Something's got to happen

[Ole]

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.

Appointing "one of us" would give a buffer for awhile. I'm just not sure who would be qualified.
Lane Kiffin
Dungy ISN'T AN OPTION!

As much as I hate to throw out names, how bout one of the killshots? Heupel is from SD I believe.
Applewhite might have Brew's blessing and would maybe soften transfer numbers.

 

[minibeaver]

My question is this, if anyone has an answer.. Why would our AD come out and make statements like that about our HC? let alone offer it up with out questioning? He (Maturi) had to have known that the fallout out from his statements were going to rattle some potential recruits and more than likely some would decommit. This seems like an act of sabotage against Brew more than anything else. I don't know

 

[16FeetUnder]

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.

I'd say definately B, but Maturi should have done this sooner, since as you said, Brewster may now be demanding more than he would have last offseason. I'm not advocating for Brewster long term, just a minimum of one more year, probably two to get a better gauge on his coaching abilities. People don't seem to understand that coaches learn and improve just like players. Brewster learned that with a poor defense in year one and he improved it. Now he's learning that O-line is important, see last year's and this year's recruiting classes. I would assume he's learning that penalties need to be addressed better. I'd prefer a coach to be perfect from day one, but that's not the way it is.

 

[Ole]

My question is this, if anyone has an answer.. Why would our AD come out and make statements like that about our HC? let alone offer it up with out questioning? He (Maturi) had to have known that the fallout out from his statements were going to rattle some potential recruits and more than likely some would decommit. This seems like an act of sabotage against Brew more than anything else. I don't know

It's got to be a contract negotiating ploy, Brewster's name came up at KU possibly from a Big12 freind, Brewster NEEDS a contract extension to recruit like he wants to, Maturi won't do it now.
KU rumors start, Maturi keeps them open basically calling Brewster's bluff, in the mean time the program will suffer and the media frenzy will damage the U's reputation.

 

[magpie]

Give him 2 years is the best overall option.

 

[16FeetUnder]

It's got to be a contract negotiating ploy, Brewster's name came up at KU possibly from a Big12 freind, Brewster NEEDS a contract extension to recruit like he wants to, Maturi won't do it now.
KU rumors start, Maturi keeps them open basically calling Brewster's bluff, in the mean time the program will suffer and the media frenzy will damage the U's reputation.

You are exactly right about that bold part. Bruininks needs to step in and get this thing straightened out.

 

[MrGopher]

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.

Yes. This is the direction we need to go with. Im sick of these hot-shot guys coming here after being so loyal to our competition for so long. Being a Minnesotan is a start, but having a Minnesota-compatible attitude is most important.

Tubby Smith works for Minnesotans. Why? Because he doesn't take himself too seriously. He is a simple, respectable man. He knows how to work his players, doesn't embarrass himself, and is a good natured person.

Ron Gardenhire works for Minnesotans. Why? He is a low key, hard working, patient guy. Again, he is very serious about his work on the field and in the clubhouse, but generally never seems full of himself. Simple guy who gets the most out of his players.


Flip Saunders worked for us. Why? Many of the the qualities listed above. Good guy, good coach. Same with Jacques Lemaire and Don Lucia. The only reason these guys are gone (or might be soon) is that higher-ups expect more on the W-L side of business. Those guys will never be 'bad guys' in Minnesotan eyes.

Brewster, on the other hand, exudes hardly any of the qualities traditionally associated with Minnesota (other than he likes chili). He is self-promoting. He is overconfident. He is basically a used-car salesman. Even though we all know he works tirelessly, he draws unnecessary attention to himself with his outlandish comments and 'tweets' etc. That excites Minnesotans a little, but not for long enough. If you are going to have a hosebag attitude, you better be bringing in the results, or you will be gone fast.

I think that even if Brewster was winning here, he still would not be as welcomed and appreciated as those folks who are compatible with Minnesota sensibilities. Mason raised the status of the program, but something about his personality ticked a lot off a lot of Minnesotans, so we expected more from him.

Bottom Line: because of Brewster's personality, he will never be our coach in the way that JoePa is PennSt's coach, or that Hayes and Schembechler were for OSU and Mich. He will never rise above that of some guy who we paid to coach our football team for a few years. He is not 'one of us'.

 

[Maximus]

Bottom Line: because of Brewster's personality, he will never be our coach in the way that JoePa is PennSt's coach, or that Hayes and Schembechler were for OSU and Mich. He will never rise above that of some guy who we paid to coach our football team for a few years. He is not 'one of us'.

So what you're saying is, Tim Brewster is Gopher football's Russell Shimooka (anybody?, anybody?)

 

[Iceland12]

So what you're saying is, Tim Brewster is Gopher football's Russell Shimooka (anybody?, anybody?)

I still picture him going down a "water slide(?) dressed as Elvis!

 

[Bo Darville]

I'm feeling more and more uneasy about our beloved gophers folks.
The whole coaching situation is becoming a frenzy QUOTE]

Frenzy? Is there a frenzy outside of this website?

 

[Ole]

I'm feeling more and more uneasy about our beloved gophers folks.
The whole coaching situation is becoming a frenzy QUOTE]

Frenzy? Is there a frenzy outside of this website?

I'd be really shocked if Barrerio doesn't lead his show with this. There is potential for piling on like no other gopher football controversy since I don't know when. The PP article has 147 comments, the Strib is probably worse than that. This could get out of hand fast as far as frenzies go.

 

[maxwellsmart]

My question is this, if anyone has an answer.. Why would our AD come out and make statements like that about our HC? let alone offer it up with out questioning? He (Maturi) had to have known that the fallout out from his statements were going to rattle some potential recruits and more than likely some would decommit. This seems like an act of sabotage against Brew more than anything else. I don't know

As I mentioned on another thread, my impression of Maturi is that he acts and talks Minnesota nice but is a real live behind-the-scenes game player who will do what works best for one guy and that isn't you or me.

 

[50PoundHead]

Bottom Line: because of Brewster's personality, he will never be our coach in the way that JoePa is PennSt's coach, or that Hayes and Schembechler were for OSU and Mich. He will never rise above that of some guy who we paid to coach our football team for a few years. He is not 'one of us'.

But then Barreiro goes off on the whole Minnesota "he's one of us" schtick. I basically agree with what you are saying and I think your assertion is absolutely correct for the Minnesota I grew up in the 1960s.

This is a land of middle-class transients now. A lot of people moving in and out for business. I run across a lot of these people and most of them decry our provincialism and narrow-mindedness. I'm not saying that's true or not, but the media can't have it both ways. It can't say we're this great cosmopolitan city and then beat up anyone who comes in with a blood pressure greater than 100/55 and a pulse over 40.

I agree with your basic point about how outsiders are not accepted in Minnesota. For all of his glory, Tom Kelly's New Jersey attitude rubbed a ton of people the wrong way.

 

[lakesgopher]

Yes. This is the direction we need to go with. Im sick of these hot-shot guys coming here after being so loyal to our competition for so long. Being a Minnesotan is a start, but having a Minnesota-compatible attitude is most important.

Tubby Smith works for Minnesotans. Why? Because he doesn't take himself too seriously. He is a simple, respectable man. He knows how to work his players, doesn't embarrass himself, and is a good natured person.

Ron Gardenhire works for Minnesotans. Why? He is a low key, hard working, patient guy. Again, he is very serious about his work on the field and in the clubhouse, but generally never seems full of himself. Simple guy who gets the most out of his players.


Flip Saunders worked for us. Why? Many of the the qualities listed above. Good guy, good coach. Same with Jacques Lemaire and Don Lucia. The only reason these guys are gone (or might be soon) is that higher-ups expect more on the W-L side of business. Those guys will never be 'bad guys' in Minnesotan eyes.

Brewster, on the other hand, exudes hardly any of the qualities traditionally associated with Minnesota (other than he likes chili). He is self-promoting. He is overconfident. He is basically a used-car salesman. Even though we all know he works tirelessly, he draws unnecessary attention to himself with his outlandish comments and 'tweets' etc. That excites Minnesotans a little, but not for long enough. If you are going to have a hosebag attitude, you better be bringing in the results, or you will be gone fast.

I think that even if Brewster was winning here, he still would not be as welcomed and appreciated as those folks who are compatible with Minnesota sensibilities. Mason raised the status of the program, but something about his personality ticked a lot off a lot of Minnesotans, so we expected more from him.

Bottom Line: because of Brewster's personality, he will never be our coach in the way that JoePa is PennSt's coach, or that Hayes and Schembechler were for OSU and Mich. He will never rise above that of some guy who we paid to coach our football team for a few years. He is not 'one of us'.

first off comparing pro coaches to college coaches is really really hard. gardy has hitting coaches, pitching coaches, fielding coaches, etc same with flip! a pro coach really just makes the tough decision, lineups, time outs, not development of players and not finding the talent.

tubby was a great hire! but the hoops prgram wasnt as deep in the drain as football! and on top of that, a style of play can change a program as well as one player.

football is a different animal. you cant expect one or 2 recruiting classes to make an impact right out the gates! if we were in the mac or the wac, maybe, but not major conferences! brew's personality was what we needed and still need. the perception around minny and the country has always been negative and brew built some hype. minny high schools and recruits all love him and the new stadium isnt what has developed all the hype around the program. brew needed to try and change the attitude about the u of minny and many of you expect too much too fast

 

[howeda7]

Yes. This is the direction we need to go with. Im sick of these hot-shot guys coming here after being so loyal to our competition for so long. Being a Minnesotan is a start, but having a Minnesota-compatible attitude is most important.

Tubby Smith works for Minnesotans. Why? Because he doesn't take himself too seriously. He is a simple, respectable man. He knows how to work his players, doesn't embarrass himself, and is a good natured person.

Ron Gardenhire works for Minnesotans. Why? He is a low key, hard working, patient guy. Again, he is very serious about his work on the field and in the clubhouse, but generally never seems full of himself. Simple guy who gets the most out of his players.


Flip Saunders worked for us. Why? Many of the the qualities listed above. Good guy, good coach. Same with Jacques Lemaire and Don Lucia. The only reason these guys are gone (or might be soon) is that higher-ups expect more on the W-L side of business. Those guys will never be 'bad guys' in Minnesotan eyes.

Brewster, on the other hand, exudes hardly any of the qualities traditionally associated with Minnesota (other than he likes chili). He is self-promoting. He is overconfident. He is basically a used-car salesman. Even though we all know he works tirelessly, he draws unnecessary attention to himself with his outlandish comments and 'tweets' etc. That excites Minnesotans a little, but not for long enough. If you are going to have a hosebag attitude, you better be bringing in the results, or you will be gone fast.

I think that even if Brewster was winning here, he still would not be as welcomed and appreciated as those folks who are compatible with Minnesota sensibilities. Mason raised the status of the program, but something about his personality ticked a lot off a lot of Minnesotans, so we expected more from him.

Bottom Line: because of Brewster's personality, he will never be our coach in the way that JoePa is PennSt's coach, or that Hayes and Schembechler were for OSU and Mich. He will never rise above that of some guy who we paid to coach our football team for a few years. He is not 'one of us'.

I would agree with your post, but say it is not all personality-driven. All of the coaches you mention generally have thier teams well-prepared to play on game-day. They may not win. But they look like they know what they are doing and understand where they are supposed to be. Brewster's teams rarely look that way. The undiciplined and chaotoic scenes on the field and on the sideline contribute to people's attitudes towards him. Brad Childress has a very 'Minnesota' personality, but is still generally unpopular. Why? Because his teams looked a lot like Brewster's his first few years, and though they've obviously improved over time, you still see hints of it now and then and everyone gives most of the credit for this year's team to Favre.

 

[AhliBobwa]

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.

Brewster being fired is not the best option. The Gophers have a cupboard stocked full of more talent than they have had in 40 years and you want to run the coach out of town who brought them here? That is just plain crazy. Then again anyone who uses baseball analogies to talk football clearly has no idea what they are talking about.

 

[Ole]

Brewster being fired is not the best option. The Gophers have a cupboard stocked full of more talent than they have had in 40 years and you want to run the coach out of town who brought them here? That is just plain crazy. Then again anyone who uses baseball analogies to talk football clearly has no idea what they are talking about.

The baseball stuff was mostly for laughs.
I just think things are getting to the point of no return. I would love to give Brewster 2 more seasons, I don't think Maturi can any longer after this latest sh@#%tstorm.
IMO it's not even on Brewster, it's on Maturi, the media, and the fairweather fans who have been drumbeating for Brewster's removal since the NW game last year.
Simply letting Brewster play out his contract is not possible, there needs to be an extension for recruiting purposes or a new direction needs to be taken.

 

[dpodoll68]

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.

Aside from the fact that half of the guys you mentioned never have and never will coach for the Gophers, why is it so important that it's a Minnesotan? If we got one of the ridiculous names that people toss around here (Hohensee, Mike Grant, Marc Trestman, etc.), and he was successful, what makes you think he wouldn't bolt for a better job the instant he could?

The fact that coaches want to leave this football program after any semblance of success has nothing to do with the fact that they are from Minnesota. It has to do with the fact that this is not a destination job. Period. Show me someone who says they wouldn't leave their current job if offered more money and a better opportunity, and I'll show you a liar.

There are four things that make any job a destination job in college football:

1) Facilities - we are about 70% of the way there with this one. Getting the new stadium was a huge step; building/renovating new training facilities will take us the rest of the way.

2) Winning - something we haven't done consistently in 40 years

3) Fan support/enthusiasm - this will follow consistent winning

4) Top pay - this will follow the other three

As I see it, we have about 15% of the things that are needed to be a destination job. There are probably 15-20 destination jobs in college football. Minnesota could be one if all these things fell into place. But that wouldn't happen for at least 10 years or more.

The easiest route to get there would be to hire a great, can't-miss coach. But that is meaningless if we don't then pay to keep him here. The place where he passed through his mother's birth canal won't make a bit of difference.