This is my opinion:
Most of the folks on this site, including myself, are die-hard fans - how many people on here have 100 plus posts? I have over 1200, I think (in three years?)... Could I be making better use of my time than posting on a Gopher message board? Of course. But the fact of the matter is, I'm both emotionally and financially vested in the program (I feel I am as much as anybody else on here - and trust me, my wife thinks so too).
Like most others on here, I'm starved for success. There are a lot of things I like about the program and where it's going, which I have pointed out on this site many times. I'm a believer in Kill and have been from day one (and anybody who doesn't believe that can go back to my posts from December of 2010). The players seem like quality people - smart, hardworking, nice people. I actually like the offensive and defensive philosophies a lot (but I am worried that our lack of playmakers on offense is requiring us to rely too heavily on the few that we have, which I think has proven to be true (see our QB injury situation).
All of this said, this is a fan message board of a team of young adults - not babies - who are in no way obligated to read anything on here. Oh, and by the way, the Coach - who, again, I'm a big supporter of - is making over $1million a year to coach a team in a major market. If folks believe there are deficiencies that they want to point out, they have every right to do so. It's something called the first amendment - have some of you heard of it?
If a doctor F's up a surgery, am I going to "strap on the scrubs" and show him/her how it's done? No. Should I be expected to be able to? Do I have a right to criticize the Doctor, or am I only justified in doing so if I can walk into an operating room and do the operation better myself?
Now, some can argue that these guys are 18-23 year-old "kids" and negativity is unfair to them. That's fine. I don't agree with that, but that's fine.
But pointing out obvious deficiencies on a public message board is fair game and if people don't like, they don't have to read it.
And by the way, I can't stand listening to Reusse rip the Gophers (last week, after the UNC deal was announced, he stated on the air, "from now on, I am going to openly root AGAINST the Gophers!!!"), and so when he starts doing it, I change the channel. Same with Souhan, Barreiro, whoever. I don't like it, so I change the station.
But too often, I think, people focus on this so much. And if they think the team is hurt by this, how about the team saying, "Ya know what? People are right! Lets do something about it!"
How about somebody stands up to a certain WI linebacker when he takes the most blatant cheap shot on their starting Quarterback and let him know that's not going to happen again!
I have a former relative that was a pretty successful head college fb coach at the D2 level. I still remember watching his team on one occasion get blasted by another team, and watching that team literally rub his teams' noses in it (shoving the helmets in the ground when getting up, jumping on piles, extra shoves here and there), and it was as though the other team was spitting in their face and they just let them do it.
That's my problem with many of the upper-classmen on this team right now. They've been abused now for so many years now, and they just take it, and take it, and take it. And I'm not saying they have to be cheap about it, but how about hitting a little harder on that next play? Or driving the guy they're blocking back on his butt?
The team doesn't want people ripping on them? They're expected to watch film. They're expected to lift weights, run, and go to class. Many are getting a free education, and will likely be top candidates for jobs after college (assuming they get their degrees) just by being a D1 athlete.
Thus, I think it's fair to expect these guys to show some grit, and not be everybody else's punching bag. Yeah, they may get beat, but at least give the other team some sense that it's not going to be this way for long.
And for me, that's the worst thing a team can show me, and if see it (like I did this past Saturday, specifically with certain upperclassmen on Defense), I'm going to point it out, and sorry - I have every right to do so, like it or not.
