CBS Radio: P.J. Fleck: You Either Like Me, Or You Don’t

Each coach has their own style and personality. Fleck is probably a type AAAA. I too would have trouble working with him but the main thing is getting the players to buy in.

At this time, the media is focusing on Fleck rather than the players and team to the point of overkill. The BTN coverage of his shoes during the Spring Game was a bit too much.

The time will come when it will change from Row-this, Elite-that, Culture-blah to how about winning big and often? That is what he was hired to do.

Long time Iowa HC Hayden Fry has one of the most successful coaching trees. One of his coaches stated that "Hayden gave you enough room to do your job, but he kept the reins on you. He was a psychologist, to put it politely. He used all kinds of gimmicks and everything. He knew what he was doing. He had a reason for everything he did." Maybe PJ was lurking in his shadow.

So was Murray Warmath.

I actually think what Fleck is doing is brilliant. He is keeping the spotlight on himself, but more importantly off of the players. They have taken a beating the last few months. By Fleck playing "look at the new and shiney object" it allows the players to work on being better football players.
 

So many in this thread have been allowed to say they like PJ but not his personality w/o being savaged. Has anyone made sure JB is OK?


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So many in this thread have been allowed to say they like PJ but not his personality w/o being savaged. Has anyone made sure JB is OK?


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On my death bed as I type this.
 

My gut tells me that with Fleck, what you see is what you get. For better or worse, this is who he is. I don't think it's calculated. There's no doubt the media loves him, just because he is so "out there" compared to most coaches.

yes, I would prefer a coach who is a little more low-key. But, as long as Fleck is getting attention, at least the media is talking about Gopher Football.

Once they start playing games, then Fleck and his staff will be judged on their results. If Fleck wins at MN, he's going to get a lot of attention. If he doesn't win, there could be a bit of a backlash based on his style. Only time will tell what happens.
 

To me, it doesn't matter how I feel about PJ personally. If the U, the players, the coaching staff, and of course recruits love it, I love it. As a fan, I want a winning program, a program to be proud of, energy and excitement. If PJ brings that, I don't care how. I'm on board.
 


Fleck was not popular with athletic department members at WMU because he didn't play nice with others.

Perhaps he's learned his lesson.

Perhaps....but I still don't get it why you hang out on the Gopher Football Board. Sounds like you have issues. People have had problems with just about every coach for one reason or another and they get ripped apart by people like you who make statements that I doubt that are true.
 

To me, it doesn't matter how I feel about PJ personally. If the U, the players, the coaching staff, and of course recruits love it, I love it. As a fan, I want a winning program, a program to be proud of, energy and excitement. If PJ brings that, I don't care how. I'm on board.

This is how I feel. I guess if I were around the program more (if that makes any sense ) I may have a reason to dislike a certain coaching style or personality. I'm not, I'm just a long distance Gopher fan, and if a coach is raising the media awareness (local and national) of the program, and creating positivity around it, I'm all for it. As long as he's following the rules of course, I just don't understand why some people dislike him so much. Do you have to eat dinner with the guy?

tldr version:

I worry less about his personality, and more about the direction I see him taking the program.
 


I worry less about his personality, and more about the direction I see him taking the program.

I suspect 99% of us on here agree with this. Even those that don't care for his personality.


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I suspect 99% of us on here agree with this. Even those that don't care for his personality.

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I'm sure most folks on here would agree, but it seems like there are a few that have a personal problem with the guy, and I just don't get it. Unless these people have to talk to him on a regular, what's the big deal? He's (seemingly, still early) taking the program in a good direction. Let's just be excited about that for a while. That's my two cents.
 


Absolutely agree, it is great that we are getting so much positive publicity both on the local and national level.
The player buy in from the Kill/Claeys recruits has been great. Hope all of that leads to more wins in the coming seasons.
 

I'm sure most folks on here would agree, but it seems like there are a few that have a personal problem with the guy, and I just don't get it. Unless these people have to talk to him on a regular, what's the big deal? He's (seemingly, still early) taking the program in a good direction. Let's just be excited about that for a while. That's my two cents.

No. You are a Gopher fan. Self loathing towards your team is the only thing that is acceptable. :cool:
 



No. You are a Gopher fan. Self loathing towards your team is the only thing that is acceptable. :cool:

Sorry, you're right! I've been gone for so many years I forgot how I'm supposed to act! Is there something I can watch or read that will put me back in line?
 

Like: Solid coaching resume; Energy and positivity.

Dislike: Tony Robbins-like use of catch-phrases and acronyms; slight air of sleaze.
 

Like: Solid coaching resume; Energy and positivity.

Dislike: Tony Robbins-like use of catch-phrases and acronyms; slight air of sleaze.

My only point of contention is the part in bold. I really don't get "sleaze" from Fleck. My Upper-Midwest self loathing makes me skeptical of his innate optimism, but it seems sincere. Brewster's 'sleaze' was clearly evident as his fun, uber-positive personality very quickly turned into indifference and contempt when things turned sour. I don't think we'll see that with Fleck - for better or worse he has immersed himself with this lifestyle/philosophy. It most definitely is Tony Robbins-like, though.
 

My only point of contention is the part in bold. I really don't get "sleaze" from Fleck. My Upper-Midwest self loathing makes me skeptical of his innate optimism, but it seems sincere. Brewster's 'sleaze' was clearly evident as his fun, uber-positive personality very quickly turned into indifference and contempt when things turned sour. I don't think we'll see that with Fleck - for better or worse he has immersed himself with this lifestyle/philosophy. It most definitely is Tony Robbins-like, though.

Yeah I agree. I don't get the sleaze vibe from him ... at least not anymore than any given CFB coach (not exactly a clean sport). We don't know these people or anything but I don't get that vibe either.

I think some Minnesotan types would feel that way about anyone who sings too loud in church, let alone a PJ type.

I take the dude at his word that this whole "act" is how he is. I recall Macho Man Randy Savage doing an interview once and he was supposed to be himself and "out of character" and he explained with a line that went something like No this is really how I am all the time.... which is probabbly why I live alone...
 

Hasn't been here a year to prove himself to everyone what he is like in various situations and we've got many opinions. Time to put this one to bed.
 

That's the way a lot of us (WMU fans) felt.

Appreciative of what he did on the field especially last Fall, but glad he's gone.

Any WMU fans who are glad Fleck is gone need to have their head examined.
 





I'm good until he pulls out FAMILY. Makes me throw up a little bit.

He lost me at "They aren't Gophers yet, they are Howphers". Trying too hard.


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He lost me at "They aren't Gophers yet, they are Howphers". Trying too hard.


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Agreed. Although I like "change your best everyday"

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My only point of contention is the part in bold. I really don't get "sleaze" from Fleck. My Upper-Midwest self loathing makes me skeptical of his innate optimism, but it seems sincere. Brewster's 'sleaze' was clearly evident as his fun, uber-positive personality very quickly turned into indifference and contempt when things turned sour. I don't think we'll see that with Fleck - for better or worse he has immersed himself with this lifestyle/philosophy. It most definitely is Tony Robbins-like, though.

How is Brewster sleazy?
 


How is Brewster sleazy?

I guess I assumed the original comment saying that Fleck had some sleaze to him implied that his act is inauthentic - kind of how the stereotypical used-car salesman is categorized. I believe that Brewster fit that description but not Fleck. Probably not a spot-on definition of 'sleazy' but that's where I was coming from.
 

I see in PJ a lot of high pressure sales techniques, but at the core he's developed a strong system, that gives him something tangible to sell. Brewster used some of the same techniques but never had much of a core system, he recruited some good coaches, but without a core philosophy everything fell apart.
 

You can't argue PJ has personality. It just appears to be too much for some people. Personally, I think it's a nice change of pace. I can definitely see how he could be off-putting to others, though.
 




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