STrib: Kill expects Gophers football to be better in his fourth season

[BleedGopher]

per the STrib:

“We think we’ll be better,” Kill said Thursday. “I said that last year, and we were better [in 2013], and I think we’ll be better this year.”

“I’m not one that guarantees [a number of wins], but we’ll be better,” Kill said. “But our offseason’s got to be better, and our approach has got to be better. You’ve got to work harder.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/239527741.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

What the bleep did you expect him to say?

I like Kill and his staff, but unless they can find a way to bring in some game-changing athletes on offense, it is going to be very hard to move this program up to the level where they are winning 9 or 10 games and playing in major bowl games. When you watch the teams in the big bowl games, it's pretty clear that there is a talent gap between the Gophs and the elite teams.

 

[everybody knows my name]

What the bleep did you expect him to say?

I like Kill and his staff, but unless they can find a way to bring in some game-changing athletes on offense, it is going to be very hard to move this program up to the level where they are winning 9 or 10 games and playing in major bowl games. When you watch the teams in the big bowl games, it's pretty clear that there is a talent gap between the Gophs and the elite teams.

Humbug.

I don't think I ever saw an expert predict eight wins for the 2013 Gophers. They all said it was going to be very hard to improve on six wins. "They might even improve and still win fewer games than last year," they said.

If Killer says they'll be better next year, I'm a believer.

 

[e.bigelow]

Humbug.

I don't think I ever saw an expert predict eight wins for the 2013 Gophers. They all said it was going to be very hard to improve on six wins. "They might even improve and still win fewer games than last year," they said.

If Killer says they'll be better next year, I'm a believer.

Agreed.

 

[MNVCGUY]

The writeup isn't bad but the headline is horrible.....I think you would be pretty hard pressed to find a coach that doesn't think his team is going to be better the next year.

As for Kill, this is a big year for him because the team is almost entirely his guys and many of them have been in his system now for 3-4 years. They raised the bar some by exceeding expectations this past season but it is important to keep the momentum going by at least repeating the .500 conference record in 2014.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

The writeup isn't bad but the headline is horrible.....I think you would be pretty hard pressed to find a coach that doesn't think his team is going to be better the next year.

As for Kill, this is a big year for him because the team is almost entirely his guys and many of them have been in his system now for 3-4 years. They raised the bar some by exceeding expectations this past season but it is important to keep the momentum going by at least repeating the .500 conference record in 2014.

Agreed. A losing conference record would definitely be a disappointment.

 

[Indi1006]

What the bleep did you expect him to say?

I like Kill and his staff, but unless they can find a way to bring in some game-changing athletes on offense, it is going to be very hard to move this program up to the level where they are winning 9 or 10 games and playing in major bowl games. When you watch the teams in the big bowl games, it's pretty clear that there is a talent gap between the Gophs and the elite teams.

We do need guys who can take it to the house like the SEC teams have, but we have some pretty darn good up and coming young players on O, and if one (just one) of our QBs can figure it out we should be more than fine.

 

[die hard gopher]

What the bleep did you expect him to say?

I like Kill and his staff, but unless they can find a way to bring in some game-changing athletes on offense, it is going to be very hard to move this program up to the level where they are winning 9 or 10 games and playing in major bowl games. When you watch the teams in the big bowl games, it's pretty clear that there is a talent gap between the Gophs and the elite teams.

did you expect another 3 win season last year and a 5 win season this year? we won 8 games this year a lot of underclassmen and return 17 starters and should once again one of the most improved if not the most improved team in the big ten and 9 wins should be expected next year, and the schedule actually isn't that much harder if not harder at all next year then it was this year, and for those of you saying it will be hard to repeat this years success since the schedule is harder TCU won 4 games last year and OSU next year will be about the same as MSU this year, we also get Purdue and Illinois which is a lot better the PSU and IU, its pretty much the exact same strength schedule

 

[Spoofin]

Humbug.

I don't think I ever saw an expert predict eight wins for the 2013 Gophers. They all said it was going to be very hard to improve on six wins. "They might even improve and still win fewer games than last year," they said.

If Killer says they'll be better next year, I'm a believer.

Not true. I predicted 8 wins.

 

[killme]

When you watch the teams in the big bowl games, it's pretty clear that there is a talent gap between the Gophs and the elite teams.

I watched us play MSU live and then the TV broadcast on my DVR. I believe Sparty played in the Rose Bowl Game. Not sure if that is one of the "big bowl games" or if Sparty was an "elite" team, but I did not see the "talent gap you speak of. I thought our team speed was significantly improved this year and expect a noticeable improvement again in '14. If the guys we have get after it and push each other in the weight room this offseason, Killer's claim will be apparent to even a casual observer.

 

[patrick08]

Be careful those who say "what did you expect him to say?" You know how people criticize. What did you expect Brewster to say? He said he wanted Rose Bowls and people vilified him. Should he have said he wanted to bring the Gopher Nation back to Nashville for the Music City Bowl? Every coach needs to say something positive. Let's not try to make this into him saying we will win the B1G.

 

[Gopherwatcher]

I watched us play MSU live and then the TV broadcast on my DVR. I believe Sparty played in the Rose Bowl Game. Not sure if that is one of the "big bowl games" or if Sparty was an "elite" team, but I did not see the "talent gap you speak of. I thought our team speed was significantly improved this year and expect a noticeable improvement again in '14. If the guys we have get after it and push each other in the weight room this offseason, Killer's claim will be apparent to even a casual observer.

I believe that the key word you hit on here is team speed. Football is no longer a game of finding the biggest, strongest athletes and pushing the other team out of the way. It's about spreading them out and running around them. This is evident at all levels of football. Even the NFL has adopted many of these spread concepts. A team like Wisconsin is the exception nowadays with that downhill running game, but even they have incorporated more spread concepts than they did under Alvarez.

I fully believe that the Gophers will be better next season, but I believe that it all hinges upon the QB position. If they can get that positioned settled, they will be in every game next season and have opportunities to win a lot of games.

 

[Gopherprof]

Speaking of Brewster.....

Our players, they need to come back [from winter break], and they need to be starving,” Kill said. “And I think they will be. You always want to talk about quarterbacks — they need to be starving.

Did he leave behind one of his motivational manuals?

 

[gophmeister]

Speaking of Brewster.....



Did he leave behind one of his motivational manuals?

I thought the same same thing. If he brings up bear hunting we'll know the answer.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Let me try this again.

I like what Kill's doing - but in all honesty, when I compare the Gophers to the teams playing in the major bowl games, I see a significant difference in speed and athletic ability in the skill positions. I think you can only go so far playing grind-it-out. That's why I feel it's going to be difficult for Kill to move the program up to that next level - where they're contending for a conference title - unless they can find a way to bring in WR's and RB's who can break big plays.

Coaching and execution are great - but more often than not, the team with the better athletes is going to come out on top.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Let me try this again.

I like what Kill's doing - but in all honesty, when I compare the Gophers to the teams playing in the major bowl games, I see a significant difference in speed and athletic ability in the skill positions. I think you can only go so far playing grind-it-out. That's why I feel it's going to be difficult for Kill to move the program up to that next level - where they're contending for a conference title - unless they can find a way to bring in WR's and RB's who can break big plays.

Coaching and execution are great - but more often than not, the team with the better athletes is going to come out on top.

I totally understand the point you are trying to get across and agree 100%. For this team to move past the middle of the pack in both the Big Ten and Nationally it is going to take some game breaking athletes and the kind of speed you see on display when the elite teams square off. The Big Ten as a conference struggles with this but specifically with the Gophers there is a long way to go at the skill positions.

 

[hungan1]

The Gophers need to keep winning more games, and be on the winning side of close games. The more they do that their fortunes with higher echelon recruits may change.