Shama: Early Critics Don’t Bother P.J. Fleck

The surest sign that something bothers someone is them going out of their way to tell everyone that it doesn't bother them.
 

Haven't we been criticizing the media for years for not caring enough about the Gophers? A coach like this gives media stuff to talk about. Gopher football has been in the news a lot this offseason, and not negatively. <b>Well, other than the people who think the Gophers coach talking to the media and being in the news is a negative...</b>.

Being in the news this way is a big yawn. Bad for the program? No. But this idea that it is anything other than a push is wrong as well. Keep in mind what people are hearing.... Happiness/Joy, Howphers/Gophers, Stop comparing me to Brew, People hate me, etc. People have started to tune him out because of this nonsense. Being visible is good, but there seems to be too much of a good thing then. This notion that all he is doing will help the program because we are "in the news" is silly. Recruit. Coach. Win. The rest is noise.


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This "noise" got him weekly Sportscenter apperances, a Big Ten Coaching job, and a show on ESPN. For some reason I don't think it's ever going to stop.
 



This "noise" got him weekly Sportscenter apperances, a Big Ten Coaching job, and a show on ESPN. For some reason I don't think it's ever going to stop.

Winning got him a Big 10 coaching job, not saying Howphers.
 

Exactly

The surest sign that something bothers someone is them going out of their way to tell everyone that it doesn't bother them.

And if there actually is a hater somewhere, then acknowledging, recognizing him only makes others ask themselves if they should join too and ultimately grows the group and starts a movement. Or it creates a haters group where there wasn't one. Not much vision in looking for sympathy before you start. Fits with the pay cut mentality he wants his klds to know he sacrificed coming here.
 





Winning got him a Big 10 coaching job, not saying Howphers.

And to suggest ESPN or anyone outside of Kalamazoo would know or care who he is if they hadn't won a lot there is also short-sighted.


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Like many of you I am the "Gopher guy" in my circle of friends and family. I am continually amazed at the level of ignorance when it comes to Gopher football. There is one telling stat that nobody can deny when it comes to the bad news related to this program: No conference championship since 1967. But, when you throw that stat in with the unrealistic terrain of sharing the town with the Vikings, you get a lot of ignorance. The Vikings could make the playoffs once in a 10 year span and somehow they would still be considered to be more successful than a run of 9-4 bowl winning Gopher teams. Somehow, despite not winning the conference in 50 years at the same time this "fan base" has put unrealistic expectations on the Gophers at the same time. So, every season is generally regarded as a failure and "fans" fall over themselves to predict coaching hire failures, collapsed games, and in general - failure.

Therefore, my latest dose of ignorant Gopher fan opinion is the one where "this guy is just like Brewster" or "reminds me of Brewster." I feel like I have an internal DVD that I just hit 'play' and begin to spew things like "Brewster hadn't been a college head coach and just was a position coach while Fleck actually built a top recruiting and top performing team from scratch." Etc. Etc. I can't say if Fleck will ultimately be successful and I'll have to see his teams in action before I can predict success or failure. But I can say right now I am not seeing the connection to Brewster.

As is the case with all recent coaches - a Rose Bowl is perhaps the only thing that will put a dent in this line of thinking.

+1 I will add that I have supported every Gophers head football coach including Brewster. The funny thing about Brewster and Fleck, is they were/ are saying the very thing that most all Gopher fans want is possible. Mason in a blue moment said (in accurate paraphrase) middle of the road is about as good as you'll get with Gopher football. This was part of the reason/ rationalization for getting rid of him.

I look at this program post Holtz and see that each coach helped the program and left it a little better in their own way. Going back to Brewster, he said what many of us believe is still possible. The program could win a championship(s) again. Kill and staff helped reestablish a solid infrastructure. I am hopeful that Fleck can build upon that and take us to that level that many of us have been waiting for. Another championship and another Rosebowl.
 

And to suggest ESPN or anyone outside of Kalamazoo would know or care who he is if they hadn't won a lot there is also short-sighted.

...and the Jim Rome Show, and Sports Illustrated, and on and on...

More people knew of PJ Fleck than WMU Football.
 

...and the Jim Rome Show, and Sports Illustrated, and on and on...

More people knew of PJ Fleck than WMU Football.

Well, I will admit that I didn't really know who he was until WMU started winning games. If he was on ESPN weekly, and Jim Rome, and SI when the Broncos were going 1-11 then I guess folks must like the noise a lot more than me. It's probably just 4-5 of us that don't like it.


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