Sorry Gopher Fans the Biggest Problem With This Program Is...

[olddoc]

The fish rots from the head.
The U President had been hands off until scandals at the AD's office-whom he hired- and the BB program were affecting his image.
DS fired Crazy Legs, hired Richter as AD and he hired BA and Bo.
She had the common sense to know while academics comes first athletics in a BIG school is important.
So now there is a new AD from Syracuse whose BB coach is a sleaze and the FB program is not very good.
Can he work a miracle and turn things around?
Not without the $ to spend.
Brewster, Kill, Claeys and Petino were bargain basement choices.

 

[Nax5]

Sensible words. If one looked at the schedule in the middle of the summer, the two games we just lost are games that many fans might have expected to lose. PSU has been recruiting very well for a number of years and playing them at Happy Valley should have been considered a challenge. Iowa was the favorite to win the western division. But, those two teams experienced early season struggles and fans all of a sudden started thinking that we should be the favorites in those games and that we would be failures if we didn't win them.

The games coming up are different. The next four games were games that fans may have viewed as "should win" or "winnable" if looking at those in the middle of the summer. Just the opposite of PSU and Iowa, Maryland wasn't well regarded entering the season, but got off to a 4-0 start. Then, they performed closer to prior expectations by being thumped at PSU yesterday.

We'll see what happens for the remaining twelve games. The offense had played pretty well until yesterday. The defense hadn't played very well other than yesterday and the first game. If both units can keep the higher levels of play consistently through the rest of the season, this team can still finish with a pretty fair record.

I think this is exactly what the OP was getting at. You're stretching as far as you can to cover up the fact that the Gophers lost to two very bad teams. Which in turn, makes us very bad. Just accept it for what it is and demand something better. Whatever form that takes is up to you - not attending games, emailing the AD, etc.

 

[cjbfbp]

I think this is exactly what the OP was getting at. You're stretching as far as you can to cover up the fact that the Gophers lost to two very bad teams.

And what you don't seem to grasp is that we don't know yet if they are two very bad teams. We just know they had early season struggles. Iowa was expected to repeat as western division champion; obviously, they wouldn't have been picked to do that if they didn't have a fair number of capable players returning. They don't look like a western division champion but they could still could finish 8-4 or 7-5 at worst. Penn State could also finish 8-4. Obviously, if they hit those finishes, they are not very bad teams. Like a lot of sports fans, you might be getting a little too caught up in the moment.

 

[Ewert86PC]

I love how people take being critical of sports as not supporting them. How do you improve if you don't know where your weaknesses or vulnerabilities are?

Accepting mediocrity is nothing compared to accepting weaknesses and not strengthening vulnerabilities. We just expect to win because we feel good about ourselves, which is accepting mediocrity.

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[nukedwedges]

This is exactly my point. We look at the schedule, determine which teams we can beat, which teams we cannot, and pick our record expectation from there. Do you think that Michigan or Ohio State do the same? Michigan had a few down years recently, their expectation is higher and they went and did something about it. You think Ohio State looks at their schedule and thinks that 8-3 would be an acceptable season? Ridiculous.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

This is exactly my point. We look at the schedule, determine which teams we can beat, which teams we cannot, and pick our record expectation from there. Do you think that Michigan or Ohio State do the same? Michigan had a few down years recently, their expectation is higher and they went and did something about it. You think Ohio State looks at their schedule and thinks that 8-3 would be an acceptable season? Ridiculous.

So all we have to do is expect to win them all and go out and land 15-20 top 300 recruits and we'll be a NC contender like they are. No sweat.

 

[cjbfbp]

Michigan had a few down years recently, their expectation is higher and they went and did something about it. You think Ohio State looks at their schedule and thinks that 8-3 would be an acceptable season? Ridiculous.

Ridiculous? Perhaps, but not as ridiculous as magical thinking. Do you think this program has any chance of transforming itself into Ohio State or Michigan any time soon if a bunch of fans start stomping their feet and pounding their fists in anger?

This program has not been in the same class as those programs at any time in the modern era and is not likely to approach that class anytime in the foreseeable future. As I see it you have two choices: 1) accept this program's limitations and just take pleasure in those 8 or 9 win seasons when they come along or 2) become a fan of a program with a performance level that more closely matches your desires.

One question: Do you have this high of expectations for your own performance in your daily life? If so, you must be a very successful individual. If not, then I guess you are far more accepting of your own limitations than you are of this football program's.

 

[BilldGopher]

My realization is that we have more first year coach's learning curve than certainly I expected. Really drank the maroon kid's drink that "continuity" was assured even with the offensive coaching changes.

Whether this is attributable to the "program" itself...or just the loss of Coach Kill last year is evidence of the program being continually snake-bit...I don't know.

As was noted in another post, this is basically Coach Kill's personnel plus the new JUCOs.

Still difficult to watch Floyd leave town again yesterday.

 

[Sid Hartman]

It just amazes me reading through this thread how some fans have just accepted who we are and that we can't expect to be better. It is always some sort of excuse...the refs jobbed us, oh we don't know how bad Iowa and Penn State are, the facilities are not up to par, its in a pro sports town, there are too many 11am kicks, nothing is going to change so why should I be mad. The Gophers have got what they paid for over the years, until the fans and administration take themselves more seriously we are going to continue to be a bottom feeder in the big ten.

My blood is boiling reading how people reuse to admit we lost two two teams we should have beat...for the last 6 months we have been spoon fed the narrative that we got the Iowa schedule and this was going to be there year if we were ever going to take a step up. Well it is obvious that we haven't improved. You can win out the remaining games (which they won't) and I will still consider this a disappointing season

 

[cjbfbp]

You can win out the remaining games (which they won't) and I will still consider this a disappointing season

Perhaps you should suspend watching Gopher football because your emotions appear to have taken over your judgment. Let me recommend becoming a fan of cross country: far fewer highs and lows.

 

[goldengopher72]

Sweet

Solid take. And one that recognizes the value of benchmarking our program against traditional rivals Wisci and Iowa. Wisconsin is a great example of doing things right i.e. commit to excellence and find the right people. 25 years ago they were in the same shape we were albeit they had a more extensive and loyal fan base (there's a reason Camp Randall holds 35,000 more people than TCF). And you're right about recent coaches. Jerry K did a helluva job rejuvenating the program. But he peaked out. A .500 coach who could not get us over the top and win a division title. Enough said about his disciple now calling the plays. Remind Coyle not to reach down into the ranks of I-AA for the next coach. And statements from Sewer Sid or whomever that we can't recruit a I-A OC or DC with a good pedigree to be our HC is a bunch of crap. But until we get an Administration that puts a priority on a fielding a championship product on the field, it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Spoofin]

It just amazes me reading through this thread how some fans have just accepted who we are and that we can't expect to be better. It is always some sort of excuse...the refs jobbed us, oh we don't know how bad Iowa and Penn State are, the facilities are not up to par, its in a pro sports town, there are too many 11am kicks, nothing is going to change so why should I be mad. The Gophers have got what they paid for over the years, until the fans and administration take themselves more seriously we are going to continue to be a bottom feeder in the big ten.

My blood is boiling reading how people reuse to admit we lost two two teams we should have beat...for the last 6 months we have been spoon fed the narrative that we got the Iowa schedule and this was going to be there year if we were ever going to take a step up. Well it is obvious that we haven't improved. You can win out the remaining games (which they won't) and I will still consider this a disappointing season

And it amazes me that you want people to "stop accepting mediocrity" yet can't define what they should do to stop accepting it. I would love to stop accepting it. Tell me how.

I dropped my season tix, but still go to some games. Am I accepting it still?
I watch all games on TV. Accepting?
I don't demand the coach be fired after 2 loses - even tho I think we should have won both. Accepting?
I've never egged the AD's office or home. Should I?

Your request is dumb. None of us are happy about the loses, so tell me - How Can I Stop Accepting Mediocrity?


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[Section2]

It just amazes me reading through this thread how some fans have just accepted who we are and that we can't expect to be better. It is always some sort of excuse...the refs jobbed us, oh we don't know how bad Iowa and Penn State are, the facilities are not up to par, its in a pro sports town, there are too many 11am kicks, nothing is going to change so why should I be mad. The Gophers have got what they paid for over the years, until the fans and administration take themselves more seriously we are going to continue to be a bottom feeder in the big ten.

My blood is boiling reading how people reuse to admit we lost two two teams we should have beat...for the last 6 months we have been spoon fed the narrative that we got the Iowa schedule and this was going to be there year if we were ever going to take a step up. Well it is obvious that we haven't improved. You can win out the remaining games (which they won't) and I will still consider this a disappointing season

We lost to two teams we should have beat. Better? Not accepting mediocrity means no longer being a fan of the program and ceasing to support it. It won't make anything better but go for it if that makes you feel like you are holding someone accountable.


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[GophersInIowa]

It just amazes me reading through this thread how some fans have just accepted who we are and that we can't expect to be better. It is always some sort of excuse...the refs jobbed us, oh we don't know how bad Iowa and Penn State are, the facilities are not up to par, its in a pro sports town, there are too many 11am kicks, nothing is going to change so why should I be mad. The Gophers have got what they paid for over the years, until the fans and administration take themselves more seriously we are going to continue to be a bottom feeder in the big ten.

My blood is boiling reading how people reuse to admit we lost two two teams we should have beat...for the last 6 months we have been spoon fed the narrative that we got the Iowa schedule and this was going to be there year if we were ever going to take a step up. Well it is obvious that we haven't improved. You can win out the remaining games (which they won't) and I will still consider this a disappointing season

You're just reading what you want to read and ignoring everything else. Most everyone isn't happy with the last two games. I'm not happy at all. I think we can be a better program than we've shown. But I'm not giving up on the season. I have to wait 8 months for a new season to start, I'm going to try and enjoy it as much as I can, even when it is disappointing.

I'm going to ask one more time: What should I do to stop "accepting mediocrity"? And how will that make us a better program?

 

[GophersInIowa]

I just sent a demanding email to Coyle and burned one of my Gopher sweatshirts. When do we start winning?

 

[Lordshawesome]

I think it would have been a lot more difficult to fire clayes if Kill was part of the athletic department. That, with a long term view in mind, may have had something to do with the decision to not keep Kill around.

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[Ewert86PC]

Ridiculous? Perhaps, but not as ridiculous as magical thinking. Do you think this program has any chance of transforming itself into Ohio State or Michigan any time soon if a bunch of fans start stomping their feet and pounding their fists in anger?

This program has not been in the same class as those programs at any time in the modern era and is not likely to approach that class anytime in the foreseeable future. As I see it you have two choices: 1) accept this program's limitations and just take pleasure in those 8 or 9 win seasons when they come along or 2) become a fan of a program with a performance level that more closely matches your desires.

One question: Do you have this high of expectations for your own performance in your daily life? If so, you must be a very successful individual. If not, then I guess you are far more accepting of your own limitations than you are of this football program's.

This is such a load of defeatest, self-limiting, distracting bullcrap. Set your goals low and be happy that you make them. Don't have a dream, just accept what has happened. Give in, conform to what others expect of you.

If you don't like what's going on, go find somebody who others say is a winner, because loyalty is for fools. I know too many "fans" who hop from "winner" to "winner" like lemmings, laughing at fans who stick by a team through good times and bad, and expecting turn key championships.

If you discount loyalty that much in your personal life, how many marriages or relationships have you left because they weren't satisfying your expectations?


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[saintpaulguy]

This is such a load of defeatest, self-limiting, distracting bullcrap. Set your goals low and be happy that you make them. Don't have a dream, just accept what has happened. Give in, conform to what others expect of you.

If you don't like what's going on, go find somebody who others say is a winner, because loyalty is for fools. I know too many "fans" who hop from "winner" to "winner" like lemmings, laughing at fans who stick by a team through good times and bad, and expecting turn key championships.

If you discount loyalty that much in your personal life, how many marriages or relationships have you left because they weren't satisfying your expectations?


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Loyalty went out the window when they required a donation to sit in the areas where the most loyal fans sat. It is a fungible sports product now.

 

[Ewert86PC]

Loyalty went out the window when they required a donation to sit in the areas where the most loyal fans sat. It is a fungible sports product now.

So, if it is a fungible sports product now, then that makes more of a reason to not accept mediocrity. If it is this product. then it is akin to an educational department within the school. Would it be acceptable to tell engineering students that it is acceptable be average in their work? Would it be acceptable to send medical graduates out with a rudimentary level of medical training? Those are academic forms of accepting mediocrity.

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[cjbfbp]

If you discount loyalty that much in your personal life, how many marriages or relationships have you left because they weren't satisfying your expectations?


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I think you have it backwards. I'm not the one threatening to withhold support if the program doesn't dramatically improve. And if you're really that curious about my personal life, I don't do that there either.

 

[cjbfbp]

If it is this product. then it is akin to an educational department within the school. Would it be acceptable to tell engineering students that it is acceptable be average in their work? Would it be acceptable to send medical graduates out with a rudimentary level of medical training? Those are academic forms of accepting mediocrity.

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Good Lord, you have the logic and critical thinking of a fence post. But, your analogy isn't completely without merit. Did you ever hear the of the old expression, "You can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear?" Well, that does apply to a degree in athletics as well as education. The hardest working and most committed teacher around isn't likely to turn a bunch of average boys and girls into MIT scholars and a hard working and committed coach isn't likely to turn Minnesota's roster into Alabama's. Professors and coaches don't tell their students to settle for mediocrity. It's just that healthy number of those students don't have what it takes to rise far above that.

 

[Ewert86PC]

Good Lord, you have the logic and critical thinking of a fence post. But, your analogy isn't completely without merit. Did you ever hear the of the old expression, "You can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear?" Well, that does apply to a degree in athletics as well as education. The hardest working and most committed teacher around isn't likely to turn a bunch of average boys and girls into MIT scholars and a hard working and committed coach isn't likely to turn Minnesota's roster into Alabama's. Professors and coaches don't tell their students to settle for mediocrity. It's just that healthy number of those students don't have what it takes to rise far above that.

Who is telling the students to accept mediocrity? No one. The alumni are told to accept mediocrity of graduates because of excuses X, Y and Z. Alumni who ask about getting back to a higher level of performance get berated by bureaucrats who insist it can't be done. The prestige of having attended the University of Minnesota continues to decline because we, as alumni, continue accept mediocrity representing our Alma Mater.

We are told this because striving for a goal, putting forth the effort in an attempt to reach that goal and the inevitable outcome of that effort, whether success or failure, is determined to be a joke by those who do not see value in the process. We are told this by people who do not value the University of Minnesota, some of whom are gatekeepers of University business and activities.

We do this because there has been a dogmatic erasure of opposing views based on a winner takes all mentality. A mentality that is about fundamental intellectual fascism. A functional vocational view of education. A disregard for the humanities and social sciences because they have no applicable value in the modern job market.

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[Spoofin]

I am now officially doing all the things and stuff to not accept mediocrity! Feels Good.


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[Great Plains Gopher]

Loyalty went out the window when they required a donation to sit in the areas where the most loyal fans sat. It is a fungible sports product now.

Good point. They chased some of their most loyal fans out of the stadium and they don't offer much in the hot competition for the local entertainment dollar.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I am now officially doing all the things and stuff to not accept mediocrity! Feels Good.


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Maybe we can exchange notes later on this week? I want to make sure I'm doing it right.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

I think it would have been a lot more difficult to fire clayes if Kill was part of the athletic department. That, with a long term view in mind, may have had something to do with the decision to not keep Kill around.

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Interesting thought - not hiring Kill again might be broader in its implications.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I am now officially doing all the things and stuff to not accept mediocrity! Feels Good.


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I'm still cool with mediocrity or slightly less than mediocore. I hate the pressure.

 

[GoodasGold]

I'll tell you this...if Claeys is canned, that will be a Big loss for the program!

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I just unsubscribed from the mediocrity usenet newsgroup... I expect to begin winning pretty soon.

 

[Jack jones]

Interesting comment about comparing the Gophers to Becky. If you remember, Wis. had some good years in the 80's but when Donna Shalala became president in the late 80's, and Barry A was hired, she demanded that her football program became a conference leader. My point being, our president hasn't pushed enough buttons to create that type of program.