Wisconsin Coach Changing Axe Policy, Hasn't Talked To Coach Kill About it...

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The fact that Gary Anderson decided to talk to the media about "his plan" before giving Minnesota/Kill any respect in discussing it with us first; makes me furious. If you want a legitimate conversation about the safety of players/people involved then go for it, but don't just make up your own rules and tell the media about it.
 

If he is genuinely worried about a repeat of 2013, it shows Anderson is somewhat dull in the head. A two minute phone call setting up protocols gets this fixed. If the visiting team wins they chop down one goal post while the home team salutes the students. If the home team wins, they do what they want and the visiting team goes straight to the locker room. Not brain surgery.
 

Also, it seems foolish to give Minnesota bulletin board material like this before such an important game.
 

Sounds like the old coach was already thinking about changing the "policy" on the celebration and the new coach got surprised during his first exposure to the rivalry and the axe celebration.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/133752033.html

There was some minor pushing and shoving in the east end zone Saturday as the Badgers pretended to chop down the TCF Stadium goalposts with Paul Bunyan's Axe.

Maybe the Gophers were just jostling for a close-up look at the giant trophy.

It's the only way another class of Gophers seniors will ever get a glimpse, because for the eighth consecutive season the axe stays in Madison after Wisconsin's 42-13 victory


*snip*

All that was left after halftime was counting down the minutes, then running around the field with the axe, which the Badgers showed off to a crowd that included almost as many Badgers fans as Gophers fans.

"My guys said there was a little skirmish down there by the goalpost," Bielema said. "I forgot [the Gophers] go down there and sing [the alma mater] at the end, so we probably should educate our guys to go to the other end."

One of the few mistakes Wisconsin made all day.
 

IAGopherfan said:
wow that Brian Bennett guy really doesn't like the gophers does he? Way to write an article about it and make it seem like it was all the Gophers fault for defending the goalpost. Way to NOT research anything regarding the incident before writing your article. Please just leave out the jackass Sconnie players that had to run through the dance team etc singing "Hail Minnesota". They got carried away celebrating and we took exception to it. We don't care about chopping down goal posts. Who the F is Gary Anderson think he is? He is brand new to this rivalry and has no place changing the traditions. If they want to make it "safer" then put the Axe in one of the end zones. We need to win the Axe back and then make our own rules about it; leave it in our trophy case and not give it to them at all.
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Just to be clear, 2 years separated the Hail Minnesota breakup and the defense of the goal posts last year. I'm not sure a premeditated plan for defending the goalposts after a loss really paints the Gopher players in a better light.
 


If protocol discussions over how the victors celebrate the battle for the axe makes you furious you should seek help. Quickly.
 


badgerdoc said:
If protocol discussions over how the victors celebrate the battle for the axe makes you furious you should seek help. Quickly.
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Who is furious about having a discussion about protocol? I don't think anyone would mind at all if the coaches had a discussion about protocol. I think the problem is that there was no discussion. Not that I'm "furious" about that either. I think it just paints Andersen in a bad light.
 

This stuff, Axe not on the sidline, the Bennet article and the media attention Rand gave it is all noise anyways. Everyone knows camp Randall is a tough place to play and the Gophers get zero calls in our favor every time when we play in that place, if your a Gopher fan find your lucky charms and hope we can get a few bounces that have gone those red guys way in recent memory. See 1962 and the horendous calls that went against Murray Warmath and Bobby Bell for any further evidence you need about complete referee hose jobs.

This is going to be a tough emotional physical, football game any way you cut it because the Badgers are good on defense, and the Gophers are not to shabby on D either. There is a lot at stake for this football game a lot more than the Axe, a chance to play for a conference championship, so you know tensions on the field are going to be white hot, Gophers need to keep there cool as much as possible.

To me whoever wins the defensive line battle wins this football game as both teams have decent to good offensive lines, whichever team can control the line of scrimmage at the defensive line is going to set themselves up for the win.
Execute field positon with our kickers, keep them out of the endzone and keep the ball out of Melvin Gordons hands, and when he gets the ball swarm the guy, and the Gophers have a chance.
We win the game then we get to take pictures with the Axe, Little brown jug, Floyd the Pig and the bell at the Fair. I want to be in Indianpolis on 12/04/14 and 12/05/14 the only way for that to happen is for the Gophers to win and that is the plan for 11/29/14.
Hope for a hard fought victory and not the injury's we saw last week. Go Gophers.
 



Dear Coach Andersen:
The Golden Gophers have now claimed 2.5 trophies this year from their rivals--two of which were behind the other team's benches. There have been no brawls. Please remove the stick up your arse as well as the axe from the locker room, placing both properly on your team benches. We shall then play for both the axe and the-stick-formerly-up-Andersen's-arse, which we will then use to chop down your goal posts.
Thank you,
Tater
 

I love this thread. I learned a new word (badgina) and who would have thunk the skunks current coach, not the last one, is the real axehole. GH is an amazing place of wonder and excitement. Thank dog Al Gore invented the internet.

Let's complete the sweep and bring home the AXE!

SKI-U-MAH and Go Gophers!
 

It paints Andersen in a bad light because he is trying to make a post game celebration (that has been increasingly contentious) safer?
 

Not going to get boiled over this. They are a bit protective of not having won any National Championships over there. Oops. Did I say that out loud.
 



I smell distraction ploy. I think Kill and staff will stress focus on winning the game. Because, if you don't, it will not matter. My bet is the team won't waste much time with this. Regardless of how the Axe is transferred, If the team wins they cannot take away the W or the BigTen West Championship.
 

badgerdoc said:
It paints Andersen in a bad light because he is trying to make a post game celebration (that has been increasingly contentious) safer?
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He's wrapping it in the 'safety' excuse to make it more defensible. If both coaches can control their players there isn't an issue and there hasn't been an issue countless times over the decades.
 




badgerdoc said:
If protocol discussions over how the victors celebrate the battle for the axe makes you furious you should seek help. Quickly.
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That is the problem. All he has to do is pick up the phone and talk to Kill. Show the other team enough respect to get their opinion on changing a tradition. If it is a joint announcement on how this is going to happen, nobody can get mad. Instead GA decides to go the douchy route and dictate things himself under the disguise of "safety". As has been suggested just put the thing in the end zone if you don't want them storming the other sideline.
 


How's this:

If the trophy is changing hands - have the captains of the losing team bring it to midfield and present it to the captains of winning team. The trophy could be on the sideline or locker room.. If both teams are on the field they must remain in 'their half' of the field.
 

bkrownd said:
This is clearly an attempt by the Wisconsin staff to reduce the ability of MN to celebrate a win on their field. There are other ways to handle it, but instead they choose to hide the trophy so losing it won't be in the spotlight.
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and them celebrating on our field---seriously, how about we win the game before declaring victory
 

The procedure probably did not need to be changed this year, but, unfortunately, after last year's near brawl, it had to be changed ahead of next year.
 

station19 said:
How's this:

If the trophy is changing hands - have the captains of the losing team bring it to midfield and present it to the captains of winning team. The trophy could be on the sideline or locker room.. If both teams are on the field they must remain in 'their half' of the field.
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i like it---and if the winning team has the axe, they can parade it around w/ no ceremony at midfield---the ultimate humiliationm, make them bow to the opposing captains too--unfortunately, I think we will be doing more bowing than accepting
 


Wisconsin is the worst. And changing the tradition is the worst. Let's just tell Wisconsin to keep the axe after we beat them. The broken chair trophy is better anyway. Also, somebody needs to steal the bacon back.
 

LOL TV might have something to say as well.
 


I can understand looking into the situation to avoid incidents, but making decisions without input from us makes me hate them even more. An like most I have a terrible hatred for those mother #*ckers.
 

After we win, the players should just run across the field and take dumps on their sideline. It's this type of garbage that creates rivalry trophies...let's get all meta and create a new trophy the stays on the sideline in protest of the Axe NOT being on the sideline.
 

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