So who do we hire?

[RaT]

Do we go after an experienced retread, like Cosgrove, or another up and comer, like Fisch?

How bout going after a highly succesful high school coach in an area we heavily recruit, like TX or FL?

Stupid idea or brilliant?

[PlayHosea]

Mike Hohensee

[Iceland12]

Mike Hohensee :clap:

A guy with NFL experience for recruiting purposes; and College experience so he can handle 18 and 19 year olds and not forget that, size aside, they are all still kids.

[station19]

I was curious which name would emerge first. Hohensee or Dungy.

[RaT]

What about Jim Zorn?

Any chance there?

[DLguy]

I dont know much about Hohensee except he was a GG and is an AFL coach. Why do people keep bringing him up, and at the same time get ripped on for bringing him up? What kind of coach is he? What would he bring to the table here?

[RodentRampage]

It's just that Arena Football is a radically different game than American Football. A CFL coach would be a much more logical choice, because Canadian Football is far more similar to American Football than is Arena Football.

[FreakyDeke]

It's just that Arena Football is a radically different game than American Football. A CFL coach would be a much more logical choice, because Canadian Football is far more similar to American Football than is Arena Football.

Kurt Warner made the switch pretty well. Are there any other examples of success or failure from coaches or players going from AFL to NFL? Is it just an assumption that the games are to different, or do we never see the cross over because AFL players and coaches "weren't good enough for the NFL?"

[GopherGod]

:clap:

A guy with NFL experience for recruiting purposes; and College experience so he can handle 18 and 19 year olds and not forget that, size aside, they are all still kids.

The NFL experience is way overrated for the college game in my opinion and it would limit the pool to much. It is definitely not necessary to have that experience to have great recruiting.

[RaT]

Would people go over the deep end if we hired a "Mike Grant" type from TX or FL.

Hell, why not go after Mike Grant?

[tpbeight]

I'm not sure Brewster wants to try and sell the Wing-T offense to potential recruits.

[KoolAid]

Hire Jim Gagliardi - he is an offensive mastermind

[wait!what?]

Jim Zorn was a coach at the U...1990, i think. Maybe about the time or right after Mal Scanlan was there. good times. good times.

[howeda7]

What about Jim Zorn?

Any chance there?

If you had several million dollars of Danny Snyder's money in your bank account, and you had to give back any amount that you earned being the Gophers OC, thereby basically working for free, would you? I wouldn't. Not to mention that it would be a pretty long way to fall. Far better to take your money and disappear to a nice island someplace for a year.

[highwayman]

Kurt Warner made the switch pretty well. Are there any other examples of success or failure from coaches or players going from AFL to NFL? Is it just an assumption that the games are to different, or do we never see the cross over because AFL players and coaches "weren't good enough for the NFL?"


I dont know much about Hohensee except he was a GG and is an AFL coach. Why do people keep bringing him up, and at the same time get ripped on for bringing him up? What kind of coach is he? What would he bring to the table here?



Mike Hohensee

Hohensee has done NOTHING but Arena football for 20 years plus.

There are a few examples of players making the jump, but it's not that many, and it wasn't like they played there for 5 years before joining the NFL. Coaches that jump have some college and NFL/CFL experience. Danny White has been an arena guy for almost as long, and nobody looks at him either. Hohensee could maybe make the jump if he had some non-AFB experience--but it ain't there. And certainly not as an OC.

Hohensee. Never. Ever. Caveat: Unless he gets 5 years college non-OC experience somewhere first.

Coaching Record AFL 1990-2008
Career Total W130 L105
He's back coaching the Chicago Rush for 2010.

As far as I can find he has never coached for an outdoor team, at least above high school...

[RaT]

If you had several million dollars of Danny Snyder's money in your bank account, and you had to give back any amount that you earned being the Gophers OC, thereby basically working for free, would you? I wouldn't. Not to mention that it would be a pretty long way to fall. Far better to take your money and disappear to a nice island someplace for a year.

All probably true.

I will say though that some men aren't the type to just sit around not doing anything. Some men need a job just to keep their sanity.

[RodentRampage]

It's one thing for a player to move from the Arena League to the NFL. It's another thing for a coach to make the transition. If Warner hadn't been able to make the transition, there would have been no problem. He could have been a backup or he could have been cut. You don't have a second string for coordinators.

[RodentRampage]

How about hiring Air Force's OC?

[gophergrad]

What about Jim Zorn?

Any chance there?

It was discussed in another thread, but Zorn couldn't be a OC here because he doesn't have a college degree.

A name people were throwing around that sounds interesting is Chris Meidt. Former head coach at St. Olaf and this past year assistant coach with the Redskins. Minnesota ties, seems to be respected, coached college ball before.

[MRJ]

At this point, I would settle for anybody that could run a halfway competent offense, seeing as how we haven't had one in a few years. :o

[Schnoodler]

Brew wants a good x's and o's guy with great recruiting ability, and NFL glitter. So does everybody else. The question is, what is he most likely to give up. At this point given we will have three decent classes assembled, I'd go for the best coach. But I don't think that's how Brew rolls.

[monk10]

Cam Cameron, Ravens

Let's make Gray into another Antwan El. :). Or at the minimum let's have a running attack like Rice was using.

[WAGopher]

Brew wants a good x's and o's guy with great recruiting ability, and NFL glitter. So does everybody else. The question is, what is he most likely to give up. At this point given we will have three decent classes assembled, I'd go for the best coach. But I don't think that's how Brew rolls.

I agree with you. Brew needs to get the best coach he can now to put some wins up next year. That will keep the fans happy and also be the best for recruiting. He has to show real on field progress or the better recruits won't want to come.

[tjgopher]

It was discussed in another thread, but Zorn couldn't be a OC here because he doesn't have a college degree.

Zorn has a degree (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/11/jim_zorn_artwork_and_molten_ir.html). It took him awhile, including taking classes at the University of Minnesota, but he finally got it.

[Schnoodler]

Thank you tj, so then I'm back with Zorn as my first choice, if he's willing.

[gold04]

Hohensee would be the logical choice. There are so many reasons why I dont't have time to type them all down. The Gophers would at least have an explosive offense under Hohensee.

[Gopher in Qatar]

Losing Fisch is addition by subtraction in my book, he did nothing this season to cause any hand wringing among the fan base. The offense was unwatchable this season. The regression of Weber this past season was terrible to see, at this point it is not likely Weber is salvageable. Which makes me glad he is not here to destroy Gray, we need an offensive coordinator to make the maximum use of Gray, to my mind he is the best athlete on the team, and our best chance of turning this offense around. As young as the defense is next season, we need the offense to participate next season. This is a no risk hire, we can't perform any worse on offense then we did last season.

[RodentRampage]

Hohensee would be the logical choice. There are so many reasons why I dont't have time to type them all down. The Gophers would at least have an explosive offense under Hohensee.

Where's the logic? You don't have time to type them all down, so you won't type ANY of the reasons? If the Gophers were adding Arena Football, then he might be a good choice. What indication is there that an Arena offense is at all translatable to college football?

[howeda7]

Brew wants a good x's and o's guy with great recruiting ability, and NFL glitter. So does everybody else. The question is, what is he most likely to give up. At this point given we will have three decent classes assembled, I'd go for the best coach. But I don't think that's how Brew rolls.

I don't either. He's 'eat recruiting, sleep recruiting' etc. etc. That's why we went with the spread supposedly. His time to eat and sleep recruiting has passed though. He needs on-field improvement. Hire the best coach, pump Redbull into them and know that they'll recruit as best they can.

[Gopher Bandanna Guy]

What are the odds of getting Mike Leach to come to the U as an OC? Obviously he'd be a controversial hire (but not as controversial as it would be if he was hired as an Head Coach), and with his former HC status he and Brew might be at odds. He does know offense though. If Brew didn't work out in a year or two, then slide Leach into the HC position.

Leach for our 2010 head coach was suggested on a couple blogs I stumbled across a couple weeks back, but I have no idea what his opinion would be about being and OC. It might work out well for him though if he could lay low at Minnesota for a few years, and then pick up a new HC position after the controversy dies down. Maybe I'm completely out in left field on this one though...

[Schnoodler]

I think Brew is trying to avoid the noose, not slip it on willfully.

[Maximus]

If Brew didn't work out in a year or two, then slide Leach into the HC position.


The last thing Tim Brewster is going to do is bring someone in with better credentials than him...i.e. a successful BCS head coach.

[monaco]

What about Josh Heupel? If my memory serves me correct his name was mentioned b/4 the Fisch hire last year. If that falls out I guess we could go after Norm Chow haha

[howeda7]

What about Josh Heupel? If my memory serves me correct his name was mentioned b/4 the Fisch hire last year.

Obviously he already shot us down, he's not going to change his mind now. Maybe we can get his dad Ken Heupel :rolleyes:. I'm not sure where he is these days (he was at Northern State when Josh was in HS), but I suspect coaching DII somewhere. I'm not sure that that's where Josh learned his offense though.

[Iceland12]

The last thing Tim Brewster is going to do is bring someone in with better credentials than him...i.e. a successful BCS head coach.

Not after the Roof fiasco. By all accounts Roof promised he'd fulfill his contract, then Auburn came calling...:o Ironically the Gophers Defense, arguably, had a much better season then Auburn's.

That being said I'd like to see Kragthorpe or J.D. Brookhart get a crack at it.:banghead:

[gophergrad]

Zorn has a degree (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2008/11/jim_zorn_artwork_and_molten_ir.html). It took him awhile, including taking classes at the University of Minnesota, but he finally got it.

Huh, I stand corrected. Just goes to show, never believe what you read on this board. Especially don't believe it if you've got a crazy article about Jim Zorn and metal casting.

[STPGopher]

Do we go after an experienced retread, like Cosgrove, or another up and comer, like Fisch?

How bout going after a highly succesful high school coach in an area we heavily recruit, like TX or FL?

Stupid idea or brilliant?

Well if we are forced to reach and groom a guy, Tim Salem should be in the mix. He could co OC with Davis. My guess is he'd be much more open to keeping the bulk of the current offense. The other plus is that Salem could help recruit Ohio and Florida. With that said, I'd much rather have a guy like Zorn or Heupel though if possible. http://ucfathletics.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/salem_tim00.html

[bankonit]

Would people go over the deep end if we hired a "Mike Grant" type from TX or FL.

Hell, why not go after Mike Grant?


That would be a hilarious hire.

[TCF=UnitedWeStand]

That would be a hilarious hire.

And a depressing one at that.

[bankonit]

Hohensee would be a small step up from Mike Grant.

[josh087]

Mike Grant? Calling plays? Really? Have you ever watched EP football? They run about 6 plays. They win because they have 10,000 kids.

At least the playbook would be miniscule.

I can't stop laughing at the thought of it.

[Donovan]

Let's pray that whoever is brought in can get Weber back on track. We need someone to get his confidence back. Convince him that it wasn't all his fault but rather the previous OC (whether that is accurate or not). Not expecting it, but one can hope!

Kragthorpe is appealing, but seems like we'd be a stepping stone back to a head coaching position.