Will Tracy Claeys be fired before 2017?

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MNfootballfan said:
Bill Belicheck was fired in Cleveland too. I'd roll the dice on bohl based off of his track record from 2003-2016, not 2000-2002
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Because of the way NDSU went into the dumper after Bohl left?
 

3399 said:
Although he has been given some extremely very good fortune (light schedule, opponent back-up quarterbacks) and they have had some nail biters against some really bad teams (Oregon State, Purdue, Rutgers, Colorado State, Illinois for three quarters), I believe Claeys deserves another year. They are two games up from last year and let's face it, he saves them some $$. I wouldn't extend by a year and then make a final decision based upon next season.
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This isn't an attack on your post at all, I just copied it because it contains a lot of the arguments that I have read for firing Claeys and I wanted to respond to them (I realize you're not advocating firing Claeys).

You talk about having "extremely good fortune". I highly doubt you would have called last year's schedule "extremely bad fortune". It is what it is. I don't really care for the "schedule" excuse good or bad. You seem to want to hold this year's easy schedule against him, I hope you did not judge him on last year's more difficult schedule.

You also talk about extremely good fortune because a lot of our wins were close. A win is a win. The same people that seem to take points away for the close wins simply look at our close losses as losses.
 

Coyle has to weigh the plus and minuses:
Pluses
1.Good academic standing
2. 7 win season ( what, 6 in the last 30 years?)
3. 3 close losses, one in overtime ; loses against two ranked teams)
4. Stability within the coaching staff ( only 2 changes in the last 6 years)
5. Liked among his peer's at the University.
Minuses:
1.off field incidents
2. Questionable clock management and play calling
3. Has only beat the bottom feeders of the B1G
4. At this point, at the bottom in B1G recruiting.
5. Very mundane, and not good at selling the program to a disgruntled fan base
6. Appearance to the general public? ( I think to some that is an issue )
7. No trophy game wins.
Summary: Many things for Coyle to ponder. A loss to Northwestern on a cold/snow flurries Saturday before a crowd under 40,000 may sway a final decision.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Coyle has to weigh the plus and minuses:
Pluses
1.Good academic standing
2. 7 win season ( what, 6 in the last 30 years?)
3. 3 close losses, one in overtime ; loses against two ranked teams)
4. Stability within the coaching staff ( only 2 changes in the last 6 years)
5. Liked among his peer's at the University.
Minuses:
1.off field incidents
2. Questionable clock management and play calling
3. Has only beat the bottom feeders of the B1G
4. At this point, at the bottom in B1G recruiting.
5. Very mundane, and not good at selling the program to a disgruntled fan base
6. Appearance to the general public? ( I think to some that is an issue )
7. No trophy game wins.
Summary: Many things for Coyle to ponder. A loss to Northwestern on a cold/snow flurries Saturday before a crowd under 40,000 may sway a final decision.
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Well reasoned post. One thing I will say is this: stability in the coaching staff, including the HC, is a big deal. If we look at the schools that could be considered just a step above us (NW?, Wisky, Iowa) they have fairly long standing Coaching staffs. I include Wisky because if you take out the Anderson experiment, they have had coaches that have the same philosophy, making it easier to transition. Maybe how we take the next step is by making our coaching staff as stable as possible for the long term?
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
I like coach Claeys and want him to succeed and think he is a quality coach. I just think dropping the weight would help him with recruits, you might not think it matters but I bet some parents notice it. Parents do have influence with their kids. I think Harbaugh and Chryst can use it in negative recruiting competing for the same recruits, they can badmouth him about it.
Maybe I'm wrong, I'm by no means an athlete right now and out of shape myself, so I need to take my own advice. I have not and am not advocating firing the coach, I have said in other threads I think we need to stay the course and turning backwards now will have a major negative affect on the program. Our facilities right now are some of the worst in the Big 10 besides the stadium, this and our lack of fans or game day attendance. I think given the chance these coaches will have sustained and better success.
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Dude, think about what you said. I don't think either of those coaches needs to use your opinion of TC's appearance to sway any recruits from coming here instead.
 


goldengopher72 said:
But TC says he needs an extended contract to get top recruits?
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What's he supposed to say? As I said on another of the endless threads about this, any recruit who thinks the HC who recruits them will be there four/five years later is wrong 80% of the time. No recruit should make that assumption.
 


Claeys is on full damage control re: the offense that he did not select. what we question as the Bipolar offensive play calling is really Claeys selecting plays that keep a defense guessing. Sometimes he is aggressive and other times he pulls back which is what an effective general does for effective strategy.
 

Iceland12 said:
Because of the way NDSU went into the dumper after Bohl left?
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Bohl ushered NDSU into D-1 and turned them into multi-year champions. Are you saying that the fact that they remained good is a knock against Bohl?
 



Tackle4loss said:
Claeys is on full damage control re: the offense that he did not select. what we question as the Bipolar offensive play calling is really Claeys selecting plays that keep a defense guessing. Sometimes he is aggressive and other times he pulls back which is what an effective general does for effective strategy.
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Honest question, I wonder how much input Claeys actually has on game day in terms of the offensive and defensive calls. There are many times when they show him on the sideline and he doesn't even have his headset on. I get the feeling that he really relies on his coaches to make the calls during the game with minimal input from him but I could be totally wrong on that.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Coyle has to weigh the plus and minuses:
Pluses
1.Good academic standing
2. 7 win season ( what, 6 in the last 30 years?)
3. 3 close losses, one in overtime ; loses against two ranked teams)
4. Stability within the coaching staff ( only 2 changes in the last 6 years)
5. Liked among his peer's at the University.
Minuses:
1.off field incidents
2. Questionable clock management and play calling
3. Has only beat the bottom feeders of the B1G
4. At this point, at the bottom in B1G recruiting.
5. Very mundane, and not good at selling the program to a disgruntled fan base
6. Appearance to the general public? ( I think to some that is an issue )
7. No trophy game wins.
Summary: Many things for Coyle to ponder. A loss to Northwestern on a cold/snow flurries Saturday before a crowd under 40,000 may sway a final decision.
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This is a rationale post.

That said, I hope Claeys looks and demeanor to the general public do not play a role in the decision. IMO, those types of things don't matter. Brewster was endlessly blasted for being uber-energetic and a "salesman". Claeys' personality is now being questioned (boring and overweight (who knew we wanted a physically attractive football coach?). Personally, I think you can be successful with a variety of personalities (Belichek isn't a winner because he's a curmudgeon who dresses like a slob, Parcells wasn't successful because of his FUPA and the inverse isn't true). What matters is winning. Could you imagine the backlash against Country Jer if he had been a loser here? He would have been labeled a goofy looking country idiot who was in way over his head.

I know that you aren't arguing that his looks and demeanor should play a role in his future, but others have. It's a red herring. A non-issue.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Honest question, I wonder how much input Claeys actually has on game day in terms of the offensive and defensive calls. There are many times when they show him on the sideline and he doesn't even have his headset on. I get the feeling that he really relies on his coaches to make the calls during the game with minimal input from him but I could be totally wrong on that.
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He does seem less involved than other coaches. I wish he was more involved in calling plays on defense, I thought he was really good in that role.
 

If he's less involved in X's & O's, he best be great at game management and selling the program/recruiting.

If Coyle were to be bold, he might consider signing Claeys to an 8 year extension. That would be a vote of confidence and give the stability/luxury a MN coach has never had.




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MaxyJR1 said:
If he's less involved in X's & O's, he best be great at game management and selling the program/recruiting.

If Coyle were to be bold, he might consider signing Claeys to an 8 year extension. That would be a vote of confidence and give the stability/luxury a MN coach has never had.




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More bold than Wishbone's Zesty Italian Dressing.
 

Craig Bohl would certainly NOT be a step up from the present staff. If he could talk Kahler into dropping the entrance requirements - like at NDSU and Wyoming then he might be ok.
 

I'm still on board with getting Fleck if he's available. I feel his attitude and outlook on the game is contagious. They are playing very well right now and when you watch his team his players play with high energy and that sideline is a lively place. They also have the 32nd ranked recruiting class in the country right now according to Scout. (while Minnesota sits at 58 and losing it's 2nd best recruit is inevitable right now)

If you can get Fleck, get rid of Claeys and do it.

I guess all this changes if Minnesota beats NW and then someone manages to win at Camp Randall
 

Jack jones said:
Craig Bohl would certainly NOT be a step up from the present staff. If he could talk Kahler into dropping the entrance requirements - like at NDSU and Wyoming then he might be ok.
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Finally somebody who knows what the hell they are talking about.
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Absolutely, if they end up losing their last 3 conference games and bowl game. Not likely if they lose their last 3 conference games but win their bowl game to finish with 8 wins. No, if they win any of their remaining conference games. Sainthood if they beat Wisconsin in Madison.
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Either way, the decision has to be made after the Wisconsin game. The bowl game should be irrelevant. We can't hire another coach in January after everyone else has already made their moves. That's what led to Brewster.
 

ruppertflywheel said:
Coyle has to weigh the plus and minuses:
Pluses
1.Good academic standing
2. 7 win season ( what, 6 in the last 30 years?)
3. 3 close losses, one in overtime ; loses against two ranked teams)
4. Stability within the coaching staff ( only 2 changes in the last 6 years)
5. Liked among his peer's at the University.
Minuses:
1.off field incidents
2. Questionable clock management and play calling
3. Has only beat the bottom feeders of the B1G
4. At this point, at the bottom in B1G recruiting.
5. Very mundane, and not good at selling the program to a disgruntled fan base
6. Appearance to the general public? ( I think to some that is an issue )
7. No trophy game wins.
Summary: Many things for Coyle to ponder. A loss to Northwestern on a cold/snow flurries Saturday before a crowd under 40,000 may sway a final decision.
Click to expand...

I'd add significant drop in attendance as the #1 minus. $$ talks in college football and right now, fans are staying away.

Not that I agree with it. This team is transforming and while this has been considered an easy schedule we've lost 3 games by 7 or fewer points - and we could have/should have won two of them (not including Nebraska.

Minnesotans are ****ty fans. Jerry kill is over the top Tracy Claeys is too laconic. Whatever we get, the native Minnesotan despises because something better might be out there. I will never understand it. But I'll tell you what, Iowa sure benefited from the fans showing up and making noise on Saturday. Too many Minnesotans think it's not their responsibility to help the kids out and damn them if they can't win the game while playing in a mausoleum.

My $.02 but I didn't run it by certain posters first so I'm sure it's wrong.


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They don't have to

PMWinSTP said:
Dude, think about what you said. I don't think either of those coaches needs to use your opinion of TC's appearance to sway any recruits from coming here instead.
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They don't have to do that, but it is an easy pot shot to take against TC's appearance. I still think there are recruits parents in particular that will be negative about it. Maybe perception is not reality, in today's society I tend to error on the side of believing the crude and the obnoxious things people say are more common.
 

caliGopher said:
I'd add significant drop in attendance as the #1 minus. $$ talks in college football and right now, fans are staying away.

Not that I agree with it. This team is transforming and while this has been considered an easy schedule we've lost 3 games by 7 or fewer points - and we could have/should have won two of them (not including Nebraska.

Minnesotans are ****ty fans. Jerry kill is over the top Tracy Claeys is too laconic. Whatever we get, the native Minnesotan despises because something better might be out there. I will never understand it. But I'll tell you what, Iowa sure benefited from the fans showing up and making noise on Saturday. Too many Minnesotans think it's not their responsibility to help the kids out and damn them if they can't win the game while playing in a mausoleum.

My $.02 but I didn't run it by certain posters first so I'm sure it's wrong.


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Your take Caligopher is spot on, we wonder why we have recruiting problems with an empty stadium and a mausoleum like atmosphere at times. A stadium that relies on other teams fans to fill it up. Yeah I get all of the 40 years losing talk, but we are always bitching about something, cost of tickets, it's the coach's fault, it's the students fault, it's a lack of a full on party and the UMPD and administrations fault. The biggest factor is we don't have enough butts in the seat and enough Gopher fans that care to be in person to cheer on the team. i'm guilty of this stuff too, not trying to point fingers at others.
Seems like we are all out of excuses, there are major issues caused by the U itself, but the programs biggest problem in lack of recruiting is a lack of fans. People identify with winners, so until there is a breakthrough season we have plateaued as a fan base.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Your take Caligopher is spot on, we wonder why we have recruiting problems with an empty stadium and a mausoleum like atmosphere at times. A stadium that relies on other teams fans to fill it up. Yeah I get all of the 40 years losing talk, but we are always bitching about something, cost of tickets, it's the coach's fault, it's the students fault, it's a lack of a full on party and the UMPD and administrations fault. The biggest factor is we don't have enough butts in the seat and enough Gopher fans that care to be in person to cheer on the team. i'm guilty of this stuff too, not trying to point fingers at others.
Seems like we are all out of excuses, there are major issues caused by the U itself, but the programs biggest problem in lack of recruiting is a lack of fans. People identify with winners, so until there is a breakthrough season we have plateaued as a fan base.
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Very true and don't think other coaches don't use it in recruiting. "You want to play for a team that can't fill a 50,000 seat stadium?"

They were discussing attendance on WCCO around lunch time. Al Horton the T-Wolve's radio guy was filling in. Basically there is so much to do in MN when it comes to sports and entertainment that people will only show up for a winning team and/or one that hosts good games. We sell the place out only when we play ranked opponents. People look for value in the ticket they buy. There is no value unless it's a ranked opponent or the team is winning. (Let's see the Vikes/Cowboys game vs Vikes/Bears game) We did not host any ranked opponents this year.

These teams are currently tied or ranked ahead of MN in rivals recruiting rankings:

Purdue, Kansas, Temple, SMU, Illinois, Boston College, Wake Forest, Toledo, Western Kentucky, East Carolina, Army, South Florida, Western Michigan, Texas-San Antonio, Central Florida, Memphis, Iowa State.
 

If a change is made after the season (unlikely) it won't be because of Claeys's appearance or his demeanor on the sidelines. Probably won't have anything to do with a win / loss record either. There is no excitement about the program and not selling the place out on game day is the problem. I would say those are Claeys's two toughest issues beyond the on field performance.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Your take Caligopher is spot on, we wonder why we have recruiting problems with an empty stadium and a mausoleum like atmosphere at times. A stadium that relies on other teams fans to fill it up. Yeah I get all of the 40 years losing talk, but we are always bitching about something, cost of tickets, it's the coach's fault, it's the students fault, it's a lack of a full on party and the UMPD and administrations fault. The biggest factor is we don't have enough butts in the seat and enough Gopher fans that care to be in person to cheer on the team. i'm guilty of this stuff too, not trying to point fingers at others.
Seems like we are all out of excuses, there are major issues caused by the U itself, but the programs biggest problem in lack of recruiting is a lack of fans. People identify with winners, so until there is a breakthrough season we have plateaued as a fan base.
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Yes I agree 100%. I hope the folks on here who are complaining about the product are all going to the games if at all possible.
 

Claeys has one more trophy game opportunity to avoid staying on the O-fer list alongside Brewster. Willing to wait and see how that game turns out (miracles can happen circa 1993)
 

Nadine & Sean, that was a very good and respectful discussion of the situation.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
They don't have to do that, but it is an easy pot shot to take against TC's appearance. I still think there are recruits parents in particular that will be negative about it. Maybe perception is not reality, in today's society I tend to error on the side of believing the crude and the obnoxious things people say are more common.
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100% agree with this. Jerry Kill was recruited against for having his medical issues. I assure you that in a sport that preaches strength and conditioning and discipline to the players....his weight issue is a topic of discussion whether it is fair or not.
 

Northwestern's attendance is worse than ours but they recruit better than we do
 

Such a click bait worthy header. Why did we need to start our 8th thread on this stale topic?
 

Interesting considering threads were removed three weeks ago on this very topic.


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