BleedGopher
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per Shama:
It’s too soon to make final judgments about whether first-year coach P.J. Fleck can establish a winning football program at the University of Minnesota. It’s not fair to conclude hiring Fleck last January was a mistake.
Fan and media criticism about Fleck and the Gophers aren’t surprising following a disappointing end to the 2017 season. The Gophers lost four of their last five games to finish with a 5-7 overall record and 2-7 in the Big Ten. Minnesota was outscored 70-0 in its final games against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
The Gophers were mostly a bad offensive team during the Big Ten season. Minnesota finished 11th among conference teams in scoring at 18.4 points per game. League leader Ohio State averaged 46.3. While the Gophers were fourth in conference rushing, they placed 13th in passing yards averaging just 110.4 yards per game and producing seven touchdowns.
Fleck inherited a lack of talent and experience at the quarterback position. He’s not to blame for that, nor is it on him that the offensive unit lacked skills and depth in other places. The offense had its moments, including impressive production against Oregon State and Nebraska, but right now that unit has a long way to go.
But the opinion here is the coaching of Fleck and his assistants didn’t get the most out of the team. Minnesota lost close and winnable games to Iowa, Maryland and Purdue. The Gophers often lacked focus and sometimes even effort. Too many times there was obvious lack of execution including players in the wrong defensive gap, taking poor angles while tackling, or throwing foolish passes.
Neither the coaches nor players can blame their schedule for a disappointing record. Minnesota had a soft nonconference schedule, and faced more mediocre than quality opposition in the Big Ten. Minnesota also played five of its nine league games at home.
Fleck and his assistants—as with any new coaching staff—deserve to be judged mostly on their work over a period of time. The judgment day on Fleck is probably two years away. By then three seasons will be history and it will be more evident what the trend line is for a program that wasn’t broken when he came to town.
http://shamasportsheadliners.com/
Go Gophers!!
It’s too soon to make final judgments about whether first-year coach P.J. Fleck can establish a winning football program at the University of Minnesota. It’s not fair to conclude hiring Fleck last January was a mistake.
Fan and media criticism about Fleck and the Gophers aren’t surprising following a disappointing end to the 2017 season. The Gophers lost four of their last five games to finish with a 5-7 overall record and 2-7 in the Big Ten. Minnesota was outscored 70-0 in its final games against Northwestern and Wisconsin.
The Gophers were mostly a bad offensive team during the Big Ten season. Minnesota finished 11th among conference teams in scoring at 18.4 points per game. League leader Ohio State averaged 46.3. While the Gophers were fourth in conference rushing, they placed 13th in passing yards averaging just 110.4 yards per game and producing seven touchdowns.
Fleck inherited a lack of talent and experience at the quarterback position. He’s not to blame for that, nor is it on him that the offensive unit lacked skills and depth in other places. The offense had its moments, including impressive production against Oregon State and Nebraska, but right now that unit has a long way to go.
But the opinion here is the coaching of Fleck and his assistants didn’t get the most out of the team. Minnesota lost close and winnable games to Iowa, Maryland and Purdue. The Gophers often lacked focus and sometimes even effort. Too many times there was obvious lack of execution including players in the wrong defensive gap, taking poor angles while tackling, or throwing foolish passes.
Neither the coaches nor players can blame their schedule for a disappointing record. Minnesota had a soft nonconference schedule, and faced more mediocre than quality opposition in the Big Ten. Minnesota also played five of its nine league games at home.
Fleck and his assistants—as with any new coaching staff—deserve to be judged mostly on their work over a period of time. The judgment day on Fleck is probably two years away. By then three seasons will be history and it will be more evident what the trend line is for a program that wasn’t broken when he came to town.
http://shamasportsheadliners.com/
Go Gophers!!