To those calling to fire PJ, who would you hire in his place?

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Not taken the time to read this entire thread but two things appear relevant...

First, thought given the conditions this was a great home crowd showing, especially the students. Those that were present understood what was needed to manage the temps and wind and were prepared and most importantly were engaged. The diehards were there and there were a lot of them. Great showing.

As for I-O-W-A fans, they did travel...whether from south of the state line or just from Eagan...where the Hawks behind the Billds were from. Not in the numbers for some other games but they did come to be in person...well beyond the 3,000 fan allotment per Big Ten Team as I understand.

As an aside we did have some good banter with the I-O-W-A fan from Eagan. They have lived by their Defense all year so this was a nail-biter for them. They were pleasantly surprised by what Petras and the TEs were able to accomplish but were worried sick over Mo...of course with good reason.

In the "what if could'a game" we won. That is not reality however. Sigh....
 

Some guy said:
I would’ve enjoyed it: everyone here would want him fired as he typically tops out about a 7-9 win team everywhere he goes.
21 years as a coach and just two seasons of 10 or more wins
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12 with 8+.
 

Some guy said:
I would’ve enjoyed it: everyone here would want him fired as he typically tops out about a 7-9 win team everywhere he goes.
21 years as a coach and just two seasons of 10 or more wins
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It was for two reasons. The guy is funny as hell. And he runs a really entertaining offense.

But the thing is, he gets those 7-9 wins at places that are arguably harder to get players than Minnesota. Lubbock, Pullman and Starkville are not exactly glamorous destinations.

And Craig James' jerk kid got what he deserved. Leach was 100% in the right.
 

I am not at all on the fire PJ bandwagon but I do agree with many on here that at times the style of play this year has been boring and stagnant at times. I'm not sure if some resistance to throwing more is based on our overall terrible ability to catch the ball by the receiving corp? How many times have they had balls hit their hands and then fall the the turf or better yet as we saw yesterday pop up in to the air and then get picked off at the worst possible times (Purdue endzone). So maybe that factor is more why we continue to pound the ball with Mo who has been pretty sure handed all these years in his ability to not fumble, and of course when its all on the line in true Minnesota Sports team fashion coughed it up at the 9 yard line. Same with leaving points on the field with missed FGs that again pop up at the worst possible times for this team it seems.

So while yes a more balanced approach even 60/40 or 65/35 run to pass would be nice, sadly we just don't have the players to make that possible or at least players who want to step up to be that #1 sure handed receiver that we can go to and know more often than not he's going to catch that ball.
 



Yeah, let's be like Nebraska and fire an 8-9 win coach because we can do better!! Yeah firing Panini or whatever his name is sure worked out great for them! Go Gophers!
 

So we can't pay off our athlete's village, have very little NIL money to offer, and people think it would be a good idea to fire Fleck? Who are we going to attract that's going to be way better? I was a Kill fan but Fleck is basically having a Kill-type season. Weird how all the people that loved Kill now want PJ fired for having a Kill season.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Were you there Saturday?
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Was not. And I wasn’t referring to that specifically as much as this has been discussed at length over the years. I did watch the game and looked like plenty of Iowa fans there but also a cold ass game and looked like attendance was down overall for what you would expect Iowa gophers to be. To be clear I am in no way saying that the visitors are the majority at all but I have absolutely been at games where there was 10-15000 visiting fans from Iowa or Wisconsin. In fairness I’ve only been to one Iowa game vs all the Wisconsin games at the new stadium.
 

The "butt's-the-seats" and "eyeballs-from-the-concourses" count was very good for this game given the conditions. This was especially so for the students up to the half.

If you were not prepared for the cold your fefuge was the concourses, bathrooms, and elevator rooms for some relief. I can imagine though some attritition at half-time due to the cold.

Mrs. Billd lost her toes (figuratively) but we stayed even longer than the Hawks behind us, in this case to the coldly bitter end.
 



BilldGopher said:
The "butt's-the-seats" and "eyeballs-from-the-concourses" count was very good for this game given the conditions. This was especially so for the students up to the half.

If you were not prepared for the cold your fefuge was the concourses, bathrooms, and elevator rooms for some relief. I can imagine though some attritition at half-time due to the cold.

Mrs. Billd lost her toes (figuratively) but we stayed even longer than the Hawks behind us, in this case to the coldly bitter end.
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I had to leave after the 3rd quarter due to numb toes. That was even with 2 layers of socks (one wool) and multiple warmers in the boots.

Couple of very drunk Iowa fans in front of us but most of the Iowa fans seemed relatively well-behaved.
 

When PJ becomes a lazy recruiter this thread will have some relevance. Until then it’s nonsense.
 

Word said:
I had to leave after the 3rd quarter due to numb toes. That was even with 2 layers of socks (one wool) and multiple warmers in the boots.

Couple of very drunk Iowa fans in front of us but most of the Iowa fans seemed relatively well-behaved.
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The ones around us were okay too.

If you've ever been to games at Kinnick or Kinnick North, the Hawks have two main cheers..."Let's Go Hawks!" and spelling incessantly "I-O-W-A" over and over again. Between the two I find the Let's Go Hawks to be more tolerable because it usually happens when they need a big play, stop, or whatever.

I had commented to Mrs. Billd while exiting the stadium that one consolation was that we did not hear one "I-O-W-A" chant the entire time. Of course spoke too soon as while waiting for the next Green Line train to the West Bank Station, the train concourse was crawling with Hawks and sure enough one of them started to demonstrate the limits of their spelling acumen, and of course the chorus chimed in for what seemed like forever...

Mrs. Billd looked over at me and smiled a wry one. I deserved it...
 

Some guy said:
I would’ve enjoyed it: everyone here would want him fired as he typically tops out about a 7-9 win team everywhere he goes.
21 years as a coach and just two seasons of 10 or more wins
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Because he goes places that can't beat the bigger brother.

Texas Tech, Wazzou, Miss State. Always the bridesmaid type programs.
 



Gophers_4life said:
Because he goes places that can't beat the bigger brother.

Texas Tech, Wazzou, Miss State. Always the bridesmaid type programs.
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Yup.
And I hate to tell fans on this board, but that’s us too. He probably wouldn’t get us over the top either
 

We are not going to do better than PJ and Coyle knows it. Fleck's program, with a win in Madison he will be .500 in conference play through six years. Warmath, Stoll, Salem, Holtz, Gutey, Wacker, Mason, Brew, Kill, Claeys no Gopher coach can say they did that since Football was segrated. (Which is sad in it's own right) Right now he's 24-25 in the Big Ten and 41-26 overall. A win on Saturday and he's .500 vs Wisconsin with two wins in Madison. Fleck is also 5-1 vs Nebraska, 4-2 vs Purdue, 3-2 vs NW, 3-3 vs Illinois, 2-3 vs Wisco. 8-9 vs the East, 14-1 in non con, 3-0 in bowls. The black eye is 0-6 vs Iowa. What's frustrating is we had the better team in 2019, last year and this year, but Fleck seems to leave his balls in Heather's purse when they play Iowa and Ferentz seems to get extra aggressive and his shit qb turns into Johnny Unitas vs Fleck. With that beng said, there's alot I don't like about Fleck in game ultra conservative approach, it will cost a game or two a year, but the good as far as program development goes far outweighs the bad. The other unfortunate truth though is the program is hitting a recruiting road block, the classes aren't bad, but Fleck needed to win the West either this year or last year while he had the veteran squad and the friendly crossover schedule to take the next step in recruiting. We didn't do that and next year with Ohio State and Michigan there no margin for error, you lose to one West opponent and it's over. When 2024 comes and they get rid of divisions, we will never come out on the right side of a tiebreaker with USC, Michigan, etc. I think this is just going to be a hibitual 7-9 in program, maybe we get a 2019 once every ten years and how you feel about that in terms of it being good enough is probably how you feel about Fleck as well.
 
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swelna said:
Give me a name that you think we could realistically hire that would be better. One wrong hire and we're back to the Brewster days. Nebraska is experiencing this right now and both Illinois and Purdue were there.

I understand the frustration about having not won against Iowa, but if we win against Wisconsin and win a bowl game we'll have another 9 win season. I know PJ was supposed to elevate us, but right now, the wrong hire will send us back to the cellar of the Big Ten and I don't want to be there.

So I ask again, who would you hire specifically? What coach would realistically come here and has a record that you think shows they could succeed and break the 8-9 win ceiling
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PJ can get there, have faith
 


Dupreefor3 said:
We are not going to do better than PJ and Coyle knows it. Fleck's program, with a win in Madison hew will be .500 in conference play through six years. Warmath, Stoll, Salem, Holtz, Gutey, Wacker, Mason, Brew, Kill, Claeys no Gopher coach can say they did that. (Which is sad in it's own right) Right now he's 24-25 in the Big Ten and 41-26 overall. A win on Saturday and he's .500 vs Wisconsin with two wins in Madison. Fleck is also 5-1 vs Nebraska, 4-2 vs Purdue, 3-2 vs NW, 3-3 vs Illinois, 2-3 vs Wisco. 8-9 vs the East, 14-1 in non con, 3-0 in bowls. The black eye is 0-6 vs Iowa. What's frustrating is we had the better team in 2019, last year and this year, but Fleck seems to leave his balls in Heather's purse when they play Iowa and Ferentz seems to getbextra aggressive and his shit qb turns into Johnny Unitas vs Fleck. With that beng said, there's alot I don't like about Fleck in game ultra conservative approach, it will cost a game or two a year, but the good as far as program development far outweighs the bad. The other unfortunate truth though is the program is hitting a recruiting road block, the classes aren't bad, but Fleck needed to win the West either this year or last year while he had the veteran squad and the friendly crossover schedule to take the next step in recruiting. We didn't do that and next year with Ohio State and Michigan there no margin for error, you lose to one West opponent and it's over. When 2024 comes and they get rid of divisions, we will never come out on the right side of a tiebreaker with USC, Michigan, etc. I think this is just going to be a hibitual 7-9 in program, maybe we get a 2019 once every ten years and how you feel about that in terms of it being good enough is probably how you feel about Fleck as well.
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A lot to unpack here...
 

People who are calling for Flecks head are flat out wrong. Stop and put into perspective what the Gophers are now currently. We have been ranked for at least a week in the last 4 years if I remember correctly. We are not irrelevant on the national scale.

I understand he has yet to to win against Iowa but were a a few plays away from winning the last 2 against them. It is not like we are getting blown out and embarrassed every year.

Obviously he has flaws such as his conservative play calling the last few years and his god awful timeout management. But if you think firing him without having another coach lined up will "Fix" the program you are oblivious to how things work. The fact we out perform what our recruiting shows is a sign players develop under flecks coaching. If you think brining in a new face will magically increase recruiting to a program like Minnesota under current the current NIL landscape you are wrong. As much as people hate to admit it this program is slowly trending in a positive direction. Yes the season isn't ending how we planned but we can be 9-4 with the axe and a bowl win. That is not a bad season, BE REALISTIC. A new coach will not bring a B1G Championship season any time soon.

Now hear is a Take that I might regret. Mo not returning could be a positive for this program and Fleck as a coach. It is obvious we are a one dimensional team right now with the play calling. This WILL NOT work next year without a super senior running back who is top 3 in the nation, everyone knows that. Kirk C also knows that and we have seen what he can do when we can throw the ball. Without Mo I am hoping our playbook becomes more dynamic next year with young talent who we have seen show potential. Maybe this is what our offense needs.

If Fleck can change his mindset in timeout management and playing "to not lose", which I believe he can, we are in a fantastic spot. Firing him is not the answer.
 

We can do better than Fleck, but there is no reason to try at this point. I want to see what he does now that his first class at the U is all done and see if his development still produces on the field. People have complained about his loyalty to players and that excuse is now gone. Expectations will be lower next year and maybe he does better with a team with lower expectations. Lots of things can happen between now and next fall.

I'm excited to see us close out this season. Big boost game this weekend in Madison. 8-9 wins sounds significantly better than 7.

Next year's schedule:

Ohio State 11-0
Michigan 11-0
Michigan State 5-6
North Carolina 9-2
Iowa 7-4
Purdue 7-4
Illinois 7-4
Wisconsin 6-5
Nebraska 3-8
Northwestern 1-10
Louisiana 5-6
Eastern Michigan 7-4

79-53 (.598). This years opponents are 54-77 (.412)
 

in terms of public opinion, a lot is riding on the Wisconsin game.

if the Gophers beat Wisconsin, that mitigates some of the sting of the Iowa game.
if the Gophers then go on to win a Bowl game and finish 9-4, then things seem better going into the off-season.

But - if the Gophers lose to Wisconsin, there will be more complaints and criticism.
and if the Gophers lose a bowl game and finish 7-6, then things are going to seem a lot worse going into the off-season.

again, I am not calling for Fleck to be fired. But I do want to see some changes made in the offensive approach. If Fleck is not willing or not able to change, then we are having a very different discussion.
 

I have posted before that Fleck is a good but not a great coach with an expectation of 8-9 wins most years. Fire him? No, because there is not a lot out that would realistically come to Minneapolis. OTOH, I don’t buy that the Gophers can’t jump to the next level with the right coach. To back up my assertion, look at Cincinnati. Similarly sized city to Minneapolis, urban campus, local pro football etc. They have the disadvantage of being a non Power 5 school who has to compete with Ohio Sate, UK, and Indiana all within 100 miles.
 

For some reason they seem to find good coaches. To wit, D’Antonio and Kelly. Minnesota would do well to back up a Brinks truck to Luke Fickel’s house before someone else does.He’s been passed over by Ohio State an ND which are his stated dream jobs. Fickels chance to coach in the Big10 and exact some revenge
 

Laker said:
For some reason they seem to find good coaches. To wit, D’Antonio and Kelly. Minnesota would do well to back up a Brinks truck to Luke Fickel’s house before someone else does.He’s been passed over by Ohio State an ND which are his stated dream jobs. Fickels chance to coach in the Big10 and exact some revenge
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Fickell already turned down Michigan State which is a better job than Minnesota. Minnesota also doesn’t have a Brinks trunk of money.
 

What's the over/under number of years before Minnesota wins the Big Ten ?

About 100 ??
 


Regret As years pass, Gophers’ regret over 2022 title failure will only intensify
Our seven wins are against teams with a combined record of 18-58, and our four losses are to teams who are a combined 30-14. Pretty easy schedule and that opportunity has passed along with our 23, 24 year old better players moving on.
 

GopherGod said:
Fickell already turned down Michigan State which is a better job than Minnesota. Minnesota also doesn’t have a Brinks trunk of money.
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So you're saying we can't expect to win the Big Ten in the next 100 years.
 


MonikerSchmoniker45 said:
Just a friendly dig. I would agree with you but I haven't had either in years. Culver's is the only fast food burger worth eating imo.
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I’m definitely getting a peppermint frosty before Christmas.

I’m a peppermint friend - hoping for some good deals on Amazon Friday do I can bark up
 

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