Attitudes

I've been reading many posts over the past couple years. After reading a few disgusting ones I felt the need to post my self. Why so much energy against Weber, Brewster, a potential recruit, or whomever before the season starts or before a player has a chance to prove himself? Negative environments attracts negative results. Is this what we want? I'm choosing to be positive about this upcoming season and I'm behind the team as a whole from the coaches down to the managers.

Any negative or positive comment I make here on the forum will have ZERO impact on the on-field results this year.

I am neither a Weber backer nor basher but he has definitely had a chance to prove himself.

It's A Defense Mechanism

. . . with a measure of bitterness of having not been back on the top of the Big Ten heap for 43 years.

There have been many years of promising starts, only to finish with a whimper. The 2003 season was especially brutal for many of us, in that those who refused to believe it could ever happen, finally let go and gave into promise and hope. Only to have your guts kicked in with that loss to Michigan.

And then there are the coaches . . .

Throw in that ill-fated "Smokey Joe clenching roses" billboard, followed by the even greater hype of the Music Man, followed by his antithesis in Gutey, only to be followed by another southern tent-preacher-as-coach (without the dark side - or alas, coaching acumen of his southern predessor once -removed Smilin' Lou), followed by the highly competent but too-standoffish-for-Minnesota coach Mason, followed by the current HC who again has been long on promises and to-date, short on tangible deliveries.

These are but a few of the things thrown into the cocktail that elicits the "I-can-go-more-negative-than-you" posts. Remember though, this is an internet message board . . . so anyone seeking either civility or measured or informed opinions enter at their own peril.

Very well written. The only hyperbole I could quibble with is you putting "highly" in front of "competent" in the same sentence with "Glen Mason" (I'm OK with the "C" word). Now if you were referring strictly to coaching RB's or O-linemen I'd agree wholeheartedly with "highly". But throw in defense, recruiting, or public relations and you have to round down some.

P.S. When psychoanalyzing the Gopher fanbase, also don't forget that there's a very fine line that separates "Minnesota Nice" from passive-aggressive. And sometimes that line gets fuzzy.

People are jerks somtimes!

spermophilus said:

. . . with a measure of bitterness of having not been back on the top of the Big Ten heap for 43 years.

There have been many years of promising starts, only to finish with a whimper. The 2003 season was especially brutal for many of us, in that those who refused to believe it could ever happen, finally let go and gave into promise and hope. Only to have your guts kicked in with that loss to Michigan.

And then there are the coaches . . .

Throw in that ill-fated "Smokey Joe clenching roses" billboard, followed by the even greater hype of the Music Man, followed by his antithesis in Gutey, only to be followed by another southern tent-preacher-as-coach (without the dark side - or alas, coaching acumen of his southern predessor once -removed Smilin' Lou), followed by the highly competent but too-standoffish-for-Minnesota coach Mason, followed by the current HC who again has been long on promises and to-date, short on tangible deliveries.

These are but a few of the things thrown into the cocktail that elicits the "I-can-go-more-negative-than-you" posts. Remember though, this is an internet message board . . . so anyone seeking either civility or measured or informed opinions enter at their own peril.

Click to expand...

Since you made a thinly-veiled reference to Jim Wacker, I'm going to drag out my oft-used reminder: Jim Wacker won football games everywhere he coached - except at Minnesota. He came here in possession of a well deserved National Coach of the Year Award and left here with a tattered reputation, mostly from the viewpoint of Gopher fans who never bothered to look at his career before and after the maroon and gold. Thank heavens the football coaching fraternity knew better about one of their own than did a lot of fans in this neck of the woods. He was a talented football man of outstanding character who was celebrated in passing by some of the biggest names in the football world. Upon hearing the end was imminent they flocked to his door in droves to bid him their personal farewells. Fortunately, Jim Wacker did not need to accomplish what at the time was the impossible at the U of M in order to leave a permanent legacy on college football and the football coaching profession.

My point? A man like Wacker did not forget how to play the game or how to coach for a few measly years while he was in the Twin Cities. So what happened and why? That is the question Gopher fans should answer if they truly wish to solve the mystery of how a football program at a school like ours could be so sorrowful for such a long time through such a parade of coaches.

WELL SAID.

spermophilus said:

. . . with a measure of bitterness of having not been back on the top of the Big Ten heap for 43 years.

There have been many years of promising starts, only to finish with a whimper. The 2003 season was especially brutal for many of us, in that those who refused to believe it could ever happen, finally let go and gave into promise and hope. Only to have your guts kicked in with that loss to Michigan.

And then there are the coaches . . .

Throw in that ill-fated "Smokey Joe clenching roses" billboard, followed by the even greater hype of the Music Man, followed by his antithesis in Gutey, only to be followed by another southern tent-preacher-as-coach (without the dark side - or alas, coaching acumen of his southern predessor once -removed Smilin' Lou), followed by the highly competent but too-standoffish-for-Minnesota coach Mason, followed by the current HC who again has been long on promises and to-date, short on tangible deliveries.

These are but a few of the things thrown into the cocktail that elicits the "I-can-go-more-negative-than-you" posts. Remember though, this is an internet message board . . . so anyone seeking either civility or measured or informed opinions enter at their own peril.

Click to expand...

+10. I have been a Gopher football fan since Bob and Pinky McNamara played in 1953, saw Bobby Bell, Sandy Stephens, and Tom Brown, etc play in the 1960 National Championship season, saw every home game in 1967 Big 10 Co-Champ season, saw every home game, except for illness, from 1966 to 2004 when major illness intervened. I love Gopher football and I will always be optimistic and positive in what I say or write about the team and the players. After all, they are just somebody's kids playing their hearts out for you.

GO GOPHERS!

I feel that the bitterness has been coming from people who are too new to Gopher football and expect nothing but success wthout understanding the past 50 years (I think this has been stated elsewhere, I'm just reiterating). I also expect these people to disappear, with a select few reaching Art Vandelay status at some point in the future. Get out your vomit buckets, folks.

On a side note - I haven't been a diehard Gopher fan for very long. I just recently reached "Drive to Tennessee for a nonconference game" status. Nevertheless, I understand the intricacies of the game and the college football environment Minnesota sits in. We aren't going to be Ohio State status for a long time, but I think we're building something significant with what we have. I've done my fair share of questioning Brew's coaching decisions, but he's our coach until there's someone else, and I like what he's done off the field for the most part in terms of revitalizing this program. If we can maintain consistent coordinating and continue to recruit mid level talent, all we need to do is execute effectively on Saturdays and we could be a few years, even a year away of being considered an upset capable team with viable Rose Bowl aspirations. NW did it, Illinois did it, why not us? Why not now? I don't care who the coach is, who the qb is, or who the A.D. is. They will have my support until a decision is made to make a change. I will toast the victories, I will drink away the losses. I will bleed maroon and gold and follow this team to the day I die.

I don't understand bitterness at all. Disappointment? Yes.

I, like John4254, go to Gopher football games because I love CFB and the Gophers are my team. Anyone who can't pull for these young players are only there for the W's and nothing else. The student/athletes are out there giving their best every Saturday and most every day of the year. I think most fans who have been around for a number of decades understand that.

maxwellsmart said:

Since you made a thinly-veiled reference to Jim Wacker, I'm going to drag out my oft-used reminder: Jim Wacker won football games everywhere he coached - except at Minnesota. He came here in possession of a well deserved National Coach of the Year Award and left here with a tattered reputation, mostly from the viewpoint of Gopher fans who never bothered to look at his career before and after the maroon and gold.

Click to expand...

I don't know about that. The numbers I pull up are a record of 40-58-2 at TCU in the 9 years before MN. Hardly a winning record. He did win alot at North Dakota State and Southwest Texas State previously however.

Building a program to be a consistant conf. contender, does not happen overnite. Just like Brewster coming in and talking Rose Bowl. People expected that the happen immediately when the cupboard was close to bare. They DID develope some players, as witnessed by the number of kids going to NFL camps. They are doing things the right way by redshirting and letting kids develope like other big time programs. Granted he has to start winning, but I think if he keeps doing what he has been we will start to see results. I do think he has been learning on the fly, but seems to have his feet on the ground and a solid staff. I think 6-6 7-5 is realistic this yr. with a much better team than last yr. but 2011 and 2012 should be alot of fun. If not by 2012, then his plan has failed. But I think the band wagon will fill pretty fast.

I also do get tired of the bashing of the Gopher football program. Like some previous posters I have been a Gopher FB fan for over forty years. Every fall brings the excitement of a new season and the hope that this will be the "one". We think that every new coach will be the coach that turns the program around and gets the SH of the world to stay home and play. Good programs have consistencies in their programs. Although I don't always agree with Coach Brewster (such as a pass from the half yard line against Ill-thanks mr. oc) I will support the program because I am and will be a lifelong Gopher fan. I think we are on the right track by hiring an experienced OC and DC. Are they the best coaches in the country? Probably not but they want to be here and bring stability to the program and will not jump at the next job opening. Coach Brewster has brought back memories of the past when Gopher football was great. A walk through TCF Bank and the lockerroom does show that. He is trying to reconnect with the past to bring back the past tradition which was and can be again winning football.

Jim Wacker....

Here's the skinny on Jim Wacker.....

His overall TCU record was not impressive, but you need to look deeper. He took
over a program that was an SWC doormat for more than 2 decades, and turned
in a solid 8-4 season, for which he won coach of the year. After that season,
he discovered that there were some dirty dealings going on behind his back regarding
alumni and slush funds, so HE TURNED HIS OWN PROGRAM INTO THE NCAA. He
basically self-inflicted penalties for what alumni were doing. After several mediocre
seasons he rebuilt TCU into a 7-4 team, and was hired by Minnesota.

At Minnesota, Jim had first to deal with the problems that are well-known to us all:
low revenue, the dome, low budgets, challenging administrations, etc.

Jim knew football, but I think he erred in trying to build basically a WAC-type of team for
the Big Ten. He recruited Texas hard, but the schools he was recruiting against were
not UT, A&M, or OU. Rather, it was SMU, Rice, and other schools like that. Those were
the schools going after the same players that Jim was. His teams lacked the
physicality, overall, to knock heads in the league week-in, week-out.

He deserved better, however, and I'm glad he was able to end up in a happy place back
down in Texas.

frozengopher said:

I feel that the bitterness has been coming from people who are too new to Gopher football and expect nothing but success wthout understanding the past 50 years (I think this has been stated elsewhere, I'm just reiterating). I also expect these people to disappear, with a select few reaching Art Vandelay status at some point in the future. Get out your vomit buckets, folks.

If we can maintain consistent coordinating and continue to recruit mid level talent, all we need to do is execute effectively on Saturdays and we could be a few years, even a year away of being considered an upset capable team with viable Rose Bowl aspirations. NW did it, Illinois did it, why not us? Why not now? I don't care who the coach is, who the qb is, or who the A.D. is. They will have my support until a decision is made to make a change. I will toast the victories, I will drink away the losses. I will bleed maroon and gold and follow this team to the day I die.

Click to expand...

3 cheers for Frozen Gopher. May we spend a lot of time toasting victories come fall.