"The Program is Improving..."

[TheSportsAce]

From today's Star Tribune:

"Brewster said he believes there is a 'great majority' of Gopher fans who are supportive, who call into his radio show and e-mail him personally, 'people who know we're doing things right. ... They can see on the football field [that] we're improving. Obviously you hate to lose to South Dakota -- that's a setback. OK, now we've got to find a way to get two more steps forward.' "

Can someone please explain to me how a loss to South Dakota at home in September in his fourth year of coaching the Gophers is improvement? Please. How in the world can Brewster still maintain that this team and program are better than when he took over four years ago?

You just can't make this stuff up.

 

[MNfootballfan]

From today's Star Tribune:

"Brewster said he believes there is a 'great majority' of Gopher fans who are supportive, who call into his radio show and e-mail him personally, 'people who know we're doing things right. ... They can see on the football field [that] we're improving. Obviously you hate to lose to South Dakota -- that's a setback. OK, now we've got to find a way to get two more steps forward.' "

Can someone please explain to me how a loss to South Dakota at home in September in his fourth year of coaching the Gophers is improvement? Please. How in the world can Brewster still maintain that this team and program are better than when he took over four years ago?

You just can't make this stuff up.

I have about given up with Brewster like most on here. But, what do you expect him to say? "Well guys, guess we have degressed the last 4 years. Everything we have worked for we have failed at." Losing to South Dakota doesn't gage the direction of the program. Michigan was #5 and lost to App. St, Virginia Tech lost to James Madison, Kansas lost to NDSU, etc. One loss doesn't show the direction of the program. It is a game, once the kickoff happens all bets are off. Anyone can beat anyone.

Now, before I get lit up for this, take into account that it is their second loss to a 1aa program in Brewster's tenure, barely beating SDSU, losing to Iowa 55-0, etc - all that defines the direction of the program.

 

[50PoundHead]

I have about given up with Brewster like most on here. But, what do you expect him to say? "Well guys, guess we have degressed the last 4 years. Everything we have worked for we have failed at." Losing to South Dakota doesn't gage the direction of the program. Michigan was #5 and lost to App. St, Virginia Tech lost to James Madison, Kansas lost to NDSU, etc. One loss doesn't show the direction of the program. It is a game, once the kickoff happens all bets are off. Anyone can beat anyone.

Now, before I get lit up for this, take into account that it is their second loss to a 1aa program in Brewster's tenure, barely beating SDSU, losing to Iowa 55-0, etc - all that defines the direction of the program.

Agreed. I can't believe the people that rip Brewster for the automatic stuff--PR and the like--every coach from Pop Warner on up does. To some, I suppose it comes off as only defending himself, but he's defending the team as well.

 

[Wheaton]

The South Dakota loss is just one of many things that is evidence this program is skidding backwards.

"once the kickoff happens all bets are off. Anyone can beat anyone. " - box yes that is true to an extent. Is James Madison a better football team than Virginia Tech? No but they did win. If the Gophers were to play USD again they would probably win.

But how do you justify going 0-8 in trophy games? It's not just losing to lesser programs, its being the laughing stock of the Big Ten. A Big Ten that is going to be MUCH! better next year!

 

[MNfootballfan]

The South Dakota loss is just one of many things that is evidence this program is skidding backwards.

"once the kickoff happens all bets are off. Anyone can beat anyone. " - box yes that is true to an extent. Is James Madison a better football team than Virginia Tech? No but they did win. If the Gophers were to play USD again they would probably win.

But how do you justify going 0-8 in trophy games? It's not just losing to lesser programs, its being the laughing stock of the Big Ten. A Big Ten that is going to be MUCH! better next year!

You must not have read my entire post. That is why I then said this: "Now, before I get lit up for this, take into account that it is their second loss to a 1aa program in Brewster's tenure, barely beating SDSU, losing to Iowa 55-0, etc - all that defines the direction of the program."

The 0-8 in trophy games, disciplinary actions, failing to win games that are "easy wins," all that I believe goes into the etc. I am just saying that the one loss to SD doesn't dictate the direction of the program, but it is one of the elements that define the Brewster era.

 

[anonymous]

Here are a couple of my opinions on Brewster.

1. If you spend much of the fall talking about improvements in the state of the program and all but running down the former coach, you better not lose to a team that is unranked in FCS.

2. When comparing Mason and Brewster, I think that while Brewster may have more upside as a coach and it is possible he could have more success, he also has more downside. He is much more feast or famine with not as much in between. I don't think Mason would have lost either of the FCS games or has as much trouble with the two other FCS teams.

 

[TheSportsAce]

Don't get me wrong: I do PR as my day job, and I completely understand that Brew is just trying to say what he has to. But I think his message is off...I wouldn't be harping on how improved the team is, just coming off the worst loss in years. As with any other PR crisis I've worked on, I'd be focusing on acknowledging the problem, confronting it head on and detailing exactly what he's going to do to ensure it never happens again.

And there are plenty of other data points of failure from Brew's tenure. Can't ignore them either.

 

[howeda7]

The South Dakota loss is just one of many things that is evidence this program is skidding backwards.

"once the kickoff happens all bets are off. Anyone can beat anyone. " - box yes that is true to an extent. Is James Madison a better football team than Virginia Tech? No but they did win. If the Gophers were to play USD again they would probably win.

But how do you justify going 0-8 in trophy games? It's not just losing to lesser programs, its being the laughing stock of the Big Ten. A Big Ten that is going to be MUCH! better next year!

JMU is not better then Virginia Tech, but I assure you they would beat the stuffing out of South Dakota. No doubt.

 

[spermophilus]

Brewster Spent All His Remaining Capital Saturday

From today's Star Tribune:

"Brewster said he believes there is a 'great majority' of Gopher fans who are supportive, who call into his radio show and e-mail him personally, 'people who know we're doing things right. ... They can see on the football field [that] we're improving. Obviously you hate to lose to South Dakota -- that's a setback. OK, now we've got to find a way to get two more steps forward.' "

Can someone please explain to me how a loss to South Dakota at home in September in his fourth year of coaching the Gophers is improvement? Please. How in the world can Brewster still maintain that this team and program are better than when he took over four years ago?

You just can't make this stuff up.

Every formerly partisan "pro-Brewster" fan/tailgater/alum I know, or talk with, or contacted, were looking for TB's head on a platter after that "effort" on Saturday.

Brewster spent every penny of his remaining good will and capital on Saturday. I am not sure you can put the toothpaste back in the tube.

 

[50PoundHead]

Here are a couple of my opinions on Brewster.

1. If you spend much of the fall talking about improvements in the state of the program and all but running down the former coach, you better not lose to a team that is unranked in FCS.

2. When comparing Mason and Brewster, I think that while Brewster may have more upside as a coach and it is possible he could have more success, he also has more downside. He is much more feast or famine with not as much in between. I don't think Mason would have lost either of the FCS games or has as much trouble with the two other FCS teams.

Everyone here does remember that Mason was one missed chip-shot FG away from losing to NDSU, right?

But this shouldn't be about Brewster v. Mason. It should be solely about Brewster and whether or not the program is moving forward.

 

[BleedGopher]

Everyone here does remember that Mason was one missed chip-shot FG away from losing to NDSU, right?

But this shouldn't be about Brewster v. Mason. It should be solely about Brewster and whether or not the program is moving forward.

He was also one made long FG away from not blowing the Texas Tech game, and thus, not losing his job at that point. Almost every coach, be it Bear Bryant to Brew, has a number of "chip shot FG's" made and missed throughout their career that made or blew seasons. They all cancel each other out.

Go Gophers!!

 

[eag35]

Everyone here does remember that Mason was one missed chip-shot FG away from losing to NDSU, right?

But this shouldn't be about Brewster v. Mason. It should be solely about Brewster and whether or not the program is moving forward.

Which it is not...

 

[FlyingSquirrel]

I understand that there have ALWAYS been at least a couple big time losses at many other schools... but the difference is that they bounce back and actually win a few of the easier games in the season later on... or if they are a lower level team, they actually upset someone better than themselves. the 0-8 in trophy games mean not only we are a lesser team than anyone else in the conference, but we aren't even capable of upsetting someone.

GREAT talent will come to decent or emerging teams on the right track. It doesn't matter if he's a "good" recruiter, if he brings in okay talent into a terrible team with no direction we're wasting our time. Good recruiting coaches have a role on a team, they are the coordinators and assistants. Head coaches find ways to win no matter what talent he has on the field. We don't have a head coach, we have a PR-recruiter that would be a great TE coach and guy to motivate the team during warm ups....

 

[stocker08]

I do not see how Brewster can keep up with this. Every year he makes some kind of promise. "Oh, well we should be better next year." "Our program is improving." Oh yeah? Since when? "I plan to take this team to the rose bowl." I don't see that happening.

In his 4th year, we have almost regressed back to where we started a few years ago. I know we beat MTSU, but after seeing what the SD quarterback did against our defense, I am convinced that we would have lost that game had Dasher been eligible to play. Unless the team starts clicking (which is possible) this team will be horrendous this year. We should be better next year, but you cannot do much worse than it looks like we might do.

 

[MRJ]

Don't get me wrong: I do PR as my day job, and I completely understand that Brew is just trying to say what he has to. But I think his message is off...I wouldn't be harping on how improved the team is, just coming off the worst loss in years. As with any other PR crisis I've worked on, I'd be focusing on acknowledging the problem, confronting it head on and detailing exactly what he's going to do to ensure it never happens again.

And there are plenty of other data points of failure from Brew's tenure. Can't ignore them either.

Bingo, right on the money. The team isn't improved and saying so a few days after suffering a humiliating home loss to a lower division team isn't going to convince anyone otherwise. Rather, it comes off as more of the same blather that Brewster has been spouting off about his program since he got here. Sometimes all you need to do is admit that the team has holes all over the place and to start trying to fix them. Instead Brewster has now resorted to his usual crap about how everything is just fine and dandy, which is completely laughable and quite pathetic.

 

[thailleagle]

Used Car Salesman...nothing more...nothing less...

 

[josh087]

He was also one made long FG away from not blowing the Texas Tech game, and thus, not losing his job at that point. Almost every coach, be it Bear Bryant to Brew, has a number of "chip shot FG's" made and missed throughout their career that made or blew seasons. They all cancel each other out.

Go Gophers!!

Mason was also a Chris Perry fumble-bounce-in-any-direction-other-than-the-way-it-did away from at minimum a NYD bowl, if not the Rose Bowl.

 

[Silvio]

Mason was one play away from not blowing a lot of things.

 

[SickAndTiredOfLosingToWI]

Here are a couple of my opinions on Brewster.

1. If you spend much of the fall talking about improvements in the state of the program and all but running down the former coach, you better not lose to a team that is unranked in FCS.

2. When comparing Mason and Brewster, I think that while Brewster may have more upside as a coach and it is possible he could have more success, he also has more downside. He is much more feast or famine with not as much in between. I don't think Mason would have lost either of the FCS games or has as much trouble with the two other FCS teams.

I agree with both points, but the closest thing to a "feast" we've had under Brewster has been a 7-1 start that included wins over 5 creampuffs. Maybe you meant to type "fast."

 

[gold04]

This years tough schedule has given Brewster a chance to get some signature victories. The Gophers certianly have a chance this year to be giant killers. I think before this year is done we'll get an upset or two. It won't be enough to say Brewster is the answer but we'll suprise a few opponents.