Something's got to happen

[Ole]

I'm feeling more and more uneasy about our beloved gophers folks.
The whole coaching situation is becoming a frenzy, and IMO it's getting to the point of no return.
I'm not going to popular with this observation, but Brewster should leave, for the good of everyone, himself included.

The media coverage and casual fan negative attitudes are becoming overwhelming. The uninformed fans and shock jocks are winning out. Here's why:

To most people in this town 3 years is the max a head coach is allowed to prove himself.
Brewster isn't "one of us", therefore he gets no slack.
He doesn't talk like a fatalistic, cynical, and pessimistic native Minnesotan.
A contract extension is out of the question, even when recruiting is hurting.

I have no doubt these Kansas rumors are being conjured by Brewster's freinds/agent/etc for the specific purpose to get an extension, in order to recruit better.
It won't happen, and Maturi is playing his version of hardball, which means slow playing until the situation comes to an ugly head, panic, and then act.
The prospects of a revival here are dimming for me. It's not about Brewster, it's about the overall attitudes around the TC about gopher football.
Our cynical Minnesotan souls revel in playing down success and playing up dissapointment too much.

The possible solutions to the current situation is not pretty at this point IMO.
1)Maturi is a moron and will probably slow play Brewster's contract out to next year.
Then will either fire or extend him depending on the season, we will lose recruits this offseason, and either be crippled going forward as a program, or start fresh and be crippled for 1-2 years for the next coach.

2)Extend Brewster now, Maturi tucks his tail and completely backs Brewster, If this happens then brace for the unreal media ripping. Offseason recruiting will be stabilized, but local drumpounding against the U will be magnified and the overall sentiment for the program will be severely soured.

3)Fire Brewster now and literally start from square 1.
I cannot downplay how many kids will leave, this isn't Mason's team, these kids love their coaches above all from everything I've seen, the exodus will be staggering and will include most of the young top out state talent. The new coach will need to be a home run, Maturi is Nick Punto when it comes to selecting coaches.

4)The best option, Fire Brewster and have Maturi retire.
Have the new AD select the new coach.
Hope the new AD is Justin Morneau when it comes to selecting coaches. The talent will leave, but recruiting can be somewhat salvaged in time. We go through 3 more years of mediocrity and hope the new coach isn't targeted by the media as public enemy #1, casual fans give new coach time due to lessened media criticism.(good luck)

I love the Gophers and am in it for the long haul, but I'm deeply distressed by the sentiments I hear everyday by other fans around the TC. Maybe an old timer can talk me down, but this is how I see things, perspective would be appreciated, and any thoughts on the whole situation.

 

[Ole]

Ironic that frozengopher and Rog both posted similar threads to mine within a few minutes, must be the weather that's got us all down in the dumps.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Brewster should clear the air

He should make an unequivocal statement that he's not interested in any other job and is committed to the bowl game and next season.

Then he should win the bowl game convincingly.

Then Maturi should give him an extension. All by Jan. 1.

 

[frozengopher]

Funny coincidence. Great minds think alike?

...Maturi is Nick Punto when it comes to selecting coaches.

Love it.

 

[howeda7]

I'm feeling more and more uneasy about our beloved gophers folks.
The whole coaching situation is becoming a frenzy, and IMO it's getting to the point of no return.
I'm not going to popular with this observation, but Brewster should leave, for the good of everyone, himself included.

The media coverage and casual fan negative attitudes are becoming overwhelming. The uninformed fans and shock jocks are winning out. Here's why:

To most people in this town 3 years is the max a head coach is allowed to prove himself.
Brewster isn't "one of us", therefore he gets no slack.
He doesn't talk like a fatalistic, cynical, and pessimistic native Minnesotan.
A contract extension is out of the question, even when recruiting is hurting.

I have no doubt these Kansas rumors are being conjured by Brewster's freinds/agent/etc for the specific purpose to get an extension, in order to recruit better.
It won't happen, and Maturi is playing his version of hardball, which means slow playing until the situation comes to an ugly head, panic, and then act.
The prospects of a revival here are dimming for me. It's not about Brewster, it's about the overall attitudes around the TC about gopher football.
Our cynical Minnesotan souls revel in playing down success and playing up dissapointment too much.

The possible solutions to the current situation is not pretty at this point IMO.
1)Maturi is a moron and will probably slow play Brewster's contract out to next year.
Then will either fire or extend him depending on the season, we will lose recruits this offseason, and either be crippled going forward as a program, or start fresh and be crippled for 1-2 years for the next coach.

2)Extend Brewster now, Maturi tucks his tail and completely backs Brewster, If this happens then brace for the unreal media ripping. Offseason recruiting will be stabilized, but local drumpounding against the U will be magnified and the overall sentiment for the program will be severely soured.

3)Fire Brewster now and literally start from square 1.
I cannot downplay how many kids will leave, this isn't Mason's team, these kids love their coaches above all from everything I've seen, the exodus will be staggering and will include most of the young top out state talent. The new coach will need to be a home run, Maturi is Nick Punto when it comes to selecting coaches.

4)The best option, Fire Brewster and have Maturi retire.
Have the new AD select the new coach.
Hope the new AD is Justin Morneau when it comes to selecting coaches. The talent will leave, but recruiting can be somewhat salvaged in time. We go through 3 more years of mediocrity and hope the new coach isn't targeted by the media as public enemy #1, casual fans give new coach time due to lessened media criticism.(good luck)

I love the Gophers and am in it for the long haul, but I'm deeply distressed by the sentiments I hear everyday by other fans around the TC. Maybe an old timer can talk me down, but this is how I see things, perspective would be appreciated, and any thoughts on the whole situation.

I agree with pretty much everything you say except the idea that there will be a 'mass-exodus' of players if Brew is fired. Sure, some current players will leave. But none of them are itching to sit out a year or play a year of I-AA. Given the choice of that or playing for the new coach, they will chose the later. It may destroy this year's recruiting class though, which is why it's so important to make the move now and not after the Bowl Game. UVa hired thier new coach on Monday, and he's already getting commits.

Therefore, I vote for option 3. Option 4 wouldn't upset me though.

 

[gopherdudepart2]

None of this would have happened with an extension

They could have quelled all of this negativity by agreeing to an extension before the end of the season. The Kansas stuff sounds like a bunch of fluff. This isn't anything like Mason being on TV and blubbering about how he loves OSU when he interviewed there. My faith in Joel wains by letting the contract situation linger. I would prefer an extension and strong statements from the AD and the coach then to the current junk were getting, Media polls and a lot of jabbering. Maturi " This seems silly, he would be better off saying no comment, I cannot stand in the way of the coach leaving if he want's to what a waste of space in the media.

I have yet to hear Brewster come out and say he does not w to be here, lot's of talking without the head coach saying anything. If anything I still think he believes he can win here and be a Gopher for a long time.

 

[Ole]

I agree with pretty much everything you say except the idea that there will be a 'mass-exodus' of players if Brew is fired. Sure, some current players will leave. But none of them are itching to sit out a year or play a year of I-AA. Given the choice of that or playing for the new coach, they will chose the later. It may destroy this year's recruiting class though, which is why it's so important to make the move now and not after the Bowl Game. UVa hired thier new coach on Monday, and he's already getting commits.

Therefore, I vote for option 3. Option 4 wouldn't upset me though.

I am not so sure, most of the out state kids have no ties here and most did not RS, which means they could transfer and still have a full college career. The new coach would be able to sell himself to them a bit I suppose, but I think we would see a greater number of "name" guys leave than with the previous coaching turnover. 4 is the best option, 3 is blowing things up and hoping for pieces to fall in place, 2 seems unlikely due to fan and media sentiment, 1 seems likely due to Maturi's history of lacking coconuts when it comes to stuff like this.

 

[MrGopher]

Everyone knows Maturi would never have the balls to do anything like this, but wouldn't it be great if a public ultimatum was given regarding Brewster? Win the bowl game, and you get your extension. Lose, and you can go crying back to Mack Brown for a job.

We will see exactly how hard the players play for their supposedly beloved coach. Prove that you can outcoach an inspiring guy they got down there in Ames. Prove that given one game to deliver, you can.

If Brewster delivers solidly, we know that he can coach his boys. If he falls flat (again), then we know that he is not worth keeping.

 

[howeda7]

I am not so sure, most of the out state kids have no ties here and most did not RS, which means they could transfer and still have a full college career. The new coach would be able to sell himself to them a bit I suppose, but I think we would see a greater number of "name" guys leave than with the previous coaching turnover. 4 is the best option, 3 is blowing things up and hoping for pieces to fall in place, 2 seems unlikely due to fan and media sentiment, 1 seems likely due to Maturi's history of lacking coconuts when it comes to stuff like this.

Again, you'd lose a few guys, but it's not like they can all just transfer out and start for Kansas next year. They either have to play I-AA or sit. I don't see huge #'s of guys wanting to do that, especially if the new coach is competant (let's hope.)

I agree, the most likely scenario is #1, which is why Maturi should be out. This is as bad, if not worse then what he did not Monson in the Spring of 2006. He let it be leaked that he was fired, then back-tracked, but still didn't give him full support. He fell into Tubby Smith so it's easy to move on, but he basicaly screwed us out of an entire season and an entire recruiting class with that bumbling move. He's now in the exact same spot with Brewster, and there's no Tubby Smith waiting in the wings next November. Do it and get it over with.

 

[alphagopher]

Look, I love Brew but he doesn't deserve an extension. Team won one game in 07, started well past two seasons but has gotten worse as the season progressed. No trophy game wins. Barely beat sdsu. No courage to mixup the lineups/bench Weber. No touchdowns last 2 games. 500 record. Pretty simple.

Because Brew has no leverage beyond winning games, and that is not going too well right now, he is doing what any negotiator worth his salt would do--manufacture leverage!!

If he goes out and wins big in the bowl game, then Maturi would be in a position to offer an extension, maybe. If he offers an extension now, and we lose big in Phoenix, then Joel looks the fool. Nothing gets done, if at all, until the bowl game, period. My guess is that unless we win big in the bowl game, Brew works w/o an extension next year. You gotta walk the walk.

 

[Ole]

Look, I love Brew but he doesn't deserve an extension. Team won one game in 07, started well past two seasons but has gotten worse as the season progressed. No trophy game wins. Barely beat sdsu. No courage to mixup the lineups/bench Weber. No touchdowns last 2 games. 500 record. Pretty simple.

Because Brew has no leverage beyond winning games, and that is not going too well right now, he is doing what any negotiator worth his salt would do--manufacture leverage!!

If he goes out and wins big in the bowl game, then Maturi would be in a position to offer an extension, maybe. If he offers an extension now, and we lose big in Phoenix, then Joel looks the fool. Nothing gets done, if at all, until the bowl game, period. My guess is that unless we win big in the bowl game, Brew works w/o an extension next year. You gotta walk the walk.

I really don't think a W/L in the bowl game even matters, your right there's just no way Brewster gets an extension now, the public simply won't allow it. Maybe, MAYBE an absolute blowout of ISU in the bowl game gets him one. I'm talking 40-50 points. Unfortunately without an extension recruiting will continue to suffer and we'll be set back 2-3 years after the new coach takes over in 2011. I just don't see things playing out any other way.

 

[16FeetUnder]

Look, I love Brew but he doesn't deserve an extension. Team won one game in 07, started well past two seasons but has gotten worse as the season progressed. No trophy game wins. Barely beat sdsu. No courage to mixup the lineups/bench Weber. No touchdowns last 2 games. 500 record. Pretty simple.

Because Brew has no leverage beyond winning games, and that is not going too well right now, he is doing what any negotiator worth his salt would do--manufacture leverage!!

If he goes out and wins big in the bowl game, then Maturi would be in a position to offer an extension, maybe. If he offers an extension now, and we lose big in Phoenix, then Joel looks the fool. Nothing gets done, if at all, until the bowl game, period. My guess is that unless we win big in the bowl game, Brew works w/o an extension next year. You gotta walk the walk.

What has he done to deserve to get fired? 2 bowl games in a row. He's met the previous regime's expectations for 2 years straight, vastly improved defense, the offense will come. You can't fire a guy for before getting a chance to prove himself. Therefore, you must extend him. Should've happened last offseason.

 

[maxwellsmart]

I agree with pretty much everything you say except the idea that there will be a 'mass-exodus' of players if Brew is fired. Sure, some current players will leave. But none of them are itching to sit out a year or play a year of I-AA. Given the choice of that or playing for the new coach, they will chose the later. It may destroy this year's recruiting class though, which is why it's so important to make the move now and not after the Bowl Game. UVa hired thier new coach on Monday, and he's already getting commits.

Therefore, I vote for option 3. Option 4 wouldn't upset me though.

You may be absolutely correct, but players who stay because there seems no decent way out can become a problem that makes changing coaches look like a walk through Minnehaha Park.

 

[WAGopher]

As Bill Munny said, "Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." Maturi needs to do what's best for the program and unless the coach has completely fallen on his face, you give him the 2 year extension to keep the program moving forward. Then after another 2 years, we'll definitely know if he's the guy for the job or not.

 

[howeda7]

What has he done to deserve to get fired? 2 bowl games in a row. He's met the previous regime's expectations for 2 years straight, vastly improved defense, the offense will come. You can't fire a guy for before getting a chance to prove himself. Therefore, you must extend him. Should've happened last offseason.

The W/L's are not his undoing. It's everything else. Openly fueding with and calling out your boss in public. Having an undiciplined team that leads the conference in penalties. Having complete choas on the sideline. Having players fighting with coaches on the sideline. Having petty feuds with members of the media and calling them out on Twitter to the embarassment of your boss. Being incapable of showing even a shred of humilty or realism after getting shutout for the second year in a row by your biggest rival ('I couldn't be more pleased with direction of this program'.) And the general huge tendency to blow nothing but hot air and high expectations and utterly fail to deliver. And finally, just to top it all off, openly campaigning for an inferior job that you have no chance at, in the futile hopes of getting a contract extension you don't deserve.

Any one or two of these things are just flaws that every coach has. If we won 8 or 9 or 10 games, all of them could probably be over-looked. If we had top 10 recruting classes, all of it could probably be over-looked. But instead we have recruiting classes in the 30's and falling, we won 6 games, and the schedule makes it hard to imagine winning that many next year. Combine this with everything above and top it off with what happened yesterday, and you have a train wreck. It will occur. You may as well get everyone off now and move on.

 

[StPaulCyclone]

I agree that Brew should come out and say that he is not interested in other jobs and is focused on the bowl game. This is similar to when Mason publicly postured for the OSU job. I felt that Mason never recovered after that (ie fans, recruits, momentum). I am out of town, but KFAN must be having a field-day with this!

 

[16FeetUnder]

The W/L's are not his undoing. It's everything else. Openly fueding with and calling out your boss in public. Having an undiciplined team that leads the conference in penalties. Having complete choas on the sideline. Having players fighting with coaches on the sideline. Having petty feuds with members of the media and calling them out on Twitter to the embarassment of your boss. Being incapable of showing even a shred of humilty or realism after getting shutout for the second year in a row by your biggest rival ('I couldn't be more pleased with direction of this program'.) And the general huge tendency to blow nothing but hot air and high expectations and utterly fail to deliver. And finally, just to top it all off, openly campaigning for an inferior job that you have no chance at, in the futile hopes of getting a contract extension you don't deserve.

Any one or two of these things are just flaws that every coach has. If we won 8 or 9 or 10 games, all of them could probably be over-looked. If we had top 10 recruting classes, all of it could probably be over-looked. But instead we have recruiting classes in the 30's and falling, we won 6 games, and the schedule makes it hard to imagine winning that many next year. Combine this with everything above and top it off with what happened yesterday, and you have a train wreck. It will occur. You may as well get everyone off now and move on.

He has shown potential and that is enough. He's definately not perfect, but before all this mess happened is when Maturi should have done something. Unless Maturi is hiring a superstar coach (not likely or he would've already pulled the trigger), it will be worse for the program to fire Brewster. Who would want to coach here after what is going on? Two answers are Brewster and some other new guy looking for a first time head coaching job. We've already got the first time head coach, so why start over? Maturi will set us back a couple of years because of this mess.

 

[howeda7]

He has shown potential and that is enough. He's definately not perfect, but before all this mess happened is when Maturi should have done something. Unless Maturi is hiring a superstar coach (not likely or he would've already pulled the trigger), it will be worse for the program to fire Brewster. Who would want to coach here after what is going on? Two answers are Brewster and some other new guy looking for a first time head coaching job. We've already got the first time head coach, so why start over? Maturi will set us back a couple of years because of this mess.

I strongly disagree that this job will somehow be completly unattractive to anyone simply because Brew is fired after 3 years. We are not Indiana. First, while Brew only got 3 years, Mason was given 10. One short stint does not make a trend. Second, it's still a job in the Big 10. Third we have beautiful new facilities. And finally, for as 'bad' as it's been, we have still been to 8 bowl games in the last decade. This isn't a terrible job and we can attract someone with head coaching experience if we are willing to pony up even a half-way decent salary. Think Esdall, Cutcliff, Sumlin, etc.

 

[50PoundHead]

Here's how I think the whole Kansas thing started. My guess is Brewster still talks with Mack Brown on a regular basis and that Brewster is tired of getting the crap knocked out on a regular basis simply for the fact that he's Tim Brewster and let that slip in a conversation with Mack. Mangino gets let go and Mack (or one of Mack's agents) calls Perkins to see what's up. Heck, they were all together at the Big-12 championship game this week (at least I would guess all the ADs show up there). Interesting that the rumor hits right after that game. I'm not a conspiracy buff, but the timing is pretty friggin' close here.

Brewster should have talked with Denny Green before his first press conference. I'm sure if Denny would take anything back, it would have been "the new sheriff in town" comment. I don't think I've ever seen a coach that everyone wanted to have succeed slowly piss away all the goodwill like Denny did and every time something went wrong, "the new sheriff in town" line would be thrown out there.

Brewster comes out guns a-blazin' with the Rose Bowl talk and half the media is on his case from the get-go. Remember, this is the Gophers, for whom little slack is ever cut, as opposed to the Vikings, for whom massive amounts of slack are always cut.

Brewster isn't perfect. He didn't have head coaching experience and that showed as he threw together his initial set of assistants. He should have proceeded more slowly and just written off the first year (it couldn't have been much worse on the field anyhow) by going with the recruits he had instead of chasing after Harold Howell and Trey Herndon and done more research on what kind staff would truly serve the team best. Maybe then he avoids hiring Dunbar in the first place and finds a defensive coordinator more suited to the college game.

I think this boils down to the primary issue I had with the hiring of Brewster in the first place and that was that he didn't have a fully-formed vision of what kind of team in terms of schemes and players that he wanted to field.

howeda7, I think this would turn the program into a coach's graveyard. I don't think any of the guys you mention would be remotely interested in coming into this situation. It's a mess.

 

[bankonit]

The W/L's are not his undoing. It's everything else. Openly fueding with and calling out your boss in public. Having an undiciplined team that leads the conference in penalties. Having complete choas on the sideline. Having players fighting with coaches on the sideline. Having petty feuds with members of the media and calling them out on Twitter to the embarassment of your boss. Being incapable of showing even a shred of humilty or realism after getting shutout for the second year in a row by your biggest rival ('I couldn't be more pleased with direction of this program'.) And the general huge tendency to blow nothing but hot air and high expectations and utterly fail to deliver. And finally, just to top it all off, openly campaigning for an inferior job that you have no chance at, in the futile hopes of getting a contract extension you don't deserve.

Any one or two of these things are just flaws that every coach has. If we won 8 or 9 or 10 games, all of them could probably be over-looked. If we had top 10 recruting classes, all of it could probably be over-looked. But instead we have recruiting classes in the 30's and falling, we won 6 games, and the schedule makes it hard to imagine winning that many next year. Combine this with everything above and top it off with what happened yesterday, and you have a train wreck. It will occur. You may as well get everyone off now and move on.

most of your post does not deal in facts.

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

I think I'm the only one on this board that (generally) agrees with the course of action Maturi is taking. The one thing I disagree with is his talking to the media about Kansas at all. If asked, he should just have answered "I haven't heard anything from Coach Brewster or the KU administrationn" and left it at that.

I don't think a decision should be made at this point on an extension. Wait until the bowl game is done and then make a complete assessment. Sounds logical to me. I would hate to give Brewster a 3 or 5 year extension and then have a 4-8 or worse season next year and be stuck with that decision.

Is there harm in letting this simmer for a bit? Sure, we'll lose a recruit or two who was waffling anyway.

But I think there would be more long term harm in either firing or extending prior to the bowl.

If we look horrible in the bowl, then DO NOT extend. Give Brewster until the end of September to show us that his team can defeat 2 pretty decent non-bcs teams (Middle Tennessee and Northern Illinois), trounce South Dakota (like we ought to) and keep our dignity intact in the USC game. If we can do that, great, extend him. If not, let him be a lame duck for 2 months while we quietly put out feelers.

If we look great in the bowl, give him a minimal extension (2 years) - this can always be added to at any given time. There just isn't enough evidence at this point to give a long term extension.

Anyway , that's my opinion. Just as valid/invalid as anyone else's.

 

[howeda7]

howeda7, I think this would turn the program into a coach's graveyard. I don't think any of the guys you mention would be remotely interested in coming into this situation. It's a mess.

Minnesota, even in it's current state is still twice the job Duke will ever be, and Houston is still Conference USA, just for two examples. Edsall is perhaps a reach.

 

[50PoundHead]

Sumlin and Cutliffe have higher salaries and lower pressure than Brewster does right now. Edsall makes less money, but my guess is he is going to leap-frog programs like Minnesota in a year or two anyway. And that's if he doesn't get a big raise to stay at Connecticut.

I would love Sumlin, but why would he leave Houston? He's got a great recruiting base and a successful program that could be a consistent Top 25 team. Why come to Minnesota, where you're second-guessed for just about everything?

 

[16FeetUnder]

I think I'm the only one on this board that (generally) agrees with the course of action Maturi is taking. The one thing I disagree with is his talking to the media about Kansas at all. If asked, he should just have answered "I haven't heard anything from Coach Brewster or the KU administrationn" and left it at that.

I don't think a decision should be made at this point on an extension. Wait until the bowl game is done and then make a complete assessment. Sounds logical to me. I would hate to give Brewster a 3 or 5 year extension and then have a 4-8 or worse season next year and be stuck with that decision.

Is there harm in letting this simmer for a bit? Sure, we'll lose a recruit or two who was waffling anyway.

But I think there would be more long term harm in either firing or extending prior to the bowl.

If we look horrible in the bowl, then DO NOT extend. Give Brewster until the end of September to show us that his team can defeat 2 pretty decent non-bcs teams (Middle Tennessee and Northern Illinois), trounce South Dakota (like we ought to) and keep our dignity intact in the USC game. If we can do that, great, extend him. If not, let him be a lame duck for 2 months while we quietly put out feelers.

If we look great in the bowl, give him a minimal extension (2 years) - this can always be added to at any given time. There just isn't enough evidence at this point to give a long term extension.

Anyway , that's my opinion. Just as valid/invalid as anyone else's.

I know what you're saying, but let's be real, we all know what the bowl game will look like. Will one game really change anything that significantly? We will come out with an OK looking offense and a bend but don't break defense. The game will be somewhat close. What do you do then? You'd be setting yourself up for more indecision. If we barely win, is that good enough?

Before this season, 90-95% of people on this website predicted anywhere from 5-8 wins. That expectation was met, and now people want our coach fired for it. Forgive me if I'm not impressed by that mentality. I garauntee we cannot succeed long term if we don't give our coach (whoever that is) a chance.

 

[Ole]

I think I'm the only one on this board that (generally) agrees with the course of action Maturi is taking. The one thing I disagree with is his talking to the media about Kansas at all. If asked, he should just have answered "I haven't heard anything from Coach Brewster or the KU administrationn" and left it at that.

I don't think a decision should be made at this point on an extension. Wait until the bowl game is done and then make a complete assessment. Sounds logical to me. I would hate to give Brewster a 3 or 5 year extension and then have a 4-8 or worse season next year and be stuck with that decision.

Is there harm in letting this simmer for a bit? Sure, we'll lose a recruit or two who was waffling anyway.

But I think there would be more long term harm in either firing or extending prior to the bowl.

If we look horrible in the bowl, then DO NOT extend. Give Brewster until the end of September to show us that his team can defeat 2 pretty decent non-bcs teams (Middle Tennessee and Northern Illinois), trounce South Dakota (like we ought to) and keep our dignity intact in the USC game. If we can do that, great, extend him. If not, let him be a lame duck for 2 months while we quietly put out feelers.

If we look great in the bowl, give him a minimal extension (2 years) - this can always be added to at any given time. There just isn't enough evidence at this point to give a long term extension.

Anyway , that's my opinion. Just as valid/invalid as anyone else's.

I would hope nobody simply discounts opinions on this board, disagree maybe but not outright discount.

The simmering you mention is fine, until this KU stuff came out, the response that Maturi gave made all of this boil over, now it's time to either clean up the mess or throw it all away and start over. Hopefully by absolving himself as the decision maker for the next situation

 

[magpie]

You know, as I watched Mason flirt with his alma-mater, Brewster flirt with Kansas now, and Lucia's inability to take pride in the hockey side of the world, one thing has really started to occur to me:

We need a hometown coach to turn this program around.

Mariucci, Brooks, Woog, Dungy, Grant, Nanne, etc all bleed Minnesota and/or bleed maroon & gold. Think about it, Brewster already was brought up in the Tennessee job last year (while he was in his big turn-around from 1-11 to 7-1), and Kansas now (just to start over and gain some job security). He doesn't want to stay here. We're a stepping board regardless. Mason attempted the same. Lucia is from Minnesota, but he's a Notre Dame grad. He's here because we're the premier job in the country in hockey.

We need to find a former Gopher, die-hard Minnesotan, etc to make the move for us. The fans and media will be far more supportive, and the coach will be far more committed. Ahhh... well it's just a thought.

 

[Maximus]

Re: Something's gotta happen

I believe the team starts practicing today so assuming the media will get access to Brew (unless Cross is running practice, while Brew is in Lawrence or South Bend or Akron).

Also there's a press conference tomorrow with the Insight Bowl. Maturi and Brew supposed to be there. Should have a definitive answer in 24 hours? Maturi vote of confidence or Brew firm denial about KU?

 

[16FeetUnder]

You know, as I watched Mason flirt with his alma-mater, Brewster flirt with Kansas now, and Lucia's inability to take pride in the hockey side of the world, one thing has really started to occur to me:

We need a hometown coach to turn this program around.

Mariucci, Brooks, Woog, Dungy, Grant, Nanne, etc all bleed Minnesota and/or bleed maroon & gold. Think about it, Brewster already was brought up in the Tennessee job last year (while he was in his big turn-around from 1-11 to 7-1), and Kansas now (just to start over and gain some job security). He doesn't want to stay here. We're a stepping board regardless. Mason attempted the same. Lucia is from Minnesota, but he's a Notre Dame grad. He's here because we're the premier job in the country in hockey.

We need to find a former Gopher, die-hard Minnesotan, etc to make the move for us. The fans and media will be far more supportive, and the coach will be far more committed. Ahhh... well it's just a thought.

I'll submit my resume for both the head coach position and the AD position. Maybe that'll work. In all honesty, you're right, a die-hard Minnesotan is what we need.

 

[50PoundHead]

You know, as I watched Mason flirt with his alma-mater, Brewster flirt with Kansas now, and Lucia's inability to take pride in the hockey side of the world, one thing has really started to occur to me:

We need a hometown coach to turn this program around.

Mariucci, Brooks, Woog, Dungy, Grant, Nanne, etc all bleed Minnesota and/or bleed maroon & gold. Think about it, Brewster already was brought up in the Tennessee job last year (while he was in his big turn-around from 1-11 to 7-1), and Kansas now (just to start over and gain some job security). He doesn't want to stay here. We're a stepping board regardless. Mason attempted the same. Lucia is from Minnesota, but he's a Notre Dame grad. He's here because we're the premier job in the country in hockey.

We need to find a former Gopher, die-hard Minnesotan, etc to make the move for us. The fans and media will be far more supportive, and the coach will be far more committed. Ahhh... well it's just a thought.

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but the last time we tried that was with Cal Stoll followed by Joe Salem. But we do need someone who views this job as his "last job."

 

[Go Gophers Rah]

Before this season, 90-95% of people on this website predicted anywhere from 5-8 wins. That expectation was met, and now people want our coach fired for it.

I was one of those people. I don't want Brewster fired for a 6-6 season, but I don't want him rewarded for one either.

If we win the bowl and look no better than "okay" in doing so, what would have the biggest potential downside?
a) Giving Brewster a 4+ year extension;
b) Giving Brewster the shortest duration extension that occurs in college football;
c) Giving Brewster no extension and forcing him into a lame duck situation;
d) Firing Brewster.

I don't see a great answer there, but I guess I see B as having the least amount of potential harm. I don't know if that's 1 add'l year (until the end of 2012) or 2 years (end of 2013).

Of course, there is a whole lot that none of us know anything about. What if Brewster is demanding $1 million plus per year? Does that change the discussion?

In the end I have more faith in Maturi and his decision making than most on this board. Its not because I think he's the greatest AD in the history of college athletics, but its because he's privy to much more information and experience than I'll ever have.