Win and advance. 2019 looked fairly similar early in the year.
I am just rambling some thoughts while on vacation.
Patience is a good virtue. The team as a unit need to gel together. It takes a few games. What matters is to try keep on winning even by a point.
They will bail out all the water and plug the leaks in their boat.
If they don't sustain injuries to the key players, they will fare much better.
The Gophers must balance short term needs versus the long term needs.
It is tempting to burn red shirts. That will be fine if you have an immediate impact blue chipper who will win those extra games and put the Gophers on a title and recruiting wins.
I don't see a 5-Star Mo or a 5-Star AWJr caliber young player ready to make immediate impact. The Gophers develop and coach players up to maximize their potential.
The season is young. We have drama unfolding. PJ Fleck has the team focused one game at a time.
We are close on Dylan Wright who will be in the NFL. Watch out for players like Brady Boyd. That kid looks hungry.
They are who they are talent-wise. Team leaders will step up. Coaching and player development will maximize the potential.
They have some good young developing talent. They need more. You don't want to burn red shirts if you can avoid it.
There's always risks involved with transfers. That is evident on the defensive side. They needed to for the short term. I will give the Defense time to click together. It's painful to watch the second half as it stands right now. This is where we win or lose those extra games.
They have to be aggressive in recruiting and improving the Defense. They need a better Defense to be in the B1G West title conversations. That is why Iowa is a tough team to beat. Their Defense bail them out. Wisconsin managed to be at the top because they are good on both sides of the game most seasons.
These are the two consistent teams in the division. The fight between the rest of the division is by a thin margin most of the time. NW seem to be the team that rise to the occasion once in a while.
PJ Fleck is trying to change the conversation.
He will fix the Defense. He needs some luck in recruiting this side of the game. Losing Avante Dickerson was tough. The Gophers move on very quickly.