Two Cents From an NIU Fan

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niu1981

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To Gophers everywhere:

You will have the most improved team in the Big 10 this year, book it. Your coaching staff has a process and it works. They've been together forever and know how to create a winner. They will always get criticized for poor recruiting classes by the pundits and yet always bring in good players. They may be the anti-Brewster in that way. Eric Klein is a special strength coach and you'll see tremendous strength gains across the entire roster this season now that he's been with them for over a year. Gray should run for 1,500 + yards this season. The team will be better across the board and actually look like a Big 10 team.

I say these things and I was as critical of them as anyone when they were at NIU. They definitely had their wacky moments with unusual personnel decisions and game management but they got better. I expect them to quickly get your program to the 7 to 8 win level and occasionally better.
 

Thanks for stopping by. Always great to hear it from someone who's been there. I think many of us have at least a sliver of doubt about the system succeeding in the B1G but we all hope it does, and hearing this stuff reinforces that it will.
 

niu1981 said:
To Gophers everywhere:

You will have the most improved team in the Big 10 this year, book it. Your coaching staff has a process and it works. They've been together forever and know how to create a winner. They will always get criticized for poor recruiting classes by the pundits and yet always bring in good players. They may be the anti-Brewster in that way. Eric Klein is a special strength coach and you'll see tremendous strength gains across the entire roster this season now that he's been with them for over a year. Gray should run for 1,500 + yards this season. The team will be better across the board and actually look like a Big 10 team.

I say these things and I was as critical of them as anyone when they were at NIU. They definitely had their wacky moments with unusual personnel decisions and game management but they got better. I expect them to quickly get your program to the 7 to 8 win level and occasionally better.
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In regards to Klein and the hopefully significant gains in strength and conditioning;

Where I hope to see this materialize the MOST this year is INJURIES. A marked improvement in strength and conditioning SHOULD translate into fewer injuries. Hopefully players learning to take care of themselves; increased flexibility, strength, nutrition, et al.

Gray leaving the USC game last year due to dehydration (if I recall correctly?) was inexcusable. An athlete of his caliber, at that stage of his career, should have a better handle on the basics of fueling and hydration.

Here's to a season with no major and/or lost-time injuries!!!
 

niu1981

Thanks for your perspective. You are right about the some of the critics of Kill and company here. My favorite is that they don't know how to recruit Big Ten players an that they will find out that the Big Ten is different. Sooner or later these people may begin to realize what is different is Coach Kill and company. We were lucky to get them.
 

Go Huskies!

(I'll be at NIU v. Iowa at Soldier's field rooting vehemently against the squawks).
 


Thanks for the post, but I hope that Q comes nowhere near 1500 yards rushing. If he gets to that number it means that our passing game didn't work and neither did our RBs.
 

Killjoy said:
Thanks for your perspective. You are right about the some of the critics of Kill and company here. My favorite is that they don't know how to recruit Big Ten players an that they will find out that the Big Ten is different. Sooner or later these people may begin to realize what is different is Coach Kill and company. We were lucky to get them.
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Killjoy, keep in mind that the biggest, most vocal naysayers are commentors that could not even crack the HS level lineup, and it was all the coach's fault.
 

gall0249 said:
Thanks for the post, but I hope that Q comes nowhere near 1500 yards rushing. If he gets to that number it means that our passing game didn't work and neither did our RBs.
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I agree unless he averages 8 yards a carry. I'm hoping we can keep Gray under 15 carries a game. If one of the RBs does well and the passing game improves, I could see Gray having a year like Harnish at N. Illinois did last year on the ground. He had 1349 yards rushing in only 194 carries. That was less than 14 carries a game.
 




Somewhat related to this...I'm glad to hear the coaching staff is losing weight. It's not a huge deal, but for high school kids, looks can be important. And with all other things equal, a high school kid is probably going to go with a fit and energetic coach, rather than a super fat coach. I know this sounds harsh, but it's realty. Kudos to the coaches for getting healthier and if it helps the perception of even 1 potential recruit...even better.
 

Good or bad, it's always nice to get an outsider's perspective excluding of course those who are just trolling. Thanks for your insights and good luck to your Huskies this year.

Ski-U-Mah and Go Gophers!
 

Thanks for the perspective niu1981. I'm optimistic for improvement this year, and its relieving to have an intact coaching staff at all key positions. I believe assistant turnover more than anything doomed Brewster to failure. But with all due respect, this is the Big Ten. What may have worked in the MAC or at Saginaw Valley State may not be good enough anymore. I'm confident Kill can get us to back to playing competitive football week in and week out (7-8 wins), but I'm still leery that we can move beyond that. I fear a Big Ten title may be too much to expect from Coach Kill and his staff.

That said, I certainly don't have those aspirations (yet). Let's get back to some bottom end bowl game this year, and build on that!
 

gall0249 said:
Thanks for the post, but I hope that Q comes nowhere near 1500 yards rushing. If he gets to that number it means that our passing game didn't work and neither did our RBs.
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I don't think it would mean our passing game had huge issues and I would take 1500 yards rushing from anyone on our roster.
 



I may be in the minority on this but I want Q to be running with the ball as much as possible.

I'd venture to say we probably won't see another 6'4, 260 pound QB as athletically gifted as Gray trot out and play QB for the Gophers in the near future. Him having the rock gives us the best chance to win, so let's cut him loose and see what happens.

Obviously not 25 times a game or anything crazy but he physically is a total beast and we need to give him as many opportunities as we can each game simply because he is our best player. The extra pounds he added in the off-season will be very important in avoiding injuries (knock on wood). This is not a slight at our RB's in any sense, it is just that I think Q is a truly unique talent who has a chance to have a really special season.
 

Curseislifted33 said:
I may be in the minority on this but I want Q to be running with the ball as much as possible.

I'd venture to say we probably won't see another 6'4, 260 pound QB as athletically gifted as Gray trot out and play QB for the Gophers in the near future. Him having the rock gives us the best chance to win, so let's cut him loose and see what happens.

Obviously not 25 times a game or anything crazy but he physically is a total beast and we need to give him as many opportunities as we can each game simply because he is our best player. The extra pounds he added in the off-season will be very important in avoiding injuries (knock on wood). This is not a slight at our RB's in any sense, it is just that I think Q is a truly unique talent who has a chance to have a really special season.
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Q is downright scary when you see him take off up close.

I think the confidence that I've seen/heard from NIU/SIU fans is nothing but encouraging. The precision that Kill's teams seem to have when they are rolling is striking to me. Not alot of sloppy plays broken into big gains/lucky bounces, just good technique, good angles, solid tackling, solid blocking, etc.

This is basically the formula our enemies to the south and east used to get to respectability. OSU and Michigan can find superior athletes that simply take games over, but if we can play smarter and more disciplined as well as find a few guys who can make plays, we'll end up rising in the BIG.
NIU did, SIU did.
 

Q will have a really solid season.
He's gonna be a stud in the NFL.
 

lars1429 said:
Somewhat related to this...I'm glad to hear the coaching staff is losing weight. It's not a huge deal, but for high school kids, looks can be important. And with all other things equal, a high school kid is probably going to go with a fit and energetic coach, rather than a super fat coach. I know this sounds harsh, but it's realty. Kudos to the coaches for getting healthier and if it helps the perception of even 1 potential recruit...even better.
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Back when I first saw the D and O coordinators on TV after Coach Kill took over I did note how morbidly overweight both were. Immediately the thought that the University of Minnesota was a lot different than other place Coach Kill and his staff had been struck me. The inital impression I had was that coming to Minnesota would help the coaches get healthier and live a lot longer.

This realization was before Coach Kill had the NMSU medical issue, and being here probably helped him a lot as well.

The U of M is in the upper tier when it comes to Medicine, and I think that helps anyone that comes in contact with the Institution in any way.
 

The contrast between Kill's first team that he brought to the Dome (and lost) and the one he brought to TCF was remarkable. It was night and day. I think this bodes well for things at MN. Just because he was a MAC coach doesn't mean he can't coach in the BIG. Think Parshegian, Schembechler, Hayes, Meyer, Walker, Pinkel etc. all MAC coaches. Get off that high horse re MAC coaches not being able to coach in the BIG. Look at the film when NIU destroyed Brewster's boys at the Bank.
 

Halsey Hall said:
Just because he was a MAC coach doesn't mean he can't coach in the BIG. Think Parshegian, Schembechler, Hayes, Meyer, Walker, Pinkel etc. all MAC coaches. Get off that high horse re MAC coaches not being able to coach in the BIG.
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Nobody is saying that. What some people are saying is that just because he had some success in the MAC and the FCS, that doesn't necessarily translate to the Big Ten. The MAC has a tremendous record of success of producing great coaches, but for every Urban Meyer there's a Turner Gill, who fell flat on his face at Kansas. Kill has every opportunity to prove himself, but this is a new ballgame, and what he did elsewhere only goes so far.
 

If for every Meyer there is a Gill then there is a 50-50 chance we get a Meyer. I will take those odds.
 

It is going to be alright. I wasn't initially excited about the hire, I thought between the big city and the possibility Sanford putting up some ridiculous money, we would get a Dan Mullen and then was presented with Country Jerry. I was at the NIU game and walked out early with the rest of the stadium, I remember hearing estimates of 300 people left in a brand new stadium against NIU. Every time Kill's Huskies has the ball it was like watching Olympic coverage of the 4 X 100. That was a well-oiled machine that was Top 25 nationally. At a school outside of Rockford of all places.

That team was a bad break away from finishing 12-2, and possibly putting Kill out of our reaches during the search.
 

gophmeister said:
If for every Meyer there is a Gill then there is a 50-50 chance we get a Meyer. I will take those odds.
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Ha. Yeah, I would too. I'm not trying to piss on the MAC. I grew up in Ohio and have probably followed the MAC more than most Minnesotans. It's a great conference for giving young coaches and underlooked players an opportunity. I was just trying to add a little perspective to that list of coaches. Sometimes coaches take the next step and it's a step too far (peter principle and such). I'm optimistic that isn't the case with Kill, but he still has to prove it.
 

Gopherprof said:
Ha. Yeah, I would too. I'm not trying to piss on the MAC. I grew up in Ohio and have probably followed the MAC more than most Minnesotans. It's a great conference for giving young coaches and underlooked players an opportunity. I was just trying to add a little perspective to that list of coaches. Sometimes coaches take the next step and it's a step too far (peter principle and such). I'm optimistic that isn't the case with Kill, but he still has to prove it.
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I get and agree with your point but isn't that the case with any new coach? We all know there is no guarantees. But looking at Kill and company past record of turning programs around and what he has down so far here in establishing a new culture you have to like our chances.
 

Killjoy said:
I get and agree with your point but isn't that the case with any new coach? We all know there is no guarantees. But looking at Kill and company past record of turning programs around and what he has down so far here in establishing a new culture you have to like our chances.
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I'm a Gophers fan. I never like our odds.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't think it would mean our passing game had huge issues and I would take 1500 yards rushing from anyone on our roster.
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+1

1500 yards rushing from one guy is still 1500 yards rushing. If he also throws for only 1500 yards we might have a problem, but just because he rushes for a bunch doesn't mean it's because we were ineffective through the air. This offense utilizes the QB as a runner.
 


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