, it's no coincidence. Mason was never going to compete for a Big Ten title with the players he brought in. It also seems a little unfair to judge Brewster already and say that our team sucks when last year was very similar to most years under Mason. At least Brewster cares and pours his heart into the program and wants to win more than anyone. Maybe you don't care about a lot of things but some people do and that does not mean you are better than everyone else here.
________
Suzuki Rgv500 History
 

grunkiejr said:
No flame--because I don't think anything is wrong with that--but if that is the way you feel you should consider getting GH to open up a tailgating board and you can talk about the tailgate.
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I think this is a wonderful idea!
 

I think a huge difference between Nate and most of us is that he grew up rooting for a team that won a National Title and had a long stretch of great years. Most of us have never even seen a good year, much less a great year from the football team we follow. We want to know what it feels like to win, we want to celebrate, and we haven't had that opportunity. I assume it's a lot easier to not care about the outcome when you've already experienced winning. I personally don't see the point in following a sports team, having thousands of posts on a message board of that team, and not really caring deeply about the outcome of the games. That's not to say there is anything wrong with that, just that I don't understand it.

As far as the judgemental stuff among people on the board, I'll leave it alone. I will say that anyone who can't see a huge difference between little Konrad's de-commitment and the de-commitment of,say, Eric Stephens is not paying attention. The Gophers went out on a limb for an injured Konrad, while Stephens was a 4 star recruit from the start who had his choice of schools.
 



NateDawgUM said:
I care, I just don't take it personally.

I've always taken the opportunity to be self righteous and judgmental around you rubes so this shouldn't come as any sort of shock.
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I'm assuming very few people around here take the kids' decisions personally...

Some of us care a little, others care a lot. If we didn't care at all, then there'd be no reason for a football team.
 

nate, it's interesting how you rip on nolan, maybe if you followed recruiting more you wouldn't have such high expectations for players, and wont rip on players that work there buts off all year to entertain you rather than rip people on this board for being upset that someone slapped the university in the face including the kids that work their tails off
 

EG#9 said:
I think a huge difference between Nate and most of us is that he grew up rooting for a team that won a National Title and had a long stretch of great years. Most of us have never even seen a good year, much less a great year from the football team we follow. We want to know what it feels like to win, we want to celebrate, and we haven't had that opportunity. I assume it's a lot easier to not care about the outcome when you've already experienced winning. I personally don't see the point in following a sports team, having thousands of posts on a message board of that team, and not really caring deeply about the outcome of the games. That's not to say there is anything wrong with that, just that I don't understand it.

As far as the judgemental stuff among people on the board, I'll leave it alone. I will say that anyone who can't see a huge difference between little Konrad's de-commitment and the de-commitment of,say, Eric Stephens is not paying attention. The Gophers went out on a limb for an injured Konrad, while Stephens was a 4 star recruit from the start who had his choice of schools.
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I'll add to that. For Stephens staying home in Texas is a lot different than a kid from Wassau choosing to "stay home". I don't know the mileage between Wassau, Minneapolis, and Madison but I wouldn't doubt if Minneapolis is closer than Madison.

But the part I personally think is BS is the strong choice of words that he used when he committed to Minnesota. To me that is what Minnesota fans should be mad about if anything. Personally, I haven't said anything against Zags other than to say that I think what he said and then did is BS and I'll stand behind those words. I can understand if other people choose to say stronger words.
 

Nate, I just think this board reflects, and fairly accurately, the heightened interest in recruiting since the internet has been around. I'm a little younger than you and only remember (vaguely) the 1960 national championship team and the world was a lot different then (the SEC wasn't allowing African-Americans on their teams for one giant thing--I actually blame all the Gopher woes on Nat Northington [and let me say that my tongue is clearly in my cheek so far it is coming out my ear when I say that]).

Now there are sites dedicated solely to recruiting of high school athletes to play college sports and baseball sites dedicated to the amateur draft. There are high school all-star games for almost all team sports, both within individual states and nationally. There are AAU basketball teams composed of high school kids that play all summer. Used to be that summer was reserved for baseball and if you played anything other than baseball, you were declared ineligible. I could go on and on, but the world is just different now.

I watch recruiting because I think it's interesting, but I do wonder if it gives some of the recruits an even greater sense of entitlement. It's part of the game now. The world is smaller in a lot of ways and kids don't have the same sense of loyalty to the "hometown U." That being said, I try to give the kids a break when they commit, de-commit, or whatever they end up doing. A lot of them have to be overwhelmed at the interest.
 

"My whole point about recruiting is that, YES, it IS important when it comes to building a program. But this part is between the coaches and the players, NOT the fans. It is immature and downright ridiculous how we stalk and fawn over these kids as they make a major life decision."

The whole point is you are getting blasted for this point, as well as your attitude. What part of building a program exactly is on the shoulders of the fans? Certainly not the vast majority of topics people discuss on message boards. Is it stupid and immature to get excited about the NFL draft? I mean as a fan I have nothing to do with who the Vikings are going to get. Should I even get excited about the games? I mean the results of games are pretty much between the coaches and the players, NOT the fans. What are you hoping to see on this board in April that will interest you?
 


GopherFan75 said:
If you are not interested in recruiting that is fine but don't criticize people who do and don't tell people how they should live their lives. People are interested in it because they are fans of the team and it affects the success of the program. Maybe you aren't that interested in football and the success of the team, but some people want to see the team win. I was not around for the glory years of this team, but I would like to see us contend for a Rose Bowl. Brewster gives us a better chance of that than most recent coaches because he brings in talented players. You might notice that the best teams have a lot of talent, it's no coincidence. Mason was never going to compete for a Big Ten title with the players he brought in. It also seems a little unfair to judge Brewster already and say that our team sucks when last year was very similar to most years under Mason. At least Brewster cares and pours his heart into the program and wants to win more than anyone. Maybe you don't care about a lot of things but some people do and that does not mean you are better than everyone else here.
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I guess that we will have to continue to wait and wait to see if these players are "more talented" than the players Mason brought in. Mason had a lot of All-American players and All-Big Ten players, and a lot of players playing on Sundays now.

It takes a pretty big leap of faith to see any players that Brewster has brought in in the last two years who are sure fire Big Ten championship makers. They will have to start showing us with Big Ten wins that they are one bit better than the players that Mason brought in.

I think that Brewster is having some problems putting his system in place. In fact, it seems as though his system is still very much a work in progress with a new offense featuring a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator dominating the question marks that surround the 2009 edition of Brewster's system.

I want to see the team succeed in the Big Ten! I hope that starts happening very soon. For the sake of the players more than anything else. The fans and the coaches don't matter as much as the players to me. The players need to be put in situations in which they can experience success in Big Ten play. That is the essence of running a Big Ten program. Put the players in a situation in which they can succeed by winning Big Ten football games!
 

4starrecruit said:
I guess that we will have to continue to wait and wait to see if these players are "more talented" than the players Mason brought in. Mason had a lot of All-American players and All-Big Ten players, and a lot of players playing on Sundays now.

It takes a pretty big leap of faith to see any players that Brewster has brought in in the last two years who are sure fire Big Ten championship makers. They will have to start showing us with Big Ten wins that they are one bit better than the players that Mason brought in.

I think that Brewster is having some problems putting his system in place. In fact, it seems as though his system is still very much a work in progress with a new offense featuring a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator dominating the question marks that surround the 2009 edition of Brewster's system.

I want to see the team succeed in the Big Ten! I hope that starts happening very soon. For the sake of the players more than anything else. The fans and the coaches don't matter as much as the players to me. The players need to be put in situations in which they can experience success in Big Ten play. That is the essence of running a Big Ten program. Put the players in a situation in which they can succeed by winning Big Ten football games!
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Um...yea. "They will have to start showing us with Big Ten wins..." Mason's avg B10 record was 3-5. Last year our B10 records was...3-5. Mason did indeed have quite a few good players in his time here and he coached some unknowns into good players. But that never translated into success into the B10. I'm not saying Brewster has proven himself as a coach yet, but the talent of the players is at least as good as what Mason brought in.
 

Mason actually is well below the Big Ten average in players who are now playing on Sunday. He made some relatively low-profile recruits into solid college players, but his teams had little or no depth and lacked athleticism compared to the other teams in the Big Ten.

I don't know if Brewster is going to be the answer, but if he isn't, he'll die trying.
 

4starrecruit said:
I guess that we will have to continue to wait and wait to see if these players are "more talented" than the players Mason brought in. Mason had a lot of All-American players and All-Big Ten players, and a lot of players playing on Sundays now.

It takes a pretty big leap of faith to see any players that Brewster has brought in in the last two years who are sure fire Big Ten championship makers. They will have to start showing us with Big Ten wins that they are one bit better than the players that Mason brought in.

I think that Brewster is having some problems putting his system in place. In fact, it seems as though his system is still very much a work in progress with a new offense featuring a new offensive coordinator and a new defensive coordinator dominating the question marks that surround the 2009 edition of Brewster's system.

I want to see the team succeed in the Big Ten! I hope that starts happening very soon. For the sake of the players more than anything else. The fans and the coaches don't matter as much as the players to me. The players need to be put in situations in which they can experience success in Big Ten play. That is the essence of running a Big Ten program. Put the players in a situation in which they can succeed by winning Big Ten football games!
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In ten years Mason had seven first team all-americans. Of these seven, three were Wacker recruits (Williams, Carter, and Hamilton). Brewster's Big Ten record after two years is 3-13. Mason's Big Ten record after two years was 3-13. In his third year, Mason went 5-3. The following two years were 4-4 and 2-6, respectively.
 

harrys ghost said:
Brewster's Big Ten record after two years is 3-13. Mason's Big Ten record after two years was 3-13.
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Ha-ha! This statistic should be put up in bright neon letters and made into a sign for all the Mason apologists who seem to think his tenure constituted the "good ol' days". I think it is further indication that, at worst, this program is at the same level it was when Mason was here. And even a blind man could see that the trajectories of the programs now vs. Mason's 3rd year are drastically different.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Ha-ha! This statistic should be put up in bright neon letters and made into a sign for all the Mason apologists who seem to think his tenure constituted the "good ol' days". I think it is further indication that, at worst, this program is at the same level it was when Mason was here. And even a blind man could see that the trajectories of the programs now vs. Mason's 3rd year are drastically different.
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Are you serious? I was not a huge Mason guy and I think that the move was over due to move on, but you do realize that Brewster took over a bowl team and Mason took over a Wacker team. If you don't realize the magnitude of the difference in the rebuilding jobs then you most not be older than 15. Mason took over the worst program in the Big Ten. Brewster took over a team that had gone to 7 bowls in 10 years. Again, I am NOT a Mason guy, but wow you must think that Murray Warmath was coaching when Mason took over. Brewster needs to go 5-3 this year to keep pace with Mason's first three years. Hopefully it happens, but I thought the goal was to do better than Mason, not keep pace. No?
 

NateDawgUM said:
I've been AT most the big wins the last few years, while you rubes have probably been in your basements in the chat rooms.
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I find it interesting that you call "everyone else" a rube while you are not. Some might find that the one following a team around the country being the bigger rube. But like you wrote, "it's all relative"..

You are right, getting extremely upset over a stupid teenager's decision making is over-the-top, but you forget that this is a Gopher Football message board.. This is the kind of topic that makes this board exist in the first place. No one cares about how much smarter you are or non-rube like you are.
 

This year will be very interesting to watch and fun to watch. It will be fun to watch, if for no other reason than Big Ten Football is fun and being in the new stadium will be fun.

It will be interesting to watch because certainly in the third season coaching, Brewster has had time to coach his kind of coaching and to teach his kind of teaching and to bring in what some of you people consider to be far superior athletes than any athletes previous coaches have brought in to this University.

I look forward to seeing many, many big Ten wins in this fun new stadium watching fun Big Ten football games starting this year. That seems to be the message that you are all sending. I look forward to seeing a new and improved era of Golden Gopher Football. I will take you all at your words when you tell us how much better things are now. It will be good. Based upon what many of you say, 2009 will be a very good year for Minnesota in Big Ten Football. I welcome that!

I will just throw out what I saw the second half of last season and will expect many, many good things. Thank you for all working to convince me that what I saw last season is not what this 2009 season will be all about. This will be good for all Minnesota Fans! I can hardly wait!
 

4starrecruit said:
This year will be very interesting to watch and fun to watch. It will be fun to watch, if for no other reason than Big Ten Football is fun and being in the new stadium will be fun.

It will be interesting to watch because certainly in the third season coaching, Brewster has had time to coach his kind of coaching and to teach his kind of teaching and to bring in what some of you people consider to be far superior athletes than any athletes previous coaches have brought in to this University.

I look forward to seeing many, many big Ten wins in this fun new stadium watching fun Big Ten football games starting this year. That seems to be the message that you are all sending. I look forward to seeing a new and improved era of Golden Gopher Football. I will take you all at your words when you tell us how much better things are now. It will be good. Based upon what many of you say, 2009 will be a very good year for Minnesota in Big Ten Football. I welcome that!

I will just throw out what I saw the second half of last season and will expect many, many good things. Thank you for all working to convince me that what I saw last season is not what this 2009 season will be all about. This will be good for all Minnesota Fans! I can hardly wait!
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This year will be horrible to watch. The new stadium will bring no excitement to the atmosphere if the team is still horrible.

I've already given up on Brewster, there is no possible way he can succeed here at Minnesota. After 2 years he has shown me nothing and the athletes he has brought in are not showing any improvement.

I'm really not looking forward to this season because we are destined to fail miserably on the field just like every year prior. I mean, come on, did you watch the last half of 2008? I might as well throw out what I saw the first half of last season and not expect any good things. Poor Minnesota, all we do is cheer for a loser.

:rolleyes:

We get it 4 star, might as well throw in the towel now.
 

GoAUpher said:
Um...yea. "They will have to start showing us with Big Ten wins..." Mason's avg B10 record was 3-5. Last year our B10 records was...3-5. Mason did indeed have quite a few good players in his time here and he coached some unknowns into good players. But that never translated into success into the B10. I'm not saying Brewster has proven himself as a coach yet, but the talent of the players is at least as good as what Mason brought in.
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This is why I have a hard time with people who still clamor for the Mason days. To hear them tell it, you would think we were living in some kind of Minnesota football utopia while he was here. There were obviously risks to bringing Brewster aboard and even if he doesn't have a great year this year, it won't warrant any kind of comparison to Mason at all for the simple reason the approaches are completely different, both in personality and in style of play.

Mason was the epitome of stagnation. He had no intentions of getting any better, nor any desire to. He was going to stick it out with a running team on offense, an absolutely abysmal defense, blow sizable leads in at least a few games and then pat himself on the back for winning six or seven games against mostly patsies while collecting a fat paycheck. That's just the way it was going to be.

Brewster is not in this camp. He happens to think the program can do better. And even if the team doesn't do so with a vastly upgraded schedule this year, he'll still think that. To me, that's plenty refreshing and easier to get excited about than anything Mason achieved down the stretch of his tenure.
 

Go4 said:
Are you serious? I was not a huge Mason guy and I think that the move was over due to move on, but you do realize that Brewster took over a bowl team and Mason took over a Wacker team. If you don't realize the magnitude of the difference in the rebuilding jobs then you most not be older than 15. Mason took over the worst program in the Big Ten. Brewster took over a team that had gone to 7 bowls in 10 years. Again, I am NOT a Mason guy, but wow you must think that Murray Warmath was coaching when Mason took over. Brewster needs to go 5-3 this year to keep pace with Mason's first three years. Hopefully it happens, but I thought the goal was to do better than Mason, not keep pace. No?
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Gee, I really hate to get into this but, I think this is a misconception. Look at the roster that each coach inherited. Mason got a veteran QB (one that went on to play in the NFL) and three players that became first team all-Americans (two of which are still playing in the NFL). What did Brewster get?
 

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