We're now in the Curtis Thomas/Clint Brewster/Harold Howell portion...

[CWCWCW]

Can't pick on this one

Mason was recruiting Watt as a TE. If anyone should send Maturi a thank-you note for firing Mason, it's JJ Watt.

Mason had some faults, no doubt. This one cannot be picked on. Big deal if he was recruiting him as a tight end. He may not have ended up playing there. He recruited Matt Spaeth as a linebacker and ended up playing tight end. That worked out pretty well, didn't it?

 

[dpodoll68]

Mason had some faults, no doubt. This one cannot be picked on. Big deal if he was recruiting him as a tight end. He may not have ended up playing there. He recruited Matt Spaeth as a linebacker and ended up playing tight end. That worked out pretty well, didn't it?

He recruited a guy who was 6'7" coming out of HS to be a LB?

Um, no.

 

[Unregistered User]

However, people, he hasn't even coached a single Big Ten game here yet.

Didn't read the post past this, but my question to Wren is: How many B10 games did Mason coach before he got here?

 

[Ron Johnson Super Fan]

I honestly found it refreshing that there wasn't one reference to prexy B in the entire diatribe. I call that progress.

 

[DMB123]

Mason was a good coach, not great, not even close, but he was good. Brewster was a complete joke, simply one of the worst head coaches this university has ever had. There is no comparison between the two, but if you didn't know anything about either coach and you read this board you might actually believe that Mason and Brewster were about equal. I don't get it. And the OP is ridiculous, Glen Mason can be blamed for nothing that is wrong with Gopher football right now, not a thing. As a matter of fact, Mason is the person mostly responsible for the only positive right now in this program, TCF Bank Stadium.

Jerry Kill will turn out to be a great hire, I believe he will bring us to levels higher than Mason did, meaning Jan 1st bowl games and possibly a Rose Bowl. But the Mason bashing on this board is absurd, he made us competitive again and anyone who thinks Mason sucks wasn't around for the Wacker era.

And dpodoll68 really needs to get over his obsession with Glen Mason and start blaming Brewster (and Maturi) for where this program is right now.

 

[dpodoll68]

And the OP is ridiculous, Glen Mason can be blamed for nothing that is wrong with Gopher football right now, not a thing.

BS. Complete and utter BS. Mason coasting through his job after losing the Michigan game is the #1 reason among a litany of factors why we have had a shallow depth chart for most of the past 4 seasons. Period.

As a matter of fact, Mason is the person mostly responsible for the only positive right now in this program, TCF Bank Stadium.

More BS. On both counts. We have a lot more to be positive about than just the stadium, and to say Mason bears the most responsibility for its construction is laughable.

And dpodoll68 really needs to get over his obsession with Glen Mason and start blaming Brewster (and Maturi) for where this program is right now.

Yes, I clearly have an obsession with Mason. Nope, it's not just the fact (and yes, it is an incontrovertible fact) that Mason's dogsh*t recruiting efforts from 2005-07 are the #1 reason our upperclassmen depth chart is in its current state. Period.

No one said Mason is solely responsible (there's a lot of blame to go around), but he certainly needs to be held accountable for not giving a sh*t during his last few years as coach. If he could have been bothered to put in any effort from January to August, things wouldn't be as bad as they are right now. Brewster is certainly not a great gameday coach, but the fact that he squeezed two bowl seasons out of what he had to work with is a minor miracle. You'll appreciate Brewster more than you do now when you see what Kill does over the next 2-3 years with upperclassmen who've actually been redshirted and had time to grow into their positions.

 

[tikited]

Mason was a good coach, not great, not even close, but he was good. Brewster was a complete joke, simply one of the worst head coaches this university has ever had. There is no comparison between the two, but if you didn't know anything about either coach and you read this board you might actually believe that Mason and Brewster were about equal. I don't get it. And the OP is ridiculous, Glen Mason can be blamed for nothing that is wrong with Gopher football right now, not a thing. As a matter of fact, Mason is the person mostly responsible for the only positive right now in this program, TCF Bank Stadium.

Jerry Kill will turn out to be a great hire, I believe he will bring us to levels higher than Mason did, meaning Jan 1st bowl games and possibly a Rose Bowl. But the Mason bashing on this board is absurd, he made us competitive again and anyone who thinks Mason sucks wasn't around for the Wacker era.

And dpodoll68 really needs to get over his obsession with Glen Mason and start blaming Brewster (and Maturi) for where this program is right now.

Pretty sure the OP was referring to a specific year in recruiting. It is now a fact that that year didn't end-up being anything but a disaster. Is it all on Mason? No. Is most of it? Yes. We'd have had Jones, but the rest were below what a vetern coach should have been able to bring in. Face it, Mason dropped the ball on recruiting his last few years.

Brewster was a disaster with results, but he did change a lot of perceptions with the U. For that, I am pleased. Brewster did a better job recruiting because he cared more than Mason. The guy worked! Too bad he didn't know what to do from there. Wren is correct when he brings up the fact that Mason never had the new stadium to utilize, but I think we all know he wouldn't have been able to take the next step with the attitude and the dedication to hard work he had. I haven't heard one person "in-the-know" that ever praised Mason's dedication to hard work. That can't fly in major college coaching anymore.

The fact is we can continue to go down a long list of reasons why Gopher football hasn't been successful for a loooong time. No one has been able to correct it, which means the reasons run pretty deep. Maybe Kill is the guy? I hope so as I'm not getting any younger.

 

[Jeshurun]

Here is a picture of a Storm Trooper family doing laundry:

Thank you for your relevant and insightful contribution. It is quite poignant to out current conversation.

 

[CWCWCW]

That's what Spaeth said

He recruited a guy who was 6'7" coming out of HS to be a LB?

Um, no.

Um, yes.

 

[50PoundHead]

Mason had some faults, no doubt. This one cannot be picked on. Big deal if he was recruiting him as a tight end. He may not have ended up playing there. He recruited Matt Spaeth as a linebacker and ended up playing tight end. That worked out pretty well, didn't it?

Where do you see me ripping Mason in my post? I'm just saying that Watt is going to be one of the first 50 players drafted in the 2011 NFL draft and that wouldn't have been the case if he'd been playing TE in Mason's offense.

Losing Jones and Watt was unfortunate and Mason's dismissal played a major (perhaps the only) role in those defections. But that doesn't mean that Mason was necessarily a great recruiter or a great coach.

I'll save citing Badgergopher's quote, but just because Mason was the best coach since Stoll doesn't necessarily mean he was a great coach. I'll go as far as saying he was a decent coach, but he wasn't consistent as a recruiter and seemed to have a difficult time building up quality depth on the roster. He seemed to build for "cycles" in that a core of players would be in place for three years, they'd graduate, and he'd go back to square one. Ferentz and Alvarez (and now Bielema) have avoided that to a great extent and I hope Kill can do the same thing here.

 

[mplsbadger]

If your familiar with wren's posts, you'd know he indeed worships mason.
Plus this started out as a recruiting thread, mason's bad recruiting 05-07 hamstrung an already bad coach and the result is the last 3 years. I'd even go as far as to say 07 would have been an above average class for mason.
I'm done with this back and forth, I simply hate when wren pollutes the board with his slanted view of Mason's history and don't want passerby readers confused on the facts.
Done.

Fair post. I haven't read all of Mr. Wren's posts, I'll take your word for it.

 

[imthewalrus]

Fair post. I haven't read all of Mr. Wren's posts, I'll take your word for it.

No hero worship. I am just stating the facts. Mason managed to get more done, especially with his part in obtaining the stadium than any coach since Cal Stoll. He started bringing the program up from rock bottom from the last years of Gutey and Wacker. When hoax bolted for South Bend, a daggar pierced the very heart and soul of the Gopher Football Program. hoax also gave the "thumbs up" to playing in the damn dome before he left in the middle of the night. In the wake of hoax, not only were the hoax bandwagon fans gone and no longer buying tickets, but the NCAA also brought in penalties and sanctions directly related to the hoax years and the hoax "style" of running a football program. By the time Gutey was fired, watching hisweekly coach show was downright depressing. I was a huge fan of Wacker as a human being, but the plight of the program was almost beyond salvage when Mason got the call. With all of the coaches that followed Stoll, until Mason, there was no real upward direction for the program. There was no real identity established. But, Mason changed that. The running game became the trademark of Minnesota Golden Gopher Football. All across the nation Mason's runners were being talked about.

Mason gave the program some identy. There were suddenly All-American and All-Big Ten players wearing the Maroon & Gold. There were bowl games. There were some Big Ten wins. The Gophers hadn't beaten MSU in something like 17 or 18 straight meetings. Mason got that monkey off the program's back. There were the wins against PSU. Eventually there were more big wins. There were some heartbreaking losses too. Such is life in the Big Ten. But, any way you cut it...there would have been NO mention of an on campus stadium. There would have been continued absence from any kind of bowl game situations. There would have been no games and wins against teams like Arkansas, Oregon, Alabama.

That win against MSU for the first time in 18 meetings was truely remarkable though. I'll NEVER forget that win. Sparty had a bigger hold on the modern era Gopher Football Program than Michigan had. Mason put an end to that. And, until that win at PSU, usually only miracles happened against the Gophers.

Mason was the best since Stoll. Now I hope that Kill becomes not only the best since Mason, but also the best since Stoll. I hope he will turn out all kinds of All-Big Ten players and some All-American players. I want Kill to establish a "Golden Gopher" identity for this program that is known all across the Big Ten and the nation.

And, whenever the people who would bash Mason feel a need to act out, the other side of the picture must be presented. It will be presented. That is a very good thing!

; 0 )

 

[dpodoll68]

No hero worship. I am just stating the facts. Mason managed to get more done, especially with his part in obtaining the stadium than any coach since Cal Stoll. He started bringing the program up from rock bottom from the last years of Gutey and Wacker. When hoax bolted for South Bend, a daggar pierced the very heart and soul of the Gopher Football Program. hoax also gave the "thumbs up" to playing in the damn dome before he left in the middle of the night. In the wake of hoax, not only were the hoax bandwagon fans gone and no longer buying tickets, but the NCAA also brought in penalties and sanctions directly related to the hoax years and the hoax "style" of running a football program. By the time Gutey was fired, watching hisweekly coach show was downright depressing. I was a huge fan of Wacker as a human being, but the plight of the program was almost beyond salvage when Mason got the call. With all of the coaches that followed Stoll, until Mason, there was no real upward direction for the program. There was no real identity established. But, Mason changed that. The running game became the trademark of Minnesota Golden Gopher Football. All across the nation Mason's runners were being talked about.

Mason gave the program some identy. There were suddenly All-American and All-Big Ten players wearing the Maroon & Gold. There were bowl games. There were some Big Ten wins. The Gophers hadn't beaten MSU in something like 17 or 18 straight meetings. Mason got that monkey off the program's back. There were the wins against PSU. Eventually there were more big wins. There were some heartbreaking losses too. Such is life in the Big Ten. But, any way you cut it...there would have been NO mention of an on campus stadium. There would have been continued absence from any kind of bowl game situations. There would have been no games and wins against teams like Arkansas, Oregon, Alabama.

That win against MSU for the first time in 18 meetings was truely remarkable though. I'll NEVER forget that win. Sparty had a bigger hold on the modern era Gopher Football Program than Michigan had. Mason put an end to that. And, until that win at PSU, usually only miracles happened against the Gophers.

Mason was the best since Stoll. Now I hope that Kill becomes not only the best since Mason, but also the best since Stoll. I hope he will turn out all kinds of All-Big Ten players and some All-American players. I want Kill to establish a "Golden Gopher" identity for this program that is known all across the Big Ten and the nation.

And, whenever the people who would bash Mason feel a need to act out, the other side of the picture must be presented. It will be presented. That is a very good thing!

; 0 )

Here is a picture of a guy with only half of his face shaved:

 

[DMB123]

Here is a picture of a guy with only half of his face shaved:

The facts are against you so you have to post stuff like this to look smart? Please continue with your Mason bashing and Brewster lovefest. Walrus just owned you with that post. If anyone on this board can't admit that Mason is clearly the best coach we've had since Stoll they are delusional (Holtz doesn't count).

Having said that, I firmly believe Kill's success will surpass Mason's by a lot.

 

[Gopher024]

Here is a picture of a guy with only half of his face shaved:

Your antics are tiring and not very funny...

 

[dpodoll68]

The facts are against you so you have to post stuff like this to look smart?

Wrong. Wayne just continues to post text walls of incoherent drivel, and the admins, for whatever reason, despite repeated requests by multiple posters, refuse to ban him for the 30th time...so I will respond in kind by posting nonsense back to him.

Please continue with your Mason bashing and Brewster lovefest.

Wrong again. Both have had their strengths and weaknesses. I've pointed out plenty of both in my time on this board.

Walrus just owned you with that post.

Yes, the senile rantings of a lunatic sure did teach me a lesson.

If anyone on this board can't admit that Mason is clearly the best coach we've had since Stoll they are delusional

Wrong yet again. Why am I not surprised?

Holtz doesn't count

Pray tell, why doesn't he count? Was he, or was he not, the University of Minnesota head football coach? Why on earth would he not count? Was it because he was actually the only football coach in 80 years to actually have another HC job after he left here?

Having said that, I firmly believe Kill's success will surpass Mason's by a lot.

You're finally right about something. Congrats.

Your antics are tiring and not very funny...

And you are...???

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Dave Matthews sucks.

 

[NoelJenkeGo4]

If anyone on this board can't admit that Mason is clearly the best coach we've had since Stoll they are delusional (Holtz doesn't count).

Saying Glen Mason is the best Gopher coach since Cal Stoll is like saying Jim Schwartz is the best Detroit Lions coach since Joe Schmidt (1967-1972). One thing which can't be disputed is Mason is the most underachieving football coach in Gopher history. If he had put out the same amount of effort that Brewster did and Kill is going to Mason probably would have won more than one Big 10 Championship and he would still be coaching the team. The fact Mason didn't win any titles makes him the most disappointing coach of any Minnesota sports team during my lifetime. And that includes Denny Green which is quite an admission on my part.

 

[Ole]

The facts are against you so you have to post stuff like this to look smart? Please continue with your Mason bashing and Brewster lovefest. Walrus just owned you with that post. If anyone on this board can't admit that Mason is clearly the best coach we've had since Stoll they are delusional (Holtz doesn't count).

Having said that, I firmly believe Kill's success will surpass Mason's by a lot.

Back in only to stick up for DP.
Seriously? You really don't see the damage Mason did to the program RECRUITINGWISE?
Great he was the best here since Stoll, basically that's like being the smartest kid in iowa. Not very impressive.
Look at the 5th year seniors we had the past 3 seasons and tell me the program was set up for the long term by Mason. It wasn't, look at the turnover, look at the dropouts, look at the talent and depth of the upper class since the 07 season. Horrific.
Take your illusions of greatness and your hero worship, but don't deny the facts, Mason QUIT recruiting after that Michigan meltdown.

-He also doesn't get singular credit for the stadium so don't try that excuse, credit, but it's not his accomplishment to own, many people worked for our new home, to give him credit for that does a huge disservice to them.
-He had a job to do regardless of his contract length. Look at Horton this past season and the job he did retaining recruits, no excuses, just honest hard work even though he knew he wasn't going to be here.

In closing here's a mouse on a mouse

 

[Killjoy]

Fair post. I haven't read all of Mr. Wren's posts, I'll take your word for it.

You are a blessed man. I do have to admit that wren's rhetoric today is far better than it was before. I blame this on the firing of Brewster and the hiring of Jerry Kill. Jerry Kill's reach seems to be broad and he his work appears to come through in mysterious ways.

 

[goldygo4]

There would have been continued absence from any kind of bowl game situations. There would have been no games and wins against teams like Arkansas, Oregon

; 0 )

This is a ridiculous statement. There is no way in hell you could ever prove that. It's like saying if Abraham Lincoln was never the president we would still have slavery.

 

[GopherinFlorida]

I'm so glad this thread on last minute recruiting turned in the mason vs. brewster thread...never have too many of those...this thread is like Rocky 12...dude, hang up the gloves

 

[corcoran1]

I have been a Mason critic, but I think the statute of limitations on Mason's tenure is officially over. If we want to discuss his coaching strengths and weaknesses, I think that is rational, but still talking about his impact on this team is nuts. When you have had four years to fill the larder, there should not be as many gaps as there are on this team at WR and DB. I will pass on the DE position because it is clear that Kill's staff wants different athletes at that position.

 

[gophmeister]

Mason is the past. He dragged us up from the depths, but he rested on his laurels. We can't undo what happened and there's no sense worry our little head over what ifs. Let it die already.

 

[dpodoll68]

I have been a Mason critic, but I think the statute of limitations on Mason's tenure is officially over. If we want to discuss his coaching strengths and weaknesses, I think that is rational, but still talking about his impact on this team is nuts. When you have had four years to fill the larder, there should not be as many gaps as there are on this team at WR and DB. I will pass on the DE position because it is clear that Kill's staff wants different athletes at that position.

I'll stop talking about Mason just as soon as all of his recruits have exhausted their eligibility.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I'll stop talking about Mason just as soon as all of his recruits have exhausted their eligibility.

I know this will make the Wren's head explode, but it even goes a little beyond that. For whatever reason (to avoid the Mase debate) we were so thin in the first couple Brew years that it really will effect this season and next season (when all of those recruits would be gone).

It would be really nice if McKnight, Tinsley, Lair, Kirksey, and Stoudermire were going to be RS JRs next season. These were guys who probably shouldn't have been playing as true freshman and they should just be entering their upperclassmen years but we only have 1 more year out of these guys.

For me, at this point, I don't care who is at fault with that because two of the main culprits (Brew and Mase) are gone and the other culprit (Maturi for hiring and firing so late) is gone, but our lack of depth going into the 2007 season for whatever reason (settle down Wren!) is going to impact this program through next season pretty significantly.

 

[oak_street1981]

Despite his losing record Brewster was the best thing to happen for Gopher football in many years.


Again, the myopic UPNORTHg4 shows us how out of touch with reality he is. (great success though on your hope to deny the U of M sucess in sellling suites in Williams, TCF and Maricci, though. That plan worked out just like we all knew it would!)

That whole post is beyond ridiculous.

Brewster was a fraud, a joke of a coach, and most importantly for those who choose to honestly to evaluate him, a complete failure.

Brewster destroyed the once in several generations type of momentum created by the opening a new Big Ten football stadium in a little over one year. Years of hard work, and large amounts of money donated by many were squandered by this snake oil baron. It will take years to rebuild what this fraud destroyed in record time, yet some still want to bring up Glen Mason. He is probably still sitting iin front of the fireplace smoking big cigars with Bill Cooper out by Lake Minnetonka getting the last laugh, but at least he always publicly took the proverbial high road Denny Green spoke of.

Can you imagine the attitude in the TC right now towards Gopher Football if Brewster were stilll coach and still spewing his BS.

Please admit once and for all that your one time hero Tim Brewster was possibly the worst Big Ten football coach hired in your lifetime, and may well have failed in the MIAC or the league Northwestern Bible College plays in based upon the coaching skills he displayed in his brief time here.

Thank the Lord that he, and his beyond sad fake Texas accent, created strictly to cultivate some sort of image, is finally gone. The image, from laying on his stomach in Miami, to bombastic pronouncements at the Chicago Hyatt in August, through the infamous handshake hissy fit in Madison turned out to be buffoonish.

 

[UpnorthGo4]

Brewster was a fraud, a joke of a coach, and most importantly for those who choose to honestly to evaluate him, a complete failure.

Wow, if you feel that way about Brewster you must really hate Mason with his 32 -48 Big 10 record, his collection of 3rd rate bowl games, his piss-poor recruiting, and his sh*t eating grin.

There is one thing I am sure you and I can agree about. Mason was a first rate jerk and Bruininks big mistake was waiting far too long to fire him. And if nothing else, you should appreciate Brewster for this - if he had never been Gophers coach Glen Mason would still be here and we wouldn't now have Jerry Kill. Isn't this something to be thankful for?

 

[MaxyJR1]

Wow, if you feel that way about Brewster you must really hate Mason with his 32 -48 Big 10 record, his collection of 3rd rate bowl games, his piss-poor recruiting, and his sh*t eating grin.

There is one thing I am sure you and I can agree about. Mason was a first rate jerk and Bruininks big mistake was waiting far too long to fire him. And if nothing else, you should appreciate Brewster for this - if he had never been Gophers coach Glen Mason would still be here and we wouldn't now have Jerry Kill. Isn't this something to be thankful for?

Mason ran his course, but to put him in any argument with Brewster is simply stupid...and doesn't need support.

 

[UpnorthGo4]

Mason ran his course, but to put him in any argument with Brewster is simply stupid...and doesn't need support.

Get screwed. I am done with the constant and gratuitous Brewster bashing around here. He doesn't deserve it. Brewster was nothing more than a coach who was in over his head but who spent four years working his ass off trying to turn the Gopher football team into winners when the haven't one crap for over 40 years. For his efforts some posters want to make him out to be a bad guy. If they are going to continue to do it then Mason is going to be included in the conversation. I will see to it.